Chapter Eight: Main Island: Countermeasures (2)

 Leaving Kikyo and Yanagawa in charge of watching over Motegi, Yuki and the others decided to search all the rooms in the former community center again. Of course, the first thing they did was double check that both entrances were still securely bolted. Having learned about the Visitor's true shape, they decided that a little extra caution couldn't hurt.

In everyone's luggage, under the tents, inside the pit toilets... the walls, ceilings, the gap under the generator, and even inside the gasoline containers, they searched everywhere, but once again, they found nothing suspicious.

Afterwards, they decided to take a series of 40 minute naps to conserve their energy.

The six of them, minus Motegi, slept in shifts, allowing everyone to rest safely. The full rotation took four hours. During that time, Yuki and Saijou went to check the port, but the sea was still rough. As they'd expected, it looked like they'd be stuck like this for a while longer.

By the end of the fifth person's nap, it was beginning to grow dark. They prepared for night's coming by lighting four LED lanterns in the multipurpose area. 

When his turn finally came, Kikyo spoke up.

“Hey, for the record, I don't actually plan on napping in this room, y'know? I'll sleep in the tent in that small room in the back.”

Everyone was dumbfounded when he announced his intention to completely ignore their agreement. Yuki bit his tongue to avoid showing his joy on his face.

Kikyo acting on his own was the best thing that could happen to aid his revenge plot. However, it was also a double-edged sword, as it meant the Visitor would have an easier time stealing his kill.

In addition... Yuki couldn't shake the fact that Kikyo was acting out of character.

On the surface, he looked like the type to get angry easily, but Kikyo was actually a cold, rational man who calmly assessed situations. Would a man like that really go off on his own for no reason?

As Yuki tried to figure out what he was planning, Yanagawa cut in.

“I reckon it'd be safer for everyone if'n we all kept an eye on Doc Motegi together.”

“I agree that there's an 80% chance the scholar over there is the Visitor. But isn't it possible that there's something we've overlooked and that the Visitor is actually one of you?”

“Even so, I still think it's plum stupid to go an' stay in a small room by yerself.”

Hearing Yanagawa's argument, Kikyo began to laugh.

“That would be right. If it were just the Visitor.”

Yuki flinched at the harsh edge in his voice. For some reason, Kikyo turned to stare at Yuki as he continued.

“I don't know how I look to you all, but I am nothing if not self aware. I know perfectly well how many people there are in this world that despise me. It isn't an exaggeration to say I could be killed at any moment.”

No one from JTV could deny that.

As proof, Saijou, Yanagawa, and Shigaraki all froze in place. Mikumo appeared to also be aware of the rumors, as she said nothing, keeping her lips tightly pressed together.

It looked like he suspected something... Yuki struggled to force a calm expression to his face as he met Kikyo's gaze.

“Even if that's all true, you aren't the type to worry about things like that, are you, Producer Kikyo?”

Kikyo raised his eyebrows in surprise, but he quickly let out another laugh.

“Aw, now that's harsh, Ryuuzen. I'm not that shameless. What I'm worried about is the possibility that someone might take advantage of the situation to kill me by faking a Visitor attack. If someone took a swing at me now, I wouldn't stand a chance.”

That was, in fact, exactly what the man across from him had been planning... considering his past misdeeds, it wasn't surprising that Kikyo was suspicious in a different way that the others.

If either Unno or Koga had survived, they would never have thought this far ahead. It was Yuki's bad luck that the most troublesome of his targets was the last one left.

At any rate, it wasn't necessarily a problem for him if Kikyo wanted to act alone. Yuki pretended to give up and raised his voice.

“If you really can't trust us, I guess there's nothing we can do.”

But Kikyo was a tough opponent.

“Of course, I will take appropriate measures. If I just hide in my room, I'll end up like Koga.”

“Measures?”

“I'll use the cameras and monitors to keep you all at a distance and protect myself from Visitor attacks.”

Yanagawa seemed a bit taken aback. She frowned before speaking.

“We were plannin' to observe wild animals, so we did prepare some small cameras. But you ain't serious, are ya?”

“Of course I am. I'll set up the small cameras in the multipurpose area and the hallway. That way, I can keep an eye on you all and make sure nobody does anything strange.”

It was a troubling proposal. It would make it completely impossible for Yuki to approach Kikyo without being seen.

Yanagawa continued, her tone increasingly resistant.

“I think we can make do if'n we get creative with the cables we brought. But what'll you do 'bout the monitor?”

“I'll take it with me to my room.”

“You'll need the generator.”

