Disclaimer::::
I do not own Harry Potter or Majin Tantei Nougami Neuro characters. Only my OC Character (s).
I don't make any profit from any of my stories on this website.
Rated M for future sexual content and language
"Characters Speaking"
Characters Thinking
/Author Comments/
~~~Chapter Twenty-Three~~~
~~~Previous~~~
The room is covered in blood, and Seiren's body has spikes inserted into her arms and legs. Yako lets out a horrified gasp and covers her mouth. Mio makes sounds at the back of her throat and falls to her knees, hands still over her mouth. "Mio-san!" Yako cries out.
I move from my seat, kneel next to Mio, and place a hand on her shoulder while I rub her back with the other.
"I guess they're trying to seal the witch. Since long ago, this stone room was rumoured to have the power to seal magic." Kamata comments.
"To seal magic..." Yako repeated before gazing at Neuro. Neuro senses her gaze and looks back out the corner of his eye. Yako lets out a soft gasp before looking back at Kamata. "Professor Kamata, I want to know more about that Japanese architect who came here 20 years ago."
He shrugs his shoulders. "I'm sorry, but that was all I know about this. If you want to know more about it, you can go find the village head of Sharato village."
"Sharato village..." Yako trails off.
We leave his house. Godai and Mio are the first to get into the car. I'm walking next to Neuro while Yako walks behind us with her head lowered and eyes on the ground.
"What are you thinking in that below-frog-levelled brain of yours?" Neuro queries.
Yako stops walking, causing Neuro and me to stop. "I think that the Japanese architect that came here 20 years ago was our Otou-san. Our Okaa-san came here in search of the mystery of the death of our Otou-san. And she got involved in an incident while trying to get the photos of the witch."
"And then?" Neuro queries.
"I'm going to Sharato village. I think that there might be some clues which will link everything together." Yako says, confidence shining in her eyes.
"If you want to, go by yourself." Neuro orders.
"Eh?" Yako exclaims surprised.
"I'm going to take a look at that coffee shop where your mother committed murder." Neuro states before walking forward, taking me with him.
"She didn't do it!" Yako denies. "Hey, Neuro...Is it true that the remains have the powers to seal magic?"
"Who knows..." I see a smile on Yako's face before Neuro appears in front of her and pushes her face onto the ground with a thud. "I think I should tell you this beforehand. I'm afraid that these remains aren't built just to seal magic." Neuro leans close to her face. "Those humans from Ancient times might have built it to connect this world and that world together."
"To connect this world and that world together..." I trail off.
Neuro and I walk to the car as Yako is still on the ground. Godai pokes his head out of his car door. "Hey, what are you doing? Let's hurry up and go back!"
"Hey, trainee...Sensei wants you to accompany her to the Sharato village." Neuro orders.
"Eh? Why should I..." Godai trails off in disbelief.
Mio opens her window. "Let me go, too! I want to find out the identity of the witch."
"Mio-san..." Yako says, surprised.
Neuro doesn't say anything and walks past the car, his arm again around my waist.
"Oh well, there's no other choice, huh?" Godai states as he shuts the car door.
I let out a soft chuckle. "I'll go too."
~~~To Be Continued~~~
~~~Present~~~
~~~3rd POV~~~
The car goes toward the village while Neuro walks in the other direction. Of course, it didn't take long to get back to the coffee shop where the murder took place.
Inside the café are, Sasazuka and Ishigaki standing on the other side of the room. Sasazuka is wearing his usual outfit, while Ishigaki is wearing a light blue shirt, green shirt, white knee socks, and brown boots.
Ishigaki is the first to notice Neuro. "Oh, Senpai, it's him."
Neuro walks towards them. "Hello there, detective-san, what a coincidence."
"What coincidence?" Ishigaki demands. "We've always been looking for clues concerning the detectives and Ane's Okaa-san's case."
"Where's Yako-chan and Yuuki-chan?" Sasazuka questions.
"Sensei and Yuuki have a very important investigation and are at Sharato village right now," Neuro replies.
"Sharato village?" Sasazuka repeats.
