Not a detective

Page 120

Although Asakawa Riku has very low magic resistance and is easily caught off guard when encountering superpowered individuals or monsters, his mental resilience is very strong.

Especially after last year's events, he mastered a technique called "meditation," through which he can eliminate the influence of dreams and hallucinations and remain clear-headed at all times.

Perhaps it was precisely because of this ability that he was excluded from the brainwashing effect and became an "unexpected factor," unlike the other students who considered themselves villagers.

And so Asakawa Riku woke up on the beach.

He was very grateful that he had the opportunity to become this savior.

...

However, when Asakawa Riku actually stepped into that room, for a moment he wondered if all his guesses were wrong.

The room was extremely spacious, almost like a palace, with torches neatly arranged on both sides of the corridor, and the village chief's seat prominently located at the far end.

But the person sitting in that luxurious seat was not some sinister-looking stranger, nor some terrifying and ruthless mastermind, but a familiar face.

She was a female student.

She wore her hair in two braids, and her black bangs were a little long, obscuring her beauty. She wasn't particularly pretty; her appearance was average, her style wasn't outstanding, and her height and weight were mostly average.

Like any female classmate you'd see anywhere, she had a pair of glasses perched on her nose, and judging by their thickness and strong prescription, they looked out of place and didn't match her primitive tribal attire at all.

Riku Asakawa remembered her name—Mio Kato.

She is the class monitor of Class 2-B, which is the same class as Asakawa Riku's class, and is his classmate.

"I am the village chief here."

She spoke, her tone calm: "I heard you were looking for me, stranger?"

Looking at the scene, Asakawa Riku suddenly felt it was ridiculous. Class President Kato was not usually very dignified, but rather very approachable and got along well with her classmates. Now, sitting in a high position, holding a cane, and speaking in a low voice, she gave off a role-playing vibe. Was she acting in a play? It was truly absurd.

He couldn't understand. Where was the so-called mastermind? Was he hiding somewhere else and not showing himself?

Or is class president [Kato Mio] the mastermind behind it all?

Summer of the Red Stingray: Chapter Twelve - The Village Chief and the Elder

"Hey! Answer the village chief's question, you suspicious fellow!"

At that moment, a tall man stood up next to the torch on the left side of the corridor.

Asakawa Riku was still wondering what was going on, but after taking a closer look, he realized it was actually Matsuyama-sensei. Oh right, he was on that ship too…

"The one at the top is our village chief, and the people next to him are the village elders."

At this moment, Haoji, who was leading the way from behind, leaned over and whispered a reminder.

Surprisingly, amnesia makes him quite reliable.

Ignoring Mr. Matsuyama's intimidation, Asakawa Riku glanced around and saw several faces illuminated by torches on both sides of the previously dark corridor.

But these people were all familiar faces; they were all young and middle-aged men and women, and all teachers at this school.

To be precise, they were all the teachers leading this school trip. In addition to Mr. Matsuyama from Class B, there was Mr. Kishida (male) from Class A, Ms. Utada (female) from Class C, Ms. Nagai (female) from Class D, Ms. Sasakura (female) from Class E, and Mr. Nakata (male) from Class F. These people were the only adults left on the ship besides the students.

So the teachers weren't killed after all. That's great. So, together with the young village chief, they constitute the "ruling class" of this village...?

It seems there are some discrepancies between the plot and the book.

“I’m not called ‘Outsider’. I have my own name, Asakawa Riku.”

Asakawa Riku calmly replied, "Yes, it is indeed me who is looking for you, Village Chief."

This compliant response softened Professor Matsuyama's attitude considerably, and he sat back down. The other elders also refrained from offering their opinions.

Looking at his muscular physique, Asakawa Riku felt that he looked more like a village guard than an elder, so he had to suppress his laughter and continue the play with them.

"Oh, Asakawa Riku."

Kato Mio, playing the role of the village chief, nodded convincingly and continued to ask, "So, where do you come from, and what brings you to our village?"

"I was unfortunately shipwrecked and drifted here. I don't know how I got here. I'm sorry to have disturbed your lives."

Asakawa Riku gave an honest answer and even showed his wet clothes and shoes.

"Oh……"

"What a strange person."

"...What are you wearing?"