The generator they'd brought to the island could run for about twenty hours. If it was just the amount of power used by the cameras and monitor, it would be enough to last them until tomorrow morning. But the generator produced carbon monoxide, so it couldn't be run indoors.

“...What will you do about the generator?”

Yuki asked him pointedly, but Kikyo just grinned.

“Why not put it near the front entrance? If the Visitor is among you, it won't commit suicide by setting the generator on fire, and in the unlikely event that it isn't, well... the only ones to get hurt will be you. I'll be in another room, so I'll have time to escape.”

It was a selfish suggestion, but setting up the generator also meant they could get more light in the building. That would be better for Yuki and the others.

After some discussion, they all decided to accept Kikyo's request. However, just as they'd made the decision, Mikumo made an unexpected suggestion.

“Wait. That alone might not be enough to stop the Visitor from attacking.”

Kikyo looked suspicious.

“What do you mean?”

“There's no way of knowing what the Visitor might do about the security cameras. Tara should be more trustworthy. Dogs can see through the Visitor's disguise... and Tara barks at everyone, right? I think he'd make an excellent alarm system.”

This was also bad for Yuki.

Combining makeshift security cameras and Tara's nose would produce an impenetrable security system, be it for the Visitor or a human. It was perfect, which was the last thing Yuki wanted.

Kikyo stared intently at Tara's carrier in the corner of the multipurpose area. The Pomeranian's back was to the entrance. Then Kikyo's face twisted into a grin.

“You know, I've been wondering. Is there any chance that thing is the Visitor? It looks about the same size as that cat.”

Although reluctant to answer, Yuki was sure.

“...It's fine. I picked him up earlier when we went out for a walk, and he was light. It hasn't had a chance to mimic him since then.”

Tara had been with Yuki and Saijou the whole time they were outside, and after their return he'd been in the multipurpose area with everyone else.

To be honest, saying that had only disadvantaged Yuki.

It would have been better for Yuki's revenge plan if Kikyo had given up on having Tara watch over him. But he couldn't let Tara be abused by Kikyo over his false information... and besides, even if he kept quiet, Saijou would eventually have said the same thing.

And Saijou did immediately support everything he'd said, and Kikyo nodded in satisfaction.

“Well, I'll set a camera in the hall just to be sure... but I think I can trust watching the hallway to that dog.”

Saijou and Yuki were placed in charge of setting up the cameras and preparing the generator.

According to Kikyo, it was better to leave the work to the two people they were sure weren't the Visitor.

Some of the small cameras they'd brought were the type that could store recordings themselves, but after Saijou explained them to him, Kikyo rejected them.

“Recording is fine, but if you remove the media from the camera or destroy the camera itself, the evidence will be gone, which defeats the point. Back when we recorded 'Staying at a Haunted Hotel', we placed the camera and monitor in separate rooms to watch for ghosts. Can't we do the same thing here?”

Though he didn't look enthusiastic, Saijou began setting up camera equipment, with Yuki's support. Kikyo kept a close eye on them both.

They brought in two more LED lanterns to work with, but making progress in the dim light was still a challenge.

First, they attached two cameras to the walls of the multipurpose area, and one to the wall in the hallway. None of them had their recording media built-in.

They decided to run as many of the cables outside the windows as possible. For the camera in the hall, which had no windows, they passed the cable through the gap in the door.

The door connecting the small room to the hallway was poorly fitted into its frame, leaving a gap on the right side. That said, the gap was small enough that the cable completely filled it. It was too small for even a baby mouse to fit through.

As they were working, Yuki and Saijou covered Koga's body with a bath towel... They didn't have the nerve to work while being stared at by a corpse.

Yuki was the one in charge of setting up the generator.

First, he brought the generator and one container of gasoline outside and set them up immediately outside the front entrance. Filling the generator with gasoline required special care.

As if on cue, Kikyo, who had come to watch them work, took out a pack of cigarettes, sending Yuki into a panic.

“Stop! You'll set the gasoline on fire!”

“Relax, I'm not gonna smoke... Damn it, I'm really almost out of cigarettes. My stomach's hurting again.”

Setting up the cameras and generator was taking longer than they'd expected, and Kikyo wasn't hiding his annoyance. Perhaps trying to calm him down, Saijou took a pack of Six Stars, still in its plastic wrap, from his pocket.

“Want some of mine?”

Kikyo grabbed it.

“Brand new... Sure, I'll give it a try.”

Though he sounded casual, the cigarettes appeared to have cheered him up considerably.

The three of them then moved to Kikyo's room, where they began setting up the monitor and recording equipment. Kikyo had them set the monitor where it could be seen from inside the tent.

