Pathway to Japanese Literature

"Is it really true..." Before he knew it, Kawamura Takeo had let the words slip out. "Huh? What do you mean, really?"

Omiyo, who had been walking alongside Takeo, edged closer to him with a puzzled look. “Nah, it’s nothing… Just the Loch Ness Monster, you know.” “The Loch Ness Monster? What’s a monster like? It’s not a ghost.” Takeo was already a third-year middle school student, while Omiyo had just graduated from higher elementary school—though both were quite large for children. When Takeo returned to Yaoi Village for summer vacation, the childhood friends reverted to their old ways: they had made plans to venture into the woods at the mountain’s foot to catch beetles and were now strolling along a country path. Then this strange topic had come barging in.

“That’s right.” “Speaking of monsters—it’s exactly what those characters mean—something mysterious.” “What about that monster?”

Omiyo edged even closer. “If you keep crowding 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, Miss Omiyo? To be honest, I only heard about it myself today, but… the Loch Ness Monster is…” Then Takeo briefly recounted the story of the Loch Ness Monster. People had reportedly seen this creature revealing only its head and neck above a lake in Scotland—a dragon-like animal so enormous that its visible portion supposedly stood slightly taller than the nine-story Marunouchi Building. Unfortunately, its lower body remained hidden beneath the water’s surface, but if the entire creature were to emerge, they claimed it would dwarf even Tokyo Station as a colossal beast beyond imagination. It was likely an animal from the previous century, but as people clamored about it, the creature plunged into the lake with a splash and vanished from sight. As the story spread, crowds of onlookers gathered at the lakeside to await the giant beast’s reappearance, but for some reason afterward, not a single witness came forward again. So there it remained—a major scientific controversy whether such a giant beast truly inhabited Loch Ness or whether it had been merely an optical illusion on the part of those who claimed to see it—as he recounted,

“...This is a story I heard today from Dr. Osumi Seiji.” Dr. Osumi Seiji was a science teacher at Tokyo Industrial School and an unconventional scholar who frequently wrote popular articles for newspapers and magazines; he had now come to Yaoi Village to escape the heat during summer vacation.

“Oh, it’s Dr. Osumi’s story.” “Stories from Dr. Osumi aren’t reliable.” “He’s always saying such bizarre things to scare people, you know.” “It’s not like that.” “Dr. Osumi knows all sorts of unusual things we’ve never even heard of.” “To those who don’t know, it might seem like a lie, but there are plenty of strange things in this world.” “Anyway, the Loch Ness Monster story is true.” “Because Dr. Osumi showed me the foreign magazine with that article and pictures!”

“Is that so? Did it really exist?” “Since I saw it too, it’s not a lie. But Dr.Osumi said— While it’s true that a strangely shaped monster raised its sickle-shaped head from Loch Ness’s surface,” he argued, “the real issue lies in whether a colossal beast like a dinosaur from the previous century could actually survive to this day.”

“Ah—but even so, isn’t it true that the monster did show its face above Loch Ness’s surface?” “If it’s true, well, that’s just creepy.” “The very idea that a giant beast larger than Tokyo Station exists in this day and age—that alone is more than enough.” “I’ve suddenly gotten so scared.” “However, it’s said that whether the monster was actually that large isn’t clearly established.” “The human eye sometimes misperceives nearby objects as being far away—in such cases, people might feel there’s something tremendously large in the distance.” “There’s a story that on fog-shrouded mornings in the Alps, when you climb the mountains, a giant piercing the clouds appears beyond the valley.” “When investigated closely, they say it’s actually your own shadow reflected in the fog that you’re mistaking for a giant.” “Because the sun is behind you, your shadow inevitably forms in front of you.” “Without fog, you can’t see the shadow, but when thick fog hangs right before you, it acts like a projection screen casting your shadow onto it.” “If you move, of course your shadow moves too.” “For those who realize the fog lies right before their eyes, there’s nothing frightening about it. But people unaware of this fact—believing the giant exists in some distant space—will foolishly misjudge its size as enormous.” “You can test this yourself right now by holding your hand before your eyes.”

As he said this, Takeo raised his right hand before his eyes and looked at Omiyo.

“If you move this hand like this,” Takeo demonstrated by shifting his palm, “it’ll completely hide Dr. Tsujikawa’s Western-style mansion over there.” “Since the hand’s close by, its solid angle in your vision blocks the distant mansion entirely.” “But imagine if someone with poor depth perception thought this hand and that mansion occupied the same space.” “They might picture a hand bigger than the mansion sprouting from that spot—a lumbering thing that engulfs the building in its palm.” “Then what’s really a small hand would seem monstrously large.” “The nearer something is, the bigger it looms.” “That’s why some say the Loch Ness Monster was just driftwood floating nearby—or maybe a snake’s head mistaken in the gloom.” “Feel better now?”

“But I’m still scared.” “I can’t feel safe until I see with my own eyes whether it’s driftwood or a snake’s head.” “Well then, to put your mind at ease, are you going to set out for Loch Ness in Scotland now, Miss Omiyo?” “Ha ha ha!” “Hee hee hee…”

The two of them laughed in unison.

To the south lay a deep blue sea brimming with water, while to the north rose a mountain range densely covered with verdant cedars, cypresses, and pines. Between these boundaries, on a gentle slope, stood fifty or sixty houses—this was Yaoi Village. The early summer sky stretched crystal-clear above them, the blazing sun scorching every inch of their skin—whether their faces or their backs. But what peace! What freshness! Takeo and Omiyo felt as though they had finally reclaimed themselves from the eeriness born of their Loch Ness Monster conversation through this gentle village scenery. The oak forest where the beetles dwelled was now visible ahead. The two of them, having joined hands without realizing it, recalled a song they often sang in their youth and began singing in unison as they walked.

Yet at that moment, neither Takeo nor Omiyo could have even dreamed that a horrific anomaly lay ahead, waiting to shatter their very souls.

Strange Beetles

The oak forest spread its sturdy branches like colossal statues, its lush treetops stretching vigorously toward the vast sky. Pushing through the knee-deep weeds with rustling steps, Takeo and Omiyo ventured deeper into the forest. “Miss Omiyo.” “Hold this can.”

Takeo handed Omiyo the can he had brought to put beetles in. It was a tin can that had contained biscuits, but numerous holes had been punched in it to allow the beetles to breathe.

“Ah, I can see it over there…” “There’s a large Sai Kachi tree further in.” The two of them knew that deeper within this oak forest stood six or seven Sai Kachi trees where beetles dwelled. The beetles lived by sucking the sweet, jam-like reddish sap that oozed from the trees’ crevices.

“Ah, that tree over there is the largest.” “That tree’s crawling with a ton of beetles!” Takeo shot a quick glance at Omiyo and nimbly leaped onto the massive Sai Kachi tree. He climbed up the trunk effortlessly. Soon Takeo’s figure vanished into the thick curtain of leaves.

“This is really strange—”

And only his voice came falling down from above.

