Chapter Text
Tokyo, 2019.
Thin clouds moved slowly along with the crescent moon hanging in the sky. The light dimly formed a straight lane through a window in a small apartment room hundreds of kilometers below. A light breeze moved the thin blue curtains, creating a silhouette within.
Meanwhile, a black cat on the balcony of the apartment looked alert at the flies flying around the udon on a small table that was barely touched, half stale and cold. Occasionally, the black cat disturbed by the movement of the fan next to the table that moves constantly from right to left.
The cat about to pounce the fly that came out from between the balcony windows, suddenly startled and ran away as it heard the screams of a man who woke up on a mattress and entangled on his blanket. Ibuki inhaled greedily, feeling his whole body drenched in sweat and his heart beating fast.
He blinked, getting used to the intensity of the moonlight that entered his room as he stared at his room slowly. A few piles of old books that neatly tied up, a row of clothes hanging haphazardly and rows of shoes on the shelves that barely fit. Nothing changed about his nearly crammed room.
Ibuki looked at the cell phone lying on the table, it was 3 am. He struggled to his feet and staggered towards the kitchen, his throat felt dry and with a slight bump against the edge of the kitchen table, he grabbed a kettle of water and drank it until he choked.
The dream repeated itself, even more and more real day by day. Ibuki felt a heat all over his body, which he felt had nothing to do with the beer he drank a few hours ago. He could still clearly feel the dream. A dungeon with massive flames, an enchanted figure, the smell of blood that tickled his nose and the sound of himself laughing viciously. All of this made the hairs on his back neck goosebumps.
He blankly walked to the drawer under his shoe rack and took a photo. A woman can be seen smiling warmly while carrying a toddler. Her smile pouring on him with an invisible calm.
Under the photo he found a business card with a special division police logo, he remembered tomorrow will be the first day for him.
———
Hamamura Saeko did not expect that today would be the last day she saw the back of Hamamura Ichiro, her husband, who was getting ready to go to work. Saeko remembers it was the same as any other day, except that Ichiro complained a bit about his sprain left hip due to forcing himself to play golf with his coworkers last week.
"Even though it's still morning, but the heat so unbelievable," Ichiro grumbled. The summer air is starting to infect the suburb of Tokyo. Ichiro, who is getting ready to put on his suit, starts to feel an unusual heat. "Look, my coat buttons are almost loose and in an hour later I have a final project meeting with a client," Ichiro grumbled the second time while still looking at himself in the mirror. Saeko who get used all of her husband's small protests just nodded her head and handed a bento, a box of wagashi to her husband’s client.
"What time are you coming home?" ask Saeko.
“I don’t know. Maybe at midnight like before,” Ichiro replied curtly, while wearing his leather shoes, which were actually worn out but Saeko had transformed into like new.
“Don't get too drunk,” Saeko said carefully. She knew that since her husband had been appointed as team leader in these few months, he had become more irritable over something small as a coat button or a flower vase that tilted a few millimeters from its place.
"This project will change our lives forever, we will be able to move to a bigger apartment," Ichiro said tirelessly to Saeko with a burning passion and a youthful glint in her husband's eyes that she hadn't seen since they moved to Shinjuku. However, day by day her husband's attitude is getting more explosive, and she is worried that the workload of the mega project Real Estate development in Ikebukuro will change her husband.
"I'm leaving," Ichiro said hastily, giving a forced smile, opened the door and hurried off. Saeko watched her husband's back go away against the warm morning. Saeko wasn't aware that it was the last moment of her husband.
———
The doors of the high-speed trains at Shinjuku Station raced open as if against time. Countless people got into the busy train with their thoughts. Meanwhile, Ichiro entered with them. The door closed. The train shot like a bullet. The fleeting view of the drab high building began to feel dizzying for him. Halfway through his mind, he was torn between rethinking what words he should say to his client and the heat from inside his body that was starting to get worse. Sweat began to drip down the back of his neck even until the carriage door opened and a crowd of people came out with him, the heat began to burn. Along the way, his eyes began to blur, and he was run of breath. The heat began to spread like a fire. The heat eats away at his body, he felt his whole body smoldering and when the heat reached his head, Ichiro couldn't take it anymore. He started throwing off his coat, took off his shirt screaming like a madman and suddenly...
“AAAAAAAAAAAA!!!”
Surrounded by skyscrapers and the hustle bustle of Ikebukuro, a person screamed. It didn't take long for the waves of screams of fear and surprise to grow louder and louder. In a split second, the flames from Ichiro's body exploded into the sky, then wrapped the poor body that fell horribly.
———
This is the first time Shima feel such anger at this morning. No matter how hard he hid it, his face couldn't hide his annoyance. Shima is angry to Kikyou because he just found out that he was paired with a new partner, and actually, he really doesn't need it.
He entered the back of the police building down a long hallway. Meanwhile, the eager footsteps of his shoes filled the empty hallway. The one and only old man janitor looked astonished at him.
“Wow… Shima-san you are being so early?”