All the while, Kikyo never stopped eyeing them suspiciously, keeping Yuki from doing anything other than working. Frustrated, he looked around the room and made note of five wine bottles inside Kikyo's tent that had probably come from his personal supply. They were all unopened. He appeared to have good taste, as they were all reds from different well known brands.

Yuki then went out through the front door and pulled on the generator's starter. With the dull sound of a motor, the electricity began to flow.

The multipurpose area, hallway, and Kikyo's room could now all be powered for lighting. Yuki had prepared two small work lights for the shoot, so he set them in the multipurpose area and Kikyo's room. Though the wiring had come to resemble a giant octopus, the former community center was now much better lit.

In Kikyo's small room, which was now brightly lit, Kikyo made some final adjustments to the monitor and recording equipment. Having confirmed they were working, he spoke in a lively voice.

“Okay... perfect. Time to eat!”

It was almost 8:00 P.M.

They were running low on instant meals, so they decided to borrow some of the emergency food prepared by the village office. ...All there was was instant curry and instant rice that could be eaten without heating. They also moved all the cardboard boxes of emergency supplies to the multipurpose area.

As everyone prepared their curry rice, Kikyo began to prepare a massive amount of coffee.

Thus far, he had refused all of the coffee Yuki had made for him, but apparently he couldn't resist anymore. He must have figured it would be fine as long as he made it himself.

This was Yuki's chance.

If he could get Kikyo to take a sleeping pill, he at least wouldn't resist. Getting past Tara would still be a problem, but Yuki would much rather one hurdle than two.

Yuki waited for a chance to catch Kikyo off guard, but the guard never lowered. Kikyo even chose a new, unopened pack of paper cups, and no one dared to approach him while he was making the coffee.

Without being able to do anything, Yuki accepted the paper cup Kikyo handed him. In the end, all he'd accomplished was taking a cup.

Feeling miserable, Yuki drank the coffee. To add insult to injury, Kikyo, who never made his own drinks, had somehow managed to find a way to ruin instant coffee.

Yanagawa and Saijou both asked for refills, saying they wanted it to help stay awake. Maybe they just had terrible taste.

Forgetting about the sleeping pills for a moment, Yuki decided to check on Motegi.

Motegi's complexion had improved a little, and he'd eaten almost all his food. Perhaps the medication he'd taken was working, as his fever had dropped to 37 degrees. When he changed the bandages, there were no signs of pus on the gauze.

Still, the wound was only a day old, so even if it was infected, it would take a while before serious signs started showing. Of course... if Motegi was the Visitor in disguise, all of these thoughts were pointless.

Next, Yuki got some dog food for Fuwawa.

Fuwawa had been sleeping curled up on a towel, but she instantly bolted awake at the scent. Her appetite was as strong as ever.

Mikumo had already fed Tara. The Pomeranian, still acting distrustful, picked up the entire can and took it into his carrier. ...Apparently he was going to eat indoors.

By the time everyone was finished their coffee, a feeling of drowsiness had fallen over the group. That it fell despite their earlier nap was proof of how much fatigue they'd built up.

As if trying to shake it off, Saijou stood up.

“Well, from here on out, it's all up to you, boy.”

He put the leash on Tara, who was in his carrier, and somehow managed to get him into the hallway. The dog, who had been quiet in his home, resumed his loud barking, baring his fangs at Saijou and Mikumo, who had gone to help.

While the two of them acted as decoys, Yuki tied the leash to the post of one of the hall lights. There was some slack in the leash, so it shouldn't have been too uncomfortable, but... he still didn't like it. Tara started pacing in circles and making a fuss.

 “...He's a noisy little git, but I guess that's what we need right now.”

Kikyo said that as he stepped into the hall. While Saijou held Tara's collar, he walked down the hall. It was a bit dark back there, so Kikyo held a lantern to light his way. In his left hand he held the transceiver that had been in the multipurpose area.

The idea was to keep a connection between the small room and the multipurpose area. It was a waste to use a radio at such close range, but...

Kikyo waved them off and retreated into his room.

Yuki watched him leave with complicated feelings and closed the door to the multipurpose area.

Tara, having been left alone, quieted down and sat by the door. How did Yuki and the others know this? It's because the door was set with frosted glass.

The frosted glass kept them from seeing out into the hallway, but they could clearly make out anything pressed against it. And right now, they could see a fluffy white butt.

The sight made Shigaraki flash a bright smile.

“He's surprisingly cute when he's not barking his head off.”

His tail gave the occasional wag, which seemed to have a calming effect on the group. Everyone except Motegi, still in his sleeping bag, wanted to see it... They all gathered by the front entrance and faced the frosted glass door. It was adorable the way Tara would occasionally turn to face them and paw at the door, as though he felt lonely.