~~~Yuuki's POV~~~
Yako sits in the front of the car next to Godai while Mio and I sit in the back. Yako has her hands on the window next to her while Mio and I cling to the seats in front of us.
"Hey! Why is this place so uneven?" Yako yells as the car bounces.
"Shut up! If you don't shut up, don't blame me if you bite your own tongue." Godai scolds as he continues to drive. A snake appears on the front window, causing Godai to scream. "Ah! Snake! Snake!"
I let out a soft chuckle. The snake turns his head to look in our direction. We make eye contact, and the snake quickly slithers off the car and back into the woods.
~~~3rd POV~~~
"Policeman-san, did the person who died here make a reservation?" Neuro asks with narrowed eyes.
"Yes, you're correct. You seem to know a lot." Sasazuka agrees.
"Sensei told me this. Well, which seat did he reserve?" Neuro questions.
"That one." Sasazuka points in front of him. Neuro backs up slightly and looks around. "Rarita made the reservation one week ago."
"'I roughly know how the criminal committed this act' is what Sensei said." Neuro comments.
"Roughly know?" Sasazuka repeats.
Neuro looks back at them. "It's just that more proof is needed. Sensei says that the customers who regularly come here are very suspicious."
"Regular customers?" Sasazuka queries.
"Yes, the customer who wasn't in the store that day," Neuro adds.
"Not here? So, the murderer wasn't here?" Ishigaki questions.
Neuro stops in front of the pair of them. "I wanted to ask the waitress for the list of the regular customers, but..."
"That waitress quit right after the incident," Sasazuka states.
"I see. That is quite suspicious. Well, policeman-san, could you please find that waitress for me? I'm going to look for more evidence." That said, Neuro leaves the coffee shop and heads back to Kumata's house. Neuro stands on the ceiling and looks at the frogs inside the aquariums.
~~~With Sasazuka and Ishigaki~~~
A female with blonde hair is selling flowers. "Thank you very much! Would anybody like some flowers? It's a very nice gift! Would anybody like some flowers?"
Sasazuka stops in front of her, which makes her look up at him. "Can you please come with me? You worked at the coffee shop where the homicide occurred, right?" She lets out a gasp. "I want to talk to you about the event of that day." She looks away. "If you're going to cooperate, I will buy all your flowers."
She clenches her eyes before pushing the flowers towards him. "I don't know anything!" She shouts before she runs off in the other direction.
"You…" Sasazuka calls out before he chases after her.
She runs down some stairs. She looks behind her to see that Sasazuka is running after her. She turns the corner into an alleyway. "No!" She screams.
Sasazuka's eyes widen before he rushes over. He appears at the top of the alleyway to see that the woman has been taken away on a motorbike. He runs through the alleyway before he looks around the buildings to see people sitting on the streets. He comes to an alleyway where the same motorbike has been discarded.
He walks up the stairs near the motorbike and pops his head around the corner. He hears a sound, takes out his gun, and steps forward. As he does, a bullet is shot at him, but he is quick to duck down behind a stone wall. He lifts his head, and he can see a male and female pair of feet in the corner.
He points his gun toward the two cardboard boxes and releases a shot from his gun. A man lets out a scream as he appears from behind them, the bullet going into his shoulder. The clothing is pulled down at the same time, giving Sasazuka a clearer view of the other male and the female. Sasazuka's eyes widen. "A child?"
A shadow appears from behind Sasazuka. He looks behind him to see a group of men holding knives. The male that got shot stands up, grabs a gun, and releases a shot. The same male lets out another scream as he rolls about on the ground.
Sasazuka and the others look in that direction, surprised. "If you shoot someone, make sure they can never shoot again." A male states. They all look to see a man in a black suit standing on the wall. "This is an after-class lesson."
"Oh crap, it's the mafia." A male curses.
"What's wrong, Eishi, have you forgotten about me?" The male questions.
Sasazuka pushes himself up. "How can I forget my shooting instructor?" He stands up and turns away, and the man jumps from the wall and lands on the ground. He looks at the young men. "So, you people, who made you do this?"
