Boogiepop At Dawn

by Kadono. Kouhei

  And she knew that he knew. Nagi grinned.

  “Obviously, it relates to me because I'm investigating, too.”

  She was so fearless he could hardly believe she was only fourteen.

  Seeing her like this, Mo Murder found himself feeling relieved. Very relieved indeed.

  I'm glad I didn’t kill her...

  He was surprised to hear that thought cross his mind. Quickly, he said,

  “I've seen you before. I remember your face,” he said, trying to get his emotions under control.

  “Yeah, my dad was a famous writer. When he died there were pictures of me in lots of magazines,” Nagi said, snorting.

  ***

  “Well...you're right, I was investigating.” He handed her his card.

  “I don't know...I just felt like I might be able to understand what was happening here,” Mo Murder said. Nagi was sitting next to him now. He was, of course, lying -- after all, he could hardly tell the truth.

  “An ordinary salaryman?” Nagi said, looking dubiously at Sasaki Masanori's card.

  “I know, I know. It was just a feeling, and I couldn't shake it. I felt like I might have something in common with the killer...which sounds creepy, but I couldn't shake the thought.”

  Mo Murder was using an advanced confidence trick. By explaining something that could not be explained, the flaws in his reasoning sorted themselves out. He knew from the start that Nagi would hardly accept any normal excuse.

  “…………”

  Nagi looked up from his card, and stared at Mo Murder. Glared at him. Those were not the eyes of a child.

  “...and you?” Mo Murder asked.

  “Why are you investigating?”

  “I'm bored,” Nagi said.

  “Bored?”

  “I'm not in school, so I've got nothing else to do but hang around at home. That's all.”

  “Why aren't you in school?”

  “I was sick. Missed most of the year, so they won't let me back 'til April. I'm on a leave of absence.”

  “Oh...' Mo Murder nodded, accepting her explanation.

  “I see.”

  “Okay, Sasaki-san,” Nagi said, standing up.

  “What say we investigate together?”

  “Eh?”

  “You can't exactly charge this to your expense account, can you? But I happen to be rich,” Nagi said calmly, nothing forced about her manner at all.

  “…………”

  He couldn't think of a reason to say no.

  ***

  That’s Kirima Nagi. Why is he with her?

  Five hundred meters away from Kirima, a figure was sitting in a car parked in a position where she could only barely see the park through the gaps in the houses.

  But this figure -- Kisugi Makiko, a doctor working at a nearby general hospital -- did not have any binoculars. With her naked eye alone, she could make out every detail of every expression of the two figures hundreds of meters away.

  She had come here following the man who called himself Sasaki Masanori. On the way she had realized he was headed for the scene of the first murder, so she'd gone ahead of him to find a place where she could watch from a distance.

  Of course, she was already well aware that Sasaki Masanori was her enemy -- her information network extended into the Towa Organization itself.

  But Nagi's presence surprised her. She didn't think there was any connection between the two of them. Considering how strong that girl’s sense of justice was, she might be here on her own.

  Nagi-chan...what are you playing at?

  She remembered counseling Nagi when she’d been staying at the hospital. No matter how much it hurt, that gleam in her eyes never faded. Yes, that girl might well have the strength Makiko's taste demanded.

  Do you want me to taste you, then, Nagi-chan...?

  A diabolical smile slid over the lips of the monster now known as the Fear Ghoul.

  2

  Three years had passed since Mo Murder killed Kirima Seiichi.

  It had been an easy job.

  Kirima Seiichi spent most of his time at home alone, working, so all Mo Murder had to do was sneak into the house, move silently up behind him as he worked, press his palm against Seiichi's back, and send a shockwave into his organs.

  Kirima Seiichi fell over at once, leaving his partially written manuscript on the table.

  And just as Mo Murder was about to finish him off he heard a key tum in the front door with a loud click.

  His data had mentioned a daughter, but she should've been at school. For some reason, she had come home early.

  “-----------!”

  For an instant, Mo Murder debated killing her too. But...

  “I-if my daughter...dies too...the news will explode. You don't...want that.”

  He turned around at the voice, and saw Kirima Seiichi glaring up at him, dying in horrible pain.

  “…………”

  His strength of spirit took Mo Murder by surprise. Even more surprising was the fact that the man was right.

  “You knew?”

  He was prepared to die?

  “------------”

  Kirima Seiichi just glared up at him. For another moment he debated whether or not he should finish him off

  But then a bright voice echoed through the house. He didn't have time.

  Mo Murder hid himself in the library, next door to the study. He heard footsteps on the stairs.

  And then she spoke.

  “I told them I was sick and came home early!” The daughter, Kirima Nagi, then in the fourth grade, opened the door.

  She screamed. A large portion of the room was covered in the blood Kirima Seiichi was coughing up.

  Nagi ran over to him.

  “…………”

  Mo Murder watched closely from the next room. He was ready to jump in at any moment.

  Kirima Seiichi grabbed his daughter's hand.

  “Nagi.. .what do you think being normal means?” He babbled a few more things that made no sense to Mo Murder, and then passed out. He never woke up again.