“Ah morning,” he greeted, trying to be normal but failing to hide his anger, “it's important business.”
“Oh, of course it's important. Kikyou-san and Jimba-san have arrived before you.”
Shima bowed lightly, then continued walking down along the hall to the end. The end of the hall looked less attractive with the dim lighting and damp concrete walls. Instantly Shima drew a symbol in the air with his index and middle fingers, a thin door like blue water appeared on the hallway wall which vibrated and buzzing. Trying to control his emotion, Shima opened the door and entered the office.
Usually, there would be a sight of Jimba and his favorite bowl of udon, but the main office room was empty. Jimba's faint voice could be heard from Kikyou's room, Shima without any further time putting aside his politeness that was gone somewhere, then entered Kikyou's room.
“Please explain, what is this?” Shima threw the paper that he had brought with him, the paper lay on Kikyou's desk, there was a photo and a name on it.
IBUKI AI
Instead of immediately answering, Kikyou choose to pick up the paper and then looked at Shima with a calm face. She let Shima to catch his breath.
“This is an order from the superiors, we are short of members.” Shima was dumbfounded to hear that. It was as if Kikyo had just met him. Kikyou knew that Shima didn't need a partner. He prefers to work alone, but Kikyou seems to have no other choice.
“They're both from the Kokonoe family,” Jimba finally spoke up. Shima was stunned and then turned to look at Jimba. He even forgot that Jimba was there leaning on the edge of the door. Next to him there is a young man in an almost perfect office suit, looked at him and immediately bowed politely.
“I'm Kokonoe Yohito… I've been wanting to--,” he said to Shima who didn't bother to reply.
“Kokonoe?!” Shima shouted, “Wait, besides Ibuki is there anyone else on this team?” Shima replied confusedly, frowning at Kokonoe then back to Kikyou.
“Since when this office become a daycare center? Kikyou-san, please explain what is this?”
Before Kikyou could explain, the intercom beeped.
“We'll continue later,” said Kikyou giving a firm signal to Shima who finally gave up and kept silent. Kikyou glanced at the intercom that had rung 3 times, it showed the name Abiko Toji. She pressed the loudspeaker button, and immediately a monitor showed Abiko Toji's face. The man looked tense and tired. He tried to smile at everyone in the room.
“Good morning Kikyou-san. Sorry for bothering you this morning.”
“Yeah, so early which I even haven't touched my udon,” said Jimba breaking the tension but fail then smiling awkward.
“Try turning on the TV, it should have been on the news this morning. Although I've tried to suppress the press, but you know now days press is difficult to regulate,” said Abiko Toji bitter.
Kikyou turn on the TV next to the intercom monitor and immediately showing a reporter deliver the news passionately in the middle of the crowd of other reporters and peoples with the background of Tokyo office area behind her.
“Ikebukuro at 7:55 am. You can see no less than half an hour ago, a man suddenly caught on fire…”
The camera moved fast from the reporter to another direction not far from her. Shima leaned closer to the TV and stunned.
A horrific sight was clearly visible there. A charred jet black body with a kneeling position, his body being pulled in with force, his head oddly tilted upwards and his hands...
Shima blinked for a moment as he felt this mysterious sensation was tickling his mind.
“At least they censored it! Journalism nowadays is nothing but about sensation!” Jimba said while shaking his head.
“… It is not yet known what caused of the death, while the police seem to have secured the crime scene. We are still waiting for the press conference which planned to be held in an hour later,” Kikyou paused the TV show.
“Pugilistic…,” Kokonoe Yohito exclaimed suddenly, all heads turned to him. “Muscles will bend to the extreme if they burn heavily… this is due to exposure to high temperatures in the fire, which results in stiffness and shortening of muscles,” he said smoothly and ambitiously, leaving his politeness behind. For a moment.
“Can we continue this briefing?” Abiko cleared his throat at the monitor there.
Jimba gently nudged Kokonoe's arm.
“I just received information, the victim is Hamamura Ichiro, age 50, he works as head of marketing division on real estate company, Forest. His wife is a housewife, Hamamura Saeko. They don’t have children and live in Shinjuku. At exactly 07.25 Hamamura-san (husband) passed the office area where he goes to work every day and…” Abiko paused in his explanation.
“I'm afraid this case could turn into a ticking time bomb, just imagine a body burn for no reason in the morning, in the center of Tokyo, which happened not far from the nearest police building. Dozens of witnesses saw with their own eyes the man was screaming and flames appeared out of nowhere, we haven't found the perpetrators and the weapon. Meanwhile, the police are confused about finding the clues and press is urging us to hold a conference within an hour. Kikyou-san what do you think, was there some supernatural intervention in this fire?” asked Abiko looking fixedly at Kikyou as if he could find an answer from the glint in Kikyou's eyes who was thinking hard.
“There will be more victims… sooner or later,” Shima still fix his eyes in the monitor. “Hey new kid, could you move backward on the victim scenes,” Shima commanded Kokonoe.
