This is a three-part story. Read part 1 and part 2 first.
As if to state the presence of a god, a storm was being drawn in the sky, loud and threatening. But in the middle of this roar of chaos, a silent, almost frozen scene was taking place.
Yoshiro, the detective had his sprint cut short by the stranger's reveal. At the same time, Yukie was contemplating the merciless demon, covered in white sheets.
"And now… You."
Only three words were necessary to make her stop and shiver and fear. And even though stood before her the murderer of her husband, she could do nothing.
The stranger took one step towards Yukie. As if shaken awake, Yoshiro began to move again, but was careful to not make sudden movements. Yukie's hand was trying to reach for her weapon, a knife hidden in her bag. She could do nothing but stare, frozen by fear. Her survival instinct wasn't helping much. She moved backwards, not sure where to put her feet.
After what seemed like hours, she realized that she couldn't find her knife. In a growing state of panic, she looked around her as she was stepping back. But the knife wasn't anywhere.
"Looking for this ?"
As the stranger said this, they showed Yukie the knife she was looking for. The tension was stronger than ever. Yukie could be assaulted at any moment. With a focused mind, Yoshiro was carefully sneaking around. For an unknown reason, the stranger didn't seem to acknowledge Yoshiro.
With a swift dash forward, the stranger jumped on Yukie, who tried to dodge the best she could. Aiming for her chest, the stranger managed to drive the knife closer the her shoulder. Yukie screamed in pain and fell down, making her evade the stranger's next strike. This time, it was over. She was lying there, clenching her wounded shoulder. The stranger stood above her, ready to finish her. With inhuman speed, Yoshiro rushed towards the stranger. He rammed through the assaillant, his shoulder forward. This heroic move saved Yukie, and defeated the stranger. Beaten, they were groaning in pain from the fractured limbs caused by the assault.
"I fucking got you, you piece of shit !" yelled Yoshiro, with a voice that sounded both proud and angry.
"It's my sister…" said Yukie.
"What ?"
"Under that mask… it can only be her. She was absent for some time, and she could have only taken the knife while I was at her house. Besides, she sounded very suspicious the whole time… "
"Your sister ?"
Impatient to finally unravel the mystery, Yoshiro pulled out the stranger's mask. After many weeks of chasing, the detective had finally caught his prey, red-handed. In front of him, the killer was… someone he had never seen before.
"Wait… who are you ?"
Behind the mask and sheets was a woman. So far, Yukie had the right guess. But despite all the work he put into the case, and all the people he had met along the way, Yoshiro could not identify that person. Yukie weakly raised her head to confirm the killer's identity. She had the same reaction as Yoshiro.
"What ? But… who the hell are you ?"
Surrounded by confused looks, the woman started to giggle. Until eventually, she almost bursted in laughter.
"You don't know anything… You damn fools ! You have no idea who you are messing with…"
Yoshiro noticed that the whole time, the woman was slowly moving her arm. As first, he thought that it was only a natural reaction of shaking, because of the pain. But when he finally landed his eyes on her hand, he noticed a small object in a wrap. And then, he realized what it was.
"NO !"
He tried to grab the item, but it was too late. With an incredibly fast movement, the woman threw the object in her mouth and swallowed. Shortly after, she started to make weird noises, until she had a seizure. Then, she fell unconscious, frothing. Yoshiro was not fast enough, only by a single second. But that was enough time for the woman to swallow her poison.
The killer was defeated, but there was not an ounce of joy among the two partners. Both knew that they were still far away from the truth. Rained started to pour, following the thunder. Yoshiro fell to his knees, as if all strength was drained from his body. Both went very pensive and silent, until Yukie was reminded of her wound. Yoshiro noticed, and helped her get on her feet so that they could go back to the city and get treated.
"Wait… If it is the work of an organization, the body won't be here when we come back." said Yukie.
"Are you sure ? You have to get healed quickly."
"It's fine… I was prepared for this, anyway. In fact, I was prepared for worse…"
Both worried and relieved, Yoshiro immediately started his investigation. He examined the mask. It was exactly the same as the others. The sword was nothing special, quite cheap in fact. Eventually, there was nothing left to examine, aside from the clothes. While he was doing his search, Yukie took a closer look at the woman's face. She was indeed in no capacity to indentify her, but she had a very… familiar feel. There was a strong possibility that Yukie saw that woman before, but never talked to her. Who could she be ?
"Hey, there's something in there." Yoshiro said.
The detective showed Yukie something. The moment Yukie saw it, she understood everything.
That clue was… a letter. Undoubtedly, this was the same as the one used to kill her husband.
"Don't open it !" she said to the detective.
"I know, I know. There is poison inside, right ?"
Of course. That was it. By looking at the woman's face alone, she didn't have a strong chance to recognize her. But with the letter, it was like two puzzle pieces fitting together.
