File 13: The Brander (Part 2)
John Walker.
The man with a top hat and a cane.
Sakaido continued to hold on to the rake to control the monster tractor, trying to keep his balance. John Walker stood on top of the tractor, unfazed by its speed. His scythe was still intact, made more visible by the lack of his cloak.
"Who are you?"
That's strange. I have never seen him before, yet he looks so familiar.
Sakaido felt confused. He didn't remember anything about himself, yet this man seemed dangerous. He tried to concentrate on controlling the machine with the man blocking his view. After a while, John Walker vanished into black smoke.
Where did he go?
He looked around but saw nothing around him. Suddenly, the tractor started to crackle with sparks and violently shake. The man had swiftly broken the tractor's engine and oil reserves, causing the monster to swivel in circles around the maze.
Did he just break the tractor with his scythe?!
Sakaido looked up ahead. He was going to crash into the person near the end goal post if he couldn't control the tractor in time. He could see the person near the end goal more clearly now, she looked like someone from middle school. He could see a vague resemblance of a sailor school uniform from a distance.
"I can't hit her with this monster tractor, I'll have to brake this thing swiftly and get out of the way before it explodes from the oil…"
He continued to maneuver the tractor towards a nearby grass wall. The engine started to burst into flames, making it dangerous to navigate. He would have to get off of the tractor and jump from the sidelines.
Boom.
He quickly held on to a nearby grass wall as he jumped off, seeing the tractor crash and burn on some of the walls. The explosion threw him off the grass wall and he landed on the ground. The girl shrieked from Sakaido lying on the ground, wounded from the blast.
"At least I made it to the end goal," Sakaido muttered, out of breath, "I need to see if the girl is alright…"
He slowly got up from the ground, trying not to injure himself even more. He looked up to see the girl mildly frightened by his entrance, but also curious. After shaking off the dust and debris from himself, Sakaido went towards the girl.
"I'm sorry that I took so long. I came here to save you from this dangerous place."
The main Kura staff watched the monitors, checking the girl's facial features. She resembled someone familiar.
"Muku Narihisago," Momoki said, still in shock, "What is she doing inside the well?"
She was dressed in a public middle school uniform, with a simple sailor design. The sailor uniform was black, with white stripes and a red ribbon tied around her front like a neckerchief.
"Her appearance looks younger than her current age," Togo muttered, comparing her appearance in the well to her real-life counterpart, "She is dressed like someone from middle school."
"That means that the Brander only has a younger image of her based off of somewhere," Wakashika said, "Probably from a photograph or a video recording."
"That's strange," Shiratake muttered, checking the monitors again, "But based on the semi-blurred out imagery of the school, it looks like a high school, not a middle school."
"I think we're getting somewhere," Momoki answered back, "Keep observing."
And the Kura staff went back to check up on what was going on inside the well, hoping that Sakaido would give them a better visual on the building in the background.
Sakaido approached the girl and felt a sense of calm and familiarity towards her. Even though he didn't remember anything about her, she was something that he felt that he needed to protect no matter what. He gently touched her shoulder and tried to reassure her.
"Are you okay? Everything will be fine. I'll protect you."
The girl nodded and held onto Sakaido's worn down coat. Sakaido smiled a bit and tried to keep her calm as he tried to figure out where he was. He was at the end goal, but the building that he had seen near her was nowhere to be found.
The end goal near the building was blocked by some kind of opaque glass panel, which made it seem blurry and hard to see.
So that is what is making the building nearby seem so blurry…
Sakaido touched the glass panel and tried to find an opening so that he could catch a better glimpse of the building nearby. The girl was following behind him, curious about what he was doing.
"Trying to see if there is a way to see the building nearby. It's being blocked by some sort of glass so I can't see it clearly…"
The girl then touched the glass as well.
"I can help you with that."
In an instant, the glass broke into pieces, sending some shards into the void in between the end goal and the building. A dark void emerged at the ends of the end goal, with the building in clear view.
It was a Japanese high school.
"Momoki-san, the building is in clear view now," Togo said, checking the monitors, "Based on our close ups, the school's name is Matsugaya Junior High School. Looks like Narihisago's daughter goes there. She's a first-year high school student."
"How far are Matsuoka-san and Hondomachi-san from the school?" Momoki asked, a bit worried, "They're at the crime scene location of the 6th murder, so I don't know how fast they can get there."
"We can call the school as well," Habutae suggested, "Giving them a heads up could work in our favor and give us a chance to ambush him."
"It is also likely that the Brander could have infiltrated the school already," Shiratake said, tilting his glasses, "Despite many warnings around the school districts, there seems to have been no suspicious reports about a strange man in the area."
"Based on the Brander's killing record, he kills on Wednesdays," Wakashika said, checking some information, "Today is October 17, 2018. It is a Wednesday. It's possible that he is making his move on the 7th target."
"Should we eject Sakaido, Momoki-san?" Togo asked, thinking that his mission was over, "Is there anything else that we're missing?"
"Let's keep watching," Momoki answered back, "John Walker hasn't done anything towards Sakaido and Muku-chan yet. Something feels off about that girl…"
Did she just do that? That's impressive.
Sakaido saw the glass slowly break apart in front of them, revealing a black void in between them and the building. There was no way to cross it, as they could fall into the void.
"Thank you for your help. How did you know how to do it?"
The girl then pointed towards something near her. Sakaido couldn't see it as he noticed small clumps of black smoke floating around them. It started to form around them, leaving them surrounded near the end goal.
This black smoke…is he back again?!
The smoke started to approach the girl, but Sakaido jumped to get her out of harm's way. John Walker appeared before them, now with his cloak back on and holding a scythe. He had tried to slash her from behind.
"I don't have anything on me. I need something to use as a makeshift weapon…"
Sakaido looked around him for anything to use. There was still the destroyed monster tractor nearby, with parts flown all over the place. Holding the girl's hand, he dragged her along so that she wouldn't be alone and have to face the strange man by herself.