“Strange? What’s wrong?—”

Omiyo looked up and raised her voice. Tilting her head back until her neck bones ached... “I’m coming down now—”

Once more, a voice came from above. With a rustling of leaves, Takeo's figure began to emerge through a gap in the treetops.

“What’s strange about it?” “Hurry up and tell me—I’m getting scared here!” When Omiyo said this, Takeo, still clinging to the trunk, turned his face downward and...

“It’s not something scary… You see, this Sai Kachi tree is acting strange. There are crevices oozing sweet sap all over, but all the sap’s been licked clean. And there’s not a single beetle here. What do you think? Weird, huh? What in the world could’ve licked the sap so clean?” Omiyo quietly scanned the surrounding grassy area. Could there be a snake or something lurking around here…? But there was no sign of any such creature either.

“Why don’t we leave this strange tree alone and search for Sai Kachi trees over there?” “Yeah… let’s do that.”

Takeo replied immediately, but for some reason, he showed no sign of climbing down from the tree. “Take-o-san, hurry up and come down he-ere!”

Omiyo grew impatient and urged him again from below.

“Shh…” From above the tree, Takeo signaled for silence. “Is there something there?” “It’s here. There’s something here. It’s sitting behind the three-pronged fork. There’s something like a turtle. A turtle is actually climbing the Sai Kachi tree.”

*A turtle?*

The fact that a turtle was climbing the Sai Kachi tree was a rare occurrence. Do turtles ever climb trees?

“It can’t be a turtle. “A turtle can climb a tree?” “…Where is it?” “I’ll try looking up from below then.” “It’s… black, oval-shaped, about twice the size of a bento box.” “It looks just like a turtle, but its legs are strange.” “I’ll poke it with this bamboo now and drop it down, so make sure to watch where it falls.”

Takeo was already completely engrossed in his prey.

After regripping the bamboo pole in his hand, he stretched out his arm and tapped repeatedly on the underside of the three-pronged fork. The turtle-like creature’s hindquarters twitched slightly, but it remained clamped tightly to the trunk, refusing to let go. The creature stayed so utterly composed that Takeo’s irritation flared.

“Alright.” “I’ll catch that thing no matter what!”

Having shouted this, he—though it was risky—silently crept along the large lateral branch. The branch bent slightly, but reaching the three-pronged fork became far easier. Not only that, but due to the changed angle, what had been hidden in the shade of the trunk until now—its body—became far more visible. Takeo, delighted, peered through the dark leaf shadows at the turtle-like creature—but in that moment, he was so startled that he nearly lost his footing on the branch.

“Ack—…”

Having cried out, Takeo desperately tried to calm his pounding heart, but it stubbornly refused to settle. The more he looked, the more bizarre the creature appeared. It was a terrifyingly enormous beetle with a body as large as a full-grown tortoise. Ordinary beetles might grow as big as a small terrapin at most. But this one measured nearly ten times that size—so massive it would rank among the largest stone tortoises ever recorded. This was truly a monster beetle that belonged among legendary abominations. The creature, having been prodded too aggressively by the bamboo pole, quivered its abdomen violently in apparent rage. A low, guttural drone—the monster’s eerie groans—reached Takeo’s ears.

“Takeo-san! Takeo-san! You—what’s wrong? Say something, Takeo-san—I’m scared…” Since Takeo had turned fossil-like, Omiyo below cried out in a voice teetering on tears.

“Yeah, Miss Omiyo.” “There it was! There it was!” “There was the Loch Ness Monster!” “Huh? Loch Ness...” “No, it’s actually a huge beetle.” “When I thought it was a turtle, it turned out to be an enormous beetle unlike anything I’ve ever seen.” “I’ll knock it down now, so keep your eyes on it, okay?” “Oh! It’s a beetle?”

“Alright, I’m knocking it down!” Takeo stretched his body further still, grunting as he poured strength into his arm and swung the bamboo pole with a sharp crack—as if determined to snap it outright against the giant beetle. Then came a second strike. A third. A shrill screech tore through the air... The beetle emitted an unnatural wail, teetering precariously as it flailed glossy black segmented legs and stabbed dagger-sharp claws into the bark, desperately thrashing to maintain its vise-like grip on the trunk. Takeo fought with death-driven frenzy, channeling every ounce of strength into the bamboo’s tip as he struck again and again—crack! crack!—with merciless precision.

A creaking groan...

With that unearthly shriek, the monster beetle finally swung free from the tree—and when the next strike severed its grip on the trunk, its hulking black form plunged straight down into the thicket below.

The Laughing Fiend

“There, it fell…” When Takeo bellowed, Omiyo’s voice—keen as rending silk—came from below. “Come down! Quickly, quickly!”

Takeo slid down from the Sai Kachi tree. Below，Omiyo was deathly pale and trembling violently as she pointed ahead. “Beyond the kudzu leaves.” “Look，look！The leaves are rustling…”

“Okay, got it… Wait here...”

Takeo bravely leaped headlong into the thicket where the giant beetle had presumably fallen. Omiyo had no time to stop him.

“Gah!” “There it was!…” A shout came from Takeo. Crack-crack—the bamboo pole continued to resound in the distance. Would Takeo truly succeed in capturing the beetle?

It was at that moment.

“Agh—!”

A scream echoed from the thicket where the struggle had occurred—undoubtedly Takeo's own voice. “………?” Omiyo jolted as if struck through the chest. Peering into the undergrowth, she found only kudzu leaves strewn about with their pale undersides upturned. Takeo had vanished. The thicket lay deathly still.

“Takeo-san. “Takeo-san...”

Omiyo shouted, but there was no reply. She ought to have entered the thicket, but to Omiyo, it remained far too terrifying a realm.

“Someone come! Please help!…” “Please help—!…”

Omiyo desperately called out. At that moment, an ominous buzzing sound rang out as a large jet-black thing flew forth from the thicket. That was undoubtedly the giant beetle from before. The monstrous insect flew low, threading through the oak trees as it gradually drew closer to Omiyo.

“Ah—”

For her, the biscuit tin she held was her only weapon, so she desperately defended herself by swinging it wildly again and again. The giant beetle—perhaps overwhelmed by Omiyo’s frantic resistance—flew in wide circles around her two or three times from a distance, but gradually retreated until it vanished without a trace.

What should I do...

Omiyo, brushing away her flowing tears, gazed toward the thicket where traces of the struggle remained. It was undoubtedly a terrifying realm, but with no one to hear her cries for help and come running, she couldn’t simply flee back alone like this. If she did such a thing, that dear friend Takeo might lose his life. (I should go check that thicket over there.)

Omiyo made up her mind and finally pushed her way into the thicket. Her simple one-piece dress caught on the thorns and was instantly torn to shreds with a ripping sound. But she had no time to dwell on such things now. Parting and pushing through the weeds again and again, Omiyo approached the thicket where the kudzu leaves grew thickly - the spot she had mentally marked earlier.

