Chapter 12: Club Activity
After ending the call, Yomikawa Tsuko paused, a thoughtful frown creasing her brow. This Hitomi-obasan⌠better to make contact now, arrange a meeting. Avoid any awkwardness down the line if our paths cross unexpectedly. It was all part of maintaining the facade, a necessary, if tedious, component of this new existence.
With a mental shrug, she dialed the number, her voice a carefully constructed blend of politeness and youthful deference. âHitomi-obasan? Itâs Yomikawa Tsuko. Iâm so terribly sorry to disturb you again.â
âEh? Tsuko-chan, dear! Your mother just rang. Seems sheâs going to be tied up for a while longer. So, listen, if you need anything at all, and I mean anything, you call me straight away, alright?â
âYouâre too kind, Hitomi-obasan. Mom does tend to lean on you, doesnât she?â Yomikawa said, injecting a note of playful exasperation. âBut truly, Iâm managing perfectly well on my own. Nothing urgent to report.â Living alone for nearly a year now, after all. âEmergenciesâ were hardly a feature of her previous, more⌠solitary⌠lifestyle.
âTsuko-chan, youâre being far too formal! Goodness, with Yuna and me, thereâs no such thing as a bother. And a young lady like you, living all by herself, you simply must be extra careful. Those dreadful men on the trains, the creeps who lurk around schools⌠and heavens, when itâs your time of the month, you absolutely mustnât forget your sanitary suppliesâŚâ
Hitomi-obasan, Yomikawa mentally cataloged, is a champion-level rambler.
When the torrent of well-meaning advice finally paused for breath, Yomikawa smoothly interjected, âIâm taking all necessary precautions, Hitomi-obasan, thank you. Actually, if you happen to be free, I was wondering if we might have dinner together this weekend?â
âEh? Dinner? Tsuko-chan, are you⌠inviting me?â The surprise in Hitomi-obasanâs voice was almost comical.
âOh, if youâre busy, please donât give it a second thought,â Yomikawa replied, already gauging the established dynamic between Senpai and this woman. Her own approach was clearly a touch too stiff, too⌠formal. But a single phone call wouldnât raise any red flags. She could fine-tune the performance when they met in person, mimic Senpaiâs mannerisms more closely.
They settled on Friday evening. Hanging up, Yomikawa Tsuko allowed herself a long, satisfying stretch. A blessing, really, that her âparentsâ werenât physically present. Navigating this web of pre-existing relationships was like walking a tightrope. One wrong step, one out-of-character remark, and the whole charade could unravel.
She found herself wondering, not for the first time, how the entity known as Lord Mask-Taker navigated these treacherous social waters with each stolen face, each new identity. Did it learn, adapt, or simply⌠not care?
âŚâŚ
Tuesday. The final bell echoed through the emptying halls of Suzaku High.
Yomikawa Tsuko, as was becoming her habit, was the last to arrive at the Folklore Research Club. Even before she pushed open the worn wooden door, she could hear the animated voices of Ĺgami and Junko, locked in what sounded like a fervent debate. She couldnât quite make out Ĺgamiâs words, but Junkoâs contributions were a series of breathless interjections: âEh? Is that really true?â, âNo way!â, âThatâs incredible!â
âGood afternoon, everyone.â She swept into the room, her gaze coldly appraising each member. They all looked⌠energized. Alert. âIt seems our latest case has captured everyoneâs imagination. I trust youâve all conducted your own preliminary inquiries?â
âĹgami-kunâs been on fire! His analysis is, like, totally mind-blowing!â Junko gushed, her eyes shining with admiration.
âWell, Iâve formulated a few working hypotheses,â Ĺgami mumbled, scratching the back of his head with a display of modesty that Yomikawa found almost⌠charmingly transparent.
âExcellent. Then letâs not waste any time.â Yomikawa settled into her customary seat at the head of the table, the âpresidentâs throne,â and crossed her legs with an air of casual authority. She herself had done precisely zero preparation. Why bother, when she could simply react, guide, and subtly manipulate the flow of their discoveries? âWho wishes to begin?â
âMe! Pick me!â Takada ShĹjiâs hand shot up, waving with an almost childlike enthusiasm. He was clearly bursting to share.
