Tokyo Detective Chronicles

A clear and gentle knocking sound suddenly broke the silence of the room, without any haste.

It was not an illusion.

The sound did indeed come from outside that dark red wooden door.

The little girl, Hoshino, was startled awake from her drowsy reverie almost immediately, and sprang up from the bedside like a frightened cub.

Under Fushimi's watchful gaze, she scrambled to the door and, with all her might, pushed a heavy wooden plank that had been leaning against the wall sideways.

"Clang!"

It was firmly stuck in the groove behind the door, completely blocking the door from the inside.

After doing all this, she seemed to have used up all her courage. She quickly ran back to the corner of the room behind Fushimi, hugged her head tightly, buried her face in her legs, and covered her ears.

The little body trembled uncontrollably; it was terrified.

Fushimi slowly rose to his feet, a shadow rising beneath his feet. He gripped the axe handle and warily stared at the door.

Miyazawa Rin also held her breath nervously, her hands involuntarily clenching the bed sheet around her.

There was a few seconds of silence outside the door.

Then, a voice rang out.

It was a gentle woman's voice.

"Sweetie, it's me... Open the door, Mommy's home..."

It's Dr. Hoshino's voice.

However... it's the version from when he was younger.

Fushimi did not respond or approach immediately.

Instead, he crouched down, almost lying on the ground, pressing his face close to the earth, and stared into the distance at the gap under the door...

Outside the crack, it was dark.

I didn't see the legs I expected...

In the dim light, only a huge fish eye, bloodshot and with unfocused pupils, stared back at him through the gap.

Those were definitely not human eyes; their gaze seemed to pierce through Fushimi's soul, as if it had been expecting Fushimi to do this from the very beginning...

Without further hesitation, Fushimi transformed his shadow into a sharp blade, shooting it through the crack in the door towards the eye outside, launching a direct attack.

"Pfft—!"

The sound of a viscous liquid bursting could be heard.

The fish's eye, along with its entire head, was punctured like a balloon, without any effort.

So fragile?

Fushimi looked at the blood-soaked ground outside the door... Just as he was wondering what was going on and was about to get up...

A pair of legs appeared... wearing black stockings and leather shoes, their steps light and quick.

"Knock knock..."

The knocking sounded again, but this time the knocking was just as quick and gentle...

Immediately afterward, Fushimi heard that all-too-familiar voice: "Iori! Are you in there? Open the door!"

It's Rina Hoshizaki's voice...

Fushimi's eye twitched. This damned thing had actually read his memories just by looking at him.

The shadow swung again, transforming into several sharp black spears that pierced through the door cracks, keyholes, and every gap that could be penetrated.

"Bang!"

Those legs, clad in black stockings, burst open like punctured balloons, and scalding red blood instantly soaked through the floor beneath the door, flowing down the tile grout.

But the matter did not end there.

There was silence outside the door for about ten seconds.

Then, two figures emerged simultaneously from the depths of the corridor, which Fushimi could see from afar...

On the left is a young Dr. Hoshino, wearing a clean white coat.

On the right is Rina Hoshizaki, wearing the uniform of Seisumidai High School, with short hair that goes past her shoulders.

You can't see anything above the neck.

Two figures stood in front of the door.

Dr. Hoshino's voice and Rina Hoshizaki's voice rang out simultaneously, overlapping each other, creating a strange sense of unease:

"Open the door..."

"Iori, let me in..."

"Baby, Mommy misses you so much..."

"You won't ignore me, right?"

The knocking became more frequent, no longer the gentle rhythm of before, but rapid and chaotic, like many hands pounding on the door at the same time.

"Bang bang bang! Bang bang bang!"

The door panel began to vibrate, and dust fell from the door frame.

Hoshino trembled even more violently in the corner, burying her head even deeper and shrinking into a tiny ball.

Fushimi stood still and did not continue his attack.

He stared at the door, his expression unchanged, but the fingers gripping the axe handle tightened slightly.

