Chapter 771: Pink-Haired Girl? Red-Haired Girl?

Hidari Okumuro looked at the teacher identification card Hideki Emaya had given her and let out a faint sigh.

"I never thought there would come a day when I’d step into a school and become a teacher. My professional identity shifted from police officer to private detective, and now because of detective work, I have to play the role of a teacher. It really is the classic setup of a detective novel. I can only hope things don’t develop into a murder case like in those novels."

After saying that, Hidari Okumuro couldn’t help recalling her earlier conversation with Hideki Emaya.

Hideki Emaya: "Although we’re not questioning the police files, for the sake of caution, the family head asked me to confirm something with you. In the police archives from Showa 31, what was the very first incident at Sengetsu Girls’ Academy?"

Hidari Okumuro: "The Sengetsu Girls’ Academy serial murder case—didn’t it begin in mid-January of Showa 31 with the disappearance of a female student named Ichiko Enya? Then, one week later, another student named Shibami Kamikawa also went missing. After that, their bodies were discovered in Tama Cemetery and Suigo-Tsukuba Quasi-National Park, respectively."

Hidari Okumuro had reviewed the files on the Sengetsu Girls’ Academy serial murders countless times. Naturally, she remembered even the smallest details with clarity. 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

When Ichiko Enya’s body was discovered, it was at five in the morning. Because it had been dumped in Tama Cemetery—a place usually deserted—and buried with only one hand exposed above the soil, the discovery didn’t cause much of a stir.

What truly spread fear throughout the surrounding area was the discovery of Shibami Kamikawa’s body.

It was as if the killer had deliberately wanted more people to see it. Not only was the dumping site chosen to be Suigo-Tsukuba Quasi-National Park, but the body had also been dismembered and scattered in multiple locations.

The left hand and right foot were placed by the shore of Lake Kasumigaura. The right hand and left foot were left along the lower reaches of the Tone River. As for the remaining torso, it was wrapped in black cloth and set in front of the torii gate of Kashima Shrine.

At the time, the police had proposed a theory during their investigation: after dismembering Shibami Kamikawa, the killer might have chosen those three dumping sites for some specific symbolic meaning.

Unfortunately, they never discovered what special significance those three locations held. The only confirmed fact was that all three sites lay within the boundaries of Suigo-Tsukuba Quasi-National Park.

Faced with Hidari Okumuro’s answer, Hideki Emaya merely gave a shallow nod, as if her response had not matched the correct answer.

Hidari Okumuro noticed this immediately and was about to ask whether there was some detail from Showa 31 that had not been recorded in the files.

But before she could speak, Hideki Emaya continued.

"The family head said this is the first time the Izumi family is providing assistance to you in an investigation. He hopes the two of you will not disappoint the Izumi family. If you require any further help, feel free to ask."

At that point, Hideki Emaya paused, his expression turning serious.

"The family head especially instructed me to tell you this: the Izumi family strongly supports you and Officer Yukki in investigating the events of Showa 31. However, there is one thing you must understand. No matter how deeply you investigate, you must not involve Miss Kotomi or Miss Aimi."

"Of course. Such a bloody and dark case should never be exposed to them. Please assure the Izumi family head—I will keep my mouth shut." Hidari Okumuro nodded without hesitation, her tone firm and natural.

Yet Hideki Emaya still seemed somewhat dissatisfied with her response and added:

"Especially the Gokugu Village serial murder case. It must absolutely not be mentioned in front of Miss Kotomi! She must not even learn of the existence of Gokugu Village!"

Although she did not understand why the Izumi family emphasized so strongly that Kotomi must not know about Gokugu Village or the murders that occurred there, it was an order from the family head. Since she had accepted the Izumi family’s assistance, Hidari Okumuro could only nod and agree.

Even without their explicit warning, her professional instincts as a former police officer would never allow her to tell children about such dark and bloody crimes.

Children.

Although Kotomi was already in high school, to Hidari Okumuro—who had reached middle age—she was still just a child.

Gradually, she lost track of time. When her stomach began to growl, she stood up and stretched, glancing at the sky outside the window, which had already turned dusky. The last time she had looked outside, it had been morning. It didn’t feel like much time had passed, yet the day had already slipped into evening.

"I haven’t slept in a bed for two days. I should turn in early tonight. Sleeping on the sofa all the time really isn’t comfortable."

She rolled her stiff shoulders. Perhaps ever since resigning from the Metropolitan Police Department, she had slowly begun to indulge herself? In the past, she could sit in a car for three full days during an undercover operation without complaining of fatigue. Now, after just two nights on a sofa, she already felt worn out.

Had her mindset truly detached from her former identity as a police officer, or had her physical condition simply declined?

Probably both... she thought.

Then she reached out and shook the shoulder of Yukki Takashi, who was still fast asleep.

"You’ve been sleeping for hours. Time to get up and have dinner."

"Let me sleep another three hours... then we’ll eat dinner. That way I’ll have the energy to stay up all night again..."

Lying on the sofa with a blanket over him, Yukki Takashi spoke in a slightly hoarse voice. Every time he woke up, his voice sounded rough.

"Forget it. No all-nighter tonight. Go sleep in a proper bed. I’ve prepared a guest room for you on the third floor. You’ve come to my agency so many times—don’t tell me you’ve never been up there?"

Half-asleep, Yukki Takashi froze for a moment, then laughed awkwardly.

"Now that you mention it... I guess I really haven’t."

"Get up. Let’s eat dinner and turn in early. I’ve prepared bedding, a pillow, pajamas, and toiletries in the guest room for you."

