Here's chapter 7. And to Devlin Dracul, don't worry :) The T rating will remain. Anyways, I hope you enjoy~
Disclaimer: Beelzebub belongs to Ryuuhei Tamura, not me.
Chapter 7- Three More Victims
As soon as the words leave my mouth, the room becomes silent and… colder.
"You're right," Hilda agrees. "The resemblance between them is too uncanny to be a coincidence. It appears that she has some demon blood in her as well."
"However, whether she is a high-class demon, a lower-class demon, or a Konketsuji, is unknown," Quetzalcoatl adds. "It's possible that she's either one of them, but in order to find out, it'll be a lot of investigation in the Demon World."
"What do you mean?" Furuichi asks.
"You see, if a demon dies while in the Human World, it's a complicated process," Quetzalcoatl explains. "The demon's corpse has to be brought back to the Demon World for investigation and a proper burial, but it all depends on whether they're high or low-class. Lower-class demons and Konketsuji are typically ignored. In the cases where they're not ignored, it's still a very lengthy search into their family history, their kind of power, the circumstances they were in up to their death, and it goes on."
"That so?" Izuma asks. "Well, let's take these with us for now. I have a feeling that this'll be pretty useful in the future."
"So, what are we going to do?" Shizuka asks.
"We should go home," Izuma says. "If anyone finds out anything more, please let us know."
Despite my suspicions finally being confirmed, I suddenly recall something that Dad told me about Shibuya Airi. She was being stalked by an unknown person at the time of her death. Not to mention, the officer in charge of her case, Kamiya Yuu, had been killed in what looked like a hit-and-run. While it may have just been a coincidence, something seems rather suspicious about his death. It seems like he was killed to be shut up, so information about Airi's killer wouldn't come out.
In addition to worrying about my own stalker, I'm fearing for Dad's safety. Because he's chosen to reopen this case, there's a chance that he might just become another victim of a hit-and-run. I don't want Dad to endanger himself because he's trying to bring Airi's murderer to justice. I don't want any more people to get hurt because of this case.
"Oh, before you all leave, has there been anything new from those stalkers, Yumi, Nanami-san?" Hilda asks us.
Shizuka looks down. "Yeah, actually," she says. Opening up her schoolbag, she pulls out a Ziploc bag with a few items in it. "I received this in the mail yesterday, and Tora also found something that was meant for me."
Inside the bag are a tissue paper with a mild discolouration, a photo of her with her face scribbled out, and a blank disc. "The tissue is actually his own… semen," she says, sounding extremely distressed. "But the disc is probably the most creepiest."
"Why?"
Fear crosses her face. "He sent me child porn…" she whispers. "The fact that I have three younger siblings makes this extremely scary and worrying. My parents were horrified when they saw this."
"Shizuka," I say, getting her attention. "This is some pretty messed-up shit. Why don't you and Toujou come and talk to my dad? He takes this sort of stuff very seriously, and you should show him those things. He might be-"
At that moment, I hear my phone ringing in my bag. When I take it out to glance at the screen, I see a number that I've never seen before. "Eh?" I take the call. "Hello?"
No one answers. Instead, I hear what sounds like an ambient piece with the strange, eerie droning noises and uncanny groans. It's truly disturbing. Staring at my phone in complete astonishment, I end the call. I know something's not right with this. No doubt, my stalker has done this.
"What's wrong?" Hecadoth asks me. "You look rather pale."
"I… I just got a call from him," I whisper. "And there was just this disturbing ambient music playing over the phone."
Hecadoth looks at me in concern, pulling me close to him. I don't do much, since I'm just too horrified to even say anything else.
"L-Let's go home…" I trail off. "Shizuka, you should come with me and report this to my dad."
Shizuka nods. "Tora should be here any moment now."
Eventually, Toujou does show up, and we all part ways to go home. Shizuka and Toujou decide to stop by at my house to talk with my dad about the strange items. As I walk, I think about how I should change my phone number to avoid calls like this in the future, and even my email address, just in case. Also, I need to brush up a bit on fighting, so I can defend myself if need be.
