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Chapitre 31

"That way, it'll be the same whether we do the experiment ten thousand times or a hundred million times."

After speaking, Toriguchi crossed his arms again. Kyogoku-do, facing Toriguchi, continued speaking to me:

"Furthermore, after Kiyono, the provider of this information, reviewed the ledgers, he analyzed the data and concluded that 'people who donate a small amount of money will suffer misfortune.' But that was an opinion based on his understanding of the internal situation. If he hadn't had any preconceived notions, he should have thought, 'Because misfortune will occur, the amount of money donated should be increased.' In that case, there would be no room for manipulation. Of course, the overlap with the list made by the police was just a coincidence."

I had no rebuttal. Birdmouth said apologetically:

"That's right. So what should I do next? Maybe it's better to just let this go? It seems a bit far-fetched to consider Mihako-no-Kami as a criminal, especially as the perpetrator of the serial dismemberment murders that are being talked about in the streets?"

"Oh, no need to be discouraged."

Faced with Toriguchi's dejected remarks, Kyogoku-do retorted decisively.

"What's going on, Kyogoku-do? Whose side are you on anyway?"

He'll say it's impossible when others say it's possible, and he'll say it's possible when others say it's impossible. This is the kind of guy you'd call a weirdo.

"Neither is right. I just wanted to say that it's too hasty to judge based solely on the information we have. Don't forget that we can also collect materials to use for our judgment."

"For example?"

"Bird Mouth, what's your first thought?"

"Well, in the early stages I learned that it was difficult to interview believers, and direct confrontation was more effective. So I think it's not possible to do it without understanding the key figure."

"The wise thing to do. And then?"

"Well, I got a list from the police and found out that the search happened the day before yesterday. Two hours later, they deduced that the culprit was Mihako. After thinking about it, I didn't know whether to sit or stand, so I just went straight to Mitaka. I think I was too reckless, but oh well, it was just a flash of inspiration anyway, so if it failed, so be it. I found the location of Mihako right away. There was a signboard outside, the doors were open, and the floor inside was covered with wooden planks. The worshippers were old women, older women, and so on, almost all of them women, kneeling upright in rows on the ground, it was quite a sight. There was a box in the back of the room, and everyone had their heads down, looking very gloomy. I really didn't know how to ask them anything. And as you know, I'm a very introverted person."

This guy can't stop talking once he starts; he's just as talkative as Kyogoku-do.

"Soon, a woman came out. I think she was a little older than twenty-five and a little younger than thirty-three. She must be the manager of the dojo."

"Is she one of the priestesses?"

"No, it's just her usual attire, like a female clerk. She seems a bit harsh, but also a little seductive; perhaps she used to work in the sex industry."

I wanted to ask more about the woman's appearance, but Kyogoku-do interrupted me.

What did she say?

"She asked me what was wrong, which was only natural. I made up a story to appease her, pretending to be down on my luck, and said, 'I've been having a lot of bad luck lately. From the moment I wake up in the morning until I go to bed at night, nothing good happens. My health isn't good, and my company is about to go bankrupt. I'd like to ask to see the cult leader.' That's it. And then she said—"

Torikochi, perhaps wanting to mimic the woman's tone, paused for a moment, and Kyogoku-do seized the opportunity to speak first:

"As you can see, there are many believers waiting, so I really cannot spare the time to see you now. Would you be willing to schedule an appointment for another day? If it's convenient, please leave your contact information and I'll get back to you tomorrow—or something like that?"

Bird Mouth didn't seem surprised at all; in fact, he looked rather pleased, and said:

"Yes, the imitation is so good, it's as if that woman is right in front of you—"

It was probably almost exactly what that woman said.

"—That's why I had to leave the stage first in disappointment."

At this point, I couldn't help but interrupt, because I simply couldn't stand being a bystander any longer. I hadn't expected to embarrass myself so many times today and then say something unnecessary.

"You gave him his contact information? No wonder you fell for the scammers. You didn't give them the phone number for the editorial department of 'Real Crime Records,' did you? If so, you're a complete idiot. It's no wonder your true identity was exposed. They would have known as soon as they made the call."

The bird glared at me with its beak.

"No matter how confused I am, I won't be fooled by this kind of childish trick. I gave her my home phone number."

"You have a telephone in your room? When did you become so high-class? So those trashy magazines are so lucrative?"

