by Eiji Mikage
The one thing I’d uncovered was what Miss Direction herself was hiding.
“It’s just one simple fact,” I said. “Reina Myoko is still alive.”
The woman was silenced.
Assuming my crazy theory was correct, I had thought this would throw off even “Otoha.” Unless she was so good at lying she was able to maintain her cool facade.
However, she didn’t react in either way I had expected. She stared at me, her girlish eyes flashing, playfully waiting for what I was going to say next.
So this was how she behaved in this kind of situation.
It was frightening.
I desperately tried to conceal my emotions and continued.
“The Bumblebees were her devotees, and even after they graduated she held sway over them. Reina had an idea. She suggested that they all become Reina Myoko. Otoha Tamachi, Miyuki Yata, Sena Hagawa, Asami Ino, and Ryoko Omura all disappeared themselves and lived their lives entirely as Reina Myoko. They overwrote their personalities, mannerisms, and even values with those of Reina so they could become her. It’s already clear from what Shota told us that they would be able to do this. They probably had cosmetic surgery and body reconstruction so people wouldn’t recognize them in close proximity. I think they even produced paperwork so they could go to the dentist as Reina.
“Reina and the Bumblebees then set about on her plan for revenge—revenge against Koichiro who had targeted her with his desire. Reina and the Bumblebees divided up the responsibilities and took them on. We were only able to investigate you and the woman who was the corpse, but the others must’ve contributed as well. I’m sure there were many men you all seduced in addition to Ken and Shota who just didn’t come up during the investigation. However, based on what I can tell from the situation so far, you operated behind the scenes with Shota at the casinos and in the secret club. The woman responsible for Ken and Koichiro might’ve been the one who lived in the apartment and ended up playing the corpse.”
The woman looked straight at me.
“But this is where I get stuck. It’s hard to imagine Reina would go to such lengths just to take revenge on Koichiro. If Reina was only after revenge, she was clever enough to pull it off on her own without the Bumblebees.”
“I wonder,” the woman said, like she was talking about someone else. “If so, then why do you think Reina did all this?”
“Here’s what I think,” I said, and told her what I’d told Dr. Higano. “It was just her nature. It was just like her to resort to indecent choices to create a misdirection.”
“Her nature…” She opened her eyes wide and repeated the word, as though surprised by it. “That makes sense, her nature. Ha, what an interesting expression.”
I raised an eyebrow, not sure why she seemed so happy.
“Hey, maybe you know this already, but Reina had a real name.”
“A…real name?” I dug through my memories before replying. “The name her biological parents gave her before she was adopted by Koichiro?”
“Yes. So you did know. That was the real Reina’s true name.”
I tilted my head. Could you really call the name given to her on a whim by parents who gave her up her true name?
“But no one will ever know the name she was given previously. No one at the hospital or the adoption agency remembers it. Even her biological parents, who abandoned her and gave her that name so carelessly, don’t remember it.”
Reina must’ve tracked down her actual parents and met them.
“When you think about that,” the woman said and smiled, “Doesn’t it start to feel like Reina never even existed?”
I was silent, unsure of what she meant.
“Reina had to try and become herself ever since the moment she was born and her name was given up. She had to play the role of a character called Reina Myoko. Given this, the word ‘nature’ may be incredibly appropriate. But I’d use a different word.” She looked down. “It was Reina’s ‘fate.’”
I tried to stop my hand from shaking and think calmly.
Earlier the woman had said Reina had almost completed her plan for revenge.
She also said Reina was immortal.
Whether this case was a murder or a suicide, Reina had clearly died when it came to the letter of the law.
No one would ever be called Reina Myoko again.
However, what if—
What if that was exactly what Reina had wanted?
What if what she wanted to accomplish was to destroy that very name?
Then this case had to be—
—a nameless woman’s revenge against Reina Myoko.
* * *
—
“I’m about to head out.” The woman stood up and looked down at me. “I’ll tell you what…Your theory was pretty interesting. But unfortunately for you, it’s all just a hysterical delusion.”
She left me with that and turned to go.
“Please wait,” I said. “My theory was a little overbearing. I’m sure I made mistakes. But you’re suspected of a crime. You convinced Shota to kill himself. Before you met with us at the hotel, you met with Shota. That’s where you gave him the energy drink—you opened the lid and put the cyanide in it. I know I’m not just dreaming this up. And I know I’m going to arrest you!”
“I have no idea how you’re going to prove that, but good luck. I have no plans to run or hide.”
I only realized it much later, but this was a lie. She ran, she hid. I wouldn’t ever see her again.
“Are we done here?” she said, with her back still toward me.
“Let me ask one last thing,” I said, working up the mental courage. “Who are you?”
She answered quickly: “I’m Otoha Tamachi. I’m Miyuki Yata. I’m Sena Hagawa. I’m Asami Ino. I’m Ryoko Omura.”
As I was shaking my head, she added, “I’m Reina Myoko.”
