As the two continued, ignoring whether or not the insects were making any noise, a third, rapidly approaching voice sounded.
"Kerberos, make sure that Yumiko's trail hasn't split into two different directions somewhere!"
The woman looked up in surprise, and stifled a scream.
"What's the big deal all of a sudden!?" The irritated-sounding man looked around, and he too was struck speechless.
A handsome man with a bizarre, gigantic beast like a tiger was sifting through the underbrush, searching for something. It was like a scene out of a movie. The woman gulped, but after recovering from her initial shock, it was clear that she was not focused on the strange beast, but instead on the young man's good looks. Looking back and forth between him and the man currently fondling her breasts to compare the two, there was an expression of clear disappointment on her face.
Regardless of whatever happened between the couple thereafter, Nakajima gradually climbed the slope ahead of him, following Kerberos, who was cautiously walking, his muzzle was stuck out in the air as if to take in every particle of scent in the atmosphere.
"So this is where the trail ends..." Murmuring to himself, Nakajima opened the case of his handheld computer. Shortly thereafter, the demonic beast vanished as if sucked right into the small liquid crystal display.
CHAPTER 2
The next morning, Nakajima and Feed were sitting in the Demon Banishment Project room, waiting for Narukawa's arrival. Lately, the role of the three men in the project had changed. Nakajima was more of a warrior than a programmer at this point. During the day he spent his time training with the sword of Hi-no-Kagutsuchi, and at night he went scouting with Kerberos to look for any traces of Yumiko. While Narukawa was working with the police to track down Ohara and Yumiko, he also was totally absorbed in tracking down computers capable of being used for demon summoning. As the operation was top-secret, it was unlikely that there would be any further help joining the project. While leading the team as a whole, Feed was immersed in writing the Demon Banishment Program.
"Nakajima, are you sure you shouldn't let your father in LA know about your mother?" Feed's reddened eyes did not leave the screen as he asked the question.
"If I did, my father would probably just come back to Japan. And he might end up as yet another casualty. In retrospect, it was foolish of me not to have thought of Yumiko's family and mine...."
Nakajima looked at Feed with an expression of conflict the likes of which he had never shown before. To him, the death of his mother was difficult to separate from his own fate; she had died at the hands of demons which he had initially called. It only reminded him all too well that he would never be safe until those demons were defeated.
Feed sighed and saved his program.
"Is it finished, Professor?"
"For the time being, yes. If you had done the programming I bet I would have finished it a lot faster." As if he was relieved regardless, Feed stretched his weary muscles.
"I think I'll be able to help in the debugging at least."
"No, that would just be a waste of time for a warrior. Don't forget about Craft; it can help in that regard." Mentioning the AI set up in Massachusetts, Feed set up his modem. He most likely was intending to send the program to Craft and have it perform the finishing touches. As Feed started communicating with Craft, Narukawa burst into the room, apologizing for being late.
"From analyzing some hair left at the scene, we were able to determine that it was Ohara that slaughtered the Shirasagi family. The police are going nuts. The missing persons incident at Jusho High hasn't even been solved yet, and now one of the missing student's families gets murdered. We currently have 1000 patrolmen searching for Ohara right now." Unable to restrain his emotion, Narukawa gave his report.
"So, have they found any leads?"
"Yes. There have been some people who spotted her, but...on the night of the murders, several witnesses reported seeing her both near Kichijoji and Ota Ward, so the search is in total disarray right now."
"I think the former is more likely. Have a look." Interrupting, Nakajima pointed at the display next to him. On screen was a map of Tokyo with several red lines drawn on it.
"I've had Kerberos try and track Yumiko's path that night. After coming to my house from her own, she headed off in the direction of Musashino." As if holding back emotion, Nakajima paused a moment.
"I think that Yumiko was chasing Ohara. And right after that, something must have happened to her..."
"But doesn't Yumiko possess great psychic power?"
"I'm sure that Ohara herself wouldn't have been any problem for her. But when you take into account Yumiko's state of mind that evening..."
Nakajima could say no more. Even though Yumiko had saved his life that night, he still held some uncontrollable resentment toward her for what she did. But considering what she must have felt when she had come to see him that night, he felt an even greater regret and affection for her. In fact, his direct participation in the Demon Banishment Project at this point was solely to find where she had gone.
"Hmm...I can't understand why anyone would have spotted her in Ota Ward. Of course, if there's some sort of organization behind all of this, I could see how false information could have gotten spread to throw us off the scent...Narukawa, is there any chance the Cabinet Intelligence and Research Office could help? I know the Japanese police force is excellent, but I think they're a little out of their league here."
"Our main job is to collect information from abroad. With less than 1% of the manpower of the CIA, we can't work on collecting domestic information as well." Narukawa's response was not accomodating.
"Besides, I think it's a little bit rash to say that this is the work of an organization on some level. At the very least, just connecting the dots from what we know, it seems perfectly plausible that this was all done out of Ohara's personal grudge."
Right at that moment, the sound of a signal arriving from the modem echoed throughout the room.
"It's from Craft."
"The Demon Banishment Program is finished then?"