The multipurpose area was now being monitored by two cameras, one by the door to the hallway and one by the front entrance.

Yuki stroked Fuwawa, who had climbed into his lap, as he stared at the door deep in thought.

Under the circumstances, it was impossible for anyone, human or Visitor, to sneak into Kikyo's room without being seen. If they did, they would immediately be counterattacked by Kikyo, who wouldn't hesitate to kill a person.

Even if he had to postpone his revenge for the day... Yuki still had the option of pushing Kikyo overboard off their return boat. Waiting until he believed he'd been rescued then snatching away his hope at the last moment wasn't a terrible way to exact revenge.

Even if he didn't drown on his own, he was the final target. Yuki could say he was going to rescue him then drown him himself. As long as Kikyo died, Yuki didn't care what happened next.

Of course, that was after he exposed the Visitor to make up for the sin of destroying the satellite phone... That was the only responsibility he had left.

Suddenly, Yuki realized he no longer felt the kitten in his lap.

He looked down and saw Fuwawa dragging her hind leg as she began to stroll around the multipurpose area. Her wound appeared to be improving, but she still needed her rest.

Thinking that, he picked up the kitten, wrapped her in a bath towel, and put her back in his bag.

The six people remaining in the multipurpose area continued to talk amongst themselves, but that didn't last long. They were all too exhausted, physically and mentally, to enjoy conversation.

They must have remained in that state for about 30 minutes. Suddenly, Tara, who had been showing his tail in the frosted glass, shot to his feet and started barking.

Yuki and the others ran to open the door and checked the hallway. They were relieved... It was just Kikyo coming out of his room.

Kikyo held a lantern in one hand and a wine bottle in the other and said in a lazy voice

“I'm just going to the bathroom. Calm down.”

During their planning, it was decided that Kikyo would use the portable toilet installed in the former community center's restroom. Yuki and the rest, on the other hand, would use the ones in the waiting room. Since there were six people in that group, three toilets were prepared there, just in case.

The waiting room was directly connected to the multipurpose area, so Yuki and the others could relieve themselves without going into the hallway. However, Kikyo had to go out into the hall every time he needed to use the bathroom. Tara would raise a racket every trip, but that wasn't necessarily a problem. It meant that they could confirm he was still alive every time.

Also, the leash wasn't long enough to reach the far side of the hall, so there was no need to worry about Tara jumping on Kikyo if he went out in the middle of the night.

When Yuki and the others left the door open, Tara tried to enter the multipurpose area. His leash got tangled, so Saijou gently sent the snarling dog back into the hall and shut the door.

Everyone listened intently, and after a few moments they heard a small thud, like an impact. Kikyo's voice began to mutter something.

Almost simultaneously, Tara stood up on the far side of the frosted glass and started barking.

“...Producer Kikyo, what's wrong?”

Yuki couldn't see into the hallway through the door, so he called out. Kikyo was able to answer.

“It's nothing, I just spilled some wine. ...Well, Not like it matters. I've got more in the tent.”

He sounded hesitant near the end there, but the sound of the door to the small room slamming shut ended the discussion. Kikyo had apparently returned to his room. As proof, Tara returned to his usual place and sat back down against the frosted glass.

Shigaraki took out his smartphone and gave a deep sigh.

“It's only 10:30.”

It was a long way until dawn. Fuwawa was quiet in Yuki's bag, apparently already asleep.

“That burnt body y'all found... Was it really Director Unno?”

After a while, Yanagawa brought up that incident. Perhaps she just wanted to talk about something to wake herself up. Motegi, who was suddenly also awake, responded matter-of-factly.

“If it burned the body, it's only natural to assume it was motivated by the desire to hide its identity. The fact that the body was dismembered in addition to being burned is also cause for suspicion.”

Shigaraki and Yanagawa, who looked certain that he was the Visitor, glared at Motegi with expressions that clearly read “shut up”.

Looking at Tara, who had begun scratching the frosted glass with his front right paw, Yuki weighed in.

“First, we should consider the possibility that the body belongs to someone other than Director Unno. Incidentally, the only people who should be on Kakuriyo Island are those involved in the filming, right?”

“Yes, access to the island is strictly regulated, after all.” 

As Saijou muttered, Mikumo added on to his point.

“If you think about it normally, we'd be the only ones. That would mean there are nine people on the island. That is, if you don't distinguish between the living and the dead.”

Perhaps because she'd phrased it so unnecessarily creepily, silence fell over the multipurpose area. Yuki gave a wry smile and spoke again.

