Interrogating the Victim

**Tokyo Metropolitan Ōtsuka Hospital**

A black car stopped in the hospital’s parking lot. The door opened, and Riyochi stepped out, a cigarette between his fingers. He took a drag before entering the building, walking straight to the reception desk.

“Yumi Nakamura?” he asked, sliding his government detective ID across the counter.

The receptionist typed on her keyboard and replied, “She’s on the fourth floor, room 401.”

“Thanks.”

He pocketed his ID and headed to the elevator. When he reached the room, he knocked lightly and turned the knob. Inside, a blonde woman in a hospital gown sat on the bed, gazing out the window.

Riyochi cleared his throat. “Yumi Nakamura-san?”

“Yes… and you are?” she asked, curiosity in her eyes.

“I’m a senior detective from the Japanese government, currently assigned to the Shinigami case. Sorry to disturb you, but I need to ask you a few questions.”

“Shinigami… huh?” She chuckled weakly, a hint of despair in her tone. “So, what do you want to know, detective?”

Riyochi showed her a photograph of Kuro, which she took in her trembling hands, followed by a letter.

“As we’ve been informed, you went to Kuro’s house to recruit Shinra Kuro for the Red Blood Guild. Can you explain what really happened when you met him?”

Yumi studied the photo carefully before returning it. “My memory is hazy, but as far as I remember, I brought Kuro to an abandoned warehouse and tried to persuade him. After much negotiation, we failed, so we let him go.”

Her voice wavered as she continued. “When we returned to the car, the doors wouldn’t open. Suddenly, the lights went out… and then—blood. My companions... their bodies were just—headless. Only Murata, the strongest among us, was still standing.”

She shuddered as she went on. “A masked man appeared. He said it was our last day. Murata tried to fight but was easily killed—thrown against a wall, and the axe he wielded… was buried in his own face.”

Tears filled her eyes. “I was terrified. Every step he took toward me felt like my bones were breaking. He told me his name—Shinigami. After that… I don’t remember anything. When I woke up, I was here.”

Riyochi sighed. “I see. This might not help much, but at least we can confirm that Kuro isn’t the Shinigami.”

After a few more questions, which yielded nothing useful, Riyochi left the room, lost in thought. His phone rang.

“Hello?” he answered.

“Hello, Riyochi-san? It’s Sakamoto,” came the voice on the line.

“Yes, Sakamoto. It seems we’ve mistaken Kuro as the prime suspect for the Shinigami case—”

“Riyochi-san,” Sakamoto interrupted, “we found something important. The Kuro you mentioned—there’s no record of him being a registered Shadow Hunter.”

“What?!” Riyochi exclaimed, shocked. “Then why did he lie about being a D-class Shadow Hunter?” he muttered under his breath.

“There’s more. Come to HQ. I’ll show you what we’ve discovered.”

“Alright,” Riyochi replied and hung up.

---

**Mei’s Shop**

Kuro leapt down from a nearby building, landing lightly before entering Mei’s shop. The moment he opened the door, a vase came flying toward him—he barely dodged it.

“Uh… hello? Aurelia? Mei-san?” he called out. The store was in chaos. He turned and saw an angry, exhausted Mei glaring at him.

“So, you finally decided to come back,” she said, her fury unmistakable.

“Did… something happen?” Kuro asked, confused.

“You can see for yourself.” She pointed toward a pile of books.

Kuro squinted—and the pile began to move. From underneath, Aurelia popped out.

“Whaaa… that was *so* close!” she shouted, holding her head.

“Aurelia?” Kuro blinked in disbelief.

“Master! You’re back!” Aurelia beamed, but as she stood up, she slipped on a book and fell backward.

Moments later, Aurelia sat on the floor with a bump on her head, wearing a signboard that read, *‘Sorry! I will not try to do things myself again.’*

“So… what was that?” Kuro asked, chuckling as he sat down on a stool near the counter, where Mei was wiping a glass.

“This stray you left in my care,” Mei snapped. “I hate to say it, but she’s more troublesome than any wild cat or dog.”

“But I was just trying to help!” Aurelia protested.

“Don’t give me that… geez!” Mei cut her off sharply.

Kuro tilted his head. “May I ask what actually happened?”

“Nothing much,” Mei sighed. “Except Aurelia doesn’t even know the basics of simple work—even a child could handle this.”

“I see… but you can’t blame her,” Kuro said teasingly. “Being a queen of a kingdom probably made her lazy.”

“Really?” Mei smirked at Aurelia. “Well, I pity that kingdom.”

The words hit Aurelia like arrows as she slumped, defeated, and trudged toward the door behind the counter.

Mei looked back at Kuro. “So? Why did you come here anyway?”

“I was thinking about joining a guild,” he said calmly.