Supernatural/Anime Crossover: Where Did My Romantic Comedy Go?

"It's where Akiyama Shoji died suddenly, right?"

"Ah."

Kujo Toru replied, then continued to stare at the screen.

Suddenly, Akiyama Shoji rolled out of bed, almost jumping up, his expression one of great terror.

He first crawled under the bed, then rolled and scrambled out, squatted in the corner, and covered his head with his hands.

His eyes were fixed on the headboard, his mouth wide open, as if he were shouting something hysterically.

By observing the slow, deliberate lip movements, Kujo Toru roughly understood.

Get out of here!

I am not superfluous!

Then Akiyama Shoji's movements froze.

He straightened up from the corner, pressed his hands tightly against the wall, and clenched his fingers inside.

Finally, his eyes widened as if he had seen something quite terrifying, and then he lost his strength.

He slid down the corner of the wall and lay on the ground, completely still.

Click.

Click the pause button with your mouse.

At this point, the time displayed in the upper right corner is exactly 3:30.

"We've actually reviewed this surveillance footage many times."

Daisuke Kousaka slowly began to speak:

"The only conclusion we can draw is that Akiyama Shoji suffered a hysterical attack in his sleep, and the excessive mental stimulation led to cardiac arrest."

After speaking, he looked at Kujo Toru with a hint of expectation in his eyes:

What's your opinion?

"They're basically the same."

From a contemporary perspective, this is indeed the case.

However, from a conventional perspective, it's hard to say.

"By the way, he kept looking at the head of the bed. Is there something there?"

Kujo Toru recalled the scene he had seen earlier. There were indeed many wrinkles on the sheets, but the headboard was empty and there was nothing special about it.

"Yes, it is a book. We have sealed it away as evidence."

After saying that, Daisuke Kosaka got up and walked out.

A few minutes later, he returned, carrying a transparent plastic bag containing a novel.

The book cover reads: "Summer, Fireworks, and Me Under the Tree."

The cover depicts the back view of a girl in a black school uniform standing under a withered tree, holding an umbrella and gazing at the fireworks in the distance.

Amidst the mountains that form the backdrop, the crimson torii gate can be faintly seen.

A procession carrying lanterns is making its way up the mountain.

The author's name is not listed in Chinese characters, but rather in Romanized text:

【Misaki】.

"Isn't this the recently popular youth documentary novel, Yi (seven?) Liu Yi San Er E Jiu E?"

Natsukawa Masaki immediately spoke, lost in memories:

"The girls in my class really like this book. I heard it tells the story of a high school girl who is subjected to emotional abuse, and the author is also an illustrator who drew the cover himself."

"So this is what the book is about."

Daisuke Kosaka was unaware of the book's contents, as he was currently swamped with recent cases and disliked sentimental youth literature.

"Although Akiyama Shoji has been detained, he has not yet been formally convicted, so we should grant him some reasonable requests."

Holding the bag in his hand, Daisuke Kosaka began to explain:

"He said he was too bored and wanted to find a book to kill time, so I asked my daughter to recommend one."

At this point, he seemed somewhat frustrated:

"I never expected things to turn out like this, sigh..."

He sighed.

Kujo Toru did not respond.

My gaze fell upon this book.

A bright, sparkling light appeared in his eyes as he carefully examined it.

It is clear that Akiyama Shoji's sudden death was caused by this book.

but.

Just like the scene, this book is spotless, without a trace of resentment or filth.

Volume 1: Chapter 107 Jade Dragon Flag

The book itself has nothing special about it.

In other words... is the problem with the book's content?

If that's the case, it would explain why there was no trace of resentment or foul odor left at the scene.

In Shintoism, there is a concept called "curse," which can be roughly understood as a curse.

A curse is applied to a person who meets the requirements of a curse the moment they come into contact with the curse through physical means such as words, language, or rituals.

This method is also prevalent in many folk customs and monster stories.

For example, voodoo dolls and sculpted effigies are types of curses.

Its core is not physical objects like dolls and straw figures, but rather the sacrificial rituals performed before the curse.

Because they are difficult to defend against and happen silently, Shintoism and Onmyodo have always had related techniques used for assassination.