"Was he the one that told you to do that?" Sakaido asked, a bit wary, "You were waving and calling for help before I came here."
The girl nodded. Then she held out one of her hands. It had a mark.
It was shaped like a V.
So, she also has a mark. But why is she separated from the others from the maze?
Sakaido then saw a car pipe on the ground. It seemed to have been singed from the tractor explosion, but it was still useful as a protective measure. He quickly went towards it and grabbed it. The metal had cooled down since the explosion, so he was able to hold it.
"This will have to do. Better than nothing…"
And he held onto the weapon, to protect the girl beside him.
"They found the Brander's next target?" Matsuoka asked, shaking his head, "Did the clues we got from the crime scene help?"
Hondomachi took some notes from the images that they had received from Momoki back at Kura. It showed a high school clearly in the distance after Sakaido had managed to reach the end goal of the maze. The girl shown next to him was Muku, Narihisago's daughter.
"The next location is Matsugaya Junior High School," she said, checking the map, "From where we are, we should be able to make it. We're not that far from that district."
"But we still need a plan about the Brander's possible movements," Matsuoka muttered back, "We can't let him know that the police knows his next location."
"So, what about his weapon?" Hondomachi asked, "Did they manage to figure out what kind of weapon that the Brander used to kill his victims?"
"It appears so. The guitar case was also found inside the id well, and it seemed to have contained some branding tools that contained the same marks as the victims. The being that came out of the case was carrying a scythe…"
"A scythe?" Hondomachi said, putting a hand to her chin, "It does seem possible with the size of the guitar case. It is possible that a large scythe was not used to kill, but a smaller one. The ones that were used in farming and agriculture."
"Good point. But first things first. We need a plan to find and ambush the Brander in the school before he harms anyone."
Sakaido looked around, making sure that John Walker wouldn't ambush them. The girl was beside him, unsure of what to do. He carried the pipe around to make sure they were protected as they walked towards the end goal again.
"Did the man say anything to you? Did he harm you in any way?"
But the girl just shook her head and just pointed at the end goal.
She didn't say anything.
He felt protective towards the girl and didn't want to cause her any harm. The black smoke kept popping in and out, trying to distract them. John Walker was lurking nearby.
"Where did he go?"
After a moment of silence, John Walker suddenly appeared and flung the pipe out of Sakaido's hands. The pipe fell into the black void near the end goal. He was defenseless again.
Not good. But I'll still protect this girl…
Sakaido stood in front of the girl, with his arms wide open. They were near the end goal post, so there was a potential risk of falling into the black void below them. John Walker came closer and closer, with his scythe at hand.
It looked like he was going to slice them apart.
Guess I'll have to make do with my fighting skills. But I'm injured…
He tried to position himself to be able to defend them from John Walker, but his body ached from his wounds. His bandaged shoulder limited his arm movement and the monster tractor explosion that he barely escaped from had left some burns on his body.
But just as he expected a fight, John Walker stopped moving and just stood there.
The girl suddenly cried out in pain. It was coming from her marked hand.
"Ah! It hurts! Stop this!"
Sakaido turned around to find the girl struggling from her pain on her hand. It looked like the same reaction that the other people on the other end of the maze had with their marks.
What's going on? Why did it just affect her now?
But then he felt something painful on his neck. The stinging sensation of needles and hot iron was burning into his skin, as if he had been marked. Now that his scarf was gone, he felt the pain more visibly now with the air affecting his neck. He tried to bare the pain, but soon felt like he was being burned to a crisp.
After a couple moments, Sakaido and the girl fell to the ground from the sheer pain. John Walker just stood there, waiting for a moment to use his scythe again. His blurred face glared into the two of them, both trapped near the end goal, with the black void separating them from the nearby school building.
Is this how I will die? I can't move. The pain is unbearable.
John Walker edged closer and closer towards them, with his scythe ready to slice their necks. Sakaido finally understood why the other people were trying to claw out the pain. He was feeling their pain now.
He had been marked after all.
….
…
..
.
"EJECT SAKAIDO NOW!"
Akihito came to from his cockpit chair, dazed from the Brander's well. Momoki had rushed in to check if he was alright. He was shaking him to make sure that he was still responsive. After a while, Akihito snapped out of it and stopped Momoki from shaking his shoulders some more.
"M-Momoki, I'm fine. I just barely made it out alive."
Momoki seemed concerned and worried for Akihito's wellbeing.
John Walker from inside the well had activated something on their mark to cause them pain and suffering. They had to eject Akihito from the id well as soon as possible before he fainted from its effects.
"Narihisago, you're touching your neck again. Is it still painful?"
Akihito found himself touching his neck, and quickly removed his hand. He looked around and tried to regain his composure. He closed his eyes in dismay, remembering that it felt the same as the one in his dream.
Muku was inside the well. This just confirms it. My dreams could be connected to the cases regarding my family after all…even the pain felt real…
"I'm fine, really. You don't need to repeat yourself so much."
Akihito then stood up and quickly walked out of the cockpit room.
"Narihisago, where are you going?"
Momoki tried to stop Akihito from leaving the Kura Building. Not much time had passed since the investigation had begun, so they still had time to plan on how to deal with the Brander's next target and location.
But Akihito wanted to have none of it.
He wanted to face the Brander himself.
"Are you seriously planning on going to the school yourself?" Momoki asked, stopping him along the hallway, "Just because you find his location and next target doesn't mean that you can find him. We need to plan so that Muku-chan will be safe and not give away our location."
"But what does that entail?" Akihito exclaimed, "My daughter is in danger! I need to go to the school immediately!"
"Narihisago!" Momoki answered back, putting his hands on Akihito's shoulders, "You can't do that right now. The Brander would be able to notice us easily and escape again. He might be disguised as one of the school staff members, so we can't just barge into a school environment like that. We could scare the students and teachers there."
Akihito didn't say anything from Momoki's remark. He felt impatient and frustrated with himself.
