Chapter 76: Second Diary Analysis (Part 1)
“What… what is this?”
Yomikawa Tsuko was genuinely surprised. In the previous exchanges, the physical changes had been profound, almost violent. Even with the fifth wish, the one that had cursed her with emotions, she had quickly, and with a dawning horror, recognized the fundamental shift within herself.
But this time… she felt nothing. Absolutely nothing.
“Is it possible,” she thought, a new possibility taking root in her mind, “that nothing happened last night? That there was no exchange at all?”
This wasn't just a feeling; it was a conclusion based on evidence, on a careful analysis of the available data.
“Starting with the exchange of physical characteristics, each of Hanako’s wishes, each fulfillment of the dark pact, has been accompanied by a distinct and deeply unpleasant physical backlash. Fever, body aches, a profound, soul-crushing exhaustion, both physical and mental, upon waking. These have been the tell-tale signs that something… has happened in the night.”
“But this time… even those symptoms are absent.”
Yomikawa got out of bed and began a meticulous examination of her own body. From her height and weight to the most minute physical features, she checked everything.
The result was clear. Aside from her blood type and DNA, which required specialized equipment to test, she could confirm, with a high degree of certainty, that she had undergone no discernible physical change.
“Is it possible… that the exchange simply… failed to occur?”
Considering this possibility, Yomikawa’s brow furrowed in concentration.
“If that is the case, then the sixth and seventh wishes in the legend of Lord Mask-Taker… they must be complete fabrications. But why? Why would someone invent such lies? What possible, special reason could there be for such a deception?”
The legend of Lord Mask-Taker was not some modern, sensationalist urban legend, created to satisfy the morbid curiosity of the masses. It was ancient. Primal. It was unlikely that false information would have been added simply to make the story more “bizarre” or “interesting.”
“Unless… unless only parts of the information are false. The fabricated information could include the content of the fifth wish, and the timing of the sixth wish… and perhaps even the timing of the seventh wish is also inaccurate.”
Compared to her previous theories, this new hypothesis was far more logical, far more… elegant.
“If I consider it from this angle, then I am forced to return to the fundamental question: from where, and from whom, did the legend of Lord Mask-Taker originate? The most logical source, the most likely architect of the tale… would be Natsuhime’s father. The Chief Priest of the shrine.”
“But… what possible, compelling reason would he have had to alter the content of the fifth wish, and the timing of the sixth?”
As she thought this, the image of the Chief Priest, who had until now been a thin, one-dimensional character in the story, became completely, terrifyingly blurred.
“In any case,” she concluded with a sigh of frustration, “for now, all I can do is continue to observe.”
“And on that note… tomorrow, I am scheduled to ‘supervise’ Katayama Mao as he takes sports photos of that fool, Takada. This could be… a valuable opportunity. An opportunity that should be… properly utilized.”
Her thoughts returned to the three targets of her revenge. The one most immediately within her reach was Katayama Mao. And he, she knew with a cold, predatory certainty, would be far, far easier to deal with than Kishida Masayoshi.
...
“Koji! Koji!”
Early in the morning, Kishida Masayoshi drove to Suzuki Koji’s clinic. He strode over to the computer, waving the small silver USB drive in his hand, and expertly imported the image files.
“I finally got the rest of the diary entries. Come on, you have to take a look at this with me.”
The clinic had just opened for the day. Suzuki Koji, wearing a pair of latex gloves, was in the middle of his morning cleaning routine. Seeing Kishida burst in, face flushed with a manic excitement, he couldn’t help but sigh. “Honestly, you could at least call before you come barging in like this. And don’t even think about talking to me until you’ve helped me finish cleaning.”
“Come on, it’s not like this place is ever overflowing with patients,” Kishida retorted, though he was already shrugging off his trench coat and pulling on a pair of disposable gloves. “You should be thanking me. I’m bringing you work, even if it is unpaid.” He paused, then added, a more serious note in his voice, “About that Mie Island case… you were right. One of our local locksmiths went there on a trip and disappeared. Headquarters has assigned me to the investigation. If you help me out with this, I might even consider bringing you back some souvenirs.”
As they chatted and cleaned, Suzuki Koji finally poured himself a cup of tea and sat down in front of the computer, opening the folder labeled “Diary.”
Just like the last time, the image files were named with dates. In chronological order, he double-clicked on the first image.
April 27th. Weather: Clear.
A close call today. Kagehara Kenta almost walked in on me while I was practicing.
He was supposed to be covering a shift for a colleague, supposed to be at the hospital all night. But then, at the last minute, the colleague’s plans changed.
Honestly, people who can’t stick to a plan… they’re such a nuisance.
“Here,” Suzuki Koji said suddenly, turning to look at Kishida. “If we have the date, we could go to the hospital where Kagehara Kenta used to work. Someone there might remember this. It’s been a year, yes, but this kind of unexpected change in schedule, this kind of ‘accidental event,’ it’s the kind of thing people tend to remember. If we can confirm that this actually happened, then the authenticity of this diary would be significantly increased, wouldn’t it?”
Kishida Masayoshi frowned. “It’s easy to say, but investigating it would take a lot of time. The diary doesn’t mention the name of the colleague who asked Kagehara Kenta to cover his shift.”
Suzuki Koji shrugged. “Well, that’s your problem to solve, isn’t it? Let’s keep reading.”
Even though I managed to bluff my way through his questions, the way he looked at the new puppy in the house… I think he knows what I’m planning. In any case, his expression tells me as much.
I’ll have to get rid of the puppy. A shame. This one was quite lucky.
…
Regarding the problem of the cosmetics… thanks to the incompetence of those fool detectives, there’s far more information available online than I had anticipated.
KATE Black Tube Foundation.
CANMAKE Eyeshadow and Blush.
Three Lipstick.
Lucky Trendy Eyeliner Pencil.
SPOTSCOVER Concealer.
Chanel Highlighting Stick.
So many different products are required. The good news is, they can all be purchased at various local shops. If I buy one or two items a week, it’s unlikely to attract any attention. And later, if the police were to investigate from this angle, it shouldn’t present a significant problem.
“See this?” Suzuki Koji pointed his mouse at the words “fool detectives” in the diary entry, a teasing glint in his eyes. “As one of the parties in question, Officer Kishida, do you have any comment on this particular assessment?”
Kishida Masayoshi just grunted, refusing to take the bait. “The list of cosmetics here is identical to the information we have on file. But I’ve already checked with the local shops. At the time, the case had only just happened. I showed photos of Kagehara Tetsuya to several of the shopkeepers and sales clerks. Unfortunately, no one remembered him.”
“Well, that’s to be expected,” Suzuki Koji said, taking a sip of his tea. “This kid is clearly very cautious. The places he chose to buy the cosmetics were likely high-traffic areas. And it’s entirely possible he used some kind of disguise.” He paused, then added, a more serious note in his voice, “Honestly, Masayoshi, the fact that you couldn’t find any definitive evidence against him at the time… it just proves that Kagehara Tetsuya is, in his own way, a criminal genius. He may not have been able to completely eliminate suspicion, but he had the skill, the foresight, to erase all the hard evidence.”
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