One young man lowers his head. He points a gun at him. "Speak!
"It…it was a Japanese. Giving us guns, he told us to capture that woman." The young man admits.
"A Japanese…?" Sasazuka repeats.
Sasazuka and the man leave the alleyway. They appear in a cemetery as the sun begins to set. "So, you've become a policeman. Are you part of the investigation team? My partners will be pleased to see you. Go meet with them."
"I'll meet with them later. I need to return to work." Sasazuka states.
"I see." The man replies.
A butterfly flies past their head. Sasazuka watches as it flutters about in front of them.
~~~Later That Night~~~
Neuro heads back to the coffee shop and meets up with Sasazuka and Ishigaki after gaining more evidence. Kamata meets them there.
"What are you saying? Didn't this case already end?" Kamata demands.
"Well, I brought someone I want you to see," Neuro admits.
"For me to see?" Kamata queries.
"You, get over here." Sasazuka orders.
The waitress pokes out from behind the door. She has long blond hair and brown eyes and is wearing a pink dress. Kamata sees her, and he is surprised before he grits his teeth.
She moves and hides behind Sasazuka, holding onto his jacket sleeve. "Near the day of the murder, a customer who regularly came was him, right?" She hesitantly nods her head.
"So? What if I come regularly? I wasn't here on the day of the murder. It has nothing to do with me." He denies.
"Did you notice anything else about him?" Sasazuka asks the waitress.
She points at Kamata. "Thi-This person always sat at the table the murder occurs on. After he left, there was always a tail of a lizard on the chair."
Neuro's eyes glow as she finishes speaking.
Kamata laughs. "Haha, what if I do that? I'm very busy! I'm leaving!"
Neuro stops him as he turns around to leave. "Please wait! Sensei said that she wanted to have a talk with the professor."
"What?" Kamata looks back.
Neuro presses a button on his phone, and the same arm and phone glow green. He makes the same movement that he makes Yako do, the phone in his hand. "The murderer is you!" Yako shouts, her voice coming from the phone. The phone is pointed at Kumata.
"Wha-what are you saying? I have an alibi as well! How could I have killed someone?!" Kamata denies.
"Indeed, you, the murderer, were not here during the day of the murder. But the tool used to commit the crime was here. And after that, the tool disappeared." Neuro comments.
"What are you talking about? It's not like the tool had legs to run away." Ishigaki comments confused.
"It did." Neuro agrees. "There was no need for you to be here during the time of the murder. The frog you raised was all that was needed. The frog which contained strong poison. Why would you come to this store every week? That is because you feed your poisonous frog here, making it think this was where he was going to get his food. That day, during the time you usually feed your frog, Rarita was coincidentally there. Even though it was the usual feeding time, you were not there to feed it. The poor little frog..."
"Is what he said true?" Ishigaki queries.
"Ha! That's ridiculous! You made it all up." Kamata denies.
Neuro takes out a jar with a large frog inside. "Well then...Let's have a little experiment."
"That...That is my..." Kamata stutters.
Neuro opens the lid. "Professor, you haven't fed him today, right?" The frog lands on the floor. "Well, Professor Kamata, can you sit at that seat for a while? What's wrong? If I made everything up, there is no need for you to be scared."
He is shaking ever so slightly. "That's right, nothing will happen for sure."
"Then go take a seat." He hesitantly heads to the seat. The frog doesn't move before he does. "You should know the danger of a hungry animal, right, Professor?"
He sits down, and the frog hops towards the seat's left. He starts sweating badly. The frog opens its mouth and makes a sound that causes Kamata to yell and climb on top of the table. The sound stops, and Kamata looks up at Neuro.
"I remember feeding it just now. I bet he's still full right now." Neuro comments smugly.
Kamata begins laughing creepily as his appearance changes. He now looks like a large brown frog. "That's correct! My frog and I are the ones who killed Rarita."
"So, you finally speak the truth?" Neuro comments sarcastically.
"It's because that bastard took a picture of the witch and still shows himself around here, getting attention from all over the world. What if he causes the pipeline's construction to stop?" He curses.