As if drawn in by the other two that rushed over to the main computer, Narukawa also looked at the display.
"How much with the Demon Banishment Program help?"
"If we install this program into a computer's OS, it will destroy any digital devil sent to it. At the moment, it will only work as a self-defense mechanism though."
"So what you're saying is, no demon could be summoned to a computer with this program in it?" Narukawa nodded as if he wasn't really sure whether he understood or not.
CHAPTER 3
In the VIP room of the Akasaka Plaza Hotel, Ota of the Liberal Party was sitting with Shimazaki in conversation. He was in a good mood; as a result of his successful passage of an important bill, he had risen fast to become a star of his party. "I hear Chairman Matoba suffered a bizarre death--a shame, isn't it?" Set's avatars, the Apeps, could possess humans and control them however they desired. However, because of the Apeps' innate poison, those who were possessed would start to rot from within. This was how Matoba had died, though Ota had no way of knowing that.
"So, Chief Secretary, what's the deal with the New AI Project? Can it be shut down?" Shimazaki eyed Ota with displeasure.
The AI Project, of course, was the "official" name of the Demon Banishment Project.
"Right. Well, since Fujita started it up of his own accord, in theory it should be perfectly plausible to cook up some sort of trumped-up reason to shut it down, but it's being backed by the American Aide to the President. We can't just ignore that. Come on, I've already seen to it that you get all the contracts to the Capital Reconstruction Project; don't be so greedy." Watching Shimazaki like a hawk, Ota laughed heartily.
"So why are you making such a big deal about this AI project anyway? Does it interfere with your business somehow?"
"I suppose you could say
that." Shimazaki lit a cigarette.
"Fujita's a tough customer. I'd prefer not to go up against him if possible." Ota's face was stern as he spoke.
"Planning to announce your candidacy for the party chair, then?"
"Think whatever you want."
Shimazaki's eyes glinted with cunning. "What do you think your chances would be?"
Currently within the Liberal Party, Ota was thought to be a strong candidate for party chair, but his faction held only a moderate amount of backing in the Lower House, his supporters there holding seats in the low 60s. In order for Ota to win the election, he'd need either another faction to support him or to crush one of his rivals entirely. Therefore it was only natural for him not to want to face off against Fujita.
"If only Hamano would support me in the election..." Ota stared at Shimazaki willfully, as if trying to communicate something implicit. And as if he understood entirely, Shimazaki nodded.
"I am sure things will turn out just as you would like. There's no need to worry."
"I never asked you to do anything! Still, since when have you been able to wield that much influence?" Ota asked the question in hushed tones.
"I am sure I will get the chance to tell you some day."
After all, you'll get to directly experience it for yourself eventually...
Shimazaki bared his yellow teeth in a grin.
CHAPTER 4
It was 10PM in Miyamaedaira, a residential area in Mitaka near the Soga forest.
I wonder if Akinao is studying about now...
Tanouchi Midori's large eyes shone like the heroine of a girl's comic book, her slender face framed by short-cropped hair. Even though summer vacation was about to end, her skin was still white and smooth. It looked like vacation was going to come to a close without her getting a single chance to get into a bathing suit.
I doubt any other 17-year old out there has had a summer this boring.
Midori looked out the window with glazed eyes. She had been taking her college entrance exams lightly, thinking that even if she blew them off for a little bit, she could still get into a decent private liberal arts school. There should have been at least a little bit of time to go to the pool. The reason that she didn't end up doing so was out of duty to her boyfriend, who was studying to get into Tokyo University's engineering school.
"Maybe I should give him a call."
As she stood up, she thought she heard something.
"Eh?" Reflexively, Midori looked at her stereo. Often she would leave it on accidentally. But the power was off. As she tilted her head in confusion, she heard it again but much clearer--a voice echoing in her head.
Come, come to me...
"Who's there!?" Midori looked all around the room, a stern expression on her face. The voice sounded again in her head.
Come, Midori...
Midori's body naturally turned toward the direction of the voice. An inexplicable sensation of ecstacy, difficult to resist, urged her onward.
"OK." With a glassy-eyed expression on her face, Midori nodded. As she left her room, her family was waiting for her at the bottom of the stairs. They all had an eerie, lifeless expression on their faces as if they were dreaming. However, this did not seem to trouble Midori in the least.
"Come on, Midori!" Midori's younger brother, who was in the third grade, had his hand on the door as if he couldn't wait any longer.
"Are you going to go in your sandals?" Midori's mother asked.
"Good point." Putting on her favorite heels, Midori left the foyer after her brother.
None of the family knew where they were going. But the voice in their heads told them there was no need for doubt.
At about the same time, a pair of sweat arms grabbed Yukiko's waist in an apartment in Miyamaedaira.
"Come on, not where it's bright!" Crying out in embarrasment, she pushed her boyfriend Tooru away. She had only met him two weeks ago on a trip to Okinawa. Even holding each other all day long, they never tired of it.
I get the sense I could love him forver... thought Yukiko.
