Not a detective

Page 83

He actually understood what Chizuko-senpai meant. Simply killing those social elites might not be effective and would only make things easier for them. If they were given that kind of drug, they would gradually become useless, slowly feeling everything around them drifting away, and their proud abilities constantly disappearing.

Their status will be stripped away, taken away and trampled underfoot by those they once looked down upon, and they won't even be able to take care of themselves, and their families will begin to despise them...

Ultimately, this feeling of utterly losing their dignity will completely destroy their spirit.

Shinonome Suetsuki's revenge was quite successful.

Asakawa Riku still frowned: "I still can't understand why you insisted on hiding this day."

“I saw that you were still unconscious at the time, so I thought this was a good opportunity.”

Moyue replied, "If I make you think today is December 25th, then the actual 25th never happened. This is my best alibi."

"That's a complete alibi."

Asakawa Riku immediately retorted, "Have you forgotten how many people saw what you did? Not to mention the manager, there was the idol, the other people in the restaurant, the police in the parking lot, even the other members of the Furukawa Group, and the staff cleaning up at the Shutenkan. They all saw what happened yesterday. Are you going to pretend it never happened?"

He counted on his fingers, and even laughed. Did the detective think that his testimony alone was worth more than that of so many people?

"Uh--"

Mo Yue stammered, clearly indicating that she hadn't thought about the question properly.

Asakawa Riku continued his attack: "Besides, even I might not be able to hide your methods. As long as I look at my phone, I'll know what day it is. Even if I don't pay attention to the date, when I get back to Tokyo, I'll know how many days are left before school starts. And I've disappeared for several days in a row. See, people are already worried and coming looking for me."

He listed out the flaws in this technique one by one, and pointed to Chizuko and Yukie standing to the side.

"I didn't expect anyone to come looking for you..." Mo Yue's answer was weak and feeble, more like an excuse: "I originally planned to send you directly to the hospital in Kyoto, and then say that you had been there for a while, and then tell you the correct time without you even realizing it, so that you would adjust back to the normal time zone and you wouldn't notice..."

Her explanation was no longer convincing to Asakawa Riku.

He helplessly covered his forehead: "You really are a terrible [prisoner]..."

Yes, perhaps Shinonome Suetsuki just thought the technique was cool and used it subconsciously without properly considering its feasibility and completeness.

Higashino Suetsuki excels at breaking situations, reasoning, and solving mysteries, but she is definitely not a criminal.

The person who is truly skilled in that area is actually right next to you.

Asakawa Riku looked up and saw Chizuko-senpai tilting her head, looking bewildered. Yes, it was that innocent expression that she hid best.

—The one who is truly skilled at planning and weaving a web is definitely not Shinonome Suetsuki.

"If you'd like, tell me about your mother when you get back. I'll pretend I didn't hear anything about this. Taking your money makes me your accomplice."

Asakawa Riku stood up and said to the surprised Suezuki, "Don't try to hide it from me next time. With your amateurish skills, you're better suited to be a detective."

"Don't call it 'a mediocre'..."

Mo Yue bared her teeth angrily and stomped her feet incessantly.

Just when they thought the matter was finally over, Chizuko suddenly broke the silence and said something:

"Wait, it's not over yet."

The truly skilled criminal has arrived.

"Since we're already here, why not get to the bottom of this, shall we?"

Winter of Demons: Chapter Twenty-Seven - The Abode of Demons

Asakawa Riku returned to his room and changed his clothes.

He had intended to wear that suit to look cool, and it was still hanging in the closet of his hotel suite.

But considering where we might be going later, I decided against it. Suits aren't bulletproof, and they're not very practical. They're too fitted; they'd tear easily with the slightest pressure.

In the end, he wore the same clothes he had at the beginning: a student-style sweater and windbreaker, and his hair was casually left down, giving him a more youthful look.

Before leaving, he took out the box of chocolates that Yuki had given him and ate another one.

This time, Riku Asakawa didn't take one from the surface. Instead, he turned the box inside out and randomly picked one from a hidden compartment.

