Chapter Four

Mayumi closed her eyes for a second to relieve the stinging pain in her eyes. How long have I been at this? She glanced at the small numbers on the corner on her computer. It was 7:30 p.m. She'd missed school to study and had been at it for the past several hours. Her head started to ache from the strain, but she'd accomplished almost a whole 70 paged notebook, both front and back, on the Sengoku period she had to study. Her project was a paper on the Oda Clan and the merciless Nobunaga Oda who slaughtered his enemies and his eventual demise. She wrote down every battle, every ally and enemy, and the history of Nobunaga himself. Her right hand was starting to cramp from its incessant use, but she ignored it. My project will be a success now. That's all that matters. Normally she wasn't this intense when studying, but this was a huge project. The library would close at 9:00 p.m., and Mayumi looked up at her computer once again, her headache falling into a dull throbbing pain. She had gotten enough information to finish her project, though another thing lingered in her mind. The constant battle she had fought in her mind had finally won again. I want to look into those cases more… Her power had returned to her with having the computer back at her grasp, and she made good use of it. She decided to look at the house the sites spoke of. This is a shameful act, but I need to know… She'd found the name of the residence to be called the Sakuragi house, a large house that once belonged to a man named Seiji Sakuragi, a local news reporter. That was the first thing she found an article about. Seiji Sakuragi (47) has been admitted into Sacred Dove Mental Hospital. The former news reporter had been confirmed to have underlying mental problems and is currently receiving treatment. It is currently unknown when he will be released. Mayumi had seen him on the news a few times before he was replaced with their current one, Ms. Nanami Nakahashi. She'd been a coworker of Sakuragi, though she never commented on his mental illness, her only interview being a year ago, where she stated she'd not noticed any sign of issues in Sakuragi and he was a normal and honest man. This led to occult blogs claiming his now abandoned was haunted due to his sudden decline and associating the cases with it.

Mayumi didn't believe in their superstition, instead focusing on the missing cases from 5 years ago. Like Takeshi Sakata, their names and faces were also unmasked by a specific blog made by an anonymous user. The first missing case was an 18 year old girl named Megumi Sawada. She was from another part of Akita but was staying with her grandmother during the winter. She'd gone missing that January, a week after New Years, and her case was closed when no evidence was found. She was last seen by a friend after they'd finished spending the day together at the park. She was never heard from and was never reported to have returned home. I should write this down… I need to know what happened, what connections these victims could have. She pulled out a fresh notebook from her school bag and wrote down about Seiji, the Sakuragi house, and Megumi, dedicating a page to each one. When she returned to her investigation, she glanced at a picture of Megumi. She was a tall girl, with straight black hair and bangs styled in a bob cut and dark eyes. She had a closed smile in her graduation picture and once again in a picture of her and a club from another school, the rest of the students' faces blacked out. Their uniform was from a private high school in eastern Akita, Mayumi noted. She searched for interviews as well, but the only one she could find was a few classmates and her grandmother. All of them spoke of her being an active and cheerful girl. "She struggled with self-confidence. I wanted to work on it while she was visiting… I had taken a picture with her on New Years. It was the first time I saw her truly smile. She was a beautiful girl…" Her grandmother had said in a news interview. Mayumi felt a sense of sympathy for the girl. Don't these guys see that these people couldn't have gone missing? She thought despairingly. With a sharp pang of guilt, she clicked on the picture of Megumi. If I kept the pictures of them, I could find some relatives or someone who knew them all… "Excuse me, can I borrow your printer?" She called to the librarian.

"Of course, dear." The elderly lady replied, restocking the books that were checked in.

Mayumi gestured her thanks before printing out a small picture of Megumi and attaching the picture to the page, guilt pulsing through her each time. I'm sorry, Sawada-san… please take no offense. She silently prayed to the young girl before returning to her search.

The next girl was a middle schooler named Natsuki Matsumoto, a 13 year old. Her parents had divorced and she had been raised by her father in a hostile environment. She was a good student, though her mental state had degraded after entering middle school. She'd ran away from home the day before her disappearance, the last person to see her being a convenience store worker. "She had bought some drinks and food. Umm… like bottles of green tea and water for drinks, some sandwiches, bentou boxes, a bunch of chips and snacks. I didn't know what she was going to do. Teenagers hang around here all the time, I never pay much mind to them…" The young employee had said. "May I go now? I'm at work right now, I can't talk…" She was visibly uncomfortable in the picture the interviewer had taken to put in the article, even with her eyes covered by a black bar. Natsuki herself had only pictures submitted by the school she attended. A slim girl with brown hair and gray-green eyes, Natsuki stood out from her more brightly appearing classmates. She was smiling, though the hint of sadness in her eyes was noticed by Mayumi. Natsuki was the only one who was listed as a runaway, though Mayumi couldn't deny she would not tell anyone where she'd gone. She had friends and her mother… she would've stayed with one of them. She added Natsuki's name and photo into the notebook, whispering another silent prayer to the girl she'd disgraced.

