Not a detective

Page 39

Does he think we'd steal his money?

“No one will take your suitcase.” Principal Xiao Gong couldn’t stand it anymore and chimed in, “Besides, with such a heavy snow outside, even if there were a thief, they wouldn’t be able to escape.”

Takagi Ichiro said coldly, "If everyone were friendly, if people's hearts were so easy to see through, my daughter wouldn't have been kidnapped. Anyway, don't worry about it, I will take responsibility for myself."

Since he's gone this far, there's no point in trying to persuade him anymore. Adults are responsible for their own lives; that's a matter of course.

Asakawa Riku finally said, "Then, please lock the door."

“…Hmm?” The middle-aged man frowned.

"When Hirata Hirokichi died, the door was unlocked. I think the murderer took the opportunity to break in. I don't know if it will work, but everyone should try locking the door."

...

Click.

Mr. Matsuyama locked the door, and to make sure it was safe, he pulled on it several times, making a loud banging sound.

Looking at that tense and cautious expression, Asakawa Riku knew one thing perfectly well—

That is, the person who is truly afraid is not him, but Mr. Matsuyama.

"Matsuyama-sensei".

He spoke, interrupting the man's unconscious repetitive actions. He had been closing the door for several minutes, like someone with obsessive-compulsive disorder.

"Ah." Teacher Matsuyama belatedly realized what was happening, as if he hadn't noticed anything unusual about himself.

Asakawa Riku said, "I want to confirm one thing... Was it really the Snow Woman we saw that time?"

"Yuki-onna!"

Mr. Matsuyama's relaxed expression instantly tightened, and his voice involuntarily rose eight octaves: "Is it a Yuki-onna... a Yuki-onna? Then perhaps it is, it is indeed a yokai."

The white-haired girl dancing and singing in the snow.

Stunning beauty, gorgeous kimono, every smile and frown like a ghost, detached from the world, like a snowflake.

There is no more fitting description than "Snow Woman".

Mr. Matsuyama was afraid of her, and Riku Asakawa knew the reason for his fear:

"Haoji is dead. Next in line will probably be the two of us."

"Yes, it is……"

In that instant, it seemed as if Asakawa Riku was the elder and Matsuyama-sensei was the junior. The tall, strong man hung his head dejectedly, and the light in his eyes disappeared.

People targeted by evil spirits will die one by one; this is a common plot in horror movies, so common that it has become common knowledge for most people.

At the time, only three people witnessed the Snow Woman: Riku Asakawa, Hirokichi Hirata, and Mr. Matsuyama. So, following the order, the target could be easily identified.

—Actually, the target is you.

Asakawa Riku wanted to say that, but seeing Matsuyama-sensei's vulnerable state, he couldn't bear to destroy his last psychological defense.

The Snow Woman approached him on the first day, then it was Haoji, so on the third day, it's very likely that it will be Teacher Matsuyama.

The reason Asakawa Riku suggested staying in the same room with him was to save him.

Unlike Takagi Ichiro, the older man was someone Riku Asakawa had no connection with. If he insisted on going to his death, all Riku Asakawa could do was offer a few words of advice, which would be more than enough. But Master Matsuyama had been a mentor to him, and Riku still had some feelings for him. Ever since Hiroki died, he didn't want any more of his friends or family to be killed by monsters.

“Matsuyama-sensei, we must help each other and get through this difficult time.”

Asakawa Riku said seriously.

This is a rather euphemistic way of putting it. Given Mr. Matsuyama's pride, he probably wouldn't let a student "protect" him, so he used the phrase "mutual help".

“Okay, okay.” Teacher Matsuyama subconsciously agreed, but then frowned: “But how do we fight the Snow Woman… with our strength…”

As Takagi Ichiro said, none of the people here are Onmyoji, and none of them know how to use exorcism techniques.

He rummaged through his backpack: "I don't have any amulets or anything like that... Asakawa-kun, aren't you close to Kazamatsuri-kun...? Do you have any?"

