"𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐈 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐫𝐮𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐚𝐫 𝐚𝐰𝐚𝐲.
𝐖𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐈 𝐫𝐮𝐧 𝐨𝐟𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐝𝐚𝐲?
𝐍𝐨𝐛𝐨𝐝𝐲 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰𝐬, 𝐧𝐨𝐛𝐨𝐝𝐲 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰𝐬.
𝐀𝐧𝐝, 𝐈 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐝𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐧,
𝐈 𝐟𝐞𝐥𝐭 𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐈 𝐜𝐚𝐧'𝐭 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐢𝐧.
𝐁𝐮𝐭 𝐧𝐨𝐰, 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐦𝐞 𝐡𝐨𝐦𝐞.
𝐓𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐦𝐞 𝐡𝐨𝐦𝐞, 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐈 𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠.
𝐈 𝐜𝐚𝐧'𝐭 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐢𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐲𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞..."

"𝐎𝐲𝐚𝐣𝐢...𝐖𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐢𝐭 𝐛𝐞 𝐭𝐨𝐨 𝐜𝐫𝐮𝐞𝐥 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐰𝐢𝐬𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐦𝐞 𝐬𝐨𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐈 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐨?"

"𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐧, 𝐦𝐚𝐲𝐛𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐧..."

"𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐦𝐲 𝐬𝐥𝐞𝐞𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐩𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐬?"

"...𝐒𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐈 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐝𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦.....?"

"𝐈 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐨..."

"𝐈 𝐜𝐚𝐧'𝐭."

"𝐈 𝐰𝐨𝐧'𝐭. 𝐎𝐲𝐚𝐣𝐢 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐬𝐜𝐨𝐥𝐝 𝐦𝐞 𝐢𝐟 𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐨𝐮𝐭."

"...𝐇𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐬𝐜𝐨𝐥𝐝 𝐦𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐲𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬...𝐦𝐚𝐲𝐛𝐞 𝐈 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝...𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐧'𝐭 𝐡𝐮𝐫𝐭..."

"𝐈 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝𝐧'𝐭. 𝐈𝐭'𝐬 𝐨𝐤𝐚𝐲. 𝐉𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐩𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐢𝐬 𝐞𝐧𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡."

✦°✦°✦°✦°✦°✦°✦°✦°✦°✦°✦°✦°✦°✦°✦°

Kusuriuri looked straight ahead at the clearly fake exir door. And smirked.

"A Mononoke who wishes its truth to be known. Interesting."

Very interesting, indeed.

"The person who committed suicide, was it that lady?" Masao paled in fear, his eyes widening.

"You mean in that stanchion?" Kioshi asked Masao.

"Didn't you all see her? Isn't that why you were all surprised?" Masao turned around swiftly, questioning everyone.

"So that's what you meant when you said there was someone standing there." The middle aged officer asked away in surprise.

"Didn't you guys see her? She was standing by the stanchion!" Masao was determined to prove that he wasn't just seeing visions.

Kusuriuri felt a hot mess brewing in the car.

"She was dressed like a fashion model."

And the brewing was reaching a high point now. The train lights flickered. The dread settled in everyone like a bird settling in its nest.

"She was holding a cat!"

The widow despaired, "Ichikawa Setsuko...?!"

The sound of a cat was heard in the train.

"Ichikawa didn't have a cat!" Kioshi sounded desperate.

"Why me, why only me...Sir, can't you see it, at least?" Masao was beyond terrified at this point. Kusuriuri narrowed his eyes slightly, his childlike voice reminded him of a time far behind the one right now.

'𝑫𝒊𝒆̄-𝒅𝒊𝒆̄! 𝑫𝒊𝒆̄-𝒅𝒊𝒆̄! 𝑫𝒊𝒆̄-𝒅𝒊𝒆̄!"
"𝑾𝒐̂...𝒘𝒐̂ 𝒃𝒖𝒔𝒉𝒊̀ 𝒏𝒊̂ 𝒅𝒊𝒆̄-𝒅𝒊𝒆̄..."
"𝑴𝒆́𝒊 𝒚𝒐̂ 𝒍𝒂...𝑫𝒊𝒆̄-𝒅𝒊𝒆̄ 𝒋𝒊̀𝒖𝒔𝒉𝒊̀ 𝑫𝒊𝒆̄-𝒅𝒊𝒆̄..."