After Natsuki, there was Ayana Amano, the first and only case to receive immense attention and outrage over the lack of research done. A 17-year-old idol and model, Ayana was a popular figure who lived in Tokyo. She immediately blew Mayumi's initial theory of them being rather connected to the town or the prefecture itself. If there is a killer, they weren't targeting specific victims. Ayana was dressed in a different, colorful outfit in each picture. Her long hair was streaked with a bright pink color, occasionally changing it for the holidays. She looked older than a high schooler should be, a tall beauty with a slender figure. There were a few videos of her performances and some pictures and interviews of her for magazines. However, her most covered stories were about her disappearance and the rumors surrounding it. Some claimed she was a runaway, some made up a story of a secret lover, some claimed she was, in fact, murdered. Mayumi added her to the victims' list as well, thankful that there was only one left.

Taeko Iwanaga, the most recent victim before Takeshi, and the only one Mayumi knew of personally. The two never spoke, but her disappearance caused a huge uproar in their school, creating an unsettling atmosphere anytime her name was mentioned. She was the only one born and raised near the small country town they resided in. The city next to it, that is. Mayumi didn't know her personally, but she never got in trouble or missed a day. She had thought they were in the art club together, but she couldn't recall, even when it was two years ago. The picture was of her wearing their old navy and white sailor uniforms, her hair put up similar to Mayumi's. Mayumi could remember seeing the girl a few times in school, but not much.

"To have a tragedy like this befall our town… it's best to forget it ever happened." One of the neighborhood elders spoke in an interview.

Truthfully, it was exactly what they did. Every case became a distant memory and no one uttered a word about it. Even the recent one of Takeshi was never spoken of. Mayumi was fairly certain there were more in between the time gap between him and Taeko, but she could never prove it.

"Dear, it's closing time." The librarian's voice startled her. Mayumi quickly closed her notebook and shut the computer down.

"I'm sorry, I didn't know it was already nine…" Mayumi apologized as she collected her school bag and pushed in her chair.

"It's quite alright." She smiled gently, her wrinkles displaying her age. "I'm glad to see someone as studious as you. You care deeply for your work, I can tell."

"Umm… Thank you." Mayumi replied uncomfortably. She wasn't used to compliments like that, especially from a respected person like the librarian was. She couldn't recall the lady's surname, but she knew her first name was Tsuruko, a lifelong resident of 63 years. She had 3 children and 6 grandchildren, two being the ones that came here in the afternoons. "Excuse me, ma'am, I'll be leaving now." She headed out the door and into the streets. The rain had eased away, leaving behind a misty atmosphere. The night sky made the town look deserted, not a single car or person in sight and the only illumination were the streetlights and the lit up sign of a nearby convenience store. After all that news I read, this place is so unsettling… Mayumi thought as she glanced around. She'd grown up in the town and it was truly her home, but the familiarity of her usual surroundings were overcome by darkness. It was like something from a horror movie, a deserted town with a killer in wait at every corner. She quickly shook her head, erasing the uneasy thoughts that crept into her mind, and started to walk back home. To her relief, the apartment building wasn't a huge walk home and she gladly welcomed the familiarity of the old building. She exhaled a breath of relief before opening the door to number 402, the room that made their home for the past 16 years.

"Good to see you're home, Mayumi." Her father's voice greeted her while she removed her shoes at the door. "How'd the studying go?"

"Ah, Dad… I didn't think you'd be home this hour. I think I got enough information to make my project." Mayumi replied as she joined her father in the living room. "Where's Mom?" She asked, suddenly noticing the absence of her mother.

"She's in her room. She'd bought a new book today and decided to read it before bed. As always…" Her father answered in a somewhat nostalgic tone of their younger days.

Mayumi bit the inside of her lip in hesitation. He's a detective, he may know… "Umm… Dad, can I ask you about something? Since we're alone…."

"Yes? What is it?" He looked at her, slight concern gleaming in his brown gaze.

Mayumi slowly began to regret the decision, but it was too late to back out. "Dad… do you know anything about the cases five years ago?"

Naoyuki's face went from concern to a stern tone, his eyes narrowed and his lips in a disappointed frown. "Mayumi. Where did you hear about that?"

She was taken aback by his sudden change in tone, her regret edging in more and more. "Well… it was on the news about one recently, and… I was just wondering…" Her words came out slow and confused. Why is he so upset?

"Look, Mayumi. Those cases were closed a year ago. We're done with those. The Sakata case had nothing to do with them." Naoyuki explained in a strained voice. "Please drop it."

I can't… "But, what about the Sakuragi residence? Or the victims? They couldn't have really run away. There's something wrong with this!" I let out too much… she realized in shock. Now he knows what I'm doing…

"Mayumi! That's enough. We already investigated that theory, there is no connection to that house." Her father scolded her irritably. "Look…. It's not that we think that's what happened. We just can't find anything to open this case. I think something happened too, but there's nothing we can do and neither can you. Don't ever look into this again. Got it?"

"… yes." Mayumi replied half heartedly.

"Good. It is none of your concern." Her father never spoke afterwards so Mayumi headed to her room.