Such tricks of manipulating memories and psychology are not uncommon in the mortal world... but the fact that it can read the images in his mind so accurately shows that this thing's abilities are far beyond those of ordinary monsters.

There's no point in continuing this stalemate.

Fushimi took a step back and returned to the center of the room.

He raised his left hand, palm up, fingers slightly spread.

The talismans pasted on the four walls of the room simultaneously lit up with a pale golden light, and the runes seemed to come alive, slowly flowing on the surface of the paper.

The rays of light connected with each other, weaving a three-dimensional net in the air that enveloped the entire room.

The barrier has been activated.

At the same time, the knocking on the door stopped abruptly.

Unseen by the three, Dr. Hoshino and Rina Hoshizaki froze in place, their gentle smiles gradually distorting into some kind of inhuman, empty expression.

They, or rather it... stared at the door panel, as if sensing something.

A few seconds later, the two figures turned around at the same time and walked into the depths of the corridor with perfectly synchronized steps, leaving wet footprints and puddles on the ground.

The footsteps gradually faded into the distance.

The room fell silent again, with only the crackling of the campfire.

Fushimi loosened his grip on the axe handle and disappeared back into the shadows... Only then did he notice that the little girl had somehow clung to his leg, shaking her head frantically at him...

Her face was covered in tear stains, and her eyes were red.

She looked at Fushimi, her lips trembling, as if she wanted to say something... Don't open the door, don't go out, don't pay attention to that thing.

Fushimi looked at her, remained silent for a few seconds, and then nodded.

After all, the monster had already left.

Miyazawa Rin finally breathed a sigh of relief. She wanted to say something, but then gave up... She shrank back into the blankets and closed her eyes again.

The wound is still throbbing, but it's much better than the excruciating pain I experienced during my previous high fever.

After relaxing, she quickly drifted into a hazy, half-asleep state.

Fushimi checked the state of the barrier.

Back on the only sofa in the room, after all the commotion, he decided to rest for a while and, once he had recovered his energy, figure out how to accomplish his main goal in entering the mortal world.

Based on his previous observations, he also confirmed many things: this was indeed a world with a hierarchical structure based on the level of strength.

They wanted to resolve the problems caused by the creation of life.

There are only two solutions I can think of right now.

First, directly destroy the Creation Cult... But after using the tapes and information obtained from Miyazawa Rin, Fushimi clearly had a more accurate assessment of this cult.

For someone as weak and vulnerable as himself, this was clearly too difficult. He couldn't judge how terrifying the true form of an evil god, who had been worshipped through sacrificial rituals for so many years, would be, or how much it would corrupt the world.

The organization that can provide such sacrifices should not be underestimated.

Even though the Special Affairs Division paid a heavy price, it was unable to completely eradicate them.

It's too difficult and too costly to implement.

There's a second way...

The goal is to find a way to close or destroy the passages from other levels to the outside world... There may be many passages from the present world to the same world, but there must be only one passage between different levels. This is an ironclad rule.

If you exceed one level, you will be considered to be at the same level, and more channels will gradually emerge until they are completely connected.

By doing so, he could prevent the more powerful monsters from entering the mortal world through the outer perimeter of the mortal world, thus giving him the opportunity to use the Special Affairs Department to destroy the Creation Cult's arrangements in the mortal world.

Sever the tentacles of that evil god and completely sever the Creation Cult from the present world.

Theoretically speaking, this is not easy either, but it is much simpler and safer than the first method.

It is entirely feasible to implement.

He had just found something that looked like a map among a pile of notes; it might be a clue about other levels of passages.

However, we'll have to wait until he wakes up to discuss everything...

Just then, the little girl Hoshino looked at Fushimi on the sofa, and then at Miyazawa Rin on the bed.

Xiao Hoshino: "..."

For the past few days, since Miyazawa Rin had taken over her own bed, she had been sleeping on the sofa.