"There were no mentions of a suspicious man in weeks around the school districts, so it is likely that he is possibly one of the school staff or disguised as one. We need time to confirm anything, especially with the schools. Please be patient, Narihisago. I know that you're worried…"
Useless. Pointless. We have the information but are not allowed to act on it right away?!
"Narihisago-san, Momoki-san is right. It is best to think things over before making a move. We only just discovered the Brander's next location and target."
The two of them turned around to find the Chief following behind them. He had been silently lurking around the hallways that led them back to the lobby of the Kura Building. Akihito felt embarrassed and guilty from being discovered by the Chief, so he didn't say anything.
Momoki had been holding him back.
"Thank you for stopping him, Momoki-san. Maybe after lunch, we can discuss the Brander's preparations afterwards. There is no need to rush, Narihisago-san."
Then, the Chief led them back to the Wellside Room together.
After lunch, the Kura staff held a meeting on their plans based off of the information from the Brander's id well and the crime scene evidence from Matsuoka and Hondomachi.
Matsuoka's team had been preparing their team to blend into Matsugaya Junior High School, in order to not cause alarm from the students and teachers. There was a risk involved, but they had to make sure to not blow their cover.
Momoki's team had to figure out a reasonable strategy to outsmart the Brander based on the clues from the well and the evidence from the recent crime scene. Akihito was sulking a bit from the sidelines, with Wakashika trying to cheer him up.
"Narihisago-san, we've got your back," Wakashika whispered, "Don't get mad at him for that. Matsuoka-san and Hondomachi-san are going to save your daughter."
"Maybe you're right," Akihito said back, feeling a little down, "Let's come up with a plan quickly before it's too late…"
Momoki had set up everything for the meeting, with Matsuoka on the line for their preparations on their end. They had to find a way to contact the school without alarming the students and teachers and give away their position on the Brander.
"The guitar case seems to be a vital clue in finding who is a possible suspect among the school staff," Momoki said, showing everyone some screenshots, "It seems big enough to hold the branding tools and a scythe. But due to the use of only one mark per victim, it is likely that he would bring only one of them for his next target."
"But how are we going to be able to suspect anyone based off of those?" Togo muttered, "There needs to be a quicker method in finding him before he kills someone…"
"Narihisago, how heavy were those iron bars from the guitar case?" Momoki asked, "Do you think it's possible to carry them without looking suspicious?"
"They weren't that heavy," Akihito answered, putting his hand to his chin, "But the bottom of the metal rod felt heavier, so it could be hard to lift all at once. The symbols on the iron bars did look clean and precise despite looking worn down."
"If the killer is experienced in creating them in the first place, won't there be a certain physical evidence from doing all that metal work?" Wakashika said, "It requires a lot of strength to be able to do that kind of manual labor. There could be clues on someone trying to hide it."
"Interesting," Habutae muttered, "Since the latest victim was a schoolteacher, he could already have connections to the school districts, or have gotten help from someone related to them. It is likely that the Brander has accomplices."
"Don't we need the typical school schedule of the high school?" Shiratake said, "Narihisago-san, what time do classes end?"
Akihito shook his head and thought for a moment.
Muku said that she had club activities today. So, she might stay in school much longer than usual. There would be less students during that time. That would be a perfect opportunity for the Brander to show up…
"Normally, high school classes end by 15:30 (3:30pm). But it's already afternoon. So, we don't have much time left before the killer makes a move. Since Muku is having club activities today, she may still be in school after classes end."
"Club activities?" Wakashika asked, "Do you know of any clubs that Muku goes to?"
Club activities. Muku usually doesn't say what she does sometimes, but the few times that she did show me…
"I know that photography is one of them, but she might be doing something else," Akihito answered back, unsure of himself, "What does this have to do with catching the killer?"
"You already know the reason, Narihisago-san," Togo said, "She seems to be the next target inside the well. We're doing this for her safety as well."
"Sorry about all this, Narihisago," Momoki muttered back, trying to keep Akihito calm, "This is just an unfortunate situation right now. Nothing has happened yet, so we still have a chance."
Yet? Anything can happen to Muku at this point.
But before Akihito could say anything, Kokufu came by to give a message to Momoki. He had been intercepting messages from Matsuoka's team about a possible plan. He seemed to be in a hurry as he relayed the message to Momoki.
"That sounds risky, are you sure about that?" Momoki asked, "I understand that we don't have much time, but is the school notified about us?"
"The school got notified from the police already," Kokufu answered, checking his papers, "Looks like Matsuoka's team is going through a more roundabout way of finding the killer."
"And what sort of plan is it?" Momoki asked again, a bit more sternly.
The whole room suddenly went quiet, as Kokufu told Momoki and everyone else in the room what was going on from Matsuoka's side.
An hour before Matsuoka's team started their mission, Akihito sat alone in the corner of the lobby, frustrated with himself. Momoki had tried to calm him down from his panic over Muku's safety, so he tried to check up on him every half an hour.
"Narihisago, I know that you're worried," Momoki muttered, bringing him some coffee cans from the vending machine, "But you are Kura's only viable Pilot right now. It's just too risky for you to go like this."
Akihito sulked a bit before answering Momoki. He accepted a coffee can from his hands, opened it and took a sip.
"Momoki, you said one time about fate leading us to Kura," Akihito said, looking down on the floor, "But will fate also keep Muku safe? The last few cases that involved my family, I could rush to the scene as soon as I could. But why am I stopped here? Why now?"
Momoki took a sip from his own coffee can.
"Can't say much about that. It's Kura's protocol and we can't disrupt Matsuoka's team mission right now. We can only hope."
"Do you think the plan will work?" Akihito asked, "How will the school deal with this?"
"I'm not sure. Matsuoka-san said that they still need to be careful, so they would have to go undercover," Momoki muttered back, "You should get some rest, Narihisago. You're probably tired from the dive."