Although the design was intended to allow you to eat the surface first and then the inside, it may have just been a sudden inspiration, or perhaps he simply wanted to maintain a balance between the two sides.

Today's fruit was very bitter, but he couldn't tell what flavor it was, though he felt refreshed and invigorated.

Only after comparing it with the paper did I realize that it was Caribbean cocoa bean flavored.

...

"Your plan isn't to deceive Asakawa-kun, but to deceive the police, right?"

In the other room, Chizuko leaned close to Shinonome Suetsuki's ear and whispered, "Because this plan simply can't be kept from him. You know yourself that he'll notice something's wrong as soon as he glances at the time, so there's no point in hiding it from him. You're doing this so that if the police investigate, he'll be bewildered as to why there's a day missing. His behavior will prove that he's not your accomplice, that you didn't cooperate in the crime. That way, you can completely clear Asakawa-kun of suspicion, right?"

"I do not know what you're talking about."

Mo Yue whistled without blushing at all.

Chizuko smiled and said, "Don't worry, I won't expose you. On the contrary, I'm very grateful to you... Your deception was for 'protection,' which is really good."

...

"Where are we going?"

After changing his clothes, Asakawa Riku returned to his room.

Chizuko led them out of the villa. Even though it was his first time here, he walked in front as if he knew the place like the back of his hand.

She said she still had things to do and continued walking into the mountains without explaining anything.

"Coming."

Chizuko simply said...

Asakawa Riku and Suetsuki exchanged a glance. They were actually quite familiar with this path leading into the mountains; it had only one destination—

"So this is the Wine Paradise Pavilion."

Not long after, Chizuko looked up and admired the building that appeared before her.

A perfect square, with sharp corners, devoid of any decoration or pattern, only pure blackness remains. When the bustling crowds are gone, it becomes even more eerie.

"Have you been here?"

Mo Yue struck up a conversation with her.

Over the years, she could never forget such a guest.

“No, but I had Kiku come and take a look beforehand.” Chizuko smiled, without explaining who Kiku was: “And they discovered something incredible.”

"What did you discover?" Asakawa Riku asked.

Chizuko didn't answer, but instead smiled mysteriously, as if deliberately trying to pique their interest:

Do you know what the significance of the "Wine Heaven Pavilion" is?

"Suddenly I have to play the role of a tour guide..." Asakawa Riku sighed, looking at the building in front of him: "I guess it means 'indulging in pleasure'?"

He recounted his initial guess.

"That's not right, there's no such four-character phrase in Japanese."

Chizuko shook her head.

So Asakawa Riku glanced at Shinonome Suetsuki, trying to pin his hopes on the locals, but the detective girl just shrugged:

“I’ve known this name since I was born, but no one has ever told me its origin.”

"...Then I'll change my name to [Shuten-dōji]. That should sound familiar, right?"

Chizuko said.

"Does it refer to [Shuten-dōji]...?" Asakawa Riku vaguely understood what the other person was about to say; perhaps this was the tacit understanding that came from spending so much time together.

“That’s right.” Chizuko nodded: “‘Shuten-dōji’ is another name for ‘Shuten-dōji’. In folklore, he was also known as ‘Shuten-dōji’, ‘Shuten-dōji’, and so on. Most of these names refer to his love of alcohol. It’s normal for a famous yokai to have many names when it’s widely known.”

"You mean, this museum is named in memory of that monster?"

Asakawa Riku frowned: "Isn't this a bit far-fetched? This is a place for celebrations, why would they worship such a ferocious ghost..."

That monster was indeed very famous, after all, it was one of the "Three Great Monsters". Even without Chizuko's explanation, he had heard many legends about it.

For example, "a demon king in ancient mythology, the leader of the oni clan during the Heian period," and "who feeds on the flesh and blood of women and children, is good at seducing, and cuts off and eats the breasts of women." In his imagination, Shuten-dōji was probably a fierce and ferocious monster with messy hair, horns on top, a huge body, and red skin.