"Wait. Weren't you the one who wanted to protect the remains?" Ishigaki questions.
"I'm serious about protecting the remains." He agrees before he points a finger at Ishigaki. "But, the main purpose is to sell the land at a high price to the construction companies. The more I promote about saving the remains, the more the people will vote against destroying the remains. The guerillas, even though they're using a lot of money, are fighting to finish the fight. In other words, I'm objecting the idea even though I actually support it."
"But after you noticed the witch, the circumstances became different," Neuro comments as he closes his eyes.
"That is correct!" Kamata agrees. "If the incident which happened 20 years ago was able to obtain the attention from the world, the construction would truly stop. If that happens, the tension between the two parties will shoot up. And that's why he needed to die."
Sasazuka holds up his phone. "I have recorded everything you said."
"That doesn't matter; you're all going to die here anyway." He opens his mouth and spits out green poison. It misses the waitress, Sasazuka, and Ishigaki but hits Neuro's arm. It's not like it does anything to him.
"Hah! You expect to kill me with this degree of poison?" Neuro scoffs.
"Wha...What are you?!" Kamata demands panicked.
Neuro doesn't answer and walks towards him with his true face. "Itadakimasu!" Kamata yells and falls to the ground on his back with a thud.
"Huh? What happened?" Ishigaki questions.
"Maybe it's the witch's curse." Neuro teases.
"Eh? No way!" Ishigaki exclaims, surprised. The shaking starts again. "Ah?! An Earthquake? It is the witch's curse?!"
Neuro looks up at the ceiling with a smirk on his face.
~~~Yuuki's POV~~~
We finally make it to the village, and it becomes dark outside. We exit the car, and the four of us stand there in disbelief as they are a large group of people standing on either side in a line. "Ohikenasute!" "Ohikenasute!" "Ohikenasute!" "Ohikenasute!" The people repeat.
"What…What is this?" Yako asks hesitantly.
"They are probably people of Japanese origin. This country is full of Japanese immigrants." Mio whispers.
"Doesn't this seem like an old Yazuka movie?" Godai queries.
"I think they have the greeting a bit wrong," I comment, sweatdropping.
"Ohikenasute!" Another male voice calls out. "Welcome to Sharato Village." We look to see a man wearing priest-type clothes walking toward us. "We are pleased to have you here from Japan."
"Hello, it's nice to meet you." Yako greets back.
The man stops in front of us. "I am the priest of this village, Charagno Kuwabatake. It is a pleasure to meet you."
"You're a priest! You're so young!" Yako praises amazed.
Mio lifts her glasses. "Nice to meet you, I'm Kakei Mio."
I notice the priest look at her and see his eyes widen and see him slightly pale. "Um…" Yako trails off.
"We came to talk to you about the incident with the witch that occurred 20 years ago," Mio states.
The priest snaps out of it. "Oh, I see. My professor has told me about you people. Let's not stand around; please come this way."
I again noticed the priest look at the older woman beside him as he walked by. The woman nods her head. I narrow my eyes before walking by with Yako, Mio, and Godai.
"Concerning the incident 20 years ago, I was still a child. So, I think it would be better to ask the village chief." The priest offers.
We are taken inside, and food is placed on the table. "Wow! It's so nice!" Yako cheers with stars in her eyes, and she drools. "There are so many dishes I've never seen before. They all look delicious!"
Godai looks down at the food in disbelief. Mio has a hand over her mouth with her eyebrows twitching. I look at the food with blank eyes. I'm not touching any of this food.
"The chief will be coming soon, but feel free to start eating first." The priest offers.
"I'm so hungry!" Yako says with a pout.
"Well then, please enjoy." The priest says with a smile.
Yako pulls a plate of food towards her. "Then, I'll accept your offer. Itadakimasu!" Yako takes a bite. "It's delicious!"
The priest looks up at the door. "Ah, the chief has come." An older man is standing at the door. "These kind people want to ask for the information about the witch."
"That is fine." He agrees.
"Well, please tell them what you know." The priest adds.
