(That makes sense now.)
Tomie was relieved.
Though they did whatever they pleased everywhere they went, the Tomies' breadth of knowledge was still too limited; they hadn't come into contact with many other anomalies.
Only after listening to Amamiya Rin unravel it thread by thread did they realize that, in this bizarre, kaleidoscopic world, the things that seemed most absurd and preposterous were often the very embodiment of its most fundamental logic.
However, that particular Tomie obsessed with forging her muscles wasn't all that excited about it.
Whether immense power could be attained overnight—she didn't actually care all that much.
What she cared about was the process of training: the feeling of her muscles growing stronger bit by bit, the process of her body's contours becoming, day by day, more imbued with the beauty of strength.
Even if there were a cheat-code shortcut, she would still work out every single day.
No—the so-called cheat was merely several extra decades of time conjured out of thin air; the training was still done by her own hands. In her eyes, it was no different from usual.
It wasn't just Flesh-Mod Tomie; the other Tomies took an indifferent attitude as well.
To Amamiya Rin, the Sandman's curse was an earth-shattering upheaval, a cheat for staying alive.
But to them, who were all but immortal, whether they had this curse or not made little difference.
In the afternoon, Amamiya Rin received a text from Mamiya Yuka.
[Amamiya-kun, there's news about that ruin you wanted me to look into. It's called the "Ashin Mask Mound," located near xx Town in Aomori Prefecture—fairly remote. However, that special child's skeletal remains mentioned in the excavation report from back then reportedly went missing many years ago. After the school that originally kept the remains reported it to the police, they searched for a long time but never found out where they'd gone. Sorry I couldn't be of more help.]
Amamiya Rin read it through quickly, his fingers tapping out a reply on the screen.
[No, this is very helpful. The ruin's exact location is the key clue. Thank you for your trouble, Mamiya.]
News half bad, half good.
In the manga, that skeleton had mysteriously vanished too—so this matched up.
What Mamiya Yuka had dug up brought no pleasant surprises, but it didn't disappoint him either.
At the very least, he now had the ruin's exact location.
Amamiya Rin simply didn't buy it—that an ancient ruin bearing the name "Ashin Mask Mound," having weathered countless ages, would have only that single child's skeleton buried within it?
As long as he found the place, he was bound to discover something else.
(Whoever has the time, go make the trip for me.)
Amamiya Rin sent out a call for help through the [Tomie Network].
He still had to go visit Murata Yukichi to seek instruction in supernatural Hypnosis, and had no spare energy to head to the ruin himself.
(I'll go.)
A somewhat languid thought quickly chimed in, belonging to a certain Tomie who'd been feeling bored of late.
She'd been wanting to find something fresh to pass the time, and a jaunt out to remote Aomori Prefecture, doubling as a little short trip, sounded pretty nice.
(But you're covering my travel expenses, okay?)
Amamiya Rin naturally agreed.
However, even as he answered without hesitation, a very practical problem surfaced in Amamiya Rin's mind once more.
He realized his money seemed to be running short again.
The funds Vampire Tomie had "procured" from the distillery earlier hadn't amounted to much by the time his share reached his hands—after all, there were far too many Tomies in Tokyo, and once each took several hundred thousand to a million, there wasn't much left over for him.
A consultation at Murata Yukichi's level would surely not come cheap. If no income came in, it wouldn't be long before he became a pauper again.
"Hmm, I can get her travel expenses reimbursed through Fujino Terumi..."
Amamiya Rin muttered to himself, then recalled yet another matter.
"...I forgot to ask Inspector Indou when those bonuses would come through."
He'd provided so much intelligence and taken so many risks; according to the terms of the contract, he ought to be entitled to a fair amount of bonus money.
Unless—the intel he'd provided before signing the contract didn't come with any bonus!
Surely it wasn't that much of a rip-off?
At this thought, Amamiya Rin went ahead and fired off a text to Indou Ranko.
Not long after he sent it, he received Indou Ranko's reply.
[The Dissolution Incident, the Vampire Incident, the Slit-Mouthed Woman Incident—based on the intel and assistance you provided, the bonus is estimated at around one million. Come pick it up tomorrow morning.]
Seeing the contents of the text, Amamiya Rin finally broke into a satisfied smile.
In this era, one million was equivalent to several months' wages for an ordinary person.
[There's one more thing I think I should mention to you. The organization has decided to release Aizawa Yuuma.]
However, the second text that immediately met his eyes froze that trace of a smile at the corner of his mouth in an instant.
"What is this supposed to mean?"
Amamiya Rin's brows knit together into a deep furrow, his voice carrying an incredulous bewilderment.
The evidence of Aizawa Yuuma's crimes was ironclad, and now they were talking about releasing Aizawa Yuuma? Had they lost their minds?
That guy had killed at least a thousand people. Even in Japan, where death sentences were notoriously hard to hand down, crimes this horrific could have him executed dozens of times over.
Even if the crimes couldn't be made public—since revealing paranormal incidents could easily cause panic and indirectly give rise to even more urban legends taking shape—he didn't believe the Japanese police were really so law-abiding that they'd insist on procedural justice.