  He didn't once mention the Towa Organization, or that he had been assassinated.

  Nagi ran to the phone to call an ambulance.

  Mo Murder slipped out, leaving as unobtrusively as he had entered. As he walked away, he could hear the commotion starting.

  If Kirima Seiichi had said so much as a word about him to his daughter, or even told her to run, he would have killed Nagi, too. But that had not happened.

  That man had conquered his own fear of death, protecting his daughter to the bitter end.

  Mo Murder had his orders, and did not feel any remorse over killing him...but he secretly respected the man's strength of will.

  And now, Nagi, spared by the flow of events, stood before him again.

  Like some twist of fate...

  What else could he think?

  “Um, Kirima-san?” he said.

  Nagi was on all fours, inspecting the ground. She looked up at his voice.

  “What?”

  They were at the second scene now. The body had been found in a heap below a bridge, cars zipping by on the road overhead.

  Unlike the first scene, where only luck had kept the murderer and the victim from being seen, this place was almost always deserted.

  Nagi had paid for a cab to bring them as close to the site as possible. They had walked the rest of the way.

  “I don't think there's any evidence left. The police must've collected all of it. That's why the crime scene tape was gone.”

  Nagi didn't answer. Instead, she looked around her, muttering,

  “What could it be?”

  “What?”

  “Sasaki-san, you can imagine the killer's state of mind, right? This place is nothing like the first one, but can you sense anything it has in common?”

  “Well...” Mo Murder said, looking around. What Nagi was doing was exactly the same thing he had been planning on doing.

  “This place seem
s like a much better choice than the last one...”

  “Yes. But why?”

  “Why what?”

  “The murder itself was exactly the same. Why would they do exactly the same thing first in a place where they might be seen, and then in a place where they can take their time?”

  “…………”

  Mo Murder fell silent. That was exactly what he had been thinking.

  “Why do you think?” Nagi asked again, standing up and turning toward him.

  “...the killer just didn't care?”

  “Didn't care if someone saw him?” Nagi asked, looking right at him.

  “You mean he paid no attention to who was around?”

  “Maybe he thinks he's a god? That he's untouchable. Still, he seems to have rather advanced medical knowledge to believe something that crazy. This killer is very well educated, like a doctor. Then again, it's not as though elitism hasn't produced some distorted ways of thinking.”

  “What about you, Sasaki-san? If you had a reason to extract the contents of someone's skull, would you care if someone saw you?”

  “Mmm...” he started to think about it, and then it hit him. Nagi was glaring at him. Mo Murder finally realized what she was driving at.

  She suspected him, too. She was interrogating him.

  Her reasoning might've been based on the notion that the killer always returned to the scene of the crime, but either way, she clearly suspected that Mo Murder might well be a killer himself. And she was bringing him with her. Watching him, to see if he would slip up.

  “...I doubt it. I said earlier that I might understand, but if it were me, I'd hide the body somewhere and take my time. I'd be afraid of getting noticed. Afraid of the trouble that would cause.”

  He answered honestly.

  “Afraid...?” Nagi whispered, looking away.

  “Afraid.. .” she said, looking around.

  “The killer wasn’t afraid at all, you mean? Not...afraid. Not scared. No fear. Fear? Where have I heard that before...?”

  She was muttering to herself now. She folded her arms, thinking hard.

  “Are you onto something?” Mo Murder asked.

  But she shook her head.

  “...nah. Next one?”

  ***

  The third scene was in a back alley, and was still sealed off. Police were everywhere. Two weeks had passed since the murder, but the investigation did not appear to be getting anywhere.

  “...guess we can't get in,” Mo Murder said, watching them from a distance.

  “...Sasaki-san,” Nagi said suddenly.

  “You ever pick up a girl?”

  “Huh?”

  “You know, start flirting with a complete stranger.”

  “N-no, not...never.”

  “There's a first time for everything. See that girl standing over there? Talk to her,” Nagi said, pointing at a high school girl standing perfectly still outside the police blockade.

  “What about?”

  “Just do it. Tell her you want to talk, bring her this way.”

  “.. .huh.” He didn't know what she was up to, but Mo Murder did as Nagi asked, and went over to the girl.

  “Um, are you...?”

  The girl jumped, and spun around.

  “Wh-what?!”

  “No, I...” Mo Murder stammered. She looked like a frightened rabbit, and he had no idea what to say to her. But he awkwardly managed to ask,

  “Why are you standing here?”

  “------------”

  The girl didn't answer. She looked tense.

  “D-do you have something to do with the girl who was killed here?” he tried.

  “------------”

  “Look, I'm not anyone to be afraid of...”

  That was a complete lie, but Mo Murder said it anyway, all the while wondering just what in the hell he was doing.

  “...what do you want?” the girl asked, at last.

  “Er, um,..”

  “We're looking for the killer too. Mind talking to us?” Nagi's voice came suddenly from behind him. Mo Murder jumped. How long had she been there?

  But the girl's eyes brightened at once.