When we reach home, we all go up to Dad, who is working on a report. "Dad, one of my classmates has to talk to you," I tell him.
He looks up at Shizuka. "Of course. Please sit down."
Both Shizuka and Toujou sit down. "Alright, may I have your name?" Dad asks her, pulling out a notepad and pen.
"Nanami Shizuka," she says.
Dad nods. "Tell me, Nanami-san, what's going on?" he asks. "Are you here to press charges against someone?"
"Well…" Shizuka looks down. "An unknown person is stalking me. Earlier on, I received a rather threatening letter, and just recently, I received this." She hands the Ziploc bag to him.
Dad takes a look at it. "Very well then," he says. "Can you describe what's been happening? Have you been noticing anything strange?"
"Yes," Shizuka says. "This person is threatening to kill me and my family, and that disc in the bag is child porn that he sent me. In fact, I found out that my house had been vandalized a while back. But I don't know who is doing this."
Dad purses his lips. "You know, my daughter's also being stalked," he tells her. "I understand your fear. I'll keep this in mind, and I will do my best to try and put an end to this. However, because his identity is very much unknown, I can only suggest that you get some self-defense weapons, try and change something in your routine. Also," he glances at Toujou, "it seems like you've told someone about this, so that's good. Make sure you contact the police if you receive any more threatening messages, and protect your personal information. There are several help resources available, so make sure you contact them as well."
Shizuka nods. "Thank you, Tanaka-san." She then turns to Toujou. "Let's go home, Tora."
"Sure," Toujou agrees. "I swear, if that bastard dares hurt you, I'll beat him up so badly, he'll be in the hospital for the rest of his life."
Once they leave, I decide to tell Dad about the call I received. "Dad, I just received a call from an unknown number today," I tell him.
Dad looks at me in worry. "Who was it?"
I shake my head. "I don't know…" I confess. "All it was over the other end was some disturbing music. I… I think it might be the stalker."
"Well then…" Dad trails off, rubbing his forehead. "You need to change your phone number as soon as possible, Yumi. I'll help you after dinner."
Once dinner is over and my phone number has been changed, I go upstairs to lie down for a bit. As I lie down on my bed, Hecadoth sits beside me, stroking my hair. "How are you feeling, Yumi?" he asks.
I sigh. "Stressed and anxious," I tell him. "I don't know which one is more stressful right now: trying to figure out who murdered Shibuya Airi, or who the hell is stalking Shizuka and I."
"Both are equally stressful," Hecadoth says. "To be honest though, you're handling it rather well, Yumi. I'm serious."
I smile wryly. "I may look like it, but inside, I'm a mess," I admit. "I'm trying to figure out why this is happening, and how I can protect myself."
"Don't fret too much," he reassures me. "You're a capable young woman, Yumi. You know how to fight, and besides, I'm also here."
I close my eyes, smiling lightly. "Thanks."
The next day during lunch, I see Izuma and Shizuka coming up to my desk as I'm putting things away. "Ah, Tanaka," Izuma greets. "Principal Isurugi wants to talk with us right now. You, Shizuka-san, and me."
"Eh?" I wonder as we make our way to his office. "Why does he want to meet with us?"
"Don't know," Shizuka says.
When we arrive at Principal Isurugi's office, we are welcomed in. As we bow, we make sure to be standing properly. "You wished to speak with us, Principal?" I ask.
He nods. "Yes." Folding his hands on the desk, he looks at us. "I understand that the three of you have started a little… investigation into the death of a student?"
My eyes widen slightly. How… does he know?
"May we ask how you know?" Shizuka asks.
"Well you see, I'm fully aware that the Demon of the Third Floor is real," he says. "A while ago, I actually tried to exorcise her from the school, but it failed."
"How come?" Izuma asks.
"Well, a ghost with a demonic presence is quite difficult to exorcise, but a vengeful ghost with a demonic presence is almost impossible to get rid of," he explains.