The Chief sits down at the table. Mio is the first to speak up. "It happened 20 years ago, right, when the witch first appeared?"
"That's correct." The Chief agrees. "At that time, there was a woman named Seiren. According to the legend, she could change her face."
Yako pauses from eating and looks up. "I've heard that at the time, architects from Japan began to start arriving."
The Chief looks at her. "Yes, what you said is true. A Japanese came here to research the architectural ruins." He lowers his head. "He was rather close to Seiren; the rumour spread through the town quickly."
"So, because of that guy, the priest was rejected by Seiren 20 years ago." Godai comments.
The Chief looks up surprised, and I see him look at the priest out of the corner of his eye. "Ah, that…That is what the legends say." He looks back down at the table. "Ever since then, the legends evolved saying that Seiren was a witch."
"That's outrageous." Godai denies. "To make the girl his own, he called her a witch and made her suffer the harsh tortures."
"The priest tortured Seiren to make her say that she loves him, but…" Mio trails off.
"But?" Yako questions.
"No matter how painful the tortures were, Seiren never said anything…until she died." The priest finishes.
Yako and I share a look. "What about the Japanese architect who came here?" I ask.
"After Seiren's death, he was in despair. He soon returned back to his own country." The chief replies.
I hear footsteps and see the old woman come in with drinks. "Oh, we're on such a gloomy topic." The priest says with a strained smile. "Try this, a special juice created from flowers and fruits from the forest. It is very delicious."
The woman places the drinks in front of us. A happy smile appears on Yako's face. "I'll pass."
"Why?" Yako questions.
Mio picks the juice up. "That's right, you don't drink juice." Mio drinks it before putting her cup down. "It is indeed delicious."
The priest lifts a hand, and a smile appears on his face. "Well then, everybody should cheer up."
Yako reaches over towards Godai's drink. "I'll drink Godai-san's share too."
Godai grabs hold of her hand. "Wait."
Yako looks at him with a pout on her face. "What? You said you didn't want to drink it."
Godai looks at Mio. Yako and I also look. Mio's cup drops to the table, and she falls from her chair and onto the floor. Yako lets out a scream as we abruptly stand up. "Mio-san!" Yako takes a step forward but stops when a black paw appears on top of Mio's leg. "What…?"
It was the animal that was sitting in the corner. It lets out a roar, making Yako step back and grab hold of my arm. Godai turns his head to glare at the priest. "What did you do?!"
The priest stands and points at Mio. "Quickly, take that girl away. She's a witch!"
"W-Witch?" Yako questions confused.
Two other people go over to Mio. The priest quickly points at Godai, too. "Take this guy away too! Quickly!"
"Damn it!" Godai curses. "Let's run!"
He grabs hold of Yako's hand and drags her away. I look at Mio briefly before following. "Mio-san!" Yako shouts.
"Don't let them get away!" The Priest orders.
"Mio-san will…" Yako starts.
"We can't go back there right now." Godai scolds
We run as they chase after us. We turn a corner, but it is a dead end, so we enter one of the rooms. We hide behind a stone statue. "They will surely find us if we hide here." Yako points out.
"It's fine! Just be quiet!" Godai scolds.
He leans forward, and the wall opens, and he begins to fall. Yako and I fall after him, causing the pair of them to let out a scream. We make it to the bottom. We place our ears against the stone and hear them go the other way. We all let out a sigh of relief before looking behind us.
"What is this place?" Yako questions.
"Seems like a secret room." Godai points out.
We walk over to the mirror. "What is on there?" Yako queries.
"This picture!" Yako exclaims, surprised.
"What?" Godai asks.
"We got this picture from our okaa-san!" I state, surprised.
Yako nods her head. "When Godai-san and Yuuki-nee came to save me, some people came and took the picture from me. Why would it be here?"
"Which would mean the people who were after you are the people of this village." Godai comments.
I look at the pictures. "These are pictures of the priest."
"Year 1988? That's 20 years ago!" Yako exclaims, her eyes wide.
Godai's eyes widen. "He was the priest since back then?"
Yako turns to look at Godai and me. "Then…The priest from the legend 20 years ago!"