Kokonoe immediately rewound the scene. The jet black corpse appeared on the screen once again. The kneeling body bent in pain, his head tilted upwards to the sky, his two awkward stairs instead of bending, and his hands pointing forward as if worshiping something in front of him that was invisible.
“Oh my god!” It was Kikyou's turn to scream. “Jimba-san do you remember something?”
From the look on Jimba's face, he realized something, "Five years ago, a great fire at a politician's house, a family burned to death. All the victims found posing exactly like that and their spirits have not been found until now.”
“Abiko-san, if my guess is right, the curse residue won't last long,” Kikyou got up from her seat. Abiko without another word felt something wrong on Kikyou's face.
“I leave this case to you.”
Then he leaves the video call.
“Jimba-san, Kokonoe and Shima go to the location now!” Kikyou exclaimed.
Jimba glanced away for a moment, then pulled Kokonoe's arm out of the room and disappeared from sight.
Shima was also about to leave but Kikyou stop him for a moment. “Shima wait a minute!”
“You know, I used to work alone,” Shima said directly. He felt Kikyou's decision would burden his work. He couldn't imagine a partner he didn't even know himself.
“Shima I know you from a long time ago, that's why I entrust Ibuki to you,” Kikyou said. There was an undeniable firm tone from his superior's mouth. A famous SIU leader, Kikyou cold-handed and always one step ahead in all his thoughts.
Shima looked at Kikyou for a moment, Kikyou's eyes seemed to be able to penetrate Shima's deepest recesses. There was a warm and firm trust he felt from that gaze. Suddenly, the doubts and burdens he initially felt became nothing.
“Alright,” Shima said with a sigh. “Then, where is Ibuki now?” Shima said while looking around.
“Actually, he came earlier than all of you, and he was waiting for you in the basement.”
— — —
Ibuki Ai sits cross-legged in the basement parking lot. He couldn't wait for his first day working in this special division. Humming a song while popping a small flame on his index finger. He is in a good mood right now.
Suddenly, there was a faint sound of a bell in Ibuki's ear. The sound of the bell was getting louder and louder in his ears and change into raindrops sound. Slowly, that sound sucked him into another dimension. He is standing on hydrangea flower beds. The flowers have a unique color combination of purplish blue, but mostly dominated with deep blue color. He realized something strange under his feet, the flower beds growing on the ice, and the raindrops did not soak an inch of his body.
He felt the air pierce the depth of his heart, soft yet strong and cold. Likewise, he feels something vague is calling out to him, but Ibuki didn't know where it was coming from. His hand could only reach on the thin Mist. The aimless search returned him into nothing.
“Ibuki Ai?”
Snapped from his reverie, the dimension shattered. He looked back. A man stood behind him. Curly brunet hair with icy cold gaze, “Oh, yes. Nice to meet you…” Ibuki got up from his sitting and held out his hand for a handshake.
“Shima Kazumi,” he watched Ibuki from top to bottom, then without another word walked away to groping the walls for no reason in Ibuki's eyes. “Oh, it hasn't formed yet,” Shima muttered
“Ah—eh?” The confused Ibuki followed behind him, “What are you looking for? Don't we have to go to the crime scene immediately?”
“A portal,” Shima said curtly.
“There are cases of humans getting burned, isn't it? Honestly, I've never seen a burnt corpse in person. Hn… why we don't just use a car?”
Shima who still far from a good mood, gritted his teeth and tried to control his emotion then turned to Ibuki, “Ibuki-san, there's one thing I want to ask you.”
Ibuki gasped, putting on a serious look.
“What's your reason for joining SIU?”
There was a pause that Shima used to start checking the walls again in the basement room, instead of answering, Ibuki was busy watching Shima.
“Injustice,” Ibuki replied suddenly.
“Hah?”
“I can't see the injustice before my eyes,” Ibuki said earnestly.
Shima stopped searching the portal, stunned by the answer, and the phone from Shima's pocket rang. Jimba called.
“Hello… Shima, sorry for the long wait, it's a bit crowded here. But I managed to make the portal. You must come here immediately.”
After hanging up the phone, a low buzzing sound came from the wall not far from them.
“Ah…that's the portal!” Ibuki said unable to hide his enthusiasm. He was about to barge in but was blocked by Shima.
“Wait a minute… you can't just enter the portal. Today is your first day, I don't want you to be a problem for me. So watch and learn!”
Ibuki nodded. Shima took out an ofuda from his pocket. He pinched it between his index and middle finger. Instantly the boisterous buzz formed a door like a mixture of mist but dense.
“Is this your first time entering a portal? If so, then you have to get used to it. Because the taste might be a bit not…”
Unexpectedly, Ibuki has already run into the portal and disappeared.
“…comfortable…,” Shima finished his statement while sighing in annoyance. He had a bad feeling about the case he was about to face. However, no matter how difficult the problems they will face, Shima will also never remain silent against injustice. With steady steps, he was going into the portal, which immediately closed completely in the middle of the dimly lit basement.