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墨書 Inktalez
In early December 2009, the sun was still shining at noon, but by around two in the afternoon, the light had dimmed significantly due to the clouds. The university club activities continued until one-thirty, and Aki could only grab a bento box from the convenience store for lunch.
Fortunately, it was her favorite dish—braised vegetarian chicken with bamboo shoots. While it was heating up, Aki received a call from Kazuya. This was the first time he had invited her to his home alone, indicating he wanted to keep this matter hidden from Fujiwara. They arranged to meet at three o'clock, and Aki thought she should hurry, so she quickly ate a few bites of her meal and rushed to the station. She barely tasted the braised vegetarian chicken.
The documents Kazuya handed Aki for review were over a hundred pages long, not entirely printed; some sections had annotations made with a ballpoint pen. Aki studied the main subject of these documents, a woman named Haruna, whom she already knew about. Kazuya poured her a cup of black tea and explained what he needed her help with.
The gist of it was that Kazuya had infiltrated Nichido Planning, which was hosting a welcome party for new employees. He wanted Aki to pretend to be his girlfriend to get close to Haruna and gain her trust. As he spoke, Kazuya slightly pulled back the curtains, letting in a grayish light.
“Do we need to arrange to meet her in the early hours?” Aki asked.
“Yes, that would be best,” Kazuya replied.
Aki carefully re-examined the documents and found detailed information about Haruna's hobbies and her previous schools listed clearly. The last few pages even had several photographs attached. One of them reminded her of someone—Naoki Okamoto, the original target.
The small notes pinned on the wall had undergone some changes.
Naoki Okamoto's name appeared on a yellow sticky note, while Haruna's name was written on a red target paper—Miki Kazuya had swapped their positions, making Aki realize the significance of her “help” this time.
The shops in Yin Hu Qu closed around one o'clock. The nearby residences were mostly dark as well; it felt as if the entire city had fallen into a deep slumber. Even wrapped in a heavy coat, Aki felt cold seeping into her body, and the white mist she exhaled seemed like it would freeze instantly.
“That's enough for now; you can head back,” Aki said to Kazuya as he saw her off.
"Just take a right turn, and you'll reach Kamihon Park," Kazuya said, stopping to bid farewell to Aki.
Aki wanted to say "be careful," but for some reason, the words wouldn't come out. In the end, she could only nod gently.
She had just saved Haruna's phone number in her contacts. Waiting for Kazuya to walk away, she pressed the call button.
Her footsteps felt surreal against the concrete, and Aki gradually quickened her pace.
As she mentioned Kamihon Park, she was already sprinting down the deserted street. The call ended with a beep, and she realized she had successfully tricked Haruna. However, instead of feeling relieved, a sense of foreboding began to grow within her.
Early December 2009
The game continued until five in the morning, and Takashi Fujishiro finally fell asleep as dawn broke.
After an exceptionally busy day, he quickly drifted into a deep slumber that lasted until the phone rang at home.
The clock showed two in the afternoon when Fujiwara answered the call; it was his girlfriend Aki on the line.
Winter sunlight seeped through the cracks in the window, yet he felt no warmth at all.
"Fujiwara, is Kazuya with you?" Aki panted heavily, her voice trembling and sounding urgent.
"No, I'm still asleep..." Fujiwara replied.
"Watch the news," Aki said before hanging up the phone, leaving Fujiwara's previously good mood plummeting. He had noticed that after introducing Miki Kazuya to Aki, she had slowly begun to change, and that change made Fujiwara uncomfortable.
The television started with a segment on international news. Fujiwara got up to grab a can of cold beer from the kitchen, and by the time he returned, the broadcast had shifted to local headlines.
As he scanned through the news, nothing seemed particularly special until he was about to call Aki back. He saw the news anchor reporting with a blank expression, and his heart leapt into his throat.
—At nine in the morning, following a report from a citizen in Yin Hu District, a female corpse was discovered in the under-construction Kamihon Park.
According to police investigations, the deceased was identified as Yamaguchi Haruna, an employee of Nichido Planning's advertising department. She had died on the spot due to a stab wound to the heart...
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