[Psychic Detective Yakumo] One hundred ways to tease cats

, what's happening around you can sort out some level of possibility. "

"possibility?"

"Yes, there are two possibilities. If you are asked objectively, you should also come to the same conclusion, but this time you are blinded by subjective concepts, so you will inadvertently deny these two conclusions possibility."

"yes……"

I nodded.

"Let's verify it. First of all, the first possibility, what you see is an illusion."

"It's possible." I nodded, "But the last incident also proved that under certain circumstances, souls can be seen by humans without the ability."

"Listen to the words." Yakumo said. "In fact, she most likely moved hastily for some reason, and she will contact you afterwards. After you listen to her explanation, you may also think 'what, that's what happened.' and just laugh it off. "

His words also sounded reasonable.I relaxed my shoulders a little, but the worry was still there.

"Another possibility?" I asked.

Yakumo's expression changed obviously.

"If possible, I don't want to mention it until it becomes clearer..."

"That's also one of the possibilities." I stroked my forehead.

"Yes, I hope you only listen to it as one of the possibilities."

I nod. "Okay!" Yakumo said after sighing heavily.

"Assuming what you're seeing isn't a phantom..."

"I'm afraid your friend is no longer alive, and she appeared in front of you as a ghost..."

"Then go and investigate." I stood up and said, "If she is really dead, then," I paused, and provoked a dangerous smile, "revenge."

SEVENTEEN

I suggested that the two of them should act together to investigate, Yakumo strongly refused, but in the end they were no match for my coercion.

Yakumo and I first came to the real estate company of Shiori Apartment. I remember that we found it together when we first came to Tokyo.

Yakumo bought a gift box of biscuits at the wagashi shop halfway, which was not only carefully packaged, but also attached with a gift certificate (Note 7); of course I was the one who paid the bill, and Yakumo claimed that this was a necessary expense.

Note 7: decorations on gifts.

A table for receiving customers, a counter, and two opposite desks in the store make the store feel extremely narrow. Even Yakumo and I entered the store, but there was not even a "welcome" greeting. No, but it wasn't because we were buried in work that we didn't notice.

"That—sorry."

Yakumo leaned out from the counter to call, and only then did a bald, fat man slowly come out to say hello.

"I'm sorry, I'm Shiori's older brother who lives in Room [-] of Hinoki Apartment. My sister forgot something...I'm really sorry, can I borrow the key from you?"

Yakumo told big lies in a polite tone, and the bald man took the key from the key holder and handed it to Yakumo without double confirmation.

"Ah, by the way, did my sister come to say hello?"

The bald man still didn't say a word, just shook his head from side to side.

"Sure enough, that guy is real. I told her to come and say hello to the real estate company that takes care of her. It's really troublesome for her."

Yakumo spoke incessantly.Standing diagonally behind Yakumo, I sincerely admire his realistic acting skills.

"Ah, sorry for the delay, this is for everyone."

Yakumo handed the biscuit gift box to the bald man, and at that moment, the man's expression softened immediately, making it clear at a glance.

"To be honest, we are also very troubled. She suddenly called to terminate the contract, and came to return the key the next day... We are also wrong, we didn't ask her where the deposit should be sent back..."

"I'm really sorry..." Yakumo continued to play the frightened brother.

"Then I will fill in the necessary documents now, can you show me the contract?"

"Ah, yes."

The bald man said, "Where did you put it?", and he took out a contract from the mountain of documents on the desk and gave it to Yakumo.

Yakumo looked at the contract repeatedly, and I peeked at the contents from behind him. On the last page, I stapled the application for termination of the contract, and in the moving column, I filled in the address of Shiori's hometown in Nagano.

Shiori's hometown in Nagano should have been completely destroyed by a fire. Where is she?I have a sense of foreboding.

"...I will ask Shiori to come back to say hello, and then ask her to fill in the place where the deposit is returned."

"really sorry."

Bald man wipes sweat from forehead with handkerchief.

"Besides, did my sister cause you any trouble?"

The bald man pondered for a while, then quickly approached Yakumo's ear.

