Spiritual Detective – Touka Fujisaki Never Scoffs at Tragedies Chapter 03

28-36 minutes 24.07.2022

Case number three: The invisible friend.

After returning from Hoshikawa’s mansion, Touka had lost every bit of energy. 

Saku wasn’t surprised.

Saku and Touka have been involved in many gruesome incidents. Both of them witnessed many deaths. But they have never experienced a case in which they failed to protect a young girl who had given them a murder notice. 

Touka wanted to protect her.

She strongly wished to save someone. 

Unfortunately, her wish was not granted in this case.

This fact struck Touka’s heart harder than ever.

Touka abandoned the Ringfit and dove inside the kotatsu.

She is usually the type of NEET who becomes aggressive when it comes to food. 

This time however, she didn’t even touch her snacks.

When it was time to eat, Saku would drag her out of the kotatsu and feed her with his hand. But whenever he’s out for his part time job, Touka would spend the entire time sleeping, not touching any food.

This started to make Saku worried.

“Touka, you should start eating something. You know I’m worried about you.”

“Thank you, Saku-kun… I truly appreciate your kindness. But I just don’t want to,” Touka replied to Saku’s plea in a worn out tone. She closed her eyes and whispered, half asleep, “I wonder why I don’t have the courage to shake off your hand and just die.”

Saku felt a chill as soon as she finished her sentence. He had a feeling that he would lose Touka if he was to leave her alone.

If only something, anything, could be done to change the current situation.

It was at the moment when Saku wished for something to happen.

That someone showed up at his apartment. 

***

“I used to see ghosts… “

The woman began telling her story in a calm tone of voice.

She was a quiet, thin, dark-haired beauty and was wearing a light cream sweater and dark blue jeans under a white down jacket. The way she courteously folded her legs before taking a seat was quite impressive. The woman sat with her back straight and smiled.

Her name is Suzu Morita. She is a childcare worker.

She visited Saku’s apartment by following the address of “Touka’s Spiritual Detective Agency.”

Apparently, Touka had updated her website before visiting Hoshikawa’s mansion and she listed the address of Saku’s apartment as the location of her office. Quite the scary thing to do in this disturbing day and age. 

This couldn’t get any more annoying for Saku as it is unlikely that this woman would be the last client to ever visit him because of the website. Nonetheless, he couldn’t ask her to leave and instead served her a cup of tea to keep her company. Meanwhile, Touka remained hidden in the kotatsu. Saku was left with no choice but to listen to the client’s story on her behalf.

Pressing her hand to her chest, Suzu resumed her story.

“When I was a child, I used to see a ghost. I was friends with that ghost.”

“… I see,” Saku responded in a stiff voice.

All of the ghosts Saku knows have deep regrets in the world of the living. It’s impossible to properly communicate with most of them. It is said that the God of the head house has the ability to summon spirits who have little connection to this world. However, that is only possible because God possessed a strong spiritual ability. 

It was hard to believe that Suzu used to talk to ghosts when she was a child. But Saku chose not to completely deny her statement as there is an exception for every rule, of which he could be unaware. 

It’s never a good idea to assume everything from the start. Thus Saku nodded in reply.

Suzu continued her story. 

“But as I grew older, I could no longer talk to her.”

The ghost was apparently a ‘she—’ a little girl.

Suzu looked sad as she spoke. She lightly bit her lips and said, “I had forgotten about it until now. But I finally remembered. I had a ghost friend. She used to cause rapping sounds in the house and whenever I asked my parents if they saw her, they would reply that they didn’t see or hear anything. It’s nostalgic… So… ”

“How did you come to remember?”

A voice echoed from inside the kotatsu.

Suzu exclaimed in surprise as she looked around. 

A section of the cushion began squirming and wriggling until it was flipped open from the inside.

All of a sudden, Touka’s head popped up from the cushion.

She appeared from within the kotatsu, like a mushroom sprouting from the ground. Her messy hair ruined her pretty face. Touka’s eyes glinted silently from within the tangle of darkness.

Suzu was making an astounded face. She had no idea of what was going on. Saku nodded in sympathy to her feelings. Anyone would have reacted similarly if they saw a person grow out from a kotatsu without a prior notice.

Touka managed to break out from the kotatsu by creeping like a hornworm. She then stretched her back like a cat before tidying up her hair and finally asking the same question.

“How did you come to remember? What was the trigger?”