“Huh… It should be around here…”

She had been certain Takeo would be lying there at full length, but that expectation proved wrong—there was no trace of anyone at all. Had I made a mistake…

She looked around—there was no doubt this was the spot. Scattered here and there were kudzu leaves that Takeo had apparently smashed apart with a stick, their white undersides exposed.

"Ah! This really was the spot! Takeo-san’s bamboo stick was right here!"

Omiyo 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 bamboo whisk from being struck too hard. Then, upon closer inspection, she noticed something red stuck to the bamboo fragment. When she touched it with her fingertips, it was blood. She couldn’t tell whether it had come from the beetle or from Takeo’s body, but since beetles weren’t thought to have red blood, she concluded it must have come from Takeo. Takeo seemed to have been injured. Though he should have been lying fallen nearby, his figure was nowhere to be seen.

“Ahh—!”

Omiyo was suddenly terrified. There must be some terrifying thing here that they didn’t know about—otherwise, there was no reason why a giant beetle like that would be climbing up the trees or why Takeo, who should have been there until now, would have vanished. The moment that thought struck her, Omiyo’s fear doubled and tripled in intensity. At any moment now, a monstrous hand as large as a tree might slither up from the grass around her and seize her body in a crushing grip.

“What the—?...” With a scream, Omiyo spun around and burst out from the thicket in a frenzy. And without looking back, she stampeded down the path she had come from.

What on earth had happened to Takeo? Where had his body disappeared to?

Omiyo’s figure vanished beyond the cluster of trees, and the forest seemed to return to its original deathly stillness.

But if there had been someone still watching this grove, that person would surely have gasped in astonishment. For...

The reason was that about a hundred meters deeper into the thicket from where they had been stood another cluster of densely growing kudzu leaves—from whose shadows a grotesque figure oozed into view. The man—if such he could be called—sported an unkempt beard streaked with white hairs across his face, two large eyes blazing with unnatural light, and a gaunt frame draped in antiquated Western-style clothes stained with grime. Across his shoulder hung a square bag secured by a black leather strap, its contents unknowable. After casting a glance toward the thicket where Takeo had struggled, he curled his lips into a ghoulish smirk and began crushing through the undergrowth with heavy stomps, pushing ever deeper into the forest’s heart.

What on earth could this suspicious old man-like figure be? And yet, though he must have been aware of Takeo’s peril and heard Omiyo’s cries for help, why had he not attempted to come to their rescue?

Demon Forest

The strange incident in the forest also reached the ears of Dr. Osumi, who was spending his vacation in Yaoi Village. He had brought Gibson’s original tome *On the Genesis of Organisms in Prehistoric Times* with the intention of finishing it that summer; drawing it close, he opened it to roughly a third of the way through and was engrossed in reading when... According to the article, horses’ ancestors had five toes on their feet, just like humans. Why did only the middle one grow large by itself while the two on either side withered away, as seen in today’s horses? There existed a certain subtle trigger behind this phenomenon. At that time, there had been a horse that excelled at running. The horse became so absorbed in its swift running that one time it drove its hoof deep into a stone crevice, causing the bones of its outermost toes to snap and bend. Of course, the horse could no longer walk and lay there fallen, moaning day after day, but eventually, its wounds healed, allowing it to rise once more. However, the bones at both ends of its toes remained bent inward in an unsightly manner and ultimately never regained their original form. At first, it walked with a limp. 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 ugly, bent toes proved advantageous for running with unprecedented swiftness. The emergence of this champion of speed could not escape the notice of the other horses. The horses needed to run as fast as possible for their own safety, so out of envy for this champion of speed, they began carefully observing his unique running style. And before long, many horses ended up developing the habit of bounding on their toes just like the champion of speed. Through this trigger, as horses learned to run on their toes, only the middle one of the five toes on each foot grew larger, while the remaining four toes at both ends gradually withered and shrank. Only the horses that could run swiftly managed to escape predators’ fangs and survive, but those that refused to adapt were all devoured by stronger animals, and thus the five-toed horse species perished entirely. However, it is said that occasionally, horses with five toes like those of antiquity are born quite suddenly. At first glance this appears to be a chance occurrence, but in reality it is not—when such horses develop within the embryo, there exist extremely specific physiological conditions. He had just reached the part stating "This will be discussed in detail in a later chapter, et cetera—" when Dr. Osumi found his reading interrupted by villagers loudly discussing beneath his window the mysterious incident involving Omiyo and Takeo.

“I went to Takeo’s house, but his mother was paralyzed with shock.” “Takeo’s still out and ain’t nowhere to be found.” “The problem is, young Omiyo here keeps spoutin’ nothin’ but delirious ravings—can’t get her to come to her senses proper—so we ain’t got the foggiest where she ran into trouble or what exactly happened.” “Still ain’t got a lick o’ sense ‘bout what’s happened, have we?” “She keeps ravin’ ‘beetle, beetle,’ don’t she?” “I hear young Omiyo came runnin’ down from the mountains—reckon she might’ve strayed too close to that Demon Forest, don’t you think?”

“The Demon Forest, eh? “When it comes to the Demon Forest, Takeo might not know a thing—but Omiyo should be well aware of its horrors. “Why on earth did she take Takeo to such a place?” “Well, could that not be demons at work?”

“This has turned into quite a predicament. If Takeo’s wandered into the Demon Forest, rescuing him’ll be a right tricky business, I tell ya.”

“That’s right. Because everyone values their life, there ain’t no one who’d try to enter the Demon Forest.” “Come to think of it, you know ‘bout that strange incident Jinbei saw near the Demon Forest last midnight?” “Yeah, that incident.” “Not only do I know about that incident—I’m one who saw it with my own eyes, I tell ya!” “Oh, Wasaku, so you’re also among those who saw it?” “Tell me what it looked like.” “Nah, that ain’t possible.” “The curse that’d come after’s too dreadful, I tell ya.” “The Demon Forest’s finally become what it’s named for, I tell ya.” “At that time, we comrades made a pact not to speak of it among ourselves, I tell ya.” “Don’t ask me ‘bout it.” “That way’s better for you, I tell ya—and for everyone’s sake too.”

Dr. Osumi finally snapped the thick original volume shut. It seemed a rather significant incident had occurred. He had spent nearly every day playing with the boy Takeo since arriving here and knew him well. Apparently Takeo had strayed into the Demon Forest and was now missing. Moreover, given it was the Demon Forest, the villagers seemed hesitant to mount a search. If this continued, it appeared Takeo would be left abandoned to his peril.

“This is pitiful!”

Dr. Osumi stood up, untied his sash, and changed into Western clothes. After putting on his shoes and stepping out to the entrance, he turned back into the room for some reason, rummaged through the closet, and eventually pulled out a thick, jet-black Western cane adorned with peculiar metal fittings. Clutching it, he rushed outside.

