On the way home, Kotomi Izumi noticed a sedan driving away not far ahead.
Recalling for a moment, Kotomi remembered that when she was at the Isshiki residence's entrance earlier, she had accidentally seen a sedan parked at a nearby corner. But since it was getting dark at the time, she didn't think much of it, assuming it belonged to someone living nearby.
Even though it was quite dark now, Kotomi felt that the sedan she just saw leaving was the same one she'd seen earlier.
Was she just being paranoid? Unsure, Kotomi rubbed her eyes. The enhanced vision from her Queen of All Females constitution immediately activated, allowing her to clearly see the sedan driving not far away, even in the night.
But once she saw the car clearly, Kotomi let out a small sigh of relief—because she recognized it. It was the same car Hidari Okumuro always drove.
Still, new doubts began to surface in her mind.
Hidari Okumuro had already resigned from the Metropolitan Police Department; she was no longer an inspector, but a private detective who now ran her own agency in Shinjuku.
Even though a shift from police detective to private investigator meant she had more free time, based on Hidari's personality, it seemed unlikely that she'd be out driving around Chiba late at night instead of returning to Shinjuku—or going home to rest.
"Come to think of it, Aunt Hidari and Officer Yukki came to school today too. I even saw them clapping for me from the audience. I was planning to chat with them after the performance, but they left so quickly. I'd barely put my guitar away before seeing them slip out through the side door of the auditorium. Aren't they off duty today? Why do they both look so busy?"
Kotomi muttered to herself as she strolled along the quiet street.
At first, she thought Hidari Okumuro and Officer Yukki might've been in a hurry—one rushing back to Shinjuku, the other to the Kanagawa Police Headquarters. But now it was almost 8 p.m., and they were still in Chiba. Not only that, they had parked their car near the corner close to the Isshiki home, as if they were watching—or protecting—someone.
That thought only raised more questions in Kotomi's heart.
What's more, the direction their car drove off in didn't seem like Shinjuku or Kanagawa. It looked much more like they were heading toward Tokyo.
Curious, Kotomi took out her phone and sent a text message to Hidari Okumuro.
Kotomi Izumi: Aunt Hidari, I think I just saw your car while I was walking. Are you still in Chiba?
After sending it, Kotomi figured Hidari was probably driving and wouldn't reply right away. She put her phone away and quickened her pace toward home.
Once home, Kotomi placed her phone on the charger in her bedroom, then grabbed her pajamas and went downstairs to take a bath.
Passing through the living room, she saw her father playing Resident Evil 8 with a game controller, helping her mother clear a level. Her mother sat beside him with a bowl of grapes in hand, snacking and watching attentively. It seemed there was a level she'd been stuck on for a long time, so she asked Dad for help.
That's how it always was when her parents played games. Most of the time, her mother handled the playing—since Dad had work at the company and didn't have much free time. When Mom got stuck at a tough part, she'd save the progress and wait for Dad to come home after dinner to help clear it.
Likewise, when Dad got stuck, he'd ask Mom for help.
But it turned out Mom hadn't fully completed Resident Evil 8 yet. That made Kotomi wonder—when Mom had turned back to give her a thumbs-up on the way home earlier, with that confident "mission accomplished" look in her eyes... what did that mean exactly? Kotomi still hadn't figured it out.
If Akina Izumi ever found out about her daughter's cluelessness, she'd probably grab Kotomi by both ears, half-laughing and half-scolding: "Silly girl! Stop obsessing over your full achievements and platinum trophies all the time!"
After her bath, Kotomi glanced at the clock—8:21 p.m. There were still a few hours left before her usual bedtime. Since she didn't plan to attend the cultural festival tomorrow and wanted to sleep in, staying up a little later tonight was perfectly fine.
Of course, even if she could stay up late, Kotomi couldn't sleep too late—after all, she had already promised Yui that she'd visit her house tomorrow.
Idly twirling a strand of hair around her finger, Kotomi glanced at her phone. Hidari Okumuro still hadn't replied.
"Guess I'll play a round of Apex. I've been busy with rehearsals lately, and Season 13's been out for nearly a week already—I haven't even played once yet." Kotomi stretched lazily, booted up her computer, and prepared to play Apex while waiting for Hidari's reply.
Besides, it had been a while since she'd used her favorite Charge Rifle.
Playing Apex meant she couldn't forget her dear friend—or rather, she shouldn't. Once she logged into Steam, she saw Kiyoko Matsumatsu playing Left 4 Dead 2 alone with AI teammates. Without hesitation, Kotomi sent her a message.
Kotomi Izumi: Hey hey hey, how's it going with your bot squad in Left 4 Dead 2? Wanna hop on Apex instead? There's a new season update—let's grind together and aim for Predator rank!
