The Island Village, Murder, and the Daughter of the Abyss
"Are you the guests who reserved rooms at our inn?"
The voice came from behind us without the slightest warning, right after we'd stepped off the boat. Startled, everyone spun around to find a tiny old woman—no taller than 140 centimeters—standing there. She wore a kimono with a practical apron tied over it, marking her clearly as someone from the inn.
"Ah, yes. We're the Kanto University team. We made a reservation, and this gentleman here..."
"I booked under the name Taira Ryuta."
"Hohoho, I'm Hamahata Motoko, owner and head chef of the Chooten Inn. Please, follow me this way."
Owner and head chef. That explained the apron. Despite her age, the old woman moved with surprising vigor, leading us briskly toward the inn without hesitation.
"You may each go to your reserved rooms. I'll bring lunch and dinner directly to you. Hohoho..."
The Chooten Inn was the very picture of a classic Japanese ryokan. Surprisingly well-maintained for something on such a remote island—I'd expected something more rundown. Given that Chooten Island was volcanic, the inn naturally offered hot springs. There was a communal bath, but I had zero interest in soaking alongside a bunch of naked, sweaty men. I'd reserved the most expensive room, the one with its own private open-air bath.
If it had been a mixed bath, I might have reconsidered, but mixed bathing was almost unheard of in this era. My room was spotless and elegantly simple, exactly what you'd expect for the top-tier option. When I slid open the window facing outside, I was greeted by the private bath and a stunning view of the sea beyond it.
I decided the soak could wait. Instead, I grabbed my folding bike and headed out of the inn. Since I had no idea what might happen here, I figured I should take a full lap around Chooten Island first. After lunch, I'd head to the shrine where they were holding the ritual tomorrow.
"Where are you going, martial artist?"
"Just taking a look around the island."
Uchidate Kanimi had approached me. During the boat ride she'd seen me demonstrate a basic punch while mentioning old-style martial arts, so apparently I'd been labeled "martial artist" in her mind.
"Could I come with you?"
"You can ride in the back, but there's not much space. You'll have to hold on tight."
I pointed to the small rear seat meant for light luggage. Uchidate Kanimi smiled and climbed on, wrapping her arms firmly around my waist.
"I'm holding on tight. Hehe."
Hm. What was this? As good-looking as I knew I was, I'd never met a woman who came on this aggressively before. Still, reconnaissance came first, so I simply nodded and started the electric bike.
As we pulled away, I noticed the boat that had brought us was already gone. I headed north first. The northern side was mostly cliffs with very few houses. The uphill stretches were relentless. We rode all the way to the highest point of the cliffs, stopped the bike, and spent a moment simply staring out at the sea.
The ocean looked different when viewed from this height compared to from the deck of a ship. I couldn't quite put it into words, but the scenery carried a completely different feeling. Watching the waves crash in their steady rhythm stirred something in me.
"Doesn't the sea look a little different from how it did from the boat?"
"It's just the same sea."
Uchidate Kanimi answered without much interest. What a dry woman. I got back on the bike, left the cliffs behind, and continued along the coastal road.
The road ran near the residential area. I saw people working in vegetable gardens and others maintaining boats. Whenever we passed, the villagers would stop what they were doing and stare at us with strangely hollow eyes. Maybe it was just the speed of the bike, but their gazes felt completely empty.
"Are they wary of outsiders? Their eyes look... off."
"Who knows."
Another half-hearted reply from Uchidate Kanimi. Her attitude now was completely different from the eager way she'd asked to ride with me earlier. If she was going to be like this, why bother asking for a ride in the first place?
The short, clipped answers started to annoy me, so I stopped trying to make conversation and focused on driving in silence. By the time we'd circled the entire island, raindrops had begun to fall from the sky.
Huh? I was sure the forecast hadn't mentioned rain.
"It's starting to rain. I'm going to pick up the pace a bit."
"Okay."
I didn't want to get completely soaked, so I sped up and we returned to the inn. By the time we arrived, the rain had grown heavier. If this kept up, it would turn into a downpour any minute.
"Thanks for the ride."
Uchidate Kanimi gave me that same charming smile and bowed politely. After all those indifferent answers earlier, what was with this woman? When I looked at her with obvious confusion, she spoke up as if making an excuse.
"My behavior was a bit strange, wasn't it? The truth is... I was scared of the bike and the cliffs..."
"Ah, I see. So fear makes you go stiff, huh?"
"Yes. Hehe..."
Was that all it was? I told her I understood and headed back to my room. There was still some time before lunch, so I turned on my smartphone to check the weather again. The forecast had been updated to rain. Looked like it would keep raining at least until tomorrow evening.
While I was browsing the internet after checking the forecast, I heard a polite knock at the door.
