Case Report

An umbrella organization connecting volunteer groups held an annual big charity night — and an unfortunate incident occurred there.

Late into the night, Kirishima Saori, Secretary General of Kibohibi, was found dead in one of the rooms of the building where the event was being held. The autopsy determined that Ms. Kirishima had been the victim of a murder. This plunged the supporters of Ms. Kirishima — who was also a Buddhist nun — into mourning.

The cause of the nun’s death was that her heart had been ripped from her body, and this information was concealed from the media. Such a manner of killing could have prompted a number of speculations. Could the nun have been sacrificed in some kind of religious ritual?

No tangible clue was found after witnesses and suspects were questioned. At the hours when the murder was believed to have taken place, security cameras had malfunctioned for unknown reasons.

From the accounts of guests and hotel staff, the following story formed: the nun had, just before going to the room, focused on a spot in the crowd. When a guest who saw her color fade asked if she was all right, she said she felt dizzy. She asked for permission to rest and went into the room where her body would later be found.

A staff member had seen a man wearing an old-fashioned hat and a maroon jacket walk down the corridor toward the room where the nun was resting. A few minutes later another hotel employee saw a beam of blue light shining under the door of the room.

The man seen on the security footage was not on the guest list. He could not be identified and was declared the prime suspect.

It was heartbreaking to lose such a noble person — a leader of a large organization who had devoted her entire life to helping the poor and had organized relief activities abroad — in this way. What made it even more painful was that the perpetrator had not been captured.

                                                              Summary of the Attack at the Kibohibi Charity Night

“This is the third murder carried out in the same way. The possible perpetrators in all of them are men or women who dress in an old-fashioned style. Also, the blue light phenomenon is mentioned in several statements.”

On top of the thick folder the Chief of Police had presented to the Deputy Minister of the Interior were summaries of the files related to the murders in question. The Deputy Minister leaned back and stroked his chin with one hand. It was a sign that he had sunk into deep thought.

“The blue light, people whose hearts were ripped from their bodies, and perpetrators who share the same fashion sense… No doubt about it…” he murmured. Then he raised his head and said, “I did not want to alarm the Ministry unnecessarily, but it seems we are already late.”

The Chief of Police straightened up from his seat and, flustered, asked, “Are you now certain of what you suspected, Sir? Is someone stealing the Jewels of the Gods?” The Deputy Minister nodded in affirmation.

“You must assemble a team, Kobayashi! Use anyone useful for this task! We must catch the enemy and learn their aims! We must find and protect the Jewels before they do! I give you full authority to establish a new unit!”

Director Kobayashi stood, gave a military salute, and said, “As you command, Sir!”
And the Ministry of Interior’s Directorate for Response to Supernatural Disasters was formed immediately.