Chapter Six: Main Island/Divine Land Reunion (2)

The gravel path was underwater before sunrise.

After the path was completely submerged, Yuki and the others decided to keep watch for another 20 minutes, just to be safe. As they stood and watched, the eastern sky gradually began to fill with light.

By now the wind had picked up. The low pressure system forecast to pass south of the island may have changed course. It wasn't having much impact on the weather, but the sea was visibly growing rougher.

“...In the end, the Visitor never did show itself.”

Watching the roiling waves, Saijou mumbled, voice tired after staying up all night.

“Yeah. Either it's still hiding somewhere in the Divine Land, or it played us for suckers and took refuge back on the main island... Which is it, I wonder?”

Kikyo, who also looked sleepy, smoked his cigarette.

“Either way, we have no choice now but to head back to the former community center. Maybe we'll learn something if we investigate the cemetery where the fire happened.”

They started down the paved road that crossed the island, but it was still too dark to navigate without a flashlight. Yuki took the lead, shining the light at his feet as they went.

All the way there, Yuki thought.

Of course, no matter what happened, giving up on his revenge was simply not an option. ...But it was also true that the situation hadn't improved at all. He had planned to trap the Visitor then take his time with Kikyo and Koga, but that plan was now in question.

If the Visitor was on the main island, careless action on his part could harm the human side's defenses. That could endanger the lives of those who were unrelated to his revenge, and even allow the Visitor to escape the island.

How could he escape the Visitor and still proceed with his revenge plan? It seemed he'd have to find a new approach to that problem.

The area around them gradually grew brighter until they could make out the vague outline of their surroundings without the flashlight.

When they came within a few steps of the former community center, Yuki stopped. In the faint morning light, he thought he saw something from the corner of his eye. It was at the base of a tree to the right of the road. It might have just been his imagination, but he felt like there was an unusually large amount of insects there.

Saijou sounded anxious.

“What is it?”

Yuki switched the flashlight back on and approached the base of the tree.

“I thought I saw something just now... A-AAAHH!”

Yuki didn't remember screaming or falling backwards, but he suddenly found himself sitting on the ground.

“So even you can be surprised, Ryuuzen.”

Yuki was too stunned to reply. He wasn't even sure if he'd actually seen what he'd seen. He kneeled on the ground and shined his flashlight on an object lying in the shadow behind a tree.

There was a human corpse, stripped bare of skin and peeled of flesh. It was a hideous figure, swarmed with flies... and it meant that someone on the main island had been killed, and that the Visitor had obtained a human disguise.

Saijou screamed in horror, and even Kikyo's voice trembled as he spoke.

“...Guess the Visitor didn't cross over after all.”

Yes. From the beginning, they had all been dancing in the palm of the creature's hand.

Yuki and the others had thought they'd managed to contain the black cat in the Divine Land. However, the Visitor had actually doubled back and remained on the main island, isolating the humans who had aggressively pursued it to the Divine Land.

Saijou crouched on the opposite side of the road, moments away from vomiting. Kikyo, who had been staring coldly at the body, opened his mouth again.

“...So who is the victim?”

Yuki crawled closer to the skinned corpse, covering himself in mud.

The black cat's corpse he'd seen in the Divine Land was caked in blood, but this body's wounds and blood were both fresh. There was no doubt the death was fairly recent.

There wasn't a shred of clothing on the red, peeling body. Had the victim been naked when the Visitor ate them? Or had the clothes been eaten along with the skin?

When Kikyo turned the body over using a tree branch, the flies buzzed away, and at the same time, the body's head snapped off and rolled to the side. Yuki couldn't watch, feeling stomach acid in the back of his throat.

Kikyo, who had been examining the body without concern for the head, gave a small shake of his own.

“Every last scrap of skin's gone. I don't think there's any way to identify this thing.”

Just as he'd said, all of the skin and most of the flesh was gone. It would be impossible to even determine the body's sex without specialized medical knowledge.

Yuki looked down at his hands. He must have gotten them in the blood splattered on the ground. They were stained in a mixture of mud and blood. And they were shaking.