"Thanks. I was planning to go back to the Metropolitan Police Department tonight to work overtime and then crash in the break room after midnight. But thinking about it now... I’ll stay here instead."

"Your vacation’s ending?"

"Yeah. I go back tomorrow. I’m already satisfied to have had a few peaceful days off. I originally thought being able to wake up naturally before being called back would be good enough. I didn’t expect to enjoy several calm days like this."

Yukki Takashi stretched as he spoke, sounding as if he had just unearthed buried treasure.

"Now that I’ve rested enough, it’s time to return to my post and continue arm-wrestling with darkness and bloodshed."

"I’m sorry. You finally get a rare vacation, and yet you’ve been here every day helping me investigate the events of Showa 31..." Hidari Okumuro said apologetically.

"It’s fine. I’m genuinely interested in the events of Showa 31 to begin with. And after the nurse rampage incident at Chiba Municipal Hospital some time ago, I’ve had this inexplicable bad feeling. The more we delay taking action, the more fear grows in the heart. Doing something concrete—actually investigating—helps ease that fear and unease a little."

At that, Yukki Takashi shrugged and laughed.

"Besides, if I hadn’t come to the agency to investigate with you, I’d just be lying at home sleeping my head off. The first couple of days might feel great, but after that it gets boring.

"These past few days have actually been pretty fulfilling. Not only did we investigate the events of Showa 31 together, I even went to watch that little Izumi girl perform at the cultural festival. I didn’t expect her to be so talented in music. When she grows up, she might even become a famous singer like Momoe Yamaguchi."

Pfft...

Hearing that final comparison, Hidari Okumuro couldn’t help laughing.

"What?" Yukki Takashi looked confused.

"Nothing, nothing. I just feel like teasing you a little. Couldn’t you use a more recent popular female singer as an example? I do like the films Momoe Yamaguchi starred in and the songs she sang, but if I remember correctly, didn’t she retire from the entertainment industry back in 1980?"

"Eh? She retired that long ago? I thought it had only been a few years." Yukki Takashi blinked in surprise. In that case, using her as an example really was a bit inappropriate.

After chatting for a while, the two decided to head to a nearby restaurant for dinner.

For the past few days, they had mostly been eating convenience store bento or ordering takeout. Naturally, they wanted a proper meal to make up for their recent busyness.

Just as they were about to reach the restaurant, Hidari Okumuro and Yukki Takashi suddenly stopped at the same time.

After a moment of silence, they looked at each other. Hidari Okumuro spoke first.

"Did a girl just pass by who felt... strange? Like she was floating in midair as she walked?"

"Yeah. With that red hair, it was hard not to notice."

"Huh? The hair color you saw was red?"

"What else would it be?"

"That can’t be right. The girl’s hair was clearly pink. I saw it very clearly. Yukki, you’re not colorblind, are you?"

"Bullshit. You know how strict the medical examination was before becoming a police officer. If I were colorblind, I wouldn’t have passed." Yukki Takashi sounded irritated.

"Then what’s going on? Why did you see red, and I saw pink?"

Hidari Okumuro considered herself someone who had witnessed plenty of bizarre scenes. But that pink-haired girl—walking as if she were gliding through the air—had been truly unsettling.

Especially since none of the surrounding pedestrians seemed to notice her at all.

"Maybe both of us just imagined it. You saw how she was walking—like she was floating. If that happened at night, you could use it straight out of a horror movie."

Yukki Takashi rubbed his eyes, suspecting that the two of them had been staying up too late and had experienced a brief shared hallucination.

...

Kyoto.

After leisurely enjoying an afternoon nap, Kotomi Izumi woke up again to find that it was already five in the evening.

When she was little, she had disliked taking naps. Even if she closed her eyes, she couldn’t fall asleep, so she found naptime unbearably dull. But at some point, she had started to enjoy sleeping in, often dozing far later than intended. Sleeping until three or four in the afternoon was manageable. The most exasperating times were when she slept all the way until evening.

It wasn’t that she worried about being unable to sleep at night. Even if she slept until seven in the evening, she could still fall asleep at eleven without any trouble. What frustrated her was the sense that she had wasted the entire afternoon—time that could have been used to accomplish so many things.

Upon realizing she had slept until five, Kotomi Izumi first felt her usual pang of regret over wasting the afternoon. But her mindset quickly shifted. It was vacation. If she didn’t spend her vacation lazily, was she supposed to make it productive instead?

Just thinking that almost made her want to lie back down and take another nap.

After a while, as the hazy remnants of sleep gradually cleared from her mind, Kotomi Izumi suddenly realized that from the moment she had closed her eyes until now, she had been lying on Yui’s lap the entire time—enjoying a lap pillow.

At that realization, although part of her still wanted to continue savoring it, she hurriedly rolled off Yui’s lap.

She had originally intended to sit up in one swift motion... but the warmth beneath the kotatsu was too comfortable, and she couldn’t quite bring herself to get up yet. So she simply turned over instead.

After rolling over, Kotomi Izumi reached out and gently rubbed Yui Yuigahama’s thigh, clad in white stockings, her tone carrying both apology and helplessness.

"Sorry. When I nap, I tend to sleep for a long time. I completely forgot I was lying on your lap. And you, you silly dumpling—having your thigh used as a pillow for that long, weren’t you tired? If you were, you should’ve just woken me up."

Faced with Kotomi Izumi’s mixture of apology and complaint, Yui Yuigahama froze for a moment before shaking her head as if it were no problem at all.

"I wasn’t especially tired. Actually...

At that point, her cheeks turned slightly red, but she still gathered her courage and shyly finished her sentence.

"When I looked down and saw you resting on my lap, Kotomi, it made me really happy!"

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