Eerie Glint

In front of Omiyo’s house, nearly all the villagers had gathered. They all wore worried expressions, looking as though they were racking their brains. Dr. Osumi searched through the crowd and found Furuka Jinbei—a clerk from the village office whom he recognized—then addressed him. “How is Miss Omiyo’s condition now?”

The clerk ran his large hand smoothly over his face, “Ah, young Omiyo’s fast asleep now—the sleeping draught’s taken proper hold.” “At this rate, they say she probably won’t wake up until around noon tomorrow.” “Around noon tomorrow?” In that case, he wouldn’t be able to get clear information about Takeo’s whereabouts until around noon tomorrow.

Osumi, disappointed, was about to turn on his heel when the clerk called out to him. “Mr. Osumi. “Young Omiyo keeps spoutin’ delirious ravings like ‘A tortoise-sized beetle came leapin’ at me!’—reckon she’s gone clean outta her mind, I do.” “A tortoise-sized beetle—she says?” “That’s a fascinating mystery,” Osumi said, his eyes widening. “Whether Miss Omiyo has lost her mind or not, I find those delirious ravings utterly fascinating to hear.” “If taken seriously, this could relate to phenomena like the Loch Ness Monster currently being debated in scientific circles.” “What do you think—have there been any accounts in this village of beetles as large as that being sighted before?”

“Nah, how could there be such foolish talk?” he dismissed with a single word. “Mr.Clerk—I want to search that oak forest and determine Takeo-kun’s whereabouts—would you come with me?”

“What? To that Demon Forest…” “Nah, I’m beggin’ ya—spare me from that forest!”

“Oh, so you’re part of the terror faction after all.” “Then there’s nothing to be done.” “I shall go alone.” “Now, wait! Wait!” “I’m beggin’ ya—hold off on goin’ into that forest!” “In this village, if someone enters that Demon Forest… well, it’s considered their own fault, I tell ya.”

“Then are you going to let Takeo-kun die?”

“It ain’t that we’re abandonin’ him to die, I tell ya—it’s just the curse’s too dreadful.” “Don’t do it, I beg ya! Don’t do it!” “Why on earth is that oak forest called the Demon Forest?” “Please let me hear the reason.”

“I don’t know, I tell ya.” “It just ain’t allowed, I tell ya!” “If you go into that forest and something goes wrong, it’ll bring trouble on the whole village!” “The reason Omiyo and Takeo went and did such a thing is all because their parents weren’t payin’ proper attention, I tell ya.” “That’s why they’re actually causin’ so much trouble right now, I tell ya!” The clerk’s mood was gradually worsening. Dr. Osumi decided it would be unwise to say anything further and left the scene as he was.

He took a detour and emerged onto the main road where the oak forest in question came into view. Perhaps because he regarded it with such wariness, the forest stood dark and dense as if hoarding secrets from time immemorial. But no matter what demons might dwell there, abandoning Takeo to his fate was unconscionable by any human standard. Having resolved that he absolutely must venture into and explore this forest, Osumi gripped his thick Western cane and stomped toward the woods with heavy, deliberate steps.

But unfortunately, the sun was already sinking toward the western horizon. As he approached the forest, the evening darkness gradually thickened. And an eerie chill that sent shivers down his spine seemed to flow from the direction of the forest. But having come this far, he couldn’t turn back without grasping something. As an eerie menace pressed in, courage began to blaze up throughout Dr. Osumi Seiji’s entire being.

As he stepped deeper into the forest where not even a path could be discerned, the darkness soon made it so he could no longer see his own toes. Osumi regripped the Western-style cane in his hand and pressed the button attached to it, whereupon a swift beam of light streamed out from the handle. This Western-style cane was not Sun Wukong’s Ruyi Jingu Bang that could shrink or extend at will, but rather the scientist’s prized defensive cane equipped with seven hidden mechanisms. The beam now streaming forth was, needless to say, the light from the flashlight mechanism installed at the tip of his cane.

The trees stretched deep into the forest. The weeds had grown so thickly that there was no place to step. Suddenly, a violent flapping erupted overhead, and with a shrill, eerie cry, a nameless, bizarre bird flew away.

Advancing four or five hundred meters, he finally reached an area he presumed must be near the forest's center. However, the surroundings remained an unchanged landscape of trees and weeds—there was no sign of Takeo, the boy he was searching for, nor any traces of a struggle. Dr. Osumi Seiji was a bit perplexed. He came to a halt and plopped down heavily onto the grass. And he switched off the flashlight he'd kept lit all this time. Suddenly, darkness enveloped the scientist's entire body.

As the faint afterimage faded from his eyes, he finally grew accustomed to the darkness. There, he surveyed the surroundings that were like darkness itself anew. Beyond the oppressive darkness lay nothing!

Just as a faint disappointment and relief settled in the scientist’s chest—it happened in that very instant. Though he couldn’t discern whether it was hundreds of meters ahead or not, right where his face was turned—directly in front of him—a vivid blue flame flared up abruptly from some unknown source. The instant it appeared, a fierce whoosh shook the air within the forest. At the same moment, the vivid blue flame expanded greatly in an instant and soared fiercely into the heavens. A fire pillar—a massive fire pillar had erupted. The eerie light stained even the tree trunks with its vivid blue, must have blazed fiercely for four or five seconds.

“Gah!”

Just as Dr. Osumi Seiji leapt up in shock—in that very instant—it vanished with a hiss.

In the Demon Forest burns... What manner of light is this?! Was it lightning? An explosion? Or perhaps a demon’s bonfire?

Formless Acquaintance

The vivid blue flash accompanied by an eerie sound did not occur again after that. What could be the true nature of this eerie light emanating from deep within such a remote forest? Last night, some villager must have glimpsed something in the direction of this Demon Forest and felt such overwhelming terror that they all kept silent—but hadn't that very thing been the same blue flame pillar he had just witnessed? Dr. Osumi Seiji felt that venturing into this terrifying forest had finally borne fruit. Now all that remained was to unravel the great secret hidden within this forest and rescue Takeo. Having thought this, he roused himself with sudden ferocity and began advancing toward the direction where the eerie flame had blazed up.

He relit his cane lantern and advanced step by step, pressing down firmly with each stride while keeping a sharp watch on his surroundings. However, what appeared within the conical beam of light remained nothing but the same unchanging trees and weeds.

He felt as though each step he took required an hour.

He had advanced about twenty steps when— He sensed something like a sword’s gust nearby and gasped, trying to lower his stance—but it was already too late. Crack! A powerful blow struck his wrist.

“Gah—!”

His defense cane tumbled into the grass thicket. Thinking he mustn’t lose it, he tried to retrieve it while enduring the pain—when miraculously, the glowing cane began moving through the air on its own like a living creature with a hiss. The moment he gasped “Ah—!”, the cane’s light vanished abruptly, plunging everything into true darkness once more. Dr. Osumi Seiji stood abandoned at terror’s peak. Who was there?!

Danger approaches!

