"When did that car show up?"
As the two of them slowly backed away, Yukki Kouji whispered. He wasn't sure if it was just his imagination, but it felt like the car had appeared out of thin air. Of course, it could just be that his attention had been entirely on Sengetsu Girls' Academy, so he hadn't noticed the black Audi that was now approaching them.
"I didn't catch the exact moment either," Hidari Okumuro replied quietly. "But if my estimation's correct, it must've appeared about thirty seconds ago."
"It doesn't look like it's just passing by. For one thing, there's barely any traffic around here at night. And even if it were passing through, it wouldn't be moving this slowly—especially not heading directly toward us."
"True," Hidari muttered, frowning slightly. "But at the same time... it doesn't give off a hostile vibe."
"Yeah. If they were hostile, they wouldn't be crawling toward us like this. They would've gunned it the moment we let our guard down. So for now, we can assume they don't mean harm. Still, being approached by a car this late at night is... unsettling. Should we get in our car and bail?"
"If we drive off and they decide to chase, we might start a high-speed pursuit through Tokyo. Sure, we could hit the expressway and be out of the city in twenty minutes, but my car's fuel gauge is nearly empty. We'd have maybe three hours of drive time left at best. If they decide to go after us because we ran, I'm not confident I could shake them off within three hours and find time to refuel—especially since I don't know how far the next service area or gas station is."
"Then let's fall back to the car doors," Yukki suggested. "If anything goes wrong, we jump in and floor it. I remember your car's been modified, right? It can handle a few bullets."
"It can withstand about one handgun magazine's worth, at most."
"That's enough."
As they whispered to each other, the black Audi continued its slow approach—until it finally came to a halt in front of them. The driver's door opened.
Both Hidari and Yukki instantly tensed, mentally preparing for the worst. They stepped back toward their own car, ready to dive inside the second something went wrong.
But then, an elderly man stepped out of the Audi. He wore a perfectly tailored black-and-white suit with silver trim along the collar. His posture was upright, his demeanor refined. The man looked at them calmly, then placed his left hand over his right shoulder and gave a deep, polite bow.
The unexpected gesture left both Hidari and Yukki momentarily dumbfounded.
An elderly gentleman... bowing to them?
When he straightened up, his tone was courteous and composed.
"Good evening, Ms. Okumuro, Mr. Yukki. I am Hideki Emaya, the chief butler of the Izumi family. The family head anticipated that you might come to Sengetsu Girls' Academy tonight to investigate, and sent me here to find you. Judging by your expressions, it seems you're struggling to find a legitimate way to enter the academy, correct?"
"The Izumi family head knew we'd come to investigate tonight?!" Yukki asked, visibly startled.
"Predicting events is an art," the butler replied with a knowing smile. "If one masters the method, it becomes quite easy to deduce what will happen—with about sixty percent accuracy. The master of the house, however, happens to be exceptionally gifted at it. His predictions usually hold an eighty percent probability of being correct."
He gave a soft chuckle.
"Of course, if you're curious about that skill, you can learn more when there's time. For now, we should focus on business. Do the two of you already have a general plan in mind?"
"General plan?" Hidari echoed.
"Yes," Emaya nodded. "That's what the master is most concerned about. He's already aware of the incident that occurred this morning at Chiba City General Hospital—and he's particularly intrigued by the phrase, 'The first one will appear soon.'"
"My current theory," Yukki Kouji began, "is that what those two deranged nurses said is connected to the Shōwa 31 massacre. That phrase—'The first one will appear soon'—might be a warning or provocation from someone who has inherited the previous killer's twisted legacy, a message to the police and to everyone aware of the old case, signaling that they're about to strike again."
"A warning and provocation, huh..." Hideki Emaya murmured, his expression darkening. "That's quite similar to the style of the original perpetrator. The only question is—who's the one orchestrating the next bloodbath from the shadows? The head of the Kuchibana family? Or the 'monster' she spent her entire life cultivating?"
