She folded the raincoat up and put it away in its pouch, then put that into the flower-patterned bag attached to her chair-walker. There were supermarket flyers, among other things, sticking out of the side pocket.
A pair of eyes couched in wrinkles looked curiously around the room, then registered Seiji on the floor. “Wh-what’s the matter? Are you feeling sick?”
“No, um, I haven’t eaten in three days, so…”
“Goodness, that’s terrible!”
The second she heard Seiji’s pathetic story, she began rummaging through her flowered bag, which was apparently insulated. Then she brought out a small container. “I’m afraid it’s just my leftovers from lunch, but…”
When he opened the lid, it turned out to be inari sushi. Two lumps of moist, fried, sweet-smelling tofu sat there in small rounded mounds.
“Th-thank you very much!”
Seiji clapped his hands together in worship, then gratefully helped himself. As he chewed, the vinegared rice and the sweetness of fried tofu gradually soaked into his stomach. On an empty belly, nothing could have been tastier.
…Hm?
He blinked. He’d caught a faint, strange odor.
Was something rotting?
For just a moment, he thought he’d smelled rotten raw meat—or, no, had he?
Before he could trace the smell, it dispersed. While Seiji was still puzzling over it…
“By the way.” Odoro, apparently tired of waiting, interrupted, as if he were stabbing the others with an icicle. “You’ve entered someone else’s office without permission and begun feeding a stray, but who exactly are you? Where have you come from?”
At first glance, his face was as expressionless as a mask, but on closer inspection, a twitching vein stood out on his temple. He was very close to completely losing it.
Seiji shuddered hard, but the elderly woman gave a surprisingly casual bow. “Oh, I’m sorry. I haven’t introduced myself yet. My name is Suzu Torikai. I was told I could consult with a detective if I came here.”
“I don’t know who told you that, but this agency operates exclusively on a system of introduction. If you don’t have an appointment, I’m afraid I can’t meet with—”
“Oh, that’s right. He gave me your card.”
The card Suzu produced was very familiar, with Rindou Detective Agency in gold letters on a black background. However, the name printed beneath those words was…
“…Ibara?” Odoro’s stunned murmur seemed almost involuntary.
Ibara Rindou.
If Seiji recalled, that was Odoro’s twin brother, the second detective who’d started this agency with him.
Except…I thought he was dead.
According to what Seiji had heard, there had been a ferocious succession battle, and Odoro was the only one of his thirteen brothers who’d survived.
On top of that, it had happened more than five years ago, before the contest to send sinners to Hell began.
“Who gave this to you? How many years ago was it?” Odoro’s voice was unnaturally flat. His expression had gone from astonished to completely blank.
“When was it? Yesterday?” the woman said. “…It does feel as if it may have been several years ago, though. I remember it was a young man who gave it to me, but I can’t recall who he was… I’m sorry.” Suzu shrank into herself slightly, looking apologetic. “Maybe it’s my age. I seem to know less and less these days.”
Hm. Apparently, she was extremely forgetful.
“…I see,” Odoro murmured. He put a hand to his chin and thought for a while but didn’t seem to get anywhere. “To begin with, why don’t you tell me the reason for your visit? Please, have a seat.” He gestured toward the reception set.
After seating herself with some effort on one of the clearly expensive leather sofas, Suzu looked around curiously. “This is a very nice office. Did you decorate it yourself?”
“My elder brother was very particular about that sort of thing. I didn’t even touch the blueprints… Would you care for some coffee?” Responding with unexpected frankness, Odoro crossed to the study area. The space was equipped with a cupboard, and a hand-cranked coffee mill and jars of coffee beans sat on the counter.
Before long, Odoro handed her a cup brewed from freshly ground beans, with a few sugar cubes on the side.
“My, how kind of you.” Accepting the coffee, Suzu blew on it, then took a sip and savored it. “Oh, that’s delicious. You’ve given me an extra day of life.”
It seemed as if she might mean that literally.
…Naturally, Seiji hadn’t been offered so much as a glass of water. Or a chair, even.
Carrying a cup for himself, Odoro sat down on the opposite sofa.
“Let’s see. Where should I begin…?” Behind the steam rising from her cup, Suzu started to speak, hesitated, then tried again. “It’s the dog, you see. She keeps disappearing.”
“A dog, hm?”
…Hey. Why are you looking at me?
“A dog I’m taking care of has run off several times. It happens during the night, when I’m asleep.”
“An exceptionally stupid dog, then.”
I told you, quit looking at me.
“That said,” continued Odoro, “if it comes back every time, it may just be imposing on someone else. Although I would imagine it’s a terrible nuisance for them.”
…Fine, say whatever you want.
“No, she doesn’t come back… Every time she disappears, I look and look for her, and eventually I find her. She’s missing right now; she’s been gone for half a month already.”
“Half a month? That’s quite a long time.”
“Yes, but I’ve found her unexpectedly after a month before.”
“Have you contacted any animal shelters?”
“Well, they never seem to take me seriously.”
According to Suzu, the dog was a small breed, and her name was “Chi.” Suzu fed her twice a day, morning and evening. Chi was an indoor dog, and although Suzu let her out in the garden to play once a day, Suzu’s legs and back were weak, so she wasn’t able to take the dog for walks. When she took her to the local vet for her checkups, Suzu sat the dog on her chair-walker and pushed it.
Hm. So did the dog run off because she was unhappy about the situation?
“You said she runs away at night, while you’re asleep. Do you have any idea how it happens?”
“Absolutely none. I make sure the windows and front door are properly shut and locked every night.”
“Have you ever been awakened by a noise?”
“Well, you see… I’ve been taking sleeping pills for about two years now.”
It started when the elderly woman who lived next door, another single lady whom Suzu had been good friends with for years, moved into a nursing home.
Suzu spent her days without anyone to talk to, yet taking classes in some sort of hobby seemed like too much trouble. She’d kept more and more to herself, and at some point, she’d stopped being able to sleep at night.
Thinking This can’t go on, she’d spoken with her doctor about it and had been given a prescription for long-acting sleeping pills. They’d made it possible for her to sleep soundly until morning, but…
“Although I’m grateful for them, I do think they work a little too well.”
Apparently, it took quite a lot of noise to rouse her. Suzu was terribly afraid that if there were a fire or an earthquake, she’d be killed in her sleep.
“There was a time when I quit taking the medicine and tried to watch the dog all night. It was bad for my heart, though, so the doctor told me to stop… As a result, I still don’t know how they get out.”
Huh? Seiji blinked. “They”…?
Had she misspoken? From what Suzu had said, it sounded as if she had only one dog.
“Have you tried caging the dog before going to bed?”
“Well, I did try it, but she still ran away. No matter how often I bring her back, she’s gone the next morning.”
“…Do you take your medicine before locking up for the night?”
“No. I have a routine: I get into my nightclothes and brush my teeth first, then set my alarm, then go around checking all the doors and windows. After that, once I’m all ready, I take my pills.”