“Well, I’m not sure what it was exactly… It just popped into my head when I was at work, looking at kids playing in a local park.”

“… I understand. So, what is it that you want from me?” Touka asked, once again.

Suzu let out a small gasp. She was Likely skeptical of Touka from the moment she emerged from the Kotatsu. Nevertheless, she did not give up and continued to describe her request.

“Could you summon the ghost? I want to talk with her as a friend, one more time.”

“I’m afraid that won’t be possible. My eyes can only bridge a connection with spirits that are filled with negative emotions, such as resentment. It’s impossible for me to attract a docile spirit.”

“But even I was able to talk to a ghost. Surely a spiritual detective like you would do more than—”

“As for your memories with the ghost, I admit that it’s a mysterious phenomenon that is outside of my scope of perception. I won’t say you’re lying or it was a dream, but it’s hard to believe that it really happened.”

“It really happened. It was something… Yes, since that accident in the bathroom, she stopped showing up. Maybe it was because many people came to the house that day… I haven’t seen her since then…”

Suzu was staring blankly at empty space, as if she was trying to recall something. Her gaze was wandering vainly in the room. On the other hand, Touka’s eyes narrowed and she sunk into thought, her gaze fixed on Suzu.

A few moments later, Sazu straightened her back once again. She turned to Touka and insisted, “I know it could be impossible, but could you at least try, please? I beg you.” She bowed her head deeply. Despite her seemingly mature appearance, she turned out to have a rather stubborn personality.

Her attitude indicated that she had no intention of backing down.

The room fell silent.

Suzu didn’t add a word.

Touka, too, was deafeningly quiet.

A long time passed with both of them staring at each other.

The ticking of the clock was the only sound disturbing the silence in the room.

Touka was the first to break the silence, eventually. She let out a thin breath and said, “I understand… We lose nothing if we try. Let’s do it. Although I’d say it would be a miracle if I succeed at conjuring a friendly spirit. Anyway, if nothing happens, then please give up and go home.”

“I don’t mind. Please, then.”

“Oh dear, you won’t imagine the joy I’d feel if I succeed at this… Well, I bet it’s useless to even try.” Touka shook her head. Saku, However, was intrigued by Suzu’s request. If Touka is able to summon a friendly spirit, it will open up new opportunities for her to use her abilities. Touka would most definitely be delighted. Saku nervously watched over the situation.

Touka began snapping her fingers before turning to face Saku, unaware of what he was thinking.

Saku returned Touka’s gaze.

His eyes reflected her face like a mirror.

Taking a breath in, Touka opened her arms. Still in her jersey this time, her voice echoed.

“— Come over.”

The next moment, there was a distortion in space.

The world was bridged with ‘somewhere else.’

Two white arms twined around Suzu’s body from behind her.

The ghost’s dark eye sockets twitched with a grin.

It was a child’s body that morphed into a soft, writhing lump of flesh and bounced once on the floor.

“… Wha—!”

“… !”

Saku and Touka were speechless.

Touka was successful in summoning the child ghost. Although, it wasn’t friendly at all.

It clearly appeared to be resentful of Suzu.

Its tiny fingers dug into Suzu’s throat, causing crimson red blood to drip gently.

Suzu let out a short scream.

“Hyi!”

“Why… ?”

Touka became puzzled and raised her voice. She lost her composure and wandered her hands aimlessly in panic.

The situation didn’t make sense. 

Wasn’t the ghost a friend of Suzu?

Why would it want to kill her?

While Saku was asking questions in his head, the ghost continued wriggling its white fingers around Suzu’s throat, slowly digging them deeper and deeper.

At this rate, things will devolve into a major disaster.

Touka, flustered, attempted to stop the ghost, but then her gaze shifted from left to right.

“What should we do… This is not good, Saku-kun.”

There was no way to get rid of the ghost.

Touka had never suppressed a spirit that she had summoned on her own.

Although, there have been cases in which the spirit would disappear, satisfied, when the person against it held a grudge made a heartfelt apology, for example. Some of them would even end up accepting the desperate pleas for mercy of the person and spare their life.

But this time, the situation is different.

This ghost was not supposed to despise Suzu.

And yet, she was being attacked.

Saku felt his blood running cold.

If this continued, Suzu would be killed.

“Suzu-san! Come here!” Pulling her by her arm, Saku attempted to get Suzu away from the ghost. Suzu moved her frozen feet forward. The arms of the ghost stretched softly like a rice cake, but eventually released her throat by scraping away its surface. A line-like trace remained in Suzu’s skin. It was the price she paid to be able to escape from the ghost.