  “The killer?” she asked.

  Mo Murder was even more surprised.

  ***

  The girl's name was Rika. She was a friend of the girl who'd been killed.

  “How old are you?” Rika asked Nagi, as they sat down in a nearby cafe.

  “Twenty-six,” Nagi said without a moment's hesitation. Mo Murder almost fell out of his chair.

  “You look so young...less than twenty,” Rika said, not doubting her in the slightest.

  “I get that all the time,” the fourteen-year-old lied, smoothly.

  Once again, Mo Murder was amazed by Nagi's self-possession.

  “You said you're an...insurance investigator? Investigating. . .what?” Rika asked.

  Nagi turned to Mo Murder expectantly.

  “Uh, um. Well, how can I say this...the amount of insurance money we have to pay changes if the murders were random, or if the victims were preselected targets -- if the motive was a deep-seated grudge, for example.”

  These were not words his false identity was likely to say. He was making it all up.

  “A grudge? Shizue would never...”

  “That's what we're investigating. It was an example, just an example. It is possible one of the other victim's families is trying to make it look like the killings are indiscriminate.”

  “That's just...” Rika gasped.

  “If that were true, it'd be unforgivable, right?” Nagi added.

  “So...could you tell us what you know?”

  “But I don't know...”

  “What kind of person was Shizue-san? You sounded like you couldn't imagine anyone hating her...?”

  “Yes, right. She wasn't the type to make enemies. Really.”

  “She was outgoing?” Mo Murder asked.

  Rika nodded.

  “Cheerful, considerate. . .occasionally a little strict, but that was just because Shizue was so strong.”

  Nagi frowned.

  “Strong? Strong how?”

  “Oh...I don't mean she had a lot of muscles or got in a lot of fights. Just...how can I describe it...her feelings were very direct?”

  “She was strong mentally? She could be relied upon?”

  “Yes, that's right.”

  “Strong...strong...” Nagi muttered, lost in thought.

  Mo Murder had no idea what she was thinking, so he continued to question Rika on his own.

  “Did she spend much time alone?”

  “No. No more than anyone else, at least.”

  “So she just happened to be alone the day she was attacked?”

  “...I guess,” Rika said, tearing up a little. If she'd been with her friend, she believed, she might still be alive.

  This flustered Mo Murder. He had no idea what to do with a crying girl. When someone died, the people left behind would cry so he tried not to think about it. Knowing this, as an assassin, was a constant source of pain. He quickly changed the subject.

  “Was she a leader? Did a lot of folks follow her?” he asked, glancing at Nagi. He was certainly following her.

  “No, she wasn't like that. It was more like...if everyone was planning on going to one place, and she wasn't interested, she would say, 'I'm out,' and head home on her own. Like that.”

  “I see.”

  That sounded like something Nagi would do. Were all the victims the same type as Nagi?

  If that's true...then Nagi might be on the killer’s list too.

  Mo Murder found the thought made his blood boil. He could not bear to think it.

  Why? Do I think she’s my prey? Do I not want anyone else to have her?

  It baffled him.

  “Something wrong?” Rika asked. Before he could even shake his head, Nagi jumped in.

  “So, Shizue was not the type to be easily scared?” she asked, pointedly.

  “N-no,
” Rika said, a little overwhelmed.

  “Did you ever see her scared?”

  “N-no...now that you mention it, never.”

  What’s she asking?

  Mo Murder had no idea what she was driving at.

  “Then...if she were to be afraid, what might scare her?”

  “...I-I couldn't...”

  “Couldn't begin to imagine. So she was that strong.”

  “Y-yes.”

  Nagi did not seem to be asking questions so much as merely confirming the answer she had already arrived at.

  “...was there a physical exam at your school recently?”

  This question came out of the blue.

  “Eh? Y-yeah, there was, but...”

  “Was one of the doctors a young woman?”

  “. ..come to think of it, yes. She was there in place of our usual physician...”

  “Okay then,” Nagi nodded, and abruptly stood up.

  Without another word she ran out of the shop.

  “-----------!”

  Rika and Mo Murder stared after her. Despite his surprise, he recovered quickly.

  “S-sorry about that! I'll get the check!”

  He hurriedly slapped a ten thousand yen bill on the table and ran after her.

  Rika was left sitting alone, stunned.

  What had just happened escaped her, but for a moment, in the eyes of the girl who had claimed to be twenty-six, she had seen a look she'd seen just once in the eyes of her dead friend.

  That look had come when a teacher screamed at Rika for something she'd had nothing to do with. The accusation left Rika in tears. Shizue had hissed,

  “Unforgivable!” and gone running off to demand that the teacher apologize. Ultimately, not only had the teacher not apologized, but Shizue had ended up getting thoroughly scolded herself, but she had remained furious to the bitter end.

  “You did nothing wrong! It makes me so mad!” she said, angry for what had happened to Rika.

  When she went running out of here...her eyes were just like Shizue’s.

  Like she was angry in the dead girl's place, unable to forgive the horrible things done to her.

  ***