Psychic Detective Yakumo / Shinrei Tantei Yakumo

Epilogue

-

A week after that terrible case -

Ishii was at the university in front of the door to the <Movie Research Circle>.

He was divided as to whether or not he should open this door. He still hadn't organised his feelings.

'Come in.'

There was a voice from the other side of the door.

It appeared that Yakumo had already noticed Ishii's visit. Ishii drew up his courage and opened the door timidly.

Yakumo welcomed Ishii with a yawn.

'H-hello. Sorry for intruding.'

Ishii made his greetings as he stepped inside.

'Well, please sit down.'

Ishii sat on the chair opposite Yakumo as he was told.

Ishii's goal for today was to report the case's progress. However, the truth was that the case was so complicated he didn't know where to begin.

The police still hadn't made an official announcement. Or rather, they couldn't.

That was how strange this case was.

The newspapers and television news channels had been throwing around speculations - it was out of control.

There were headings in sports news like 'Monster born from the flames!' on the front page. Ishii thought it was pertinent, in a way.

'So, what became of the situation afterwards?'

Yakumo brought up the topic, as if he had seen through what Ishii had been thinking about in his head.

'Ah, yes, Ushijima Atsushi confessed - perhaps he is resigned.'

His confession had been shocking -

Twenty-eight years ago, he switched places with his classmate Tobe Kengo at the fire.

He had gazed enviously at the completely different environment Kengo lived in, even though they had been born to the same father, and said that his name was Tobe Kengo when he was saved from the fire and asked his name.

That had probably been a child's frivolous lie.

However, Tobe Masashi's strange position regarding the inheritance, Ushijima's burnt face and the way everyone treated it - these various factors piled up and Ushijima ended up living as Tobe Kengo.

But then, Masashi was diagnosed with cancer and didn't have much longer to live. He might have felt guilty, because it seemed like he would reveal everything.

That was why he killed him -

In order to run away from that crime, Ushijima thought that he had to become another person again.

He borrowed Anna's help to escape and tried to become Oomori Hironori, his old classmate.

He tempted Masato, Oomori's son and made him out to be an accomplice. He killed Hironori, made it look like his own corpse and burnt it.

Since he'd had to cut off his own left hand to do that, it was unusual tenacity.

'Has the investigation into the teacher called Komai been going well?'

Yakumo ran a hand through his messy hair.

'Yes. Ushijima confessed to killing her and making it look like a suicide.'

'Is that so?' murmured Yakumo, looking up at the ceiling.

Now that I think about it, the teacher called Komai was unlucky. She'd committed no crime. She was Hironori's lover - that's all -