Goodness, it turns out the rumors had already reached the teacher's ears.

"We don't need that kind of thing."

Asakawa Riku clenched his fist: "This will do. If the Yuki-onna attacks, I'll take her down."

"Huh?" Mr. Matsuyama was dumbfounded.

"That's right. I should have the power to defeat her if she shows up."

"No, no, no... that's way too exaggerated..."

"It's not an exaggeration, Mr. Matsuyama. You've seen me hunting, or chopping wood with logs. Those are the best examples."

"Uh……"

Mr. Matsuyama was convinced by this compelling evidence, but he still couldn't believe it: "Asakawa-kun, I've been wanting to ask this for a while now. What's going on with you? Are you some kind of secret cyborg from a science fiction story, or some kind of national-level athlete? Why haven't I seen you perform like this in regular PE class?"

"I just enjoy exercising. As for my performance at school, I just want to be an ordinary student."

Asakawa Riku smiled but didn't explain further: "Then, Matsuyama-sensei, you should go to sleep first. I'll take over the first half of the night's watch. I'll wake you up when it's time to change shifts."

Meanwhile, the wind and snow outside the window continued, pounding against the windowpane like the hands of a snow maiden, as if she were about to visit at any moment.

Summer of the Snow Woman: Chapter Twenty - Continuous Frozen to Death

"What time is it now?!"

Naoya Matsuyama woke up with a start, opened his eyes, and looked around blankly.

He could never get used to living in this house; the biting cold instantly seeped into the blankets, making him shiver all over.

His first instinct was to touch his body; thankfully, it was still warm.

I had a nightmare, a nightmare of being trapped in ice. I didn't freeze to death, but I remained conscious. No matter how much I struggled, I couldn't move my body, and no matter how much I tried to speak, I couldn't make a sound.

It was the worst nightmare ever, like an endless hell.

Fortunately, Naoya Matsuyama breathed a sigh of relief. He hadn't frozen to death, nor had he been targeted by the Yuki-onna, and he had spent the night unharmed.

But what time is it now? He couldn't help but ask. The wind and snow outside the window were still blowing, but the faint morning light meant it was already morning.

I actually slept through the whole night! Didn't we agree to take turns keeping watch?

He didn't care about anything else and immediately rolled out of bed, but at that moment he realized something was wrong.

—What about Riku Asakawa?

The boy's figure disappeared; he was in this room last night.

His quilt was still spread out on the ground, but he had disappeared.

Could he be dead?! Killed by the Snow Woman?!

"hiss--"

Naoya Matsuyama couldn't help but stagger, quite frightened by the thought. There were three targets marked by the Snow Woman, and if it wasn't him, it was very likely Asakawa.

He suppressed the urge to shout and forced himself to think calmly.

Something's not right. I remember when Hirata died, he was frozen in a big block of ice, but there's no ice sculpture of Asakawa in the room right now.

Moreover, there were no signs of freezing; at least, no traces of melted water were visible, and the room remained dry, a characteristic feature of winter.

I remember a legend that said the Snow Woman would sometimes freeze the men she liked and take them away to admire them at her leisure. Could it be that Asakawa-kun encountered such a situation?

Naoya Matsuyama felt his mind go blank and even started to have wild thoughts.

"This……"

He remained motionless in the position he had just gotten out of bed, feeling that nothing he did was appropriate, and his body was stiff for a moment.

At that moment, the door was pulled open from the outside.

“Matsuyama-sensei? What a coincidence, I was just about to wake you up.”

Standing outside the door was the boy who had been thought to be sentenced to death, but his expressionless face made it seem as if he were the judge delivering the death sentence.

"Good morning. Although it's not proper to talk about this so early in the morning, given the circumstances, I have to inform you of the deaths that occurred today."

"The person who froze to death last night was Mr. Takagi Ichiro."

...

As he did yesterday, Asakawa Riku melted Mr. Takagi's body from the ice and then carefully checked his vital signs.