His outlandish attire drew astonished glances from the village chief and elders. If this was acting, Asakawa Riku could only admit he was completely convinced.

His original plan was to subdue the mastermind as soon as he entered the room and force him to break free of the brainwashing ability, but the current situation has put him in a difficult position.

...Is Kato Mio the mastermind behind it all?

It's not that he softens when he meets someone he knows. Of course, there's a possibility that Kato Mio is faking it, he can't deny that. But in his usual interactions at school, he always felt that this class monitor was a warm-hearted classmate with good grades. She often helped classmates who were lagging behind with their questions, and she was very responsible during activities. She was a "good person" in the literal sense.

It's hard to believe that she hid for a year just for this moment.

...Not everyone is Chizuko-senpai.

Similarly, they were willing to trust their homeroom teacher, Mr. Matsuyama, since Mr. Matsuyama's behavior on the snow mountain last year had remained within the realm of integrity and kindness.

Although he is just a "copy" created by the Baku, judging from the rule that he will replicate the original personality, he is also a good teacher who will take care of his students.

Neither of these two people seems to be the mastermind behind it all.

Of course, this is just wishful thinking on Asakawa Riku's part. He's not a detective and doesn't have the ability to read people's minds. It's possible that another misjudgment like the one involving "Yukie" could occur...

Now he was even more suspicious of the other "elders." He only knew the surnames of those teachers, Asakawa Riku, but not their given names, and had not had much contact with them, so he was unsure of their character.

It's possible that the mastermind is hiding among them, secretly brainwashing others while feigning innocence on the surface, making it very difficult to discern the truth.

Ultimately, Riku Asakawa decided to first find the suspect and sufficient evidence to convict him, rather than taking any rash action.

"Village chief, elders, I've heard that this village is called Red Stingray Village."

His thoughts shifted, but outwardly he maintained a calm demeanor and continued the questioning: "I'd like to know, what does the word 'red stingray' mean?"

"Oh, this is the god we worship, the embodiment of the ocean, the great mother."

Kato Mio smiled, seemingly becoming much more cheerful when the topic of faith came up, and began to explain at length: "That happened a very, very long time ago. Lady Red Ray lost herself on the shore, and the island lost its shelter, becoming tossed about by storms and nearly sinking. Lady Red Ray, with a heart full of compassion and mercy, answered the call, fulfilled her mission, and returned to the sea. Thus, the island was blessed once more, and we were able to live normally again. It's all thanks to Lady Red Ray..."

The content is very detailed, but the specific details are almost the same as what Asakawa Riku saw in the book.

The fact that the folk religion was exactly the same as in the book made him feel even more uneasy.

"There are many more, all of which are miracles performed by Lady Red Ray. Her greatness cannot be fully described even after several days and nights."

Kato Mio got more and more excited as she spoke, reminding one of the class president's usual announcements in class. It was hard to believe that she was actually preaching: "By the way, stranger, you've come at the right time. Our village is holding the Red Stingray Festival tonight. Why don't you stay and participate in the festival? After tonight, you'll definitely understand Lord Red Stingray better."

"Red Stingray Festival?"

"It is a festival to worship Lord Red Ray. Tonight, all the villagers will stay up all night to participate in this grand event."

An elder answered his question.

But Asakawa Riku had actually heard about this before, in that book.

—They even recreated the [Red Stingray Festival]? And tonight? Isn't that a bit too rushed?

He wasn't ready yet; he had even stopped reading right at this point, and he didn't know exactly what would happen at the Crimson Ray Festival. Everything was uncertain.

But he could already vaguely foresee that what happened at the Crimson Ray Festival, what happened tonight, must be the most important "main storyline".

"It is an honor to participate."

Asakawa Riku bowed slightly. Now that he was right in front of him, there was no reason to run away.

"Very good! Then you are our honored guest, Asakawa Riku!"

Kato Mio seemed pleased and clapped her hands with a smile: "Let me show you how hospitable our Red Ray Village is. Outsider, you can stay in our village for a while until you build a new ship and are ready to set sail. We can provide you with food and lodging. As long as you become a loyal believer in Red Ray, none of this will be a problem!"

Summer of the Crimson Ray: Chapter Thirteen - Island Search

Asakawa Riku walked out of the village chief's house.