If that were really the case, then with no evidence to prove that Hirano Yuji had eaten and killed people, how had he confessed to his crimes and ended up in prison? It was none other than through illegal means like the Great Memory Restoration Technique.
A surge of frustration clogged his chest. His finger hovered over the dial button, on the verge of simply calling Indou Ranko directly to demand just what was going on.
Just then, a third text popped up at exactly the right moment.
[No need to ask me what exactly happened. Politicians are always making foolish decisions, and they never give the real reasons for them.]
As if she could see his actions and state of mind across the distance, Indou Ranko's text cut off his impulse.
Amamiya Rin stared at the words on the screen, and after a long while his shoulders slumped slightly; the anger that had so suddenly flared up dissolved into a kind of absurd resignation.
"It really is... well-reasoned and well-founded—truly admirable."
Mulling it over along the lines of Indou Ranko's message, Amamiya Rin found that, given the sheer level of absurdity Japanese politics had displayed throughout history, any decision that broke through the floor of decency hardly seemed worth being shocked over.
Especially the upper echelons of the political world these days—he reckoned they were all a bunch of old fossils who refused to die, their brains long since gone rotten.
"As expected, hiding myself and not cooperating deeply with the government is the right call—the Japanese government can only make a mess of things."
In some vague, intangible way, Amamiya Rin had a premonition.
Sooner or later he would have to throw down with the Japanese government—if for no other reason, then the gas bacteria that triggered the end of the world were reason enough on their own.
Who knew how many hidden dangers Japan's top brass had created. Amamiya Rin strongly suspected that it wasn't just the gas bacteria in "Gyo"—the Zombie apocalypse in "I Am a Hero" was likewise connected to Japan's upper echelons.
"Still... now that Aizawa Yuuma has been released, I need to get my hands on that sound-wave cancellation technology as soon as possible."
Amamiya Rin murmured to himself and picked up his phone again.
He didn't call Indou Ranko; instead he placed a call to Kazumi Junya, asking about that research institute studying noise that he'd once mentioned to Kazumi Junya.
Come to think of it, Murata Yukichi's Hypnosis also worked through sound. If he could obtain that institute's technology and build a corresponding device to work in tandem, he might be able to deploy large-scale illusions.
"That research institute you mean? I've looked into it."
Kazumi rattled off a detailed address, located in a certain ward within Tokyo—not especially remote.
Although Aizawa Yuuma's arrest had meant the police never pursued this line any further, the location of that research institute had already been dug up.
(Who'll make the trip?)
After hanging up, Amamiya Rin once again posted a task on the [Tomie Network].
Same as before—he had no spare time or energy for the moment, and could only count on the Tomies.
However, this time he didn't get a ready response.
(You really know how to order people around, don't you.)
(Do you take us for your underlings?)
(I've noticed your attitude toward us is getting more and more dismissive.)
...
First running errands, then handing down tasks as though it were a matter of course—Amamiya Rin's attitude stirred up the Tomies' discontent, and they began grumbling one after another in the [Tomie Network].
Arrogant, haughty, self-centered—Tomie's nature had never changed. Even Amamiya Rin, if his attitude wasn't proper, would just as easily inflame their sensitive hearts.
(...Sorry. I thought there was no longer any need for such distance between us.)
Amamiya Rin lowered his eyes and murmured to himself, the fluctuations of his mood sinking low.
No quibbling, nothing more said, no display of any great agitation.
A simple, plain single sentence left the [Tomie Network] at a loss for words.
(...)
Within the [Tomie Network], those grumbling thoughts suddenly fell quiet for a moment.
(...Tch.)
Afterward, the first voice to sound carried a trace of impatience, yet it wasn't as sharp as before.
(Don't pull that act—putting on a show won't work on me, you know.)
That was what she said, but the discontent directed at Amamiya Rin had clearly eased somewhat.
(Right, right—a bad attitude is a bad attitude, and apologizing won't fix it!)
(Still... seeing as you're owning up to it so sincerely...)
(You're always getting into trouble, and in the end I'm the one who has to help clean it up.)
(Fine, fine—I'll just treat it as a way to pass the time; it happens there's been nothing interesting lately anyway.)
(But don't go thinking that playing the pity card actually works! Since you can already deal with the death threat of the Long Dream, there's no need to be so pressed for time anymore—so set some time aside to go shopping with me.)
(Stop sticking your nose into other people's business! Spend more time with me.)
(You're always saying you regard me as someone close to you, but your mind is set on others, isn't it?)
...
For a while, the [Tomie Network] grew lively again.
Thoughts chattered up once more, all talking over one another; the grumbling notions were still there, but the heat had gone out of them, and a subtle reaction had crept in besides.
(Mm, with a lifespan extended from a few months to several decades—maybe even immortality—if things aren't so urgent, that leaves more free time too.)
The corner of Amamiya Rin's mouth curved ever so slightly, but it was gone in a flash; his lighthearted words betrayed a sense of ease and relaxation.
____
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