『W-What
a surprise! In this studio, not just a collaborator, but the main suspect in
the mysterious disappearance case has now been revealed! It has finally been
revealed!』
A
close-up of a dumbfounded Jun fills the screen. The next moment, Jun suddenly
grabs the presenter.
『What
the hell! Who's the main culprit, you idiot! I don't get it! Hey! What the hell
is this?!』
Jun's
shout echoed through the PC's speakers in the dark room.
I
don't know how many times I've seen it.
It was
a video of the Detective JK special that had been uploaded to a video sharing
site.
It
starts with Detective JK pointing at the Tutankhamun statue, and ends with the
goat-bone-headed devil that appears to protect Jun and Teruya, killing the
guards in an instant.
As expected,
the killing scene was mosaicked, but even so, the number of views was about to
reach four million in just a few days.
↓ Continue to Read ↓
↓ Continue to Read ↓
「There's
no way... that Jun is the culprit」
I've
known Jun since we were first-year students.
I can
tell if he's acting or not when I see him.
Jun
said he really didn't know what was going on.
I
don't get it either.
Judging
from how confused the detective JK was when Jun showed up, it's not like they
were working together to blame him.
They
must have prepared so carefully to push Kimo-jima into a corner, but how did it
happen... I still don't know.
I
heard that Jun and Teruya-chan are wanted all over Japan, but I haven't heard
that they have been caught yet.
Meanwhile,
Detective JK was treated as a hero in the media, but somehow disappeared.
On the
Internet, there's a bunch of idiots who say that he was killed by the devil or
that he went underground to escape from the devil, but there is no doubt that
he is still alive.
And
the day after the special program, I received a message from Detective JK's sister.
She
said, "Don't do anything unnecessary right now".
But no
matter how many messages I tried to send her, she never responded.
The
news on TV is terrible, and it is reported as if Jun and Teruya-chan are
confirmed to be the culprits of the series of kidnappings since Misuzu-chan's
kidnapping.
Teruya-chan's
sister is a gangster, so the news report is merciless. Jun, too, is being
exposed as if his privacy is irrelevant, from his background and everything.
For
god's sake, I hope they don't expose his collection of essays and writings from
his middle school days.
It is
too painful to be told that those things are about personality development.
What's
worse, some of the weekly photo magazines.
They
exposed the fact that Misuzu-chan and Jun were lovers, and wrote a series of
delusional articles about a love triangle involving Teruya-chan.
I
thought Misuzu-chan would be in trouble, but she seemed to have gotten a very
good producer, and her popularity skyrocketed as she was marketed as a tragic
heroine.
And
finally, she made her debut as an actress.
Apparently,
she has been chosen to play the lead role in a drama next spring.
Everyone
in the group knew that Misuzu-chan was aiming to become an actress, but it
seems like she's using Jun as a stepping stone.
I
couldn't bring myself to congratulate her honestly.
When
the video finishes playing, an arrow draws a circle with the words “Replay” in
the center of the screen is displayed.
Turning
to the recommended videos section on the right side of the screen, I saw a
thumbnail of a video I had never seen before.
The
title is “Detective JK Special ―― The Great Chaos in the Scene”.
（What
is it? Someone just posted a new one?）
Clicking
on the thumbnail, the video starts with a vertical screen that looks like a
personal smartphone.
It's
very realistic, but the camera shake is very bad.
On the
beginning, I heard screams from all over the place, and I saw a butler-like
devil carrying a sword.
At the
feet of the devil, there should be Jun and Teruya-chan, but they were hidden by
the shadows of the fleeing people.
Apparently,
the image was taken from far behind the studio, after the TV image had been cut
off.
One
after another, fleeing people passed by the camera.
It is
indeed a terrible chaos.
Occasionally,
the image was distorted, as if the fleeing people hit the shoulder of the
person holding the camera.
『Oh, my~
it’s amazing. Hey, President Chihiro~. This is CG, right~?』
『Yes,
yes, of course, CG, CG! Hurry up, let's get out of here!』
In the
midst of the chaotic scene, the image of an actress with a gentle expression
appeared for a moment. It was Aoi Umidori, an actress who was appearing on the
program as a commentator.
The
person pulling her hand must be the President Chihiro mentioned earlier.
**b
「...If
she really thinks it's CG, she's amazing all over again」
The
video itself is not that long.
I
thought I might be able to find a clue, so I kept hitting the pause button and
looked at the screen as if my eyes were saucers.
For a
moment, I saw two figures of Detective JK behind the crowd of people running
away. And I saw a short woman pulling their hands as if to say, "Let's run
away!"
As the
screen continues, a person who was not in the previous frame suddenly appears
on the screen.
A
silver-haired woman who appeared as if she had suddenly sprung up and was
walking in the opposite direction of the people running away.
「...Maid?」
Considering
her sudden appearance, she might be a devil too.
I
saved an image of the maid's image and transferred it to my phone.
It
doesn't matter. I need a clue now.
From
there, I check the video repeatedly, but find no more information.
So, I
closed the browser and leaned back on my chair.
「...What
should I do?」
I want
revenge for myself, but I also want to do something about Jun and the others if
I can. They're my friends.
Detective
JK's sister has told me not to move, but I can't get anywhere if I just sit
here.
Actually,
there's one more thing that's bothering me.
No...
it's more than just a concern.
There
is a possibility that it is a sort of trap.
Actually,
the other day, my sister Kizuna came into contact with Kimo-jima.
I
doubt that it was a coincidence, or even a real coincidence.
I'm
not talking about Kizuna.
It's
Saki I'm suspicious of.
It
seems that Kizuna went to see a movie with Saki-chan and her friends, and when
they were at a fast food restaurant before the screening, Kimo-jima passed by
the restaurant.
If he
had just walked by, it would have been a coincidence, but Saki stopped him on
purpose.
This
is... strange, no matter how I think about it.
She
had told Detective JK that she remembered being kidnapped by Kijima.
Would
such a person stop the criminal just because she saw him on the street and
invite him to eat with her?
Of
course not.
So, I
have a conclusion that Saki-chan -- Saki Shiratori had been in the group with
Kimo-jima from the beginning.
That
would be more natural.
If I
think about it, she is the one who came up with the plan for the TV special,
and she is the one who negotiated with the TV station.
It
would make sense to think that we were being played by her, but if that is
really the case, then Detective JK's ability to detect lies was fake.
Detective
JK believes that she is not lying. So, she trusted her with all her heart.
The
other way around is Saki-chan betrayed us and is trying to get into Kimo-jima's
good graces, realizing that she's no match for him. I guess that's about it.
I
think that I should refrain from letting Kizuna work with Saki-chan, but on the
other hand, I'm hoping that we can get some information that will help us get
out of this situation.
（Now
then... what should I do?）
Just
as I was thinking this, I heard the door unlocked and someone going out.
（Again...）
Recently,
Kizuna has been going out late at night more often.
If I
ask her, she is running to lose weight.
She
will be fine because she has a security alarm, but...
- It’s been a while Tachioka-kun’s chapter.
