Chapter 17
“Did she really say that?”
The police officer nodded, feeling the tension rise throughout his body under Yasuhara’s intense glare.
“We believe this person is the same hostage caught on the security camera footage on the wanted poster, so we’ve called you both in.”
“Where is she?”
“Ah, in the waiting room.”
As soon as he heard that, he stormed out of the room. Kamiya hurriedly followed after him.
“What’s going on, Yasuhara-san?”
“A woman came forward claiming to have been a hostage.”
“Here, at the station?”
“Yeah, and what’s more, she specifically named me and you.”
“Huh?”
Kamiya exclaimed in surprise.
“How did she know that you and I were in charge of this case? It seems she named us specifically from the very beginning.”
“What could that mean……?”
“First of all, is she really a hostage? Did she flee from the suspect? If so, why did she come straight here?”
The normal thing to do would be to run to the nearest police box or call 110 (the emergency number).
The two headed to the waiting room.
◇◇◇
Okay, here we go.
Upon seeing the two of them, I stood up from my chair and gave a slight bow.
“Yasuhara Mamoru-san, and Kamiya Atsuko-san, right? This is our first time meeting… isn’t it?”
I listed their full names in quick succession. But I figured they probably wouldn’t believe me just based on that alone.
“…… Where’s the culprit?”
Yasuhara glanced around the room.
“No, he’s not here. Um, I’d like to ask you to hear me out first.”
For some reason, I was the one who prompted them to prepare a room. I sat down in a chair right away and spread out the notes I’d written yesterday on the table.
“What’s that?”
As Yasuhara peered at it intently, I desperately tried to figure out how to defuse the situation. No good ideas came to mind.
“First, let’s go through this step by step. My name is Natsumi Hirose. That’s ‘Natsu no Umi’ as in ‘Summer Sea’. I went to the bank to withdraw some money. I had taken a day off work yesterday. And that’s when I stumbled upon the incident.”
As soon as I started to speak, Kamiya opened her laptop and began typing my words.
“The culprit is someone I don’t know. I was just the last person in line at the ATM, so I became a target by chance—I think it could have been anyone.”
“…… What exactly is written here?”
Yasuhara was frantically reading my notes while listening to me. Hearing what he said, Kamiya looked up.
“Huh? What does it say?”
Perhaps curious, she stood up and walked around to Yasuhara, staring intently at my notes.
“You may not believe me no matter what. But I came here today with the intention of telling you everything that’s happening to me, without holding anything back. Even though this is the first time you’re meeting me, Yasuhara-san and Kamiya-san, I’ve already met you both.”
Pointing to a specific part of the note, I stated this firmly. The two of them looked at me with puzzled expressions.
“As it says here, I’m stuck repeating the same scene over and over again. It’s what you might call a ‘time loop’. I still don’t know what I need to do to break out of it.”
“Huh?” You……”
Yasuhara started to speak, but I continued.
“You think I’m crazy? From your perspective right now, I probably just look like a crazy person. But it’s true. So, first of all, I have a favor to ask. I’d like you to tell me a secret of yours—the kind you haven’t told anyone else.”
“Huh?”
This time, Kamiya spoke up.
“Um, Hirose-san…… Right? Are you really the woman who was taken hostage?”
That’s where you start to get suspicious.
“You’re comparing this to the security camera footage, right? It’s definitely me. You know that, don’t you?
When I spoke with a bit more force, Yasuhara grunted lowly, “Mm-hmm.”
“Is the culprit someone you know?”
“So, as I said earlier, he was a stranger. At least at first. But after repeating this loop many times, I eventually got to know him. So, even though it’s our first meeting for him, I already know him. Do you understand what I mean?
He couldn’t help but ask again. Yasuhara glanced back and forth at the notes with me and nodded.
“Wait, Yasuhara-san?”
Kamiya stepped closer to Yasuhara, who was nodding.
“You’re not seriously going to believe this story, are you?”
Yasuhara tried to calm the visibly agitated Kamiya.
“Kamiya, I’m a realist. I don’t believe in gods or Buddhas. I live by the belief that what I see and feel is the truth. That’s exactly why I can’t believe this story is a lie—no matter how far-fetched it may seem. Listen, she knew our names. And our faces, too, of course.”
“But maybe she has a contact inside the police department or something.”
“Kamiya, you saw the surveillance footage too, didn’t you?”
“Huh? Ah, right.
Yasuhara kept replaying the footage of the two of them leaving the bank over and over to confirm it.
“The hostage didn’t seem panicked at all. But the culprit is different. He interacted with the hostage with caution and tension. Do you understand what this means?
“…… The perpetrator has never met the hostage before. But the hostage knows about the perpetrator and what’s going to happen next…… is that it? There’s no way!”
“No matter how improbable it may seem, what you’ve seen with your own eyes is the truth. I remember everyone I’ve ever dealt with, but Hirose-san, this is definitely our first meeting. Yet, you seem to know me.”
Yes, he said it firmly.
Ah, I’m glad Yasuhara-san is such a capable man!
Sads Translates 