But he couldn't stay like that forever. He forced his breathing back into a rhythm and somehow got back to his feet.

“...Can you tell anything from their height?”

Kikyo, who was by far the calmest of their group, gave a sharp shake of his head.

“Not possible. Most of the members of our group are close to the same height, remember? The only exceptions are you two.”

Thinking back, Mikumo and Yanagawa, the two women on the island, were both quite tall. With the exceptions of Yuki and Saijou, everyone on the island stood around 170 cm.

“So the only thing we can be sure of is that this body doesn't belong to me or Mr. Saijou, which... doesn't narrow things down at all.”

Just then, Kikyo narrowed his eyes as though he'd suddenly realized something.

“Wait, isn't it possible this is Unno's corpse, and the Visitor is just trying to confuse us?”

“Let's go check on Mr. Unno's body, just to be sure.”

The pandanus tree that served as their landmark was about 50 meters from the skinned corpse. When Yuki reached the base of the tree covered in pineapple-like fruits, he pointed his flashlight at the bush.

The light reflected the image of Unno, still sporting the stab wound given to him by the Visitor. He hadn't changed since the last time Yuki and the others had examined the bush.

Saijou's voice was gloomy.

“I see... so that horrible corpse didn't belong to Director Unno after all.”

As they grew closer to the shrubbery illuminated by the flashlight, Fuwawa apparently woke up and poked her head out of Yuki's bag. The kitten's attempt to look threatening was undercut by the way she trembled.

Kikyo chose that moment to start being sarcastic, scratching at the back of his neck as he spoke.

“Well, Ryuuzen, while you were being so careful of the Divine Land, it looks like a new victim's turned up. It's gotta be Motegi, right? He's the one who's missing.” 

Yuki stared back at Kikyo.

“...So you mean to say that Mr. Motegi didn't cross over to the Divine Land either?

“That's what we've gotta assume, what with the dead body and all. That scholar was always good at tracking animals.”

“That's certainly true. If it was Mr. Motegi, he might have been able to see through the black cat's attempt to misdirect us onto the Divine Land.”

Yuki still hadn't fully recovered from the shock of seeing such a gruesome corpse, and his mind hadn't been working properly for a while now. It was a completely unreasonable task in the face of their current situation, but he had to calm down...

Kikyo, on the other hand, was feeling as talkative as ever.

“The Visitor is now wearing Motegi's face. The fake Motegi will try to join us like nothing's happened, but we can't be fooled. The first thing we have to do is find out if anyone's still in the old community center. Who knows? Maybe they were totally wiped out as soon as we hung up on them.”

It was the worst thing he could have said. Yuki lost patience and openly glared at Kikyo.

“All four of them are safe.”

Kikyo didn't stop smiling.

“I certainly hope so.”

By the time they returned to the former community center, it was almost 6:00 A.M.

There was no sign of anybody in the multipurpose area. The tents showed no signs of having been used, but what was important was that there was no sign of Mikumo or anyone else.

When Yuki and Saijou both glared at Kikyo, he answered with a shrug.

“It's not like they're definitely dead yet. Maybe they just went out to the cemetery.”

Then, they heard voices from the hallway.

Yuki breathed a small sigh of relief. Soon, a person's shadow appeared in the frosted glass door connecting the multipurpose area and the hall, and Yanagawa opened the door.

“Thank goodness you're alright. On the way here, we saw another corpse...”

As he was about to explain what they'd seen, he noticed that Yanagawa was extremely pale. So were Mikumo and Shigaraki, who were standing behind her in the hall.

They showed no signs of joy at having reunited with Yuki and the others, only a bone-deep misery.

“...What's going on here?”

Kikyo, sensing that something was amiss, asked them, and Yanagawa silently pointed to the right of the hallway. Kikyo furrowed his brow.

“That's Koga's room. He isn't dead, is he?”

Kikyo's said that as a taunt, but his face froze as he peered into the small room.

Yuki, understanding what must have happened, also stepped forward.