Akihito scratched his head in dismay. It felt strange not being able to do anything for once, but he still felt worried.
"Momoki, can I ask for one thing?"
"What is it?"
"Let me call Muku. At least she should know that she is in danger…"
Momoki didn't say anything to that remark for a while, but he nodded quietly. He then touched Akihito's shoulder.
"You can ask her about anyone suspicious inside the school as well. It could be vital in finding the Brander quickly."
Akihito closed his eyes and touched Momoki's arm that was holding onto his shoulder. He felt reassured despite his uneasy feelings about the case. Afterwards, he looked around Momoki to find no one beside them.
Where did everyone go?
"Momoki, where did everyone go?"
"They're preparing communications with Matsuoka's team and the police right now. It might take some time, but we will finish the preparations in time for the mission. Go call Muku-chan while you can, Narihisago…"
Akihito sighed. There was only an hour left before Muku's classes ended. He could still call her and hoped that it didn't disrupt her current class. It was probably homeroom by now.
I'll at least ask if she is okay. I'll ask her some questions after that…
So, he walked outside of the Kura Building and leaned on to the nearby wall. Then he took out his phone and called her. The connection went through and Muku's voice was heard in the background, trying to get into a quieter spot to take the call.
"Dad? Did something happen? Why are you calling me at school?"
Muku sounded oblivious and unconcerned compared to her Dad's wary distress call. Akihito tried to remain calm as he began to talk to her. He didn't want to scare her from the possibility of another serial killer either.
"Muku, are you feeling alright? You're not sick or anything?"
Muku sounded a bit annoyed by his question, but she answered it anyway.
"Dad, I'm fine. I already told you that I have club activities today, so I'll come home late again. Homeroom is almost over, so I'll need to grab my school supplies soon. Did anything happen?"
Akihito kept quiet for a moment before answering her question.
"M-Muku, has there been anything strange happening at your school? Like any unfamiliar person that has been around the school? Any rumors?"
Muku sounded muffled a bit from his remark. It might have sounded too sudden.
"Well, I don't know. But I have heard about a teacher that keeps checking all the clubrooms every time class ends. People said that he looked like he was searching for something. I have never seen him though. It could all just be a rumor."
So that means that the Brander could be disguised as a teacher…
"Was there anything else? It sounds important."
"Dad, why are you asking about this kind of stuff? Is there something up with my school?"
Wow. She got suspicious right away. Smart girl.
"I-It's nothing, Muku. I'm just worried about your safety. Did you hear anything about what the teacher looked like from the other students?"
"I don't know. They did mention that he carries a guitar case to the cooking classrooms sometimes. That's all I got. Dad, you don't sound like things are going well…"
Muku was right. Akihito tried his best to keep calm over the phone, but his heavy breathing distracted her. After noticing her remark, he quickly regained his composure and talked in a much calmer voice.
He couldn't scare her about the possibility of a serial killer at her school.
"Everything is going fine. I just called you because I was worried about you. Is Dad not allowed to ask from time to time?"
Muku snickered through the phone before answering his question.
"Fine, fine. Well, I'll be off to go to club activities soon. I'll get of—"
"Wait!"
Akihito reacted quickly to Muku trying to close the call. He needed to ask one more thing.
"Please, just stay in the club room. Don't go outside the room too much."
"…Okay. We'll mostly be staying in our club room anyway. Hopefully that rumored teacher won't reach us here."
He better not. She is his next target after all.
Then, Muku closed the call from her end. Akihito sighed and put his phone away. After a few moments of rest, he went back inside the Kura Building.
Muku's school rumor could be good intel on finding the Brander after all.
"Is everything ready, Matsuoka-san? No issues on your end?"
Momoki communicated through the Kura speakers inside the Wellside Room with the rest of the Kura staff. Akihito was talking with Wakashika about the possible routes that the Brander could take through the school buildings.
"Momoki-san said that he gave the intel to Matsuoka-san already," Wakashika muttered, gesturing to Akihito with Momoki on call not far from them, "That's really good information. The school won't talk about rumors like that because it can ruin their image. We had to convince them that their reputation won't be on the line for their cooperation."
"Do you think anyone could have helped the Brander blend into the school setting in the first place?" Akihito asked, thinking about the clues from the id well, "Most of the well had a very agricultural-like setting to it. Even the weapons and branding tools that were used in the crime scenes seemed to match the environment."
"Since your daughter won't tell you where her club room is, we can only speculate where she is," Habutae said back, "The Brander seems to have gone through the club rooms many times but has yet to spot her."
"…or maybe he can't tell who she is. Many high school girls tend to have similar hairstyles. It's possible that he only has her middle school image to go off of," Shiratake muttered, shaking his head, "Narihisago-san, has she changed her hairstyle recently?"
Akihito closed his eyes and thought for a moment. The Muku inside the well indeed looked younger and wore the wrong uniform from the school. She also had a ponytail to the side of her hair.
The Muku that he saw every day before school started didn't wear a side ponytail anymore. She had let her hair down a couple times during dinnertime. She felt different compared to her earlier years as an elementary and middle school student.
"So, she doesn't wear a side ponytail anymore, yet the killer could still be looking for someone in a similar fashion," Wakashika said, nodding his head, "It could be used as good bait for Matsuoka's team to lure the Brander out."
"Togo-san! We found something that could help them on their mission," Habutae called out from the side of the Wellside Room, "Let's use the killer's distorted view of the target to our advantage."
"Like what?" Togo asked, who was beside Momoki looking at them sternly, "Don't treat Narihisago-san's daughter like a guinea pig. That's rude."
"We don't mean that," Shiratake answered back, "We just need someone who looks similar to his daughter based on the image from the id well. It could be used as a trap to catch the Brander."
"Someone who looks similar to his daughter, huh?" Togo said, thinking to herself, "I think I got someone who can play that role perfectly…"
Meanwhile, near Matsugaya Junior High School, part of Matsuoka's team had disguised themselves as part of the school security to blend in. Matsuoka and Hondomachi were still planning on how to coordinate everyone towards their positions in order to ambush the Brander in case they found him.