"I use scales because I cannot see them."

"Why can only he...?"
"Because he saw it, didn't he? Setsuko-san's thoughts brought forth the Bakeneko. That much is clear."

"That voice?" Kusuriuri inquired, finding new information.
"It said 'I won't forgive you.'... "

Chiyo spoke as if she was about to let out a shriek, "Then that was real before?"

Slam!
Slam!
Slam!

The windows closed one by one. Panic was starting to set motion in everyone's heart, except for one.

"Did anyone else hear the voice?" Kusuriuri asked as he looked at the others carefully, diagnosing their expressions.

Amidst the panicked people, Kioshi sat and wrote the notes down.

"A Bakeneko. Everyone hid something about her death."
"Death?" Kusuriuri looked at him with steely eyes, "Don't you mean suicide?"

"Don't be foolish. She jumped off a bridge and died of a suicide." Shakei made a clear point, trying to brush off the case.
"Please tell me, so I can slay the Mononoke." Kusuriuri slipped past him as well.

'It's so fun to do this every time. Just slither slither and watch them fret over the slither.'

The fun, however, was soon ruined. As the next words that came out of the desk job worker's mouth made him fall into a thought.

"She was hit. But I never believed it wasa suicide."
"What are you saying now, of all times?" Shakei stood up from his seatx agitated.

'Oh there they go again.'

'Hit...hit...she was hit by a train.'

'She was a woman with much skill...a pretty woman, skilled on top of that...unfortunately we live in a society...'

'There is a big chance it can be...'

A staged suicide.

But even then, that was just hypothesis. This entire thing could have been solved with a witness.

'Ah, speaking of witness...'

"Hey, isn't there anyone who saw it happening?" Chiyo asked away.
"Of course not." Shakei answered roughly.

He was hell bent on closing this case, once and for all.

"A witness, huh?"

"Besides, didn't this girl also see Ichikawa Setsuko beinh depressed?" Shakei pointed at Chiyo, trying to shift the blame.

"Hmm? Is that so?" Kusuriuri made that comment making a casual voice, but he genuinely had started to think that this piece of shit was not capable of speaking normally.

'Does this guy really have to speak like a broken engine every time he opens his mouth?'

"Come on! Spit it out!" The police officer commanded Chiyo.

"The weaker the dog, the louder its bark." Kusuriuri couldn't help saying it out loud.

'If this helps him get the hint and speak a little less harsh...'

"Eh...?" he side eyed the man with the res paint slightly, and then harshly spoke again, "Now talk."

'...Never mind. I should just keep my ears closed and think of Lacrimosa.'

'On second thought, maybe not.'

"I...What I said was..." Chiyo started anxiously, "It couldn't be that it wasn't a suicide, was it?"

'Good. She has the same of train of thoughts as mine.' Kusuriuri had always been impressed at her quick thinking, even before as Kayo.

"No. It has to be suicide."

'...I seriously need him to stop talking.'

"But, it was so long ago." Chiyo mentioned. Kusuriuri questioned her, "But you remembered the name clearly, didn't you?"

"Well, of course." Chiyo replied, her tone a little accusing, "I saw her in the newspaper."

But the next moment she apologised, "I am sorry!"

Now this, was strange.

"Why are you apologising?"

Was she feeling guilty for something she hid? Or maybe for a lie?

"I was just talking to myself, saying 'Maybe she is dead.' like that." Her voice was even more urgent as she bowed, "I am sorry!"