Why doesn't he want me to look into this? Surely he wants to solve this too!…. If he can't help these families… these victims… It gives me more reason to find the truth.

Lunch time was Mayumi's least favorite period. While everyone gathered around their desks and shared pieces of their lunch, Mayumi sat at her desk alone in the corner of the classroom. She glanced down at the bentou Aya made her and for once, she wished she and her twin agreed not to see each other during school hours. Even if we don't have the same class, I'd at least have someone to talk to… She thought solemnly. She wasn't a sociable person, but she still wanted someone to talk to sometimes. She glanced at Asami Nakano, the only girl in class she had a decent conversation with, but she was talking to a girl at her desk. I'd probably be a nuisance to them. She guessed. The only other student that sat alone was Sakai, who was focused on writing in her notebook yet again. It was what she did every lunch period and during gym, never looking up until class resumed. I don't even know her first name, she'd not want to talk. Plus it'd be rude to distract her work.

Admitting defeat, Mayumi sighed, turning her gaze back to her lunch. Her and Aya always made each other lunch every morning, something they'd done since middle school. This time, Aya made her a festive bentou, with rice in the center shaped in the form of a bunny, placed carefully onto a bed of salad. Two pieces of Tamagoyaki laid above the rice bunny's head like a pillow and a variety of vegetables and meat that surrounded the animal. A kyaraben… of course she'd make me such a thing. I just made her a simple one too. When it's made like animals and stuff like this… it feels kinda wrong to eat it. She looked at the bunny's face, happily holding a carrot, as if it was real. No… I can't do it. She decided, putting the lid back onto her box. Instead, she focused on her main task for the remainder of lunch. I'm letting these cases consume me, just like Dad said… I need to stop it but I can't. She tried to stop it, like he'd told her. She'd eaten dinner with Aya that night and they'd watched a romance anime together the next day, the kind Aya usually watched. Mayumi preferred mystery or detective shows like her father, but she knew it'd be a bad choice at the time. However, the thoughts kept returning every time about those five girls and her father's insistence that she stop involving herself with the case. There must be something… anything… she thought. Iwanaga-san went to the same middle school as us… I may be able to find her in my old yearbook. The thought had never occurred to her until then and she wished she'd thought of it sooner. I wouldn't have had to tell Dad if I had found someone she knew.

After lunch, school seemed to feel longer than usual. Mayumi finished her cleaning early and left as soon as her teacher dismissed her. She knew Aya would be with Kaori that afternoon, slightly thankful for it now. Her mother was not in sight when she entered the apartment, so she went straight to her room. Her middle school yearbook was hidden in the back of their closet, dust covering the cover and dulling the golden engraved words of 'Kanehira Junior High School.' She remembered the school telling how their name was after two famous figures from centuries long gone. Their current school, Tokunaga High School, was less historical, named after the founder of the school, Mitsue Tokunaga. Mayumi didn't mind either, though. Both schools were over 40 years old and that's all that mattered to them.

Mayumi brushed off the dust with her sleeve before opening up the book, revealing several notes that were for Aya. They had only gotten one yearbook for the two, which meant that most of the student signatures were for Aya only. She went straight to the student pictures, looking for the I names. She looked through each name. 'Iwanaga Taeko' was listed beside a classmate named 'Iwai Rina.' The last Mayumi had heard of Rina was that she'd moved from Akita to Osaka due to her mother's job. However, she focused on Taeko. She'd already gone missing by their third year of school, but they'd used an old picture of her from a club picture. It was the same picture the article had used of her, her eyes bright and a warm smile on her face. At least she's in this book… they must've used old pictures of the students. Their final year was more about exams and though clubs were an option, the students spent their time studying for high school. She may even be in the club photos from our second year… She turned to the art club, the only one she could vaguely remember Taeko being in. A group of students were seated in the classroom the art club met. Mayumi looked disgustedly at the girl in the second row. 'Kinoshita Mayumi' was the name of the girl. I know it's not been long, but… Ugh, I can't stand it! I look terrible… She hadn't changed much, though her hair was down to her shoulders instead of its current length past her shoulder blades. She carried her usual impassive expression in the picture, something she still carried on in high school. She stood out greatly compared to the girl beside her, who had a small grin on her face and two of her fingers made into a v-sign. Shirakawa Ruka. Mayumi remembered the girl fairly decently, how talented she was at painting. She'd helped Mayumi a few times with detailing her art. She forced herself to push away her memories of her own middle school experience and looked for Taeko. She eventually found the girl on the end of the first row. Surely one of these students knows her… if I can find her, hopefully I can find the others… She looked at the girl next to Taeko, her eyes widening at the familiarity of her. Sakai-san… She realized. Sakai had changed more than Mayumi had, but the appearance was uncanny. She had the same long navy hair and almond colored slender eyes, a comely girl compared to most. I could ask her, but… we've never talked. Why would she tell me anything? Mayumi felt her hope fading, wishing it was someone else. No, I have to ask her. She's my only hope. If I can learn about one girl, I may find the rest…