Pathway to Japanese Literature

“Hmm…do you think it’s really true?”

And before he knew it, Kawamura Takeo blurted out the words.

“Huh? Really? What are you talking about?” Omoyo, who had been walking alongside Takeo, made a puzzled face and sidled up to him.

“Nah, it’s nothing.” “—Just the Loch Ness Monster, y’know?”

“The Loch Ness Monster?” “What’s a monster like?” “It’s not about ghosts.” Takeo was already in his third year of middle school, while Omoyo had just graduated from higher elementary school—both quite grown for their age. But when Takeo returned to Yaoi Village for summer vacation, the childhood friends reverted to their old ways, making plans to venture into the woods at the mountain’s foothills to catch beetles. Now they were ambling along a country path. It was then that this strange topic came flying in.

“Yeah, that’s right. When you say ‘monster,’ it’s just what the word says—something mysterious.” “What about that monster?” Omoyo sidled increasingly closer. “If you crowd me like that, it’s hard to walk,” Takeo said, stopping her with just his words. “Haven’t you heard about the Loch Ness Monster, Omoyo-chan? To be honest, I only heard about it myself today, but… the Loch Ness Monster is…”

Then Takeo briefly related the story of the Loch Ness Monster. Apparently, some claimed to have seen only its head and neck emerging from a lake in Scotland—a massive dragon-like creature whose head and neck were said to be slightly taller than a nine-story Maru Building. Unfortunately, everything below the neck remained hidden beneath the water’s surface, but had it revealed its entire body, they said it would have been an unimaginably colossal beast—even larger than Tokyo Station. It was likely an animal from the previous century, but as people made a commotion, it plunged into the lake with a splash and vanished from sight—or so the story went. When this tale spread, crowds of onlookers gathered by the lakeside, waiting for the giant beast to reappear, yet for some reason it never showed itself again after that. He went on to explain how this had sparked debate over whether such a giant beast truly inhabited Loch Ness or whether it was merely a case of mistaken perception, and though no one had reported sightings for about a year now, it remained a major unresolved issue in the scientific community—

“...This is a story I heard today from Dr. Ōsumi.” Dr. Ōsumi was a science teacher at Tokyo Industrial School and an unconventional scholar who often wrote popular articles for newspapers and magazines; he had now come to Yaoi Village for a summer retreat, taking advantage of his summer vacation.

“Ah, so it’s Dr. Ōsumi’s story.” “Dr. Ōsumi’s stories aren’t reliable.” “He’s always saying such outlandish things and scaring people, you know.” “Not exactly.” “Dr. Ōsumi knows tons of rare things that we’ve never even heard of.” “To those who don’t know, it may seem like lies, but there are so many strange things in this world.” “Anyway, the story about the Loch Ness Monster is true.” “Because Dr. Ōsumi showed me the foreign magazine that had the article and pictures in it!”

“Oh? Really?” “Was it really in there?” “It’s not a lie—I saw it myself! However, Dr. Ōsumi points out—” “Although it’s true that a strangely shaped monster raised its sickle-shaped head from Loch Ness’s surface, he says there’s considerable doubt whether a giant beast from the previous century—like a dinosaur—could still be alive today.” “Ah—even so, the monster really did show its face from Loch Ness’s surface, right?” “If it’s true… well, that’s creepy.” “The idea that a giant beast larger than Tokyo Station exists nowadays—that alone is more than enough.” “I’ve suddenly started feeling scared.”

“But whether the monster was actually that big isn’t clearly established either, you know.” “The human eye can sometimes mistake something nearby for being far away—when that happens, people say you might feel like there’s something enormous in the distance.” “There’s a story that on foggy mornings in the Alps, a giant tall enough to pierce the clouds appears across the valley.” “When they investigated it properly, they found people were mistaking their own shadows reflected in the fog for giants.” “Since the sun’s behind you, your shadow naturally forms in front.” “Without fog, you can’t see it—but with thick fog right ahead, it acts like a projection screen showing your shadow.” “Move your hand, and of course the shadow moves too.” “For someone who knows the fog’s right in front of them, it’s not scary at all—but if you think that giant’s way off in the distance, you’ll stupidly misjudge its size as huge.” “You can test this yourself right now by holding your hand up like this.”

With that, Takeo raised his right hand in front of his eyes and looked at Omoyo. “If you move this hand like this,” he said, “it’ll completely hide Dr. Tsujikawa’s Western-style mansion over there.” “In other words, because the hand is close by, its solid angle becomes large enough to block the distant mansion.” “But if depth perception isn’t clear—what if someone thought this hand and that mansion were side by side?” “They might imagine a hand sprouting from the mansion site—bigger than the building itself—billowing out to hide everything in its palm.” “Then this small hand would seem enormous.” “The closer it is, the larger it looks.” “So they say even the Loch Ness Monster might’ve just been driftwood nearby or some snake’s head.” “You must feel a bit relieved now, right?”

“But… I’m still scared. I can’t feel at ease until I see with my own eyes whether it’s a piece of driftwood or a snake’s head.” “So, to put your mind at ease, how about you head out to Loch Ness in Scotland yourself, Omoyo-chan? Ha ha ha!” “Hohoho…”

The two of them laughed in unison.

To the south lay a deep blue sea brimming with seawater; to the north, mountain ranges lush with verdant cedars, cypresses, and pines; and nestled between them on a gentle slope stood fifty or sixty houses—this was Yaoi Village.

The early summer sky stretched crystal-clear above them, and the intense sunlight scorched down relentlessly—whether on their faces or their backs. But what peace! What refreshing serenity! Takeo and Omoyo felt they had finally dispelled the eeriness that had begun with talk of the Loch Ness Monster through this tranquil village scenery. The oak forest where the beetles lived was now visible ahead. The two of them, before they knew it, took each other’s hands, recalled a song they often sang when they were young, and began singing in unison as they walked on. Yet at this moment, neither Takeo nor Omoyo could have ever dreamed that a soul-crushing aberration lay ahead on their path, waiting for them.

Strange Beetle

The oak forest spread its sturdy branches like a crowd of giants, its vibrant treetops thrusting vigorously toward the vast sky. Knee-deep weeds rustled as they pushed through them, Takeo and Omoyo venturing deeper into the forest.

“Omoyo-chan.” “Hold on to this can.” Takeo passed the can he had brought for collecting beetles into Omoyo’s hands. It was a biscuit tin that had been punctured with numerous holes to let the beetles breathe. “Ah, I can see it over there…” “There’s a bigger honey locust tree further in.” The two of them knew that six or seven honey locust trees inhabited by beetles stood deeper in the oak forest. The beetles survived by sucking the sweet, jam-like reddish liquid that oozed from the trees’ crevices.

“Ah, that tree over there is the biggest.” “There’s a ton of beetles on that tree!” Takeo shot a quick glance at Omoyo, then lithely leaped onto the giant honey locust tree. Then he swiftly scaled the trunk. Before long, Takeo’s figure disappeared from view behind the thick foliage.

“This is really strange…” Only his voice came down from above. “Strange? What’s wrong…?” “What’s wrong…?”

Omoyo looked up and raised her voice. Tilting her head so far back that the bones in her neck ached… “I’m coming down now—” Again, a voice came from above.

With a rustling of leaves, Takeo’s figure began to emerge slightly through a gap in the treetops. “What’s strange about it? Hurry up and tell me—I’m getting scared!” When Omoyo said this, Takeo—still clinging to the trunk—turned his face downward and, “It’s not something scary. It’s just… well, this honey locust tree is acting strange.” “There are cracks oozing sweet sap here and there, but all of it has been licked clean.” “And there’s not a single beetle here.” “See? It’s weird, right?” “What on earth could’ve licked the sap this clean?”

Omoyo quietly scanned the surrounding undergrowth. She wondered if perhaps a snake or something might be lurking nearby... But there was no trace of anything like that either. "Why don't we leave that strange tree alone and try searching another honey locust over there?" "Yeah, let's do that..." Takeo answered right away, yet somehow showed no inclination to climb down from the tree. "Takeo-san, hurry up and come down already!"

Omoyo grew impatient and urged once more from below. “Shhh…” From above the tree, Takeo signaled for silence. “Is something there?” “There’s something here!” “There’s something here.” “It’s perched behind the three-way fork.” “There’s something like a turtle here.” “A turtle’s climbing up the honey locust tree.” Turtle? A turtle climbing a honey locust tree was an unusual occurrence. Is there such a thing as a turtle climbing a tree?

“That’s not a turtle, right?” “A turtle climbing a tree?” “……Whereabouts?” “I’ll look from down here too.”

“...It’s black, elliptical-shaped, about twice the size of a lunchbox.” “It does look like a turtle, but its legs are strange.” “I’m gonna poke it with this bamboo stick to make it fall down—you watch close where it lands!”

Takeo was already completely engrossed with the prey.

He readjusted the bamboo stick in his hand, stretched out his arm, and tapped sharply at the underside of the trifurcation. The turtle-like creature’s rear twitched slightly, but it clung stubbornly to the trunk and refused to let go. The creature remained so utterly unfazed that Takeo’s irritation mounted.

“Alright!” “No matter what happens, I’m gonna catch it!” Having shouted that—though it was risky—he quietly crept along the large branch extending sideways. Though the branch bent slightly under his weight, reaching the trifurcation became much easier. Not only that, but what had been poorly visible in the trunk’s shadow now came into clearer view as his angle shifted. Takeo peered eagerly through dark leaf shadows at the turtle-like creature when shock nearly made him slip from his perch.

“Gah…!”

No sooner had he cried out than Takeo tried desperately to calm his pounding heart, but try as he might, it refused to settle. The more he looked at it, the stranger an entity it became. It was indeed a terrifyingly gigantic beetle with a body as large as a big turtle. When it came to beetles, no matter how large they were, they were at most about the size of a coin turtle. However, this one was about ten times that size—so large that even compared to a stone turtle, it would have to be considered quite sizable. It was undeniably a monster beetle—a creature that had to be categorized among monsters. The monster, having been jabbed rather hard by the bamboo tip, seemed enraged and was quivering its abdomen. To Takeo’s ears came the sinister groaning sound of the monster—a monotonous buzzing.

“Takeo-san! Takeo-san!” “What’s wrong with you?” “Say something! I’m scared…” Because Takeo had turned as still as a fossil, Omoyo below cried out in a voice teetering on tears.

“Yeah, Omoyo-chan. “It was there! It was there!” “The Loch Ness Monster was there!”

“Huh? The Loch Ness…” “No, really—it’s a huge beetle.” “I thought it was a turtle, but it’s a beetle bigger than anything I’ve ever seen.” “I’ll knock it down now, so don’t take your eyes off it, got it?”

“Oh! It’s a beetle?”

“Here goes—I’ll knock it down!” Takeo stretched his body further still, strained his arm with a grunt, and struck the giant beetle with a crack sharp enough to snap the bamboo itself. Then came the second strike. The third strike.

Screech… The beetle emitted an eerie screech, trying to steady its faltering body as it swung its glossy, thick-jointed legs and drove its blade-sharp claws into the bark, desperately thrashing to clamp onto the trunk. Takeo, in a life-or-death frenzy of his own, channeled every ounce of his strength into the tip of his bamboo stick and struck with sharp cracking blows.

Creak… Letting out that eerie screech, the monstrous beetle finally swung free from the tree and dangled in midair—then with the next strike, it released its grip on the trunk, and its massive black form plunged into the grass below.

The Laughing Fiend

“Look, it fell…” When Takeo barked, Omoyo’s voice—shrill as tearing silk—rose from below.

“Come down here! Hurry, hurry!”

Takeo slid down from the honey locust tree. Below, Omoyo turned deathly pale and was shivering violently while pointing over there.

“Over there beyond the kudzu leaves.” “Look! Look—the leaves are rustling…”

“Yeah, got it. Wait here…”

Takeo bravely leaped ferociously into the thicket where the giant beetle was thought to have fallen. Omoyo had no time to stop him.

“Gah!” “There you are…!” Takeo’s voice cried out. Crack, crack—the bamboo stick continued to resound in the distance.

Would Takeo truly be able to capture the beetle?

It was then that it happened.

“Agh—!” A scream resounded from the thicket where the struggle was taking place. That had to have been the scream that came from Takeo’s mouth.

“……?” Omoyo felt as though her chest had been struck. When she peered into the thicket, there lay large kudzu leaves, their pale undersides exposed, pitifully scattered about. However, Takeo’s figure was nowhere to be seen. The thicket was deathly silent. “Takeo.” “Takeo… Takeo…” Omoyo called out, but there was no response. She probably should have ventured into the thicket, but to Omoyo, it was far too terrifying a realm.

“Someone come! Help me—…” “Help me—…”

Omoyo desperately called out. With an ominous buzzing sound, a massive black form came flying out from the thicket. It was undoubtedly that same giant beetle. The monstrous insect, threading low through the oak trees, was gradually drawing closer to Omoyo.

“Ah—!”

For her, the biscuit tin she held in her hands was her only weapon, so she swung it wildly again and again, desperately fending it off. The giant beetle—perhaps daunted by Omoyo’s life-or-death ferocity—kept its distance, circling around her a few times before gradually retreating and vanishing into thin air.

“What do I do…”

Omoyo wiped away the tears streaming down her face as she stared at the thicket bearing traces of the struggle. It was undoubtedly a terrifying place, but with no one around to hear her cries for help and come running, she couldn’t just turn and flee back alone. If she did such a thing, her dear friend Takeo might lose his life. (I should go check that thicket over there.)

Omoyo made up her mind and finally pushed her way into the thicket. Her simple one-piece dress caught on the thorns and was instantly ripped to shreds with a loud tear. However, she had no time to spare for such things now.

Pushing aside the weeds again and again, Omoyo approached the thicket where the kudzu leaves grew thickly, which she had marked earlier.

"Oh? It should be around here, but…"

She had thought Takeo would be lying there stretched out, but that assumption proved wrong—there was no sign of anyone there. “Did I make a mistake…” She looked around, but there was no doubt this was the spot. Scattered about were kudzu leaves that Takeo seemed to have smashed apart with a stick, their white undersides exposed here and there.

“Oh, this is definitely the spot after all.” “There’s Takeo-san’s bamboo stick he was holding!”

Omoyo found a bamboo stick lying in the weeds and picked it up. It was undoubtedly the one Takeo had been holding. The tip had split like a frayed broom from being struck too forcefully. Then, upon closer inspection, she noticed something red clinging to the bamboo fragment. When she touched it with her fingertip, it was blood. She couldn’t tell whether it had come from the beetle or from Takeo’s body, but since she didn’t think beetles had red blood, she thought it had most likely come from Takeo. Takeo seemed to have been injured. Even though he should have been lying around here, his figure was nowhere to be seen.

“Ah—!”

Omoyo suddenly became terrified. There must be something terrifying in this area that they weren’t aware of—otherwise, there was no reason a giant beetle like that would have climbed up into the trees or for Takeo’s figure, which should have been there until now, to have vanished. As she thought this, Omoyo’s fear grew twofold, even threefold in strength. At any moment, a monstrous hand as large as a tree might slither up from the thicket around her and seize her body in a crushing grip.

“What the…?!”

No sooner had Omoyo let out a scream than she whirled around in a frenzy and burst out from the thicket. And without looking back, she stomped off down the path she had come from. What on earth had happened to Takeo? Where had his body disappeared to?

Once Omoyo’s figure vanished beyond the trees, the forest seemed to fall completely silent, as if returning to its original stillness.

But if there had been someone still watching this forest, that person would surely have gasped in shock. Because…

The reason was this: About a hundred meters deeper into that thicket from earlier, there too existed a spot where kudzu leaves grew in a dense cluster—and from its shadow, a bizarre figure slithered into view. That person—though one might question whether they were human at all—had a face overgrown with an unkempt beard streaked with white hairs, two large eyes blazing with a sinister gleam, and a gaunt frame clad in old-fashioned, grimy Western-style clothes. From his shoulder hung a square bag fastened with a black leather strap slung diagonally—its contents unknowable. He glanced toward the thicket where Takeo had struggled, grinned with a sinister smile, then trampled through the weeds and stomped deeper into the forest.

What on earth was this suspicious elderly-looking figure? And yet, despite knowing of Takeo’s peril and having heard Omoyo’s cries for help, why had he not attempted to come to their rescue?

Forest of Terror

The strange events in the forest also reached the ears of Dr. Ōsumi, who was spending his vacation in Yaoi Village. He had brought Gibson’s hefty volume *On the Genesis of Organisms in Prehistory* with the intention of finishing it that summer, and now he drew it close, opened to about a third of the way from the beginning, and was engrossed in reading. According to the article, the ancestors of horses had five toes on their feet, just like humans. Why did only the middle one grow large like today’s horses, while the two on either side withered away? In this lay a certain subtle catalyst. At that time, there was a horse that was particularly adept at running. The horse became so engrossed in running swiftly that one day it deeply thrust its ankle into a crevice in a rock, causing the bones of its two outermost toes to break and bend. Of course, the horse could no longer walk and lay there groaning day after day, but eventually, its wounds healed, and it was able to rise again. However, the bones of the outermost toes remained grotesquely bent inward and never regained their original form. At first, it walked dragging its feet. However, one day, it was attacked by a wild beast and had no choice but to flee with all its might. At that moment, his horse discovered that its grotesquely bent toes were well-suited for running at unprecedented speeds. The emergence of this champion sprinter could not escape the notice of the other horses. Since the horses needed to run as fast as possible for their own safety, they became so envious of this champion sprinter that they began carefully observing his unique running style. And before they knew it, many horses had developed the habit of running on their tiptoes in bounding leaps, just like the champion sprinter. Through such a trigger, horses learned to run on their tiptoes, and as a result, among their five toes, only the middle one grew, while the four at both ends gradually withered and shrank. The horses that could run fast managed to survive by escaping the fangs of wild beasts, but those that didn’t learn to do so were all devoured by stronger animals, and the five-toed horse species perished. However, it is said that even now, five-toed horses like those of ancient times are occasionally born quite suddenly. At first glance, this seems like an accidental occurrence, but in reality, it is not—when such a horse develops within the womb, there exist extremely specific physiological conditions. He had just reached the part that read, “This will be discussed in detail in a later chapter, etc., etc.—” when Dr. Ōsumi was prevented from reading further by the villagers loudly discussing the bizarre incident involving Omoyo and Takeo beneath his window.

“I went to Takeo’s house, but his mother was paralyzed with fear.” “Takeo’s still out and ain’t anywhere to be found, they say.” “The problem is, with Omoyo-bō spoutin’ nothin’ but delirious ravings and can’t hardly come to her senses, we ain’t got no clue where she went or what horrors she faced.” “Still can’t figure out what’s goin’ on, can we?” “She keeps ravin’ ‘bout beetles, beetles, ain’t she?” “They say Omoyo-bō came runnin’ down from the mountainside—reckon she might’ve strayed too close to that Demon Forest by mistake. What d’ya think?”

“The Demon Forest, huh? If it’s about the Demon Forest, Takeo mightn’t know a thing, but Omoyo oughta know all sorts of dreadful stuff. Why’d she take Takeo to such a place?” “Well, that might just be the work of a demon, I reckon.”

“This has turned into a real problem.” “If Takeo’s gotten himself lost in the Demon Forest, rescuing him’s gonna be a right tricky business, I tell ya.” “’Tis so.” “’Tis ’cause everyone values their hide—ain’t a soul willin’ to step into the Demon Forest.” “Speakin’ of which—you know ’bout that strange incident Jinbei saw toward the Demon Forest last midnight?”

“Yeah, that incident.” “Not only do we know ’bout that incident—why, I’m one o’ them that saw it myself!” “Oh, Wasaku! So you’re among them that saw it too?” “What’d it look like, eh? Tell me all ’bout it.” “Ain’t no way.” “The curse that comes after’s too dreadful, I tell ya.” “The Demon Forest’s truly the Demon Forest, I tell ya.” “Back then, we made a pact ’mongst ourselves not to speak of it.” “Don’t ask, I tell ya.” “That way’s better for you, an’ for ever’one else too, I tell ya.”

Dr. Ōsumi finally snapped the hefty manuscript shut. It appeared that a rather significant incident had occurred. Especially with the boy Takeo—he had played with him nearly every day since arriving here and knew him well. It seemed Takeo had strayed into the Demon Forest and his whereabouts were unknown. Moreover, given that it concerned the Demon Forest, the villagers seemed hesitant to go search for him. If things continued like this, Takeo would likely be left abandoned to his peril.

“This is terrible!”

Ōsumi stood up, untied his obi, and changed into Western-style clothing. He put on his shoes and stepped out to the entrance, but then—as if struck by a thought—turned back into the room. After rummaging noisily in the closet, he pulled out a thick, jet-black Western-style cane adorned with a strange metal fitting and rushed outside carrying it.

Eerie Flash

In front of Omoyo’s house, almost all the villagers had gathered. All of them wore worried faces and looked as though they were at a loss in their deliberations.

Dr. Ōsumi spotted Furuka Jinbei, a familiar clerk from the village office, among the group and addressed him.

“How is Ms. Omoyo’s condition now?”

The clerk stroked his own face smoothly with his large hand and, “Ah, Omoyo-bō—the sleepin’ medicine’s taken effect, and she’s sleepin’ soundly now. Given how things are goin’, they say she probably won’t wake up till ’round noon tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow around noon?” In that case, Takeo’s whereabouts could not be clearly ascertained until around noon tomorrow.

Dr. Ōsumi, disappointed, was about to turn on his heel when the clerk called out to him.

“Dr. Ōsumi. Omoyo-bō’s been raving about ‘a turtle-like beetle lunging at her’ and such, but I reckon it’s just her mind gone addled.” Dr. Ōsumi widened his eyes. “A beetle like a giant turtle—is that what you’re saying? That’s an intriguing mystery.” He leaned forward slightly, his scientific curiosity overriding social decorum. “Whether Ms. Omoyo has lost her faculties or not, I find these delirious utterances profoundly fascinating. If taken seriously, they could relate to the ongoing academic controversy surrounding the Loch Ness Monster phenomenon.” His fingers tapped rhythmically against his jet-black cane as he pressed further: “Tell me—have there been any documented accounts in this village of similarly oversized beetles being observed before?”

“Nonsense! There’s no way such foolish talk could be true, I tell ya.” He dismissed it outright.

“Mr. Clerk—I want to search that oak forest and determine Takeo-kun’s whereabouts. Won’t you come with me?”

“What? To the Demon Forest…?” “Oh no—spare me that forest, I tell ya!” “Oh my, you’re part of the fearful bunch after all.” “Then there’s no helping it.” “I’ll go alone.” “Hold on, hold on, I tell ya!” “You should refrain from going to that forest, I tell ya.” “In this village, if anyone dares enter that forest, it’s understood to be their own doing, I tell ya.…” “So, are you going to abandon Takeo-kun to die?” “It’s not about abandonin’ him or nothin’, but the curse’s too dreadful, I tell ya.” “Please stop, please stop!”

“Just why is that oak forest called the Demon Forest? Please tell me the reason.” “I don’t know. It just ain’t allowed, I tell ya. If you go into that forest and something happens, it’d be trouble for the village. Omoyo and Takeo ended up doing something like this in the first place because their parents didn’t pay enough attention, I tell ya. That’s why they’re actually causing so much trouble now, I tell ya.”

The clerk’s mood was growing increasingly sour. Dr. Ōsumi, deciding it was unwise to say anything further, left the scene as he was.

He took a detour and emerged onto the main road from which the oak forest in question could be seen. Perhaps because he observed it with such intent focus, the forest appeared densely overgrown, as if harboring secrets from time immemorial. Yet no matter what fiendish creatures might dwell there, leaving Takeo to perish was unforgivable by any human measure. Having resolved that entering and exploring the forest was unavoidable, Dr. Ōsumi gripped his thick foreign-made cane and marched decisively toward the woods.

