Chapter 23: Delving Deeper
Bridal gowns.
The wishing tree.
The village.
A wedding that felt more like some warped sacrificial ritual.
One clue after another began linking together in Gin Tsumugi's mind, slowly forming the rough outline of a framework. Even so, there were still several crucial gaps. Some of the key details had not yet been clearly described by Ogiso Setsuna, and without them, the full picture remained frustratingly incomplete.
So Gin asked the first question directly.
"Setsuna, the girls who committed suicide before, and the people who are now having the same dreams about the wishing tree and that village. Did all of them hang prayer plaques on the tree?"
If the answer was yes, then that alone would identify one of the likely trigger points for the incident.
But Setsuna's response surprised him.
She nodded first.
Then immediately shook her head.
Both Gin and Iwanaga Kotoko frowned.
That answer made no sense on its face.
Setsuna hurried to explain.
"The students who hanged themselves from the wishing tree in the academy park did all hang prayer plaques there. But for me and most of the people currently having these nightmares, we didn't. Some of them never even went near the park."
So that was not the trigger.
At least, not anymore.
Gin's gaze deepened.
"You mentioned bridal gowns," he said. "So everyone who hanged themselves before was female."
Setsuna nodded.
Gin continued, "Now that the wishing tree is appearing in dreams instead, do you know exactly how the people who disappeared vanished? In what manner did they go missing?"
Setsuna shook her head at first.
Then something seemed to occur to her.
"Wait... there is one more thing."
Her face tightened as she spoke.
"After those girls disappeared, their existence in other people's minds started becoming blurry. It's hard to explain, but... it's like their presence was gradually being erased. People still vaguely remember that someone like them existed, but their sense of that person becomes weaker and weaker."
That one sentence made Gin's expression change.
Blurring.
Masking.
Interfering with perception.
It was because of that phenomenon, most likely, that almost no one at Houjou University Attached High School truly realized the supernatural incident had never ended. It had only sunk deeper, continuing to ferment in secret while remaining hidden from ordinary notice.
"Blurring and masking the perceptions of others..."
Gin frowned.
A contradiction had surfaced.
Yokai that hid in the shadows while harvesting human lives through exactly this sort of perceptual interference were not unusual in themselves. Earlier this year, a horrifying large scale supernatural incident had broken out in a small town in Hokkaido, shocking the entire country. By the time the anomaly was finally discovered, the incident had already reached its late stages. The townspeople had been slaughtered one after another, their blood draining into channels and gutters until it formed something like a river of gore.
The thing behind that tragedy had done the same thing.
It had clouded and redirected the senses of outsiders, causing everyone to unconsciously believe the town was functioning normally while its residents were being systematically butchered.
But the case at Houjou University Attached High School felt different.
At the beginning, the wishing tree had made no effort to hide.
It had brazenly harvested the lives of students inside the academy grounds, one after another, in a manner almost impossible to ignore. So why had it changed its approach now? Why begin masking disappearances and dulling people's awareness only after the first stage had already ended?
Had the earlier suppression by the Onmyo Agency taught it caution?
Possibly.
But that alone still felt insufficient.
Two different phases.
Two different methods.
Something was hidden behind that shift, and Gin could feel it. He simply had not found the connecting thread yet.
He looked toward Kotoko.
"Kotoko, investigate the victims. I want records on all of them. See whether any diaries, notes, messages, or personal observations were left behind before they hanged themselves or disappeared. Pay special attention to the first victim. The starting point usually carries the most unique clues."
Kotoko immediately rose from the sofa.
"I understand, Director."
As always, she would use the yoka under her influence to gather the intelligence.
In a case like this, the efficiency of yokai was often much higher than that of ordinary human investigation. That had always been one of the White Fox Office's greatest advantages.
Gin then turned back to Setsuna.
"As for you, you'll stay here at the White Fox Office for the next few days."
Setsuna blinked.
Gin spoke in a calm, matter of fact tone.
"To be safe. I've laid barriers and seals throughout this office. No matter how strong that wishing tree is, it won't be able to take you away without alerting me first."
Setsuna nodded at once.
"All right."
She understood perfectly well that this was for her protection. There was no reason to object.
"I'm going to the park at Houjou University Attached High School," Gin said. "Even if the wishing tree is gone now, the place where it first appeared should still hold traces."
This case was too involved to be handled carelessly.
He would have to investigate it step by step.
Then he looked toward the other side of the room.
"Sora, stay at the White Fox Office with Setsuna. If any clients come by, help deal with them."
Kasugano Sora nodded obediently.
"Okay, Director."
A moment later, Gin and Kotoko left the office together. After stepping outside, they split up to handle their respective tasks, leaving only Setsuna and Sora behind in the quiet room.
Setsuna watched the doorway for a moment after Gin disappeared.
Then she murmured softly, "I hope Gin stays safe."
Beside her, Sora looked at the same empty doorway and answered with quiet certainty,
"The Director will be fine."
Meanwhile, not long after leaving the White Fox Office and parting ways with Kotoko, Gin took out his phone.
A thought had just occurred to him.
If Dairenji Suzuka helped him obtain the records from when the Onmyo Agency previously handled the academy case, it might save him a great deal of unnecessary effort.
So he sent her a message.
A few minutes later, her reply came back.
"No problem. I'll organize it and get it to you tomorrow or the day after."
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