A person was lying with their upper half tucked into a magenta tent. Although it was hard to see in the dim morning light, there was no mistaking the red stain on their chest.

Yuki pointed his flashlight at the man lying in the darkness of the tent. Koga's face shone back at him. He made his way down to the wound on his chest and found that it was identical to the one in Unno's body. There was no doubt that the culprit of this crime was also the Visitor.

In the corner of the room was the pet carrier, and inside, Tara was barking like a rabid dog. Perhaps he was aware of the tragedy that had befallen his owner, but no one had made time to pay him any mind until now.

Just to be sure, Yuki touched the body's neck. He felt no pulse, and the body was already starting to cool. Unlike in Unno's case, it appeared that some time had passed since his death.

...Once again, the Visitor had gotten there before him. Yuki stood frozen in place.

As his shock calmed, it thawed and consolidated into a feeling of rage.

“Why didn't you all stay together last night?”

If only they'd done that one simple thing, he would have had the chance to take revenge on Koga with his own two hands. His voice was choked with resentment and regret.

Yanagawa looked annoyed with him as she replied.

“Hey now, don't y'all try an' put this on our heads. Yer the one who said the Visitor was trapped in the Divine Land, weren'tcha?”

Yuki had no response to that.

“...I told you it was dangerous to act alone.”

“As I recall it, you told us it we'd be safe as long as we all stayed in the old community center. So there shouldn'a been anythin' wrong with lettin' Mr. President here hole up in his room. After all, we spent the whole time in the multipurpose area, and we double checked that the back door was locked.”

Saijou raised an eyebrow at that.

“The Visitor didn't break the lock on the back door to get in, did it?”

“It will be faster if you look for yourself.”

Mikumo, having taken on the role of their guide, stepped out into the hall, with Yuki, Saijou, and Kikyo following. Yanagawa and Shigaraki remained in Koga's room, discussing something amongst themselves.

The back door in question was unbolted, but didn't, at a glance, appear to be broken.

Mikumo, who was walking out in front, put one hand on the doorknob with a tense expression. The door opened into the hallway easy as can be. The fact that she hadn't so much as touched the thumb turn first meant that the door had been unlocked.

She pointed to the keyhole on the outside of the door.

“By the time we'd realized, the back door had already been unlocked... You were the one in charge of the keys, weren't you, Mr. Ryuuzen?”

Yuki nodded and pulled the keys out of his pants pocket.

“I borrowed them from the village office and I've kept them on me the whole time. As far as I know, these are the only keys to this building in existence.”

“If that's the case, then the lock must have been picked from the outside. Look, there are scratches around the keyhole.”

Yuki nodded.

“It's true, it does look like it's been picked.”

“It must have been the Visitor.”

When he hard that, Kikyo burst into a deep belly laugh.

“Nonsense, there's no way a monster like that could have learned the skills of a common thief!”

Yuki's expression darkened when he realized the implications of Mikumo's words. 

“No, I think she might be right.”

“What are you saying?”

“The Visitor has the ability to transform its body parts into long, thin needles to use as blades. It could use that same ability to transform its body into lockpicks and open locks.”

“So the Visitor can do whatever the hell it wants! Oh, this is too much, I feel my stomach acting up.”

Kikyo sounded unusually dismayed, but Yuki shook his head.

“It's too early to assume that anything is possible... Why are there bolts on the doors of the former community center? Why are the windows fitted with both shutters and bars? If you think about that, it starts to paint a picture.”

Mikumo's eyes went wide when she heard what he'd said.

“What do you mean?”

Yuki didn't give a direct answer, but continued on his roundabout path to the truth.

“First off, we have to consider the possibility that the community center was built with a special purpose in mind. It may have been a shelter for the villagers during Visitor attacks.” 

Saijou found that strange, and said so.

“Isn't that a bit too fanciful?”

“Certainly, the building itself is a weak basis for that theory. But there was another place on the island with a large bolt like that.”

Yuki looked at Mikumo as he continued.