The bell had rung for classes to end, so many students were slowly coming out of the school buildings and out of the front gates.
"A strange teacher who had only been seen by other students after classes end looking through the club rooms," Hondomachi muttered to herself as she went through some new information sent by Momoki, "There is even a brief mention of a guitar case as well. We might actually be able to find him this time."
"Seems like part of our team is ready to go," Matsuoka said, checking the school map, "The school really cooperated with us this time. We can't let this opportunity go to waste."
While they were preparing their own disguises, another connection came up, this time from Togo. She seemed to be requesting Hondomachi to be on call. There weren't many students left from the school apart from the ones at club activities.
"Matsuoka-san, I believe there is a way to lure the Brander out."
"How? Do we not need to monitor the club rooms for the potential killer?"
"No, not that. The other Kura staff members had convinced me about another method that can help you all on your current mission."
Matsuoka raised an eyebrow, a little confused. Togo sometimes came on call to give them advice and the usual lectures about protocol. But this time it was different.
"Please get Hondomachi-san on the line."
Matsuoka called Hondomachi to take the call, unsure of what he was expecting. Hondomachi quickly got on the line, waiting to hear from Togo with the Kura staff nearby.
"Hondomachi-san, we need you to be disguised as a high schooler…"
Hondomachi reacted disgusted by that idea, but she calmed herself after listening to Togo's added plans based on the Kura staff. It sounded viable and it would make use of their team disguise much more efficiently and wouldn't scare the other students that were still in school.
"Are you sure about this?" Hondomachi asked, putting on a side ponytail to her hair, "Using the killer's distorted view of his target against him sounds reasonable, but why pick me?"
"You apparently look the part," Matsuoka answered, double checking everything, "You are a similar height to Narihisago-san's daughter and seems like the killer has had trouble distinguishing her from the other students all this time."
"I don't know whether that's a compliment or an insult, but we're under a time limit," Hondomachi said, closing her eyes as she prepared herself to go into the school not far from them, "This better work. The rumors of a strange teacher checking the club rooms everyday sounds creepy already. No student would want that kind of person around."
And Hondomachi slowly went into the school, dressed in the school's high school uniform and with a side ponytail to the side of her hair.
The hallways were quiet, except for the chatter of students in their club rooms all across the school buildings. Matsuoka's team were all over the school buildings, hidden in corners and cooperating with part of the school security in order to hide their formation.
Hondomachi slowly walked over the school grounds, trying her best to blend in. She was carrying a small bag with some safety police equipment for her protection just in case.
"Let's hope I don't lose my cover before I investigate around here," Hondomachi said frantically, walking through the hallways, "There are students and teachers around here. Can't have someone suspecting me right now…"
She walked along the school building, with Matsuoka leading the way. There was a corridor of club rooms near the end of one of them. The place where most students tended to have their club meetings and activities.
A few students walked along the path, but they all seemed to ignore her.
"So far so good. Let's see if the teacher really comes around the corner…"
Hondomachi hid in one of the corners of the hallway, looking past her for anyone suspicious. Checking her connection with Matsuoka through a small mic around her ear, everything was all clear. Everything had been set up for an ambush, with the obvious exits blocked by security.
"Seems like all we have to do is wait," Matsuoka said through the connection, "Is everything all clear over there?"
"Everything all clear."
Hondomachi checked her clothes, looking for a place to hide a weapon in her disguise. The high school uniform felt a bit bulky on her. She wore a longer padded skirt and a simple sailor uniform that the school issued. She also wore longer and thicker socks so that she could hide a small knife inside it.
"Let me see if I can put a gun somewhere on myself," she said quietly, trying to find a spot, "Just in case the Brander would try to harm me with his weapon."
After a couple mismatches, she ended up putting the gun behind her back. It was underneath her uniform, so she would have to move carefully and not make a sound while she was moving around.
"This will have to do. I hope it doesn't make any noise."
But before Hondomachi could begin to move again to check her surroundings, she got another call from Matsuoka. Believing that they could have found him already, she quickly picked up the connection.
"What is it, Matsuoka-san? Did you pick up anything yet?"
"Nothing so far. However, I have a message from the main Kura staff to bring you. I believe it is from Narihisago-san."
Hondomachi paused for a moment to listen to the message. A recording was hosted quickly through her connection and Akihito's voice came through.
"Hondomachi-san, I leave Muku's safety to you. Please promise me that she will come out unscathed. I have to trust you for the mission this time, because I can't go to the scene like before…"
There was a pause before Akihito sighed through the connection. He sounded worried from the way he spoke to her.
"…Good luck."
Hondomachi closed her eyes and prayed. She couldn't let the mission fail for Narihisago's sake as well. His daughter's life was on the line again.
She had to remain calm and persist through the mission.
After Matsuoka cut off the recording, Hondomachi thanked him for the message. Afterwards, she began to move again from her hiding spot so that she could look like a wandering high school student near the club room corridors, which were full of storage rooms and unused classrooms for the club members to use for their activities.
There was still chatter going on inside them. Nothing suspicious so far.
"Guess I'll have to walk through them after all. This hallway is longer than I thought…"
And so, she slowly walked through the club room hallway, taking a smaller bag full of equipment with her while leaving the larger police bag hidden in a nearby empty corridor. She quickly checked the time.
It had been at least an hour since classes ended.
"Nothing so far. How long do we have wai—"
But before she could finish, a faint sound of footsteps were coming from the end of the hallway. It was coming closer towards the club room hallway that she was in.
Hondomachi quickly took up her mic closer to her ear, whispering that there was movement now. After telling Matsuoka her position, he asked for part of the team to go towards her location, but it would take some time. She would have to see if it really was the rumored teacher and not an actual teacher that had come in to check on the students.
"Are you sure he isn't from the school? You checked through all the school staff photos before going into the school right?"
