The Detective is Already Dead

The name of the messenger who announces peace is...

"I deeply apologize for my repeated rudeness."

Now unmasked, the young dignitary bowed her head.

We'd relocated to what appeared to be a tatami-floored tea room next to the main hall.

"It's quite late for this, but please do enjoy."

The girl offered me tea and sweets—dango and yatsuhashi. Had someone told her about the conversation we'd had in the car? But the one who'd wanted to eat these had been Nagisa...

"I'm terribly sorry. Miss Nagisa and Miss Siesta have various steps to complete..."

She and I were the only ones here. Nagisa and Siesta were in another room, going through the procedures for gaining temporary authority as Tuners. Since there was nothing I could do about that, I took another bite of dango and studied the young dignitary.

Although she'd removed her mask, she was still dressed in those kimono-like robes. Between her clothes and the quiet, tidy way she sat, she reminded me of a hina doll. Her features seemed more European than anything, though, and although she was still young, she was truly beautiful. This was the first time I'd ever seen a Federation Government dignitary's real face. It made me conscious of the fact that there really had been living, breathing humans beneath those masks.

"...The kimono as well?" Although the girl had remained expressionless all this time, her eyes now wavered slightly. "Shall I remove the kimono, as well as the mask?"

Apparently she'd misinterpreted my attention. What an imagination she had. "You did say I should show my sincerity," she went on.

"If that was what I'd meant, I'd be a failure of a human being," I replied. "My apologies. That was a dignitary joke."

"I've never even heard of such a thing." How had she managed to say that with a straight face?

"It's a method of communication. In our advance investigations, we learned that you are very fond of playing around with women, Mr. Kimihiko."

"Who told you that? At least call it something besides 'playing around.'"

Geez. Her face was cool, but this was what she was really like? She didn't seem like she was trying to do a bit with me. She was serious, humble, and capable of being considerate, but she marched to the beat of her own drum: These were my impressions of this girl.

"What's your name?"

She'd somehow managed to take the wind out of my sails. Without really

meaning to, I asked her for her name.

"Noel de Lupwise," she said, looking me straight in the eye. "My code name as a government official is simply 'Lupwise.'"

"If you've managed to become a Federation Government high official at that age, you're really racing up the ladder."

"The Lupwise family is descended from the French aristocracy, and our position in the Federation Government is hereditary."

Noel told me a little more about herself.

She'd become a government official three years ago, when her older brother, who should have been the next head of the family, had vanished. While she hadn't yet gotten many opportunities to handle important jobs, the Federation Government was currently short on people—partly due to the "unknown crisis" she'd just told us about—so even newcomers like her were being put to work.

"I understand the situation, sort of, but...if they're focused on resolving this unknown crisis, and you're new, wasn't there someone who was more suited to the job?"

For example, one of the dignitaries we'd dealt with before had been a crafty old woman code-named Ice Doll. A while back, she'd given the Ace Detective plenty of orders.

"Yes. In fact, other officials are already working on it as well. However, they have another large task to accomplish right now. That was what I wanted to tell you about," Noel said. That was why she'd originally called me to this room; she'd said there was more to discuss.

"It's the Ritual of Sacred Return," she went on, using a phrase I'd never heard before. "Two weeks from now, a peace ceremony celebrating the one-year anniversary of the resolution of the Great Cataclysm will take place, led by the Federation Government. Since the detectives and their assistant saved the world, we would like to have you participate in the ceremony."

Noel held out an invitation.

Apparently, all the former Tuners, any others who'd contributed to the resolution of the Great Cataclysm, and some global VIPs were being invited to this ceremony.

"You're holding it in France?"

"Yes. I know it's very far away, but do you think you could attend?"

It was to be in two weeks. Winter break would be over by then, but it wasn't like we weren't allowed to take time off from university.

"What's going to happen during this ritual, specifically?"

"I believe a similar concept from Japanese culture would be Otakiage," Noel answered.

Otakiage. That's the Shinto ritual where they burn old, used-up charms and things.

"During the Ritual of Sacred Return, the sacred texts compiled by the Oracles will be burned in order to purge past crises and pray for new peace."