“Before, you told me that the gate was set up to block the gravel path across the sea... so people couldn't enter the Divine Land, correct? I believe you said that there was a steel bolt attached to the gate.”

Mikumo had a far away look in her eyes as she replied.

“I do remember saying that. It was a story my father told me a long time ago.”

“If it was known that the Visitors appear in the Divine Land, then it's safe to assume... that the gate was actually designed to prevent Visitors from going to the main island.”

Mikumo didn't refute him, but remained silently listening.

“Naturally, a Visitor-proof gate would need to be something a Visitor couldn't open itself. If the islanders had a bolt installed on that gate, then wouldn't it mean that Visitors have no way of opening bolts?”

Kikyo ran a hand over the stubble forming on his face, but eventually turned his pitiless eyes on the back door.

“I see, I see. So the reason the islanders went to the trouble of installing bolts on the doors of the community center is to prevent the Visitors from breaking in?”

“Yes. The Visitors can insert any part of their bodies into a keyhole and pick the lock from the outside... but no matter how they manipulate their bodies, they have no way of reaching through a closed door and grabbing a bolt.”

“But even if you're right about all that, it doesn't mean anything if the bolt on the back door wasn't set. As usual, nothing you say is worth anything.”

Yuki took another look at the bolt.

The metal surface of the bolt had a dull sheen, and it wasn't dirty. It looked the same as it had the last time he'd seen it... but he squinted at it and opened his mouth.

“No, the bolt on the back door should have been set last night. I distinctly remember setting it myself after closing the shutter.”

Yanagawa peeked out from Koga's room into the hallway. She must have overheard their conversation.

“He's tellin' the truth. When we checked the building yesterday evenin', that bolt was locked up tight.”

Mikumo supported her with a small nod, and Kikyo scowled in though.

“Then who unbolted the door?”

Shigaraki also peeked out of the small room and opened his mouth.

“Actually, I was just discussing that with Ms. Yanagawa. Of course, I didn't even touch that bolt, and neither did Ms. Yanagawa or Ms. Mikumo.”

“So... it would seem President Koga was the one who unbolted the door.”

Yuki said that as he returned to Koga's room. For the sake of avoiding unnecessary distrust, he didn't mention the possibility that someone was lying.

Shigaraki's face relaxed a bit, and he returned to his usual talkative self.

“Mr. Koga did drink a lot last night. So he must have woken up in the middle of the night because he needed to go to the restroom, then stepped outside to try and sober up. On his way back, he forgot to bolt the door, probably.”

It seemed like a plausible story. From what Yuki had seen over the past six months, Koga wasn't a severe alcoholic, but he did drink regularly. Most drinking parties he went to ended with him passed out on a table.

For the time being, Yuki and the others decided to set the bolts on both doors and make sure to leave them bolted 24/7, only undoing them when someone had to enter or leave the building.

Then they split up to search the building.

Since it was possible the Visitor was hiding in the form of a small animal like a cat or a bat, they searched thoroughly, checking in everyone's luggage, under the tents, in the restroom, and on the walls and ceilings, but they didn't find anything suspicious.

That meant the inside of the former community center was safe... or at least it should have.

When everyone had calmed down enough, Yuki told Mikumo and the others about what they'd done last night, including finding the skinned body.

When their story was finished, Yanagawa folded her arms and furrowed her brow.

“So yer sure that nobody other'n the three of ya have crossed over from the Divine Land from yesterday evenin' 'till now?”

“Yes, we kept close watch until the second low tide ended and we saw the path across completely submerged.”

The discovery of a second body in such a state hit Mikumo particularly hard.

“I can't believe there's another victim already... How horrible...”

Yuki's eyes turned to the floor to hear her so dismayed.

For the first time, the Visitor had claimed a victim unconnected to his revenge... that thought weighed heavily on his mind.

He heard Saijou speaking in a weak voice.

“The body probably belongs to Mr. Motegi. He was able to avoid the Visitor's trap and stayed on the main island, but he was caught by surprise and ambushed.”