"I've brought your lunch. May I come in?"
"Yes."
The door opened after the announcement. The meal featured simmered fish in soy sauce as the main dish, accompanied by several pieces of sashimi, seaweed salad, pickled vegetables, and seasoned mountain greens. The person serving it was a young waitress who looked about my age—the first young woman I'd seen in this village. Well, the only villagers I'd seen so far were the ones I'd passed on my bike ride.
Anyway, the waitress was a beauty you'd rarely see even in the city. There was something delicate and fragile about her. If Uchidate Kanimi gave off the vibe of a glamorous city college girl, this waitress was like a modest wildflower blooming quietly along a country path.
"Hello. My name is Hamahata Konoka. I'll be attending to you during your stay."
"Nice to meet you. I'll be in your care."
She shared the same family name as the old innkeeper, so they were probably related. Given the age difference, she was likely her granddaughter. It seemed that staying in the most expensive room came with personal service.
Hm...!
The lunch tasted excellent across the board. The old innkeeper really knew how to cook. Hamahata Konoka watched me eat with what felt like slightly excessive attention, refilling my tea whenever my cup emptied. Since I was eating the rice myself, there wasn't much actual serving for her to do.
Then, about halfway through the meal, a scream suddenly tore through the air from outside.
"Kyaaaaah!"
What the hell? Hamahata Konoka and I rushed out of the room and ran toward the source of the scream. We arrived at the communal open-air bath—the women's side. A crowd had already gathered, drawn by the scream. When I peered through the gap in the people, I saw a naked man collapsed on the stone floor.
It was one of the two men from Kanto University I hadn't been introduced to on the boat. It looked like he'd slipped in the bath and fallen.
"Wano, what do you think?"
Professor Honmura Koga asked Wano Haruto. The gloomy-looking graduate student put on gloves and began examining the dead male student's body with his usual melancholy expression.
"What's going on?"
"Ah, that young man is Wano Haruto. He's something of a genius at Kanto University. He double-majored in criminology and criminal psychology as a minor. That's how he can examine the body's condition and determine whether it's murder or an actual accident."
Professor Honmura Koga answered my question. So while pursuing a doctorate in folklore, he'd also studied criminology and criminal psychology to a practical level? Now I understood why Wano Haruto's default expression was so gloomy. Being the slave of three professors (as a grad student) would do that to anyone.
"It's murder..."
"!"
"!"
Everyone was shocked by Wano Haruto's quiet declaration. Ignoring their reactions, he continued in the same listless tone.
"There's slight rigor mortis beginning in the jaw and cervical vertebrae. Time of death was approximately one hour and thirty minutes ago."
One hour and thirty minutes ago—that was right around when we'd arrived at the inn. Right when I'd been unpacking, preparing the bike, and heading out. That had been the exact time of the murder.
"Why do you say it's murder?"
When Professor Honmura Koga asked, Wano Haruto began explaining in his usual weak voice.
"Look at the floor. While it is stone, the area with blood on it is flat. However, the wound on the victim's head looks like it was struck against something with a sharp edge. The location where he supposedly fell doesn't match the injury on his head. Therefore, it's murder."
"No way...! Are you saying there's a murderer among us?"
The moment someone muttered those words, the sky seemed to brighten in response before—CRACK!—lightning struck with a deafening roar. The women shrieked, and even the men flinched slightly. It was the perfect harbinger of a storm.
"We can't leave Morisuke here like this. Let's take photos of the body and the surroundings, then move it somewhere cool where it won't decay quickly."
"There's a cool spot in the inn's basement. We can put it there," the old innkeeper said.
The men from Kanto University and I carried the body down to the basement in a long box, following the old woman's directions.
"How convenient that there's a box shaped exactly like a coffin," one of the two men I hadn't been introduced to muttered.
When I looked at him, he introduced himself as Kimura Atsuhiro. I gave him my name in return.
"It's a local custom on Chooten Island for adults to prepare their own coffins in advance. We're probably using one the innkeeper grandmother prepared ahead of time," Wano Haruto answered in his gloomy voice.
Oh, so that's a thing here. Interesting.
The basement seemed to connect to a natural cave system. There were several jars, likely for storing soy sauce or soybean paste.
"It really is cool down here, just like the old lady said."
As Kimura Atsuhiro noted, the renovated cave storage felt chilly enough to raise goosebumps. We left the body there and returned upstairs.
When we emerged aboveground, everyone's faces were grim. Professor Honmura Koga spoke up after looking at us.
"It seems the police can't come because of the sudden heavy rain..."
The nearest police station was on Hachijo Island. The storm had apparently made travel impossible. I'd sensed something was coming the moment the rain started, and now it was unfolding like the most predictable cliché imaginable. I let out a deep sigh.