Kiyoko's reply came almost instantly.
Kiyoko Matsumatsu: If it were last season, I'd have already quit and joined you. But tell me—what were our ranks last season?
Kotomi Izumi: Bronze.
Kiyoko Matsumatsu: Exactly. Before I teamed up with you last season, I was Gold... you know what, never mind. The fact that we ended the season still in Bronze says it all. You seriously think we can climb ranks in this garbage Season 13?
Kotomi Izumi: So you've already tried the new season?
Kiyoko Matsumatsu: Two matches. I swear, I wanna use the Spitfire to blow up whoever designed this season.
Kotomi Izumi: You can't kill what doesn't exist.
Kiyoko Matsumatsu: Fair point.
Kotomi Izumi: Anyway, whatever. I really wanna play Apex right now—it's been days. Even if Season 13's ranked system sucks, I'll play a match first before I start complaining.
Kiyoko Matsumatsu: Nah, I'm sticking with Left 4 Dead 2. At least the easiest difficulty helps me relax. Playing Apex ranked just raises my blood pressure. Today, even if I starve to death or jump off a building, I'm NOT opening Apex ranked again!!!
Seeing Kiyoko still refusing to join, Kotomi took a deep breath—time to use her trump card.
Kotomi Izumi: If you play Apex with me for a bit... I'll top up your account with Apex Coins so you can open loot boxes. You've always wanted Mirage's Heirloom, right? I'll start with the max coin pack. If you don't get it after spending all of it, come back to me—I'll keep topping you up until you get your Heirloom.
A few seconds later, Kiyoko instantly exited Left 4 Dead 2 and replied.
Kiyoko Matsumatsu: DAD! Oh no, I mean... you really shouldn't have~ Logging in now! Even if I have to crawl on my knees, I'll make sure your ranked points go up by one tonight!
And just like that, Kotomi (playing Valkyrie) and Kiyoko (playing Bloodhound) happily began their Apex ranked grind.
That happiness lasted... about five minutes.
"Wha—this is supposed to be Bronze rank?! The second ring just closed and there are still ten squads left? Is this a horror game now?!"
"Oh nice, a care package! Let's see what's inside... Kraber! That's a nice find. As fun as the Charge Rifle is, I'll grab the Kraber first."
"Kotomi, don't pick up the Kraber! Even dogs don't use that thing!"
"Really?"
"Really. If you want a sniper, just take the Sentinel instead. At least you can charge it with shield cells."
Spotting an enemy, Kotomi switched to the Kraber out of curiosity, aimed for the head, and fired.
...Didn't die.
Kotomi twitched her lips, immediately swapped back to the Charge Rifle, and activated her ultimate to flee with Kiyoko.
"Yeah, this thing's been nerfed into the ground! What happened—did the Kraber one-shot Respawn's developers before, so they decided to ruin it out of revenge?"
"Sounds about right."
They flew up using Valkyrie's ultimate—only to get instantly wiped out before even landing.
Judging from how quickly they were melted, Kotomi was starting to suspect this wasn't a Bronze lobby at all. Platinum, at the very least.
By the end of the match, Kotomi hadn't fired a single Charge Rifle shot—and instead of stress relief, her blood pressure had definitely gone up.
"Kotomi, you still playing?"
"...Let's just go play Left 4 Dead 2."
"Deal."
And so, what was supposed to be a ranked climb night in Apex Season 13 turned into a zombie-slaying night in Left 4 Dead 2 instead.
Kotomi Izumi: Guess in Season 13, we should stop dreaming about ranking up. Casual matches are where the fun's at.
Kiyoko Matsumatsu: Agreed!
After playing games for a while, Kotomi Izumi glanced at the time—it was already past 11 p.m. She said to Kiyoko Matsumatsu, "That's it for me tonight. I'm going to bed."
"Eh~? You're going to school tomorrow? Why sleep so early? Wait, even when you do go to school, you never sleep this early," Kiyoko teased.
Kotomi chuckled awkwardly. "I'm visiting a friend's house tomorrow, so I want to get some rest tonight."
"Oho~ visiting a friend, huh? The way you said that... I don't know if I believe you. Are you sure it's just a friend?"
No, she's my second girlfriend... Kotomi thought silently, but outwardly kept her calm. "Yeah, just a friend. Not someone from our school—an old friend I've known since elementary school."
"Tsk tsk tsk, I didn't even ask whether she's from our school yet," Kiyoko said with a knowing smile.
Only then did Kotomi realize what she'd said. Her cheeks flushed red. She'd thought her explanation was flawless—but instead, she'd accidentally said too much, making it sound even more suspicious.