"Why are you apologising?" again the same question, the same magnetic low voice. But he already had started to see the puzzle picture more clearly with every word spoken.

"Because...I don't remember too well..." came the reply from her.

The next few minutes went on with Kusuriuri listening to rambles and thinking if quitting would be a better option because he was definitely feeling very tired mentally.

'I need a vacation...one time they say someone saw it, one time they say no one saw it...What kind of shit-show is this...Are they really just going to let themselves get killed without letting me know the truth?'

'...Should I just use my scales...?'

'Pff. The murderer is probably in this car. I should wait. If I can make them die for it, why will I not?'

"You don't get it. Her shoes were neatly arranged on top of the bridge."
"Couldn't someone have faked her suicide?" Kioshi asked.
"I also thought that! Because you said there was a witness when asking me." Haru also added fire to the fuel.
"Were you asking then leading questions?" Kioshi was starting to put the blame on the officer.

"So what if I did? No one said anything to contradict me. You have a problem?" He harshly inquired. Meanwhile Masao continued looking at the paranormal, and being absolutely terrified.

'This Kioshi person...is a little suspicious.' Kusuriuri had an odd feeling about this man. He seemed too quick to jump to conclusions. And so far, he seemed to land on the correct ones. He seemed to know more than he should.

Then again, he was the boss of Ichikawa Setsuko.

'Wait...there is a possibility that...'

Oh it could be. He wouldn't be surprised if that was the case.

The stanchions were all moving, and then at once, they stopped.

"Setsuko-san's death, was a faked suicide. That is,

its truth."

As soon as they heard the truth being revealed, the train started to malfunction, the lights went off with the train shaking violently.

"I didn't do anything! I didn't-I just-" the driver rambled.

The Bakeneko rambled out its powers. The entire scenario turned red and black. There were flashes of cuts, as they cut through the place. Yells were heard everywhere.

Kusuriuri only observed, as this behaviour was something he was very much used to by now. He had put countless Bakenekos to rest. He knew their behaviour all too well.

'So many cats...should I count...'

Kusuriuri couldn't help getting slightly concerned due to his own train of thoughts. How had it come to this? Was he so desensitised to the madness and cruelty of this world?

'...I need to get more serious. It is mentally very unhealthy that I cannot take serious things seriously anymore.'

Then again, he rarely had a neutral mentality for the past three hundred years or so. Kusuriuri could count the years that he actually felt somewhat close to how he used to before, he met her.

And the horrors of the two world wars worsened all of it.

Science...was so terrifying. He could never have imagined it was, if he hadn't seen all those Mononokes turning out to be the way they were before they died.

Truly terrible.

Something of such wonder, could also be so horrifying...he knew it all too well.

Tortures, experiments, mutations...what not?

Kusuriuri tried to shake those memories away with the task at hand.

The surroundings were changed completely. It was the train station.

That made him snap completely from his previous thoughts.

"What do you mean?"
"I don't care, let me out. Unlike you guys, I am a busy man. I have work to do."

But the door wouldn't budge no matter how hard they tried.

"Wait. It's a trap."

The door opened, and the people from before were gone. It was just a red hell waiting for them outside.

"Who cares, as long as we can get off?"
"Don't."

And of course, he didn't listen.

'You know what, go die. Seriously.'

Even though he said that in his mind, as he saw the officer's cheek getting clawed out by the Bakeneko, he couldn't stop himself from running to rescue him. But unfortunately, he was too late.

Shakei was sent to the pits of the red zone.

Chiyo suddenly shrieked and pointed her finger towards the window.

It was actually outside the window she was pointing.

And what they all saw, made their blood go cold.

It was the mayor. Dead.

And another body was soon added with it. Shakei's body.

The heads of the people outside changed into the heads of several black cats.

"This is all the Bakeneko's doing." He turned at the remaining passengers, completely unhinged by any of the paranormal phenomena.

"If you leave, your lives, will be forfeited."