I balled up my fists. “Yes!” I yelled. “You’re Reina Myoko!” Tears began to well up in my eyes, but I kept on yelling. “And you’ll never escape that fact, even if you’re legally dead!”
Reina turned around, lowered her gaze, and stared at my clenched right hand.
“Your hand is beautiful,” she whispered and looked me in the eyes. She smiled gently. “It’s strange. I’m still pleased that you called me Reina.”
Then she looked away and didn’t turn back.
Epilogue II
Now we have a nameless existence.
Not a single person can see us.
Of course, we can’t even see ourselves.
So.
As introduced in the beginning, this was a personal story based on the serial killer Seiren Higano’s aesthetic.
Prologue I
As usual, Seiren Higano was in his carefully appointed, almost monotone office. His tall, slim figure was draped in an Armani suit, over which he wore his white doctor’s coat. He was drinking coffee from beans he had ground himself. Next to his coffee cup was a glass cube puzzle.
However, the person on the sofa facing him was not someone ordinarily found in this office. At the very least, it was clear she hadn’t come to see him as a patient.
She was a beautiful woman wearing a flashy, well-cut red dress. There was a beauty mark on her collarbone. But the eye was drawn to something else.
Ropes.
Her entire body was bound by ropes, robbing her of her freedom. Her arms were restrained behind the sofa, and she had a black blindfold over her eyes, so only her mouth could move freely.
But she was still beautiful. She’d been kidnapped and brutally restrained, yet there was nothing desperate or sad about the scene. Far from it—she exuded a raw sensuality. The ropes bound her long, white legs in a way that emphasized their elegant beauty. Her red dress, red nails, and red lipstick matched so perfectly, they raised the bondage to the level of ar
t.
It was fascinating. Her lack of freedom almost seemed put on.
“The coffee smells nice,” she said.
May 26th, 4:50 P.M. Higano had followed this beautiful woman, subdued her with pharmaceuticals while she was on her way home from a café, and abducted her in his car. He had bound her in the car and brought her to his office.
An experience like that would’ve made most people panic. However, her crystal clear voice was perfectly composed.
Higano checked his Scandinavian wall clock and saw that it was now past 5:30. He smiled.
“I put some coffee out for you right in front of you. Even if you can’t taste it, you’re welcome to enjoy how it smells.”
“Well, that is thoughtful of you. But I’d really like to try such fine coffee myself. If you don’t mind, could I have a taste?”
“You’re asking me to let you out, aren’t you?”
“No, I don’t mind trying it like this. Hold the cup and let me taste it.”
When Higano understood what she was saying, he nodded and stood, smiling. He took the coffee cup sitting in front of her and brought it to her lips.
“Mmm.” Her delicate throat moved as she swallowed.
Higano had given her the coffee slowly, but the black liquid spilled out from the side of her mouth. The effect was, however, not unpleasant at all. It was even a little erotic.
Higano took out a handkerchief and wiped her mouth.
Even under these circumstances, it was obvious she was trying to fluster the man in front of her. Higano fleetingly wondered whether she was trying to flirt her way out of trouble, but he quickly reconsidered.
This was probably just her nature.
She had the bad habit of always needing to charm people.
“It’s fantastic. This is a pour-over, right? I can tell that you’re particular about the entire process—the beans you use, how you roast them, how you grind them, how they bloom, and how to extract it.5
* * *
—
So here’s my question: If you’re not a barista, then what exactly are you?”
“Seiren Higano,” he responded without hesitation, hiding nothing. “I’m a serial killer.”
The beautiful woman didn’t even flinch when he said “serial killer.”
“A serial killer…I never thought I’d come across someone in that line of work.”
“That’s what everyone says before I kill them.”
“Haha, I guess so. Well, Mr. Serial Killer, did someone hire you to kill me?”
“That would be a hit man. I’m a serial killer. Serial killers kill people because they want to.”
“I see, so that’s how you’re defining it. If that’s the case, why did you decide to kill me?”
“Basically, because your feet are incredibly beautiful.”
“Well, I’m truly honored. My feet are one of the few things I’m actually confident about.”
Her response was so elegant that if her hands and feet had been free, one would have imagined her curtsying with her skirt hems.
“Now, let me ask you a basic question,” Higano said. “What’s your name?”
The beautiful woman answered, “Reina Myoko.”
“You’re lying, right? You’re Asami Ino. You’re one of the Bumblebees that flits around with Reina.”
Though this one remark must have pierced to the center of everything she was, the woman was undaunted and said, “No, I’m Reina Myoko.”
Higano leaned back in his Aeron chair, looking with deep interest at the stoic woman.
“Fine, let’s change the subject. Let me explain the rules I use to kill people. I try to learn as much as I can about my target’s temperament. I wanted to find out more about you, but there were just too many things that I couldn’t understand without asking you directly.”
“Secrets only make a woman more alluring.”
“It pains me to diminish your allure, but I hope you’ll be willing to cooperate as we identify your secrets, Asami.”
