Not a detective

Page 216

Yes, that memory was all real, even the memory of "Nue" that she wrote in the first person, imitating her own writing style, was real.

Back then, he did meet a girl and formed a temporary alliance with her, pretending to be friends in order to catch the real culprit of the stalker. They went to and from school together for a while, and the memories of that time were very happy. But all those memories have been erased, and he doesn't remember any of them at all. That's why seeing her now feels like the first time he's seen her.

Why would I forget something so important?

Looking back now, it seems that my memory was manipulated, deliberately deleting these crucial elements.

Even the key scene of the crime was forgotten by Asakawa Riku. Only after seeing these words could he recall the enemy that he still fears.

That must have been the first time Asakawa Riku had ever experienced such a complete defeat.

A bizarre shadow, a distorted reality, all sorts of unbelievable phenomena, indescribable attack methods, time and space cannot be trusted, and all power has lost its effect.

It is incomprehensible why such a powerful force exists, more like a god than the "god" that Asakawa Riku is currently witnessing, or even a higher level of power.

It's as if some higher-dimensional means forcibly interfered with reality.

...and perhaps it even interfered with his memory.

The content of the book is mostly true. In order to save the girl and himself, he challenged a powerful enemy and engaged in a life-or-death struggle with the monster.

But even with all their might, they couldn't win.

Faced with such a bizarre enemy, even the greatest strength, fighting skills, and techniques become useless. Even if Asakawa Riku can briefly suppress the enemy with his strength, once he regains his senses...

The mask almost ended up on his own body...

Those were monsters that no human could deal with. In fact, at that time, Asakawa Riku had already come into contact with the existence of supernatural forces. If his memories had not been erased and blocked, he would still be unaware of the existence of the supernatural world afterward. Perhaps his decision to stop pursuing those things after entering high school was also related to his subconscious resistance.

"I already know."

Asakawa Riku murmured.

His fingers traced the manuscript paper, and the beautiful words seemed to transform into rows of scales, stinging his skin.

He knew that this was his body's instinct to protect him and resist turning the page.

I know that if I keep watching, something bad will definitely happen.

However, Asakawa Riku already knew the truth about the case.

Yes, there was actually no mystery from the beginning. As long as we can recover the memories from that time, whether it's the real culprit or the case, everything will be solved.

Yes, this is a mystery that only he can solve.

Even knowing the truth, he still wanted to keep watching—until the very end, with a final resolve.

Asakawa Riku bent his fingers and, without hesitation, turned to the next page.

...

Chapter Seven

I haven't been to school for more than ten days since the incident.

The school must have made many calls to my family, but they live far away and can't help me for the time being.

I buried myself in the blanket, not knowing what I was afraid of, but my hands were trembling uncontrollably.

I still can't help but think about what happened that day.

Actually, my injuries have almost fully recovered. Should I say that my injuries were not serious to begin with, or that my body is just different from ordinary people?

I had heard from my family that my physique was exceptional even among those monsters, but I betrayed my family's expectations and escaped alone.

Looking back now, perhaps if I had listened to my parents and learned a few tricks from them, I wouldn't have been in such a sorry state back then, and at least I would have had a chance to fight back.

They won't just be helpless... waiting to be rescued by him...

I buried my head deep in the blanket, feeling the cold, sticky mucus and black grime still clinging to my skin, impossible to completely remove.

After I stopped going to school, besides the school teachers and classmates who were assigned to visit me (I didn't open the door), the police also came to inquire about the situation.

Although I really wanted to yell through the door, "You can't help with this kind of thing," I obediently opened the door.

At first, I was very cooperative.

Until they asked me:

"Do you have a history of mental illness? Is there a related medical history in your family? Why are you living alone in Tokyo? Have you been under a lot of stress or been particularly aggressive recently? Have you ever accidentally hurt a family member or classmate? Can you accurately recall the events of the incident? Can you guarantee that you were conscious at the time?"

My expression changed instantly.

I know they mistook me for a criminal and attacked Nue in a frenzy... How could that be!

I am absolutely not the criminal, and I could not possibly be the real culprit, so I angrily told them this and slammed the door shut.

The facts proved me right; the testimonies at the scene showed that there was a third person present besides us.

Nue is definitely not the culprit, and he could not be the real killer... The real killer is a third person.

I am so certain of this, yet I cannot speak the truth. It's as if an invisible pressure is forcing me to stay locked in this cramped rented room.

Just when I didn't know how much longer I would have to stay here, or if I would be locked up here for the rest of my life.

A ray of sunlight shone in.

The boy stood by the door, looking at me, who was bewildered and at a loss:

"Although I don't know whether I should come to see you now."

"But I think you, like me, are eager to know the truth about that matter."

Nue's Summer: Chapter Ten Ends Abruptly

Chapter Eight

"I don't trust anyone else."

I said to the girl in front of me, "Let's find out the truth together."

This is my honest opinion.

Since that incident, I haven't been bothered much. Although I made quite a commotion in the downtown area, and I was showing my face without a mask at the time, so in theory, quite a few people should have seen my real appearance. But for some reason, neither the police nor the media have contacted me, and I can't even find any records related to the case when I search online.

It's as if it was deliberately erased by something.