"He's dead." He announced like a doctor, then carried the body to the snow behind the house and buried it not far from Hirata Kosuke.

Yukie followed along and prayed with her hands clasped together, just like last time.

She was still shivering from the cold, but this time Asakawa Riku had her wrapped in a blanket, so she felt a little better.

After doing all this, Asakawa Riku led the girl back inside. After warming up briefly, Yukie suddenly stood up:

"I'll go prepare food for everyone."

There are still a few rabbits left. Yesterday we were worried there wouldn't be enough to go around, but now that one person is missing, we've unfortunately got enough.

Asakawa Riku was surprised by her strength, but still asked, "Are you alright? You can rest a little longer."

"It's fine."

The girl shook her head, her hair swaying with the movement: "If it's like yesterday, it'll be terrible if it gets dark after dinner. You guys still have important things to talk about, right?"

She's right. Time flows very strangely in this mountain. Once it gets dark, nothing can be done, so you have to hurry.

Asakawa Riku was grateful for her understanding. He did indeed need to discuss Takagi Ichiro's death with the two "adults".

As soon as Xuehui stepped into the kitchen, he turned around and saw two "adults" walking down the stairs.

Mr. Matsuyama and Principal Komiya, carrying backpacks and shoulder bags, were about to leave, just as they had arrived.

...Although it was somewhat inappropriate, this scene reminded Asakawa Riku of his parents who had run away.

"Where are you going?"

"...How can anyone still stay in this house!"

Teacher Matsuyama argued instinctively, his voice loud, but he quickly realized it wasn't good to get angry at his students. However, he still couldn't suppress his bad mood: "This house has been cursed by the Snow Woman! As long as we stay here, someone will die every night. Tomorrow it might be our turn. We might as well go out and try our luck!"

Principal Komiya followed behind him, her expression gloomy, and also expressed her agreement: "Asakawa-kun, Yukie, you should pack your bags too, let's go together."

They were wrapped tightly in blankets, covering their heads and bodies, making them look like two clumsy penguins.

Do you know how strong the snowstorm is outside?

At some point, Asakawa Riku stopped using honorifics.

He had just come back from outside and felt that the snowfall was even more intense than a few days ago. In addition, his non-snow boots made it almost impossible to walk.

Skin exposed to the elements for even a few seconds will suffer frostbite, and rapid hypothermia will lead to a decline in physical strength. These people have been eating very little these past few days, and their bodies are already weak. In such a terrible blizzard, these two people probably wouldn't even be able to walk 500 meters.

Not to mention finding a way out of this lost forest, even Asakawa Riku himself wasn't entirely confident.

“You’re throwing your lives away. I don’t want to have to drag two corpses back later.”

"But it's better than staying here and getting killed by monsters! Isn't the fear of not knowing which night it will be your turn to die terrifying?"

Mr. Matsuyama, disregarding the authority of his elders, made no attempt to hide his fear: "Rather than this, we might as well take a gamble; maybe there's still a glimmer of hope!"

Principal Komiya was clearly convinced by him:

"Asakawa-kun... We've seen your extraordinary talent over the past few days. If you're not afraid, you can stay here; we won't insist that you come with us. But this place is clearly cursed by a demon, and we dare not stay here. Yukie, please come with us; we will protect you."

After saying that, she took Xuehui's hand. The girl was still halfway through cooking and was a little confused, not knowing what to do.

At that moment, Asakawa Riku stepped between them.

"and many more."

As mentioned earlier, adults have the right to take responsibility for their own lives and make choices, but he would not let this girl die alongside these reckless adults.

他 说:

"Please listen to me for a few words. If the principal and teachers still decide to leave after I've said that, then I won't stop them anymore."

"I believe that Mr. Takagi Ichiro's reasoning is wrong. The murderer is not the Yuki-onna, but someone else."

Summer of the Snow Woman: Chapter Twenty-One: The Copycat