"He was the one in the so-called legends," I add with a scoff.
"That means that he's been trying to remember the witch he killed twenty years ago all this time…" Godai acknowledges.
"Why the witch he killed himself…" Yako trails off, confused.
"She was killed under torture; don't you think that's scary?" Godai queries.
I nod my head. "True." I agree. "Hearing that someone has taken a picture of her, he wanted to confirm if it is true or not."
"But this picture can't even depict her face." Yako points out. "Hey, that priest said that Mio-san was the witch. Also, when er just arrived at the village, the priest gave a weird look towards Mio-san."
"The appearance might be similar." I offer.
"He probably only thinks that Mio-san looks like that Seiren," Godai adds.
Yako turns to look at Godai. "Or do you think he thinks she's the real Seiren…"
Godai turns away and shrugs his shoulders. "That's ridiculous; how do you even come up with this?"
I look down and see Akane-chan. "Yako, look at the table."
Yako looks. "Ah! Akane-chan! You're alright!" Yako cheers happily.
Godai turns back to look. "Who's Akane?"
Yako looks at him, and Akane-chan freezes and stops moving. "Ah…well…the name of my phone."
"Your phone's name…" Godai repeats dryly before touching his head and closing his eyes. "I don't believe it."
Akane-chan begins moving again, so Yako looks. "Hm? What?" Yako walks in that direction and lets out a gasp. "Is this what I think it is, a secret passage out?"
Godai walks over. "What?"
I look down the steps before looking back at Yako and Godai. "Should we follow it?" I question.
~~~3rd POV~~~
Kamata is taken away from the coffee shop on a stretcher. "Well, where's Yako-chan and Yuuki-chan?" Sasazuka asks.
"Sensei and Yuuki went to Sharato village in search of the witch," Neuro replies.
"What...even though she just proved her Oka-san's innocence. Anyways, let's give her a call!" Ishigaki states as he gets out his phone. He makes a call, but no one answers. "She's not picking up."
Neuro taps his fist against his hand. "That's right! Sensei's phone was stolen along with her bag."
"Say that earlier!" Ishigaki scolds before calling Godai instead.
~~~Yuuki's POV~~~
We continue to follow the stairs. "I can hear something," Yako mutters.
We get to the top and poke our heads around, and we let out a gasp. People are wearing bird-like clothes, each holding a torch of fire and chanting. "What are those guys doing?" Godai questions.
Yako looks around. "This place is…"
We see the priest walk forward. "When the witch of the legends is reborn. She will be sacrificed to the gods."
"It's him!" Yako gasps.
He holds up his arms. "Accept our offering. The horrible witch…has returned to the village again. We will return this witch…back to the darkness."
"Ah! Mio-san!" Yako calls, surprised.
"Idiot!" Godai scolds her as he pushes her head down.
Just then, Godai's phone goes off. Yako and Godai let out a gasp. The priest lets out a scoff. "Capture the ones who want to disrupt the ceremony!" He orders as the people rush away from him.
~~~3rd POV~~~
"She hung up," Ishigaki says as he lowers the phone.
"Hung up?" Sasazuka question.
"It connected for a while, but she hung up," Ishigaki replies.
"I wonder why." Sasazuka comments.
"I have no idea..." Ishigaki admits.
"Did something happen?" Sasazuka queries.
~~~Yuuki's POV~~~
Godai punches a man away, and I kick another away when Yako lets out a scream. "Let me go!"
"Yako!" I call out as I turn around.
I hear Godai let out a sound and turn to see someone had hit him over the head. "Godai-san! Godai-san! Godai-san!" Yako and I call out, but he doesn't answer.
Yako lets out a sigh. "I understand everything now." Yako pushes the man holding her away and points down at the priest. "Charango-san. Regarding the Seiren incident 20 years ago…The murderer…is you." Yako trails off as she is hit unconscious.
Before I can do anything, there is a hit at the back of my neck, and everything goes black.
~~~To Be Continued~~~
/Thank you for reading this chapter. Please leave a review. Your opinions are appreciated.\