But unfortunately, the sun was already sinking toward the western horizon. As he approached the forest, the evening darkness gradually thickened. And a shiver-inducing chill seemed to flow from the forest's direction. But having come this far, he couldn't turn back without grasping something. As the eerie atmosphere intensified, courage gradually surged through Dr. Ōsumi's entire being.

Into the forest where not even a path could be found, step by step he ventured deeper—and before long, the darkness made his toes disappear from view. Dr. Ōsumi readjusted the Western-style cane in his hand and pressed the button on it, whereupon a streak of light swiftly streamed out from the handle. This Western-style cane was not Sun Wukong’s Ruyi Jingu Bang, but rather the doctor’s prized self-defense cane equipped with seven hidden mechanisms. The stream of light that had just begun to flow was, needless to say, emitted from the flashlight built into the tip of that cane.

The woods were deep. The weeds were so thick there was no place to step. Suddenly, a violent flapping erupted overhead, and with a sinister cackling cry, a nameless monstrous bird flew away.

After advancing four or five hundred meters, he reached an area that seemed likely to be near the forest's center. Yet the surroundings remained an unchanged landscape of trees and weeds—no sign of Takeo, the boy he sought, nor any traces of a struggle. Dr. Ōsumi grew slightly perplexed. He stopped walking and dropped heavily onto the grass. Then he switched off the flashlight he had kept lit until now. Suddenly, darkness engulfed Dr. Ōsumi's entire body.

The faint afterglow faded from his retinas, and he finally grew accustomed to the darkness. Then he surveyed his surroundings anew—utter darkness itself. Beyond the dismal darkness, there was nothing! He felt a mix of mild disappointment and relief settle in his chest—an event that lasted but an instant. Though it was unclear whether it was hundreds of meters ahead, right in front of where his face was turned, a vivid blue flame abruptly flared up out of nowhere. At that moment, a fierce hissing sound reverberated through the forest air. Simultaneously, the vivid blue flame spread out all at once and roared up into the sky. A pillar of fire—a massive pillar of fire had erupted. The eerie light dyed even the tree trunks a vivid blue and must have blazed fiercely for four or five seconds.

“Gah!” And in the very moment Dr. Ōsumi leapt up in shock, it vanished with a whoosh. What manner of light had blazed in the Demon Forest? Could it have been a lightning strike, an explosion—or a demon’s bonfire?

Unseen Presence The vivid blue flash accompanied by an ominous sound did not occur again. What could be the true nature of this eerie light emanating from deep within the forest? Last night, some villagers must have witnessed something in the direction of this Demon Forest and felt such overwhelming terror that they kept silent to each other—wasn’t that very thing the same blue pillar of fire I just saw? Dr. Ōsumi finally felt his venture into this Demon Forest had been worthwhile. Now, all that remained was to unravel the great secret hidden within this forest and rescue Takeo. Having thought this, he roused himself fiercely and began advancing toward where the eerie flame had flared up.

He relit his cane flashlight and, while directing sharp attention to his surroundings, proceeded step by step with measured tread. However, within the cone-shaped beam of light, all that was reflected remained merely trees and weeds.

He felt as though taking a single step required an entire hour.

He had likely advanced about twenty steps when— Sensing something like a sword wind cutting through the air nearby, he instinctively tried to crouch, but it was already too late. Crack! A strong blow struck his wrist.

“Whoa—!” His self-defense cane clattered into the grass. As he tried to pick it up while enduring the pain—thinking he mustn’t drop it—the glowing cane suddenly began gliding through the air of its own accord, as though alive.

The moment he let out a cry— “Ah—!”—the cane’s light flickered out, plunging everything back into true darkness. Dr. Ōsumi was left stranded at the pinnacle of terror. Who’s there?!

Danger approaches!

At that moment, he thought he heard a low human voice coming from nowhere. “Dr. Ōsumi! Dr. Ōsumi! Dr. Ōsumi!” Or so it seemed. Who was calling his name? Could it be a trick of the mind? Wondering this, Dr. Ōsumi pricked up his ears.

“Dr. Ōsumi! Dr. Ōsumi!” “Dr. Ōsumi!”

The same voice called his name. Indeed, it was calling him. The voice sounded familiar. “Who’s there?! Stop these cowardly tricks and show yourself at once!” “Oh, Dr. Ōsumi.” “Please don’t make loud noises.” This time, the voice in the darkness spoke in a clear tone. “Ah, so you…” “Have you understood?” “It’s me—Takeo.” “You understand, don’t you?” “Dr. Ōsumi.”

It was Takeo who was talking. Takeo, the boy, was still alive and unharmed. Determining that had been the primary objective tonight.

——But wait. And at that moment, Dr. Ōsumi realized. ——If the owner of this voice was indeed Takeo, why didn’t he simply show himself before my eyes? Would there be such an insolent act as suddenly knocking down my light from within the darkness? I can’t afford to let my guard down carelessly now! he thought. “If you’re Takeo-kun, kindly pick up my flashlight that I just dropped there.” “No, that won’t do. Please, wait on that.”

“Isn’t this strange? It doesn’t seem like you... Where exactly are you speaking from? Are you truly alive? Or...” Or perhaps a ghost? He nearly voiced the question—“Or... a ghost?”—but couldn’t bring himself to say it. “I feel both alive and dead... Ah, but this isn’t the time for such talk. Dr. Ōsumi, I have an urgent request. Will you hear me out?”

“A grave request, you say…… Hmm, very well—I’ll hear you out.” “I will state my request, but first I must make one condition clear—that you keep our conversation here today absolutely secret from everyone.” “Even if my mother were to hear about it, it would be problematic if you were to speak of it.” “If such a thing were to happen, something terrible would occur.” “In truth, even speaking with you like this is strictly forbidden, but since I trust that you will keep this secret, that is why I called you here.”

“I quite understand, Takeo-kun.” “I promise.” “I will definitely keep it secret, so proceed to tell me this wish of yours.”

Eerie Dream on the Hilltop

The following afternoon, Dr. Ōsumi was trudging up the small hillock called Hibari Hillock, located east of Yabui Village. Until yesterday, his face had appeared healthily ruddy, but today it had turned deathly pale, as though he were a different person. Last night in the Demon Forest—what manner of conversation had he held with Takeo, that boy whose form remained unseen? Dear readers, you must be eager to learn what was said, but considering how Takeo had pleaded as if on the verge of tears for secrecy to be kept, I shall refrain from detailing it here. Yet ultimately, by observing Dr. Ōsumi’s future actions, one would gradually come to understand the earth-shattering secret Takeo had divulged. To be sure, though both Takeo and Dr. Ōsumi had been swept into this grand incident, they had barely grasped a fragment of it. The true shocks awaiting them still lay in the future.

When Dr. Ōsumi reached the top of the hill, "Oh, Dr. Ōsumi—I've been waiting for you."

With that, she called out.

“Ah, Omoyo-chan.” “You came after all.” “Oh, what’s with that baby?” “Hohoho.” “This is my baby.” “She’s my sister.” “I pretended to be babysitting and slipped out quietly all the way here.” “If I hadn’t done that, they’d never have let me out so soon after yesterday.” “Who on earth would let me go out?” “I see, I see.” The one standing there holding a female infant who was only about ten months old was unmistakably Omoyo, the heroine of yesterday’s strange incident. She still had a pale face that seemed not yet free from her excitement, but whether due to the medicine’s effect, she had completely regained her vigor.

“I read the letter you handed over hidden in the bouquet.” “You wrote, ‘I urgently wish to discuss Takeo-kun’s situation’—what exactly does that mean?” “Do you think Takeo-san still hasn’t come back?”

“Well… there’s absolutely no lead at all,” Dr. Ōsumi said, barely suppressing his anguish. “But I believe we must save Takeo-kun no matter what.” “Regarding that matter—I will require your assistance in various ways, Omoyo-chan—but for now, please answer my questions to the best of your knowledge.”

“If there’s anything I can do, I’ll do it.” “Once I’ve recovered, I’m even thinking of going back to that forest again, you know.”

“To the Demon Forest?” “Well, I believe it would be best to postpone that for now.” “Now, first and foremost, I want to ask about the white-painted foreign ship that arrived offshore almost exactly a year ago. At that time, among the villagers, who and who were hired to go out to the main ship?” “My, you know about that so well,” Omoyo said, blinking her eyes. “There were three people.” “One was a man named Kitatarō, and he passed away this spring.” “The second was Takeo-san’s father. After the foreign ship departed, he soon disappeared without a trace—today, it’s said he must already be dead.” “The third is a man named Mr. Jinbei, who is currently serving as the village’s assistant deputy.”

“Ah, Mr. Furuka Jinbei.” “That person, huh.—Now then, next—I heard about a fifty-centimeter meteorite that fell in Daisōji Temple’s garden and was later excavated. Who has it now?” “That would be Dr. Tsujikawa—he lives in the Western-style mansion visible on the mountainside over there.” “I see, Dr. Tsujikawa.—Now then, another matter—around what time do the red dragonflies start appearing in this village?” “And which direction do those red dragonflies consistently face while flying?”

“My, you ask nothing but strange things.” “The red dragonflies started emerging much later last year.” “They usually come out around July, but last year they didn’t appear until October—I kept thinking how odd it was.” “The direction they fly is this way, shifted a bit north from due west.” With that, Omoyo formed an angle of about thirty degrees using her fingertips. “Fufūn. Well, thank you.” “There may be more to ask later, but that’s all I wanted to know today.”

“Oh, that’s so creepy. How on earth does that help?”

“Well, you’ll understand soon enough. Until then, I’d like you to keep quiet.” “In any case, this village may see even more strange incidents from now on.”

“Oh my...” The two of them exchanged glances and sighed together. However, if at this moment they had turned around and noticed the sudden catastrophe unfolding behind them, how utterly terrified they would have been.

The Great Upheaval on the Hill

Omoyo and Dr. Ōsumi, both worrying about the safety of Takeo, the boy, sat still side by side like statues on that cool hill for a while without a word.

Before long, Omoyo suddenly noticed.

“Oh my, what has happened to Daishiko?” “While we were so absorbed in talking, where could she have gone off to?”

“Oh—” Dr. Ōsumi also looked around, like someone waking from a dream. However, the figure of the baby that Omoyo had brought was nowhere to be seen. “Oh my, where could she have crawled off to?” “Daishi-bō—” “Daishi-bō!” “Where did you go?!”

Dr. Ōsumi also suddenly panicked and began frantically rummaging through the nearby thickets of weeds, but he ultimately could not find the baby they were searching for. Whether Omoyo could no longer endure the accumulating terrors—no sooner had her face turned pale than she lost consciousness and collapsed on the spot with a thud. How far could Omoyo’s sister have crawled?

If someone had passed by there and witnessed the entire sequence of the sudden upheaval that had occurred behind Omoyo and Dr. Ōsumi—who had been engrossed in conversation until moments earlier—they would surely have fainted midway through their discussion, overwhelmed by the sheer bizarreness before the anomaly had even fully unfolded. That is to say, he would have first noticed Omoyo’s sister gleefully crawling up to the top of the hill. It was truly an innocent scene. The baby had finally climbed to the top of the hill. The blazing sun was scorching down on Daishiko. She seemed to be considering which direction to crawl next, but until then, things were more or less all right. However, at that very moment, a great catastrophe suddenly descended upon the baby’s body. At this moment, the white baby clothes—likely made of Fuji silk—that the baby was wearing began to swell and bulge. It looked exactly as if someone were inflating a rubber balloon beneath the baby clothes. The baby clothes stretched taut, looking ready to burst at any moment. The moment that thought crossed one’s mind, they ripped apart with a faint tearing sound. From beneath it emerged a reddish, exposed mass of flesh. It twitched and writhed eerily, then gradually swelled up until it rapidly grew to the size of a pig. But that monster was indeed Daishiko. Because it had swollen so grotesquely, the torn baby clothes hung like a bib, dangling pitifully around what was once her neck. And thus appeared the mysteriously transformed giant monster baby!

There was an old fairy tale about Issun-bōshi—the one-inch boy—who stole a bottle of growth elixir from a magical land, took a single sip, and suddenly swelled grotesquely until he reached the height of a full-grown man. But that was merely a human-invented fable—in Daishiko’s case, it was a colossal real-world catastrophe unfolding vividly under the midday sun! If Daishiko had made even a sound there, she would have surely startled Omoyo and Dr. Ōsumi; but whether fortunately or unfortunately, at that moment—perhaps due to the anomaly—she lay half-conscious with her gigantic limbs sprawled out just beyond the hill.

At that moment, parting the thicket of weeds, a figure suddenly appeared. Upon looking closer, there stood a mysterious man whose face was so thickly bearded one might mistake him for a bear, his eyes gleaming like a wild beast’s. He wore filthy Western clothes and carried an oddly elongated black leather bag slung over his shoulder—an appearance that felt unnervingly familiar. This was no coincidence: the strange old man was indeed the same eerie figure who had emerged from the woods when Takeo vanished into the weeds. His name was Tsujikawa Seigen—a self-styled Doctor of Philosophy residing in an oddly shaped Western mansion atop Yaoi Village’s high ground.

“Hmm.” “This one…” After surveying the scene and muttering in a low voice, Dr. Tsujikawa approached Daishiko—who lay like a napping sow—with brisk steps that belied his aged appearance. After observing her condition for some time, he gave a deep nod, heaved the giant monster baby onto his shoulder with a grunt, and staggered down the opposite slope of the hill. How should one even describe it? It was a truly grotesque spectacle.

The figures of Dr. Tsujikawa and the giant monster baby soon disappeared into the shade of the trees.…… Omoyo and Dr. Ōsumi did not notice the baby’s disappearance until some time after that.

Dr. Tsujikawa's Eerie Life

For three days after that, Dr. Ōsumi shut himself in his lodgings and did not step outside even once. Could it be that the accumulation of bizarre incidents had rendered him timid? No, no—that wasn’t it.

He spent those three days confined to a single room at the inn, yet the intensity of his activities during that time was severalfold greater than if he had ventured out into the blazing heat to run twenty kilometers daily. During that period, he obsessively read volume after volume of Western-language books. With a red pencil, he drew lines here and there. Yet each time he finished a book, he heaved a deep sigh.

“...No good.” “This one’s no good either.” He pushed the original book off the desk as if discarding it, spread out a sheet of paper, and began writing something with single-minded focus. He drew diagrams that made no sense. But when he reached the end, as if in a rage, he tore every last one to pieces with a ripping sound. Then he planted both elbows on the desk, clawed at his hair with his fingertips, and writhed in torment. In the end, if there was any work he did during that time that didn’t seem utterly futile, it was only having asked the landlady at his lodgings to send a lengthy telegram addressed to Engineer Nakaya at the Central Meteorological Observatory in Tokyo.

After three days of anguish had passed, the next morning when he came downstairs to wash his face, the traces of torment on his countenance appeared to have significantly faded.

“Oh Doctor! You’re looking much better today,” the landlady cheerfully greeted. “If you get too wrapped up in your studies, it’ll do your health no good.” Dr. Ōsumi washed his face with icy water while deflecting her concern with laughter. Peering out from the wellside revealed another cloudless day over the mountain range. The shrill whine of oil cicadas already clung to roadside trees, filling the air with their racket. Dr. Ōsumi wandered toward the fence still wearing his damp hand towel like a turban. From this vantage point loomed Dr. Tsujikawa’s Western-style mansion—that enigmatic figure at the heart of their troubles. Its crimson roof tiles arched skyward, glowing under morning light with a garish intensity like congealed blood.

“Madam, have you ever seen someone called Dr. Tsujikawa who lives in that house?”

“Dr. Tsujikawa, you mean?...”

After returning the question, she waved her hand in front of her forehead as if to ward off a demon. “Why on earth would anyone go looking for such a terrifying person? If I were to catch even a glimpse of him, I tell ya, I’d collapse right then and there!” After saying that, perhaps still overwhelmed by fear, she closed her eyes and muttered something like a curse under her breath. “So Dr. Tsujikawa doesn’t come into town much, then?” “There’s no way we could put up with him coming out that often!”

“I wonder who’s been preparing Dr. Tsujikawa’s meals.” “Does he have a wife or servants, I wonder?” “He did have a wife once, but they say she passed away.” “When you say ‘they say,’ what exactly do you mean?” “That’s just hearsay—not a soul in the village actually saw her body after she died, I tell ya.” “Though she was too much of a beauty for the likes of him, if you ask me.” “Now he’s only got one servant left, I tell ya.” “Iwazō’s his name—a man missing his right leg, I tell ya.” “Always ties a wooden stake to his hip and hobbles about without a cane, I tell ya.” “They say he keeps all manner of beasts outside too, but who knows for sure?”

“Hmm, I see. It seems he’s leading quite a pitiful life,” said Dr. Ōsumi, who had never seen Dr. Tsujikawa, with sympathy. “What do you think, Madam? If I were to visit him, do you suppose he’d agree to meet?”

“You’re going to visit that place? Oh my stars! You might intend to go, Professor, but you ought to reconsider that above all! From what folks who’ve been near it say – that mansion’s got an imposing wall all around it, two gates big and small always shut tight and electrified with a powerful current! They say if anyone touches ’em by mistake, they’ll drop dead on the spot! Please don’t go, Professor – please don’t, not that of all things…”

The landlady shuddered violently in fear. Dr. Ōsumi stood motionless, biting his lips tightly in silence, but he seemed to have solidified some grave resolution.

At that moment, a strange droning noise came from the clear blue sky. Just then, Dr. Ōsumi started back in surprise, but the strange noise gradually grew louder and was clearly drawing closer.

“Is that an airplane?”

By the time he noticed, a small-bodied, terrifying airplane had appeared directly above the lodgings. It appeared to be a light airplane known as the "Sky Louse." Who on earth could be riding in it?

The Puu descended even lower and began circling just above the rooftops. Dr. Ōsumi, somehow sensing danger, took shelter under the eaves of the storehouse. At that very moment, a long, pitch-black mass flew out from the airplane, let out a whooshing sound, and violently crashed down right around where Dr. Ōsumi had been standing. A bomb?

Hōdan aboard the *Puu* The black bomb-like object—whether its aim had gone awry remained unclear—plunged into the well beside the fence with a loud splash. Perhaps having submerged underwater, it ultimately failed to detonate. Dr. Ōsumi instinctively seized the hoe handle leaning against the barn wall in a reverse grip and assumed a defensive stance. At that instant, accompanied by what he thought was a wingbeat tearing through air, the light airplane descended diagonally from the sky. The moment it struck the road ahead with a thud, it bounced like a rubber ball with a *pon*, appearing to continue skidding—but as its tail abruptly lifted, it traced a smooth arc through the air to execute a dragonfly flip before capsizing onto its back with a *peshan* crash. Watching this unfold, Dr. Ōsumi involuntarily caught his breath in a sharp gasp.

What happened to the pilot? Just as Dr. Ōsumi raised this doubt, the Puu’s wings—which had fallen still as if dead—swayed gently, and from beneath them crawled out a figure clad in a khaki-colored flight suit. And the moment he stood up, he burst into the lodging house’s enclosure like a cannonball.

The intruder, as if oblivious to those around him, suddenly rushed to the well and peered inside. Then he immediately raised his face, “A rope! Rope! Rope!”

he turned toward Dr. Ōsumi and shouted. While Dr. Ōsumi stood dumbfounded, he noticed the coil of rope hanging under the eaves, lunged to grab it, and began frantically unraveling it. Then, holding one end of the rope, he approached Dr. Ōsumi and—in the blink of an eye—coiled it around and around the doctor’s body. It was a remarkable feat of speed. Just as Dr. Ōsumi was about to shout something,

“There we go. Make sure to hold that end of the rope tight.…” After rattling this off, he grabbed the rope’s other end himself, swiftly tied it around his midsection, and dashed to the well’s edge. Then, with two solid thumps, he kicked his shoes aside, planted one foot on the well’s rim, turned his head, and fixed his gaze on Dr. Ōsumi.

“Hey… I messed up the landing alright, but how’s that for a masterclass in bomb deployment, eh? Though maybe too perfect—having to pull off such acrobatics is a real pain… You following me? Right now it’s life or death—whether someone drowns or not! Keep that rope tight!” With that parting remark, the man in the flight suit casually climbed down into the well. While Dr. Ōsumi stood gaping in bewilderment, the drenched figure emerged from the well’s mouth, a pitch-black bag resembling an oversized sandal pouch clamped between his teeth. He nimbly hopped to the ground and sauntered toward Dr. Ōsumi, swinging the sodden bag from two fingers.

“You’re Dr. Ōsumi, right? Well now, here’s the item you ordered. Since it sort of took a dip because of the heat, you’d better dry it in the sun pronto. That’s all.” With that, he gave a playful salute with a comical gesture, as if to a superior officer. The inn’s mistress, who had been sitting slumped at the entrance to the dirt-floored room since earlier—perhaps finally reassured by this sight—brushed the mud from her kimono and stood up.

Dr. Ōsumi, with the feeling of having his nose pinched by a fox, opened the thoroughly soaked bag that had been handed to him. From inside emerged a large, round, bulging brown envelope. Of course, it was thoroughly soaked, but on the back was written “From Engineer Nakaya, Central Meteorological Observatory, Tokyo Ichibashi,” and when flipped over, “Dr. Ōsumi Seiji” was boldly inscribed on the front, with “Entrusted to Sasa Hōdan” noted beside it. That was precisely what Dr. Ōsumi had urgently ordered via telegram from the Central Meteorological Observatory. When he tore open the envelope, out from inside came a tightly rolled sheet of paper. On it, written in mimeograph, were what appeared to be intricate mathematical equations crammed into every inch of space.

“Ah, I’m terribly sorry about that, Sasa-kun.”

With that, he called out to the aviator. "It's not Sasa—it's Sassa! Sassa Hōdan is my name." He stood completely naked by the wellside, using drawn water to wipe his body with evident satisfaction. He looked to be a vibrant young man of twenty-four or twenty-five.

“Ah, I see.” “However, this has become quite a predicament.” “It seems your airplane has broken…”

“Ah, that ain’t a big deal.” “A day or two, and it’ll be good as new.”

His words were rough, but he was a young man of perfectly clear intent.

“I must say, it’s rather embarrassing to have you fly all this way just for something like this.”

“No need for that,” Sasa Hōdan replied as he pulled a small notebook and pencil from the pocket of his discarded clothes and stepped up to the doctor, wearing nothing but his fundoshi.

“By all means—let’s have a word. Dr. Ōsumi, what have you been researching here, and what have you discovered?” Dr. Ōsumi was taken aback for the third time and stared blankly at the man’s face as if trying to bore holes through it. Then, Sasa pulled out a single business card from between the pages of his notebook and handed it to Dr. Ōsumi, saying in a lively voice: “…I’m a reporter for Tokyo Tsūshin Shinbunsha. “Now, give me the first exclusive scoop!”

The Secret of the Foreign Ship

Dr. Ōsumi quickly became friends with Sasa Hōdan the journalist. Naturally, a man as tenacious as Sasa would never leave his side as long as there was business at hand—no matter how hard he tried to shake him off.

Reporter Sasa asked such relentless and thorough questions that it wasn’t long before most things concerning the village’s incidents were uncovered. However, he was wise enough not to immediately send a report to the headquarters. He knew that since other newspapers hadn’t yet caught wind of the incident, it was more advantageous to maintain silence in the meantime and thoroughly gather as much information as possible about the incident’s details.

And so, Reporter Sasa resolved not only to gather articles but now also to greatly assist Dr. Ōsumi in solving the case as soon as possible. He lent his own diverse knowledge to assist Dr. Ōsumi.