"...That sounds kind of religious. So you're going to burn all the sacred texts?"

Mia had shown them to me a few years ago, and I was pretty sure there had been more than a hundred thousand of them then. If they meant to burn those in some kind of order, wouldn't it take them longer than three full days?

"No, not all of them. However, we must burn the origin text, no matter what." "Origin text"? I'd never heard of that.

"It is also referred to as the original sacred text. Possessing it serves as proof that one is the legitimate Oracle. It's written in a language only Oracles can read, and it's said to hold rules regarding the sacred texts...but even I don't know if that's true."

Even ordinary members of the Federation Government weren't allowed to read the sacred texts, and apparently the origin text was even more restricted.

"I'm told that the origin text has a certain special power. By burning it, the Oracle's God-given abilities will be formally returned, which will serve as proof that no further crises will occur on Earth," Noel said. "...Although I've only heard that from others. The Oracle knows the details."

"Then, once the Ritual of Sacred Return is over, Mia and the other Tuners will be officially discharged?"

"In the final analysis, yes, that is what it would mean. At the very least, the Federation Government will no longer ask the former Tuners to resolve crises... I'm aware that the request I've just made seems to contradict this, and I do apologize for that."

So the Federation Government planned to hold the Ritual of Sacred Return in order to set the Tuners free, but the "unknown crisis" of these dignitary killings had broken out right before it was to happen. The timing was incredibly bad, and Siesta and Nagisa had ended up getting the short end of the stick.

"All right, I understand. I'll fill the other two in later."

The two detectives were the main invitees to the ritual. I was only their assistant, and I should respect their decision.

Even so...

"Noel, would you promise me something?" I bowed my head to the official from the world's government. "If Siesta and Nagisa solve this case, and the Ritual of Sacred Return ends without incident, I want you to release them from their mission as Tuners entirely this time."

I gazed at the tatami flooring, then closed my eyes.

"Yes, I promise," she answered promptly. I opened my eyes again. "But why would you go that far, Mr. Kimihiko?"

That was simple. I raised my head. "My wish is—"

A thousand worlds, one wish

"Hurry up or I'll leave you behind, Assistant."

We were on a mountain path, long after sundown. Siesta was climbing the stone stairs ahead of me, but she turned halfway back to glance at me.

The meeting with Noel de Lupwise had ended about two hours earlier. I'd met back up with the detectives, and now, for some reason, I was sweating my way through a nighttime hike. I hadn't gotten much exercise lately, and it was hitting my legs and lower back pretty hard.

"Why are we doing this, anyway?"

"Well, we promised we'd make our first shrine visit of the year today, didn't we?" Siesta said. She was wearing a formal kimono that was mostly white, and there was an ornamental hairpin in her pale silver hair instead of her usual clip.

True, we'd made plans for a shrine visit last night at the detective agency. The Federation Government's abrupt summons had changed those plans, but now we'd returned to our original goal. We'd just passed through the famous thousand torii gates and were heading for the shrine beyond them.

"I wasn't picturing anything this serious, though."

If we were just paying a visit to a shrine, there was a perfectly fine hall of worship much closer to the entrance, but Siesta had said "That would be boring" and started climbing the mountain. In a formal kimono. Ignoring the cold.

"Don't assume I'm a normal woman." "Yeah, no normal woman would say that." Siesta smiled and started walking again. "Still, this place is pretty creepy."

I knew it was sacred ground, but all those torii gates and fox statues made it feel ominous. Granted, it would probably seem a bit different during the day.

"People do say that torii gates might connect to eternity and the afterlife."

I wasn't able to immediately process the two words Siesta had said.

"That's this world and the next world. In other words, the realm of the dead might be just beyond those torii gates."

"Give me a break. Horror's not my thing."

... Besides. I didn't really want to hear Siesta talk about that stuff.

Siesta seemed to have figured that out from my expression; she smiled wryly and apologized. "Maybe it wasn't the realm of the dead. Maybe it was some fantasy parallel universe. There are as many other worlds as there are torii gates."

"That sounds like something from a picture book. Maybe I would've been able to enjoy it when I was a kid."

