The Eccentric, the Beauty, and the Detective: Kiriki Junka's Mystery Log Volume 2 Chapter 27

“So that's how it is, Kurosawsenpai.”

Junka flipped the switch once more, the recording over, and placed his recorder in his pocket.

“Mimatsenpai, is there anything wrong with the content of the recording?”

“No,” she had tears in her eyes, “Kurosawa's the culprit.”

Beside her, Kurosawa did not look cornered. There wasn't a single tremor in his well trained body. He seemed way too proud to be bluffing.

Junka showed some irritation at last.

“Are you going to acknowledge it, Kurosawsenpai?”

“Well, I suppose that's fine,” he said as if he was commenting on some work of art he'd created, “I was going to escape, but now that it's come this far, I might as well give you a reward.”

His presentation contrasted Mimatsenpai's significantly.

“I am a culprit. The culprit of at least one shoving. That's me.”

The way he acted as if there was nothing to be ashamed of caused my soul to begin to boil with anger. Junka looked over at me and signaled to calm down.

“Despite the message given to you by Mimatsenpai's desperately throwing herself down the stairs, you struck again. That was the fifth victim. I will acknowledge the courage it took you to accomplish that in the middle of the day, but just what would cause you to shove a bunch of girls down the stairs?”

“You didn't investigate the motive, eh?”

“Could it be… that your relationship with the girl from the other school didn't go well?”

“You're half right.”

He folded his arms, relaxed, but he wasn't smiling.

“There was a girl who promised her future to me: Hijiri Yumeko, a second year at Nuenoshima High. I loved her from the bottom of my heart.”

His eyes gazed long into the past.

“But, one month ago, all that was taken from my life. Yumeko died: traffic accident. She was instantly crushed in her bus under the weight of a collapsing crane. I'm sure she went out of this world without any pain.”

Now that he mentioned it, I did vaguely remember seeing something like that on the news. That meant his girlfriend was one of the victims.

“I got the news, and couldn't believe it, so I went to the hospital. I met her there in the morgue… she'd been alive the day before, and so well, but she had transformed into a lifeless corpse laid out on the table. It's a story that will be repeated forever. Everything ended. God had taken my treasure from me, and I was dejected. I just wanted to wake from that nightmare. There wasn't even the slightest stir from her.”

A moment of self derisive humor spread across his lips.

“I lost myself. I knew Mimata had feelings for me, but that didn't compare to Yumeko. In my anger, I wanted to destroy everything. That's why I…”

“Started knocking down the girls at Shibuyamadai High School?” Junka finished the sentence.

Kurosawsenpai assented.

“Yumeko's life and future with me were taken forcefully by an unwanted death. It's enough to make me think that there is no God, and that this world is run by demons. I figured I might was well join them. That's why I thought of suddenly injuring the girls of the school. So I started with the music teacher, Hatanaka, shoving her down the stairs. I…”

He trembled.

“I wanted to shout for joy. I felt the thrill of avenging Yumeko. I couldn't get enough of it, so I chose the next sacrificial lamb. I figured if somebody died, she could become Yumeko's attendant in the next life. That's why I went for this one…”

His gaze turned to Hinata. She shrunk back in fear, and he gave a cold smile.

“And I shoved her down. The third was the same motive.”

He stroked his chin.

“I was taken aback when I heard that Mimata had fallen and reported the culprit was a small girl. Only for a moment, though, as my anger is not weak enough to be shaken by that. Well, maybe I could say that I had to prove it to myself with the next victim. So I took a big risk in the middle of the day and shoved the fifth target. Obviously, it wasn't going to be possible after school while the teachers were on guard.”

He'd managed to confess to all the crimes, making me think he changed his mind halfway through, not because of his own interest, but apparently out of madness, or at least that's how it seemed.

I felt my throat go dry. He wasn't normal. All the hair on my back stood on end as if ice had run down my spine.

“Once the observations got even tighter, I figured I wouldn't find more sheep. Laughing at the teachers stamping with rage at their inability to catch the culprit, I threw myself down the stairs with the intent to end my stint. I played the role of the final victim. I never thought I'd break my wrist. The human body just isn't that sturdy, eh?”

