Chapter 17

“Even if it’s fake, and it causes controversy, that just means a bunch of people are coming to the site to scream, ‘This is fake! Shut it down!’ which means more views, so they win either way. If they put up an apology after it blows up, then they get a bunch more people coming to read the apology. They don’t all work that way…but take this IkeNew! site, for example. They’ve been infamous for those problems, even before we went on vacation.” Shinra was looking at the laptop computer Celty had open. The website IkeNew! was displayed on the screen. IkeNew! was a news website that focused on Ikebukuro. It was infamous for trafficking in lots of false rumors and inflammatory articles, prompting people to read only the headlines and share them on social media, where they would go viral and start a vicious cycle of bad information. It was bad enough that people said a majority of fake news in Ikebukuro came from this one site. But every now and then, they broke a big story before the media did, so they had garnered a certain kind of grudging respect. “Is…is that true?” “Yep. I hear they work with other sites and buy up the rights to stories. Basically, they’ve got the worst reputation of any news source in Ikebukuro. But the people who believe their stories will do so without any skepticism. You know, like the kind of people who will assume that stories from obvious satire websites are completely true and share them as if they’re real.” “Oh no…” “…But in your case, Celty, you’re already known for being chased around by the traffic officers, so I’m sure most of the people just assume that you would also probably kidnap people,” he noted sadly. Celty trembled. “Wh-what should I do…?” Shinra placed a hand on her shoulder and offered a suggestion. “Well, if there is undeniable proof of your innocence…and the revelation of a sensational, shocking truth, I’m sure the suspicions people have about you will clear.” “So…what does that mean, actually?” “It’s simple. The real kidnapper needs to be caught and plastered all over the news.” “Ah, I see.” Celty was finally starting to calm down. Shinra gave her a reassuring smile and elaborated on his suggestion. “On top of that, if it’s the Headless Rider herself who captures the culprit…that would have the greatest effect.” Takadanobaba—apartment building “Uh-huh. So the Headless Rider is back,” murmured Kuon Kotonami from the roof of his building. There was a smartphone in his hand displaying an article from IkeNew! titled, “Headless Rider witnessed for first time in half a year! New developments in the disappearances?!” Once he had absorbed the information within, he gazed upon the night around him. Eventually, he broke into chuckles. “Well, well, what timing… This is gonna be wild. Very wild, indeed.” He was looking at the Sunshine building of Ikebukuro. The lights of the high-rise rose against the dark of night. “The circumstances are so ripe for intrigue, yet the majority of people don’t even realize it—what does it all mean?” The smile vanished from his face. His grip on the phone tightened. “They’re all so boring. Most of the people in this city only react the way I expect them to react. Only a tiny handful will actually do something outside of my expectations for them.” His eyes narrowed with irritation. “Headless Rider…I just hope you’re not as boring as the rest.” He turned back to his phone. Based on the reactions on the news blogs, everyone was obsessed with the return of the Headless Rider: hollering, whooping, bashing. Kuon found their reactions to be uniformly boring. “Hmph. They’re all so normal. The same as always,” he said, sighing. The look in his eyes was almost freakishly cold and cruel. His words spilled into the night. “This is why I hate humanity.” The expression he wore was far more chilling than anything he ever exhibited at school. “I can’t believe there’s an info broker who would actually say that he loves them.”