Hondomachi tried to make herself sound reasonable.
"Yes, but I can't see him clearly yet, so I'll keep walking or else I'll look suspicious."
She slowly walked forward, being careful to not make any noise with a hidden gun in her back. The man seemed to be carrying some small bag and was wearing gloves. His face looked obscured by his hair and he was wearing a face mask. His movements were erratic and silent, with only a few loud footsteps here and there. It made him sound and move like a ghost.
"I can see why the students thought he was a ghost; he even moves like one…"
It took awhile for the man to notice her, but when he did, his eyes became wide with curiosity and hope. It looked like he had just reached the jackpot after so many weeks of searching. His eyes gleaned turned towards Hondomachi's side ponytail.
"D-Do you happen to be Narihisago-chan?"
Did this disguise actually work? So, the Brander was confused by the hairstyle?
Hondomachi tried her best to remain calm and act her part. She didn't want to give away her cover so quickly. She had to make sure that he was the right man, just in case. Smiling nervously, she tried to act like a student.
"What if I am?" she muttered at the man, "Why are you here after class, Sensei?"
The man cleared his throat and tried to reassure himself.
"You don't recognize me? My name is Orochi Sasaki. I just check up on the students now and then on their activities inside the club rooms here. Just call me Sasaki-sensei."
Hondomachi eyed the equipment that he was holding. The bag he was carrying looked strangely long compared to how thin and tight the object inside was. It looked like he was hiding a weapon inside his bag. It was hard to see from the other possible items that he could have hidden within the bag.
Then she noticed that he was hiding his gloved hands behind his back, which made him look slightly hunched. There seemed to be small black specks of something on his gloves.
"Sasaki-sensei, why do you cover your hands so tightly around your back? Won't it make it harder to walk?"
Sasaki smiled through his face mask, trying to look sickly.
"Narihisago-chan, there are reasons that you don't need to know. It's to keep my equipment intact and store them properly. A little hassle goes a long way."
Hondomachi looked at his face mask. It looked like he was trying to cover his face by looking sickly so that no one could go near him. The clothes he was wearing also covered his shoulders, so she wasn't able to see anything underneath it.
Apart from his strange clothing choices, this man didn't look too far from just a sickly teacher just carrying some equipment to a different location inside the school.
"Say, what are you carrying around in your small bag?" Sasaki asked back, "It won't be nice to just ask what a teacher is carrying around, right?"
He tried to get closer to Hondomachi, trying to grab the small bag from her clutches.
"You don't need to know what's inside," she answered back, "A teacher shouldn't get too close to a student like that."
She held onto her small bag tightly, trying not to reveal its contents in front of him. It would blow her cover as a student in the school. Unfortunately, she didn't pay attention to the gun hidden on her back. It started to make a clanky sound as she moved.
Clank.
"What's that noise? It sounds like you're hiding something."
Hondomachi tried to retain her composure, not wanting to get caught by the man so quickly. Holding her small bag tightly, she looked around for any openings in the hallway. But there didn't seem to be any nearby.
"I-It's nothing."
But the clanking from her stepping back slowly slid the gun downward, causing it to crash on the floor. The gun fell out of Hondomachi's back from her sudden movement away from the man trying to snatch her bag.
Clank.
"What is that gun doing on the floor?"
Uh oh. Not good.
Hondomachi paused and remained silent, not sure of what to say.
"Aren't students forbidden to carry weapons in school?"
Did I just blow my cover in front of him?!
Hondomachi looked back towards Sasaki's face, which looked more of a mix of confusion and curiosity towards her. He started to get closer to her, trying to grab her bag and the gun on the floor.
She had to react fast, defend herself and arrest him before there was any commotion from the students nearby.
A silence followed as Hondomachi checked to make sure no students were around while she dealt with Sasaki, a strange teacher who had been rumored to check the club rooms every day. His reaction towards her hair caused her to suspect him as being the Brander.
Moving fast, she grabbed the gun off the floor and pointed it at him.
"Are you Tsubaki Hara's killer?"
Sasaki shook his head, trying to look confused. His eyes, however, spoke the truth. His eyes darted back and forth, as if trying to think of an explanation. He put his hands up from Hondomachi's gun, revealing more black specks on his gloves.
"W-What are you talking about? I-I don't know who she is."
Hondomachi saw bits of arm muscle from his clothes. The long thin bag that he was carrying still made it difficult to distinguish any kind of weapon. But based on the id well, footage, and the crime scene that she had seen, it could be a scythe.
Then, her mic came on. Matsuoka was trying to contact her about what was going on.
"Hondomachi-san, what is going on over there? Should I send in support now?"
"Not now! I'm bus—"
Hondomachi felt a punch to her face as her mic fell off and she fell to the floor. Her gun flew out of her hands, followed by Sasaki who quickly took it and ran off from the club room hallway. He had been fooled by her disguise, but then found out that she was a possible cop from the gun falling out of her back.
With one hand, she grabbed the dented mic on the floor and put it closer to her ear.
"Suspect is trying to run outside! Block all the exits and ambush him! He has a gun, so be careful of gunshots. He is located inside the club room hallway inside the school."
She quickly took out a smoke bomb from her bag and threw it at Sasaki. It ignited and caused part of the hallway to be full of smoke. The students that were inside their club rooms saw bits of white smokey air coming from their doors, so they checked to see what was going on.
A few students shrieked at the commotion in the hallway.
Hondomachi got up from the floor and grabbed her small bag. She rushed towards the confused Sasaki inside the smoke screen to ambush him and get the gun out of his hand. The man then tried to get her off his back by pulling the side ponytail, causing Hondomachi to hold her hair in pain.
"Sneaky cop. How about I shoot you with the gun you dropped?"
Sasaki pointed the gun near Hondomachi's forehead.
Gunshots were fired.
