Box of Demons

Chapter 84

Kiba punched a nearby box.

"Stop! Stop!"

Mimasaka was in a sorry state.

Whether Kiba wants him to stop talking or is worried about the machines, Kiba doesn't know.

"Even if you're very knowledgeable and think you're so great, all your words are worthless to me! They don't reach my heart at all. Don't you ever say things like 'it hurts' or 'it itches'? Like sadness or pain?"

"Tell me, tell me you're scared."

The gun was pressed against Mimasaka's forehead.

"You bastard, stop it! I can't die for such a nonsensical reason."

"Then hurry up and tell me everything honestly. Since what I said is wrong, then correct me quickly. Use my—use reasons that I can accept to convince me!"

"——"

Mimasaka stopped blinking and adopted a reptilian gaze.

Was his lack of fear and flight due to exceptional courage? No, it was because he was very rational. He believed that the police wouldn't attack ordinary citizens without a reason. They weren't just trying to be clever.

"Yuzuki Yoko still believes Kanako will come back alive. I heard Kusumoto Yoriko's mother went insane. As for the other girls' families, they're not much different. Families are torn apart, hospitalized, bankrupt... Of course, you don't care about any of that. Everyone has their own life, so as long as it's not your concern, whether others live or die doesn't matter. But since we're already involved, both you and I have a responsibility. Don't try to deny it! Quickly—"

Kiba pulled the breech, and the bullet was sent into the chamber.

How would you write the ending of this story?

The crosshair was aimed at Mimasaka's face.

Mimasaka pursed her lips tightly, her whole body stiff.

Kiba's finger rested on the trigger.

There were only the two of them in the room; there was no one else there.

The gunshots probably couldn't have reached downstairs.

Kiba had an absolute advantage over this man.

Now, I can kill this man.

A situation that could lead to murder befell Kiba.

Killing someone is very simple; just slightly bend the joint of your right index finger, causing the muscle to contract slightly. It's similar to scratching an itch on your nose, like a spasm.

Kiba didn't hate Mimasaka, nor did he intend to kill him. The pistol wasn't there for that kind of thing. Besides, Kiba had absolutely no reason to kill Mimasaka; on the contrary, his death would be a real headache.

But none of that matters anymore.

The demons that pass by are always present, everywhere.

If you apply a little more pressure to your index finger,

Apply a little force

※

"A car that can't perform its function is a piece of junk!"

Natsume shouted.

"A fake is still a fake! Ah Niao, this car is all show and no substance!"

The steering wheel vibrated and wobbled.

Yoko huddled up. The pastoral scenery outside the car window seemed completely out of place with Yoko's current state. According to Masuoka, Yoko was thirty-one years old, the same age as me. But I couldn't tell at all; she didn't even look twenty-five or twenty-six, as people generally believed. She looked like a girl just over twenty. But this fair-skinned girl had something in common with Kusumoto Kimie—both were mothers. What happened to Kimie? I was very worried about that unfortunate mother.

"Mr. Natsukizu, turn around up ahead!"

"I'm not going to listen to your directions, you hopeless idiot!"

Natsume turned into the path, and then it became a straight road.

"That's the one!"

"Oh, is that the square building that looks like a block of tofu?"

"Brother Xia, slow down!"

"I don't have time to worry about that now, watch your neck!"

As expected, it was impossible to stop completely.

Mr. Akai's modified Datsun sports car made a sharp right turn, but it didn't turn completely and finally stopped after touching the gate of the Mimasaka Modern Medical Research Institute.

It's called contact, but it's actually a collision.

"You...you're driving so dangerously!"

"Hey, are you alright? Let's go!"

Xia Mujin half-opened and half-kicked the door open, letting Yangzi get out of the car first.

Yoko's expression was frozen with fear. Sitting in the front seat, she must have felt like she was in a living hell.

"Okay, let's go. I hope the person most important to you is still alive."

The hinges of the building's sturdy door were damaged and it was half-open.

The man, who looked terrible and like he was about to faint, urged me to get off the bus quickly. I completely forgot that I was supposed to follow behind those two.

This building was quite strange; there was only one corridor, and besides that, just two iron gates on either side. The two people ahead were no longer visible. My legs felt weak, and I staggered as I walked, quickly overtaken by Bird Mouth. I was no match for him in either strength or stamina.

At the end is an elevator, and to the right is a spiral staircase.

A middle-aged man was squatting beside the spiral staircase. He didn't say anything as we passed by; he just stared blankly at the stairs.

I followed behind Torikochi. Kiba seemed to be on the third floor; the door was open.

Natsukizu, Yoko, and Kiba.

Is that person Mimasaka Koshiro?

Kiba was wearing a military uniform and holding a pistol.

Just like that southern jungle seven years ago. What was he planning to do? This unusual building, to him, was the same as that terrible battlefield—did he mean that?

What happened between them before we arrived?

The atmosphere at the scene was indeed extraordinary.

Until Natsume opened the door, the unusual tension emanating from the secret room filled the entire space, almost to the point of bursting. Now, suddenly released, both men were in a daze.

Kiba and Mimasaka's foreheads were covered in glistening sweat.

Xia Mujin walked towards the wood yard and punched him.

"You big idiot, that's enough."

Kiba didn't respond; instead, he kept glancing at Yoko with his small, blinking eyes.

Yoko's gaze was fixed on Kiba—behind him.

On Mimasaka's body.

"Li-Li Erlang, what...how could you..."

Kiba was panting heavily. Mimasaka relaxed completely and slumped into a chair.

"Who are you? Quickly, take this person back. This person—is insane."

Mimasaka's breathing was also rapid. My first impression of Mimasaka was that she was intelligent and rational, with the air of a scientist. I had always held a monstrous image of her, so meeting her in person made her seem even more normal.

"Ah, I've finally met you in person. I was so bothered by your appearance. Every guy looks like you, it disgusted me! Now I can finally relax."

"What are you talking about? You're a detective too? Why are you with—that woman? Please take these people back right now."

Mimasaka wiped the sweat from her forehead and said.

"It's a pity we can't do as you wish. My friend will be here soon; we've already arranged to meet here. Also, I'm not interested in working as a detective—it's all so violent. As you can tell, I'm a detective. By the way, this person is a novelist, and the other one runs a magazine!"

"A detective? And what brings the detectives here?"

"Soon after today—to put an end to all the stories, a gloomy fellow will arrive."

That's a sentence from my novel.

"story?"

"Your story, this woman's story, and this idiot's story. It'll be here soon, please wait a moment."

Mimasaka was confused. The more rational a person is, the more difficult it is to deal with Natsukizu's words and actions.

"Hey, you should put that ugly machine away. Kiba Osamu, nothing good will come of letting you handle something like this. Or do you want me to break it for you?"

"That's true."

Kiba obediently put away his pistol.

The lights are flickering; is the power supply unstable?

Mimasaka looked up at the sky with unease.

Silence—no, what is this? What is this mechanical sound, like the rumbling of the earth? My mind seems to be going blank.

I've heard that listening to bass frequencies beyond the range of your hearing for an extended period can significantly impair your judgment.

Can't they just lock him up?

Mimasaka said quietly:

"How long is this farce going to last? I have work to do, and when will the person you're waiting for arrive?"

The machine noise is making me irritable. Can't I just turn it off?

Mimasaka was even more annoyed than I was.

"Ah, why! Why are you getting in my way! I should go—"

"Is it time for your appointment, Professor?"

Kyogoku-do —

A man in black stood at the entrance.

Kyogoku-do finally arrived. Aoki was beside him. Who was the other person? There was also a police officer.