Case 14: In the Mirror (6)

After I finished eating breakfast, I borrowed an umbrella and went outside to take a walk by myself in the garden, where I took out my phone.

I had not brought my charger along, so I couldn't rely on the remaining battery anymore. I thought it would indeed be best to call Sako before it went dead. It was infuriating that I had to rely on him, but the situation was so urgent that I couldn't afford to take my time. In the end, I called Sako’s number after looking him up in my contacts list.

The ringing tone rang from the other end of the line.

It continued to ring.

However, even after thirty or so rings, no one picked up. It didn’t even go to voicemail.

“…That bastard, he really is useless when it comes to the crux of things.”

I clicked my tongue as I cut the call.

As I listened to the raindrops bouncing on my umbrella, I glared at the ground as I thought to myself.

I didn’t think it would be useful for me if I stayed here. But on the other hand, I was worried about leaving Krishna-san here and going back to Musashino alone. I couldn’t help but feel a terrible premonition. I would try contacting Sako again after a while--- no, if my battery died before I could contact him, then—As I started thinking such things over and over again, a stinging pain struck my right elbow after a long time.

I pulled up my sleeves and checked the scar. As usual, the stitch marks were painful to look at. The discolored wound had considerably blended in color with the surrounding flesh, but it looked like a bruise that would stay with me for the rest of my life.

As I massaged it, I somehow felt as if Karasu-san were angry at me.

“…What am I doing, really?”

I muttered to myself, when I suddenly realized.

I hurriedly turned the phone on and looked at my call history.

--Ah, I knew it.

There were many names in the call history I was familiar with, but among them was a name I had no recollection of.

It was the peculiar name, ‘Yoishi Mitsurugi’. Moreover, there were a considerable number of incoming and outgoing calls displayed in the call history. The calls were terribly short each time, but to have exchanged calls so many times with this person—

I had no memories of that.

….Who…are you….?

I looked at the contact information once more. All that was there was the name, ‘Yoishi Mitsurugi’, with no address, the fact that they might be an associate from work, or that they may be someone related to Ikaigabuchi, there was no memo like that at all.

However, as I gazed at the name, a strange feeling of nostalgia filled my heart. When engulfed with an incomprehensible fear, there was no one more reliable than this person…. No, on the contrary, did they actually amplify the fear? I didn’t know which one it was, but at any rate, it was a name that gave me a hunch that it would give me a breakthrough when I didn’t know what to do.

“………”

After hesitating for several seconds – I looked at their phone number, and pressed the call button.

As I gulped, I heard the ringback tone several times.

Eventually, the call connected.

<…………………………….>

“…Ah, hello.”

For the time being, I muttered that, but afterwards, I didn’t know what to say.

Someone stayed silent on the other end of the line.

“…Ah, umm…. Sorry for calling you out of the blue. I’m the one who called, but I don’t know you. No, I probably don’t remember. That is, ah, I’m Nagito Yamada. I had an accident a little while ago. I think it’s because of that — my memory is scattered in places. That’s why I called this number from the call history of my phone. I have called you many times before. That’s why, I thought we might have been on close terms, but…sorry, I don’t remember you.”

<……………………………..>

“Sorry for this weird phone call, but I’m in a situation right now that’s even weirder. I need your help. Just a little--- just a little is fine, I want you to hear this story like this.”

At that moment, I heard a warning vibrate from my phone, *Beep* *Beep* *Beep*.

“Aw shit. My battery is low, so I’ll explain the situation from my side.”

I told everything that happened so far to someone I didn’t even remember.

That I was in the heart of Okutama, in the secondary residence of a rich man named Ryouichi Mamiya. The story about him having ventured into a forbidden cave ignoring three warnings and that a strange riddle had appeared here in a mansion where that old man lived. That I had seen a creepy path late at night. The fact that even though the house had no mirrors, that there was a mirror there. And above all, the strange state that Krishna-san was in. I don’t know what sequence of events I explained it all in, but I was incoherent without a doubt. I didn’t know if the person on the other end of the line understood me, but at any rate, I was in a hurry and desperately tried to explain everything that came to my head to the person on the other end of the line.

“….I mean, I don’t know what I’m supposed to do, and it’ll be dangerous if things keep going on like this.”

<………………………………>

Despite that, the so-called ‘Yoishi Mitsurugi’ remained silent.

It occurred to me that they might have been upset that I did not remember them.

“…I’m sorry for not remembering you.”

I spoke.

“It really is, a nonsensical phone call, isn’t it….but, I’m--”

When the phone went dead.

I looked to see that it had completely drained.

“….Ahh.”

“What’s wrong?”

I was suddenly called out to, and turned around to see Krishna-san standing there.

She had also borrowed an umbrella, and came out to the pouring garden, with a slight smile on her face. The color of her face seemed to have recovered a little since breakfast.

“I’m… still staying here.”

I answered and looked away from Krishna-san, who looked like she wanted to say something, and put my phone away.