The traces involving supernatural powers... may have been covered up by some special organization. I am increasingly certain that what I experienced that day was definitely not a dream or a hallucination.

No wonder we couldn't find any evidence of those strange phenomena no matter how hard we searched before. It turns out someone was cleaning up our mess. Now everything makes sense.

I felt both excited and apprehensive.

My excitement stems from the fact that after more than ten years of searching, I have finally found some clues, based on my own experience, so there can be no mistake.

But my anxiety stemmed mostly from that unforgettable battle, which left an indelible impression on me and a deep sense of defeat and frustration.

My body was not injured at all; in fact, it was completely unharmed, as if the fierce fight had never happened.

But I know very well—I lost.

Even with their best efforts, they couldn't defeat the eerie black shadow monster, which escaped. They only managed to save the poor girl.

Such a crushing defeat was an unprecedented blow to me. I had been practicing martial arts for nearly ten years and thought I had no rivals. I never imagined that I was just short-sighted and narrow-minded.

In the face of true superhuman power, he is still just an ordinary person.

...Perhaps this is what the idiom "Lord Ye loves dragons" means. I can only smile bitterly. After pursuing it for so long, I was afraid when it finally came to me.

I never expected that such sarcasm would be used against me.

But I am still not resigned to it. Although I may feel disappointed by temporary setbacks, I am by no means the kind of person who will give up.

In the pursuit of martial arts, what is needed is this fighting spirit that becomes stronger with each setback. Without such will, one cannot reach the ultimate heights.

Even if you encounter an invincible opponent, you must keep challenging them. Even if you fail once or twice, you must never give up.

Only through repeated failures can we learn from experience and gain knowledge; this is the right way to become stronger.

...Deep down, I admit that I still yearn for what happened that day.

So I walked on without realizing it, and ended up in front of the girl's house.

"We cannot run away from it."

This is the steadfastness that comes after making a decision.

However, her resolve wasn't as firm as mine; she just stood there, mouth agape, looking bewildered.

"you……"

I understand, she probably doesn't know how to address me yet.

"Call me (pseudonym)."

To show my sincerity, I told her my real name. I could clearly see that her expression softened and she was no longer so tense.

Actually, this also marks the moment when I officially severed ties with the "Faceless Man." Before truly defeating that guy, I felt I was no longer qualified to be the "Faceless Man."

Not to mention the title "Nue," which I don't want to hear right now.

I am (a pseudonym), that's all. At least for now, I want to use my own name:

"Besides me, you were the only one who witnessed the incident that day, right? Do you know the truth? Can you come with me to investigate?"

Seemingly startled by my overly eager and enthusiastic manner, she took a step back.

"what……"

They seemed afraid to step out of the shadow behind the threshold.

I know this can't be rushed. If an ordinary student were to encounter something like that, they would definitely panic and be scared. It's impossible for them to recover like I did in just a few days.

And I was quite scary back then... I know myself well, but when I fight, I tend to be unrestrained and let myself go, maybe really like a raging monster.

So it's not surprising that she's afraid of me.

So I softened my tone and explained as gently as possible:

“It’s okay, I won’t force you to come with me. If you don’t want to go out, could you please tell me what happened that day? Even just some fragments you remember would be helpful. Although I was there at the time, my memory might be inaccurate. Your testimony would be a great help.”

"Do not……"

I heard her soft, quiet murmur.

My heart sank immediately; I thought she had rejected me.

However, the next second, she took a step forward and stepped out of the threshold.

Her face, exposed to the sunlight, was unexpectedly fresh and beautiful.

"I want to go too. You saved my life, I can't stand by and do nothing."

...

So, she and I formed a new alliance.

No longer are they pretending to be friends to "track down the real culprit of the stalker." Although the goal may be the same, this time it is an alliance formed to "track down the truth about the real culprit's crimes."

It might sound a bit convoluted, but to put it simply, we were originally playing the role of "detectives," but now we might be the two "victims."

At least we all agree that "the police can't be trusted in this kind of thing," because such a powerful force is something that ordinary people simply cannot resist.

Moreover, neither she nor I were injured in this incident, so the "victim" label is invalid. How can the police believe there is a strange and terrifying killer with superpowers when no one was actually killed? That's too difficult.

If it weren't for the large hole in the ground that was witnessed by many people, the police probably wouldn't have even paid any attention to it.

"This is it."

I brought her to this big pit.

We both disguised ourselves to some extent. I was wearing a hooded sweatshirt, while she was wearing a mask. Although it was hot in the summer, we had to do this to avoid being recognized by passersby.

The street is very different during the day and at night. Under the blazing sun, even the shadows between the high walls and the stairwells appear bright, without the gloom and eerie atmosphere of the past.

But it might just be a psychological effect.

Not only were there large potholes on the road, but also walls, streetlights, and surrounding buildings were damaged to some extent due to the impact of the battle.

But when I came to visit today, I found that most of the repairs had been carried out in a timely manner, the road surface had been repaved, and traces of repairs could be seen in various places.

The official response was quite swift... or are they trying to cover something up...?

I walked slowly along the route I took that day, and the scenes I recalled flashed through my mind. I compared them with the details in front of me, afraid of missing any clues.

I casually asked her, "That day... you were just walking home from school like usual, right?"