Chapter 18
“Then, do you believe me?”
As I leaned forward, Yasuhara nodded deeply.
“For now, I suppose I have no choice but to believe you. But what does this ‘death’ mean ……?”
Yasuhara pointed to the word “death” written in the notes.
“That’s exactly it. The first time, he was stabbed by an assailant right before he turned himself in. The second time, he died suddenly right after being arrested by Yasuhara-san. The third time, he turned himself in at the police box, but a runaway car crashed into it and exploded. The fourth time, he was in a bus accident. The fifth time, I was on the same bus, but we managed to avoid the accident. This was the first time I made it to the next day. However, he was arrested by Yasuhara-san at the station where he turned himself in, and he died suddenly.”
“So, you’re saying I’ve been involved twice?”
“That’s right. So, even though he’s willing to turn himself in, we can’t bring him here.”
“Hmm…”
He made a gesture as if deep in thought.
“If Yasuhara-san can’t do it, I’ll arrest him myself.”
Kamiya raised his hand.
“Well, I suppose that’s a good idea for now.”
The two of them looked at me. All I could do was nod. For now, the only way to deal with it was to keep Yasuhara from touching him. I hoped the loop had ended, but I still didn’t know for sure.
“Oh, and also, as I mentioned earlier, please tell me a secret about yourselves. Anything is fine.”
“Why?”
Kamiya asked me, looking displeased.
“Just in case I fail, I’ll have to start all over again. It’s easier to get you two to believe my story if I know a secret about you that I could never possibly know.”
I strongly emphasized my point.
If a complete stranger tells you face-to-face something you absolutely couldn’t possibly know, even the most skeptical person would have no choice but to believe in the concept of a “time loop”…or so you’d think.
“Anything is fine. Like the name of someone who dumped you in the past, or a childhood memory, anything!”
Perhaps overwhelmed by my enthusiasm, Kamiya spoke first,
“…In elementary school, I once threw away a test that I didn’t get a perfect score on.”
“Huh?”
“I had always gotten perfect scores up until then, so I was really frustrated. But I ended up feeling so guilty about throwing it away that I haven’t done it since, and I’ve never told anyone about this.”
“Thank you!”
I bowed my head to Kamiya, then turned back to Yasuhara. When I stared at him, Yasuhara shrugged and said,
“Just say, ‘Did you kill Anna?'”
“…… Anna?”
“Well, it’s kind of like a code phrase. If someone said this to me, I’d be so surprised that I’d jump out of my skin.”
“Got it!”
I respond with a triumphant fist pump. But honestly, I’d rather not have to keep a secret like that anymore. There’s a good chance this will all be over soon… or rather, I hope things go back to the way they were.
“So, where is the culprit now?”
Yasuhara’s eyes gleamed.
“I’ll guide you, but only on the condition that you take me with you. Is that alright?”
When I stated that firmly, Yasuhara nodded slightly.
“Alright. I’ll arrange a car now, so could you wait a moment?”
“Okay.”
With that, Yasuhara took Kamiya and left the room.
“…… Yasuhara-san, do you really believe what she’s saying?”
She asked while walking.
“That kind of outlandish story? No way!”
He scoffed and continued.
“First things first, we need to apprehend the suspect. After that, just proceed as usual.”
“Then, what about her?”
“It’s either Stockholm Syndrome, or perhaps they were accomplices. They must have realized they couldn’t get away with it.”
He spoke matter-of-factly as he grabbed his car keys.
“Are you really going to take her with us?”
“There shouldn’t be a problem. We don’t even know if the suspect is really there, so it’s kind of a gamble. But after going to all that trouble, they’re not going to run or hide now. Well, it would be a different story if the man sent her over just to throw us off the trail.”
“…… I see.”
“Let’s go and see for ourselves first.”
Yasuhara threw the key he was holding towards Kamiya.
“…… Hah~.”
Kamiya caught the car keys with a puzzled expression.