"I don't know if I should tell you as a brother about this kind of thing. There are men coming in and out of your sister's house. After all, she is also a young girl, so I have nothing to say..."

Shiori has a boyfriend?I've never heard of it.She has been single since she broke up with her boyfriend a year ago, and even if she doesn't ask, Shiori will report to me in every detail.

"Then, a certain scene can be said to be thrilling! She and a woman had a fierce dispute in front of the apartment, and they wrestled into a ball, which caused the neighbors to complain...I think this may be the reason for her to move... "

"Ah, thank you very much, I will return the key by tomorrow."

After Yakumo thanked me, he took my hand and left the store.

The bald man's narration is quite different from my impression of Shiori. Shiori is not the kind of person who will be jealous of men, not only in terms of feelings, but I have never even seen him getting angry.

What happened to Shiori?

It was an old two-story building, the railings had long been rusted, and there were dirt of varying shades on the dirty walls.

Yisiji Shizhi was gone, and the spots on the wall looked even more filthy.

"Probably nothing will be left behind." Yakumo murmured.

I nodded in response, but even if I didn't leave anything behind, as long as I didn't confirm it with my own eyes, I couldn't accept the fact that Shiori was gone.

As soon as the door was opened, there was a scent of fragrance, which was the smell of Shiori's room.Since I couldn't see clearly from where I was standing, I pushed Yakumo aside and entered the house.

But the room was empty except for the fragrance.Not to mention furniture, not even a single corrugated box was left.The room was immaculately cleaned, even if someone else is moving in now it should not be a problem.

Yakumo walked to the center of the room and looked around carefully.

"Hey, does that girl named Shiori smoke?"

I shook my head, I've never seen Shiori smoking.

"Why do you ask?"

"Look carefully at the wall."

After staring carefully at the wall according to my words, I suddenly realized that the wall was stained with yellow oil stains, which would be confusing at first glance, but only the original whiteness of the furniture and the wall where the photos were pasted remained.

Shiori, whom I didn't know, appeared in front of my eyes one by one, and Yakumo walked to the private bathroom.

"Could you come over here?"

I heard this and leaned forward to look at the private bathroom, and Yakumo handed me a photo. In the photo, there was Shiori's figure. She smiled very peacefully, which was completely different from the usual smile for me.

That was also conceivable, standing beside her was a man who looked to be nearly forty years old and had profound features.

"Is this the girl named Shiori?"

"Yes... where did you find this?"

"Sticking it to the mirror...it's unnatural."

"How to say?"

"How could she have tidied up the room completely, but missed this photo alone? Besides, if the photo is pasted on the mirror in the bathroom, it will be wet because of the moisture."

That said, it is true, this photo is not only dry, but there is not even a trace of wetness.Moreover, Shiori has a meticulous personality. She even writes a diary every day without interruption. It is hard to imagine that she would miss this photo.

"She wanted someone to see the picture if it was left on purpose."

"Who is someone referring to?"

"Maybe it's you."

However, I couldn't figure out what the point of that photo was at all.

"Doesn't she have a right pinky finger?"

"Well, because some accidents happened when I was young...I don't know the details...Although she said she didn't care at all, I think she really cares about it. Even if Shiori has painful and sad things, she doesn't mind. Never complained to anyone else, always carried everything on her own, and always told me after the fact."

That's right, Shiori has always been like this, she will never reveal her inner feelings.

"Why didn't Shiori tell me about her lover?"

"Because it's an extramarital affair."

"Huh? How did you know?"

"Look at the finger of the man in the picture, he's wearing a wedding ring."

I looked at the photo again as I said. As Yakumo said, the man was wearing a silver ring on the ring finger of his left hand.

"Wearing a wedding ring and taking pictures with other women, I really doubt this man's nerves."

"Since you said that," I said flatly, "it seems that you should know this person better."

"..." Yakumo looked at me silently.

"I guess." I said. "But judging from your reaction, it seems that I guessed right."

If eyes can kill, then I should have been killed countless times by Yakumo by now.

"Don't do that." I smiled