Perhaps the most famous incident was during the Heian period when Fujiwara no Akimitsu ordered Ashiya Dōman to curse and kill Fujiwara no Michinaga, but Seimei saw through the plot.

The bizarre death of Akiyama Shoji and the circumstances at the scene fit this scenario perfectly.

The contents of this book must be a curse.

However, this has created a new problem:

Why was it Akiyama Shoji who was cursed?

Was the curse in the book a coincidence, or was it intentional?

as well as……

He glanced at Daisuke Kousaka.

Did his daughter know that she specifically chose this book?

There are too many problems; Kujo Toru needs to sort them out little by little.

As for the first step.

I'll go to the bookstore later and buy a copy of "Summer, Fireworks, and Me Under the Tree" to read carefully and see if I can find any clues.

There's not much to say about what happened after that.

Akiyama Shoji died because he was cursed.

Even if Toru Kujo dared to say it, Daisuke Kosaka wouldn't dare to write it truthfully in the report.

Ultimately, from a criminal perspective, this matter can only end here.

"Get in the car, I'll take you back."

Daisuke Kosaka got into the driver's seat, fastened his seatbelt, and called out to the two men.

Kujo Toru and Natsukawa Masaki did not refuse and sat down directly.

Anyway, it wasn't the first time they'd received this kind of treatment, and they were both quite used to it.

Seemingly to relieve the pressure of his work, or perhaps because he found driving too boring, Daisuke Kosaka chatted idly with Toru Kujo.

Meanwhile, Natsukawa Masaki was sitting properly.

Listen silently to their conversation.

Although in Kujo Toru's eyes, it was more like a female investigator gathering information about him.

Towering buildings kept flashing past the car window.

Pedestrians quickly dodged the police car's path.

Because it was the weekend, the streets were quite lively.

I wonder how many people Ruri Gokou can attract to the shrine for worship.

Kujo Toru's thoughts inexplicably drifted to this.

However, Daisuke Kosaka's next words quickly interrupted his thoughts:

"By the way, Kujo, shouldn't you be participating in the Jade Dragon Flag competition this year?"

Why would I participate in this?

Kujo Toru was somewhat taken aback, wondering why Kosaka Daisuke would think of this.

The Jade Dragon Flag is a nationwide college kendo competition, held regularly at the end of July. There are no preliminary rounds, so all colleges are welcome to register.

Furthermore, because the competition is a ring tournament, it often happens that a player from a weak team has extremely high swordsmanship and can forcefully defeat five opponents to win.

It can be said to be both entertaining and competitive.

But this matter has nothing to do with him.

He had no intention of participating in the Jade Dragon Flag event.

On the contrary, Daisuke Kousaka took this very seriously:

"Gold watch, oh gold watch, if you don't make a name for yourself on the Jade Dragon Flag, how will you be able to enter the First Investigation Division wearing a gold watch?!"

There was a hint of envy in his words.

Working in the First Investigation Division is every criminal police officer's ultimate dream.

Unlike local criminal investigators in Chiba City, the First Investigation Division is under the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Headquarters and is an elite force among elites.

The cases he was in charge of were far more serious than anyone could have imagined.

Furthermore, they have the authority to forcibly mobilize elite personnel from other departments within the police headquarters, depending on the severity of the case.

Because its members all wear gold watches, it is also known as the "Gold Watch Group".

In their criminal investigations, they often joked that the gold watch group was the real professional police group, and they were just there to make up the numbers.

Once selected for the Gold Watch Group, one becomes a Police Inspector, and after seven or eight years, one can be promoted to Superintendent.

However, the recruitment requirements are also quite stringent.

Not only do you need to graduate from the police academy and pass an extremely difficult entrance exam, there is another hidden hard requirement.

That means serving as the captain in the Jade Dragon Flag or the National Kendo Competition and achieving at least a top-eight ranking.

Daisuke Kosaka has always been optimistic about Toru Kujo's future as a police officer.

With his knack for always uncovering murder cases, and his bold yet meticulous personality, it would be a shame if he didn't become a gold watchmaker.

"I don't plan to become a policeman."

Kujo Toru rested his left hand on the car window, looking at the scenery outside:

"I just want to study Shinto at the Imperial Academy, get my priesthood certificate, and rightfully inherit my family's shrine."

"You... never mind, inheriting the shrine is fine too, at least it's safe."