Lonely Hearts Killer (Found in Translation) by Tomoyuki Hoshino

Author:Tomoyuki Hoshino [Hoshino, Tomoyuki]
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Tags: Fiction
Publisher: PM Press
Published: 2009-11-01T04:00:00+00:00

This advertisement appeared prominently in the society section of the morning edition, taking up the lower half of an entire page. It must have cost a small fortune to get that much space. Where Mokuren’s money and power come from is a mystery to me.

I felt betrayed and like my whole body filled with bile when I saw the characters for “white magnolia” in the byline, the name “Mokuren Haku.” That feeling was exactly like the one I had that night when I read Inoue’s document. Where did she get off writing such an irritating message without even discussing it with me?

What on earth was she thinking? It was obvious at first that the message was intended for Kisaragi, whose whereabouts were unknown, but Mokuren must have had an additional purpose to lay down such a challenge. If she simply wanted to critique “justifiable self-defense,” she wouldn’t have had to spend so much money.

Protests were bound to emerge from the murderous contingent in society. Was it inevitable that I be counted among them? Mokuren was spurring me to action. But what was I supposed to do and how was I supposed to do it? What did Mokuren expect me to do?

But I didn’t have the time to slip into a melancholic despair. Within twenty-four hours of the advertisement’s appearance, its effects were apparent. The lodge was deluged with email messages and calls from people connected to Mokuren. They all seemed to be taking the ad as a personal message from Mokuren that she was opening the door in an act of mutual trust. Some wanted to arrive the same night or very next morning. The sudden population surge would mean I’d have to assign several people to each room. My mind was filled with to-do lists: making sure there was enough bedding, food in the pantry, and adequate security precautions in place as quickly as possible.

Basically, those were the actions I was meant to undertake. As long as I was busy with clearly defined matters of calculation, the blues couldn’t stick around. I accepted my calling, quickly rallied my strength, got the ‘okay’ from Mokuren, and set out on a shopping trip right away. I wondered if Mokuren’s vegetable planting had been for this too.

Kisaragi also got the message. Five days later, she showed up with Udzuki. She didn’t seem weak or give the impression of having been a wreck, and, in fact, it was as if they had only been away for a few nights rather than a whole year. They were so casual in their return that they lost no time in preparing a meal for us.

I listened to their report from the world below while we ate dinner, and all the while my feeling that I should be making preparations grew stronger.

“It’s like they’re devotees of the Grim Reaper or something. On the surface everyone seems normal, but even when they act as if they aren’t nervous, their eyes, their nostrils, their lips, and every orifice on their body show the signs.

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