“Dr. Ōsumi, it’s finally today at eleven o’clock. Now, listen carefully with that receiver there!” With that, Reporter Sasa hurriedly rushed out of the inn. Dr. Ōsumi looked at his wristwatch. In fifteen minutes, it would be 11 a.m. His lively friend had just set out to visit Furuka Jinbei, the village assistant mayor. Speaking of Furuka, he was connected to one of the three bizarre questions that Takeo—the boy who had disappeared—had requested to investigate. In other words, Furuka Jinbei was none other than the man who had been temporarily employed by a foreign steamship that anchored off Yaoi Village’s coast about a year prior and had carried out some task for that vessel. There were two other men as well—one had already died of illness, and the other being Takeo’s father who had gone missing—leaving Furuka as the sole remaining villager who knew the circumstances of that time. Dr. Ōsumi had met with Furuka Jinbei and tried questioning him about various matters, but due to an inexplicable terror, the man absolutely refused to speak. With this first question ultimately destined to remain unanswered, he had thought of moving on to the second problem—but upon learning this, Reporter Sasa offered: “Such a thing is nothing—leave it to me for a moment; I’ll make him talk.” When they heard Sasa’s plan, it turned out he intended to use the hypnosis he’d learned on Furuka Jinbei to make him spill the secret. Simultaneously, Sasa meant to deploy his prized specialty—a private telephone technique also known as wiretapping—so Dr. Ōsumi could listen to Jinbei’s testimony while remaining at the inn. Of course, this was nothing extraordinary for anyone versed in telephone technology. Specifically, they placed a microphone behind a picture frame in the room where Jinbei had been summoned, connected its two wires to a radio oscillator, then linked those to the telephone line. Since high-frequency current would travel along the telephone line, they attached two additional branch lines to the phone line running before Dr. Ōsumi’s inn, pulled them into his room, and connected them to a radio receiver—ensuring Jinbei’s words would be heard in full. It was clearly a violation of communications law—though Reporter Sasa remained blissfully unaware of this fact.

The wiretapping preparations were fully in place. When the time reached 11 a.m., Dr. Ōsumi twisted the switch on the receiver and waited for voices to emerge from the loudspeaker. Before long, the lively voice of Reporter Sasa they had been awaiting and the drowsy voice of Furuka Jinbei began to intermingle in their ears. By now, Jinbei seemed to have completely succumbed to Sasa’s hypnotic sorcery. Dr. Ōsumi could do nothing but marvel thrice at his roguish prowess that disregarded all propriety.

“So the white steamship that arrived offshore—they couldn’t determine its nationality, you say? What did the blue-eyed captain ask you all to do? Try to remember that.” “...We were asked to unload three rattan-woven baskets—each one slightly bigger than a four-to barrel. When we tried lifting them, ’twas so heavy the three of us could barely manage... what in the world was inside?...” “That’s right. Then you loaded them onto a boat and carried them to the coast, right? The captain also came along with you, right? And then, what did you do with the three rattan baskets?”

“……In the darkness of the coast, there was someone standing with a handheld lantern.” “When we got closer and saw, ’twas Dr. Tsujikawa.” “Huh?! Dr. Tsujikawa!” Sasa Hōdan choked back his voice. “Yeah, it was Dr. Tsujikawa, right?” “And then?” “Dr. Tsujikawa was speaking with the captain in some unintelligible foreign language, but once their discussion seemed to reach an agreement, he had us carry those three baskets to his house at the mountain’s base.”

“That’s right, that’s right.” “So the deal was settled there.” “And then what happened…” “Then we were put in a room, treated to a grand feast, and given plenty of money.” “But there was still work left, y’see.” “While we were stuffing ourselves and jawin’ away, they says, ‘Now take these baskets back to the ship.’” “So we hoisted up three baskets again.” “But here’s the queer part—two baskets were light as air an’ empty inside, but that third one weighed a ton.” “And when we heaved ’em up on our shoulders, it felt downright peculiar.” “What in blazes was inside? I still can’t make heads nor tails of it...”

As he said this, Jinbei suddenly fell silent, oily sweat streaming down his forehead. Reporter Sasa seized the moment without hesitation, “It was a mighty strange thing, that was...” “However, later when the three of us discussed it...” “That’s right... When we discussed it later, we thought there must’ve been some sort o’ livin’ creature inside this basket...” But as he spoke those words, an expression of intense anguish suddenly washed over Jinbei’s face.

Dr. Ōsumi’s Philosophy “This isn’t going well.” “Namukengenkōri, namukengenkōri.” “Āra kantsūmu, visuvisu.” “……Hmm… If he wakes up now, that’ll be trouble.” “Somehow pull through for me…” Reporter Sasa Hōdan of Tokyo Tsūshin Shinbunsha, who prided himself as a master of hypnosis, continued desperately reciting incantations toward Furuka Jinbei, the village assistant mayor writhing with his eyes shut tight, but the winds simply refused to shift in a favorable direction. Furuka Jinbei finally struck the back of his head hard against the wall, and in that instant, as if waking from a nightmare, he snapped his eyes wide open.

“...Aaaah! What in blazes is goin’ on here?...”

Jinbei looked around restlessly. “Good grief, stay under, stay under!” Kantsūmu, visuvisu. “Oh no, oh no…” But the spell had already lost its effect. Jinbei had completely awoken from the hypnosis. Now that things had come to this, all was lost. Even Sasa Hōdan had no choice but to give up and retreat.

Dr. Ōsumi was waiting impatiently for Sasa’s return at the boarding house.

“Well done indeed! Thanks to you, Dr. Tsujikawa’s conduct has become much clearer.” “I just couldn’t get the hypnosis to work at the critical moment. But I’ll find a way to try it again soon.”

At that moment, the landlady of the boarding house brought over the beer that had been submerged and chilled in the well. That was Dr. Ōsumi’s thoughtful gesture. “Oh, my favorite’s here! Sorry ’bout this,” said Sasa with an audible gulp. “Let’s pour ourselves a full beer and hammer out a grand strategy!”

The two men raised their foaming Western-style glasses, clinked them together with a clink, and shouted “Banzai!” for their united front bound by a strange bond. “Sasa-kun,” “I am convinced this village conceals an immense secret that defies all human imagination from every angle.” “An immense secret?” “Ah yes! That’s it, that’s it! Now we’re getting somewhere—this’ll be interesting!” “First: Takeo-kun’s disappearance and his report of a beetle large as a turtle; next: his voice echoing unseen through the forest; the foreign ship that anchored offshore a year ago; Dr. Tsujikawa’s suspicious activities; the delayed emergence of dragonflies flying consistently thirty degrees north of due west; and finally—the disappearance of Omoyo-chan’s baby sister…”

“There’s more.” “The fact that Sasa Hōdan left his busy workplace in Tokyo to fly all the way out to this remote area, and that Dr. Ōsumi deliberately chose this rural backwater as his summer vacation study site……” “To tell the truth, I—for some reason—took a liking to, or rather became intrigued by, the topography of Yaooi Village. In any case, there was something about it that deeply captivated me, you see, and so I wandered over here.”

“It’s what you’d call a sixth sense, you see.”

“That might be the case.” “Well, for that reason, this village has heaps of fascinating mysteries scattered about.” “It’s as if the individual equations forming a system of multivariable equations lie scattered haphazardly here and there.” “It would be interesting to combine them appropriately and derive solutions for each, but I feel that beyond those answers lies yet another grand solution.” “This would herald an entirely new world.” “For instance, were we to solve each unknown variable only to find they’re all irrational numbers, we might be compelled to envision an irrational realm shaped by those very values.” “Once we confirm this irrational realm’s existence, we may conversely have to deny the absoluteness of our supposed singular reality—arriving at the self-destructive conclusion that what we’ve deemed ‘the real world’ was merely one case study among infinite possibilities.” “Ah, what fathomless truths… Ah, what dreadful uncertainties…”

“Oh, Doc!—” With that, Reporter Sasa suddenly stood up and began placing the foaming beer-filled Western-style glass atop Dr. Ōsumi’s head.

“Let’s put aside such ridiculous nonsense for later—right now we need to calmly and decisively break through the heart of this case! That means sneaking into Dr. Tsujikawa’s mansion and exposing his secrets. Come on—agree to that and get moving! If you keep mumbling your drivel even after this, how about I pour this icy beer down your collar?!” An exploding bomb? Reporter Sasa dragged the broken light airplane “Sky Louse” out into the grassland and busied himself with repairs. Even so, he would occasionally pause his pliers-gripping hands to stare intently at Dr. Ōsumi’s face—the scientist sat watching on a nearby stone block.

“Hey, Doc—yesterday you were spouting weird sleep-talk nonsense. Weren’t you out of your mind back then?”

“Don’t talk nonsense. My mind’s perfectly sound.”

“Well, well.” “So you were actually serious when you said all that?”

Sasa widened his eyes again. “So you’re still possessed by that so-called irrational world of yours, huh?” “That thing’s downright impossible to deal with.” “How ’bout it?” “Don’tcha feel like convertin’ to Sasa Hōdan’s cut-the-crap philosophy?”

“……Stop your unnecessary chatter and focus on the airplane repairs.” “I’d hate if you botched these critical repairs and we ended up with the Sky Louse commencing its mid-air disassembly act the moment we took off.” “Ha ha ha!” “Nah, this part’s just fine.” While this banter continued, the Sky Louse’s repairs advanced steadily until, before evening fell, it had been completely restored to its original condition.

A peaceful dinner concluded, and soon the two welcomed a cool night. The clear night sky held no moon; only the Milky Way's countless stars glittered and sparkled like diamond dust scattered across the dark void. The sky was ideally dim.

“Alright, it’s finally time to depart.” “Ah, it’s about time we got going. Well then, let’s be off.”

Dr. Ōsumi tucked a furoshiki bundle under his arm while Reporter Sasa secured himself in his flight suit; both exited the inn with practiced nonchalance. When they stepped out onto the street, the two exchanged another handshake. “Alright, I’m counting on you to handle this.” “Yeah, no problem.” “Now you make sure to hold up your end!” With that, they split up to left and right. Reporter Sasa headed toward the plaza housing the Sky Louse, while Dr. Ōsumi began briskly ascending the slope.

What were the two of them about to begin?

Some time after that, an ominous, unfamiliar sound approached the skies above Dr. Tsujikawa’s mansion, which occupied a vast area at the mountain’s base. It seemed to be the sound of an airplane, but it gradually descended and drew near until it was almost skimming the rooftops. The strange aircraft continued to circle back and forth over the mansion, showing no sign of flying away. It was clear that Dr. Tsujikawa’s mansion was being targeted. The mansion interior was suddenly thrown into chaos.

That was when it happened. The airplane came flying low again, and just as it seemed to pass directly over the mansion, something struck the iron gate of the main entrance—surrounded by castle-high walls—with a resounding clang. At the same instant, there was a sudden flash as blazing flames shot upward.

Before long, the airplane came back again. This time, it seemed to fly even lower. Another bang echoed from the high wall beside the main gate, and simultaneously, another blinding burst of flames shot upward.

Bombing!

Dr. Tsujikawa’s mansion was now about to be bombed by the bombs being dropped from the airplane. However, fortunately, the bombs did not fall within the mansion grounds; instead, one after another, they landed outside the estate and exploded vigorously.

Startled by the commotion inside the mansion, the back gate’s small door creaked open, and a black shadow flew out from within. The black shadow left the side of the small door and gradually emerged toward the street. It was because if they didn’t come out, they couldn’t see the exploding bombs. At that moment, another flash erupted, and this time, the roaring flames leaped to a single pine tree, crackling fiercely as they began to burn. And showed no sign of dying down. The black shadow that had exited the back gate—now appearing increasingly alarmed—ran toward the pine tree engulfed in flames. When illuminated clearly by the firelight, he appeared to be a sturdy man in his mid-thirties—perhaps two or three years past thirty. He had been dragging his leg oddly, and for good reason—his right leg was missing below the knee. All that remained was a stake-like prosthetic leg bound to his thigh.

He timidly approached the brightly burning pine tree but soon straightened his back in relief and muttered. “What the... “If I thought they were real bombs or incendiary devices… this is just some pathetic firework contraption… .” “Must be those villagers’ prank after all.” “They don’t even know about Dr. Tsujikawa’s great work—damn fools!” Having said that, the man hurried back toward the back gate, limping all the way. And he noticed that the back gate was still left open from earlier,

“Ah! I was careless here.” “Leaving it wide open like that—if someone had snuck in, that would’ve been a disaster.” “Close call, close call!”

No sooner had he leaped inside the gate than he slammed the iron door shut and snapped the lock into place with a crisp click.

This man was Iwakura, who served the doctor loyally, but was his relief truly justified?

Grotesque Cage

Dr. Ōsumi finally greeted the dawn without sleeping a wink. Of course, this was due to his intense tension, but it was also partly because he had forgotten how thickly bush mosquitoes swarmed outdoors in summer. Indeed, within the thicket that provided good shelter from the night dew swarmed bush mosquitoes with proboscises as sharp as hypodermic needles. The more he swatted at the attacking ones, the more newcomers—having noticed the human presence—pressed in.

Even within Dr. Tsujikawa’s mansion, the sun—breaking through the clouds at dawn—cast a refreshing light. Dr. Ōsumi cautiously surveyed his surroundings as he crawled through the garden thicket. Under cover of Sasa Hōdan’s “Sky Louse,” he had thrown decoy bombs—actually magnesium fireworks retrieved from a cloth bundle—at the doctor’s gate last night, skillfully luring Iwakura outside before seizing the chance to slip into the back gate. Had they not staged such an elaborate ruse, infiltrating Dr. Tsujikawa’s medieval fortress-like mansion would have been nearly impossible. The purpose of Dr. Ōsumi’s infiltration went without saying—to investigate the mysterious Dr. Tsujikawa’s activities and scout out secrets within the mansion grounds. Having resolved to risk his life if necessary, he had launched this direct assault to solve the bizarre case.

Dr. Ōsumi, having crawled out of the thicket slowly and cautiously, felt relieved that fortunately no one had noticed him, and began exploring the vast mansion grounds. A spacious garden—though calling it a garden might be ill-suited; perhaps it would be better described as an artificial mountainous terrain. To put it another way, it would be clearer to describe Dr. Tsujikawa’s mansion garden as an elaborate miniature landscape—a man-made reduction of the Hakone mountain range compressed into roughly three hundred square meters. In any case, it formed strange undulations and irregularities—just when you thought there was a hill, a spring would flow; just when you expected a grove of mixed trees, a towering Western-style spire would rise up. It was no wonder that the walls surrounding Dr. Tsujikawa’s mansion stood as high as a fortress—had they not been built so tall, this bizarre interior would have easily drawn villagers’ eyes and inevitably become fodder for controversy.

Having crawled out, Dr. Ōsumi stood frozen in astonishment amidst this bizarre landscape. It was as though he had crossed a thousand leagues of raging waves and found himself wandering a foreign land. Even if one were to search all of Japan, he doubted there existed another place with such an eccentric mansion. He was terrified by the mind of Dr. Tsujikawa, who took such delight in this bizarre landscape. However, Dr. Ōsumi’s astonishment had come a bit too early. For as he wandered through this bizarre garden, he happened upon an extraordinarily tall and sturdy iron cage built within an area completely encircled by towering zelkova trees—but compared to the shock of peering inside that cage for the first time, the garden’s strange scenery was nothing at all.

What on earth was inside that cage? "Oh... this..."

Having uttered that, he froze like a fossil, every trace of color draining from his normally ruddy face in an instant.—Look, look! Inside that sturdy cage swayed and squirmed a grotesque creature…

What first caught his eye was a black bird—about the size of a crow—flapping wildly inside a cage labeled "No. 1." But this was an optical illusion; upon closer inspection, the shape of its body, wings, and limbs made it clear: this was a black fly. "Hmm... It's a black fly..."

A giant black fly with a body the size of a crow! It was a monster he had never seen before.—But this monster was not alone. Look at the next cage!

...a round torso like a glossy jet-black iron helmet; blade-like limbs protruding beneath; lens-like gleaming eyes; a single horn resembling a small branch coated in lacquer... “Ah! So this is it—the Demon Forest’s monster!” “The beetle that was mistaken for a turtle…” He heard the clattering sound of his own upper and lower teeth striking together as they shuddered. A beetle of terrifying colossal proportions! There, he timidly shifted his gaze to the next cage.

“Gah…!”

He became clearly aware of each strand of his hair standing on end. What horror—oh what an atrocity! Confined within the neighboring cage was neither insect nor beast, but truly—truly—a human being: the paragon of all creation. It was a naked human roughly the size of a pig, yet with a disproportionately large head that resembled an infant grotesquely enlarged. "A giant monster's child..." ...Dr. Ōsumi thought. Unaware this was Omoyo's infant sister Daishiko, he believed it to be the offspring of some colossal demon.

But the sheer gigantic size of the creatures kept in this cage! This was a scene straight out of a zoo in the Land of Giants from fairy tales. Now, what creature was contained in the next cage? While suddenly assaulted by anxiety, he couldn’t help but look ahead. He then peered into the next cage. There, a still more gigantic animal sat cross-legged within the wire mesh, staring fixedly ahead. It was a human resembling a living Niō statue, but when Dr. Ōsumi caught a glimpse of its face—

“Ugh…” With just that cry, he suddenly felt dizzy and slumped down unsteadily onto the spot. Ah… I shouldn’t have looked. That cage alone was something I should never have laid eyes on—even if it cost one’s life. What being could have been inside there?

The First Step of Infiltration “Ah… If I’d known it was like this, I never should have looked!” What was it that had made Dr. Ōsumi turn his face away? What on earth could have been inside Cage No.4? Indeed, it was Takeo—the boy who had ventured into the Demon Forest and vanished without a trace. No—or rather, it might be more accurate to say it was Takeo’s monstrous form. For Takeo, confined within the cage, was no longer the adorable boy of yore—his height now over three meters, making him a giant monster surpassing one jō in stature. It was no wonder that Dr. Ōsumi, upon seeing this, collapsed from shock. Truly, this was an anomaly beyond all anomalies—an unimaginable, colossal upheaval in the natural order.

In the iron cages constructed within Dr. Tsujikawa’s garden, mysteriously, only such giant creatures as these had been gathered. Unbelievable giant creatures! Why could such monsters have come into being? And why, then, had such grotesque giant monsters appeared exclusively in Yaoi Village?

The first interpretation anyone could imagine in response to this question was that Dr. Tsujikawa—the sorcerer and master of this eerie mansion—had used dark arts to create these grotesque creatures. Since Dr. Tsujikawa’s true nature remained unclear, it might not have been a matter to speak of lightly at present; however, given that these diverse giant monsters had all been gathered within the doctor’s mansion grounds, it was only natural for such suspicions to arise.

Anyone who had seen the creatures in these bizarre cages even once would likely consider that the strange news from years past—of a giant beast resembling a creature from the previous century appearing in Scotland’s Loch Ness—might actually be possible. Could even the Loch Ness Monster have been created by Dr. Tsujikawa’s hand? Dr. Ōsumi gently wiped the tears that had welled up unbidden as he glimpsed Takeo’s utterly transformed figure through the shade of the zelkova leaves. What on earth should I do now? Takeo-kun! Should I call out to him, or would it be better to leave things as they are and not meet? Which should I choose?

“Well… I suppose I shouldn’t meet him here for a while.” Dr. Ōsumi had ultimately decided against meeting him after all. When he had infiltrated the Demon Forest alone to rescue Takeo, it had been Takeo who knocked down his flashlight. When he had tried to light a match, it had again been Takeo who stopped him. Reflecting on how Takeo had allowed only his voice to be heard while never showing himself, it became clear that even back then, he must have already taken on that utterly transformed appearance and despised being seen. Sensing Takeo’s heartrending sentiment, tears once more began streaming ceaselessly from Dr. Ōsumi’s eyes.

Having finally given up on meeting Takeo, Dr. Ōsumi now moved on to the second phase of his activities. Since he had gone through such pains to infiltrate the place, he wanted to conduct as much reconnaissance as possible. He would stealthily crawl out from the grass thicket, climb up trees, or slip into crevices of large boulders, then use his cherished telescope to survey every building and terrain feature across the estate grounds. What he paid particular attention to was the appearance of the expressionist-style building where Dr. Tsujikawa seemed to be residing. However, observing from outside this tightly sealed structure inevitably made him feel a frustration like trying to scratch an itchy foot through a shoe.

The roar of engines echoed through the air time and again. It was both a visit by Comrade Sasa Hōdan aboard the “Sky Louse” and a show of force against Dr. Tsujikawa’s faction, while also serving to express concern for his colleague Dr. Ōsumi’s safety and support him. As evening fell and the garden began to grow dim, as if awaiting that moment, the “Sky Louse” came flying once more, flying low as though earnestly searching for something on the ground. Upon seeing this, Dr. Ōsumi flickered his flashlight toward the sky to signal his location. It seemed the signal had reached its target, and something black plopped down from above. It fell right before Dr. Ōsumi’s eyes. As Sasa the journalist boasted, his bomb-dropping technique was remarkably skillful.—The black object rolling there was a bag. Inside were rice balls and caramels. It was Sasa Hōdan’s thoughtful gesture.

Dr. Ōsumi filled his stomach with the provisions that had been dropped from the sky. And then, with renewed energy, he waited for the night to deepen. Before long, the deserted mansion grounds grew as silent as a remote mountain. It might be more accurate to say they welcomed not a quiet night, but one of sheer terror. From somewhere within the woods, an owl began hooting—though where it had flown from was unclear. Intermingling with that, from within the zelkova forest came a mysterious wailing sound of unknown origin. The sound echoed off the walls there and the hills here, sending a creeping chill down collars.—Dr. Ōsumi slowly crawled out from the thicket.

In the building where Dr. Tsujikawa resided, two windows glowed with blazing light. They loomed like the twin eyes of some colossal sea demon. Dr. Ōsumi, having crept beneath the windowsill, cautiously lifted his head to peer inside. The room beyond overflowed with taxidermied specimens crammed into every corner, while expansive walls displayed celestial maps and weather charts. There sat Dr. Tsujikawa at a massive desk, engrossed in reading some text with feverish intensity.

“Hmm… Now’s the time to sneak in…” Dr. Ōsumi circled around to the rear entrance he had previously scouted out. This was the same entrance Iwazō had frequently used. When he approached the door and gently pushed it, he found it wasn’t locked after all. “It’s locked!…” Dr. Ōsumi boldly slipped inside. Before him stretched a dimly lit corridor ending in a brightly illuminated hall. Keeping to the shadows of curtains and muffling his footsteps, he crept slowly toward the hall. Yet a dreadful trap already lay waiting there.

“Gah…!” Before he could even cry out, two thick arms shot out from the nearby curtain—and in that instant, someone seized Dr. Ōsumi’s throat from behind in a viselike grip.

Prey of the Mad Scientist? “Hmm…” What a pity! “What the—...!” Dr. Ōsumi tried to wrench himself free from the mysterious figure’s arms, but they only tightened their grip around his throat with increasing force. Before long, his mind finally grew hazy, and he could no longer comprehend anything… When Dr. Ōsumi stopped resisting, the arms that had been gripping him finally released their hold on his neck. What suddenly emerged from behind the curtain was Dr. Tsujikawa, his face truly ghastly, like a Western demon cast away on a deserted island. His beard had grown out unkempt and wild; his hair stood on end, each strand rebellious, with white hairs shimmering among the black like autumn pampas grass. He wore a velvet suit that had likely been expensive when new but was now wrinkled and shabby beyond description, paired with a thin black necktie of a style fashionable decades prior. Thus, it became clear that this was a man in an abnormal mental state, no matter how one looked at him.