Since Yuki and the others had all been together since last night, he was certain the body didn't belong to Saijou or Kikyo. And of the four people in the former community center, the three of them other than Koga, who had stayed holed up in his small room, would have spent all their time together in the close quarters of the multipurpose area.

So... by process of elimination, the body must have been Motegi's.

Overcome by the knowledge that the Visitor had acquired human form, they decided to return to Koga's room.

The sun was rising, and the room was already much better lit.

Tara, who had been left behind in the room, began to bark again. The Pomeranian, having lost his owner, seemed to be panicking and looked even more wary of humans. Yuki couldn't help but feel sorry for him.

However, they decided to move Tara to Kikyo's room next door, since he showed no signs of stopping his constant noise.

As Yuki lifted her carrier, Fuwawa poked her head out. Her eyes met Tara's, who was snarling and showing his teeth, and the kitten jumped and went straight back in the bag.

After moving her to the next room, they heard the dog growl for a while, but eventually quiet down. Once silence reigned, they properly examined Koga's body.

The first thing they noticed... was that Koga appeared to have been drinking sloppily.

Then was a faint stain around the neck of his T-shirt that smelled of wine. There were no cups in the room, so he must have chugged it directly from the bottle and gotten some spillage. His left hand was still gently resting atop an empty wine bottle.

Perhaps he'd been killed in his sleep, as there were no signs of a struggle in the tent or the surrounding luggage, and his expression was peaceful. If ghosts were real, then Koga's probably still hadn't realized he'd been murdered.

When they turned the body over, they saw that, like Unno, he'd been impaled through the heart and all the way through his body, even piercing through the floor of the tent. However, this time the Visitor appeared to have been careful in removing the weapon, as there was very little blood splatter. Most of the blood had leaked from the wound in the back, being absorbed by the floor of the tent.

Yuki turned back to the group and asked a question.

“Who was the first to find the body?”

Shigaraki sheepishly raised a hand.

“I was. I thought that Mr. Ryuuzen and the others would be back soon, so I went to wake Mr. Koga and Tara.”

“And what time was this?” 

“I think it was after 5:30 but before 6:00. ...I was so shocked that I lost all sense of time. I talked about various things with Ms. Yanagawa and Ms. Mikumo until you all returned.”

Mikumo chose then to chime in.

“Shall I explain everything we did yesterday?”

“Yes, please.”

“After we split off from Mr. Ryuuzen's group, we went straight back to the former community center. Then, just to be safe, we searched the inside of the building and double checked that the back door and windows were locked, then gathered together in the multipurpose area. Of course, President Koga was with us at that point.”

For some reason she seemed reluctant to continue, so Yanagawa took over.

“That was around 6:00, right? Mr. President heard about the Visitor and got so angry he grabbed at Mikumo.”

Yuki recalled how hoarse Mikumo's voice had sounded at the time, but he'd thought she'd been crying due to his persistent questioning.

It was then that he noticed the reddish-black mark on Mikumo's neck, and he gasped.

In her letter, Naoko had said that Koga had lost his temper and grabbed the woman by the neck “again”. There was no doubt they'd narrowly averted a repeat of that tragedy.

“That man...”

Yuki couldn't find the words. Mikumo, in contrast, spoke clearly.

“It isn't your fault, Mr. Ryuuzen. I didn't believe my father's story and came to this island without telling anyone about the Visitor. Fundamentally, it's my fault this incident happened.”

No, Yuki was pretty sure his breaking the satellite phone was the most direct cause of their troubles. But he couldn't very well admit that now... he just looked at the floor.

Saijou spoke up to express his concern for Mikumo.

“I'm just glad you're okay.”

“I thought he was gon' go an' kill Ms. Mikumo off, so I slugged him one right in his dumb ugly face.”

Even Kikyo was taken aback by the admission. Yanagawa continued at her own pace, though she did admit some regrets.

“I only did it 'cause I didn't see any other way, but I guess it might've been a bit hasty. It's my fault Mr. President went an' hid in his room.”

“No, that was entirely Mr. Koga's fault, I think.”

Yuki said that with a sly grin, and Shigaraki nodded vigorously.