As we were talking, soft footsteps padded up behind us. "Listen! I keep telling you to wait for me!"

When I turned back, there was Nagisa. She was also wearing a formal kimono and traditional sandals, and her expression was half-angry, half-tearful. I'd been walking pretty slowly, but the distance between us kept widening.

"Geez, it's all red." Having managed to catch up to us, Nagisa sighed, rubbing the place where the thong of her sandal ran between her toes.

Walking was probably going to hurt her. Sighing, I offered Nagisa my back.

We wouldn't have to worry about how we looked to others here anyway. "Huh? You'll carry me?"

"I can manage three minutes max."

"You're a pretty unreliable hero." Laughing, Nagisa climbed onto my back, and I felt the softness and heat of her body. Once she was situated, I started walking slowly.

"......"

Someone was giving us a pointed look.

"What's the matter, Siesta? Aren't you going to go?" "...Not that it matters or anything."

Siesta's answer didn't quite match my question as she walked on ahead in a huff. Her shoulders slumped a little.

"Siesta's cute like that sometimes." Nagisa smiled next to my ear. I agreed with her just a bit, although I didn't say so out loud.

Taking breaks now and then, we kept passing through those endless torii gates until we finally reached our destination. There was a small shrine and yet another torii gate; the moonlight gave them a mystical feeling. From that open space, we could look out over the city.

"Mm-hmm. I knew it. Even if we had to push it a bit, this was worth the climb." Tucking her hair behind her ear, Siesta smiled at the view.

"It's kind of late for this, but I'm embarrassed that I took that piggyback offer now..." Nagisa mumbled, then went to stand beside her.

An illuminated torii gate and two girls in formal kimonos at the peak of a small mountain, under a starry sky—a scene out of a fantasy.

I hung back slightly to take it in.

...No, it wasn't the scene I was focused on. It was those two. I gazed at the backs of the girls who'd just agreed to be temporary Ace Detectives.

A little while later, Nagisa and Siesta seemed to notice that I was being oddly quiet. They turned around, almost in sync. I shook my head, telling them it was nothing.

"You're both planning to participate in the Ritual of Sacred Return, aren't you?"

I'd told them what I'd heard from Noel on our way up here, but apparently I hadn't needed to. Someone had relayed that information to them while they were going through the procedures for becoming proxy Ace Detectives.

"Yes—there's going to be a ball, isn't there? We'll get to wear evening dresses! I can't wait," Nagisa said.

And then there was Siesta. "I hear there'll be a banquet after the ceremony. Of course I'll go."

"Your reasons for participating have nothing to do with the actual event."

Of course, the main event was the burning of the origin text, but there would also be a ball and a banquet to entertain the guests. Apparently, the ceremony really was meant to celebrate the resolution of the Great Cataclysm as well.

"Before that, though, we'll have to resolve that 'unknown crisis.'" "Right. In just two weeks, hm...? We're going to be busy."

Siesta drew a quiet, deep breath, and Nagisa stretched emphatically.

Ideally, we'd neutralize the threat before the Ritual of Sacred Return, which was meant to symbolize the achievement of peace. I'd promised Noel we'd contact her at our discretion whenever we made any progress.

But was it going to be possible to get it under control in just two weeks? In all the previous global crises the Ace Detective had tackled, we'd had to fight for several years and make many sacrifices. Besides, the current detective hadn't been involved with the world for quite a while. Would we be able to make up for that in such a short time frame?

"Every building with a light on has someone in it, doesn't it?" Nagisa said, out

of nowhere. She was gazing at the city. "In every life, there will always be pain and sadness, and nights when people want to scream that they wish tomorrow wouldn't come, but...I'd like to be the sort of person who can reach out and help them through it. Because once, someone saved me that way," she said, reminiscing.

"Yes, let's do it. We'll save people, towns, big cities, nations, and then— someday, we'll save the world again," Siesta declared, focusing on the distant future.

The air was crystal clear here, at the top of a mountain on a winter night. As the two women looked at the lights of the town, the spotlights that shone on the torii gates dimly illuminated their shapes.

"Oh, I see."