He laughed alone in the silence.

“What are you so proud about?”

I saw Junka more angry in that moment than I had since he'd entered the school.

“Just how much damage did you cause those girls for your own self-satisfaction? Did you just want to scare the students, anger the teachers, and worry the parents? You deserve to die for this, and Yumeko-san must surely be grieving in heaven.”

Kurosawsenpai's expression turned fierce.

“Don't say her name so casually with that mouth. Know your place. You aren't in any position to judge.”

Junka wasn't going to back down.

“You need to stop talking as if you're proud of what you've done, considering you're the worst of the worst, that you push people down the stairs. Can't you reflect on that?”

“As if I would,” he replied, “That would only negate what I've done. I won't repent.”

“So you won't apologise?”

“Of course not.”

Junka shrugged.

“Then make sure you get thoroughly scolded by the police and the teachers, drop out of school —maybe go to a reform school— and pay for your sins.”

Even Kurosawsenpai was a little deflated at that, but his spirit was not betrayed by his voice.

Junka stood.

“Thanks for setting this all up today, Mimatsenpai.”

She waved a hand.

“Don't worry about it. I feel like a weight's been lifted off my chest.”

Junka placed a hand on his chest.

“Let's head back, then. That's the full story of this case.

We rocked back and forth on the bus ride home. Junka spoke to us.

“The one thing sympathetic about Kurosawsenpai is the fact that Hijiri-san was taken so abruptly. I'm sure that sudden loss really wreaked havoc in his heart.”

He concluded by exploring his idea in more depth, “This time, a lot of people had their daily lives disrupted. Everyone takes the daily stuff for granted, but the reality is that it's fragile, and easily destroyed. Maybe people are more mindful of that now, because of the incident.”

An image of the daily life I'd glimpsed at Junka's house came to mind. As did my own life, and the lives of all the people around me…

“Our peaceful everyday lives seem like they'll go on forever, but the truth is they won't, and it isn't hard to bring them to an end. That's why I think we should take each day as it comes and live life without regrets. You know, so we don't go nuts like Kurosawsenpai.”

Just then, the sound of someone's stomach rumbling rang out. It was Nao, and her face was red.

“Hey, let's eat. None of us have yet, anyway.”

Junka smiled wryly.

“Let's.”

Ten minutes later, we'd sated our appetites with fast food in a refreshingly cool restaurant. Eiji mumbled about how such a thing could happen while he drank nothing but an ice-coffee.

That's right, Eiji, I haven't forgotten.

“Sannomiya, you're the one that said it. ‘If I lose, fine, I'll join your association for you,' eh?”

He looked like a child caught for shoplifting.

“You prepared for the consequences, Sannomiykun,” asked Junka amusedly as he shoved fries in his mouth.

“I oppose any attempts to force something on Eiji-sama,” Yuuki said, defending him, “Of all the people on this earth, Eiji-sama is the last one I'll let that happen to.”

He knocked her arm aside.

“It's fine, Yuuki. It's true that I lost. I wasn't able to see through to the bottom of this. It's a total defeat.”

He reached to shake Junka's hand.

“Fine, then, why not join the detective association?”

Junka shook his hand firmly.

“Welcome to the association… what about you, Kanno-san?”

She sighed.

“I am his shadow, and where there is light, there is always a shadow. I'll quit the girl's Judo club, and enter the detective association.”

Junka put a fist to the air.

“All right! Now that there's six of us, we can be officially established!”

I held him down so he wouldn't find himself mounting the table and dancing there.

“Unhand me, unhand me! I am Hideyoshi, the regent!”

No you aren't.

Translator's Note:

The journey has just begun for Junka and his association, but this is where I will part ways with him and his crew. After the epilogue, anyway.

Editor's Note:

This is motivating me to try writing my own story, since I keep feeling like I could write better. That'd just be my pride talking if I didn't prove it. Funnily enough, that's why I started translating in the first place. I felt like the people I was reading just weren't timely enough. Now that I'm not translating something anybody cares about, I'm not very timely either, though. Dr. MIA will one day return.

Chapter end