At that moment, he thought he heard a low human voice coming from nowhere in particular. “Doctor! Doctor!” “Dr. Osumi!” Or so it also seemed to him. Who calls my name? Is this a trick of the mind? The scientist strained his ears. “Doctor! Doctor!” “Dr. Osumi!”

The same voice called my name. He was indeed being called. The voice sounded familiar.

"Who are you?! Stop these cowardly tricks and come out here at once!" "Ah! Doctor..." "Please don't speak so loudly." This time,the voice from darkness spoke in clear tones. "Oh... So you're—"

“Do you understand now?” “I’m Takeo.” “You understand now, don’t you?” “Dr. Osumi!”

Takeo was speaking. The boy Takeo was still alive and unharmed. Confirming that had been tonight's primary objective.

―But wait.

At that moment, Dr. Osumi Seiji realized. If this voice's owner was truly Takeo... why wouldn't he show himself openly before me? Could there truly be such insolence as suddenly knocking down my light from the darkness? This was no time to let down my guard! he told himself. "Takeo-kun, if it's really you, pick up my flashlight that I dropped there." "No, I can't do that." "Please wait on that."

“This is strange.” “This really isn’t like you...” “Where exactly are you speaking from?” “Are you really alive?” “Or are you…” Or are you a ghost? The question nearly came out—he almost asked—but he couldn’t bring himself to voice it.

“I seem both alive and dead... Ah, but this isn’t the time for such talk! Doctor—I have an urgent request. Will you hear me?” “An urgent request? ...Very well—I’ll listen.” “Before explaining—I must insist you keep our conversation absolutely secret from everyone.” His voice tightened like drawn wire. “Even if my mother asks—you mustn’t breathe a word! If word leaks out... catastrophe will follow! Truthfully—we shouldn’t even be speaking like this now—but I trust you’ll keep silent—that’s why I summoned you here.”

“I understand perfectly, Takeo-kun. I promise. Since I will certainly keep your secret, go ahead and state this request of yours.”

The Hilltop Nightmare

The following mid-afternoon, Dr. Osumi Seiji was trudging up a small hill called Hibari Hill located east of Yaoi Village. His face, which until yesterday had looked healthily ruddy, today had turned as pale as if he were a different person.

What conversation had he held last night in the Demon Forest with the invisible boy Takeo? Dear readers, you must be eager to learn this quickly as well, but considering Takeo pleaded as if on the verge of tears to keep the secret, I shall refrain from laying it all out here. However, in the end, if one pays attention to Dr. Osumi’s future actions, the earth-shattering secret Takeo had revealed would gradually become clear. To be sure, both Takeo and Dr. Osumi Seiji had been caught up in this grand incident, yet they had only just learned a small part of it. The true shock that would astonish them still lay ahead.

When Dr. Osumi Seiji had reached the top of the hill,

“Oh, Dr. Osumi, I’ve been waiting for you.”

With that, she called out.

“Ah, it’s you, Omiyo-chan.” “You made it.” “Oh, what’s with the baby?”

“Hohoho.” “This is our baby.” “She’s my sister.” “I pretended to be babysitting and slipped away quietly to come here.” “Otherwise, they wouldn’t have let me out so soon after yesterday.” “Who do you think would let me out?”

“I see, I see.”

The one standing there holding a female infant barely ten months old was unmistakably Omiyo, the heroine of yesterday’s strange incident. Though her face remained pale and drained of color—as if she hadn’t fully shaken off her earlier agitation—she seemed to have completely regained her vigor, perhaps owing to the medicine’s effects. “I read the letter you hid in the bouquet and gave me,” she said. “‘Urgent consultation regarding Takeo-kun’—what could that mean? I wonder... Hasn’t Takeo-san returned yet?”

“Well… There’s simply no lead to follow,” said Dr. Osumi, barely containing his distress. “However, I believe we must save Takeo-kun no matter what.” “Regarding that, I must ask for your help in various ways, Omiyo-chan—but for now, please answer what you can to the questions I’m about to ask.”

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

“To that Demon Forest?” “Well, I think it would be best to postpone that for now.” “Now first—exactly one year ago today, a white-painted foreign ship should have arrived offshore here. Among the villagers at that time—who exactly was hired to go out to the main ship?”

“My, you know about that so well,” Omiyo said, blinking her eyes. “There were three people. "One was a man named Kitaro, and he passed away this spring. "The other was Takeo-san’s father. This father disappeared shortly after the foreign ship departed, and it’s said that he’s likely dead by now. “And another one is Mr. Jinbei who currently serves as the village assistant mayor.”

“Ah, Mr. Furuka Jinbei.” “That man, huh... Now then—about the fifty-centimeter meteorite that fell in Daishuji Temple’s garden and was later excavated—who has it now?”

“That would be Dr. Tsujikawa, who lives in the Western-style mansion you can see on the mountainside over there.” “I see, Dr. Tsujikawa. —And another thing—around what time of year do the red dragonflies start appearing in this village? And which direction do those red dragonflies always face while flying, I wonder?” "My, you do keep asking such strange things! The red dragonflies started emerging much later since last year. They usually come out around July, but last year they didn’t appear until October, so I kept thinking how strange it was. The direction they fly is this way—shifted about this much north from due west.”

With that, Omiyo used two fingertips to form an angle of about thirty degrees.

“Hmm. Ah, thank you. Though there may be more to ask later, that’s all I wanted to know today.”

“How unsettling! What use could such things possibly serve?” “You’ll understand in time. Until then, keep silent. This village may yet face stranger happenings.” “Oh...”

The two exchanged glances and sighed together. However, had the two at this moment turned around and noticed the sudden catastrophe that had occurred behind them, how utterly terrified they would have been.

The Great Catastrophe on the Hill

Omiyo and Dr. Osumi sat still side by side like statues on the cool hill, wordless for a time as they both worried about Takeo-kun’s safety.

Before long, Omiyo suddenly noticed.

“Oh—what’s happened to Daishiko?” “Where could she have gone while we were so caught up talking?”

“Oh—” Dr. Osumi looked around like someone roused from a dream. Yet the baby Omiyo had brought was nowhere to be seen. “Which way could she have crawled? ...Daishibō!” “Daishibō!” “Where did you go—oh?” Dr. Osumi panicked and began frantically combing through nearby thickets of weeds, but ultimately failed to find the missing infant. Omiyo—perhaps overwhelmed by mounting horrors—suddenly turned pale and collapsed unconscious where she stood.

Just how far had Omiyo’s younger sister crawled?