◇
Kamiya Atsuko took the wheel, and Yasuhara and I sat side-by-side in the back seat. Another car carrying police officers seemed to be accompanying us, and the two vehicles made their way along the mountain pass.
“So, you were traveling by motorcycle?”
“Yes. My father had a motorcycle, so I used that to get around. Cars leave you vulnerable to being tracked, and public transportation has cameras.”
“No wonder we couldn’t track him down after he abandoned the car.”
“Sorry. I don’t know what I’ll need to clear this and move forward, so I’ve been trying various things.”
I recalled what happened last night and felt a little embarrassed, so I lowered my head. Yasuhara didn’t miss this.
“What do you mean by ‘trying’?”
“Um, at first, I thought maybe the time and place where he turned himself in was wrong. But even after changing the location, the result was the same. Next time, I thought it might be a time constraint, so I tried crossing into the next day, but that didn’t work either. As for Yasuhara-san’s case, it’s definitely a no-go.”
I told him honestly.
As expected, Yasuhara looked at me with a troubled face.
“I’d appreciate it if you wouldn’t make me sound like a murderer.”
“I mean, the moment you touch him, he has a heart attack, you know? Yasuhara-san, you’re not emitting poison or anything, are you?”
“Pfft!”
Hearing my words, Kamiya in the driver’s seat burst out laughing.
“Well, he was a man feared as ‘Demon Yasuhara’, but surely he isn’t emitting poison from his body, right? If he were, I don’t think I’d still be here.”
Kamiya said with a laugh.
“Right? If only I could figure out what I need to do to clear this……”
I just hope this choice turns out to be the right one.
“What did you try this time?”
Kamiya’s casual question caught me off guard.
“Ah, um, this time…… Traveling by motorcycle, and me talking to the two of you…… that’s it.”
I can’t say anything more than that.
“Anything else?”
Yasuhara looked at me. His gaze was so sharp it seemed to see right into my heart. I shook my head in silence.
“Did you know that men and women are more likely to fall in love during times of crisis?”
Yasuhara spoke quietly.
“Yes, Stockholm Syndrome. I get what you’re trying to say. But I don’t think the feelings I’m dealing with are like that.”
As if mocking my assertion, Yasuhara twisted the corners of his mouth.
“What can you possibly know about someone after just one day? Or is this a case of love at first sight?”
Ah, this person……
“Yasuhara-san, you don’t believe me, do you…”
That’s why he thinks it’s just “one day”.
“Huh? No, that’s not…”
“I’ve been with him for days now. The same scenes repeating over and over, his death repeating over and over. The more I get to know him, the more it pains me. This isn’t just a matter of yesterday or today.”
Even after saying all this, they still don’t understand, do they? With a heavy heart, I turn my gaze out the window. Time flies, and the sun is already beginning to set. This is the first time I’ve been able to go this long without being stuck in a loop. Have I finally broken free?
Oh well. I can’t keep running away forever anyway, so I have no choice but to move forward.
“Turn right over there.”
Finally, the car started driving up the single road leading to the abandoned school. I could see Shinji coming out of the school building.
“That’s Shinji Furuya. Yasuhara-san, please be very careful.”
“Hey, Kamiya.”
“Yes!”
The two of them jumped out of the car as if they hadn’t heard a word I said. I tried to follow them in a panic, but the door wouldn’t open.
“Hey, why won’t it open? Hey, Yasuhara-san!”
I banged on the car window, but neither of them even looked my way. Two police officers from the car behind us also approached Shinji. Yasuhara was talking to Shinji about something. Shinji nodded.
Yasuhara glanced at his watch. Kamiya took out handcuffs. Ah, he was going to be arrested.
“Shinji!”
Shinji looked at me as I shouted desperately from inside the car. He gave a shy smile, as if he were relieved, and nodded slightly. Yasuhara placed his hand on Shinji’s shoulder.
Sads Translates 