“……Heh heh heh…” Dr. Tsujikawa wore an eerie smile as he looked down at Dr. Ōsumi’s body lying stretched out in the corridor. Then, he gave Dr. Ōsumi’s body a few kicks with the tip of his slipper, but upon seeing no sign of movement, he turned and strode briskly down the corridor. After walking perhaps two or three *ken*, the doctor suddenly whirled around to look behind him. He thrust his right hand’s fingers into his sparrow’s nest-like hair and scrubbed vigorously, then nodded deeply and returned to his original spot.

“……That’s right…” “I’ll make use of this one.”

Though it remained unclear exactly how he intended to “use” him, after uttering these words, Dr. Tsujikawa placed his hands on Dr. Ōsumi’s body, hoisted him onto his shoulder with a grunt of effort, and once again strode briskly down the corridor ahead. Turning down the corridor, he opened the automatic elevator door with a metallic clank and ascended with an electrical whir—reaching none other than the Fifth Floor! When the elevator came to a natural stop, Dr. Tsujikawa opened the door and stepped outside. The corridor stood in stark contrast to the doctor’s disheveled appearance—immaculately swept clean, with restrained paint colors adorning both the doors and surrounding walls. —Dr. Tsujikawa opened the door to a room on the right bearing a plaque that read “First Laboratory” and entered.

Illuminated under the bright electric lights was a spacious room estimated to be nearly twenty tsubo (approximately 66 square meters) in size. Instruments of various sizes and purposes—so peculiar that their use was unclear—were lined up in rows, leaving little room. There were what appeared to be large transformers, and a telescope that seemed too valuable for such a place had been installed. What was particularly strange was the high dome-shaped ceiling, resembling a large ball cut in half and placed atop the room, with a narrow slit-like window at its center. Dr. Tsujikawa laid Dr. Ōsumi’s body on the armchair. After that, he moved silently about the room, going here and there as he busily inspected something.

Before long, the large electric lights in the room were turned off, leaving only a conically projected lamp shining from one wall. Within that circular light stood out conspicuously a single table resembling an operating table—what distinguished it from an actual operating table were the gaudily attached small instruments of unclear purpose, arranged like mere decorations. Dr. Ōsumi’s body was moved from the armchair onto this peculiar operating table, where his neck, hands, feet, and other parts were securely fastened to the table with leather straps.

Dr. Tsujikawa's face gradually reddened like a child's cheeks. There seemed to be something that excited Dr. Tsujikawa. Soon, Dr. Tsujikawa moved another large machine—covered with a neatly draped canvas—next to the operating table where Ōsumi lay. When he removed the canvas, a large discharge tube appeared from beneath it. The glass bulb was as large as the full moon. Inside it, silver and gold electrodes were gleaming. When the wall switch was pressed, a faint buzzing sound rang out, and this discharge tube began to glow with a pale purple light. The mysterious light beam hissed sideways through the discharge tube’s internal reflector, its purple hue deepening each time it passed through several round frames, until finally transforming into a cylindrical shaft of deep wisteria-colored radiance. Following the path of that luminous beam led it to collide with a shielding membrane—yet upon that membrane lay the body of Dr. Ōsumi, sleeping unaware…

“Well, this level of the beam should be sufficient,” Dr. Tsujikawa smirked. “Well, it’s finally time to begin the experiment.” “First, I shall project the Omega Ray emitted from this device onto the right half of this human and apply the Question Ray to the left half.” “First, let’s try applying the Omega Ray using this device...”

What would happen? Dr. Ōsumi, who was about to become a victim of the mad doctor’s mad experiment, noticed for the first time at this moment. At the abnormal scene that met his eyes, Dr. Ōsumi sensed a terrible danger and gasped in shock.

Mysterious Telephone

“Mmph…” Dr. Ōsumi tried to leap up in one swift motion, but his body remained firmly bound to the table without budging an inch. He attempted to shout “Wait—” but no voice emerged. Something resembling cotton had been stuffed into his mouth. “Oh, you’ve noticed… Hmm.” Dr. Tsujikawa displayed no trace of surprise at Ōsumi’s awakening. Without hesitation, he placed his hand on the button controlling the shutter that blocked the Omega Ray. Ah—in the next instant, that ominous beam prepared to strike the right half of Dr. Ōsumi’s body. What bizarre transformation might occur there? The fate of Ōsumi, now reduced to mere experimental material for Dr. Tsujikawa’s purposes, hung as precariously as a candle flame in a gale.

It was exactly at that moment. *Bzzzt-bzzzt-bzzzt-bzzzt-bzzzzinnn!* Then, a shrill bell rang out from one corner of the room. When Dr. Tsujikawa whirled around, a red pilot lamp on a panel in the corner was flashing insistently. …… “Ah… Exactly the scheduled communication time.”

After muttering this，Dr．Tsujikawa moved away from the Omega Ray and approached the panel． Dr．Tsujikawa clattered away at the panel for some time before his voice became audible． “Ah，this is Dr．Tsujikawa．How’s everything on your end？”

The language he had spoken was, surprisingly, not Japanese but Esperanto—known as the universal language.

“I see. “Wait a moment.” “SS501 at 4.68.” “……SS502 at 4.79……”

Dr. Tsujikawa busily jotted down detailed numbers. “Good, thank you… We’re operating at considerable intensity tonight as well.” “Overall output has nearly tripled—astonishing!” “In other words, SS501 remains at 4.90 points and SS502 at 5.18 points…” For a while, the sound of Dr. Tsujikawa rattling off unintelligible numerical values filled the air. “…These figures will finally prove my hypothesis correct.” “You must agree.” “At any rate, I intend to leave Earth shortly…” “No—before that, I’ve initiated an intriguing experiment.” “Tonight.” “This very moment.” “Your presence would prove fascinating… though I understand you can’t tear yourself from observing Orion tonight.” “How regrettable.” “Regardless, if I don’t complete this experiment tonight, the research schedule will… Yes, precisely. Next contact at sixteen o’clock then…” “Farewell!”

Dr. Tsujikawa’s bizarre telephone call ended there. Who could this counterpart possibly be? What did SS501 being at 4-something points signify? Statements like “I’d like to leave Earth soon…” made it sound utterly nonsensical. Yet if one didn’t dwell on such oddities, Dr. Tsujikawa’s conversation showed no more disarray than any ordinary exchange. If anything, it felt like an erudite discussion befitting an accomplished scholar. Was the doctor’s mind truly unhinged—or perhaps alarmingly sound? Could he truly be a villain? Or was this all some terrible misunderstanding? Having studied Esperanto before, Dr. Ōsumi understood every word—precisely why he agonized over whether to judge the doctor as righteous or depraved.

Dr. Tsujikawa returned from the panel. “Now then…” “Well… This should be correct now…”

With that, he once again began meticulously examining the equipment. Dr. Ōsumi glared wordlessly at Dr. Tsujikawa. He deeply regretted being gagged at this critical moment. He wished the doctor would clarify even one of the things puzzling him. However, Dr. Tsujikawa—acting as if someone like Dr. Ōsumi mattered not at all—leaned slightly forward beside the ray apparatus and busily began making adjustments. There seemed to be some malfunction in the equipment, and Dr. Tsujikawa showed no sign of standing up anytime soon.

At this moment, Dr. Ōsumi—who lay on the operating table—after much struggle, finally succeeded in pushing out the cotton-like material stuffed in his mouth using his tongue. His breathing had become much easier, so he regained his vigor. On the operating table, he moved on to the second stage of his efforts. First, I need to free my hands somehow. As he quietly bent his body and was about to muster all his strength…… he sensed an unexpected new presence in the room and froze.

“Gah! It’s him!” When had he entered? Sasa Hōdan was sneaking over on tiptoe. It was the doctor who was peering. In Sasa’s right hand was gripped what appeared to be a Browning pistol. If the doctor moved, he seemed prepared to shoot. “Don’t shoot!—”

Ōsumi signaled with his eyes from the bed. Sasa seemed displeased but, reassured by Dr. Tsujikawa’s total absorption in his backward-facing work, appeared to decide it would be safe to take him on in a fight. He started to slip the pistol into his pocket. The moment his hand disappeared into his inner pocket—just as he thought it was safely stowed—a loud clunk echoed, and the pistol tumbled from between his clothes onto the floor.

Underground Passage Captives Dr. Tsujikawa, caught off guard, leapt nearly a meter straight up on the spot. Sasa, for his part, looked utterly panicked at this unexpected blunder. Now they stood evenly matched. "You bastard..." "Ugh... What're you...?" The two glared at each other, inching closer from both sides. On the operating table, Dr. Ōsumi—seizing what seemed the perfect moment to escape—yanked at his limbs every which way, but try as he might, they wouldn't budge...

Sasa lowered his body and swiftly tried to pick up the pistol. At that very moment—perhaps seizing an opening—Dr. Tsujikawa pounced on Sasa like a starving wolf. “Oww...” It was Sasa who had screamed.

“Ugh… “Help…”

Sasa, now voiceless, finally had his dominant arm twisted by the doctor and ended up in a posture resembling a bowing position on the floor. From his right ear, which emitted pained whimpers, bright red blood trickled steadily. Dr. Tsujikawa seemed to have bitten into Sasa’s ear like a dog.

“Outrageous lot. What could Iwazō be doing?”

After tying up Sasa, Dr. Tsujikawa puffed out his cheeks and spat out words of indignation. “Ahh—that hurts!... That guy... I had him comfortably restrained earlier.” “At least he’s been treated more carefully than I am now.” “And what’s more—” “This isn’t...” “Dr. Tsujikawa—could you loosen these ropes a bit more?” Upon hearing this, Dr. Tsujikawa went to the window and looked outside. Then came a sharp *tch*—the sound of his tongue clicking. About ten minutes had passed since they rescued Iwazō from the hut beside the gate. During that time, Ōsumi and Sasa could do nothing but exchange futile expressions of grief and indignation.

When they saw Iwazō with his prosthetic leg, their anxieties grew even deeper. What on earth did Dr. Tsujikawa intend to make this man do?

However, this man released the restraints on Sasa’s legs and made him stand up on the floor. Then they waited, thinking he would grant Dr. Ōsumi similar freedom as well—but he did not. He was plunged into great disappointment. “Come on, walk over there…” The man with the prosthetic leg shoved Sasa’s body forward. The two allies, separately yet in unison, came to feel the same truth: just how wretched the state of being captives truly was. Knowing that only he himself was being taken away to the other side, Sasa conveyed a farewell with his eyes to Ōsumi.

Don’t you dare resent this! Ōsumi conveyed this message through his piercing gaze. Sasa was forced into the elevator. What they had initially assumed to be just Iwazō turned out to include Dr. Tsujikawa too. With a deep rumble, the elevator descended and halted at the basement level. He found himself dragged out like a death row inmate. "What're you planning to do with me?" "Shut your mouth and move!" Iwazō drove his fist into Sasa's flank with a dull thud. Any protest would only worsen his situation.

The three of them entered the underground passage. Though low-ceilinged, its construction matched the sturdiness of those famed Sino-Soviet border pillboxes. A dry, cool breeze drifted through from unseen origins—strangely pleasant. But where could this tunnel lead? After nearly a kilometer through claustrophobic darkness, the passage abruptly widened. Sasa scanned their surroundings—a warehouse-like space with six massive iron doors numbered sequentially. What were they keeping behind these doors?

Dr. Tsujikawa walked ahead alone and went to Iron Door 4. Then, as he clattered with something, the iron door began opening quietly to both sides. And what emerged from within? —Something shaped like a large bomb was crammed inside. But it was not a bomb. Rocket B-18—was written in white enamel across the steel surface. Ah—the rocket. Why had Sasa been dragged before this rocket chamber?

The Whereabouts of Hōdan

There were few people as careful not to squander the future as Dr. Ōsumi.

He was still earnestly trying to free his hands and feet from the tightly bound leather straps. Thanks to that effort, first his right leg slid out from between the leather straps with a slow, steady motion. Then his left leg also began to loosen, and he was able to slide this one out slowly and steadily as well. Now it was his hands’ turn, but these restraints proved far sturdier. He raised his hips high with a grunt and shook his lower body. That was his plan to retrieve the knife tucked inside his vest. The knife slipped smoothly out of the vest pocket. He gripped it with his mouth, then used his feet to finally pass it to his right hand. Using his right hand to extract the knife blade was the final challenge. This took the most time, but at last the blade came out. The rest was nothing major.

“There—I’m free now!” Dr. Ōsumi stood up from the floorboards in a frenzy of joy. He surveyed his surroundings with fresh curiosity. To one specializing in physics like himself, every apparatus in this room held staggering implications. His intense fascination even appeared to soften the edges of his fear and loathing.

There, he hesitated over what course of action to take next. Should I take advantage of Dr. Tsujikawa’s absence to investigate the secrets of this room? Or should I pursue Sasa Hōdan, who had been abducted?

Though regretful, he concluded pursuing Sasa’s trail took priority and quietly slipped out, deferring his curiosity about the room for another opportunity. Sasa remained nowhere visible on this fifth floor. As he moved to descend the stairs, the window’s exterior suddenly seemed to brighten. Startled, he approached the window—what met his eyes was an astounding spectacle! Outside blazed with dazzling light as if midday. Beneath a shell-shaped object came intense crackling—then with a whoosh, the projectile-like mass levitated before rocketing skyward in a fireworks-like burst of terrifying momentum. A broad pillar of fire left behind etched its vivid afterimage deep in his retinas.

“Ah, this is the pillar of fire!”

Dr. Ōsumi involuntarily cried out loud. What he had seen in the Demon Forest was indeed this same kind of pillar of fire. This was precisely what the people of Yaooi Village had meant when they spoke of a pillar of fire appearing in the Demon Forest's direction. Here at last, he understood the true nature of the fiery column. This could only be the rocket—the very device said to soar into the upper atmosphere and potentially enable space travel. The rocket must have been launched numerous times before from Dr. Tsujikawa’s mansion. The Demon Forest and Dr. Tsujikawa’s mansion stood remarkably close to each other. The pillar of fire he thought he’d witnessed in the Demon Forest might actually have been visible through the forest’s trees overlooking the mansion grounds—an easy mistake for villagers viewing from afar to conflate the adjacent forest and mansion.

Dr. Ōsumi descended the stairs to search for where the rocket was launched. He tried to exit through the first floor, but the door was locked. There was no way out. As he pondered his next move, troubled by this predicament, he unexpectedly noticed an open staircase leading down to the basement.

Dr. Ōsumi gingerly descended the stairs. As a result, he was able to reach the underground passage through which Dr. Tsujikawa and his group had earlier dragged Sasa Hōdan. “Ah, this is a spectacle!” When he peered down the path, there appeared to be three sets of footprints. He advanced resolutely through the underground passage. Before long, he emerged into a spacious hall. “Ah, what look like warehouses are lined up here...”

Ōsumi thoroughly surveyed the doors that looked like warehouses. However, despite all the warehouses being tightly shut, a single carelessly open door caught his eye. He dashed toward the door. “Number Four, hmm.” “I wonder if all three are inside here.” He stealthily peeked inside from behind the door. Indeed, numerous rockets were stored there. The rockets were fine, but he suddenly discovered something unpleasant in one corner. The interior was dim, so he couldn’t see clearly, but that thing appeared to be human-like. Lying face up on the floor, a dagger was thrust into the chest area with a sickening stab… Apart from that, though there was a human scent, no figure could be seen anywhere.

Who had been killed?

Dr. Ōsumi, suppressing his startled heart, gingerly approached that direction.

Beyond the Stratosphere

Sasa Hōdan remembered being confined inside the rocket up to that point, but the moment he suddenly received a violent impact with a loud thud, he fell into unconsciousness. He had no idea how much time had passed before he regained consciousness.

“Agh…” When Sasa came to his senses, the first thing he felt was a horrible dizziness. It felt as though his brain were being squeezed tight in someone’s palm. He felt so ill that even trying to open his eyes proved impossible. He wondered if this was how dying felt. Whoosh—clatterclatterclatterclatter. There came a sound like hissing steam mixed with the rumble of machinery at work. Yet with no vibrations shaking him, he counted that a small mercy.

“Agh….” “My head feels like it’s going to split.” “Is there any medicine…?”

He clutched his head with both hands and curled his body like a shrimp.

Just then. Suddenly, a loud voice rang out. “Sit in the seat and open the extractor on the side wall.” “If you drink the liquid medicine there, your headache will subside…”

It was indeed a human voice.

Who? With that thought, he forced his eyes open and looked around, but there was no one there.

As he was thinking how strange this was, about five seconds later, the same voice shouted the same words again. "Sit in the seat and open the extractor on the side wall." "If you drink the liquid medicine there..." Whether it was the voice of a god or that of a demon, Sasa felt himself drawn to those words. He regained a bit of energy and got up on the spot. Upon closer inspection, he had been lying stretched out in a place resembling the bottom of a barrel. Sure enough, there was a chair beside him with a long leather belt attached.

Sasa finally managed to settle onto the seat—when he looked at the wall, there was a compartment there. He undid the latch and opened it to find a small medicine bottle labeled “Headache Sedative,” its glass vial filled with a pale blue liquid. Whether it was divine medicine or a cursed elixir, he couldn’t tell. Without hesitation, Sasa pulled out the stopper and gulped down the liquid in one go. He’d decided that if he had to endure this splitting headache any longer, death would be preferable.

“Agh…”

After draining the entire bottle of liquid, he flopped face down onto the square table in front of him—its surface resembling a tightly bound mandarin orange crate—and propped both elbows on it.

“Ah... this medicine works!” “This is a relief.” “The headache’s gone.”

The indescribably severe headache had vanished as if wiped clean. He stretched both hands high above his head,

“Ah, it’s gone……Hooray!” he exclaimed. Having fully regained his energy, Sasa now took another look around the room. As previously described, it was a spindle-shaped space like the inside of a barrel with an abnormally high ceiling—one that tapered sharply to a narrow point, making it appear as though he were trapped inside a beer bottle. Every shape and furnishing bore truly bizarre forms without exception. Though they would later learn each grotesque contour held terrifying significance, at this moment he could only gape at their novelty, utterly perplexed by why everything had been crafted so strangely.

"But what on earth will happen to me now?" As his mind began settling，a dark cloud of unease suddenly spread through his thoughts． "This is a rocket．" "I'm trapped inside this thing，flying through the air with that thunderous roar．" "Where's this damn rocket even headed？" "What're they planning to do with me？" "They can't seriously mean to launch me at the moon... And looking around，there's not a single control panel—how'm I supposed to land this thing？..."

Though Sasa Hōdan was known for his daring nature, being cast adrift in this boundless expanse left even him unable to avoid feeling uneasy. "...There ought to be some sort of control device here though..."

At that moment, he noticed a small push button next to the square box-shaped desk in front of him.

The Black Pursuer

“Oh… what is this push button for, I wonder?” Though he thought pressing the strange button might lead to some unpleasant fate, there was no alternative in this cramped rocket. Even remaining still could mean being swept to the farthest reaches of the sky, never to return to Earth. Resolving to face whatever awaited him—be it demons or serpents—rather than idly awaiting death, Sasa Hōdan placed his thick finger on the button beside the desk and pressed down with all his strength.

With a bang, the tabletop split into two and opened to either side.

“Ah…!” What emerged from beneath the split board were six square box-like things. The bottoms were lined with glass. “What is this……”

Sasa peered into the bottom of that box.

Generally, the glass bottom was dark. However, in one of the glass bottoms, something round like the moon was reflected, emitting a pale bluish light. In another [box], there was a faintly glowing mass of light, within which a black, bullet-shaped object stood out in sharp relief, and beyond that, something like flashes flickered intermittently.

“What am I seeing here?” Sasa Hōdan’s eyes remained fixed on this strange spectacle for some time. “Hmm… this might actually be showing the view outside the rocket.” Having thought that, he carefully examined the area around the six frames again. Sure enough, each box had a small label attached. The six characters—“Head,” “Tail,” “Front,” “Back,” “Left,” and “Right”—were visible.

Thereupon, upon re-examining the label of the box where the moon-like shape was visible, he found it read “Left.” Then, upon examining the box where a dimly bright mass of light and a black bullet-shaped object were visible, he found that this one had a label reading “Tail” attached to it.

Then he understood…. “Ah, these six boxes are television screens.” “In other words, with these six televisions, they must be displaying the views from all six directions around this rocket—front, back, left, right, head, and tail.” “This is truly an amazing mechanism…” Sasa continued to gaze at the six television screens time and again. Gradually, as he kept watching, he began to feel as if he could clearly see his own rocket floating in space. This rocket was now ascending vertically from the Earth’s surface!

The dimly bright mass of light must have been reflecting the lights of cities on the ground as they receded into the distance. Was that prominent mass near Tokyo—or perhaps Shanghai? "But what was that black shell-shaped thing?"

The black bullet-shaped object swayed unsteadily within the screen. Its size remained unchanged. Depending on how the black shadow swayed, pale flashes flickered intermittently from its side—terrifying to behold. What on earth was this monster? However, an opportunity arose where the shape of this black bullet-shaped object suddenly became clearly visible. The black bullet-shaped object abruptly stretched out to both sides. The bullet-shaped object rapidly elongated like a torpedo. And from its tail, it spewed dazzling flashes in bursts.

“Ah, it’s a rocket! There’s another rocket chasing this one…”

A rocket chased a rocket... The pursuing rocket only tilted slightly sideways, but after some time, it reverted to its original round black circle shape. Finding this odd, he inspected the monitor boxes and discovered that the moon previously visible in the "Left" box had shifted to the "Head" box. The two rockets seemed to have abruptly altered their trajectory toward the moon.

That was when it happened. “This is strange…” Sasa suddenly noticed and shouted. The box-like desk containing the television was gradually lowering. It seemed as though the desk was sinking into the floor below. Why had this started happening?

But that was a grave misunderstanding. The desk was not sinking. The floor where Sasa’s feet were planted was gradually rising upwards.

“Oh… the floor’s rising…”

Aerial Execution Ship

The moment he looked up at the ceiling, everything became clear—because the ceiling had begun to lower strangely. “This is terrible…!”

Sasa sprang up from the chair. Then he checked the boundary between the floor and the wall. Indeed, he could clearly see the felt-covered floor gradually rising up while scraping against the walls. He clearly sensed the danger closing in on him. He pressed both hands against the wall and both feet against the floor, pushing with all his might. He had intended to stop the rising floor, but it continued to creep upward relentlessly, indifferent to his efforts.

Before long, the desk reached the same height as the floor and began inching upward. The chair was being sucked into the floor as if being layered like sheets of paper. Now on the floor, only Sasa’s body remained. Despite Sasa’s life-or-death efforts, his body was pressed against the rocket’s tip like a pickled scallion packed into a jar. There was a hole just large enough for a head to fit through. It might have originally been meant to have someone insert their neck, but in any case, unless he put his neck into that hole, his spine seemed likely to snap with a crack. Therefore, having no other choice, Sasa inserted his neck.

The space was paneled with thick glass, offering an unobstructed view in every direction. Yet what met his eyes was unfortunately nothing but a dark night sky and streaming moonlight. He couldn’t fathom at all why he was sticking his neck into such a hole.

At that moment, a voice suddenly sounded by his ear. “Well? Don’t you feel any pain, huh?” When he turned toward the voice, there was a small hole in the glass, and the voice was coming from beyond it. “What the—”

And he shouted back indignantly. “Well? “If you start to feel pain, say so. “...You there—don’t turn your face sideways. Keep it facing forward.” The owner of the eerie voice seemed to be scrutinizing Sasa’s complexion with crystal clarity, though it was unclear from where he observed him. Sasa, creeped out, turned his face forward again as the voice instructed. At that moment, a shadow flickered and moved in front of him. Upon closer inspection, he could faintly make out the face of a suspicious-looking bearded man beyond the glass panel in front of him. The sight of those two glaring eyes, nostrils flaring as he stared this way, was beyond terrifying—but that horrifying face was one he recognized.