Had there been someone passing by who witnessed every detail of the catastrophe that had suddenly occurred behind Omiyo and Dr. Osumi—who had been deep in conversation until moments before—they would have surely passed out midway through the pair’s discussion, overwhelmed by the sheer grotesqueness even before witnessing the full extent of the anomaly. That is to say, he would have first noticed Omiyo’s younger sister gleefully crawling up to the top of the hill. That was truly an innocent scene. The baby had finally reached the top of the hill. The blazing sun scorched down upon Daishiko-bōya. She seemed to be considering which direction to crawl next, but up until then, things had been all right. Yet at that very moment, a great catastrophe suddenly descended upon the baby’s body. At this moment, the white baby clothes made of what appeared to be Fuji silk that the infant was wearing began to swell up and bulge. It was 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. Just as one thought they would, they tore with a faint ripping sound. From beneath emerged an exposed mass of flesh tinged with red. It twitched and squirmed eerily, gradually swelling until it rapidly grew to about the size of a pig. But that monster was indeed none other than Daishiko-bōya. Because it had swollen so grotesquely, the torn baby clothes hung limply around its neck like a bib, barely clinging on. And thus appeared the mysterious and grotesque baby colossus!

In old fairy tales, there existed a story of Issun-bōshi—who stole a bottle of growth elixir from a magical land—taking but a single lick of its liquid to make his body suddenly swell grotesquely until he reached full human stature. Yet that was mere human fancy! In Daishiko-bōya’s case, it was reality’s great catastrophe unfolding vividly under the blazing sun of this earth! Had Daishiko-bōya made any sound here, she would surely have startled Omiyo and Dr. Osumi. Yet whether fortunately or unfortunately, at this moment the baby—perhaps due to the anomaly—lay in a semi-comatose state just beyond a slight rise in the hill, her enormous limbs splayed out limply.

At that moment, a figure parted the thicket of weeds and suddenly revealed its face. When they looked, there stood a bizarre man with a face so thickly bearded one might mistake him for a bear, his eyes glowing fiercely like those of a wild beast. Clad in a filthy Western-style suit and carrying an oddly long black leather bag slung over his shoulder, he was somehow familiar. And no wonder—this strange old man was none other than the same mysterious figure who had emerged from the trees when Takeo vanished into the weeds. His name was Tsujikawa Seigen—a self-proclaimed Doctor of Philosophy who resided in an oddly shaped Western-style mansion on Yaoi Village’s high ground.

“Hmm.” “This one…”

The mad doctor surveyed the scene before him, muttered something in a low voice, then approached Daishiko-bōya—who lay like a napping sow—with a brisk stride unbefitting his appearance. After observing the situation for a while, he gave a firm nod, hoisted the giant baby colossus onto his shoulder with a grunt, and unsteadily descended the hill in the opposite direction. It was a truly grotesque sight—how should one even begin to describe it?

The figures of the mad doctor and the giant baby colossus soon became hidden among the grove of trees and vanished from sight......

It was still some time later that Omiyo and Dr. Osumi noticed the baby’s disappearance.

The Bizarre Life of Dr. Tsujikawa Dr. Osumi then secluded himself in his lodgings for three full days afterward, not stepping outside even once. Had the succession of strange incidents made him timid? No, no—that was not the case. He spent those three days living in a single room of his lodgings, yet the vigor of his activities during that time was several times more intense than if he had gone out into the scorching heat and run twenty kilometers every day. During that time, he fervently devoured several original books written in Western script. And with a red pencil, he went on adding underlines here and there. However, each time he finished reading a book, he let out a long, deep sigh.

"...No good. "This book is no good either."

He shoved the Western book off his desk, spread out a sheet of paper, and began writing furiously. He drew diagrams that defied comprehension. But when even that reached its limit, he tore every last sheet to shreds with an angry ripping sound. Then he planted both elbows on the desk, clawed at his hair with his fingertips, and writhed in anguish. If any work he did during that time held meaning, it was solely this: he had asked his lodgings’ landlady to send a lengthy telegram addressed to Engineer Nakaya at Tokyo’s Central Meteorological Observatory.

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

“Oh Doctor! You’re looking much better today,” the landlady called out cheerfully as she smiled. “If you get too wrapped up in your studies, it’ll ruin your health.”

Dr. Osumi deflected the answer with a laugh as he washed his face with cold water. When he looked outside from the wellside, it was another clear day with not a single cloud hanging over the mountain range. The screeching of cicadas could already be heard—perched on the trunks of trees along the street, they clamored noisily. The scientist walked to the fence with the wet towel still on his head. From there, the Western-style mansion of the suspicious figure in question—Dr. Tsujikawa—was clearly visible. The curved red roof tiles glowed with a venomous hue in the morning sun, as if they had sucked blood.

“Madam.” “Have you ever seen someone called Dr. Tsujikawa living in that house over there—hmm?”

“Dr. Tsujikawa, you mean...” She asked in return, waving her hand before her forehead as if warding off a demon. “Why would I ever go looking for such a terrifying person? If I were to catch even a glimpse of him, I’d collapse right on the spot, I tell ya.”

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, does he?” “There’s no way he could come out so often!” “I wonder who Dr. Tsujikawa is getting to feed him.” “Does he have a wife or servants?” "He did have a wife long ago, but I hear she passed away." “When you say ‘I hear,’ what exactly do you mean by that?”

“That’s just something I heard through the grapevine—not a single soul in the village ever laid eyes on her face after she passed, I tell ya. But she was quite the beauty back then, I tell ya. Now there’s just one servant left working there, I tell ya. They call him Iwazō—a man without a right leg, I tell ya. He keeps a wooden stake fastened to his thigh and goes shuffling about without any cane, I tell ya. Word has it he keeps all sorts of beasts out there too, but that’s more than I know for certain, I tell ya.”

“Hmm, I see. It seems he’s leading quite a pitiable life,” sympathized Dr. Osumi, who had never seen Dr. Tsujikawa. “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, don’t be absurd!” “You may intend to go, Doctor, but you’d best put that thought right out of your mind.” “First of all—according to those who’ve approached it—that mansion’s surrounded by a formidable wall with two gates, large and small, always shut tight and charged with such powerful electricity that anyone who mistakenly touches them will drop dead on the spot, they say.” “Don’tcha go, don’tcha go—not that above all…”

At this, the landlady gave a terrified, violent shudder.

Dr. Osumi stood motionless with his lips tightly clenched in silence, yet he seemed to have made some grave resolution.

At that moment, from within the clear blue sky, came a strange droning sound. Just then, Dr. Osumi startled and recoiled as the strange noise gradually grew louder, clearly approaching their direction.

“Is that a plane?”

By the time he noticed, a terrifyingly small-framed plane had appeared directly above the inn. It looked like a light aircraft known as the “Sky Louse.” Who on earth could be aboard? The Puu descended even lower and began circling just above the rooftops. Dr.Osumi, intuitively sensing danger, took shelter under the eaves of the storehouse. The instant he did, a jet-black elongated object flew out from the aircraft—whooshing through the air—and came crashing down violently right where Dr.Osumi had been standing. A bomb?

Sasa 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 because it had submerged into the water, it ultimately never exploded. Dr. Osumi instinctively grabbed the handle of a hoe that had been leaning against the storehouse wall, gripping it in a reverse hold as he braced himself.