He bowed again slightly and continued, "Those are the exact words the master of the Izumi family asked me to deliver. He said that regardless of what theories you two have now, to continue your investigation, you must first find a way to enter Sengetsu Girls' Academy."
"But right now," Hidari Okumuro said with a sigh, "we can't even get close to the gate. We were stopped a hundred meters away."
"There's no need to worry about that," said Emaya calmly. "Ms. Okumuro, may I ask—how confident are you in your high school-level academic knowledge? Which subject are you best at?"
Hidari blinked, puzzled by the question, but answered anyway. "I'm very good at chemistry."
"And if you were to teach it?"
The moment Emaya asked, Hidari understood what he meant. After a moment's thought, she replied, "Give me a few days to prepare. If it's first- or second-year high school chemistry, I should be fine."
"I see. Excellent," Emaya said with a polite nod. "The Izumi family will prepare a letter of recommendation for you, allowing you to join Sengetsu Girls' Academy as a chemistry teacher. You'll receive it within the next couple of days. Originally, we had hoped to arrange positions for both of you—but since Mr. Yukki is still an active officer, naturally, he wouldn't have time to pose as a teacher."
"Hahaha, even if I did pretend to be one, I doubt I could pull it off," Yukki chuckled. "I think I've already returned everything I learned in high school to my teachers."
"Additionally," Emaya said, producing two small notes, "this is my contact information. Please keep it. Should anything happen, you can reach me directly—I'll relay your messages to the master. Since the two of you have chosen to reopen the Shōwa 31 case, the Izumi family will, of course, assist you discreetly from the shadows."
He handed each of them a slip of paper with his phone number.
"Thank you very much," Hidari said sincerely.
"There's no need for gratitude," Emaya replied with a faint smile. "The master has said that if you truly manage to resolve this entire incident, you will not only be handsomely rewarded but will also be honored guests of the Izumi family henceforth."
With that, he bowed once again, returned to the black Audi, and drove off in the direction he had come.
As the taillights disappeared into the distance, Yukki let out a wry laugh. "The problem we've been struggling with for hours... got solved that easily?"
"Yeah," Hidari said with a small chuckle. "Having powerful connections sure helps."
"I didn't expect that little Izumi girl's family to have that kind of influence," Yukki said in disbelief. "One letter of recommendation and you can waltz right into Sengetsu Girls' Academy as a teacher?"
"Apparently, the Izumi family has invested a lot of money in the academy."
"Ah... the power of money."
...
The next morning, 8 a.m.
Kotomi Izumi stretched lazily as she woke up. She had thought about dozing off again, but then remembered her promise to Yui—to sleep in and then head over to her house. So, with a reluctant sigh, Kotomi got out of bed, changed clothes, and prepared to grab a quick breakfast before heading to the Yuigahama residence.
After responding to Yui Yuigahama's confession yesterday and officially becoming her girlfriend, Kotomi naturally wanted to look her best before heading to Yui's house.
After washing up, she stood before her wardrobe, searching through her clothes until she decided on her outfit for the day.
She put on a mauve double-breasted trench coat, her delicate face touched up with a hint of light makeup. When she finished and looked in the mirror, a faint smile curved on her lips. On her feet, she wore a pair of gradient black sheer tights—one of her newest purchases.
She had bought them recently because Megumi Kato had a bad habit of tearing her stockings. Kotomi had pretended to be angry with her several times, but even after Megumi obediently promised not to do it again, she would still end up ripping them sooner or later.
It didn't matter whether they were stockings or tights—Megumi had managed to ruin nearly every pair. Kotomi was both exasperated and helpless. Still, as Megumi's girlfriend, she understood all too well that once Megumi got emotionally worked up, she just had to tear something apart.
Soon, more than half of Kotomi's expensive collection of tights had fallen victim to Megumi's enthusiasm. Megumi had even offered to buy replacements—identical ones—but Kotomi refused.
Not because she was angry, but because she didn't want Megumi to spend so much. Each pair of stockings Kotomi wore was costly, and if Megumi really insisted on replacing them all, her wallet would suffer a slow and painful death. The most expensive pair alone would cost Megumi at least six months' worth of saved allowance.