“Huh… You’re Dr. Tsujikawa.” “…What’s the point of putting me in a rocket and making me go through this?” Dr. Tsujikawa’s face gave no response. He continued scrutinizing Sasa’s face with such intensity it seemed his gaze might bore a hole through it. “Hmm… Is the power of the question lines weakening, or has their direction of arrival changed?” “Let me see…” Under that voice, Sasa suddenly felt a faint warmth on his face. Simultaneously, he was assaulted by an indescribably unpleasant sensation.

“Gah... gah... gah...” As Sasa choked through ragged coughs, Dr. Tsujikawa’s face—reflected in the glass surface—twisted into a faintly grotesque smirk. Sasa thought he had now been struck by a peril from which there was no escape.

“H... help me!” Dr. Tsujikawa had been watching Sasa’s cries with keen interest, but suddenly, unmistakable shock spread across his face. At the same moment, the rocket Sasa was riding abruptly began to vibrate with a buzzing shudder. Then, the discomfort tormenting him abruptly ceased——No sooner had Dr. Tsujikawa’s face reflected in the front glass begun streaming downward like rain than it flickered rapidly, and just as when a film breaks mid-projection, his face vanished with a flash, leaving nothing visible beyond the transparent glass panel.

The anomalies continued.— The floor that had been pressing up against Sasa’s body began to descend smoothly—and in an instant, his body thudded down onto the felt-covered floor that resembled the bottom of a barrel. His entire body, suddenly freed from the pressure, was struck by intense heat flaring up. He noticed that the rocket’s condition had become slightly abnormal. Sasa raised his aching body and peered over the drawered desk that had reappeared there. And he gasped in shock. On the six television screens, there was now nothing displayed. No matter which one he peered into, everything was a world of darkness. The moon and stars had all vanished from sight. Where could his rocket be drifting through space?

Sasa suddenly felt as though everything before his eyes plunged into utter darkness. And then he collapsed unsteadily beneath the desk.

The Writhing Rocket

“Damn! This thing’s no good!” Dr. Tsujikawa stood before the control panel like a wrathful temple guardian, desperately manipulating switches on one side and handles on the other.

“This keeps getting worse. “The machinery suddenly stopped responding... How can such strange things happen...” As he frantically tinkered with the instruments, the television circuit’s pilot lamp finally lit up. Dr. Tsujikawa glared at the primary device’s viewing screen with a feral expression. “Nothing’s appearing.” He spun the handles round and round like a ship captain battling a storm. His eyes abruptly blazed with intensity. “There it goes... Rocket B18 is...! “Wait, wait! I need to recall it this way...!”

Dr. Tsujikawa lunged at the front control panel and began flicking the startup switches one after another. The ammeter’s needle gave a sudden jerk, then snapped sharply to the right in a flash—and in an instant, the needle flew off. “Ugh…” “What is this?!”

Dr. Tsujikawa growled low like a beast, then plopped down onto the seat and grabbed his head with both hands. “Ugh… ugh… I don’t get it… I don’t get it! …Can’t I retrieve Rocket B18 anymore?!”

Then suddenly came clang-clang-clang-clang—the shrill clamor of an alarm bell! When he raised his head, a large red light heaved like a living creature. Dr. Tsujikawa’s face abruptly changed. He tried to rise from his seat—but too late—as his body whirled through the air in one full rotation and slammed against the wall. For the rocket had abruptly begun spinning like a top...

“Ugh…”

Dr. Tsujikawa jerked up his upper half and pressed his body flush against the wall like a spider. If he had shifted twenty centimeters in either direction, he would have made contact with a live high-voltage wire. He sustained a laceration to his head, crimson blood streaming down his forehead. The blood trickled into his beard interwoven with glistening white hairs before plopping onto the floor below. His normally fearsome visage grew even more dreadful, transforming him into the very image of a wrathful demon.

“Oh God… Forsake me not, O God!” Dr. Tsujikawa wrenched out a voice thick with anguish and glared at a corner of the ceiling.

At that very moment, within Dr. Tsujikawa’s mansion, a scene so abnormal it defied even his imagination was unfolding—one that the doctor himself had yet to notice. In the generator room directly beneath the tower of Dr. Tsujikawa’s mansion, two figures bustled about with the nimbleness of field mice.

“...Mr. Kawamura.” “Why don’t you try resting a bit?” “If you keep this up, your chest wound will become severely inflamed before long.” The one who had said this was Dr. Ōsumi, now covered in oil at the generator. “Nah, I’ll be just fine, I tell ya…!” shouted a pale-faced man with bandages wrapped tightly around his chest, his voice shrill. “My life ain’t got much longer now.” “If I don’t repay that bastard Tsujikawa with at least one or two strikes of vengeance while I still have life in me, even if I try to die, I won’t be able to rest in peace.” “Look there! Tsujikawa’s rocket seems to have righted itself again.” “Crank it up higher! Higher, I tell ya!”

“...Mr. Kawamura. Why don’t you show some mercy and stop at this point?”

The bandaged man called Kawamura was none other than the mysterious figure that Dr. Ōsumi had seen collapsed in the rocket room with a sword plunged into his chest. Whether due to his robust vitality or the effectiveness of Dr. Ōsumi’s care, he had regained his vigor without succumbing to the severe wound. He was none other than the father of Kawamura Takeo, who was now confined in a cage within the doctor’s mansion. He had been one of three individuals who, in days past, assisted the doctor with his work and served aboard the foreign ship that anchored off Yaoi Village’s coast. For some reason, he had become like a beast burning with resentment toward Dr. Tsujikawa.

He cackled with a terrifying visage upon hearing that Dr. Tsujikawa had piloted the rocket into the sky. After guiding Dr. Ōsumi to the generator room directly beneath the tower, he then used the magnetic cannon there to relentlessly harass Dr. Tsujikawa’s rocket with invisible magnetic projectiles. Before the magnetic cannon, even Dr. Tsujikawa’s prized rocket was as powerless as a feather blown away by the wind. The pitiful sight of its merciless tossing through the air was being projected vividly onto a large screen through the massive electronic telescope embedded in the tower’s ceiling…….

Dr. Tsujikawa’s rocket—having finally lost all capacity to resist—trailed billowing golden-yellow smoke through the sky before abruptly dipping its nose downward. In the blink of an eye, it plummeted into the very center of Ōtogami Nada, the pitch-black expanse of seawater south of Yaoi Village, sending a towering plume skyward. A thunderous roar followed as it erupted into a firework-like flash of light, and even to the eyes of the villagers who had rushed outside in their nightclothes, startled by the tremendous shockwave, that eerie radiance lingered momentarily upon the sea—a searchlight-like tail streaking eastward before vanishing…….

What became of Dr. Tsujikawa Seigen, the mad scientist? Did he sink deep to the bottom of the sea along with the rocket that had crashed into these waters? Or were his limbs torn apart and scattered through the air in that great explosion? No one knew the outcome of his fate.

Setting that matter aside for now, it becomes necessary to advance the narrative regarding the bizarre ghostly incident that suddenly manifested in Yaoi Village starting the very next day.

A Night of Anxiety “I finally took down that bastard Tsujikawa!” “Serves you right!” With that, Mr. Kawamura—Takeo’s father—let slip a smile of pure triumph, but even this seemingly indestructible man had been utterly exhausted by the fierce struggle he waged while enduring his grievous wounds,

“Agh…!” With that cry, he collapsed on the spot with a thud.

“Hey, Mr. Kawamurraaa!”

Dr. Ōsumi lifted Kawamura up and shouted directly into his ear. Yet the man only let out a faint groan before collapsing limply again, his body stretching out at full length. Kawamura's limbs rapidly grew cold. "This is bad. ...Won't someone lend me a hand...?" Knowing full well it was futile, he screamed in the power room of the mad doctor's mansion—a place as deserted as uninhabited wilderness.

Just then.

“Oh…” Someone had responded. When they turned to look, there at the entrance was none other than Dr. Tsujikawa’s servant Iwazō timidly poking out his head. He entered the room dragging his prosthetic leg with a clunk-clunk. “Oh, so you were here after all.” “...Why have you been hiding all this time?” Dr. Ōsumi had assumed Iwazō had been taken along when the doctor flew off in the rocket. That made his appearance entirely unexpected.

However, according to Iwazō’s account, it went like this. When Dr. Tsujikawa boarded the rocket himself, Kawamura suddenly appeared and leaped at the still-open entrance. There, a fierce struggle between the doctor and him began. Iwazō perhaps should have assisted Dr. Tsujikawa, but since he was an old acquaintance of Kawamura and knew how formidable he was, he deemed this trouble and fled. He had returned to his room and kept a low profile, but thinking the time was right, he had come back to check on the situation. Those words did not seem to be a lie. Thus, it followed that all of Kawamura’s injuries had been inflicted by the doctor…

“In that case, this is most opportune. For Mr. Kawamura’s sake, please go call a doctor.”

However, Iwazō refused to comply. You see, within this mad doctor’s mansion were kept bizarre creatures unimaginable by any conventional standards. He objected to informing the villagers now. Above all, wouldn’t this bring great misfortune upon Takeo? Because if they saw Takeo—now a supergiant as immobile as a statue—the villagers would undoubtedly treat him as a monster. "That would also cause suffering to Takeo’s mother and become a trigger to further agitate his father—lying here unconscious—so I refuse…" was his argument. And then he added the following.

“...For wounds like these, even I can provide treatment.” “After all, when it comes to surgery, it’s not like I don’t have some know-how, you see.” “Take a look.” “When I lost this leg, I didn’t borrow a single hand from anyone, you know.” And with that, Iwazō began boasting about something utterly bizarre. Dr. Ōsumi made up his mind then. Indeed, what he said made sense—Dr. Ōsumi thought that if they were to inform the villagers about this bizarre incident now, it would only needlessly amplify the commotion. While increasing the Kawamura family’s suffering was one concern, he feared it might also plunge their efforts to uncover the truth of this strange affair into difficulty. Therefore, for the time being, it would be better not to inform the villagers. Having resolved himself thus, he entrusted Kawamura’s care entirely to Iwazō.

“...Nah, he’ll be fine. As long as we treat the wound and let him rest awhile, it won’t take much for him to recover.”

With that, Iwazō gently lifted Kawamura onto his back and began carrying him toward his hut.

With this, Dr. Ōsumi’s burden was slightly alleviated.—Now, numerous formidable events lay ahead.

First and foremost was the matter of Sasa Hōdan’s rocket’s whereabouts. “...I have to find Sasa’s rocket...” He stood before the electronic telescope, manipulating its control lever as he scoured every corner of the sky. Yet no matter how long he searched, the rocket remained nowhere in sight. The electronic telescope was powerful, but without knowing the target’s distance, focusing on a moving object proved extremely difficult.

“Ah... Could this glowing thing be it...?”

Ōsumi suddenly noticed a flickering light that seemed to breathe. It was blurry, but once he brought it to the center of the lens and gradually adjusted the focus, its form became increasingly clear. “Oh, B18… This is it! The one Hōdan’s riding in…” However, when he read the distance of Sasa’s rocket using the electronic telescope’s scale, he was shocked. The distance from Earth was exactly eight hundred kilometers away. In that case, it had long since flown past the stratosphere, pierced through the ionosphere’s E and F layers, and was now three times as far beyond them. Moreover, as he observed through re-adjusting the telescope’s scale, it became clear that Sasa Hōdan’s rocket—far from returning toward Earth—was instead steadily accelerating even further away from it. Where on earth could its destination be? What must Sasa Hōdan be feeling aboard it? It was better than making a clumsy landing on Earth and losing his life, but with his whereabouts unknown, there was nothing to be done.

Dr. Ōsumi remained seated before the electronic telescope, adjusting the focus on Sasa’s rocket moment by moment, all the while continuing to worry about his friend who was hurtling out into the boundless sky.

Where was Sasa’s rocket? He seemed to have fallen asleep drowsily. After all, Dr. Ōsumi’s body was as limp as cotton from days and nights of relentless struggle. Yet during moments when peril seemed poised to crash down upon him at any instant, he had kept himself tensed. But now—having destroyed the mad doctor’s rocket, with the mansion’s caretaker Iwazō surrendered to him—the estate appeared to lie entirely within his control. Freed from immediate danger yet powerless to aid his friend, his sole duty became peering into the electronic telescope every five minutes. With mental strain dissolving and fatigue surging forth unbidden, he seemed at last to have succumbed to drowsy slumber.

“Ah… This was a miscalculation…”

Dr. Ōsumi, flustered, rose from the back of his chair and peered into the electronic telescope. While wondering how far his friend’s aircraft had gone out of focus, he carefully turned the distance adjustment crank slowly. However… for some reason, no matter how much he turned the crank, Sasa Hōdan’s rocket did not come into view. “This is bad…” His face paled. However, it was already too late. Before anyone knew it, the silhouette of the rocket carrying Sasa Hōdan had slipped out of the telescope’s view. He was shocked and tried manipulating every adjustment possible, but the desired silhouette of the aircraft never came into view. ...Before long, the eastern sky gradually began to brighten. And before long, night had fully broken. However, his telescope ultimately failed to grasp any clues.

“Ah… Where on earth has Hōdan flown off to…—” Dr. Ōsumi, recalling the fate of his astute and valiant comrade, let his tears fall freely. Standing in the crisp morning breeze, he felt as though life had finally returned to him. He trotted across the broad garden to inspect the caretaker Iwazō’s hut beside the gate.

Iwazō was already awake. And on the nearby bed lay Takeo’s father, Mr. Kawamura—his chest swathed in thick bandages, lips pallid and complexion clay-like in its ashen hue—yet he slept soundly and peacefully. At Iwazō’s assurance that recovery seemed certain given his current state, he sighed in relief and patted his chest. It was thought that Kawamura, once restored to health, would divulge a wealth of insights about this bizarre incident—a prospect that filled him with quiet joy.

Thereupon, Dr. Ōsumi entrusted the remaining tasks to Iwazō and decided to return to the village where he had been lodging after a long absence. He trudged down the gentle slope. Though he had only been away from Yaoi Village for a mere three or four days, he felt as if he hadn’t been there in three or four months.

At the lodging house, the landlady—drying laundry in the morning sun—spotted him and let out a shrill cry as she hurried over.

“Oh my! Dr. Ōsumi.” “I was so worried, I tell ya.” “What on earth happened to you…?” “Well, though it was sudden, I had to make a trip to Tokyo, you see.” “I didn’t have time to let you know, you see…” He had said this, but Ōsumi’s suit was rumpled, stained here and there with mud and torn as if by keys, telling at a glance the tale of days spent in desperate struggle.

“Huh… Tokyo…?” The landlady made a strange face and tilted her head.“And what about that Mr.Sasa who was with you,huh?” “Ah…Sasa? He went to Tokyo with me too,but he should be back before long.”

“To go off without even tellin’ the lodgin’ house or makin’ any preparations—what in tarnation was yer business, I wonder?”

Dr. Ōsumi, overwhelmed with agony, flopped down onto the tatami mats. “Hey there, Dr. Ōsumi. “…If I’m mistaken, you’ll forgive me, but ain’t it that you and your companions went into that Demon Forest? “If that’s the case, you simply must have a demon-exorcising ritual performed, or there’ll be no saving you, I tell ya.”

Ōsumi felt the landlady’s voice growing gradually more distant and faint. He fell into a deep, sound sleep right then and there due to exhaustion. His fatigue was not something that could be easily recovered from.

After an indeterminate amount of time had passed, Dr. Ōsumi suddenly heard a piercing scream and jolted awake. A thudding sound, like someone tumbling down the ladder steps while landing on their rear, and— “Ugh…”

A groan.

He jumped up in surprise, wondering what had happened. To his astonishment, night had fully fallen. Overhead burned a single five-candlepower electric lamp, while the pungent smell of mosquito repellent hung thick in the room. He had taken two or three steps toward the stairs when he suddenly sensed a presence in the room. There should be no one here... Who could it be? Thinking this, he swept his gaze around the chamber—just as something pure white and unidentifiable floated out through the window into the darkness beyond.

“Gah…!” His curiosity overpowering his fear, he immediately rushed to the window. Then, the tail-like part of the white entity hung limply over the railing and began slithering smoothly outward like a snake. He groaned and clutched the white entity tightly. “Gyah…!”

The one who had screamed was not the white monster—it was Dr. Ōsumi. Before he could even touch the white tail, his body was flung backward with a thud. Had the impact been slightly stronger, he would have been slammed directly into the center of the wall. "What was that? A human... or some kind of apparition?" He sprang up again and charged toward the railing. Peering into the darkness outside, the white monster was undoubtedly still there. But the moment he leaned out, it melted into the shadows and vanished smoothly from view.

“You won’t get away…!” Without fully understanding what was happening, he steeled his resolve to give chase. And he clattered down the ladder steps, but there lay the landlady, collapsed.

He leaped over her body and rushed out into the street. And then he ran here and there, dashing this way and that all over the place, but ultimately lost sight of the white monster. He slunk back dejectedly toward the inn. The landlady seemed to have finally regained consciousness; propping herself up halfway at the base of the ladder steps, she was tenderly massaging her lower back as if in pain.

“Oh, Madam. What was that just now?” “What d’ya mean ‘what was that’? I don’t know a thing ’bout such frightenin’ business either.” “No matter how ya look at it, ’tis a ghost.” “That thing kept circling round and round you time after time while you were sleepin’, I tell ya.”

“What? It was circling round and round me while I slept?… So that really was a ghost after all.”

Dr. Ōsumi was startled. Was that truly a ghost? Japanese ghosts, in such situations, typically maintain an absurdly calm demeanor—turning their heads slowly to glance behind, fluttering their emaciated wrists to trace small circles in the air, and thrusting their resentful faces toward you with a sullen glare—that’s their standard behavior. But the ghost I saw now, when I tried to grab it, delivered a terrifying blow with a thud and swiftly fled into the darkness. From its intense force and vigorous actions, it felt more akin to some kind of living creature. If that were truly a ghost, it must have been an exceptionally vigorous military commander in its lifetime....

And just as he had followed that line of thought that far, he felt as though his chest had been pierced. _Could that be Sasa Hōdan’s ghost? Or could it be the ghost of that superhumanly strong Dr. Tsujikawa?_ Dr. Ōsumi thought of his friend who had been suddenly lost and felt as though his chest was being constricted. But there was no way Sasa Hōdan could have become a ghost. First of all, things like ghosts had completely fallen out of fashion these days. Yet what truly didn’t sit right was how, throughout this summer in Yaoi Village, one event after another defying all common sense had been occurring in rapid succession. Ghosts too defied that common sense. If considered as an isolated phenomenon, it wasn’t entirely impossible—but in this age of scientific civilization, should such an anachronistic ghost really be allowed to appear?

The landlady descended to the earthen floor with unsteady steps and went to drink water to catch her breath. At that moment, voices raised in clamor, and the footsteps of a crowd passed by the front gate. “Hey, Auntie… You there…?”

And then, one person called out from the doorway.

“Hey, Jinbei-san… Something terrible’s happened here at our place, I tell ya. Just now, up on the second floor—a ghost wearin’ a white kimono was floatin’ about.” “A white ghost?… Did it come to your house too?” “So that ghost came to your house too? And it’s been appearing other places as well?” “No—the whole village is in an uproar over that ghost right now, I tell ya. First it showed up at Tarosaku’s place, then at the elementary school janitor’s office, then at Kijū the sake seller’s shopfront… With reports comin’ in from all over like that, that brazen ghost ended up appearing in six different spots. If we include my place, that makes seven houses total. Right now, the villagers have formed a vigilante group and are startin’ a ghost hunt, I tell ya.”

“Oh, so the ghost hasn’t just been appearing at my place alone, I tell ya.”

“That’s right, that’s right! I don’t know what’s goin’ on, but between that great pillar o’ fire that fell offshore at Ōtogami Nada last night an’ tonight’s ghost ruckus—seems this Yaoi Village’s got some curse clingin’ to it, I tell ya.” “Oh, that pillar o’ fire last night. Never seen such an eerie flame column in all my born days, I swear. My lifespan’s done shrunk clean away—what with last night an’ now tonight! How ’bout we ask the village head to arrange a full-scale purification for the whole place…”

“Yeah.” “I don’t feel alive anymore… How’m I s’posed to catch up with everyone…”

With that, the elderly Furuka Jinbei went outside.

Sinister Flash

Dr. Ōsumi was intrigued by the ghost incident, but more than that, he was worried about what had become of Dr. Tsujikawa’s mansion afterward. So he informed the landlady that he was heading out toward the harbor and might not return that night, then left the house. He relied on the beam of his flashlight as he headed straight along the dark country path toward Dr. Tsujikawa’s mansion. As if by prior arrangement with Iwazō, when he pressed the hidden button beside the main gate, the heavy side door slid open smoothly inward.

“How about it?” “How is Mr. Kawamura’s condition?” “Still unclear.” “He hasn’t come around at all.” “The wound’s avoiding infection nicely.” “Tomorrow will tell.” “I see.” “If your methods fail, I could call a Tokyo doctor unfamiliar with local ways…” “Nah,” Iwazō shook his head hard enough to rattle his teeth. “I got this.” “If I can’t fix ’im, no fancy-pants doctor ever born could neither.”

Dr. Ōsumi then went to visit Kawamura at Iwazō’s hut.

“Hey, Iwazō-kun. Why did you put Mr. Kawamura in a closet like this? Do you dislike letting him lie in the sitting room?”

“No, it’s not like that… But you never know when someone might come to this mansion again and find him.” “If that happens, it won’t do him any good.” “Hmm? Why wouldn’t it?” “Even if villagers come, they can’t get inside, so it should be safe.” “Besides, Dr. Tsujikawa crashed and perished with his rocket—he won’t be returning to this mansion…” As he spoke these words, a sudden realization flashed through Dr. Ōsumi’s mind. “Or do you think the Doctor might still come back here?”

“...” Iwazō did not attempt to answer that, but his fidgety attitude implanted no small sense of unease in Dr. Ōsumi. “Magya-kun…” Just as he said this, a loud *clang*—like someone striking a metal plate with all their might—suddenly rang out from the direction of the main building.

“Gah...!” Ōsumi gasped in shock and dashed outside. Then, about four windows on the fifth floor of the main building were flickering with azure flashes like those from an arc lamp.

“Oh, whose doing is that?”

In this mansion, apart from the aforementioned cage, there should have remained only two humans: Iwazō; Kawamura with his injuries; and Ōsumi who had just entered. All three of them were gathered here in this gate-side hut. Yet how could there suddenly be metallic clanging noises from the main building as if someone were striking metal plates and flashes resembling an arc lamp flickering on and off? One could only conclude someone was inside. But could such a thing truly be possible?

“I… I don’t know anythin’…” Iwazō looked down nervously. “You don’t know? Really?… Well, I’ll go check for myself…”

Dr. Ōsumi bravely and resolutely headed toward the main building. Iwazō was startled and stretched out both hands to call back the doctor, but for some reason, withdrew them immediately.

Dr. Ōsumi carefully threaded his way through the bushes. And from a familiar back entrance he knew well, he stealthily slipped into the main building. Then he climbed the stairs up to the fifth floor without making a single sound. When he reached the fifth floor, he somehow heard a continuous hissing rustle—though he couldn’t tell what it was. It was not the sound of machinery, but rather resembled a groan or a whine. If one were to force a comparison, it resembled the eerie sound produced by the tail of a rattlesnake living in the deserts of Central America.

Dr. Ōsumi continued walking down the corridor, still muffling his footsteps.

“Which room could it be?” As he pressed on with his search, he soon found out. It was the very room where he had once been placed on an experimentation table for Dr. Tsujikawa and, according to the doctor’s mutterings, was about to be exposed to two mysterious rays called Omega Rays and Doubt Rays—in other words, the "First Laboratory."