Suzu dashed down the corridor, tumbling down multiple times, in search of the entrance door.

She had no idea the ghost was following her.

“Wait!”

“I can’t let you go!”

Touka and Saku obstructed the ghost’s path.

Dark eye sockets turned their way. For a moment, Saku was overcome by an awful sense of fear and cold. But the ghost didn’t seem to be interested in them. The white lump of flesh moved between them with the agility of a cat, drawing close to Suzu and grabbing her ankle as she approached the doorway.

“Aaah!”

Suzu crumbled on the spot. The white lump of flesh leaned over her.

Suzu began shouting frantically, her arms covering her eyes.

“I’m sorry! I’m sorry! I’m sorry! Forgive me!”

She obviously didn’t know what exactly she was apologizing for. A spirit would never accept such a half-hearted apology. As a matter of fact, The ghost ignored her screams.

Its white arms reached out again, this time for her eyes.

Suzu screamed in terror at the top of her lungs, “Forgive me, Mom!”

She then curled up and started crying, like a child.

The situation changed dramatically the next instant. Saku and Touka could only stare, mouths agape, at what was happening.

“… What?”

The spirit came to a complete halt. Then it loosely let out strength from its white arms.

It appeared to be in a daze, thinking about something.

All of a sudden, it vanished out of sight.

Nothing was left behind.

It was as if the ghost had forgotten about its grudge.

Saku and Touka exchanged glances, taken aback by the sudden shift in events. They both had no idea what was going on from the start. Saku’s mind was racing with questions as he was perplexed.

Why did Touka succeed at summoning the ghost?

Why did the ghost attempt to kill Suzu?

Why did it disappear?

“Su-Suzu-san, are you okay?” Saku called out to Suzu. 

“… Oh, I see.” Suzu responded, dimly, her eyes vacant and staring at the ceiling. The blood running out from her neck stained her sweater in red. Oddly, though, she didn’t seem to feel any pain. Saku tried to help her stand up despite her strange attitude, which gave him an uneasy feeling.

“Are you okay? Let me help you patch this—”

“So that’s how it was.”

Suzu didn’t respond to his question. She just kept muttering to herself and blinking incessantly.

She stood up while swaying, put on her shoes and walked unsteadily, as if she was being manipulated by strings.

She took a step outside after opening the door. Suzu left the apartment while looking as if she got her soul extracted from her body.

The carpet was covered in blood stains.

Saku and Touka were left alone.

***

“I wonder what all of that was,” Touka Said, her chin resting on the tabletop.

Saku shook his head, indicating his confusion.

With a squint, Touka continued, “This is truly worrying. Everything was so strange with that woman. As the young maiden I am, I don’t feel like leaving this matter in the dark.”

Touka would no longer spend her days shutting herself inside the kotatsu since she became concerned about Suzu’s case a few days ago. This made Saku delighted. But at the same time, he agreed with Touka in not leaving Suzu alone after what happened. Regrettably however, they didn’t ask Suzu for her phone number or home address. There was no way for them to reach her.

Saku shook his head, attempting to lighten the mood.

He set a bag on the table that he had brought from his part-time job at the convenience store. It was full of Touka’s favorite snacks. Placing his hand on Touka’s head, he said, “For now, just forget about it and eat this.”

“Wow! Saku-kun is being sweet to me! This is a good day.”

“… It’s better than having you in a state where you can’t even eat.”

Rummaging through the contents of the bag, Touka first picked up a sweet bean-jam bun and took a bite of its soft white dough.

Her appetite had returned, most likely because she had been thinking about Suzu’s case almost constantly.

Saku was grateful to Suzu for bringing them her case. For him, it was certainly what they call a blessing in disguise. 

He despised seeing Touka in such a vulnerable state. As much as he felt sorry for Suzu, her incident had a positive impact on Touka. But there was one lingering question in his mind that bothered him now and then.

(What did Suzu-san realize before she left in the end?)

There was no way he could come up with an answer simply by thinking about it. Saku rolled up the kotatsu cushion and slid in next to Touka. He placed his chin on the tabletop and deeply exhaled. While warming up, he began telling a story he had heard at his part-time job.

“I heard there was a child that went missing in the nearby elementary school. Things have gotten pretty disturbing lately.”

“… A missing child?”

