"...When it was taken down, part of the cloth happened to catch on a branch and tear. A small fragment was left behind and fell into the water. Is that what you mean?"
"Shogun-sama is truly perceptive. Afterward... the person responsible didn't notice it, or rather, she no longer had the time to deal with it. After all, there were probably many other things she had to do."
Heizou smiled at her in admiration before continuing his deductions. As he spoke, his gaze gradually sharpened, staring into empty space as though he could see the events of the past unfolding before him.
'Why would she go to such lengths? She even hung blackout cloth from the branches?'
Ei, who had remained silent until now, suddenly spoke inside her mind, her tone tinged with confusion. She had been listening to their entire conversation and thinking along with them.
'Maybe she wanted to scare people?'
She answered.
'Is that really it? I think she must have had some definite objective. Otherwise, she wouldn't have gone this far.'
Ei said.
A definite objective?
She lowered her eyes and thought for a moment before looking at Heizou.
"Heizou, do you know why she did all this?"
She took the opportunity to ask.
"Haa... This is only my conjecture, but perhaps she was deliberately trying to 'create' a particular atmosphere of horror so she could drive away the visitors here. As for why... I'm sorry, but I haven't figured that out yet."
Heizou shrugged regretfully.
'As expected, her objective is the most important part.'
Ei said.
'Does it bother you that much?'
She asked Ei gently.
'Mm... From what I heard in your earlier conversation, I have a rough idea of what happened. Something about this feels suspicious. And do you still remember the name of this event?'
Ei replied softly, then asked the question with a pointed implication.
'The Akitsu Yuugei Test of Courage?'
She answered.
'Exactly. Since it bears the name Akitsu, then just as that child said earlier, this event was modeled after the "Mikawa Flower Festival." And now these strange incidents are happening during an event named after "Akitsu." I can't help feeling that the person responsible must have some connection to the old "Mikawa Flower Festival."'
Ei gently analyzed the situation for her.
Perhaps that was the person's true objective?
'...'
The Shogun listened in a daze.
'...What's wrong, Shogun?'
Sensing her silence, Ei asked in confusion.
'Nothing... It's nothing...'
She came back to herself and replied somewhat awkwardly.
'...Pfft. Could it be that you're surprised I managed to think this deeply about the matter?'
Seeing how easy she was to read, Ei laughed indulgently and asked.
'...Eh?'
She let out a cute little sound.
'Haa... The Mikawa Flower Festival may have been one of the few events I was truly able to enjoy. All my friends were still there at the time as well, so I suppose I'm a little sensitive when it comes to anything related to those days.'
Within the Plane of Euthymia, Ei sat meditating in midair. At that moment, she lowered her eyes and unconsciously brushed her fingertips across her thigh, her voice carrying a trace of gentle nostalgia.
'Ei, are you okay?'
The Shogun asked with concern, her voice filled with worry over Ei's mood.
'Mm, I'm fine... Just feeling a little nostalgic. Mm—did I make you worry again?'
She asked softly, her voice gentle as flowing water.
'Mm. I was worried sick...'
The Shogun complained in a sweet, soft, almost spoiled tone.
'Pfft... All right. I won't dwell on it anymore.'
It wasn't good for a mother to always make her daughter worry about her. The other way around was another matter, though.
Afterward, the Shogun—and Ei as well—followed Heizou to the place where the Arataki Gang members had been frightened by the "ghost." She did not believe in those so-called ghost flames at all. Of course, actual ghostly flames could indeed be created with youkai power.
During the investigation, she found a shattered, roughly spherical object beneath a tree...
"...?"
Puzzled, she turned the sphere over and saw the hollow interior. It bore clear traces of having been scorched by smoke, blackened all over, and there was even a scent somewhat reminiscent of fireworks. Something had obviously been ignited inside it earlier.
"Fireworks?"
She could not help saying aloud.
She often smelled this scent when she was with Yoimiya. After all, the Naganohara family made fireworks, and whenever she entered their home, she would occasionally catch this same smell. There was no way she could mistake it.
"There's one here too."
Heizou stood up after retrieving another broken sphere from between two rocks, then walked over to her side.
"Heh. It seems... the so-called 'ghost flames' they saw weren't flames made from youkai power at all. They were created through ordinary combustion."
The young man smiled as though he had exposed the trick.
"And there's this..."
He opened his hand again to reveal another substance. It was some kind of powder with a rather pungent smell, something similar to a sedative.
Seriously, isn't this guy a little too efficient?
He found all of this in such a short time. I suppose that's what you'd expect from a detective.
She grumbled inwardly, though her expression remained as calm and composed as ever, maintaining the familiar demeanor of the "Shogun."
"So this is what was used to knock Arataki Itto unconscious..."
She speculated.
"That's right... Similar methods of frightening people, traces that hadn't been completely cleaned up in time... Heh, Shogun-sama, I believe we're already very close to the truth."
Heizou told her confidently with a smile.
"..."
She silently nodded.
So this was the smile detectives wore after piecing together the answer. It was more or less what she had imagined.
"At this point, we can basically confirm that the woman they encountered wasn't any kind of ghost. She didn't possess some mysterious supernatural power. She was simply using small props she'd prepared in advance to frighten people."
Heizou shrugged.
No, in his view, these were all merely tricks that relied on props to scare people, little more than sleight of hand. The reason they had worked so effectively was because of... the atmosphere—
First of all, the Test of Courage already gave the area a frightening atmosphere. When Arataki Itto first encountered those three little youkai, he had indeed been badly startled. Once someone was frightened, their entire body and mind would become extremely tense and uneasy.
Then, during the incident, he encountered that woman herself. His nervousness caused him to hyperventilate, making him inhale a large amount of the sleep-inducing pollen she had prepared in advance, and he began to feel dizzy.
Then, when the members of the Arataki Gang arrived, she pulled down the blackout cloth at the appropriate location and ignited the so-called ghost flames, creating an unknown and terrifying scene.
"—That's probably the gist of what happened."
After finishing his explanation, Heizou summarized it for her.
"All in all, she was just putting on a frightening show... Her methods relied entirely on props."
"But do you still remember your earlier commission? That person really was entangled by some kind of power and became trapped inside the game."
After hearing his conclusion, the Shogun thought for a moment before raising this objection.
"Mm, you're right. That part really is troublesome. Besides, something on that scale isn't something a few little props could accomplish. That means she truly does possess that kind of youkai power. But conversely—"
If she already has youkai power, why would she go to the trouble of preparing so many props just to frighten people?
That was exactly what she was thinking too...
Yes. That was the real problem.
If her youkai power was limited and she needed to conserve it, then the power she used at the beach had clearly consumed far more than these tricks in the forest ever would. That explanation simply did not make sense.
"..."
Heizou also fell silent at that moment.
"Perhaps..."
"Shogun-sama? Do you have an idea?"
The moment the young man heard her speak, he immediately looked toward her.
'Perhaps... her youkai power is only abundant when she's at the beach?'
Ei suddenly spoke up with a hypothesis, and upon hearing it, the Shogun repeated Ei's words aloud.
"—!"
Heizou froze for a moment before realization immediately dawned on him.
"In the forest, she could only rely on props to frighten people, but at the beach she could use strange powers. Her youkai power is abundant at the beach... I see! I think I understand now!"
With her reminder, the young man immediately put the pieces together.
"To break through the deadlock so easily... as expected of Shogun-sama."
Heizou praised her.
"..."
You're giving me far too much credit...
She smiled awkwardly to herself. Somehow, the whole situation felt a little strange.