There, he mustered all his courage, stacked the empty crates that had been piled in the corridor by the doorway, and peered stealthily into the room through the revolving window above the door.

“Ah…!” Overcome with shock, Dr. Ōsumi nearly tumbled off the crates but managed to steady himself just in time. In the vast laboratory bathed in an eerie bluish-white light of unknown origin, there was only a hazy, fog-like substance shifting about—no human figures visible anywhere. Yet after observing for a while, he realized this mist filling the room was actually a cluster of bizarre creatures with semi-transparent bodies. There must have been fifteen or sixteen of them. Jostling against one another, they emitted that uncanny *shūshūshūshū* sound with every movement. They were the same pale monsters he had seen at the boarding house.

What in the world were these monsters? Where on earth could these creatures have come from?

White ghosts

In all his life, Dr. Ōsumi had never experienced a shock greater than discovering these inexplicably bizarre creatures within the First Laboratory of Dr. Tsujikawa’s mansion. In the room illuminated by a pale bluish light, about fifteen or sixteen creatures with semi-transparent, whitish bodies floated like mist, hissing at one another. He had never read about such beings in any zoological literature. No—such grotesque lifeforms defied the very boundaries of human imagination.

“Could they be ghosts?” Dr. Ōsumi, still gripping the frame of the revolving window and peering into the room, suddenly thought this. For a scholar, it was utterly shameful to entertain such a notion—yet that very shame proved how thoroughly those monsters defied all human understanding. (If these things really are ghosts… Then ghosts should understand Japanese. Should I try speaking to them bravely?) As Ōsumi deliberated, the semi-transparent white creatures inside—apparently startled—suddenly clustered their heads together in one spot, shaking them vigorously as if conferring. While he wondered what they might do next, two of them slipped away from the group and darted toward the doorway where Ōsumi watched, streaking like will-o’-the-wisps.

“Gah!” By the time Dr. Ōsumi cried out, it was already too late. The semi-transparent white ghosts had sandwiched him between them—he who still clung to the revolving window—from both sides. Dr. Ōsumi shuddered at the eerie sight of these ghosts passing straight through the unopened door and surging into the corridor.

Ghosts rebel against physics! These were undeniably ghosts. “You—come down from there and enter the room.” “We have questions for you!” “What?!”

Dr. Ōsumi was so shocked his breath caught. The white ghosts had indeed made him feel as though they had said, “Come inside and answer our questions.” Moreover, his ears had not heard a single word from the white ghosts. The white ghosts did not speak aloud. Nevertheless, he clearly understood that the white ghosts had made a request to him—that they wanted to ask questions. A voiceless conversation! What a strange phenomenon this was. “M-me? “...Are you saying I should enter this room?”

Dr. Ōsumi asked the two white ghosts closing in on him in a trembling voice. “Yes.” “Ah…”

Once again, without uttering a sound, the Uragōgoru conveyed their will to Ōsumi. What an astonishingly bizarre phenomenon this was!

Dr. Ōsumi resigned himself. With them watching like this, there was no longer any chance to escape. He resolved to summon his courage, step before the Uragōgoru, answer their questions, and in turn investigate their true nature. Then he jumped down to the corridor with a thud. Then he placed his hand on the door and opened it. Through the opened doorway, he entered the room. When he looked at the accompanying Uragōgoru, both of them glided smoothly through a section of wall that no human could possibly pass through, as if the barrier didn’t exist at all. Then they looked toward Dr. Ōsumi and laughed as if amused—though to clarify, this requires explanation: it wasn’t that he saw the faces of those Uragōgoru of unidentifiable form actually laughing, but rather he somehow felt they were laughing. As if

“What an inconveniently cumbersome body this man has! Ha ha ha!” “Ha ha ha!”

And so it went... Dr. Ōsumi advanced before the group of Uragōgoru swarming at the center of the room while beads of greasy sweat streamed down his forehead. He apprehensively observed their condition. They were semi-transparent, like white agar jelly. Their bodies were roughly one size larger than humans. To put it simply, they looked exactly like Western ghosts. In other words, they were akin to humans completely draped in white cloth from head to toe. However, their bodies—appearing as freely shape-shifting as amoebae—never maintained a fixed form, yet near the height of Ōsumi’s face, something resembling a neck existed, within which round, diamond-like objects that could only be eyes were embedded. However, those eyeballs were not two like a human’s—they were three. The three eyeballs were spaced so far apart that they were embedded at angles of approximately 120 degrees each around the spine (if they had one). From this observation, it seemed these Uragōgoru could not only see straight ahead like human eyes but also constantly perceive all directions—front, back, left, and right. In truth—as would later be discovered—these Uragōgoru had another eye positioned directly atop their heads. It was ideally positioned for looking upward. But at this time, he had not expected there to be an eye in such an unexpected place and thus overlooked it.

With a series of shrill *shuu-shuu-shuu-shuu* noises，they cried out intensely to one another for a time，but the meaning of these cries remained unclear. Before long，from within their group，a single white ghost stepped forward before Ōsumi. Then suddenly，he comprehended their voiceless communication. “Where has Dr．Tsujikawa gone?”

Monster Uragōgoru

Where Did Dr. Tsujikawa Go?

"Haha, I see. That explains it," Dr. Ōsumi realized. They had brought him into the room solely because they wanted to know Dr. Tsujikawa's whereabouts. They must have known Dr. Tsujikawa from before. "Well... where could Dr. Tsujikawa have gone... I don't know, I'm afraid." "Why has Dr. Tsujikawa disappeared from this mansion?"

“Well… I don’t really know about that either. However… as far as I know, Dr. Tsujikawa boarded a rocket and was launched into the sky—he hasn’t been able to return since.” “To the sky?” “Yes.”

Then the group suddenly grew visibly excited and again began emitting strange, shrill *shuu-shuu-shuu-shuu* cries, much like rattlesnakes.

Before long, some of them huddled their eerie heads together and glared at a corner of the ceiling. As they watched, they gradually turned their heads to face different directions. At first glance, they seemed to be staring intently at the ceiling, but he realized they were not actually interested in it. With their superhuman vision, they were peering through the ceiling and roof, searching the distant sky beyond. Of course, they were undoubtedly searching for Dr. Tsujikawa’s rocket.

Before long, the Uragōgoru addressed him again. “Is Dr. Tsujikawa’s rocket labeled B-18?” “No, that’s not correct.” “Dr. Tsujikawa’s rocket was indeed labeled E-4.” The Uragōgoru cried out to each other in strange voices again. Dr. Ōsumi should have noticed a certain critical fact during this conversation. However, having lost his composure, he ultimately failed to notice it at that moment. He must have later regretted how absentminded he had been at that time. Be that as it may, the Uragōgoru had been crying out to one another fervently, but soon they stopped abruptly. As he watched intently, they floated smoothly into the air one by one, linking together from front to back as they ascended toward the ceiling.

(Oh, they're escaping!) Dr. Ōsumi panicked. The perfect opportunity was slipping away now. He must not let them escape like this. Having thought this, he bravely called out to one nearby.

“Ah... um, “……Who are you?” “I believe you’re different creatures from us, but what exactly are you?” Hearing his voice, they abruptly halted their ascent and descended in single file. They formed a tight circle around Dr. Ōsumi. Yet they remained silent. “Ah... everyone.” “……I’ve answered your questions.” “Therefore, shouldn’t you answer mine?” “Are you human?” “Or are you spiritual beings?” He had nearly said “ghosts,” but out of deference, opted for “spiritual beings.”

Then, the group of monsters seemed to burst into raucous laughter. And before long, they finally gave Ōsumi the long-awaited reply. "I doubt you’d understand even if I told you. We are Uragōgoru."

Uragōgoru? What could Uragōgoru be? Dr. Ōsumi desperately repeated the unfamiliar word under his breath, determined not to forget it. Meanwhile, the group of Uragōgoru resumed their ascent toward the ceiling one by one as before. Uragōgoru? Wait... Dr. Ōsumi tilted his head. Uragōgoru was a name he had heard somewhere before. Where had it been? Come on—remember! Remember! Hurry up and remember! Dr. Ōsumi slammed his fist against his own head with a sharp crack. Yet this only left his brain throbbing with a dull ache.

“Ah… um… What is Uragōgoru? Please tell me.” Stopping the last remaining white ghost—no, Uragōgoru—as it attempted to ascend from the floor to the ceiling, Dr. Ōsumi desperately asked. Then, the last one responded.

“Dr. Schwarzcoff knows…”

“Huh? Dr. Schwarzcoff?”

The figure of the last Uragōgoru finally vanished beyond the ceiling.

Takeo's father

The Uragōgoru Monsters!

Ask Dr. Schwarzcoff! Left alone in the room, Dr. Ōsumi continued shouting "Uragōgoru" and "Dr. Schwarzcoff" over and over like a man possessed for some time.

Though he couldn’t be certain，those Uragōgoru didn’t seem to be human ghosts．First，they had more eyeballs than a human’s eyes，and their placement was different．Therefore，they were likely not of the same species as humans．They appeared to be a different species altogether．If they were non-human beings…what on earth could they be？ It was likely that Dr．Tsujikawa knew who the Uragōgoru were and had been associating with them．Dr．Schwarzcoff was also likely associating with the Uragōgoru．After Dr．Tsujikawa’s death，there was likely no other recourse but to inquire with Dr．Schwarzcoff．Where on earth was Dr．Schwarzcoff？

At that moment, Dr. Ōsumi noticed and surveyed the interior of the First Laboratory. He was certain that Dr. Tsujikawa’s notes about the Uragōgoru must exist somewhere here. Whether termed journals or research notebooks—if he could examine those writings, some of the Uragōgoru’s secrets would likely become clear. Thinking this, he combed through the laboratory, attempting to open bookshelves and desk drawers, but spitefully enough, every shelf and drawer remained firmly locked. No matter how much strength he applied, none showed any sign of budging. He had no choice but to abandon his cabinet search.

With that, he left the laboratory.

He descended the wide staircase with steady footsteps. And when he eventually emerged into the pitch-dark exterior of the mansion, he walked toward gatekeeper Iwazō’s cabin.

“Dr. Ōsumi. Did something happen?” As soon as Iwazō saw his face, he asked. “Hmm… It’s nothing major.” Dr. Ōsumi replied as such. He sensed from the tone of Iwazō’s words that he already seemed to know about the Uragōgoru.

He went to where Takeo’s father, Mr. Kawamura, was convalescing in the back of the cabin. When he entered, Kawamura asked for water to be given to him. He seemed to have finally regained his vitality. “Hey, Mr. Kawamura.” Dr. Ōsumi sat down at the patient’s bedside and spoke. “Huh?!” “I need you to tell me… Last summer, a foreign ship came offshore here and contacted Dr. Tsujikawa, didn’t it? What exactly was their business then? Won’t you tell me about it?”

“Hmm… Oh, that’s what you mean…” After saying this, Kawamura twisted his lips into a mean-spirited grin and smirked. “...I can’t talk about that.” “In the first place, there was a promise not to talk about it, you know.” “And... and I have something I want to do myself regarding that matter.” “So no matter what anyone says, I won’t talk!” For some reason, Kawamura became agitated, his expression fearsome, and refused Dr. Ōsumi’s request. Dr. Ōsumi was dejected. When he realized that the information he had thought was finally within his grasp could no longer be heard from the lips of this gravely injured man—whose remaining life was now limited—he felt a regret as acute as if a jewel had been snatched from his palm.

That said, those who knew about the foreign ship numbered only four—of whom Dr. Tsujikawa and Kitarō were already dead. Of the remaining two, Assistant Mayor Furuka Jinbei—due to both his current position and his prudence—was hardly inclined to speak carelessly, and detaining him would only provoke unfavorable public opinion in the village, making it impossible not only for Dr. Ōsumi to continue investigating this case but also to remain in the village—an outcome he wished to avoid as much as possible. In that case, interrogating Kawamura—now on his deathbed—seemed the best course of action, yet given that he still stubbornly refused to talk, Dr. Ōsumi could not help but despair. Was there no good way to make him talk?

At that moment, he thought of a plan. “Hey, Mr. Kawamura... There’s something I really want to show you—would you take a look?” “Something you want to show me...”

From within his bed, Kawamura looked up with a gaze that seemed to probe Ōsumi’s true intentions.

“That’s right. There’s something I really want to show you—the truth is, your son Takeo-kun is inside Dr. Tsujikawa’s mansion. What’s more, he’s being confined there on the doctor’s orders. How about it—wouldn’t you like to see him?” “What?! Takeo’s confined here?… Ah, what in blazes is the reason? Why would Tsujikawa lock up my boy? Come on—out with the explanation…” “Even if I told you to explain it, you’d have to ask Dr. Tsujikawa himself to understand.”

“But you know, don’t you? Come on, tell me… You know he’s locked up, so why ain’t ya tryin’ to save my boy? Try any funny business an’ I won’t stand for it…”

He said this and tried to rise from his sickbed, but perhaps overcome by the pain of his wounds, he grimaced and fell back into the bed with a thud.

Unfinished Secret

Dr. Ōsumi leaned forward as if he had been waiting for this moment. He brought his mouth close to the ear of Kawamura, who lay on the sickbed, and whispered something softly. “Hmm… So that’s how it was.” “You tried to save my son when those village bastards were about to leave him to die…” Kawamura’s words choked off. “No—I was wrong.” “After all, I left my family neglected for a whole year and was out playing around.” “Moreover, the monetary gift I received from Dr. Tsujikawa was far too much, so I ended up harboring ill intentions and abandoned my wife and children to go carousing around.” “All of this—everything—is because of that bastard Tsujikawa.” “……But now I already regret it.” “Even though I’m this badly injured, the reason I don’t return home is to avoid causing any more hardship to my wife and children.” “And yet… my own son is being confined in this mansion by that bastard Tsujikawa…”

Kawamura entrusted his grief and indignation to the tears spilling from both eyes and sobbed.

“Now then, Mr. Kawamura,” said Dr. Ōsumi, gently placing a hand on his shoulder. “To save Takeo-kun, I absolutely must hear from you about the secret of the foreign ship—otherwise, we cannot succeed.” “What… “Hah! You’re trying to cleverly trick me into talking about that matter, aren’t you?” “Oh, dangerous!” “Who’d fall for such an obvious trick?”

At Kawamura’s abrupt change in attitude, Dr. Ōsumi remained unyielding and finally spoke. “Well, regardless of whether you speak, please look at Takeo-kun’s pitiful state.” “Because it was too tragic—I thought seeing Takeo-kun would only cause him more distress—I have avoided meeting him since then.” “There’s no helping it now.” “It may cause you fresh sorrow, but to save Takeo-kun, it cannot be helped.” “Now then, I’ll quietly show you Takeo-kun from here on out—so please climb onto my back.”

Whether Dr. Ōsumi's sincerity had reached him, the severely injured man finally entrusted his body to Ōsumi.

When the two of them reached the entrance, Iwazō—whom they had expected to be there—was nowhere to be seen. Dr. Ōsumi, still carrying Kawamura on his back, walked unsteadily along the garden path toward that forest where the large cage stood. Even the father, peering through a gap in the trees at the brightly lit cage, wept bitter tears. He hadn’t known until he saw that cage that his son had become such a wretched monster. At Ōsumi’s urging, he desperately stifled his sobs. Kawamura, who had returned once more to the sickbed, now behaved toward Ōsumi with a docility that made him seem like a completely different person from before.

“I didn’t know… I didn’t know.” “I’m ashamed before you.” “I’ll thank ya… I’ll thank ya…”

“……Then, please tell me—what kind of transaction was conducted between Dr. Tsujikawa and the foreign ship?” asked Dr. Ōsumi, unwilling to let this opportunity slip away.

"I don't know much about that." "No, I really don't know about this." "We just followed Dr. Tsujikawa's orders—loading cargo onto the ship and bringing cargo from the ship to this mansion." "Hmm... What did you bring from the ship?"

“It was some kind of incomprehensible device.” “That thing was inside a crate, so I couldn’t tell what was inside.” “But Dr. Tsujikawa was overjoyed.” “He kept shaking hands with that foreign ship’s captain, delighted.” “Who is this foreign ship’s captain?” “Dr. Schwarzcoff.” “What?! What did you say… Dr. Schwarzcoff?!” Dr. Schwarzcoff—that was the name those white ghostly Uragōgoru had left behind. Had that Schwarzcoff come cruising to these shores a year ago?

“That’s all well and good, but the items transported from this mansion to the ship were extraordinary things.” “What?! When you say ‘extraordinary things,’ you mean—” “That thing was in a bag.” “Something squishy.” “I’m likely the only one who knew what was inside.” “I secretly opened it and was horrified.” “What exactly was it? Tell me now!” Dr. Ōsumi felt his chest constrict.

“Well… it’s like this. “Dr. Tsujikawa’s—”

Just as he had gotten that far—Kawamura suddenly let out a “Gah!” and stopped speaking. At that moment, yellow smoke abruptly billowed from his forehead, revealing a bruise-like red spot the size of a one-sen coin at its center. He groaned and pressed his right hand against the spot. Then smoke surged upward from that hand too, leaving an identical red mark on its back. Kawamura’s face contorted into a monstrous grimace—his crimson mouth flew open—both hands clawed wildly at empty air—then he fell dead. His end defied description—too ghastly for mere tragedy, too visceral for abstract horror.

“Who’s there?!” Dr. Ōsumi, realizing mid-conversation that someone had murdered Kawamura through a mysterious method, rushed out of the gatekeeper’s hut in a fury. *It must be Iwazō!* However, when he stepped outside, he exclaimed “Oh?”—he saw Iwazō trudging toward him across the garden gravel from the entrance deep within the grove.

“Did he kill him?” This is strange— How could Iwazō, walking about three hundred meters away from the gatekeeper’s hut, have killed Kawamura? That Iwazō, upon noticing Dr. Ōsumi, hurriedly approached this way. “Hey, what’s wrong?”

With that, Dr. Ōsumi called out to him, poised to leap at him if needed. “Well… a guest came…” “A guest came? Who is this guest?”

“…Dr. Schwarzcoff.”

The Mysterious Doctor

“Dr. Schwarzcoff?” Dr. Ōsumi stared intently at Iwazō’s face and asked again. “That’s correct. “That’s Dr. Schwarzcoff.” With that, Iwazō was flustered.

“Did you tell him Dr. Tsujikawa isn’t here?” “Yes, I told him.” “Well then—he looked real startled-like and said since he’d come all this way, could we let him rest a spell, you see.”

“Why did you go to the main building?” “What?! That’s… that’s what? Dr. Schwarzcoff told me to go check Dr. Tsujikawa’s room again thoroughly—in case he might have returned… So I went to the main building and tried looking for the doctor, but he still wasn’t there. That’s all there is to it.”

Iwazō let out a relieved sigh after saying that. Upon hearing this, Dr. Ōsumi felt a certain suspicion arise within him. But he did not let it show on his face and instead said he would meet Schwarzcoff in Dr. Tsujikawa’s place. Iwazō nodded and went to bring the doctor standing outside the gate. “Oh, I am Dr. Schwarzcoff.” “Dr. Tsujikawa isn’t here.” “That’s unfortunate.” “Where did he go?”

And then, standing before Ōsumi was a gentleman with a bearded face wearing black glasses, his slightly corpulent body wrapped in a white linen suit and wearing a well-shaped helmet hat.

Dr. Ōsumi explained the doctor’s absence and guided Dr. Schwarzcoff to the main building.

When Dr. Schwarzcoff entered the reception room, he complained of fatigue. And he asked if he could be allowed to sleep there for a while. Dr. Ōsumi consented to that. He then asked to be called when he awoke, showed him the bell’s location, and left the room. Dr. Ōsumi exited there, opened the door to Dr. Tsujikawa’s study about three rooms away, and entered. When he found himself alone, Dr. Ōsumi began to quietly ponder the murder of Takeo’s father. That was an utterly bizarre murder case. Despite no one having entered the room, he had been killed cleanly in an instant. And that terrifying murder method—which soundlessly, rapidly opened large holes in his forehead and the backs of his hands—what in the world could it have been? He had never before known such a bizarre method of murder.

This... somehow reeked of the Murderous Ray. But the Murderous Ray was said to be impossible to materialize. If someone were using the Murderous Ray, it must have been an exceptionally fearsome variant. Who could possess such a Murderous Ray? "That's right... It might be that mysterious doctor." Even having thought this, why would Dr. Schwarzcoff—who had come specifically to meet them—need to kill a gravely injured man mid-conversation? Special circumstances or not, it made no sense. For one thing, aside from his cane, there had been nothing resembling such a weapon anywhere near the doctor.

As Dr. Ōsumi continued pondering such things, faint footsteps echoed in the corridor, which soon came to an abrupt halt right before the room. *(Who?)* In that instant, Ōsumi stood up from the chair. And he flipped his body to hide behind the curtain and stealthily peered toward the entrance. Then, the door opened without a sound, and from it emerged a bearded face wearing black glasses (…Ah! It’s Dr. Schwarzcoff after all). The doctor, gripping a thick Western cane, glinted wary eyes and crept into the room on stealthy feet.

*(What is he planning to do?)* Dr. Schwarzcoff surveyed his surroundings for a while. Before long, he approached the heavily secured document cabinets lined up along the wall—Dr. Tsujikawa’s—and, with a grunt, grabbed the iron door and pulled. However, the iron door didn’t budge an inch. Perhaps having resigned himself, Dr. Schwarzcoff next approached the large desk, opened the second drawer from the top, and began rummaging through it intently.

*(Huh?)*

Dr. Ōsumi shook his head from behind the curtain. Dr. Schwarzcoff appeared to know even the contents of Dr. Tsujikawa's desk drawers. Eventually, Dr. Schwarzcoff withdrew his hand from the drawer. He made a troubled expression. Dr. Ōsumi could no longer leave his position. It was better that he didn't emerge. Had he tried to come out, his life might have been forfeited. The mysterious doctor stood once more before the steel cabinet. After remaining deep in thought for some time, he slowly extended the Western cane he held toward the door. The stone-tipped end of the cane gradually lengthened toward the keyhole. Dr. Schwarzcoff stayed as motionless as a mounted mannequin.

Then, eerily enough, a sudden blinding bluish-white point of light appeared on the door. It emitted a faint sizzling noise as it rapidly traced out a small horizontal circle while expanding. Monstrous Ray Cane

(Ah—he’s burning through the door. Oh, that mysterious Western cane equipped with such a terrifying mechanism!) Dr. Ōsumi trembled in horror behind the curtain. He had thought that Western cane was too thick, but indeed it had such a terrifying mechanism. It seemed that a mechanism was in place whereby a fearsome monstrous ray emerged from the stone-tipped part of the Western cane. The steel was being burned away as if it were paper. Dr. Ōsumi had once possessed a Western cane similar to that one. However, it had a small bulb attached to the grip of the Western cane, contained a miniature receiver inside its body, and housed a hook-equipped weight in its stone-tipped section—a mechanism that, when shaken, would emit a low hum and deploy a lengthy rope. However, that Western cane had unfortunately been dropped in the Demon Forest. However, the doctor also possessed a Western cane similar to that one. However, unlike Dr. Ōsumi’s, this one had been equipped with a truly terrifying mechanism.

Ōsumi looked over the Western cane once more. *The shape really does resemble mine...* To him, that Western cane was gradually beginning to feel like his own. Perhaps its interior alone had been modified into such a horrifying mechanism. If that were true, how had Dr. Schwarzcoff obtained his cane? *This was strange!* Dr. Schwarzcoff finally burned through the iron door. The document cabinet was effortlessly opened to both sides. The doctor's face lit up with delight as he pulled out a large red-bound file from the lined documents. Cradling it immediately, he fixed his eyes on the opened pages.