“It hasn’t been reported yet due to an issue involving the parents, but an elementary school student has been missing for a week. You should be careful not to get kidnapped, too, when you go outside,” He warned Touka.

The women of the Fujisaki clan are prone to attract misfortune. 

Nobody could deny that she could get involved and then vanish like that elementary school kid.

“A missing elementary school child, hm.”

Unaware of Saku’s concern, Touka started pondering and mumbling to herself.

“… Elementary school… Park next to her workplace… The trigger that made her remember…”

Pokopen! The next moment, her smartphone made a dumbfounding sound.

Touka peered into the screen. Her expression turned grim. Saku craned his neck to see what was going on. Touka directed her phone toward him. It was an email sent to the mail address in Touka’s homepage. Saku silently read the short message displayed on the screen.

“Thank you for helping last time. I am Suzu Morita. I will start over. Please forget about what happened the other day.”

“… She will start over… Please forget about what happened? What’s the meaning of this?”

“We will go looking for her workplace tomorrow,” Touka abruptly declared, driving Saku to title his head in further confusion.

As far as he knew, there was absolutely no way for them to find where Suzu was working.

“Hold on a minute… Oh, there it is.”

Touka searched through Saku’s bookshelf and pulled out a map of the area. Next, she found an antique compass. Laying the map on the table, she first drew a circle around the nearby elementary school. Then she drew another circle around the largest public park near the school. As a result, a nursery school was caught within that circle.

“I drew a circle around the range in which elementary school kids would most likely act, and another one in which daycare kids would go for a walk… Suzu said that she remembered her ghost friend when she was watching kids playing in a park, while she was at work. Then, she probably works here. While taking the daycare kids for a walk, she ran into elementary school students playing in the park. It was then, when she remembered the ghost.”

“How did you know all of this?”

“This is merely a hunch, but I think that she is somewhat related to the kidnapping of the elementary school child,” Touka claimed, without hesitation. Glaring at the mark she drew around the nursery school, she continued, “I’m sure she was a good friend with the ghost, too.”

Saku had no idea of what she was saying.

Nevertheless, he decided to visit the nursery school with her the next day.

***

“Suzu Morita has been absent from work without permission for quite some time now.”

“Is that so?”

“You are acquaintances, aren’t you? Could you please warn her to return? Also, could you give her this? What? You don’t know her address? You’re her co-worker from a part time job? In that case…”

Saku and Touka were handed a large amount of printouts.

They succeeded in obtaining Suzu’s home address.

It was quite unbelievable in this age of privacy protection.

Fortunately, the principal of the nursery school was the type of person who doesn’t care about details. Her mind seemed to be occupied only with the troublesome thoughts of Suzu being absent without notice. Thus, the first step in Saku and Touka’s plan of meeting Suzu once again was successful.

They walked around the city while relying on the adresse they were given. It was slightly cloudy. They passed through many deserted alleys before eventually, they reached an apartment complex. 

Within the old-looking townscape, a house stood as if buried beneath the complex’s shade.

Judging from the fact there were no newspapers or letters in its mailbox, someone was most likely still living there. Garbage bags however, were lined up in front of the entrance door, emanating an ambiance of neglect.The grass of the yard was also overgrown.  

Saku instinctively hesitated to enter inside. But he reached for the buzzer, anyway.

Right before he could touch it, Touka grabbed his wrist. She was making a solemn face. 

“It’s highly likely there is someone abducted inside.”

“… What?”

Touka’s assertion was incomprehensible for Saku. But he still believed that she must have some sort of basis that made her reach such a conclusion. Saku remembered the elementary school kidnapping case and nodded with a meek expression.

Touka quietly put her hand on the entrance door. Slowly, she opened it by sliding it to the right side.

The door wasn’t locked.

The presence of someone was coming from inside.

Noise could be slightly heard from the entrance. It wouldn’t be surprising if they happened to run into Suzu at any time.

And yet, Touka still stepped inside.

They both broke into the house. They saw the silhouette of someone moving in the kitchen as they sneaked down the hallway. Ignoring it, Touka made her way deeper into the house. But nobody was there. She stood in the middle of the altar room and tilted her head.

It was at that moment when they heard a creaking sound in the ceiling.

Touka and Saku nodded to each other and climbed the stairs.

The second floor was dimly lit. Several doors were lining up in an old hallway. Guessing from the sound of the creaking, Touka opened one of the doors. The lights were turned on inside the room. It was a small japanese-style room with a chest of drawers next to one of its walls and a futon in its center. Saku inadvertently caught his breath when he shifted his gaze to the center.

