September, 26, 188—, 10:00 a.m.
Upper Niban-chô, Kôjimachi Ward, Tokyo
It was the day after his mother’s cremation that Daigo was invited to the Kanô school.
He was led into a Western-style room. Outside, the birds chirped, as if celebrating a beautiful day, and, nearby, kiai echoed from the dojo through which he had just passed.
Since the students of the Kanô school woke up at a quarter to five, ate breakfast at six, and then went to class, the only men left in the dojo were Kôdôkan’s Shitennô.
Jigorô and Saigô Shirô, along with Chizuru, were already in the living room when Daigo arrived.
While Shirô was merely pale, with a bandage wrapped around his throat, Chizuru looked noticeably exhausted. It pained Daigo’s heart terribly to know it was because her sister, Akane, had been kidnapped while Chizuru was at his house.
After carrying Sayo’s body—the real Sayo this time—back inside the house, without attracting the neighbors’ notice, Chizuru, Jigorô, and Shirô had rushed back to Renbei-jyuku.
Only the Shitennô, hanging their heads in shame, were there. Akane was nowhere to be found.
Chizuru had called the police with Jigorô to file a missing persons report, and then slept only a little before Sayo’s funeral and cremation.
Although the police questioning had been relatively civil—after all, both Jigorô and her father knew the superintendent of police—the events of the day had exhausted Chizuru. Afterward, she fell into a deep sleep.
Only the fact that she was the daughter of an influential man had protected her. The police had been known to resort to torture, even of women, in order to coerce a confession.
“Thank you for coming,” Jigorô began. He had not slept, but he did not look at all tired; he did not even have bags under his eyes.
Daigo bowed before him with great respect. Since the request had come from this man, Daigo had had no choice but to accept the invitation.
“Thank you for coming yesterday.”
Jigorô and Shirô had also attended the funeral.
Only Tankichi and his mother had seen Sayo after she had become a vampire. It was even more fortunate that the events had been so shocking that Tankichi and his mother could not remember what had happened. The mother had even refused the box of sweets Daigo had brought with him when he had gone to apologize for what had happened to Tankichi.
He had explained to them that a burglar had broken into his house, probably in search of the condolence money, and had caused a scare before escaping. And with that, the matter had been settled.
“After the funeral yesterday, I went to the count’s mansion, but it was completely empty.”
“But you said something about a hideout?”
“He probably had several prepared before he even came to this country. He must have had someone here helping him. It may be his coach driver.”
“Could he be the one who defeated the Shitennô?”
“I’m certain of it,” Chizuru said. “One of the students who was there that day saw the driver waiting outside on the coach when the count came. He recognized the driver as the one who had fought the Shitennô.”
“He must be the one helping the count.”
“Do you think there is only one?” Daigo asked.
“I don’t know, but I can’t imagine there are more.”
“But when and how did the count find someone to help him?”
Jigorô fell silent. He closed his eyes and crossed his arms. It was clear he was more distressed now than he had ever been during his struggle to spread the teachings of judo.
“I can’t know for sure. But he must have found someone who was interested in European legends and contacted him somehow. After that, he can turn anyone into his servant with one look.”
“But—who?”
Jigorô closed his eyes again.
Chizuru asked, “Can we find out by investigating the coach?”
“The police could certainly conduct such an investigation—but not if the driver owns the coach.”
“Sensei Kanô,” Daigo began, bringing his knees together. “I must be honest. Even after what happened to my mother, I still can’t believe that Count Dracula was the one behind this.”
“I know. Before his death, he was a magnificent general, one who could even have stood comparison with the finest general in our country. I would have liked to have known him—four hundred years ago.”
Jigorô stretched his back and looked at the three of them. Then he began again. “In light of what you said, I’d like to tell you everything I know that might concern this incident. I had wanted to keep the fact of this evil man’s arrival locked away, but I’m afraid that’s no longer possible. But you must not reveal to anyone what I am about to tell you. It must follow you to your graves.”
The three nodded. Sunlight filled the room.
“I first learned about vampires from a friend at Tokyo Imperial University who dabbled in magic and the occult. I liked him, even though he didn’t know a thing about judo, and we used to spend the night at each other’s boarding houses. Eventually, I became interested in his research.”
Saigô Shirô was the one most shocked by this confession.
He did not think that this practical man, who had adapted old jujitsu principles and transformed them into a new martial art for the modern age, could be interested in something so ridiculous. Though he had heard about it a few times before—not only in Akane’s room but also on several other occasions—it still surprised him every time.
Jigorô picked up an old book from the top of a stack nearby and flipped through the pages. “This book is The Legend of Dracula in Europe. The ones here on top are The Magic Compendium, The Encyclopedia of Sorcery, Witchcraft for the Ages—all bought during my school days. They all contain detailed information about vampires and Count Dracula.
“According to these books, vampires are evil spirits that have existed since the beginning of human history. They start out as ghosts but take visible form when they suck the blood of a victim and possess his body. The most frightening part about them is that their evil is contagious. Anyone whose blood is sucked out of them by a vampire will die and come back to life as a vampire, like Minazuki-kun’s mother.”