V1Ch2: The beginning of the end part 2

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Translator: Soafp

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The police and the victims' families desperately searched for clues, but nothing surfaced, and people began to whisper that the case might go cold.

The decisive breakthrough, however, came from a report made by the daughter, Haru.

“Maybe… my father is the culprit.”

But why did Haru make such a report?

It was purely by accident.

That day, it was raining.

While preparing dinner, her mother suddenly realized she had run out of soy sauce.

“Haru, I just ran out of soy sauce. I'll go buy some.”

“Huh? You're still cooking? Are there any dishes that need soy sauce?”

Haru had requested simmered hamburg steak for dinner that evening.

The seasoning was already done, and the hamburg was simmering. Her mother always made sure the preparation matched the requested dish.

If it was hamburg, she cooked Western-style; if gyoza, Chinese-style. That was her policy.

Normally, soy sauce was hardly ever used for simmered hamburg. But this day was different.

“Sashimi was cheap today. I bought some, so let's eat it together. Dad loves sashimi too, right?”

“Ah… you fell for the sale, huh? Fine, I'll go get it.”

“Oh, sorry about that. Thanks, then.”

Even though her mother was cooking alone, Haru felt it would be inconsiderate to make her go out into the rain just to buy something at the nearby convenience store. Haru, often seen as cool, was in fact a thoughtful and kind girl.

“Is there anything else you want me to get?”

“No, that's all. You can keep the change as pocket money, buy whatever you like. But don't go overboard on snacks.”

“Really? Thanks! I'll go right away!”

For a first-year middle schooler, even the small change—just under a thousand yen—was exciting pocket money.

She stepped outside, skipping lightly in the rain.

“Dad's not in the bath that long. Better hurry.”

As she ran toward the store with her umbrella, she suddenly thought:

“Oh… Dad's car is broken, isn't it? I hope it's okay in this rain.”

It was a sign of her concern. Their house had a parking space, but no garage or cover. She worried that the rain might leak through the broken parts of the car.

“But… which part is broken…?”

She examined the car, intending to cover the damaged part with a plastic sheet. And then she saw something protruding from the trunk.

“…A rope?”

Trembling, she cautiously pulled it…

“Is… this… blood?”

The rope had blood stains in several places.

It wasn't particularly long, but the scuff marks were noticeable. Her father had no reason to use ropes for work, and nothing like this had been seen around the house recently.

“What… is this…?”

Her heart raced. Something was terribly wrong.

“Will the trunk… open?”

Haru hesitated but gripped the trunk handle. If it was locked, she couldn't open it. She hoped it would be locked.

—Click—

Contrary to her hope, the trunk opened.

Carefully, trying not to make any noise, Haru opened it.

Was her father still in the bath? Would he come back to check the car? She was terrified.

If her father saw her here… what would happen to her?

Her legs shook slightly.

Her father, usually kind and smiling, suddenly appeared terrifying in her imagination.

Inside the trunk, she found…

“Photos… and a bag?”

A large black bag and several photos. Trembling, she picked up one of the photos.

“…!!!”

The photo showed several girls, some she had recently seen on TV.

“These… these girls… from the murder case…?”

A chill ran through her. Her mouth went dry. She could not speak.

Photos, rope, bag… her mind raced with grim images.

She carefully examined the trunk further.

Her fingers felt numb, as if they could no longer sense anything.

A small, cold duralumin box lay inside, tossed carelessly.

Slowly, she opened it…

“…Hii!!”

Her voice caught in terror.

Inside was a large knife, smeared with dark red “something.” The inside of the box was also covered in copious blood.

“No… this can't be…”

She collapsed in the rain.

She could not stop imagining her father tying girls with rope, stabbing them with the knife, and placing their bodies into large bags.

“This can't be… some kind of joke…”

She looked at the scattered photos again. No doubt about it. They were the victims of the case.

Some of the photos showed girls who had not yet been publicly identified as victims.

“Could these… be girls he's planning to target next…?”

Her spine felt frozen.

Haru carefully put back the photos, knife, bag, and rope to their original places—without her father noticing.

Then, she ran to the convenience store without even opening her umbrella.

She planned to say she had been delayed a little on the way back to explain why she was late.

“Did you take long? Are you okay?”

Her mother peered at her anxiously when she returned.

“I'm fine. I just saw a magazine with my favorite idol on the cover, and I got delayed reading it.”

“You know… with all the recent incidents, it's dangerous for girls to be out so late.”

“…Yeah.”

Her mother, of course, had no idea her husband was a serial killer. Most people wouldn't.

Haru considered telling her, but…

“Haru, you're soaking wet. Didn't you bring an umbrella?”

“No… it got stolen while I was reading the magazine.”

In truth, she hadn't brought an umbrella. After seeing the car, she no longer felt “cold” as a sensation.

“Geez… you'll catch a cold. Go take a bath now. Your father's out already.”

“Okay…”

The moment her mother said “father,” her body tensed. Had she noticed?

Haru hurried to the bathroom.

“What… finally back?”

Just before opening the bathroom door, her father's voice called from behind.

“…!!!”

She nearly gasped but forced herself to stay silent.

“Yeah… I took a little detour.”

“Your mother was worried about you.”

“Sorry…”

She thought of saying more, but doing so might arouse suspicion. Trying to appear calm, she rushed into the bathroom.

The bathtub was already filled and even reheated, but Haru didn't get in. She only used the shower.

Normally, she didn't mind sharing a bath with her father. But not this time.

The thought that the water would wash off the blood and death smell she had seen in the car made it unbearable.

Maybe it was her imagination? She tried to convince herself, but she had seen something decisive in her father's car.

By now, it was impossible to believe he wasn't the killer.

“What should I do… what should I do…”

Haru thought.

Should she tell her mother? But if she did… what would happen to her mother? She couldn't even imagine.

Should she wait a little longer? Report it only after finding something conclusive…

No. That wouldn't do. There was no guarantee another girl wouldn't fall victim in the meantime.

Haru spent the entire night agonizing over what to do.