There was a little girl sitting on top of the futon.

A skinny elementary school girl, looking at them with frightened eyes.

Saku, taken aback, let out a squeezed voice from the back of his throat.

“Why is she here, in Suzu-san’s house?”

“The identity of the ghost she used to be friends with was an invisible human being. Now that she realized the truth, she is trying to start over, making up for the mistakes she committed last time.”

What is an invisible human?

What in the world is Touka talking about?

As always, Saku didn’t have the smallest clue of what was happening. The one thing he was certain of was that he needed to save the elementary school girl in front of him.

With hushed footsteps, Saku and Touka approached the little girl.

A closer look on her revealed dark blue bruises on her skin. Saku frowned when he noticed signs of violence on the girl’s body. It was difficult to imagine it coming from Suzu, who appeared to be quite composed. But people sometimes act in ways that contradict their outward appearances.

In a low voice, Touka spoke to the little girl.

“Listen to me well. We’re here to pick you up. As the young maiden I am, I can’t leave you in this distorted situation. And besides, I have my reasons to save people who need help. That would be the bare minimum of atonement for my sin… So could you please come with us?”

“Sis! Someone is here!”

The little girl suddenly shouted in a loud voice.

Saku became speechless.

Why would the kidnapped victim call the culprit for help? Why does Touka consider helping others as atonement? The situation was only getting more confusing for him. But now was not the time to ponder those questions.

Instantly, A thudding noise of footsteps echoed from the first floor.

Running through the hallway like a storm, someone rushed to the door of the room and opened it wide.

The knife in her hand glowed in the dim light.

Saku stared at her, unable to believe what he was witnessing.

Suzu was directing a loathsome scowl at them.

The little girl scuttled over to Suzu and hid behind her back.

“Sis, don’t let go of me.”

“Don’t worry. I will protect you.”

Saku reached an unprecedented level of confusion.

Suzu is trying to protect the elementary school girl.

As far as he knew, the girl was kidnapped for a week now.

On the other hand, Touka seemed to be fully conscious of the situation.

She looked Suzu straight in the eyes. And with a dignified voice, she declared, “You mustn’t misunderstand.”

Suzu pointed the knife in her direction.

Saku checked on Touka’s expression.

She looked undaunted. 

Then, she continued with words that he did not expect.

“Your sister’s death was not your fault.”

***

“… What’s the meaning of all this?”

“I succeeded in conjuring the spirit of Suzu-san’s said ghost. At that point, it became apparent that the death of a human was involved in her past. Additionally, an ordinary person can never encounter a friendly spirit,” Touka replied at Saku’s question.

Then what would that make of the ghost that was friends with Suzu?

A trick of memory? Touka shook her head, denying that possibility.

“Suzu-san remembered the existence of her ghost friend when she was watching elementary school kids playing in a public park. The trigger to those memories would be this kidnapped girl. She has bruises on her skin. The dark blue color implies the bruises are old. This means that the girl used to be beaten by her family and not Suzu. In short, Suzu remembered her ghost friend when she saw a little girl that seemed to be abused by her parents.

“… Meaning what?”

“The identity of the ghost is a little girl that once existed. Most likely Suzu-san’s sister.”

Touka disclosed the despicable truth. But Saku still had another question. That is the reason Suzu believed that her sister was a friendly ghost. When he expressed his doubts, Touka started describing a certain family issue.

“Suzu said that she used to hear rapping noises. It was the sound caused by her sister. Yet, her parents would claim that they didn’t hear or see anything. Suzu’s sister was being neglected.”

“You mean, her parents were acting as if she didn’t exist in that house?”

“Yeah, that would be the case… But Suzu and the neglected girl became friends… The conjured spirit clearly hated her for a reason.”

The spirit of the girl attempted to kill Suzu.

It was carrying a strong grudge towards her.

And for what reason?

“I suspect that because Suzu-san was getting along so well with her sister, her parents could no longer ignore her and so, they decided to dispose of her. You remember when Suzu-san talked about ‘some accident in the bathroom and many people visiting the house?’ Since then the ghost stopped appearing. The neglected girl was murdered in such a way that it appeared to be a domestic accident.”

“She got drowned in the bathtub?”

“I’m afraid so. The invisible girl stopped existing for real and Suzu-san could no longer see the ghost… You recalled all of this the other day, didn’t you?” Touka addressed Suzu. 