Seeing no immediate competition, he launched in. âOkay, so everyone knows about that super popular TV drama thatâs airing right now, right? The one thatâs also called âSleepwalkerâ? Well, I went home yesterday and did a serious deep-dive into it.â
Kana propped her chin on her hand, a playful pout on her lips. âOoh, Takada-senpai, youâre not about to drop a load of spoilers, are you? I was saving that one, planning to binge it all in one go when the season ends.â
Junko nodded vigorously. âMe too! Iâve heard itâs absolutely brilliant, so Iâve been meticulously recording every episode. My grand plan is a holiday viewing marathon.â
âRelax, no spoilers, I promise,â Takada said, with a dismissive wave of his hand. âBut seriously, doesnât the timing of this whole Kimura thing strike anyone else as a little too perfect? Weâve got this hit show about sleepwalking, the topic is literally trending everywhere, and then, bam, Kimura-san just happens to develop this bizarre, extreme case of it?â
Junko, however, was quick to poke a hole. âBut the âSleepwalkerâ drama started after Kimuraâs first incident, didnât it? June 9th, the day he went up to that creepy cave on Mount Karasu-Go â the show didnât even premiere for another two days after that.â
Yomikawa Tsuko gave a slow, deliberate nod. âAn astute observation, Junko-chan. So, Takada-kun, how does your theory account for that discrepancy?â
âAh! Even though âSleepwalkerâ officially premiered on June 11th,â Takada countered, a triumphant gleam in his eye, âthe whole promotional blitz, the hype machine, that started weeks ago. I checked out the social media feeds of the main actors â they were posting teasers, behind-the-scenes stuff, all related to the show, as far back as last month.â
He leaned back, crossing his arms with a look of smug satisfaction. âIn other words, if someone, say Kimura-san, wanted to drawâŚÂ inspiration⌠from the show, he wouldnât have needed to wait for it to actually hit the airwaves.â
âTherefore,â Takada declared, his voice ringing with conviction, âI submit that Kimura-sanâs entire âordealâ is a fabrication. A hoax. He cooked the whole thing up, inspired by the âSleepwalkerâ drama. Thereâs simply no other rational explanation for such a glaring coincidence. And ItĹ-san? Heâs probably just in on it, helping to spread the story, make it sound more convincing.â
Kana pursed her lips, unimpressed. âKicking things off with a âitâs all fakeâ theory⌠Takada-senpai, thatâs a little⌠anticlimactic, donât you think?â
âWh-what do you mean, anticlimactic?â Takada spluttered, his confidence deflating slightly. âMy hypothesis is perfectly sound! Even Senpai was nodding along!â
Kana paused, a thoughtful frown creasing her brow. âBut⌠what about the injuries? ItĹ-san and Fujita-san both got hurt, for real.â
âFaked!â Takada scoffed, waving his hand again. âEasy. Slap on some bandages, a little red ink for dramatic effect. Itâs not like anyoneâs going to demand to see the actual wounds, are they?â
Ĺgami YĹsuke, who had been listening intently, finally spoke, his voice quiet but firm. âActually, Fujita-sanâs injuries were quite genuine, and rather severe. I paid him a visit at the hospital yesterday. Due to his condition, we werenât able to speak for long.â
âHuh? Youâve already seen Fujita-san?â Takada ShĹji stared at Ĺgami, momentarily stunned by his proactive approach. Heâd been planning to suggest a group visit to investigate Fujita himself today.
âYes,â Ĺgami confirmed. âI managed to ask him briefly about the circumstances of his injury. He said that after hearing Kimuraâs story, heâd become⌠unsettled. Developed a distinct fear of falling asleep. He hadnât slept well at all on Friday night. So, the next morning, he was on the sofa, watching television, and he must have dozed off. He felt incredibly tired, just wanted to rest for a moment. And thatâs why he didnât register the danger, didnât notice the chandelier loosening from the ceiling above him, until it was too late.â
âTh-th-thatâŚâ Takada was utterly deflated. He managed a weak, sheepish grin. âWell, hell. So much for my brilliant theory. All that research last night⌠completely wasted.â
Junko beamed at Ĺgami, her admiration palpable. âYouâre simply amazing, Ĺgami-kun!â
Yomikawa Tsuko crossed her arms, a placid, almost maternal smile on her lips. âNow, now, Takada-kun, no need for such dejection. In a way, your efforts have been quite valuable. Youâve helped us definitively eliminate one incorrect avenue of inquiry. As long as we continue this process, systematically ruling out the impossible, we will inevitably draw closer to the truth, however improbable it may seem.â
âR-really? Well, if I actually helped, then⌠then thatâs great!â Takada said, his usual good-natured optimism returning.
As Takada settled back in his seat, Kana leaned forward, a new spark in her eyes. âYou know, yesterday, when ItĹ-san was telling us about all the things that happened to Kimura-san⌠something about it felt⌠familiar. I couldnât quite place it then. But I went home, and I thought about it, really hard. And then it hit me⌠Itâs actually quite similar to a very famous, very creepy urban legend!â
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