Chapter 99: My Father-in-Law’s Diary
In the rest room, Shiraishi Teru emerged from the bathroom and quietly picked up the worn diary lying on the bed. By regulation, any belongings of the deceased should be turned over to police headquarters. Given the case’s extraordinary nature, this diary ought to be handed to the Special Division. Yet, his wife had entrusted it to him, placing all her hopes in her husband. Shiraishi Masaki trusted no one else—only him.
He affixed Masaki’s sticky note to the wall beside the pillow. Seeing the emoticon again, a pang of tenderness stirred in his eyes. He knew the sudden, gruesome deaths of her parents must have left her in anguish. Yet, to spare him worry, she hid her pain in the note’s words. When he’d insisted on the trial-and-error test, her pleading eyes had begged him to stop, but she hadn’t stood in his way. Even when her mother objected, Masaki had supported him. If he’d perished, what would have become of his wife and son? He’d been selfish. Guilt gnawed at him.
With these thoughts, he opened the diary’s first page. The light spilled across the mottled, yellowed paper, evoking the feel of an old period drama.
"March 15, 1999. Spring, light rain.
The new semester begins, and Masaki heads off to school. I need to work harder, earn more, and stop wallowing. No more conflicts with colleagues—be cautious, give it my all…
Because my family’s hopes rest on me…"
Just one page, and the heavy, deliberate handwriting confirmed it was his father-in-law’s diary. This was 2020; 1999 was twenty-one years ago. His father-in-law would have been in his thirties then, and Masaki, at eleven, was still in elementary school. Imagining his wife as a young girl brought a faint smile to his face. He hadn’t known her then. Given her father’s doting nature, the diary was sure to be filled with stories about her.
As expected, page after page detailed Masaki’s life. Whether work brought setbacks, stress weighed him down, or his mood soured, her father returned home to her smile, and the day’s gloom lifted. To him, his wife and daughter were the reason he kept going. The diary wasn’t thick, but its words brimmed with paternal love, reminding Shiraishi Teru of his own son. He smiled warmly.
Soon, he reached the second-to-last page.
"April 28, 1999. Clear weather.
Exhausted today, but knowing I’d see my wife and daughter at home lifted my spirits.
But as I reached the doorstep, I heard Masaki crying, shouting in pain.
I froze, then rushed into the living room like a madman.
That sweet, rosy face was streaked with tears, her forehead bleeding, her long hair hacked into a mess, her arms bruised and scratched…"
Shiraishi Teru’s eyes, once warm, turned icy. His fist clenched instinctively. Realizing this was twenty-one years ago, he forced himself to calm, though his quickened breathing betrayed him.
"In that moment, my head spun. I broke.
I shouted at my wife, demanding to know what happened, why she hadn’t protected our daughter, why Masaki was hurt.
I knew I was just venting—unleashing years of pent-up pressure. Masaki’s pain was the spark that set me off, like a volcano erupting.
How laughable. I’d endured others’ bullying for so long, yet today, I became the person I despised most, spewing my negativity onto my family, setting a terrible example for my daughter…
It wasn’t until I saw the fear in Masaki’s eyes that I snapped out of it. I knelt, holding her tightly, unable to do anything but repeat, ‘I’m sorry…’
I’m sorry."
The page left Shiraishi Teru heavy-hearted. The warmth of earlier entries crumbled in his mind. He saw a father gasping under life’s pressures, his daughter’s smile a fleeting salve. He didn’t know what his father-in-law had faced—work details were glossed over, the diary focusing on family life. Silently, he turned to the final page.
The first line made his pupils contract: "I buried him alive."
Shiraishi Teru froze. Perhaps exhaustion blurred his mind, but he pictured his father-in-law’s honest smile. He couldn’t believe the man had killed. Yet, the handwriting matched perfectly. Taking a deep breath, he steadied himself. This page lacked a date, reading more like a confession.
"I went to the parents of the boy who hurt my daughter, asking for an apology. They threw me out, offering only money as compensation.
I accepted it with a smile, their scorn leaving me oddly calm.
Days later, I found someone in my hometown village. I asked him to kidnap someone for me.
He agreed—he owed me for saving his family years ago.
I told him to act when I was at work and my wife was out. I didn’t want one child to ruin my family. I needed an alibi.
The plan was simple and went flawlessly.
When I returned home, I saw the boy’s terrified eyes. I didn’t curse or hit him.
I took a shovel, dug a pit in the yard, and prepared to bury him alive.
Midway, my wife came home and saw.
To my surprise, she—always so kind—said nothing. She silently helped me.
We didn’t speak until the soil was packed. Rika told me that when Masaki grew up, married, and found her own support, we’d turn ourselves in.
I agreed.
I told her I’d record it all in this diary. If it’s found, that’s our fate.
She smiled, relieved, and it was beautiful.
Tonight, the moon is bright, the stars clear."
Shiraishi Teru flipped to the next page, but it was blank. He sat dazed, emotions churning, mind in disarray. Snapping back, he rushed downstairs, found the young assistant, and, after navigating protocols, secured a call to Masaki.
"Dear, aren’t you working? How do you have time to call?" Masaki held her parents’ photo frame, cheeks still wet with tears. Hearing her husband’s voice, she suppressed her grief and spoke gently.