Izuma looks down. "Yes, we are trying to find out the cause of her death," he admits. "And we are all determined to make sure that justice is served, so that she can rest in peace."
Principal Isurugi smiles slightly. "Well, I'm not going to stop you, seeing as how determined you are," he tells us. "However, I just wanted to give you something to help you in your investigation."
I raise an eyebrow. "Sir?"
Opening up a desk drawer, he hands us a few newspapers. "Look at the front pages."
These newspapers are from different months in the year following the death of Shibuya Airi. And the most eerie thing about them? In the months following her death, three people who apparently knew her had been murdered by an unknown person, and their deaths were made to look like suicides.
Izuma gives a slight bow to Principal Isurugi. "Thank you," he thanks.
When we leave, we look at each other in uncertainty. "Let's go through these names," I say, holding up one of the newspapers. "This one is from December 2003. Nojima Kumi, Shibuya Airi's landlady, was found hanging in her home. Despite initially being ruled as a suicide, the police eventually discovered that it was murder, but her body was stolen from the morgue."
"This one is from March 2004," Shizuka says as she looks at the next one. "Saionji Tadashi, a neighbour of Shibuya Airi, was found dead and floating in the river, and it looked like he had thrown himself off the bridge. Also, his body was stolen straight from the crime scene."
"What about the last person?" I ask.
"That would be in September of 2004," Izuma says. "And it is a woman named Fukuda Kaori, who was the manager of a small convenience store. Shibuya Airi was employed there at the time of her death. However, Fukuda Kaori was found in the store backroom, her wrists slit with a box-cutter. By the time the police came, she had died of blood loss. Once again, her body was stolen from the morgue."
Shizuka looks puzzled. "Why were they arranged to look like suicides?" she wonders. "And why eight to nine years after Shibuya Airi's death?"
My mind wanders back to what I heard about the original urban legend. Anyone who sees the Demon of the Third Floor would be driven mad until they commit suicide. That's when I wonder, did any of those three victims come across Shibuya Airi's ghost? But even then, why would she try to kill them? Unless…
When we arrive at the third floor, we suddenly stop in shock. Right before us, painted on the walls in dark-coloured blood, is the river kanji. "What the-?" I trail off.
"Whoa…" Izuma mumbles. Standing before us is Shibuya Airi, giving us a dead-eyed stare.
"'River'?" Shizuka repeats in surprise.
"Wait… you want us to look in the- wait, hold on!" I call out as she just walks away into the hallway before disappearing into the darkness.
"There must be something in the river that she wants us to look for," I guess.
"Well then, let's go."
We make our way out to the river, all of us curious as to why she wants us to look there. Again, there's something strange about this, and deep within my gut, I feel a premonition of something eerie.
It doesn't take too long to get to the river from St. Ishiyama. By the time we get there, the sun is already halfway down the sky, and an eerie blood-red glow is shining on the river. Almost immediately, Shizuka notices something. "Over there," she says, pointing to the left of the river bank.
Following her line of vision, at the very bottom of the river bank, we see three rusty steel barrels. "What the…" I trail off. "Where did those barrels come from?"
"Looks like they were salvaged from the river," Izuma says as we make our way over to them. "Let's see what's inside."
The lids have been rusted tight from all the time in the water, so it'll be hard to open. Izuma takes one glance at it before his arm is surrounded by demonic energy. Striking the barrel, he slices the top cleanly off before knocking it over, causing concrete to pour out onto the ground. However, something else collapses out onto the ground as well. Upon seeing what it is, we all take a step back in shock.
"Oh… oh my gosh..." Shizuka gasps, her hand flying to her mouth.
I glance at the other two barrels in worry. As if sensing this, Izuma slices the tops of the other two barrels, knocking them over. To our horror, there are two more in those barrels. And like the first one, they just collapse out. All of them are perfectly preserved.
"Fuck…" I choke out, taking my phone out.
Izuma is stunned speechless. "What the hell is this?!" he demands, alarmed.
Lying in the pools of concrete, are three perfectly preserved corpses. Two women, and one man.