“Unfortunately, I can’t say anything about Asami Ino. Her existence has been eliminated. But why don’t we talk about the woman we all share—Reina Myoko?”
“Hmm.”
Higano was interested in Asami because until she met Reina Myoko, her life had been completely ordinary and utterly unremarkable.
Asami Ino. She was the second of three daughters born to a bureaucrat father and an IT entrepreneur mother. Economically, their lifestyle lacked for nothing. She entered Junseiwa Academy after middle school and met Reina. Her grades were above average when she started, but by the time she graduated she was at the top of the class. She was accepted into Keiryoku University along with Reina and the other Bumblebees, but after a year, she mysteriously vanished along with the rest of them.
“Understanding Reina is basically understanding you. I don’t mind starting from there.”
“That’s nice to hear.”
“But how well do you know Reina?”
“I know everything,” she said, confidently.
Higano crossed his arms. He knew that Reina and the Bumblebees had an unusual solidarity, but it could be beyond what he’d imagined.
“Well then,” he continued, “I’ll tell you what I know about Reina. From a young age, she was involved in some incredibly unfortunate incidents. At five she was kidnapped for ransom. At 14 she witnessed her classmate commit suicide. At 15 she lost her mother in an accident in Portugal. From age 16 onward she was involved with many different men, including her father. At 18, her father’s company went bankrupt, which put the family in dire economic straits and forced her to drop out of Keiryoku University. Then she spent three years estranged from her father. Not long after that, all news of you and the Bumblebees ceased entirely.”
“Now that’s impressive! Serial killers really do a lot of legwork!”
“I’m not sure your average serial killer would. It does help with the planning, but I don’t think it’s necessary. I moonlight as a detective, so that’s the only reason I can investigate this extensively.”
“A detective and serial killer! What a perfect combination. Now I get it. Without those abilities, you’d never’ve become Masquerade, killing over and over in Odaiba without being caught. Ahh. I’m so glad to find out that the only serial killer of these times is as intelligent as I’d imagined.”
“You’re too kind…I’m honored someone like you appreciates me.”
Higano and the beautiful woman flashed polished smiles at each other.
During their brief time together, Higano had discovered this woman was pleasant and on the same wavelength as he himself. It was exceedingly rare for him to find a woman he could talk to all day long.
But unfortunately he couldn’t spend all day with her because he would have to kill her in the next few minutes.
“All six of you—the five Bumblebees and Reina herself—were living as Reina Myoko. She lived a life that left the single impression of being beautiful. She suppressed as much of her individuality as she could and left not even a single photograph. Of the six, I was able to learn what four of you were doing through my investigation. The first got a job with a major corporation and was living as an ordinary office worker. The second was working as a secretary for a member of the House of Councilors in the Liberal Party of Japan.6 The third got a job with a casino management company and managed to earn over 100 million, although I don’t know exactly how. And the fourth—you—kept herself busy conspiring with Ken to involve his father Heiji in a scandal. And you were the one who showed up at Koichiro’s after three years, pretending to be his daughter. Out of all the Reina Myokos, you were remarkably capable and took care of some of the most critical points. You were so frighteningly talented you were actually able to replace Reina for even Koichiro. And while playing his daughter, you began a physical relatio
nship with him and got pregnant.”
She probably hadn’t expected him to find out so much. The usually talkative woman kept her mouth closed.
“I think your intense devotion to Reina is what made this possible…So now my question is simply, why?” Higano stared at her tightly sealed lips. “Why did you attempt to quit your role as Reina?” She was wearing a blindfold, so Higano couldn’t see how she reacted. The beautiful woman was silent for a moment, and then asked, “How do you know that’s what I was doing?”
“It’s just a general assessment based on watching you for the past month. You wrote home and told them you’re still alive, and asked them to send Asami Ino’s ID. You’re trying to break things off with Koichiro, and you just called off the engagement with Ken. You’ve also already decided to move to Shikoku. You’re clearly wrapping up the you living as Reina and making preparations to return to being Asami Ino.”
She sighed, unable to counter what he knew.
“However, the other Reinas realized you were acting suspiciously. As a result, they started trying to kill you.”
Higano stood from his Aeron chair and approached the sofa. The woman didn’t move as his footsteps drew nearer. He drew his index finger along her jaw and then tilted her head up toward him.
One cut along her throat was still healing.
“Looks like one of the men controlled by the Reinas cut you with a knife. He pretended to be a pervert with a hair fetish and attacked you. So even if he actually killed you and was caught by the police, they’d just think he was a pervert who messed up while trying to cut off some of your hair, and they wouldn’t look into his background. This is beside the point, but I was the one who tackled the pervert and let you escape. Seems like you were able to get away before the police could take your account.”
“You’re too kind…I appreciate your assistance on that occasion. Thanks to your efforts I’ll have the pleasure of being killed by a serial killer rather than a man pretending to be a pervert.”
“Haha, that’s a good joke.”