"The situation at the hospital has been fully investigated by the police. Thanks to the information you provided at the time, all officers dispatched to the scene were equipped with noise-canceling headsets. Unfortunately, while there were no police casualties, the civilian victims of this incident…"
Kazumi Junya trailed off. The civilian death toll was classified — not something he was permitted to disclose.
Even so, Amamiya Rin already knew. The number of deaths this time around was almost certainly not less than three digits.
He observed a moment of silence for the innocent dead, then pressed Kazumi Junya: "And after that? How did the police handle the aftermath?"
"After that, the police successfully apprehended Aizawa Yuuma and had him remanded to prison!"
The grief in Kazumi's voice was threaded through with pride and something like relief — the unmistakable exhale of a man who had set down a heavy burden.
"There's no evidence that could convict Aizawa Yuuma in a court of law, but he will never, ever leave that prison!"
"It's not that simple. I'd strongly recommend the police prepare to roll out preventive countermeasures on a broad scale."
Amamiya Rin said it quietly, without inflection. He did not share Kazumi Junya's optimism.
Aizawa Yuuma alone was easy enough to deal with — a long-range sniper shot, one bullet, problem solved.
The real problem was the Evil Electromagnetic Waves demon lurking behind him.
The Evil Electromagnetic Waves demon had never been depicted in the manga as having a means of killing directly — but it did have the ability to possess human hosts.
If the demon had been a blunt instrument, things might have been manageable. Instead, it excelled at conspiracy and long-game scheming — layer upon layer of interlocking contingencies — and had ultimately engineered the complete destruction of Japan. Not just Japan, either: any other country that attempted to investigate the cause of Japan's collapse was equally doomed.
As Amamiya Rin saw it, the demon would either possess some heavyweight figure in the political world and arrange Aizawa Yuuma's release, or let Aizawa Yuuma die and revive him somewhere else, or simply select a different apostle to take his place.
The possibilities were too numerous to count. After all, this demon was truly capable of dictating the life and death of human beings.
"Don't worry. Aizawa Yuuma has caused no fewer than four digits' worth of casualties by now. Every aspect of his containment will be maintained at the highest possible security level — nothing will go wrong."
Kazumi Junya made the assurance with full confidence.
"I hope you're right."
Amamiya Rin said it with his mouth. He did not believe a word of it in his heart.
He rubbed at his throbbing temples and remembered the question of the reward money he had raised with Kazumi Junya last time. He brought it up directly.
"By the way — since my information turned out to be this useful, is there a reward?"
"Of course. Inspector Indou already filed the paperwork and got it approved for you. One million yen in total — it was transferred to your bank account yesterday."
There was a trace of a smile in Kazumi Junya's voice, and Amamiya Rin's eyes lit up in answer.
One million yen was a meaningful sum, even by his standards. Added to the two-odd million he already had in savings… he'd look into buying a jeep for getting around.
Amamiya Rin turned it over in his mind.
Setting aside the inconvenience of his leg, any time he needed to travel any real distance he would need a vehicle — and anyone who knew Japan knew what taxi fares were like.
On top of that, his future was going to involve a lot of moving around. A jeep's off-road capability was excellent, it was durable and built to take punishment, it could handle all manner of difficult terrain, and the interior was spacious enough to sleep in at a pinch. A reasonably priced jeep in the two-million range was exactly what he needed.
"There's one more thing, Officer Kazumi. I have an imposition I'd like to ask of you."
Having mapped out his finances, Amamiya Rin pressed the advantage while he had it and put a request to Kazumi Junya.
"An imposition? Go ahead."
Kazumi Junya answered without hesitation.
He couldn't imagine Amamiya Rin making any request that crossed a legal line. As long as it wasn't illegal, given the contribution Amamiya Rin had made, he was willing to help with almost anything, no matter how difficult.
"I want access to the files on paranormal incidents held in the Police History Compilation Office."
Amamiya Rin stated his purpose without preamble.
"What?"
Kazumi Junya's sharp intake of breath was audible.
He had just been thinking that he'd help with anything that didn't break the law — and Amamiya Rin had immediately turned around and hit him with something that did exactly that.
"I mentioned it to you before, didn't I? I seem to have a constitution that attracts the paranormal — I keep finding myself caught up in dangerous supernatural incidents. I want to use your files to deepen my understanding of these events and improve my chances of surviving the next one."
Amamiya Rin laid it out calmly.
He wasn't lying. He just wasn't giving the complete reason.
Junji Ito's horror manga rarely filled in all the details — time, place, people involved. And even when it did, he couldn't hold onto specifics like that from a past life. If he wanted to fully leverage the advantage his memories gave him, the Police History Compilation Office's files were indispensable. He needed the documented details to flesh out the rough story outlines in his memory.
"That's… you understand the issue, I'm sure? Police files are covered by confidentiality regulations. Even files about strange and supernatural things aren't in the same category as ordinary case files, but still…"
Kazumi Junya hesitated, unwilling to commit to Amamiya Rin's request.
No matter how bizarre or outlandish the contents of the Police History Compilation Office's files might be, they were still classified documents subject to confidentiality regulations. There was simply no way to allow unauthorized personnel to review them.
"Do you want to become a police officer?"
At that moment, the voice coming through the phone shifted — Kazumi Junya's male voice replaced by a voice that was at once familiar and unfamiliar: a woman's.
"Officer Indou?"
Amamiya Rin recognized the owner of the voice at once.
"I've seen the hospital security footage. Your combat ability is impressive. Once you've recovered, even Kogure probably couldn't take you in a fight. And with that paranormal constitution of yours on top of that, you're a better fit for our Police History Compilation Office than Kazumi is. So — are you interested? I can open a fast-track for you. If you want to come on board, we can handle the paperwork today."
Indou Ranko spoke with that peculiar Osaka drawl of hers. Her delivery was unhurried and lazy-sounding, but Amamiya Rin heard the seriousness underneath it.
It was clear that Indou Ranko thought highly of him.
His Dhyana cultivation rendered him immune to psychic contamination. His exceptional combat skills meant that at minimum he could run. And most importantly — the nature of his paranormal constitution.
For most officers, joining the Police History Compilation Office was an extraordinarily dangerous posting. For Amamiya Rin, it would actually function as a form of protection.
"Become a police officer?"
Amamiya Rin sat with the thought in silence for a moment.
Going by Indou Ranko's attitude, joining the Police History Compilation Office would get him access to the paranormal files — and on top of that, he'd have a proper salary and an official position. Dealing with world-ending curses would also be more convenient with the backing of official authority.
On the surface, there was nothing but upside.
"But — I decline."
"Oh? And why is that?"
Indou Ranko's tone didn't waver, as though she were asking the question purely out of casual curiosity.
"I don't like being tied down."
That was the most basic reason. Amamiya Rin was destined to be constantly on the move — he couldn't stay in Tokyo indefinitely.
The more important reason, however, was that Amamiya Rin could not bring himself to trust the Japanese government.
Not only because the Evil Electromagnetic Waves demon could possess a high-ranking political official at any moment — but also because, barring any unforeseen developments, the political world of Japan, the people who truly controlled this country, were all ancient, undying beings who had been alive for centuries.
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