But now, Fushimi has also taken over the sofa.

Hoshino bit her lip.

She looked at Miyazawa Rin, who was already asleep, making soft breathing sounds. Hoshino was afraid to touch her, fearing she might aggravate her injuries, as she was still injured.

So he could only look at Fushimi.

Hoshino walked over hesitantly and carefully moved to the side of the sofa.

Try to find an empty seat next to Fushimi.

The sofa wasn't big; Fushimi alone already took up most of the space.

Hoshino tried several times, but could only squeeze into a small space. It was very uncomfortable to lie down, and her movements were a bit awkward, but it was enough for her to sleep.

But then it suddenly occurred to me... this is her home!

She puffed out her cheeks, looking a little aggrieved, but didn't say anything. She just huddled up, hugging her knees, ready to make do for the night.

Just then, Fushimi suddenly opened his eyes and reached out.

Xiaoxingye was startled, thinking that he was going to kick her out, and subconsciously tried to stand up.

But Fushimi reached out and picked her up directly.

"Huh?"

Hoshino let out a short gasp and was thrown into the air. In her shock, she landed on Fushimi's chest.

This position was a little unfamiliar to Hoshino. She stiffly lay on Fushimi's chest, her little hands helplessly pressing on his arm, her big eyes blinking as she looked at him.

Fushimi took a spare windbreaker from the shadows, unfolded it, and covered the two of them with it.

The windbreaker was large enough to completely cover the little girl, leaving only her head sticking out.

"sleep."

Fushimi's voice came from above, devoid of emotion.

He reached out and gently ruffled Hoshino's hair, then closed his eyes again. In a place like Tokoyase, Fushimi had nothing to complain about in having a place to sleep peacefully.

Kohoshino paused for a few seconds, then slowly relaxed.

She adjusted her position, found a comfortable angle, buried her face in Fushimi's chest, and grabbed his shirt with her small hands.

It was warm under the jacket, and Fushimi's body heat emanated through the clothes, giving a reassuring feeling.

The light from the campfire flickered on my eyelids, warm and hazy.

Listening to Fushimi's heartbeat, Kohoshino closed her eyes, and her breathing gradually became calm.

This was the first time she had ever slept so peacefully in this mortal world.

……

When Fushimi woke up again, he found his chest felt heavy.

He looked down; the little girl was still asleep, curled up against him like a kitten, her little hands clutching his shirt, her cheeks pressed together slightly, and a tiny bit of suspicious, clear liquid at the corner of her mouth…

It's probably saliva.

Fushimi didn't move, just lay there, and looked up at the talisman on the wall.

The barrier is still functioning normally, with a pale golden halo slowly flowing across the surface of the walls. The barrier was not attacked last night.

He raised his left hand and glanced at the unusual watch.

The black pointer representing current time moved forward by about ten minutes. Based on the previous ratio, he had slept for about six hours.

But time in the mortal realm remains stagnant...

Fushimi gently shifted his body, intending to place Hoshino on the sofa.

But the little girl was a light sleeper, and she woke up as soon as he moved.

The little girl opened her eyes groggily, looked at Fushimi blankly, and then looked around. It seemed to take her a few seconds to realize where she was.

She rubbed her eyes and climbed off Fushimi, her windbreaker slipping off her body.

Then she slowly got off the sofa, turned around, and walked to the campfire.

Last night before going to bed, Fushimi added a few large pieces of wood to the fire, and now it's completely extinguished, leaving only a few embers. The room is a little chilly...

Hoshino skillfully picked up a few blades of dry grass, brought them close to the embers, puffed out her cheeks, and gently blew on them.

"Huff... huff..."

A few seconds later, a small cluster of flames reignited.

She quickly added some small pieces of firewood, and after the fire stabilized, she added a few larger pieces of wood.

After confirming it was safe, he took the tin can and ran to the edge of the platform outside the door, scooped some water from the pool, ran back, and placed the tin can on the campfire.