“I saw the whole thing, and I agree. ...After we finished with the transceiver, I started preparing dinner. Ms. Mikumo, Ms. Yanagawa, what were you two doing until dinner was ready?”

“I don' remember exactly, but I reckon we chatted about the Visitor an' such. Either way, we never left the multipurpose area.”

Shigaraki continued, looking deep in thought.

“When the rice was finished, I went to deliver it to the small room where Mr. Koga was holed up. While I was there, I explained to him what we'd learned about the Visitor.”

“What time did you go to his room?”

“It must have been around 8:00. But Mr. Koga wouldn't let me go even after I finished my report, so I was forced to listen to his whining. Eventually, he fell asleep, and I took my chance to run away.”

While looking down at Koga's body, Yuki noticed something and lifted the body's right hand.

“Hmm? What's this? There's some medical tape wrapped around his index and middle fingers.”

“Those are the injuries President Koga sustained when he fell down. When Ms. Yanagawa tried to stop him, he felt on the ground and hurt his right hand.”

Although he didn't doubt what Shigaraki said, Yuki decided to unwrap the hand.

Indeed, the area around the second joints of Koga's index and middle fingers were red-black and swollen. There were no noticeable marks on the left hand when he looked at them for comparison, except a smear of white wine.

“This looks pretty serious.”

“Oh, he also sprained his left leg. It wasn't that swollen, though.”

“...Let me check, just to be sure.”

Yuki pulled down the sock on his left foot. There was some swelling around the ankle. It was probably a mild sprain. Kikyo, who had been watching, turned to Yanagawa.

“Well aren't you a lucky woman? If Koga hadn't bitten the dust, he'd been suing you for assault, and you'd be in big trouble. He's quite persistent, you know.”

His tone was mocking, but there was no smile on his face. Yanagawa frowned.

“You tryna say somethin'? Like maybe that I'm the one what done this?”

“It's entirely possible a human could commit a copycat crime of a Visitor. Maybe you just wanted to take the opportunity to shut him up.”

Mikumo glared at Kikyo and raised her voice.

“Ms. Yanagawa would never do such a thing!”

“Don't be hysterical. What exactly would you know about what this woman would or wouldn't do? You've only just met.”

“I think several hours of talking is plenty of time to get a read on someone. …Besides, let's not forget that President Koga strangled me hard enough to leave this mark. Given that, I'm sure he'd be too afraid of what Shigaraki and I could say about him to make any rash moves.”

Usually, Kikyo would have been happy to argue, but for some reason, he looked amused by that and backed off.

“So you didn't need to silence him? Well, that doesn't matter. I don't actually think this is a copycat crime. So, what time did Shigaraki return to the multipurpose area?”

“I think it was right after we finished talkin' about that code.”

Yanagawa said that, then fell silent. Shigaraki picked up the conversation in her place.

“I think that was after 10:00. After that, I basically never left the multipurpose area... The only thing of note to happen afterwards was when we moved one of the portable toilets to the waiting room.”

Yuki, who was the one to install the toilets in the restroom, couldn't help but ask.

“Why did you do that?”

“None of the people staying here knew how to activate the generator, so we had to make do with a lantern and a flashlight. It was extremely dark in the hallway, so we decided it would be better to move one of the portable toilets closer at hand.”

Yuki thought for a moment before opening his mouth.

“If everything you've said is true... it seems the last person to see President Koga was Shigaraki, correct?”

“I-I'm not the Visitor!”

Seeing Shigaraki waving his hands in a panic, Yuki elaborated.

“No, you aren't suspicious, Shigaraki. I believe the Visitor must be the culprit behind this. Last night, Shigaraki and the others were together the whole time, right? In that case, the Visitor, didn't have any chance to imitate you...”

Suddenly, all three of their expressions darkened, and Yuki realized what he'd just said didn't line up with what he'd been told. At the very least, Shigaraki had spent plenty of time apart from the rest of them.

“You don't mean to say...?” 

Yanagawa nodded gravely.