She was a 20-year old college student. Tooru was still a high school student and a little irresponsible, but he had a very bright personality and always made her laugh with his jokes. But more than that, Yukiko liked his handsome looks.
"OK, I'll turn out the lights." Bowing to her wishes, Tooru flicked the light switch. Then he immediately grabbed her in a kiss.
As Yukiko murmured "I love you" in her mind, another voice echoed in her head.
Come...
"Did you say something, Tooru?"
"I was going to ask you the same thing!" As the two looked at each other perplexed, the voice sounded again.
Come...
There was something hard to resist in that voice. The two stood up simultaneously.
A huge line of people proceeded from Miyamaedaira toward the Soga Forest, seemingly going on forever. Those in it numbered at nearly two thousand.
At 10:15 PM, Officer Nimura, on dispatch in Miyamae, saw the first member of the group approaching.
What the hell is going on? Looking at the massive crowd approaching, Nimura scratched his head in confusion. Mothers leading their children. Couples walking hand-in-hand. There were even a few salarymen in the line, still in their suits and ties, looking as if they had stopped for a drink on the way home from work. Each one of them was just an ordinary citizen. But there was a strange air about the crowd that gave any onlooker the shivers.
"It doesn't look like they're here for some sort of event..."
Watching the procession, Nimura realized that not a single person in it was speaking. Feeling that there was just something not right about this, Nimura contacted the station and asked them what to do.
But the response he got was less than helpful.
"At this time of year they're probably going to a Bon dance or something. Don't bother the station with trifling matters like this!"
Irritated at the dispatcher, Nimura grabbed the arm of a salaryman at the end of the procession and spoke to him.
"Excuse me! Where is everyone going at this time of night?"
But the man did not respond.
Nimura immediately realized that he was not being deliberately ignored. The man's glazed-over eyes looked forward without focus, and it was as if he did not even notice the police officer next to him.
Nimura spoke to the boy in front of the salaryman, who appeared to be a student. But there was no response from him either. The group simply proceeded to walk forward like a pack of lemmings. After a few moments of indecision, Nimura decided to join the end of the line.
He walked for maybe a little less than an hour. Residences became more and more sparse, and as the street lamps became further and further spaced apart, a deep fog enveloped the unusual procession. The fervor in the mob's eyes grew ever more insane.
"They're heading to the Soga Forest...?"
A bizarre stench assaulted Nimura's nostrils. It was like a musky, sort of rotten smell. Unconsciously Nimura gripped his police baton and stopped walking. Two meters ahead in a fog too thick to see through, the footsteps of the people became ever more distant.
Gradually, Nimura was overtaken by a creeping terror. When he finally started walking again, it might have been less because of his duty as a police officer and more that he did not want to be left all alone in the middle of the fog. Stumbling and tripping, Nimura ran ahead, several times nearly running into huge larch trees.
Soon the fog cleared ever so slightly. And in contrast, the strange smell became stronger. Right as he caught up to the end of the line, Nimura let out a sigh of relief and hid in the shadows of a large tree as he watched the people start to form a large circle. From somewhere in the middle of the circle, he heard the words of an incantation being chanted like a sutra. As the the voice became audibly louder, the crowd of people prostrated themselves on the grou
nd.
When Nimura saw for the first time what was in the center of the ring of people, he had to use all his resolve to suppress a cry. A completely naked girl was tied up on a T-shaped Egyptian-style cross, which glowed with a dull silver light.
Is she a doll?
Her beauty seemed so perfect, that was the first thought that popped into Nimura's head. But her face, which every so often twisted in contortions of pain, gave lie to the fact that she was indeed a real human. The girl was encased in a veil of a clear, jelly-like substance. Nimura observed that the veil occasionally writhed like a living creature.
Is this for real? Are they shooting a movie here or something?
Nimura knew all too well that he was trying to make excuses to try and hold the terror at bay. His entire body was rooted to the spot as if he was frozen. The sound of his breath assaulted his ears, almost sounding deafeningly loud.
What the heck is going on...?
How long had he been waiting there? An hour?
As it looked like the jelly veil rippled around the girl's head, two red lights started flickering in it, almost as if ornamenting her hair. Strapped to the cross, the girl writhed her head around. Nimura realized that she was stuck inside the body of some sort of mysterious creature that could only be described as a gigantic amoeba.
And that otherworldly creature was expanding rapidly. The two red points of light glowed brighter and brighter, before becoming two demonic eyes that darted over the area, glaring. The gelatinous substance had already engulfed the entire cross the girl was tied too, and was still getting bigger.
At that moment, Nimura noticed a man clad in a black robe standing behind the cross. Even from a distance, the lines on his face clearly delineated the features of a foreigner. The strange sutra-like incantation that he had been hearing was coming from this man.
All of a sudden, the incantation stopped. Silently, the man raised his right hand to the heavens. And as if on queue, the innermost ring of people in the circle stood up, tore off their clothes, threw them aside, and started advancing toward the cross in the middle. The amoeba pulsated, and engulfed their naked bodies. At that moment, their expressions were those of pure ecstacy.
Digital Devil Story: Warrior of the Demon City Page 6