The water gradually boiled, steaming.

An old-fashioned exhaust fan in the corner of the room was still working, emitting a slight "humming" sound, which prevented them from suffering carbon monoxide poisoning.

After a while, Fushimi, who was still studying the map, suddenly smelled a fragrance...

He looked up and saw Hoshino handing him a skewer of meat. Without even thinking, he knew it was the meat of that monster from before...

Fushimi: "..."

He took it and examined it carefully. After the black blood was released, the monster meat actually appeared crystal clear. Although the way it looked as an arm before was somewhat hard to accept.

But looking at it now, it resembles a high-quality tuna belly, with evenly distributed fat...

He didn't actually feel much psychological pressure about eating monster meat.

In the suburbs of Tokyo, there is a restaurant that specializes in yokai meat. In addition to yokai that may exist in the real world, it also serves ingredients brought out from the mortal world.

The shop owner was also a regular customer of the Fushimi Detective Agency.

After experiencing Fushimi's culinary skills, he considered him a close friend and often invited him to try his new dishes.

I heard they recently acquired a batch of live animals from the Sanzu River, but unfortunately Fushimi was too busy to go and see them...

Then, Fushimi carefully checked it and found that there was indeed nothing wrong.

Under Hoshino's expectant gaze, which shone with starlight, he took a bite, ready to spit it out at any moment...

"..."

chew.

To be honest, the taste... was actually not bad.

It has no strange smell, the meat is firm, with plenty of fat, and a hint of umami flavor.

And more importantly... after taking that bite, Fushimi discovered that his synchronization rate with Tokoyase was increasing.

If I were to enter the mortal realm and eat a couple of bites of this stuff, I'd probably be able to synchronize instantly... Increasing the synchronization rate in the mortal realm would greatly improve the efficiency of using psionic energy.

It's like overcoming the discomfort of not being used to a new environment.

Hmm... the taste is indeed not bad.

Hoshino watched as Fushimi ate bite after bite, his smile growing wider and wider.

She happily turned around, picked up another skewer of meat, and began to eat it herself.

The two sat by the campfire, quietly eating their breakfast.

Then, Miyazawa Rin, who was groggily waking up, saw the two of them, one big and one small, happily eating the monster's flesh...

Rin Miyazawa: "..."

……

After breakfast, Fushimi checked on Miyazawa Rin's wound recovery.

The talisman worked very well; the ulceration was largely under control, and new granulation tissue began to grow around the edges of the wound. Although it's still some distance from complete healing, at least it won't worsen.

"Get some rest today."

Fushimi said, "There will be a time when your abilities will be useful to you."

"oh."

Miyazawa Rin nodded without asking any further questions.

Fushimi got up, walked to the filing cabinet, and pulled out a yellowed piece of paper.

It was a hand-drawn map with rough lines, but marked with four striking red dots.

There were no text descriptions on the map, only some strange symbols that Fushimi couldn't understand.

He held the map up to Hoshino.

Do you recognize this place?

Hoshino leaned closer, tilted her head, and stared at him for a long time, looking completely bewildered.

Xiao Hoshino: "..."

Then she reached out and rotated the map 180 degrees.

It turns out Fushimi had taken it upside down...

From his perspective, there was no difference between the front and back. The way the map was drawn was very strange. There were no directional markings, and the positions of the four red dots were completely symmetrical.

In this chaotic space that could reorganize at any moment, even if he had a map, it would probably be of no use.

But Hoshino clearly knew these four places, and he gestured to Fushimi that there was danger there.

Fushimi patted her head to indicate that she was alright.

Kohoshino didn't say anything more. She had clearly gained considerable confidence in Fushimi's abilities after their previous interactions.

"I'm gone."

Have a safe journey.

After saying that, Fushimi left some food for Miyazawa Rin and then left with Hoshino.

Without her, Fushimi couldn't guarantee he would have made it back.