So, a few days ago, while shopping alone, Kotomi had picked up several new pairs. The gradient black tights she wore now were one of them.
Unlike her usual single-tone tights—plain black or gray—this pair had a two-tone gradient design. Starting from deep black at the toes, the color gradually lightened to a soft gray higher up, as if the darkness had been gently diluted.
She had never worn gradient tights before and wasn't sure if they would suit her. Turning around before the mirror, Kotomi admired her reflection—her legs wrapped in the delicate gradient fabric, glimmering like moonlight that hadn't yet faded from last night. She nodded in satisfaction. Her earlier worries were unfounded—they didn't just suit her, they looked perfect.
This pair had been quite expensive. If she were visiting Megumi today, there was no way she would have worn them—Megumi would definitely notice, get ideas, and before long, these too would end up shredded.
But since she was visiting Yui Yuigahama, Kotomi could wear them with peace of mind.
After dressing, she even put on a rare pair of diamond earrings—magnetic clip-ons that didn't require piercing.
Some people said magnetic earrings lacked "soul." To that, Kotomi could only raise her middle finger. Not everyone's brave enough to pierce their ears, okay?! She certainly wasn't.
She went downstairs to the kitchen for breakfast.
Aimi was still asleep, but when Akina Izumi saw her daughter come down dressed so beautifully, she couldn't help but chuckle softly.
"Most people need clothes to look good, but my daughter's the opposite. Even the most dazzling outfit would be nothing but a dusty pearl unless you're the one wearing it."
"Mom, that's way too flattering for this early in the morning," Kotomi laughed sheepishly. She loved compliments—especially from her family.
"Dressed up this nicely, are you heading off for a cultural festival date? A secret date amid the noise and crowds of a festival—so youthful~" Akina teased playfully, pouring Kotomi a glass of sweet milk.
Kotomi shook her head, suddenly remembering that she'd meant to tell her mom last night, while heading downstairs for her bath, that she wouldn't be going to the cultural festival today—she'd be visiting the Yuigahama house instead.
But when Kotomi Izumi had seen her parents so engrossed in finishing Resident Evil 8, she couldn't bring herself to interrupt. She wanted to see them achieve the full-completion platinum trophy as soon as possible.
So she quietly went upstairs after her bath, played a few games, went to bed, and the night passed just like that.
As a result, she still hadn't told her mom that she'd be going to Yui Yuigahama's house today.
Feeling a bit embarrassed, Kotomi smiled awkwardly and said, "Mom, you're jumping to conclusions way too fast. I'm just going to Yui's house today~ We arranged it yesterday. Since Sobu High's cultural festival doesn't require attendance every day, I wanted to take a break today and go back for the last day tomorrow."
"I see. But if you already decided that yesterday, why didn't you tell me then, silly girl?"
"I was going to, but when I came downstairs last night, you and Dad were so focused on beating Resident Evil 8 that I didn't want to disturb you."
Akina Izumi thought for a moment before replying—not immediately agreeing or refusing. "Are you coming back tonight?"
"Of course I am," Kotomi said quickly. "I'll definitely come home tonight."
"That's good," Akina said, her tone light but meaningful. "It's just that, in the past, every time you went to Yui's house, you somehow ended up staying the night. You shouldn't trouble them too often."
"I'll be back by eight tonight," Kotomi promised.
"All right. Just be careful on your way there and back—and give my regards to Mrs. Yuigahama."
"Got it~" Kotomi replied cheerfully, nodding as she ate breakfast.
After finishing her meal, Kotomi left the house.
Unlike her usual route to the Yuigahama residence, she decided to take a slightly longer detour today.
Not for any particular reason—except that her usual path passed by the Kato residence.
If Megumi happened to see her walking past and heading in the direction of Yui's house...
Just imagining that possibility set off Kotomi's internal survival instinct alarm.
For safety's sake, she would rather take a route that added an extra thirty minutes to the walk than risk an unexpected encounter.
—
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