"Teacher, what are you joking about? My landlord runs a Chinese ramen shop downstairs, and I gave her their phone number. After giving her the number, she told me to wait a moment, that she would be back soon, asked me when it would be convenient to contact her the next day, and then left. The next day was Sunday, and just in case, I stayed in my room all day waiting. It would be terrible if she called while I was away and started asking me all sorts of questions. I also told her in advance that if she called, I shouldn't say anything and should find someone else to answer. Around noon, she called and told me to come over immediately, saying that she was free right now. I rushed over as soon as I heard that. The dormitory is in Chiyuan, and I got there around 1:30 pm. I walked through the passageway and went straight into a room that looked like a waiting room. The female administrator brought me a cup of tea, and then I chatted with her for about ten minutes."

"Why?"

"Because the previous one hadn't finished, you could hear curses and prayers being chanted in the room."

"say what?"

"It was basically just casual conversation. The woman said, 'You said you've been having a lot of painful experiences. Could you tell me about your situation?' She was very polite. As soon as I heard that, I thought, 'Haha, this is definitely a trap,' so I just made up some pre-prepared nonsense."

Bird Mouth particularly emphasizes the "you" part.

"I told them I was a salesman for a toothbrush company, and that my recent sales had been completely stolen by the new nylon toothbrushes. All I did all day was sigh. I also mentioned I was from Niigata, and that I was exhausted lately and had even ruined my health—"

The bird-like creature pretended to be hunchbacked, and its tone carried a hint of misery.

"—Anyway, I spoke very softly, so it was impossible for the people in the next room to hear me. In fact, I could hear them muttering incantations all the time, and the incantations were actually quite loud."

"So don't worry about being overheard by the neighbors; and even if they do, all the stories you give about your background are lies."

It can be said that the preparations were thorough.

If I were in such an emergency, I definitely wouldn't be able to think straight.

"Soon the next room quieted down, and then—I thought the woman would go and tell the cult leader what she had just heard, but she didn't. She told me to go in first. The next room was a living room of about four square meters, decorated with a mess of Girls' Day dolls and many boxes. The cult leader was in front of all this, wearing a white divine robe, with a short, crew cut mixed with white hair, and wearing that—I think it's called a headscarf? Anyway, he was wearing the kind of hat that mountain slayers wear. The cult leader was a man who was so thin he was practically skin and bones. He told me to sit in front of him, and the woman to sit diagonally behind me."

Bird Mouth glanced to his right rear, probably where the woman had been sitting.

"As soon as I sat down, the cult leader suddenly shouted, and I was so scared that I shrank my neck."

"You'll say 'Ugh,' right?"

"Yes, it was 'Uh-hey.' The cult leader said in a clear and loud voice, 'You lie, claiming to be from the North, but you are actually from the West—what a narrow-minded person you are!' I was stunned when I heard him say that; most people would have been shocked. The cult leader continued, 'You are not a merchant who sells goods, but someone who makes a living by reporting the misfortunes of others. You are truly a shameless person! Your magazine is a despicable publication, truly recording crimes—shameless person, what are you doing here!' Even the name of the magazine was mentioned, so I really didn't dare to utter a sound and fled in panic."

What's the real story behind this?

Judging from Torikochi's account, it seems there wasn't time to use the trick Kyogoku-do just used.

"Hmm... setting aside what Torikochi said in the waiting room, the rest is really hard to understand. If it's said that being from the West is..."

Guessing is still possible, but even specific terms like "Recorded Crimes" have come up—Kyogoku-do, do you really understand the true nature of this organization?

"Do you think so?"

"certainly."

Do you understand?

He wasn't surprised at all.

"Of course I understand. First of all, Bird Mouth, when did you tell the landlord to be cautious when receiving strange phone calls?"

"Well, I told the landlord as soon as I left Mihako-shin. I borrowed a phone from a vegetable shop in Mitaka to contact them because I had to go back to the editorial department after leaving Mihako-shin, and I was worried that it would be terrible if they called during that time."

"Has anything strange happened in the editorial department? For example, my sister from my hometown called me."

"Hmm, yes. Or rather, 'it seems like'—they said something from their hometown is being sent over—"

"Has it not arrived yet?"

"It's only been two days, it's still early."

"I don't think it will ever be delivered."

"Wait, you mean that phone call was—but how did they know about the editorial department—?"

"Hehehe, that's simple, she probably asked the landlord first."

"Huh? But the moment I released Mikoto, it made a phone call."

"While you were still a Mikoto deity—that is, the moment you gave the woman your phone number, she immediately called the landlord, and she asked you to wait a moment..."