At that very moment, accompanied by what sounded like the fierce whir of wingbeats ripping through the air, a light aircraft came slanting down from the sky. No sooner had it crashed into the road ahead with a thud than it bounced like a rubber ball once with a poing, seeming to continue skidding onward—but as its tail section whooshed upward, it drew a graceful arc through the air to execute a dragonfly somersault before flopping over onto its back with a splat. Dr. Osumi, who had been watching, involuntarily held his breath.

What happened to the pilot? Just as Dr. Osumi voiced this doubt, the Puu’s wings—which had lain dead still—swayed gently, and from beneath them emerged a figure clad in khaki flight gear. And the moment he stood up, he burst into the boarding house’s enclosure like a cannonball.

As if completely unaware of the people around him, the intruder suddenly dashed to the well and peered inside. And immediately raising his face,

“Rape!” “Rape! Rape!”

he turned toward Dr. Osumi and shouted. While Dr. Osumi stood dumbfounded, he noticed the coil of rope hanging under the eaves, lunged to grab it, and began frantically unraveling the bundle. Then, holding one end of it, he approached Dr. Osumi and—in a flash—wound the rope around and around the scientist’s body. It was a remarkable feat of speed. Just as Dr. Osumi started to shout something,

“Alright, this should do it. “Make sure you’re holding that rope tight…” After rattling this off, he grabbed the other end of the rope himself, swiftly tied it around his torso, and bolted to the well’s edge. Then he kicked off his half-boots with two sharp thuds, planted one foot on the well’s rim, and swiveled his head to glare at Dr. Osumi. “Hey... Maybe I flubbed the landing, but check out this primo bomb-tossin’ technique, eh? You.” “Too damn flawless—now I gotta pull these acrobatics... Got it? You.” “Right now, it’s do or die for one poor sap.” “Hold that rope like your life depends on it!”

With that curt remark, the man in the flight suit nonchalantly descended into the well. While Dr. Osumi stood bewildered at this stranger’s identity, the man in the flight suit—now drenched from head to toe—clambered up onto the edge of the well. Between his teeth, he held clamped a jet-black bag—slightly larger than a sandal pouch. He nimbly jumped down to the ground and, dangling the black bag by two fingers, approached Dr. Osumi. “You’re Dr. Osumi, right?” “Well, here’s the item you ordered.” “Since it seems to have taken a quick dip because of the heat, you’d better dry it in the sun pronto.” “Curtains.”

Having said that, he gave a hand salute with a playful gesture, as if to a superior officer.

The inn’s landlady, who had been sitting sprawled at the entrance to the dirt-floored entryway since earlier, perhaps finally reassured by this spectacle, brushed the mud from her kimono and stood up. Dr. Osumi looked as bewildered as a fox with its nose caught in a trap as he opened the thoroughly soaked bag that had been handed to him. From inside emerged a large brown envelope, swollen into a rounded shape. Of course, it was thoroughly soaked, but on the back was written “Tokyo Ichibashi, Central Meteorological Observatory, From Engineer Nakaya,” and when flipped over, “Dr. Osumi Seiji” was boldly inscribed on the front, alongside a note reading “Entrusted to Sasa Hōdan-kun.” That was precisely what Dr. Osumi had urgently ordered via telegram from the Central Meteorological Observatory. When he tore open the envelope, sure enough, from inside emerged a tightly rolled-up piece of paper. On it, using a mimeograph, what appeared to be intricate mathematical notations were densely crammed into every available space.

“Ah, I must apologize for the trouble, Mr. Sasa.”

With that, he called out to the aviator.

“It’s not Sasa-kun—it’s Sassa-kun. Sassa Hōdan’s the name.”

He was at the wellside, completely naked, using drawn water to wipe his body with seemingly contented motions. He appeared to be a spirited young man of twenty-four or twenty-five.

“Ah, I see. "—But this is quite troubling. Your airplane seems to have broken down..." “Ah, that? It’s no big deal. Given a day or two, it’ll be completely fixed.”

His words were rough, but his disposition was that of a supremely clear-hearted young man.

“I’m terribly sorry you went through the trouble of flying here for something like this.” “No, no trouble at all,” Sasa Hōdan replied as he pulled a small notebook and pencil from the pocket of his removed clothes and stepped forward before the scientist, clad only in his undershorts.

“By the way, could I ask one thing? What exactly have you been researching here, Dr. Osumi, and what have you discovered?”

Dr. Osumi was thrice taken aback, staring vacantly at the man’s face as if to bore holes through it with his gaze. Then Sasa plucked a solitary business card from between his notebook’s pages and thrust it toward Dr. Osumi, announcing in a buoyant voice:

“……I’m a reporter from Tokyo Communications News.” “Come on, give me the first scoop!”

The Secret of the Foreign Ship

Dr. Osumi quickly became friends with journalist Sasa. To be fair, someone as thick-skinned and pushy as Sasa would never leave one’s side as long as he had business to attend to—that much was certain.

Reporter Sasa asked questions so persistently and exhaustively that before long, most details concerning the village incident came to light. However, since he was wise, he did not immediately send a report to headquarters. He knew that since other newspapers had not yet noticed this incident, it was more advantageous to maintain silence in the meantime and thoroughly gather as much information as possible about the incident’s details.

Thus, Reporter Sasa resolved not only to gather articles but now also to greatly assist Dr. Osumi in bringing this case to a resolution as soon as possible. He provided Dr. Osumi with various pieces of knowledge from his own expertise.

“Dr. Osumi—it’s finally today at eleven.” “Now, listen carefully with that receiver there.”

With that, Reporter Sasa hurriedly rushed out of the inn. Dr. Osumi looked at his wristwatch. Fifteen minutes remained until eleven o'clock. His energetic friend had just gone to meet Furuka Jinbei, the village assistant mayor. Speaking of Furuka Jinbei—he was the man connected to one of three bizarre questions that the missing boy Takeo had asked to investigate. To clarify, Furuka Jinbei was precisely the man who had been temporarily employed by the foreign steamship that anchored off Yaoi Village's coast about a year ago, having performed some task for that vessel. There had been two other men as well—one already deceased from illness, the other being Takeo's father who had disappeared—making Furuka now the sole villager knowing those circumstances. Dr. Osumi had met with Furuka Jinbei and tried questioning him about various matters, but due to inexplicable terror, he absolutely refused to speak. With this first question ultimately unanswerable, Dr. Osumi had considered focusing on the second problem—but when Reporter Sasa learned of this, he dismissed it as trivial and proposed: "Let me handle it—I'll make him talk if you leave it to me briefly." Hearing Sasa's plan revealed his intent to use learned hypnosis on Furuka Jinbei to extract that secret. Simultaneously, Sasa planned to deploy his prized private telephone method—alternately called wiretapping—enabling Dr. Osumi to listen from the inn as Jinbei spoke. Naturally, for anyone versed in telephone technology, this posed no difficulty. Specifically, they placed a microphone behind a picture frame in the room where Jinbei was summoned, connected its two wires to a radio oscillator, then linked those to the telephone line. Thus, since high-frequency current would travel along telephone lines, they spliced two branch lines from the line before Dr. Osumi's inn, ran them into his room connected to a radio receiver—thereby making Jinbei's voice fully audible. This clearly violated communications law, but Reporter Sasa hadn't known such details.