However, perhaps because the lighting in the room was dim, he walked toward the window at the back while still holding the document file. And he became engrossed in reading it voraciously. What on earth was written there? For some reason, Dr. Ōsumi got on all fours and stealthily crawled out from behind the curtain. (Now’s my chance!) He approached the document cabinet boldly, paying full attention to avoid making a sound. That very cabinet was the one he had wanted to open but had ultimately been unable to.

He crawled slowly like a stone turtle. Eventually, he finally advanced near the cabinet. There was an armchair there. When he went around to the back of it, he quietly reached out his hand.

“I did it!” he shouted. In that hand was gripped a thick Western cane. That Western cane which emitted the terrifying monstrous ray...

At Dr. Ōsumi’s shout, Dr. Schwarzcoff leapt up in shock right where he stood. The document file fell to the floor with a thud. “Wh-what are you doing?!”

“Follow my orders.” “If you don’t…”

“If you don’t…” “If you don’t… you won’t keep your life!” Dr. Ōsumi thrust the murderous ray cane toward Dr. Schwarzcoff as he spoke with unwavering confidence. “Ah—that’s dangerous! W-wait…!” “Who are you? How dare you ransack Dr. Tsujikawa’s study and steal confidential documents…?” Dr. Schwarzcoff shifted sideways behind the desk with a ghastly expression. Ōsumi maintained perfect vigilance, cautiously retreating toward the cabinet while anticipating a leopard-like pounce from the doctor. The air grew thick with their silent confrontation.

“I won’t resist.” “I’ll tell you everything, so lower that Western cane.” “And... stop making that terrifying face...”

Dr. Schwarzcoff pleaded plaintively, uncharacteristically for him. Dr. Ōsumi was slightly swayed by those words.

And then, it happened in an instant. The floor where Ōsumi stood fell with a clatter. “Gah!” He struggled desperately, trying by all means to stop his plummeting body. His hand barely managed to grab the carpet’s edge. Dr. Schwarzcoff came flying like a bullet, but upon seeing Ōsumi hadn’t fully fallen through the trapdoor, he panicked, whirled around, flung open the door, and dashed out like a fleeing hare.

Dr. Ōsumi exerted desperate effort and, without falling into the trapdoor, finally managed to stand up. He grabbed the Western cane at his side and chased after Dr. Schwarzcoff, rushing out of the room. This all happened in mere seconds... When he emerged into the hallway, the doctor’s figure was nowhere to be seen. The violent sound of footsteps descending the stairs reached his ears. He became convinced Dr. Schwarzcoff was tumbling down the steps in his frantic escape. Determined not to let him get away, he dashed toward the staircase.

At that moment, the reception room door swung open swiftly, and a figure thrust out a startled face from within.

Dr. Tsujikawa's Research "What happened?" And then came the shouted voice!

Dr. Ōsumi let out a startled “Huh?!” and froze in place. And no wonder—for who should appear from the reception room but… Dr. Schwarzcoff! “Oh…” Ōsumi’s mind was thrown into confusion. Even though he thought the doctor had rushed down the stairs, it was none other than Dr. Schwarzcoff—who, despite his startled expression, had called out to him in a relatively composed manner from the adjacent room—that... Ōsumi could detect nothing resembling hostility in either the doctor’s face or demeanor. Moreover, Dr. Schwarzcoff appeared to have been sound asleep—his eyelids, now without glasses, were puffy, and he wasn’t wearing a jacket. When he paid closer attention, he noticed several large creases—undeniable evidence of having slept—distinctly etched into Dr. Schwarzcoff’s trousers. What on earth was going on here?

“I was startled by the loud noise. What has happened?” Dr. Ōsumi did not even attempt to respond and instead pointed the murderous Western cane toward Dr. Schwarzcoff. Then Dr. Schwarzcoff remained unperturbed.

“Doctor, what have you been doing until now?” “Me?… I was sleeping.” “I feel completely refreshed now.” Dr. Ōsumi didn’t sense any lie in Dr. Schwarzcoff’s words. Still maintaining caution, when he entered the reception room, there indeed lay evidence suggesting the doctor had been sleeping there until now. Before the sofa sat a pair of ankle boots neatly arranged. He slipped his hand inside—they felt unnaturally cold. Boots taken off after being worn wouldn’t retain such chill. The Dr. Schwarzcoff who had attacked him earlier had undoubtedly been wearing footwear.

(Then... then that would mean there are two Dr. Schwarzcoffs—the one who attacked me and the one who was sleeping here.)

Dr. Ōsumi had grasped a startling conclusion and struggled with how to explain it. "This is quite strange," "Strange? What's so strange about it?" He had Dr. Schwarzcoff wait there and went down the stairs. Of course, the other Dr. Schwarzcoff was nowhere to be found. He left the main building and came to the gatekeeper's hut.

There, Iwazō stood guard over Kawamura’s corpse, having lit sticks of incense—though where he found them remained unclear—to perform memorial rites before it. (This man wasn’t in disguise either.) Dr. Ōsumi asked if anyone had approached the hut recently. Iwazō replied that no one had come. The doctor knew this wasn’t a lie. The gate remained fastened with its usual heavy padlock, its key securely kept by Iwazō himself. Dr. Ōsumi resolved to keep the matter of there being two Dr. Schwarzcoffs to himself. Regardless, it now seemed certain that another person roamed the grounds besides Iwazō, Dr. Schwarzcoff, and himself.

Dr. Ōsumi once again returned to the main building. Dr. Schwarzcoff was in the reception room, having adjusted his clothes and quietly smoking a cigarette. When he saw this, it truly seemed that this was the real Doctor. “Doctor, how did you come to know Dr. Tsujikawa?”

“Ah, that’s because we two are conducting identical research,” replied Dr. Schwarzcoff. “I pursue mine in Germany, while Dr. Tsujikawa conducts his in Japan—studies that no one else across the entire world is performing.” “When you say research limited to just two people worldwide—what precisely does that involve?” Dr. Ōsumi, his interest profoundly stirred, pressed for details. “It’s exceptionally challenging work,” the doctor explained. “Not something easily grasped through explanation alone. But to simplify—in recent years, an unprecedented phenomenon has manifested across this Earth, unlike anything witnessed since recorded history began.” He leaned forward slightly. “The most conspicuous aspect? The abnormal growth of living organisms. And Dr. Tsujikawa possesses copious research materials regarding this very anomaly.”

“Indeed, abnormal growth in living organisms!” “Then that turtle-sized beetle discovered in Demon Forest also belongs to this phenomenon?” “Oh, you’re remarkably well-informed.” “That X Beetle is indeed one example.” “There remain far more astonishing specimens.” “You’re speaking of humans now, I presume?” “My, you do grasp things quickly.” “Dr. Tsujikawa has amassed numerous such research subjects.” “This phenomenon remains exceedingly rare worldwide.” “Only two locations exist—the mountain interiors of Japan and Argentina.”

“What? Even in Argentina?” “That’s correct. I came to meet Dr. Tsujikawa on my way back to my country after completing that expedition in Argentina.” Dr. Schwarzcoff, perhaps having taken Dr. Ōsumi for Dr. Tsujikawa’s assistant, spoke smoothly and without concealment. There was no need to explain how the content of the doctor’s account had startled Dr. Ōsumi. The secrets of the mysterious Dr. Tsujikawa’s research—which he had long yearned to uncover—had now begun to dissolve like an iceberg adrift through temperate seas.

The Final Key Dr. Ōsumi continued questioning the doctor while concealing his profound astonishment. "Why do these growth anomalies only occur in Japan and Argentina?" "That holds one key to solving this." "I finally deduced through reasoning that Argentina would have growth anomaly cases." "You were in Germany—how did you discover this?" "There's an intriguing story behind it, but let's skip that as it would take too long." "In any case, my initial discovery of this phenomenon was grounded in meteorological changes."

“Meteorological changes!” Dr. Ōsumi exclaimed loudly there. He too had maintained a keen interest in meteorological changes. This was something he’d noticed after arriving at Yaooi Village—when inquiring with villagers, he found the annual temperature fluctuations possessed entirely different characteristics compared to those around Tokyo. Moreover, even topographically there were suspicious elements. In a location like this with mountains at its back and open sea before it, seasonal climate changes ought to be gentle; yet contrary to expectations, drastic climatic variations occurred. During summer months, cool daytime winds should normally blow seaward to land, with calm mornings and evenings devoid of wind followed by nocturnal land-to-sea breezes—yet none of these phenomena manifested. While resembling a continental climate in some aspects, it differed fundamentally. The area underwent peculiar transformations scarcely documented elsewhere. Having recognized this, Dr. Ōsumi had gone so far as to request nationwide meteorological statistics from the Central Meteorological Observatory beforehand to study Yaooi Village’s climate—and confirmed it as a zone of anomalous weather patterns. Yet how this connected to the abnormal growth phenomena hadn’t been clearly understood as the doctor described. Thus the doctor’s words profoundly startled him.

“I maintain a laboratory at Berlin University in Germany, but while examining meteorological statistics over time, I discovered that in recent years the climate has ceased conforming to the average curves derived from those statistics.” “Thinking this might be unique to Germany, I next obtained Spain’s data for comparison.” “However, I discovered abnormal weather phenomena occurring in Spain as well.” “Though it was of a much smaller magnitude compared to Germany’s...” “So I resolutely requested Japan’s meteorological statistics.” “Wouldn’t you know—I was astonished.” “Japan’s weather is utterly chaotic, isn’t it?” “Even summers show this pattern.” “There are summers where temperatures barely rise like last year’s, and others unbearably hot like this one.” “Moreover, thunderstorm trajectories across Japan have changed dramatically nationwide in recent years.” “Through these findings, I confirmed Japan’s particularly remarkable meteorological anomalies.” “And through these correspondences, I came to be acquainted with Dr. Tsujikawa.” “Ah, the brilliance of Dr. Tsujikawa’s research!” “When I first learned of it, I even kissed the doctor’s cheek without thinking!”

Dr. Ōsumi’s cheeks gradually heated up. Dr. Tsujikawa was by no means a good person—yet what astonishing research he was conducting. In comparison, my struggles this summer had been nothing more than child’s play.

The doctor continued further, “Ultimately, as Dr. Tsujikawa pointed out, it became clear that even within Japan, only this Yaooi Village has been placed in a particularly abnormal state.” “Growth anomalies too occur solely in this Yaooi Village throughout all of Japan.” “Therefore, Yaooi Village is precisely the world’s treasure trove regarding this grand research.” “Oh… and I have discovered another such treasure trove.” “That is, as I just mentioned, a region deep in the mountains of Argentina called Kapilank.” “There, yet another intriguing phenomenon is now occurring.”

“Hey Doctor.” “What on earth could be causing these bizarre growth anomalies?” “And what role might the White Specters Uragōgoru be playing?” Then Dr. Schwarzcoff, showing extreme signs of panic, sprang up from his chair. “Uragōgoru? You know about them?” “...It is Uragōgoru that holds the final key to this research.” “However, they are truly intelligent.” “We must not anger them.” “Ah, Uragōgoru!”

Dr. Schwarzcoff assumed a posture as if offering prayers to God, gazed upward at the heavens, and heaved a sigh.

Reunion with Takeo

Dr. Schwarzcoff, who had cautioned Dr. Ōsumi not to anger the Uragōgoru, suddenly fell silent thereafter and avoided giving any further explanations no matter what Dr. Ōsumi asked. And he earnestly wished that if only Dr. Tsujikawa would return quickly, he could meet him briefly and return home.

White Specters Uragōgoru! How much longer would that monster torment Dr. Ōsumi before being satisfied? It wasn’t just Ōsumi. It became abundantly clear that even Dr. Schwarzcoff held the Uragōgoru in high esteem. It seemed only Dr. Tsujikawa had been collaborating with the Uragōgoru—but by now, that doctor had likely turned into a bleached skeleton at the bottom of Ōtogami Nada’s seabed. When would Dr. Schwarzcoff ever realize that?

This was troubling. I wanted to somehow uncover the secret of the Uragōgoru as soon as possible. Wasn't there some clever plan?

Dr. Ōsumi pondered this until his head ached.

That’s right. I had forgotten something important. At this point, there was no better way than meeting Takeo-kun and consulting him.

Having thought of this, Dr. Ōsumi took his leave from Dr. Schwarzcoff. He left the room while still holding that Murderous Ray cane.

He then quietly descended the stairs, exited the main building, and walked toward the back garden.

In retrospect, he should have thought of Takeo much sooner. However, what tormented Ōsumi was that Takeo now had a monstrously gigantic body due to that abnormal growth phenomenon. Therefore, he had been refraining out of consideration, thinking Takeo would likely dislike showing such an awkward body to him. But now that he had come to understand through Dr. Schwarzcoff’s explanation that even its cause stemmed from an abnormal phenomenon currently occurring on Earth, what reason for shame could there be? No—rather, at this juncture, wouldn’t taking the initiative to explain things for Takeo’s sake be precisely the kindness expected of a senior? Moreover, if I could borrow the various pieces of knowledge Takeo possessed, there would be nothing more fortunate.

He passed through the back garden and approached the cage where Takeo and the others were confined.

“Hey Takeo-kun! Takeo-kun, are you there?” Had he heard the voice?

“Oh—” At the sound of his voice，from what looked like a giraffe’s enclosure suddenly emerged none other than the giant Takeo． “Oh，Doctor！” “I’m ashamed．” “…I’ve ended up in this disgraceful form I wasn’t even born with．”

With that, his tears streamed down. They formed a large puddle on the ground, as if poured from a glass. Even Dr. Ōsumi needed courage to face this grotesque giant.

“Ah, there’s no need to worry. “I’ve finally discovered the reason you ended up like this as well.”

He then briefly recounted to him the story he had heard from Dr. Schwarzcoff, explaining all the circumstances in detail. Then Takeo, as if only now realizing it, widened his eyes in astonishment,

“Doctor—I understand now.” “Now that you mention it, several things do come to mind.” “That’s why I told you about it back then in that pitch-dark Demon Forest, didn’t I?” “When I fell into the ground, I soon transformed into this body and crawled out into Dr. Tsujikawa’s mansion.” “Of course, Dr. Tsujikawa was standing right beside me, observing my body with intense focus.” “That night, instead of this cage, I was put into that main building and underwent various examinations.” “And after dinner, I was given a bedroom and went to bed, but how could I possibly sleep?” “So I stealthily slipped out.” “And then, from the garden, I passed through the same tunnel I had used before and emerged into the forest.” “It was then that I met you, Doctor.”

Having said that, the giant boy let out a deep, emotional sigh. "Yeah, I get it, I get it. You must have struggled terribly." "But back then, I told you about several mysterious things, didn’t I? That happened during the day when I was in Dr. Tsujikawa’s room—when he stepped away from his seat, I secretly peeked at his notebook on the desk. That was all there was to it, but I managed to seize upon a problem brimming with mysteries."

“Oh right. I’d like to discuss that more thoroughly—can’t you somehow get out of that cage?” “Well, that’s a problem, isn’t it. Dr. Tsujikawa locked this with a click and took the key away. Lately, we haven’t seen Dr. Tsujikawa at all, but regardless, unless we ask the doctor, this won’t open. Since my body had grown larger, I thought my strength must have increased too, so I tried pushing many times. But given that it’s a cage made of thick steel bars, there was nothing I could do.”

Dr. Ōsumi could not help but feel deep disappointment at this. However, after a while, he shouted.

“Ah, there’s no need to worry. “I’d forgotten I had just the thing. “I’ll get you out right away, so wait there.” Having said that, Dr. Ōsumi adjusted the cane he had tucked under his arm. That Omega Ray cane…

Mysterious Meteorite Through the formidable power of the Omega Ray cane, even the steel bars rapidly softened like molten candy, allowing Takeo to escape outside for the first time in days. He restored the cage to its original state and left it as it was. “Doctor, I’m so overjoyed I can hardly bear it. But what an incredible cane! How did you manage to acquire such a thing?”

Dr. Ōsumi laughed and briefly recounted how he had seized it from a person believed to be a fake Dr. Schwarzcoff.

Then, the two of them entered the shade of the back mountain and began discussing. The sight of the statue-like giant boy and Dr. Ōsumi—no larger than a grandchild—lying sprawled among the thickets as they conversed was nothing short of the rarest of rare spectacles. “Takeo-kun, half of the questions you entrusted to me have been solved, and half remain unsolved even now. The foreign ship that came to these waters a year ago was a port call by Dr. Schwarzcoff on his return from Argentina, and since he’s conducting the same research as Dr. Tsujikawa, he came here to establish contact. Furthermore, the delayed emergence of red dragonflies since last year and their slightly altered flight paths are likely related to the abnormal weather phenomena occurring across Earth lately—in short, it suffices to say that significant anomalies have arisen on this planet in recent years.”

“So this is related to those white ghostly Uragōgoru after all, isn’t it?” “Yeah, I think so too. Those Uragōgoru must be creatures living on another planet altogether. You could say they’re highly evolved organisms that developed from some sort of amoeba-like ancestor. I believe they’re the ones exerting some kind of influence on Earth.” “That must be it. So Dr. Tsujikawa had been collaborating with them all along, hadn’t he?”

“Yeah, that’s probably right.” “By the way, what I can’t make sense of is the luggage loaded from the doctor’s mansion onto that foreign ship—this matter concerns your…” He was about to continue when Dr. Ōsumi abruptly caught himself. He had been hesitating whether it was appropriate to speak about Takeo’s father, who had died in such a gruesome manner, but now that things had come to this, he decided that keeping it hidden would only lead to further misunderstandings and resolved to lay everything out openly. Even Takeo hung his head and began to sob quietly.

“If this is fate, then there’s nothing to be done.” “But does my mother know?” “I will definitely defeat this enemy.” “Now, now, you mustn’t get so worked up.” “In any case, if we completely unravel the secret of this current problem, everything will surely become clear.” “For now, let’s just steady our resolve and work together diligently, alright?” “By the way, we still don’t know what exactly was inside the cargo loaded onto that foreign ship.” “Your deceased father knew about it, but when he tried to speak of it, he was killed by someone.” “However, I believe the culprit is the fake Dr. Schwarzcoff.” “Who on earth could he be, I wonder?”

“If someone like that is lurking around the mansion grounds, we can’t afford to drop our guard.” “Yes, I’m exercising maximum caution myself.” “What truly troubles me is how we still don’t know what that shipment contained.” “Then there’s the matter of the fifty-centimeter meteorite that fell in Daishōji Temple’s garden—we’ve confirmed Dr. Tsujikawa was the one who dug it up and took it away.” “What remains unclear is what purpose that meteorite serves.”

“A meteorite is a fragment of a star flying through space, right?” “And its composition is said to be almost entirely iron.”

“That’s correct—the iron is said to be of quite good quality.” “However, it’s not just iron—sometimes other substances are mixed in as well.” “Ah, right—this reminds me of a hypothesis from Gibson’s *On the Origin of Life in Prehistory*. To explain why animals and plants emerged on planets like Earth or Mars, it posits that a planet already hosting life—Earth itself could be one such example—collides with another celestial body, shattering into fragments that become meteorites scattered through space. These meteorites, with bacteria and such still clinging to them, are then transported vast distances.” “And when they land on other stars, seeds of flora and fauna are planted on the newly arrived star from those bacteria.” “It is written that in this way, animals and plants are transplanted to many stars.” “That’s quite an intriguing theory, isn’t it?”

“That’s interesting.” “Doctor, then couldn’t creatures like the Uragōgoru have originated from such means?”

“That might very well be the case.” Dr. Ōsumi nodded in agreement. But had the two been calmer at that moment, there was a deduction they ought to have naturally reached later. However, in their haste to continue their discussion, they ultimately missed this crucial deduction. Thus it became unavoidable that this major incident—which should have been resolved far sooner—was unfortunately prolonged. At any rate, the meteorite’s purpose remained unclear.

The main building vanished.

The discussions between Dr. Ōsumi and the giant boy Takeo continued even after that. In the end, the two appeared together before Dr. Schwarzcoff and resolved to formulate a new plan.

It was when the two reappeared from the shadow of the back mountain and began walking slowly toward the main building. Suddenly, the space before them flashed brilliantly. The brightness was so intense—like looking at the sun’s surface through a telescope without solar filters—that it felt as though heaven and earth were being torn asunder. The two cried out and covered their eyes with their hands, then collapsed flat on the ground. What on earth had just happened?

“Ugh… I’m shocked! What on earth was that?” “M-My eyes… Have they been destroyed?” Ōsumi and Takeo, rubbing their eyes vigorously with their fingertips, cautiously raised their upper bodies. And then they gingerly opened them. Due to the intense flash, their retinas still shimmered unnaturally, making it impossible to see ahead clearly. Tears streamed down their faces without pause. ――Gradually, Ōsumi’s eyes grew accustomed. His vision had been restored. However, what he saw there shocked him so profoundly that he nearly collapsed.

“Gah! What on earth has happened here?” “Huh?! Doctor, what happened?” Takeo still didn’t seem able to see clearly and kept rubbing his eyelids.

“Oh! You—this is catastrophic!” “How could such a thing occur?” “The main building that was undoubtedly standing over there has disappeared completely!”

“Huh? Is that true?” Ah—finally my vision was returning, blurry at first. “Right, right—that makes sense.” “It was definitely there until just now—that main building that looked like a creepy tower from an ancient castle beyond those trees...” The two exclaimed in unison, their voices trembling with shock.

“Come on! Let’s hurry over there!”

The two dashed off at full speed. Of course, Takeo’s strides were those of a giant, so he immediately outpaced Ōsumi and took the lead.

Eventually, the two stood before a vast open square. It was undoubtedly the site where the main building had stood until just moments ago.

“That’s right. It must be here. Look! Only the building’s remains have turned pure white, as if magnesium had been burned there.” “Ah, I understand now. This is indeed the main building’s site.—Could the main building have exploded?” “Yeah, maybe it exploded. Wait, wait—this might be…” Then Ōsumi—apparently struck by a thought—suddenly looked up at the sky and shielded his eyes with both hands. For some time afterward, he seemed to be intently searching for something—

“Ah, Takeo-kun. “There it is! There it is!” “Look at that!” “Yes, that’s…”

Takeo looked up in the direction Ōsumi was pointing, along with him.

“Look! Over there where you see the break in the white clouds!” “There’s some strange-shaped thing glittering with flashes as it climbs higher!” “Yes! I see it! I see it!” “Ah! That’s shaped like a house!” “Exactly! Exactly!” “Look carefully!” “That’s the main building that was standing there until moments ago!” “What?! That’s the main building?!”

Upon closer inspection, it was indeed unmistakably the main building. That large building soared into the sky in an instant—what on earth could this be? “This is utterly shocking. Takeo-kun, that main building itself had been rigged as one giant rocket mechanism. What a terrifying thing this is! If I had dawdled any longer, I’d be flying up that high right now. No—how should I put this—it’s utterly flabbergasting!”

Takeo looked down at Ōsumi and stood there for a while with his mouth agape.

“Hey—Dr. Ōsumi. Wasn’t there a Dr. Schwarzcoff or someone like that inside there?”

“Yes, yes—Dr. Schwarzcoff.” “And the fake Dr. Schwarzcoff too.” “The two Dr. Schwarzcoffs have vanished into the heavens together.” “Why...?” “Why...?” “I feel like I’m losing my mind.”

The press corps

Even if the reason remained unclear, the fact that the main building had soared into the sky in an instant, carrying the two Dr. Schwarzcoffs with it, stood as an utterly undeniable reality. That luxurious laboratory, the valuable machine room, and the enigmatic observational data had all vanished into thin air.

What remained afterward? That was probably nothing more than an unnecessarily imposing fence, a large cage in the sacred grove, and a gatekeeper’s hut. Dr. Tsujikawa’s eerie mansion had now become like an empty shell. At that moment, Dr. Ōsumi suddenly noticed something and scanned his surroundings. “Ah! There he is! There he is!” At that voice, Takeo looked in the direction Dr. Ōsumi was staring intently. Beside the gatekeeper’s hut stood the prosthetic-legged man who, just like them, was shielding his eyes with one hand and staring blankly up at the sky.