"Wait, right?"

"ah."

Bird Mouth paused for a moment, then clapped his hands in agreement.

"When I called back from Mitaka, my landlord mentioned that his family had called from their hometown, saying they wanted to send me something and asked me about my situation."

Was Tian there? I was almost never there, of course, so it seems she said again—"Sorry to trouble the landlord to receive it, I wanted to send it to the office"—wait, I see. No wonder she wanted to ask for the office address and the landlord's phone number—the landlord had given it to her. Oh dear—I didn't expect she'd already made her move back then—this actually makes me more convinced that the later call from the editorial department was from home.”

Torikochi wore a very unwilling expression, like a child who hadn't gotten his snack, which was quite rare among his expressions.

"Listen carefully, Toriguchi. To make a scam call, it's convenient when the person making the call isn't around. Before asking any questions, just say you're looking for someone, and most people will believe you. So, of course, she'll call the landlord first while the person is around, assuring them they're not there because Toriguchi is nearby. Then, she'll pretend to be a family member. Once the other person trusts her, it's easy to get their work address phone number. Just say you want to call the company to inquire, and they'll most likely give it to you easily. Then, she'll let Toriguchi go, and then call the work address, again pretending to be a family member, which creates a synergy and makes it even harder to slip up. Once she knows the work address phone number, she can also find out the company name. Where you're from, when you get a call, you'd probably say, 'This is the editorial department of "Real Crime Records,"' or 'Hello, Akai Shobo"?"

"They don't even say 'hello, hello,' they just report 'real crime' directly."

"In this way, your true identity will be exposed, and there's not much to say next. It would be even better if you could find out where you're from. Just say you're calling from your hometown, and friendly people will naturally exchange a few pleasantries, thus revealing your hometown."

"I see. Damn it, I thought I was being careful, but I still fell for their trick."

Bird Mouth seemed very unwilling.

"It's just that the actual order of events is different from the normal order, which is why it's not easy to notice. The phenomena that appear on the surface seem chaotic and illogical, but if you break them down and then put them back together, you'll find that there's nothing incredible about it. It's not that everything is fine as long as it goes in order."

Kyogoku-do said this with profound meaning.

"Next comes the old tricks of itinerant fortune tellers. This trick always involves two people, one is the fortune teller, and the other is an assistant or disciple. First, the disciple asks for information in another room, using various methods to extract information, as I just explained. Recently, some people have been lazy and simply provide questionnaires for people to fill out. In short, it makes people think that the fortune teller doesn't know the content; it makes people think that since the conversation is in another room, the fortune teller himself didn't see it, but from the moment you enter that other room, the fortune teller knows everything."

What's the secret?

"It's very simple. Just have the disciples in attendance convey signals that the guests won't understand. Their seating position, the angle of their cushions, the number of times the call bell rings, and even their greetings can all serve as coded messages. Whether it's scratching their head, nose, or buttocks, anything will do, as long as it's agreed upon beforehand. In the case of the bird's beak, the opponent will know their profession and place of origin. Hearing that the magazine is called 'Real Crime Records,' you can imagine what their job entails. Therefore, treat what the teacher says as a guest, and if they lie, go back immediately. If a woman is sitting behind you, even if she opens and closes her mouth as a coded message, you won't know, especially since you'll be startled by someone shouting at you."

"My doubts have been completely resolved."

Bird Mouth seemed to have completely resolved his doubts, and his expression was refreshed.

Kyogoku-do scratched his forehead, then looked up with an indescribable expression and asked:

"By the way, are all the boxes placed on the altar square? Are there any round ones?"

Bird Mouth Answer

"Well, they're all just regular boxes, is there a problem?"

"The character '筥' in '竹吕' means a round bamboo utensil. Is that right—or perhaps I'm mistaken—"

Kyogoku-do's expression darkened, and he continued:

"So, they recognize your face completely."

Then he sighed with an unhappy expression.

Kyogoku-do was unusually deep in thought.

He is rarely confused in normal times.

"In short, there's very little information about Mikoto right now, but—if you're truly determined to do this, I'm willing to lend a hand, however small. Fighting against psychic magic seems like too heavy a burden for you, especially for Sekiguchi—but we need to investigate the dismemberment case while investigating Mikoto, hopefully it's just a simple case of psychic magic fraud—"

Kyogoku-do fell into deep thought again.

What kind of intelligence do you need?