Hearing the commotion from the smoke bomb and gunshots outside of the school gates, Matsuoka called for support to get to the scene as soon as possible before more students came to see what was going on. He didn't expect things to go too well, as Hondomachi sometimes got herself into reckless situations, so he wasn't too surprised.
"Get to the club room hallway! Hondomachi-san sounds like she's been shot!"
The rest of Matsuoka's team rushed to the scene, with a few disguised officers pointing their gun at Sasaki through the smoke screen. They approached the scene and were shocked to find Hondomachi restraining him. She was holding onto his wrists and his shoulders, while his gloves had been partially removed. A small knife was by her side, slightly tainted with blood. Her hair had become a bit shabby from the hair pull.
"I've gotten him, Matsuoka-san. The suspect has been captured."
One of the officers came closer towards Hondomachi and helped handcuff him. He asked how she managed to get herself out of being wounded by the gunshot. She scratched her head and tried to explain.
She had narrowly avoided the gunshot near her head, but still remembered the knife she hid underneath her skirt. Tripping Sasaki with her legs, she tried to restrain him and take the gun. Taking out her knife from her socks, she sliced at his hands, causing him to drop the weapon.
"I'm not as weak as you think, Sasaki-san!"
He tried to punch her again, but this time Hondomachi managed to dodge them. Her knife sliced a bit of the glove off, revealing more black specks on his hands. In one fell swoop, she jumped him and restrained him once again, this time using her mic to call for support from Matsuoka.
After the smoke had cleared, Sasaki was arrested for assaulting a cop, possessing weapons inside his bag and for endangering the school. The guitar case was found hidden inside one of the school's kitchen classrooms. Kura connected the clues from the Brander's id well and the crime scenes to pinpoint him to being the serial killer.
"His real name is Joji Narita. He had been killing his victims using a scythe and branded them using a branding tool that he brought with him. It would explain the iron residue surrounding all the corpses and using their kitchens to create enough heat to brand the skin. It seems like the id well is related to his family's past that involved agriculture. He has calluses on his hands and has his own blacksmith workshop at his home, which were used to make the branding tools. I'm still unsure why he would go through all the trouble to mark each victim differently."
Kokufu finished his report, and Momoki accepted it to be sent to the Chief. Akihito had calmed down since the Brander had been caught, so Muku was safe again. He had treated Hondomachi with much more respect since then.
But there were still some clues that didn't make much sense from the Brander case.
How was it related to John Walker? There wasn't much to go by other than Muku being targeted, the strange being inside the id well and the number seven.
"There must be something else that we're missing," Momoki said, "We still don't understand why the victims were all marked that way. After some investigation, all of the symbols resemble Arabic numerals. All the people inside the well had numbers one to seven over their bodies, while Kaeru had zero and Sakaido had eight."
"Didn't you get all that from the Brander's interrogation?" Wakashika muttered, munching on a chocolate bar, "The case seems closed to me. He is inside Kura Prison now, waiting for his conviction."
There must be something else I'm forgetting. This Brander case ended up being a mess. I believe it is probably related to the Chief and his story…
Momoki cleared his throat and approached Wakashika, who was leaning on the wall on the side of the Wellside Room. He reacted surprised and shocked, quickly hiding his candy bar.
"A-Are you going to scold me for eating here?! I'm sorry! I-I didn't notice you were there for a second…"
"Well…I…it's not that. There's something important I need to ask you. Can you get everyone here?"
Wakashika breathed a sigh of relief before putting his hand to his chin. Momoki still needed to know the meaning of the Chief's story about the Man of Many Faces, and why everyone was allowed their own ending to the story.
After thinking for a moment, Wakashika gave Momoki his answer.
"Well, I can get Habutae-san and Shiratake-san to come. Although Togo-san and Kokufu-san are still waiting for the Chief's response from the report. Are you okay with that?"
"What about Narihisago? Where did he go?"
"The Chief mentioned something about having a private meeting with him. Sorry about not telling you earlier. Narihisago-san didn't want you to worry about him."
Momoki seemed shocked at the news.
What is the Chief doing with Narihisago?!
"Momoki-san?"
Momoki snapped out of it and looked back at Wakashika, trying to get his attention. After taking a breather, he told him to get the others. There was no time to complain about the situation right now.
After shaking his head, Momoki decided to just allow Wakashika to get the other Kura staff members as he could. He needed to find a pattern to this story anyway.
"Get the others, Wakashika-san. Please, tell me your endings to the Chief's story…"
Not too long after the Brander's case was closed, the Chief called Akihito out from his conversations with Hondomachi. He was thanking her for capturing the Brander and saving Muku's life from being a potential seventh victim. He had wanted to ask her if she wanted to be Muku's bodyguard but didn't know how to convince her.
He still needed to ask the Chief about whether or not Momoki talked about him during their private meeting a few weeks ago. However, it seemed like the Chief called on him instead.
"What is it, Chief Hayaseura?" Akihito asked, scratching his head, "Did I do something wrong again?"
His reaction to Muku being inside the Brander's id well might have caused the Chief to be more uptight with him, due to wanting to leave the Kura Building if it weren't for Momoki quickly checking up on him and stopping him.
Wait, what if he found out that he talked the Face Lifter into suicide?
Instead, the Chief led him into his office on the 6th floor. He had gotten it cleaned up and refurbished with some sweets on the table, along with a teapot filled with brewed tea on the side. The room looked a bit dim, except for some specks of sunlight coming from the windows.
"Sit down, Narihisago-san. I'm sure you must be tired from worrying about your daughter all this time. You should rest."
"T-Thank you, Chief Hayaseura."
There were two couches back to back near the table, so he sat down on one of them. The Chief then sat down on the opposite end. He tried to offer Akihito some treats from the table, but he refused. So, he decided to pour the two of them some tea instead.
"So, tell me. What did you want to ask from me?"
Akihito looked back at the Chief, confused and shocked.
"What do you mean?"
The Chief stroked his beard as he chuckled at Akihito's remark. He acted more carefree towards him compared to how indifferent he was to the others. Akihito was surprised at the Chief's question, but he quickly regained his composure.