“So Iwazō was finally left behind, huh.” Dr. Ōsumi strode briskly over and tapped Iwazō on the shoulder. Then he fell backward with a thud, collapsing as if he had knocked over a sliding door, without uttering a single cry.

Dr. Ōsumi was astonished, knelt beside him, and tried taking the gatekeeper’s pulse. The pulse was faint and rapid, but it was indeed detected at the fingertips. It seemed he had fainted from sheer shock. With Takeo’s help, his body was moved into the gatekeeper’s hut.

In the midst of this, the two of them suddenly heard something like the roar of an airplane coming from the eastern direction. "Oh, what’s this now?" As they gazed at the sky in the direction of the sound, it was indeed unmistakably an airplane. But to their astonishment, there were not just one or two. Counting them, there were roughly fourteen or fifteen aircraft. There were large ones and small ones; then, as they drew closer, ones with red wings and ones with blue fuselages—all manner of shapes and sizes—each vying to turn their noses toward their direction as they flew in. Where on earth could these airplanes be from?

Moment by moment, the roar grew louder. Starting with the fastest ones, they began circling around the doctor’s mansion in wide loops. Before long—perhaps having readied themselves for landing—some of them started transitioning to low-altitude flight one after another. Most landed outside the doctor’s mansion grounds. Two or three small “Sky Lice” that had lagged behind lumbered into view and made bold attempts to touch down within the estate’s perimeter. “These might be newspaper reporters!” Dr. Ōsumi recalled Sasa Hōdan’s earlier arrival and arrived at this conclusion.

It was, as expected, a group of reporters from various newspapers. They bravely climbed over the fence, grabbed onto a pine tree to descend, and ran toward us with roaring shouts—but when they got quite close, for some reason, they all stopped dead in their tracks as if on cue, their faces stiffening like dried saury. What’s going on here? Just as Ōsumi thought this, “Everyone’s looking at me in shock,” Takeo said.

"Oh," Dr. Ōsumi realized as he strode toward them.

Then, with a roar, they once again gathered around Ōsumi and surrounded him with a human wall. “That’s it. The victims of the growth anomaly phenomenon?”

“Oh, how do you know about that?” Dr. Ōsumi asked. “That’s exactly it! You probably don’t know this yet, but Tokyo’s in an uproar,” the reporter replied rapidly. “After all, a wireless call suddenly came through from Sasa Hōdan’s rocket launch!” “What?! Sasa Hōdan… You mean he’s still alive?” Dr. Ōsumi exclaimed. “Well now, seems we came bearing news ourselves,” another reporter interjected with rapid blinks. “But if we don’t explain our side first, it’ll be hard to get your story straight. Anyway, today’s reports have made Sasa’s whole adventure clear—apparently he survived unscathed. You… are Dr. Ōsumi, correct? He specifically asked us to tell you this.”

“Sasa’s alive! What a relief! I thought he was already dead... How is he doing now?” “He’s reportedly landed on Uragōgoru’s planet.”

“What?! He landed on Uragōgoru’s planet?” “Ah… I see.” “From what I heard, he soared into the sky and prepared himself for death.” “But then, somehow, he ended up landing on Uragōgoru’s planet, and when he made a wireless call from there, we were shocked too.” “Now then, let’s move on—please answer our questions. First, tell us about the circumstances when Sasa Hōdan launched from this area. We implore you.”

Uragōgoru Communication

“Everyone. I have a rather urgent request to make, you see.”

After having the newspaper reporters take thorough notes, Dr. Ōsumi began to speak.

“What’s this request about?” “As a token of gratitude, we’ll go to any lengths to help.” “I must earnestly request that you do so. “The request is nothing more than this. “Could you take me to a place where I can speak with Mr. Sasa Hōdan via wireless telephone right away?” “Ah, to a place where you can talk to Sasa?” The reporters made slightly troubled faces. Then they formed a circle a short distance away and began their discussion. After some time, their discussion seemed to reach a conclusion, and one of them stepped forward,

“Dr. Ōsumi.” “In that case, we’ll specially lend you a plane—please fly to Tokyo immediately and go to the observatory.” “There’s an excellent transceiver there.” “That’s what we used to communicate with Sasa.” “Other equipment didn’t work no matter how we tried.” “Ah—the Tokyo Astronomical Observatory?” “Then please take me there.”

“Okay.” “Hey, Matsuda.” “Hurry up—I’m counting on you!”

Takeo, the giant boy, was terribly saddened to part with Dr. Ōsumi, but there was simply no helping it. There was no way they could let a giant twice as large as Nio statues ride along on the airplane. After instructing them to wait, saying he would return right away, Dr. Ōsumi boarded the plane still wearing his tattered Western suit.

Since it was a communication plane, it proved extremely fast. Dr. Ōsumi found himself relaxing for the first time in ages, yet before he could grow fully enraptured by the distant world below resembling freshly laid blue tatami mats, the aircraft safely landed three hours later at Mitaka Village in Tokyo's suburbs where the astronomical observatory stood. Ōsumi thanked them earnestly and parted with the pilot. As he trudged toward the observatory's front entrance, an elderly gentleman with snow-white hair and a boyish face approached from ahead, waving his hand repeatedly in Ōsumi's direction. Who could that be?

“Oh! It’s Professor Kōchi!” “Ah! My mentor, Professor Kōchi!”

Dr. Ōsumi had encountered his mentor, whom he had troubled during his university days, for the first time in years. “Hey, you’ve become quite the popular figure, haven’t you!” “Huh?! Professor, what are you talking about?”

“Professor, what are you talking about?” “No—it’s about Uragōgoru’s planet.” “And then there’s the matter of that abnormal growth phenomenon in Yaoi Village.” “As the discoverer, you will receive this year’s Science Award.” “No—congratulations.” “No, Professor, it’s nothing that significant.” “I’m just one of the bystanders.” “That’s not true.” “Sasa Hōdan has written your theory in exhaustive detail daily in the pages of Tokyo’s newspapers.” “You are clearly in line for the Golden Kite Order, First Class Merit.” “The academic world is in a great uproar right now!”

“Ah, right! It’s precisely because of Sasa Hōdan that I’ve come here now.” “Professor, please introduce me to the director of this observatory.” “I would very much like to speak with Sasa via wireless telephone.”

“Ah, I see. That should be fine.” “Professor, you know the director, don’t you? Could you please introduce me?” “That’s no trouble at all. The director is this old man here.” “What?! You’re the… Oh! So it’s you!”

Under Director Kōchi’s guidance, Dr. Ōsumi was able to approach the secret microwave transceiver. About three researchers were earnestly adjusting the machine. Through the director’s introduction, Dr. Ōsumi became acquainted with everyone. The researchers witnessed this hero of the academic world before their very eyes and became utterly excited. “All right, coming through,” said one of them as he picked up the receiver and frantically turned the dial. “Ah… connected! “…Are you Mr. Sasa Hōdan?” “No—apologies for the repeated calls.” “No—this time it’s not about astronomy.” “Dr. Ōsumi would like to speak with you.” “I’ll hand you over—please wait a moment.”

The researcher greeted him with a “Here you go.” Dr. Ōsumi lunged at the device and clamped the receiver to his head. “Ah! Is that you, Sasa?” “This is Ōsumi.” “The fact that you’re alive feels like a dream.” “There’s nothing that could make me happier.” Sasa energetically responded from the other end. He took pride in being the only human on Uragōgoru’s planet. “You know how Dr. Tsujikawa’s main building got rigged as a rocket and launched into the sky earlier? It might come crashing down there any minute now!”

“Tch, so that’s what it was... No—thank you for letting me know.” “Right now, those Uragōgoru beasts are making an unusual commotion.” “So they’ve found that thing after all.”

“I see. “Inside are two people called Dr. Schwarzcoff.” “What? Two doctors. “Are they twins?” “No. “One is the real Dr. Schu, and the other must be an impostor.” “Impostor?” “I see.” “Wait—it makes sense now.” “Oh ho! It’s just arrived now.” “Indeed, it’s a strangely shaped rocket.” “Ah! The Uragōgoru crowd is flying toward the rocket one after another.” “The air is thick with menace, but there’s something odd about this.”

Earth Hijacking

Dr. Ōsumi was shocked by Sasa Hōdan’s wireless report from Uragōgoru’s planet about an apparent emergency occurring during Dr. Tsujikawa’s main building rocket arrival, which he listened to through the receiver. “Sasa! What’s happening? Observe carefully and report everything precisely!” “What’s going on...?” “You must watch closely and relay every detail!” “Got it. “Hey—a foreigner’s emerging from the entrance! Could this be Dr. Schwarzcoff?” “A large man wearing a brown Western suit.” “Sporting a goatee.”

“Right—exactly as you said. “Wait—another person just emerged from behind. “This is peculiar. “What? Isn’t that Dr. Tsujikawa?” “Huh? Dr. Tsujikawa? “That’s impossible! “If it’s him, he should’ve died long ago when his rocket crashed into the sea!”

“No—that’s not right.” “My eyes don’t deceive me.” “It’s definitely Dr. Tsujikawa.—Oh—oh!” “Dr. Tsujikawa has been captured by the Uragōgoru and is flailing his limbs about!” “It looks like something’s happened to the doctor!”

“What? Dr. Tsujikawa…!” “That’s terrible!” “You—go check immediately and report back!” “Hello? Hello? Sasa!” “Hōdaaan!” At the crucial moment, a roaring noise erupted from the receiver before the call snapped off. What had happened? The observatory staff instantly grasped something was wrong and sprinted to the equipment. They swiftly took over from Dr. Ōsumi and examined the transceiver’s internals, but no matter how they adjusted it, the voice from the other side had vanished completely. “Our equipment seems intact—the issue must be on their end.”

“Dr. Ōsumi.” “I’m afraid there’s nothing we can do but wait for theirs to be fixed for a while.” The researcher said apologetically. Dr. Ōsumi struggled to suppress his irritation but couldn’t help rejoicing at having finally established communication with Uragōgoru’s planet.

However, that Dr. Tsujikawa had been alive was truly unexpected. Yet upon later reflection, there was indeed some basis for it. The Dr. Schwarzcoff who had recently sneaked into the study and burned through the document cabinet seemed quite different from the real Dr. Schwarzcoff—not only appearing smaller in stature but also having an unusually hairy face. Could it be that Dr. Tsujikawa had disguised himself as Dr. Schwarzcoff and returned to his mansion to conceal the fact that he was unharmed? After all, given that even Sasa Hōdan managed to survive, there’s no reason Dr. Tsujikawa’s personal rocket wouldn’t have been equipped with an excellent safety device. Although Dr. Tsujikawa’s rocket had crashed into the sea, his life must have been safe regardless.

Why did Dr. Tsujikawa take Dr. Schwarzcoff and fly out toward Uragōgoru’s planet again? Though Dr. Tsujikawa had appeared deeply connected with the Uragōgoru from earlier events—or rather, according to exchanges preceding the severed communication—it now seemed their spectral white entities were persecuting him somehow. That these very specters who ought to value him would torment their crucial ally—what earthly reason could exist for this?

While repairs were underway to restore the phone connection, senior astronomers from the observatory had requested to hear Dr. Ōsumi’s account, so he attended their meeting. It took place on a cool north-facing veranda where cold water, melon, and Western sweets were laid out. The scholars seated the modest Dr. Ōsumi at the head of the table and freely posed their questions about Yaoi Village’s abnormal growth phenomena. He answered in exhaustive detail everything he knew, but with each revelation, the scholars grew newly astonished.

Director Kōchi, the elderly professor, was also seated at the table, and at this moment he opened his mouth,

“The abnormal growth phenomena in Yaoi Village are truly a valuable discovery.” “At the Meteorological Observatory too, they’ve observed numerical values across all meteorological aspects lately that differ completely from previous years—so I hear all staff members are at a loss about how to interpret this.” “At our observatory as well, we suddenly noticed Uragōgoru’s planet approaching, and ever since then, we’ve been in an uproar.” “All of this—as you pointed out, Dr. Ōsumi—results from Uragōgoru’s planet approaching Earth. But no one had anticipated such a manner of approach.” “This can only be described as unprecedented.” “Dr. Ōsumi—do you have any thoughts on this?”

Dr. Ōsumi, in response to his teacher’s words, looked down and pondered for a while—but soon raised his head,

“With your permission, I would like to present a rather bold hypothesis.” “Well now—a bold hypothesis! Quite splendid indeed.” “What do you mean by that, Dr. Ōsumi?” Ōsumi smiled calmly and replied, “I wonder whether you will find this agreeable, but I believe Uragōgoru’s planet’s approach cannot be explained through conventional predictions.” “In other words, this too constitutes one of the abnormal phenomena.” “That it’s abnormal is well understood, but…”

“And rather than Uragōgoru’s planet having approached Earth, I believe it would be more accurate to say that Uragōgoru’s planet pulled our Earth toward itself.” “What? Are you saying Uragōgoru’s planet pulled Earth toward itself?” “Heh... That’s far too audacious.” “Planetary motions cannot be altered by human means.” “To dismiss what biological forces might achieve is antiquated thinking.” “It is by no means impossible.” “Uragōgoru’s planet has already decisively accomplished this against Earth.” “Our Earth was drawn into their grasp by the Uragōgoru.” “In other words, Earth had been stolen by them long ago.”

“Theft?” “Are you saying Earth had been stolen?” “Well, this is amusing.” “Earth theft?” “That’s quite a big thing to steal.” “Ha ha ha!” And so, Director Kōchi, in high spirits, continued to bellow with laughter—karakarakara—without end.

The Secret of the Meteorite

Dr. Ōsumi’s "Earth Theft Theory" suddenly ignited a tremendous sensation across global academic circles. While some scholars voiced wholehearted approval—hailing it as nothing less than humanity’s greatest discovery since recorded history began—others denounced it as heretical nonsense of the highest order, with particularly narrow-minded factions even emerging who demanded his expulsion from academia until he could account for what they deemed the theory’s fatal flaw. This purported weakness lay in the question: “By what means did Uragōgoru’s planet draw Earth into its grasp?” “The method remains unexplained,” they asserted.

This so-called weakness was hardly significant from a research standpoint, and Dr. Ōsumi’s achievements alone—his discovery of the abnormal growth phenomena—were more than ample. As for how *Uragōgoru’s planet*, branded with this label of weakness, had pulled Earth toward itself—that was a matter someone else could leisurely resolve in due time. The absence of an answer was no disgrace to Dr. Ōsumi whatsoever. Yet that his reputation had steadily sunk into the mire through endorsement of this flaw, with growing numbers deriding him as a charlatan—no matter how those academic naysayers reveled in their mudslinging—what wretchedness it all was!

The pure-hearted Dr. Ōsumi, unable to endure the anguish in his heart, agonized while secluding himself in a room of his boarding house without once stepping outside. Throughout this time, his mind remained fixated on a single thought.

Before long, the wireless telephone would connect to Uragōgoru again. If that happened, Sasa Hōdan would surely provide some significant report. Since he was on Uragōgoru’s planet, he would undoubtedly investigate “by what means the Uragōgoru had pulled Earth into their grasp.” Lately, Dr. Ōsumi too—due to his young age—had taken a bit of a beating from society’s contempt. Had he been a little calmer, he might have solved this difficult problem and regained his smile sooner. At this point, rather than shutting himself away in his boarding house, he should have gone straight to Yaoi Village where Takeo was waiting.

Setting that aside, about three days later, an urgent call came to Dr. Ōsumi from the Mitaka Village observatory.

He hurried to answer the phone. The person on the other end was Sugai, a wireless operator and B.S. holder whom he had become acquainted with during his previous visit. “Hello? Dr. Ōsumi? This is the observatory...” “This is the observatory. The connection to Uragōgoru’s planet has been reestablished, so could you come right away?” “What?! The Uragōgoru have appeared again?” “I see.” “That’s most welcome.” “I’ll come right away…” Dr. Ōsumi hopped about with joy. The opportunity to solve the problem had finally arrived. If Sasa Hōdan would come through, there should be no issues in understanding the matter.

He hailed a passing 1937-model automobile and requested to be rushed to nearby Mitaka Village.

“How is it? Have the Uragōgoru appeared?”

Dr. Ōsumi burst into the observatory’s wireless room and asked. “Well, they are appearing, but…” Mr. Sugai made a slightly apologetic face.

“Huh?! What’s wrong? They’re appearing, but what’s the matter?” “Just listen for now. The person on the other end is Mr. Sasa Hōdan.” While harboring doubts about Researcher Sugai’s suspicious words, Ōsumi put the receiver to his ear. “Hello? This is Ōsumi. Is that you, Mr. Hōdan? …Hello? Huh—I can’t hear anything!” “It’s not that you can’t hear—the sound is just very faint. Well, listen carefully.”

“Ah, I see.” “Hello? Mr. Hōdan.” As he continued calling out patiently, sure enough, Sasa Hōdan’s faint voice began to come through. “Oh, Mr. Hōdan. What’s happened here?” “Well, Dr. Ōsumi. I’ve left Uragōgoru’s planet and am now flying through space in a rocket.” “What do you mean, you’ve left Uragōgoru’s planet? What on earth is the reason for that?” “Yeah, if I’d stayed there, my life would’ve been in danger. Moreover, once I realized the distance between Uragōgoru’s planet and Earth had been rapidly increasing since five days ago, I just couldn’t take it anymore.”

“What?! The distance from Earth?! What’s going on? You must know the reason, right?” “You’re the one who should know about that.” “—It’s about that meteorite.” “Meteorite?” “Ah, that’s the one that fell in the garden of that temple called Daishō-ji or something, and Dr. Tsujikawa dug it up and brought it back to his mansion, right?”

“Yes, yes.” “That meteorite.” “What does that have to do with anything?” “You’re surprisingly slow on the uptake, huh. That meteorite is like an anchor that was intentionally shot from Uragōgoru’s planet toward Earth.”

“Huh?! When you say anchor—” “In other words, it’s like how a whaling ship thrusts a harpoon attached to a rope into a whale’s back, right? It’s exactly the same as that. That meteorite may not have a visible rope attached, but there’s something that serves the same function.”

“I see, I see. I’m starting to get it now. So that meteorite—that’s no ordinary meteorite, right?” “They said so, I tell ya. It’s a special substance they spent fifty years developing at Uragōgoru’s planet’s National Research Institute. They shot it into Earth and left it there, then when they rotate the large machine built on Uragōgoru’s planet, it pulls that special substance with tremendous force. Well, it’s a kind of magnet, but with thousands of billions upon thousands of billions of times more power than that. So that’s the story of how Earth was smoothly pulled toward Uragōgoru’s planet, I tell ya.”

“Hmm, I see,” said Dr. Ōsumi. “Now I get it.” The answer I’d been seeking had finally crystallized. *Thank you,* I thought silently. “—But this ‘magnetic force-like thing’ from our current story… what exactly could it be?” Sasa chuckled dryly. “Heh heh. You think *I* can wrap my head around somethin’ that convoluted? —But those Uragōgoru beasts called that force ‘Shupioru,’ I tell ya.” “Shupioru?” Dr. Ōsumi murmured. “What could that signify? This presents yet another monumental mystery.”

“Well, let’s leave it at that for now. The voltage in my rocket’s battery has dropped considerably. I need to conserve some power or it might not last until I make it back to Earth.”

The wireless telephone of Sasa Hōdan, racing through space, regrettably cut off with a snap.

Grand Conclusion

However, Dr. Ōsumi's face—after placing the receiver on the stand—suddenly began to shine with youthful vigor.

“Ah, this is it, this is it.” The answer to the question—“By what method did Uragōgoru’s planet pull Earth closer?”—had been splendidly formed. Even so, what terrifying power those Uragōgoru possessed! Their knowledge had advanced over a hundred years beyond that of humankind dwelling on our Earth. “Terrifying enemies of the vast cosmos!”

The following day, Dr. Ōsumi stepped onto the podium in the great hall of XX University and delivered this significant report. The number of scholars who rushed to attend this lecture reached approximately ten thousand. The security lines at the venue were breached twenty times from the beginning to the end of the event. That was an unprecedented occurrence, even compared to political campaign rallies. It was simultaneously broadcast nationwide, but the crowd that gathered before the speakers was said to surpass even that of the Waseda-Keio rivalry. What was particularly interesting was that during the broadcast, the war between Fascism and Communism in Europe also entered a temporary ceasefire. And simultaneously with the conclusion of Dr. Ōsumi’s lecture, wars across the world were widely announced to enter an indefinite ceasefire.

“We humans who inhabit Earth must immediately cease our fratricidal conflicts, unite all of humanity, and prepare for combat against the Uragōgoru who will soon invade.” “Otherwise, this time our Earth will see its eight billion years of honor defiled and be forced into slavery under those Uragōgoru.”

—To such an extent did Mr. Hitlerini, the leader of Europe, appeal to all humanity across the world via international broadcast. Consequently, as humanity’s great benefactor, Dr. Ōsumi found himself hounded by daily invitation events he could refuse no matter how much he tried—until he nearly ruined his health. Finally, one night, he secretly boarded a plane, slipped away from the capital, and returned alone to Yaoi Village of his memories.

Moonlit Yaoi Village welcomed Dr. Ōsumi with a peaceful countenance, as though nothing had ever transpired.

"Ah, I wonder what happened to Takeo-kun after that." There, he thought of poor Takeo's circumstances—the boy who had been suddenly stricken with gigantism. This Yaoi Village had been irradiated by invisible special rays periodically emitted from Uragōgoru’s planet, and there was no longer any doubt that organisms severely exposed to those rays became victims of that grotesque gigantism. The life of Takeo—transformed into an unnatural giant—how utterly tragic it was!

He visited the site of Dr. Tsujikawa’s mansion to comfort the boy. That imposing high wall, illuminated by moonlight, cast a long uncanny black shadow. Ōsumi stood before the familiar small gate and tapped the steel door with the tip of his Western-style cane—*kon kon*.

“—Hey! Who’s there?” “I—I am someone called Ōsumi.” “Dr. Ōsumi! Ah, it’s you, sensei!” From inside the door came an adorable child’s voice. And the door creaked open from within.

“Oh—” Having shouted that, Dr. Ōsumi kept staring for a long time at the face of the lovely boy who had come flying out from within the gate, his expression one of astonishment.

“Dr．Ōsumi! I’m Takeo!”

“Huh? Takeo-kun. If you’re Takeo-kun, your body should be much larger.” “Yes, Dr. Ōsumi—please rejoice! My body has been gradually getting smaller since four or five days ago and has finally returned to normal. It’s like a dream—I’m so happy I can’t contain myself. Omoyo’s also really delighted.”

“Oh! So it really was you after all!” “Takeo-kun!” “I’m happy too.” “I couldn’t stop worrying about you.” “It wasn’t just me.” “Everything that grew large shrank back down.” “See? That beetle that was big as a stone turtle?” “It’s small again now too—look!”

Saying this, the boy pointed to his shoulder. Indeed, a single beetle was crawling on the boy’s clothes. It was a tiny, tiny beetle. “Dr. Ōsumi, why did everyone return to their original size?” The boy looked up at Ōsumi’s face with a smile.

“Well, Takeo-kun, I finally figured it out.” “Because Uragōgoru’s planet moved far away, that mysterious force weakened, and so everyone returned to their original size.” “That should make it clear.”

“Ah, I see.” “Oh—Omoyo heard your voice too and woke up to come here.” Sure enough, from the direction of the guardhouse came Omoyo’s voice—she who had been good friends with the boy. “Everyone’s become happy now, haven’t they—”

Dr. Ōsumi gazed up at the brilliantly shining face of the moon and murmured to no one in particular.