"Masaki, have you read the diary?"
"No," she replied quickly, anxious. "Didn’t you always say not to tamper with case evidence? I didn’t touch it, afraid I’d ruin it. Is it damaged?"
Relieved, he smiled. "No, it’s fine, but it may need to stay with the Special Division."
"That’s okay."
"I’ll hang up now. Wait for good news."
"Okay." Her voice trembled with suppressed sobs.
Shiraishi Teru ended the call in silence.
(End of Chapter)
Chapter 100: As Humans Act, Heaven Watches
Knock, knock, knock! As Akimura Wataru frowned over files, a knock interrupted him.
"Come in."
Shiraishi Teru entered, burying his complex feelings about his in-laws and his pity for his wife. Facing Akimura, he skipped pleasantries. "Senior Akimura, I’d like to review files for victims aged twenty-five to forty."
Akimura’s expression sharpened. "You’ve found a lead?"
"I have a theory, but it needs verification."
"Then I suggest a meeting with the monitors," Akimura said gravely. "Inspector Shiraishi, the Special Division isn’t like headquarters. Any hint, even a wrong one, must be reported."
Unlike other inspectors, Shiraishi Teru joined the Special Division to uncover the anomaly’s nature, earning Shiori’s approval through trial and error. Inspectors like Akimura, however, were handpicked from headquarters for their excellence, per the Special Division’s request. Tokyo’s headquarters had recently issued directives for regional branches to educate police on ghosts, grudges, and anomalies—preparation for their main task: selecting intelligent, experienced officers with a sacrificial spirit. These officers would train as monitors’ assistants. Those with exceptional ability and spiritual aptitude could reach the third stage, joining the monitors’ ranks with the division’s resources.
Akimura, briefed on these rules, knew Shiraishi Teru—admitted on Shiori’s whim—was unaware of them. Shiori, a monitor on the case, was too busy investigating to brief him. Hearing this, Shiraishi Teru nodded decisively.
Fifteen minutes later, in the meeting room, a monitor codenamed Green Tea spoke. "You’re saying the Ghost Calls kills based on a ‘kidnapping’ rule?" Lounging in his chair, he scanned the inspectors before squinting at Shiraishi Teru. "Care to share your reasoning?"
The Ghost Calls case prompted Shikoku’s Special Division to deploy three monitors—an unprecedented response. This anomaly, the first to kill via a ringtone, was a song without physical form. Unchecked, its threat was limitless. Unlike Hell Girl, constrained by online information and requiring intense hatred, Ghost Calls spread through ubiquitous phone ringtones, despairing all monitors. Shikoku’s branch had been contacting Tokyo for support, and Tokyo promised nationwide assistance, including rule-based items if needed.
To Green Tea’s question, Shiraishi Teru didn’t answer directly. "Before I explain, I have a question, Lord Green Tea. Does hearing New Beginning trigger the anomaly’s killing rule?"
Green Tea’s mind churned. He paused, then met Shiraishi Teru’s gaze. "You’ve already confirmed this, haven’t you?"
"With low certainty," Shiraishi Teru said cautiously. "I need the monitors’ verification."
"No need." The meeting room door swung open, and Shiori entered. Nodding slightly at Shiraishi Teru, she said, "You’re correct. Some victims share a commonality: they heard New Beginning’s melody."
Green Tea greeted Shiori, then frowned. "Isn’t that obvious? The song’s change is the rule’s embodiment."
"Lord Green Tea, you may not know this." Shiraishi Teru activated the meeting room screen, displaying a news article. "This is a five-year-old report about genius child composer Takanotsume Kaoruko, kidnapped and brutally killed. Believing her captors would free her after payment, she composed New Beginning while captive."
Green Tea’s eyes lit with realization. "So, from this alone, you think the anomaly’s rule targets kidnappers?"
"Not just that." Shiraishi Teru showed two surveillance clips, one from a kidnapping case he’d handled in Kochi Town. "Watch this first." He rewound to the start. "Notice, at exactly 6 p.m., two phones rang. The officer in the passenger seat’s phone rang first, followed almost simultaneously by Kojima Yamato’s."
Shiori pieced it together. "You think the officer’s ringtone was New Beginning, triggering the rule because Kojima Yamato was a kidnapper, killing him?"
Shiraishi Teru nodded. "Yes, but it’s a hypothesis. The Special Division needs to confirm if the officer’s ringtone was New Beginning and if Kojima Yamato’s phone had the song downloaded or saved."
The room fell into thoughtful silence. Akimura Wataru spoke up, eyeing Shiraishi Teru. "Your theory hinges on the anomaly targeting kidnappers. How did you confirm this?"
Shiraishi Teru took a deep breath, gently sliding the diary forward. "Twenty-one years ago, my father-in-law, with an accomplice, kidnapped a child and, with my mother-in-law, buried him alive. This was recorded in this diary, unknown to anyone else. In the Kochi Town case, after Kojima Yamato’s death, his phone dialed two numbers—Uehira Keiji and Hayama Taichi, his kidnapping accomplices. After Uehira Keiji’s death, his phone called another number, which we traced to his partner in a plot to kill the others and take the ransom. We inspectors found no patterns in the files because most victims had no criminal records. But… do they truly have none? As humans act, heaven watches."
(End of Chapter)
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