“Right now, there are seven 'apparently living' people in this building, myself included. Six of them are human; we can call them 'genuinely living'. However, the remaining one is actually the Visitor in disguise.”

“If there really are six humans here, that would mean that three people have been killed.”

Mikumo said that, and Yuki nodded.

“Right, Director Unno, President Koga, and whoever the Visitor absorbed the flesh of to disguise itself... that makes three.”

At that point, Motegi spoke up, undeterred. Whether he was the Visitor or a human, it was clear he was the most mentally resilient person there.

“And if the Visitor were to kill a fourth person, the number of 'apparently living' people would necessarily be reduced to six.”

“That's right. The number of actually living humans would be reduced to five, and even if you included the disguised Visitor, you'd be left with six.”

Tara looked to be slowly turning left and right by the door, his body, poofy as cotton candy, blurred against the frosted glass. Maybe he was chasing his tail.

Suddenly, Yanagawa groaned and held her head.

“Aw, this is so complicated. There are seven of these 'apparently livin'' folk in the building, so there are only three bodies... does that mean it is Director Unno after all?”

“We confirmed that Koga's body is still here when we installed the cable. Therefore, the body can only belong to Director Unno, or whoever the Visitor absorbed.”

“Hmm... Well, I don't see what good it'd do to switch Director Unno's body with whoever that was. Either way, all we'd be left with is two unidentified bodies, so why go to the extra effort?”

“I agree. If it would be a problem for the Visitor if we examined the unknown body, it could have just burned that one. Even if both bodies posed a problem, it could have just burned them both instead of swapping them.”

As if Yuki's words had sparked something in his head, Saijou spoke up.

“So does that mean that Director Unno's body had some evidence that was incriminating to the Visitor, so it set the fire to destroy it?”

“For now, I think that's the most likely explanation.”

With that conversation over, time seemed to pass even slower.

Although they occasionally tried talking about the case, it seemed like they'd run out of things to examine. No matter what they said, they never drew any closer to a solution.

As for the bathroom, they decided to set a rule that they could only go one at a time. This was done for everyone's safety. The only exception was Motegi, who was quite likely the Visitor, who would be accompanied by Yuki keeping an eye on him.

During that time, Shigaraki fell ill.

A little after 2:00 A.M., he went to the bathroom and never returned. After over ten minutes, just as Yuki and the others were beginning to grow worried, Shigaraki returned with a pale face. He realized that everyone was looking at him and gave an embarrassed smile.

“Sorry to worry you. I just wasn't feeling well. I'm sensitive to stress, so this happens sometime.”

However, once he'd finished throwing up, his condition appeared to improve considerably, and he was soon back to chatting with the others.

...By 4:00 A.M., two people were asleep.

Shigaraki, who didn't look to be doing all that well anymore, fell asleep leaning against the wall, and Motegi was snoring in his sleeping bag.

The others decided to let them rest, and the remaining four continued their vigil.

As they continued to keep watch, it seemed that Saijou was using each bathroom break to refill his nicotine reserves. Every time he returned, he smelled of cigarettes.

Another thing of note... everyone took longer than average using the toilets. It was probably because they weren't used to using portable toilets. Since they were disaster toilets, they had to replace the plastic bag and dispose of the toilet paper, wet wipes, and other waste after every use.

Time crawled like a slug.

Unexpectedly, it was Tara who kept everyone's minds at ease. The white Pomeranian refused to leave the door, and occasionally licked the frosted glass or put his cute, dainty little right paw on the door. He was certainly never boring.

While watching Tara, Yuki searched for clues to solve the case.

It was around 4:00 the day before yesterday that Yuki had exposed the black cat-Visitor as the culprit of Unno's murder. Since then, Yuki and Saijou had been together nonstop. As a result, the two of them confirmed that the Visitor hadn't had a chance to impersonate either of them.

The same went for Kikyo. He was one of the people who had crossed over to the Divine Land, and after returning to the main island, he had spent some time apart from Yuki... but he was always with at least two other people. It was certain that he wasn't the Visitor either.

As for the remaining four, they'd already analyzed their movements, and determined that any one of them could be the Visitor.

Motegi's whereabouts had been completely unknown for over fourteen hours, and Mikumo, Yanagawa, and Shigaraki, in the former community center, had each been alone for over fifteen minutes at least once. They also had chances to kill Koga, dump the body outside, and set fire to the cemetery.

The question was whether or not any of them had a chance to burn Unno's body, but Yuki couldn't shake the feeling that he was missing something.

Was Motegi really the only one who could be the culprit?

 

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