"I just said that without thinking, haha," Kotomi said, trying to patch things up quickly.
No—she had to patch things up. If she didn't, her "one-hundred-ships" reputation might not need to wait until graduation to upgrade to "one-thousand-ships" by the second semester.
"Sure, sure~ 'without thinking.' Alright, I'll stop bothering you then. Go get some sleep. Night~"
"Night..."
After ending the voice chat, Kotomi sighed helplessly. It sounded like she'd smoothed things over, but she could only hope Kiyoko wouldn't overthink it.
After shutting down her computer, Kotomi checked her phone again. Still no reply from Hidari Okumuro. Looked like it'd be hard to get one tonight. Then again, that wasn't unusual. Back when Hidari was still a police officer, there were times Kotomi would message her for information, and if Hidari happened to be in the middle of a case, she wouldn't reply for weeks.
According to Hidari, Tokyo Metropolitan Police officers often carried two phones: one for personal use, called the "No.1 phone," and another for critical missions or investigations, called the "No.2 phone." The second phone contained case files and only included coworkers from the department in its contact list. Even if it didn't ring, officers were required to check it every few minutes.
Whenever they were using the No.2 phone, the No.1 phone would be handed in to the police headquarters for safekeeping.
When leaving or resigning, the No.2 phone had to be returned to the department.
Since Hidari had already resigned, her No.2 phone was likely long gone. If she still hadn't replied by now... she was probably still driving.
Kotomi didn't bother waiting anymore—it was just a small question, after all.
After watching an episode of her current anime, she put down her phone, turned off the lights, and went to sleep.
...
"Hidari, I think your phone just buzzed," said Yukki.
"It's probably a message from Kotomi. I'll reply when we get back," Hidari Okumuro said as she parked near Sengetsu Girls' Academy, her eyes widening as she gazed at the enormous, castle-like school in the distance.
"Wow... even from the outside, you can tell this is a school for rich kids. I bet one semester's tuition and dorm fees could cover an ordinary person's salary for several months," Yukki Kouji remarked, cigarette hanging loosely from his lips.
"Not necessarily," Hidari replied, shaking her head.
"Hm? You know how much the tuition is here?"
"No idea. But I do have a feeling that an average person's yearly salary wouldn't even cover a single semester."
"Pfft... reality sure hits hard. I heard the students here live in two-story villa-style dorms—each house shared by just two students. Can you imagine? Back in my high school days, I also stayed in a dorm—six people crammed into one room. And that was during Japan's worst economic slump! The school principal even removed the air conditioners from the dorms and sold them for cash. In the end, he didn't even bother installing fans."
Yukki Kouji scratched his head, chatting idly though his eyes never once left Sengetsu Girls' Academy. He also kept scanning the surrounding area, watching for any suspicious figures.
They'd planned to drive a bit closer, but before they could even get within a hundred meters of the front gate, they were stopped.
Technically, flashing their police IDs could have made things easier—but that wasn't an option. Sengetsu Girls' Academy hadn't reported any incident, and the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department's focus wasn't officially on this case.
After all, it had been decades since the original crimes. The murders had occurred back in Shōwa 31—and Japan had since gone from the Heisei era to Reiwa.
The Shōwa 31 serial murder case might very well continue in the near future—but at this point, it was only Hidari Okumuro and Yukki Kouji's theory. Without concrete evidence, they couldn't even apply for a search warrant. If they entered the school flashing police badges without authorization, the academy's security might not physically stop them, but afterward, both the principal and the chairwoman would undoubtedly contact the police department to report it.
Acting without orders would mean disciplinary action. Yukki would likely be suspended for a month of self-reflection.
"At this rate, we won't make any progress. We have to find a way to get inside the academy and investigate," Hidari said, her expression showing rare frustration. Though she had expected the academy to have tight security, she had still underestimated the sheer scale of its defensive systems.
The place looked impenetrable—but what if the killer from all those years ago managed to infiltrate the academy disguised as a teacher? In that case, even the best security measures would be rendered meaningless.
"Yeah," Yukki muttered, irritation in his tone. "But right now, we still don't have a way to get inside without revealing we're police."
Despite the chill of the approaching winter night, a faint unease stirred within him—an agitation that had lingered since that morning's incident at Chiba City General Hospital.
The two deranged nurses' words—'The first one will appear soon'—kept echoing in his mind.
He just hoped they hadn't meant the first victim was about to appear.
"Yukki, did you bring your gun?"
"No. Why? What's wrong?"
"Be on guard—look behind us!" Hidari said sharply, her tone filled with urgency, as though sensing danger.
Yukki whipped around instantly—only to see a black Audi slowly approaching them. It wasn't passing by by coincidence. Its target... was them.
—
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