"This is quite normal. It is said that some shrines still enshrine the severed head of Shuten-dōji. It is said that before Shuten-dōji was beheaded by Minamoto no Yorimitsu, he vowed to cure the ailments of those who were dying, 'above the neck'. So later generations worshipped his head as a lucky charm, perhaps to cure their own ailments above the neck."

Chizuko didn't take it seriously, but Asakawa Riku gained a new understanding of the strange objects of worship held by the Japanese:

"He might be mentally ill."

Suezuki and Yukie both laughed.

Chizuko smiled and continued, "At first, I also thought that it was my occupational hazard to associate the name with that monster. But when I remembered where this mansion is located, I immediately changed my mind. This is definitely not far-fetched. This mansion must have an inseparable relationship with Shuten-dōji."

"The location..." Riku Asakawa thought: "Kyoto?"

Since Kyoto was an ancient capital, the story of Shuten-dōji seems to have taken place in Kyoto as well.

"No, it's Mount Oe. It's my fault, I should have thought of it when I heard the name that day."

Chizuko emphasized, "Asakawa-kun, I really should have given you a crash course on the basics of yokai, otherwise we wouldn't have missed such crucial information. In ancient times, Shuten-dōji occupied Mount Ōe in Tanba Province as a bandit tyrant, also known as the Oni of Mount Ōe. The so-called Tanba Province roughly included central Kyoto Prefecture, eastern Hyogo Prefecture, part of Takatsuki City in Osaka Prefecture, and part of Toyono Town in Toyono District of Osaka Prefecture. After the abolition of feudal domains and the establishment of prefectures in Meiji 4, it was divided into Hyogo Prefecture and Kyoto Prefecture. And Mount Ōe is the place we are standing on."

In other words, Shuten-dōji is a local yokai from Mount Ōe...

A sudden gust of cold wind swept over, a chill creeping up my spine, and an air of dread crept in without my noticing.

Although the sky was clear, it was inexplicably gloomy, bringing with it a sense of foreboding.

When the names of Oeyama's Sake Tenkan come together, no coincidence is more than a coincidence.

"Yes, the legendary Dragon Palace is the palace of Shuten-dōji, Asakawa-kun. You should understand what I mean now."

Chizuko looked at them: "This is already the biggest clue."

Asakawa Riku was stunned: "This... is this the abode of demons?"

Winter of the Demons: Chapter Twenty-Eight - The Dragon Palace

Asakawa Riku led them into the Sake Tenkan.

The gate was tightly sealed, with not only seals but also heavy chains, as if trying to seal something away.

However, Chizuko said that was not the case at all, it just looked like it, so Asakawa Riku easily broke the chain with his hand and kicked the door open.

"I'll go in first."

He said something, and after checking that it was safe by looking around, he let the women behind him in.

Stepping into the deserted hall, it was incredibly spacious. Everything had been cleaned up yesterday, just like a sports stadium.

The ground echoed with every step, and the place was rather dark because the lights were off and there were no windows.

"I only discovered the anomaly when I accidentally let Aju investigate."

Chizuko walked in casually: "Perhaps it's the lingering thought process from searching for the 'lost thirteen steps.' I didn't expect to find anything, but I didn't expect..."

"You mean-"

Asakawa Riku immediately realized something, and he half-squatted down, gently placing his hand on the floor.

I immediately sensed something was wrong.

shock.

The ground was trembling slightly; though inconspicuous, it could only be felt upon close contact.

The subtle changes were like a "heartbeat," except it wasn't a human heartbeat, but the heartbeat of this building, as if something was alive.

That must be the sound of machinery running; perhaps something unimaginable is hidden beneath it.

"It was a basement..."

Asakawa Riku finally understood that this place was based on the same principle as the ghost story of the "disappearing thirteen steps"—it was hidden underground.

“I’m afraid it’s not just a basement… but an underground fortress.” Chizuko shook her head: “Below this should be the legendary [Dragon Palace].

This place is much larger than just the cellar of the school clinic; what Kiku saw was far more astonishing.

"That's great!" Shinonome Suetsuki exclaimed excitedly, happily pulling Chizuko's hand and spinning her around. "Thank you so much, Chizuko-chan, it's all thanks to you."

"nor……"