He took some sips from the brewed tea that the Chief had poured for him.
Okay. Now is not the time to get shackled by the Chief's words. I've got to ask him what was said during Momoki's meeting with him a few weeks ago. Momoki won't tell me anything.
"Narihisago-san, do you want to know the true meaning of my story?"
Akihito closed his eyes and thought for a moment.
"Are you talking about the Man of Many Faces?" Akihito answered back, "I've always wondered why you always make us come up with our own endings to the story. Does it mean anything?"
The Chief opened up some rice crackers from their packaging and took a bite. This time, he offered it to Akihito again, who accepted it. After they silently ate for a while, the Chief spoke again.
"Yes, I believe that it does mean something. It shows everyone's inner workings, their desires. How they use the man indicates how they will try to solve his problems. It may reflect on their own behavior and motives as well."
Does that mean that my ending to the story reflects on me…?
Akihito reflected on the ending that he had told to the Face Lifter prior to his death. He had convinced the man that he had to take his own life in order to not do this sickening job again. Since there were at least three masks that the man inside the story had to wear, one for home, work, and the police force.
"Wait, why would the man have one for work and the police force? What does he do for a living? Why does he need two masks?"
The Chief chuckled at Akihito's question. He praised him for his keen eye to detail on the story.
"Work can mean different things to people. It can be a relationship between co-workers, or the hierarchical system between the boss and its employees. It is up to you on how you define work. The police do ask him for advice a lot it seems."
Akihito sipped more of his tea while reflecting on the Chief's words. He silently ate some more rice crackers as he stared at the floor beneath him.
Wonder if I should ask about what happened at Momoki's meeting. But it sounds rude to ask about something so private though…
"Narihisago-san, are you curious about the meeting I had with Momoki-san?"
Akihito looked back at the Chief in shock.
How did he know?
"My, my. You don't need to act so surprised. Your interactions with Momoki-san seems rather cold lately. Did he not tell you anything?"
Akihito shook his head in dismay.
"I'm not really sure. All I know is that Momoki hasn't talked to me much these past few weeks ever since his meeting with you. So, I was wondering if I was in trouble or caused anything. He did say that he would try to talk to you about me before he went to the meeting."
The Chief chuckled and laughed. It still shocked Akihito to see him act carefree around him. He didn't know how to respond to that.
"Momoki-san is such a caring friend towards you. We didn't say much in our meeting that night, just telling him the same story that I have told you all. Although he suspects me of illegitimate activities, he just seems to care about your wellbeing in the end. He has no proof or evidence to use against me after all."
But Akihito still sulked despite the Chief's answer. The Chief then patted him on the shoulder again and tried to cheer him up.
"Narihisago-san, are you worried about your family's safety?"
Akihito sighed. The very fear that he had had come true. Muku was being targeted again, despite being in a different city. John Walker also showed up inside an id well again, prompting him to believe that they could be connected.
He also had the dream again.
His family was also shown dead by some gruesome method.
But the ghost girl had become…Kaeru.
"I am worried for their safety. Thank you for your consideration, Chief Hayaseura. However, I also wanted to ask something else as well."
The Chief sat back down and raised his head, curious about Akihito's remarks.
"I-I keep having these dreams about Kaeru-chan even outside the wells. They seem to involve her getting slaughtered by other kinds of killers, and the mysterious cane man, John Walker. They all seem to occur whenever there's a case involving my family for some reason…"
The Chief didn't laugh or chuckle this time but remained silent after Akihito talked about his strange dreams. He reacted more seriously to his complaints about the nightmares that he had been having, and how Momoki had pestered him too much about them.
Afterwards, the Chief gave Akihito some advice.
"Narihisago-san, you may want to be careful revealing too much information to Momoki-san after all. See how he treated you with those dreams? You can tell them to me instead, and I'll help you bring you back to your senses…"
Akihito nodded quietly but was still sulking. He hadn't been able to do anything to capture the Brander himself but had to rely on Matsuoka's team the whole time.
Who knows what could have happened?
"Is there anything that I can do to protect my family? I can't just be in the cockpit room all day and not be allowed to help in on the missions. Is there another way for me?"
The Chief smiled right as Akihito finished his sentence. He seemed to have something in mind.
"Actually, I do have something for you, Narihisago-san. Don't you want some payback to those nasty serial killers who keep targeting your precious daughter? You can always interrogate them inside Kura Prison as much as you like."
Payback, huh. The things they have done to Muku. They don't deserve to live…
A few days later, Akihito walked into Kura Prison after the workday was over. He quickly found the Brander inside one of the jail cells, still waiting for his conviction. But this time, he seemed clueless on who he was, due to only having a showdown with Hondomachi during his capture.
"Who are you? What do you want from me?!"
Akihito chuckled a bit before responding to his question.
"Me? I am the father of the high schooler you tried to target, Narita-san. Who was the one that ordered you to target Muku?"
The Brander freaked out a little from the mention of a higher up. Akihito felt like he had gotten a hint on a possible connection to John Walker.
"I can't say it! I'll get killed here!" he exclaimed, panicking inside his cell, "How did you figure out that I was under someone's orders?!"
"It wasn't that hard," Akihito replied back, sternly looking at him, "Your past victims all seemed random apart from the first and sixth one, which were related to you. They were all adults. Suddenly targeting a child sounds a bit far-fetched. It does sound like a break from your usual pattern…"
The Brander didn't say anything for a moment, scared out of his wits.
"Don't want to talk? You're going to die here anyway. There is no hope and future for you after all that you've done…"
Akihito's eyes glared at him, full of hate and vengeance.
He wasn't going to let this killer get away with it either.
Who is John Walker? Why is he connected to another serial killer again?
The next day, the Brander was found dead inside his jail cell inside Kura Prison, just like the Face Lifter beforehand. He also took his own life.
A pattern was beginning to form.