It wasn't like how it had been before. There were two of them here now.

Two grown, living detectives were here. In that case, I was sure...

After that, we made a late first shrine visit. We tossed coins into the offering box beyond the torii gate, bowing and clapping twice before the altar. Then we put our hands together and prayed to the gods.

Worries and prayers. Wishing "I don't care how you do it, I want you to help me." Way back when, I'd only had one wish: I'd wanted to wake Siesta from her eternal slumber.

In order to make that forbidden wish a reality, we'd left on a dazzling journey. We'd given up many things in exchange, and yet we'd made it through the Great Cataclysm to arrive at a miracle. The sleeping detective had awakened and come home to us.

Now we had these peaceful days, where the world didn't even need the Tuners anymore. We'd won. We'd overcome every sort of global crisis and injustice. So what was I wishing for now? Just one thing.

Let the detectives who saved the world live quietly and happily from now on.

That was the last thing I'd told Noel, and now I silently said it again as a prayer.

The guard dog in the iron cage

"Sorry to keep you waiting."

It was the day after we got back from Kyoto.

As I stood in front of the station, checking my watch, I heard a click and felt a

gun muzzle shoved against the back of my neck.

Actually, that was a misunderstanding: When I turned around, I saw that Siesta was merely making a "gun" gesture with her thumb and forefinger. She might have temporarily become the Ace Detective again, but she didn't have her beloved musket back yet.

"That's a new look for you."

We were about to head out on an errand, and instead of her usual dress or the formal kimono she'd worn yesterday, Sierra was in casual clothes: baggy jeans and a patterned jacket. The cap she wore gave her a boyish look—or maybe it was closer to street style. Either way, she didn't seem like her usual self at all, and I ended up looking her over carefully.

"Ogling women like that usually gets you arrested." With a chilly sigh, Siesta returned my gaze.

"Only 'usually'? Does that mean I'm safe this time?"

"As long as I'm the one you're ogling, yes," Siesta retorted, then resettled her cap on her head.

"What happened to your regular clothes?"

"I wanted to wear the outfit I bought when Nagisa and I went shopping." "You didn't invite me to that party."

"Why are you trying to crash a girls' outing?" "I'm glad you two get along so well."

Siesta and Nagisa were more than work colleagues—they were best friends.

A tragedy had torn them apart once, but now they'd finally managed to regain the friendship they'd had.

"I do feel a little strange in clothes someone else picked out, though." Even as she spoke, Siesta was gazing at her outfit happily.

She's changed a bit, I thought.

I didn't know exactly which time to compare to, but Siesta was clearly softer around the edges than she had been when I'd first met her, or when we'd traveled together. She'd started smiling.

Of course, her old attitude—indifferent, to the point of stoicism—had probably been her defining trait, but I'd wanted her to be more human, more susceptible to trivial emotions. And so this Siesta was the one I—

"Shall we go?"

As I stood lost in thought, she held out her pale left hand to me. That hand was the one thing that hadn't changed.

It was the same at ten thousand meters, and also here, with our feet firmly

planted on the ground, this close to each other.

After that, Siesta and I climbed into a taxi and went to prison.

By "prison," I mean exactly what it sounds like...but I wasn't an incoming convict. I'd come to meet someone who was being held here.

"Do you think we'll really get to see her, though? I admit it's going incredibly well so far, but..." I asked Siesta as we followed a corrections officer through the building.

We'd tried to meet this prisoner many times before, but they'd never granted our requests for an interview.

"Yes. As long as we've got this, it's a sure thing." Siesta flashed the notebook that marked her as a Tuner. The Federation Government had officially issued it yesterday.

"...I see. This'll be the first time in a year, then."

We walked down some stairs, and down more stairs, until we finally reached the deepest part of the basement: a small, completely sealed steel room.

With a dull noise, a heavy shutter retracted to the side, revealing the figure behind the bars. A woman was sitting there with her chin in her hand. She had the eyes of someone who would kill anyone—even a god.

"You've got fifteen minutes," the corrections officer said, then left us. Taking a deep breath, I called the name of the woman in the cage. "It's been a long time, Ms. Fuubi."

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