“Yep. We spent plenty of time together, but there were also moments when we split up. In my case, I went outside to get exercise twice after 10:00 P.M.”

“Exercise?”

“Don't you go sassin' me now, boy. Yer the one who said the Visitor was stranded in the Divine Land.” 

Yuki once again had no response. Yanagawa continued.

“The stars out there were so pretty I stayed out an' watched 'em for a while... I was outside 15 minutes the first time and about the same the second. I didn't go that far from the door, mind.”

“I was outside for about 45 minutes cooking dinner. Of course, I didn't go far, either, but I don't think Ms. Yanagawa or Ms. Mikumo could see me. Also, those two hours I spent with President Koga... I guess that'd also be considered time I was apart from the group.”

When he heard their confessions, Yuki lost all energy and couldn't find it within himself to reply. As if to add insult to injury, Mikumo also spoke up.

“Besides that, there were also our bathroom breaks to consider. I went to the restroom five times, and I think the others went four times each. I think the longest break took ten minutes, but I wasn't watching the clock. But one thing is clear.”

“What's that?”

“After Shigaraki returned to the multipurpose area, President Koga was definitely alive. Because I heard him snoring when I went to the restroom afterwards.”

Since she wasn't the only one who'd heard him snoring, it was almost certain that Koga was alive until after 10:00.

But that wasn't enough to prove that Shigaraki wasn't the Visitor. Yuki gently shook his head.

“It's no good. Unless we learn how long it takes the Visitor to steal a person's appearance... there's no way we can guess who might be the Visitor.”

Could it eat and mimic a human in a few minutes, or did it need hours? That would completely change their suspect pool. On the contrary, with their current information, they couldn't rule out the possibility that anyone in the multipurpose area was the Visitor.

Kikyo took out a cigarette and spoke in total exasperation.

“In that case, we're shit out of luck. Unless the Visitor decides to show off how it mimics someone right in front of us, there's nothing we can do.”

Saijou muttered, adding on to what had been said.

“I wonder if that's information hidden in the place indicated by the code.”

Although he didn't want to give up hope, Yuki was less optimistic.

“I suppose the only way to confirm that would be to see for ourselves...”

Just as he was about to return to the multipurpose area, he noticed a bloodstain on the doorknob of the door connecting the small room to the hallway. The door wasn't very well constructed, so the mark wasn't clear, but it must have been left when someone went to exit the room.

“Is this... a handprint?”

There were no fingerprints left in the worn surface, but there were clear marks from the thumb, index, and middle finger of a right hand. Looking closer, there were also parts of a palm print remaining here and there. Judging from the color, they hadn't been there long.

“That's been there since I discovered the body. When I went back to tell everyone, I saw the blood on the doorknob and screamed.”

Shigaraki said that, and Yanagawa nodded.

“I checked it right afterwards, an' that blood was dry as bone.”

There was no blood on Koga's hand... Yuki muttered to himself.

“So then it was left by the Visitor.”

At that moment, they heard the sound of a heavy impact.

Everyone in the room jumped and froze. Shigaraki cautiously poked his head out into the hallway and spoke, voice strained with terror.

“What do we do... Someone's knocking on the back door.”

“Hello! Is something the matter? Is there anyone there?”

The knocking on the door was getting louder and louder.

From the sound of the voice, there could be no doubt it was Motegi. The only question was... was it the real Motegi?

Yuki spoke through the door.

“Before we open the door, can you answer a few questions?”

“That voice... Is that you, Mr. Ryuuzen? Can the questions perhaps wait a moment? I have been injured...”

“...What is your full name?'

The other person fell silent. Yuki thought most of a minute passed before the answer came.

“My name is Motegi Shinji. I study subtropical ecosystems as a professor of S. University. I came here to Kakuriyo Island for the filming of the program 'World's Mysteries Detective Club'. ...In high school, I was a senior to Unno, who died on this island.”

His answers were accurate on every point. Shigaraki breathed a sigh of relief. 

“What a relief. There's information there that the Visitor couldn't know. That's the real Mr. Motegi.”