Trembling as she held the knife, Suzu refused to answer. But Touka continued, regardless, “The cause that made you open the sealed lid to your memories was the conditions I told you about conjuring spirits… As well as your experience with the invoked ghost. Therefore, you decided to protect the girl who was the initial trigger to remembering your past, on behalf of your former sister.”

The elementary school girl clung to Suzu, who responded by placing her hand on her back.

Looking at Touka straight in the eyes, she slowly lowered the tip of the knife.

Her eyes were black and clear. There was neither anger nor sadness there.

It was then when Suzu, for the first time since they met her today, spoke.

“Yes. You’re right. I will protect this girl. I will protect this little girl who is likely to be killed like my sister if I leave her alone. My sister would surely forgive me if I did that.”

“Your sister’s spirit vanished when she heard you yell ‘Forgive me, mom.’ You probably suffered a great deal of abuse too, that you just forgot about. You can take my word when I tell you that you’ve already been forgiven. What you are doing right now is a crime. There must be other ways to help that child.”

“Like what? We raise a case and make it public? We tell her school? We go visit her parents every now and then? Who could guarantee that anyone will make it in time before this child is killed!” Suzu hollered, abruptly. Her dry eyes rapidly became moist and tears spilled down her cheeks. She hunched forward as if she couldn’t bear it anymore and started crying like a baby.

“What will you do if I don’t make it in time? You’re telling me not to act out when I know there’s a child about to get killed? And then… Then, if she dies, how am I supposed to live this time!”

Watching Suzu in tears, the elementary school girl gave her a hug by putting her arms around her jeans-wrapped leg. She seemed to be holding back her tears.

“Don’t cry, Sis.”

“Yeah, I’m fine… I’m okay.”

“I want to stay with you, sis. You don’t hit me. You don’t put my face in water. You also don’t pour hot water on me. You’re nicer. I want to be with you.” The little girl burst into tears. She strongly embraced Suzu. 

The pair desperately clung to each other.

Saku and Touka were speechless.

Suzu, in front of them, wiped away her tears and said, “To tell the truth, I’m a person who is better off dead.”

Her words were awfully hollow.

It was because they were hollow that they depicted her true feelings.

Touka weakly clenched her fist. Perhaps she understood something in Suzu’s words; Something that pierced her heart. Saku widened his eyes. He attempted to refute Suzu’s claim in haste.

“That’s not —”

“It is! I was supposed to die at that time, when I sacrificed my innocent sister. But right now… I feel like I want to live, for the sake of this girl.”

Those were also her serious, true feelings.

With a clang, the knife fell to the floor.

Suzu hugged the little girl tightly.

She then concluded, giving Saku and Touka a radiant smile, “— Now, leave.”

It was a voice brimming with strong determination.

Neither Saku or Touka had the words to reply.

Thus, they left the house, in silence.

***

The next day, Saku and Touka visited Suzu’s house once again.

The door was unlocked. Inside, there were signs of hurriedly packed luggage and items.

Inside the empty house, Touka uttered, “I thought that this is the wrong way of solving the problem. Suzu was undeniably a victim, even if she was the indirect cause of her sister’s death. Unlike me, she was supposed to be rescued… That is why I wanted to convince her… I wonder if there was something else I could’ve done for her.”

“I don’t know.”

“Maybe it’s for the best if two people who believe they don’t deserve to live, could join hands and live on, together.”

Saku couldn’t think of anything to react to Touka’s speech. Meanwhile, as if she was assessing her words, one by one, Touka continued, “If a person who once wished to die could live on, then let them be.”

Touka sounded as if she was addressing herself with her speech. Saku, as always, couldn’t find the right words to reply. According to Touka, he “knows nothing” about her. Then whatever he might say, it would probably not reach her. Instead, Saku looked up at the ceiling, and contemplated.

The meaning of life and the meaning of death.

The weight of life and death shifts very easily.

Suzu used to deeply wish for her death.

But then, she found a value in her life, making her forget her reason to die.

That much is enough to be grateful for.

Which is why Saku suggested, “Let’s wish, Touka.”

“Wish?”

“Yes. It’s the least thing we can do.”

“Yeah… You’re right,” Touka nodded.

She closed her eyes, following Saku.

Both of them wished.

They wished for a happy future to be waiting for Suzu and the little girl.

At the very least.

May good fortune find them.