The villagers watching outside the gate cheered and clapped, including Haoji and his group. It seemed they had all heard the village chief's words and were enthusiastically offering him fine wine and food.

"Honored guest!"

Please accept my gift!

"This is all thanks to Lord Red Ray!"

His faction reputation suddenly jumped to Friendly, which is unbelievable, all because of his slight connection to "Red Stingray"...

Asakawa Riku can now somewhat understand the protagonist's thoughts in the book, but seeing the fervent expressions on the faces of his familiar classmates fills him with sadness.

"Thank you, but I don't need it right now. Please leave me alone."

He wasn't blinded by simple excitement; instead, he remained calm and composed, politely declining the food and walking away alone.

We must save these students and find a way.

—It's still afternoon, and there's still time before the Red Stingray Festival tonight. We can move around freely during this time, which is also a valuable opportunity for investigation.

Riku Asakawa used his nimble footwork to disappear from everyone's sight at an incredible speed, taking advantage of everyone's brief moment of distraction.

He circled back to the outskirts of the village, preparing to begin a full island search.

...

Riku Asakawa felt that even if a person was brainwashed, their original personality did not seem to change.

Just like the village chief, Kato Mio, if it weren't for her speaking up, Asakawa Riku probably wouldn't have been able to quickly gain the trust of the village, let alone eat and drink for free and live here.

She was still the same enthusiastic class monitor, easy to talk to, without any airs, and never showed hostility casually.

Asakawa Riku felt that she was unlikely to be the mastermind.

Of course, besides her, there were also those teachers who considered themselves "elders," and another suspect, whom Asakawa Riku had just remembered.

—That is the captain and crew.

By the way, they were also on that wrecked cruise ship. It's impossible that everyone was saved except for these skilled sailors who perished at sea.

It doesn't make sense.

Logically speaking, if they were alive, they should have been brainwashed into becoming villagers.

But just now, no matter how hard I looked in this village, I couldn't find any adults. The only elders I found were the teachers.

If we consider the premise that they were the masterminds behind the scenes, everything seems much more logical. They were the owners of the ship, so it would be very easy for them to plot a shipwreck. Moreover, they were usually completely unknown to the public, so they couldn't detect any conspiracy in advance. Afterwards, they kidnapped the students to the island, while they hid there to observe. This makes perfect sense.

Therefore, Riku Asakawa decided to conduct a thorough search of the entire island, leaving no stone unturned.

He remembered the captain's appearance, the frivolous man in the Hawaiian shirt, and seven or eight crew members, who he vaguely remembered as young and middle-aged men.

If these people are really hiding on the island, he would feel much less guilty about taking action against them than if he were to do something to familiar classmates or teachers.

"let's start."

Asakawa Riku got into his starting position, and the next second, his figure disappeared from the spot.

A second later, the sound of wind cutting through the air rang out, leaving a trail on the ground.

Having spent too much time in bustling Tokyo, Riku Asakawa hadn't experienced the freedom of "running at full speed" in a long time. In the city, he was always worried about being seen by other people or cameras.

On such a deserted island, it didn't matter; he was able to let loose and run wild.

Although trees and rocks blocked his path from time to time in the jungle, and the ground was uneven, these obstacles did not hinder his progress, and his speed did not slow down in the slightest.

Wherever he passed, wild animals were frightened and ran wildly, birds took flight from the treetops, and the grass and trees on the ground were trampled as if a wheel had driven over them.

That's not all. The most difficult part is that Riku Asakawa can expand his senses while maintaining such high-speed movement and search while running.

He needs to suppress his rapid breathing and heartbeat, enhance his dynamic vision with terrifying reaction speed, and perceive the presence of surrounding objects and people.

Asakawa Riku is now like a ground-hugging infrared reconnaissance drone; the moment it is deployed to the battlefield, it can scan the enemy's location and number.

He ran in a zigzag pattern, conducting a thorough search around the island, looking for any possible traces of the "crew".

But unfortunately... a few hours later, when he stopped at the diagonal corner of the island, the search revealed—

no.

This island is completely uninhabited. Apart from the central village area, there are no villagers who have even left that area, let alone any other masterminds behind it.

However, Riku Asakawa's investigation was not without results; from another perspective, he at least figured out the structure of the island.