The woman was the lady at the counter in the Ms.Sakamoto's inn. When Yukie visited the place, she met this lady. And then, she met Ms.Sakamoto, on the counter lady's recommendation. When she left, Ms.Sakamoto was instructing the counter lady about making letters. By looking at the shape of the letter, there was no doubt that, at the very least, the one the killer was holding was made with the same technique that Ms.Sakamoto taught.
"There's nothing left. We should go now." said the detective, concluding his investigation.
"I know who the killer is. Let's go there."
"You know who that lady is, in the end ?"
"Yes, but… this is not the culprit we're looking for. I'll tell you later… I should get to the doctor now."
Following a quick treatment and a good night of rest, Yukie took the time to get ready for another trip. Later in the morning, Yoshiro showed up where she was resting.
"Sorry, I had to negociate to do the trip… But I'm ready now. You're sure that you know who it is, right ?"
"I think I do."
"You… think ?"
"It's complicated. I'll tell you on the way."
And then, the both of them departed for a trip that should last a few days, towards the city where the inn was located. Along the way, Yukie shared all her thoughts and theories with the detective. He always had that impression before, but he showed a clear interest in what she said. He didn't want to assume that she a talent, because he had his doubt. What if she was only driven by hatred towards the person who killed her husband ?
After three days, they arrived at the city, and hurried to the inn. As she saw last time, the inn was surrounded by a bunch of strange-looking people. And when they entered, her doubts were confirmed.
By her sudden entrance, she interrupted one of the customers. That customer was arguing at the counter with no other than the owner, Ms.Sakamoto. That customer was Akane, Yukie's sister.
"How can you be there ?" Akane said loudly.
For the first time since she began her detective work, Yukie smiled. Well, not really. It wasn't a smile of joy, it was jubilation.
"I was right after all, it was you." said Yukie.
"What… What are you talking about ?" Akane asked, in a panic.
Yukie turned to Ms.Sakamoto.
"This inn is the home of your cult, right ?"
"What makes you think that ?" Ms.Sakamoto replied.
"You act like you are merely the owner of a simple inn, but you train all your employees here for another kind of 'work'. You send them all over the country, and make them act like a mysterious killer. The 'Soldier of the Lost Gods'."
"Those victims aren't planned by the killer. I thought I told you that the victims were collateral damage ?"
"That is what you make it look like. In reality, you lure most of your victims at a temple, like you did with me. With that method, you could build a zealous character that only killed if necessary. But in reality, those were the primary focus… Isn't that right, Akane ?"
Akane was nervous. The more Yukie spoke, the more she looked panicked and lost. The moment she looked for the exit, her eyes met with those of Yoshiro, burning with contempt.
"Don't even think about it." he said.
Akane turned to Ms.Sakamoto. "Please, do something ! I already paid you !"
"No." the owner responded.
"What ? What do you mean, 'no' ?"
"I won't defend you. You were an awful client. The police will take care of you."
Following those words, Yoshiro raised his arm as a signal. Then, from the outside, a handful of local officers barged into the inn, and arrested Akane. She became the prime suspect for the attempted assassination of Yukie. Akane screamed and struggled, staring at her sister with a furious look on her face.
"This is why your husband cheated with me, you cold bitch !"
"As I expected… you are also the one who ordered this one too, right ?"
Akane didn't respond, as she was forcefully being carried to the station. On his way out, Yoshiro saluted Yukie, who bowed in response. As her sister was leaving the scene, the inn was getting silent again.
"Just so you know.", Ms.Sakamoto said. "I will help you bring you sister down… but do not think you can expose me so easily. Many tried, and burned their wings. This is a warning."
"Thank you. But I intend to bring you down as well, given the time."
Ms.Sakamoto chuckled. "Oh, I know you will try. You have it in you."
Yukie was heading out of the inn to follow the police, but she was interrupted by Ms.Sakamoto.
"Wait. Your husband… I went there personally. If only I knew what kind of woman his wife was… "
"Then, I guess that makes us even. Sorry for killing your disciple."
After those events, Yukie went back to her hometown. Her thirst for answers was quenched enough for her to relax, if only for a couple of days. But in the end, could she really say that she had her revenge on the killer ? Probably not. Or, at least, not in the way she thought she would. But this was enough.
Just like she predicted, Ms.Sakamoto's business was still alive and well. The 'Soldier of the Lost Gods' was still working all over the country. Despite their knowledge, neither Yukie nor Yoshiro became targets. In a way, the fight against the killer was only beginning. On that thought, and by observing her own reaction, Yukie knew what really drove her to find the murderer. She was… excited. Eager to investigate once again.
One day, she was reunited with one of her friends, who was passing by. Kouta, the traveling merchant. After catching up for a bit, Kouta proposed to help her travel once again. There was one person she wanted to work with… the only person who shared her burning desire. A desire to solve the crimes of the most affluent killer of the era.
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