He reached out for the bolt, but Yanagawa whispered at him.

“We don' know that yet. It coulda read that offa Doc Motegi's ID card and the location info.”

Suddenly, from the other side of the door, they heard Motegi laugh.

“I knew you would bombard me with strange questions... Have you perchance also realized that the creature has the ability to mimic human form?”

Yuki answered at once, figuring there was no reason to hide it.

“That's exactly it.”

“Goodness me, I appear to have made myself into a suspicious figure.”

He didn't sound very worried. It was an odd reaction, but then again, Motegi had been acting odd from the moment he set foot on the island.

Yuki told Yanagawa to get back, then put his hand on the bolt.

“...Eh?”

“If that's the real Mr. Motegi, it would be too cruel to leave him outside.”

“And if it ain't?”

“Then it might be safer to keep it under surveillance. Either way, I say we open the door.”

Saying that, Yuki undid the bolt. The door fit tightly in its frame, perhaps to keep the Visitor from reaching through. He went on to turn the thumbturn.

Outside stood Motegi, looking pale.

His clothes were covered top to bottom in mud, and his face was covered in bug bites. His pants and sneakers were smeared with blood from the left ankle down. He laughed weakly.

“I can see you don't fully trust me, but thank you for answering my pleas anyway. I do appreciate it.”

“...What happened to you?”

“That black cat is quite the scoundrel. I saw that it had remained on the main island after feinting at crossing to the Divine Land, but nothing pleasant came of my discovery. I pursued it to the north side of the island, where it sliced at my ankle.”

As he said that, he pointed to the bandanna tied around his left ankle. It was vividly stained with the red of blood. Motegi continued.

“I spent the next twelve hours unconscious. When I awoke, it was near to dawn. Fortunately, the cut had missed my arteries, so I hadn't lost so much blood that I couldn't walk. I managed to stop the bleeding by use of a bandanna and made my way here.”

His journey must have aggravated his bleeding. He left a dotted trail of blood from the north of the island to the back door.

The amount of blood loss didn't look like only a minor injury. The first thing they needed to do was treat that wound. That was Yuki's decision.

“Does anyone here know how to give first aid?”

The five people other than Yuki looked reluctant to even approach Motegi. They all stood at the back of the corridor and watched from a distance.

Yuki gave a heavy sigh.

“Alright then. At least get me a first aid kit and a bottle of water.” 

He then sat Motegi down facing out the back door and had him take off his shoes and socks. He then took the disposable rubber gloves from the first aid kit.

His ankle had been sliced open five centimeters across. The wound was deep; it would definitely need stitches.

...Could the Visitor fake an injury like this?

The question came to Yuki's mind. If the wound and the bug bites on his face were faked by the Visitor, then its shapeshifting ability was frighteningly high.

Yuki held up the water bottle Mikumo had brought him.

“I'm going to rinse the wound out then spray it with disinfectant.”

That was the best first aid he could offer at the time. Once the gauze was wrapped around the wound and taped in place, Mikumo helped him bandage it up.

What bothered him was the amount of dirt that had gotten in the wound. Even though he'd washed it out, he was worried about tetanus. As if reading Yuki's mind, Motegi spoke up.

“I am a lucky devil. I just so happen to have gotten the tetanus vaccine six months ago for a trip to South America. I certainly never expected it would come in handy at a time like this.

Motegi sounded awfully relaxed, considering the circumstances.

If he was the real Motegi, he may have been on the verge of losing consciousness from fatigue after making such a long journey while injured... In fact, he appeared to be running a slight fever.

Once he was finished treating the wound, Yuki took him to the multipurpose area. One of the blue-gray tents had an unused sleeping bag, so Motegi sat in it. To ensure he didn't get dehydrated, he gave the professor a sports drink and a bottle of mineral water.

When he returned to the hallway, he saw Kikyo bolting the back door.

“...So? What do we do now?”

Yuki looked around at the five people present. Every face looked sleep-deprived, exhausted, and worn down.

“We should eat something. Otherwise we won't have the energy to go on.” 

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