The wiretapping preparations were fully complete. When the clock struck 11 AM, Dr. Osumi turned the receiver’s switch and waited for voices to emerge from the loudspeaker. Before long, the awaited energetic voice of Reporter Sasa intermingled with Furuka Jinbei’s drowsy tones as they came through. Furuka Jinbei now appeared completely under Reporter Sasa’s hypnotic spell. Dr. Osumi could do nothing but marvel thrice at his roguish skill that disregarded all propriety.

“[...] So they said no one could tell what country that white steamship anchored offshore belonged to.” “What did the blue-eyed captain ask you to do? Try to remember that.” “...We were told to unload three rattan baskets—each slightly bigger than a four-to barrel.” “When we tried lifting one, ’twas so heavy—what could be inside?—that three men could barely hoist it up...”

“That’s right. Then you loaded them onto the boat and transported them to the coast. The captain came along too. And then what did you do with those three rattan baskets?”

“...In the darkness along the coast, there was someone standing holding a lantern. When we saw who was approaching, that was Dr. Tsujikawa.”

“What?! Dr. Tsujikawa!” Reporter Sasa choked out. “Yeah, that was Dr. Tsujikawa, right? “And then?” “Dr. Tsujikawa was conversing with the captain in some incomprehensible foreign tongue, but once their negotiations seemed settled, ’twas he who made us carry those three baskets and bring them to his house at the mountain’s base.”

“That’s right, that’s right. That’s where the transaction was completed.” “And then what happened…” “After that, we were put into a room, treated to a grand feast, and given a hefty sum of money.” “But we still had work left to do.” “As we were stuffing ourselves and engaging in idle chatter, suddenly came the order: ‘Take these baskets back to the ship.’” “Then we lifted three baskets again.” “But oddly enough, two of ’em baskets turned out light an’ empty—but that third one? Heavy as lead.” “And when we hoisted ’em onto our shoulders—somethin’ felt off.” “What in tarnation was in that...? Just can’t wrap my head around it.……”

With that, Jinbei fell silent abruptly, beads of clammy sweat trickling down his forehead. Reporter Sasa seized the moment without hesitation,

“That was truly a strange thing, that...” “But later, when we three talked it over...”

“Aye… After we talked it over, we reckoned there must’ve been some kinda livin’ creature in them baskets…” As he spoke this far, Jinbei’s face suddenly twisted into an expression of acute anguish.

Dr. Osumi’s Philosophy

“This isn’t going well!” “Namkengenkōri, namkengenkōri.” “Ara Kantsūmu, Visuvisu.” “Hmm, can’t have you waking up now.” “Come on, pull yourself together...” Reporter Sasa Hōdan of Tokyo Communications News—self-proclaimed master of hypnosis—kept desperately chanting incantations at Village Assistant Mayor Furuka Jinbei, who sat rigid with eyes clenched shut in visible distress. Yet the situation showed no sign of improving. Furuka Jinbei finally slammed the back of his head against the wall with a thud. As if tearing free from a nightmare, his eyes flew wide open.

“Aaaah! What in tarnation’s goin’ on here?!”

Jinbei wildly looked around his surroundings. “Dammit, don’t wake up! Don’t you dare wake up!” “Kantsūmu, Visuvisu.” “Ah rah, ah rah…” But the spell had already lost its power. Jinbei had completely awakened from the hypnosis.

With this, all was lost. Even Sasa Hōdan had no choice but to give up and retreat.

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

“Well, you’ve done splendidly there. Thanks to you, Dr. Tsujikawa’s conduct has become considerably clearer.” “The hypnosis stopped working right when it was getting somewhere. I’ll find a way to try again soon, you’ll see.”

At that moment, the landlady of the boarding house brought the beer that had been chilled by submerging it in the well. That was Dr. Osumi’s thoughtful gesture.

“Ah, my favorite’s here!” “Sorry ’bout this,” Sasa said with an audible gulp.

“Let’s draw full beers and formulate a grand strategy.”

The two men raised their foaming Western-style cups, clinked them together with a clink, and shouted “Banzai!” for their alliance forged through strange fate. “Sasa-kun,” he said, “I am convinced this village conceals a monumental secret beyond our wildest imaginings from every conceivable angle.” “A monumental secret?” Sasa interjected. “Ah! Now that’s it—that’s it! Things just got interesting!” “First,” Dr. Osumi continued, “the tortoise-sized beetle Takeo-kun reported seeing before his disappearance; then the phenomenon of Takeo-kun’s voice echoing through the forest without his physical presence; the foreign ship that abruptly anchored offshore a year ago; Dr. Tsujikawa’s suspicious activities; the delayed emergence of dragonflies now flying thirty degrees north of due west; and finally, Omiyo-chan’s younger sister’s disappearance…”

“There’s more.” “The fact that Sasa Hōdan left his busy Tokyo workplace to fly all the way out to this backwater, and that Dr. Osumi specifically chose this rural village as his summer study retreat…” “Well, to tell the truth, I somehow—whether you’d say I took a liking to Yaoi Village’s topography or found it intriguing—there’s something about it that strongly captivated me, so that’s why I wandered over here.”

“That’s what you’d call the sixth sense, huh?” “That may well be the case.” “So you see, this village is teeming with fascinating mysteries.” “It’s as if the individual equations forming a system of multivariate equations lie scattered haphazardly here and there.” “Combining them appropriately to obtain individual answers is certainly intriguing, but I sense that beyond those answers—in their deepest depths—lies yet another grand answer.” “That would come to induce an entire world.” “For instance, if we were to solve each individual unknown, only to find them all to be irrational numbers, we might then be compelled to imagine the irrational world formed by those irrational numbers.” “Upon confirming that irrational world, we might conversely be compelled to deny the absoluteness of this real world we currently believe to be unique—forced to establish the suicidal conclusion that what we’ve considered the real world until now was merely one example problem’s world.” “Oh, what profound truth; oh, what dreadful doubt…”

“Oh, Doctor…” With that, Reporter Sasa suddenly stood up and placed the foaming Western-style beer mug on Dr. Osumi’s head.

“Let’s shelve that horseshit sleepy-talk for later—right now we gotta break through to this case’s heart cold calm and decisive-like!” “That means sneaking into Dr. Tsujikawa’s mansion and digging out his secrets.” “C’mon—agree already and get up!” “Keep mumbling that dreamy crap after all that, and I’ll pour this ice-cold beer down your damn collar—how’s that grab ya?!”

An exploding bomb?

Reporter Sasa pulled the broken light aircraft "Sky Louse" out into the grassland and busied himself with repairs. Even so, he would occasionally pause his pliers-gripping hand, sit down on a nearby stone block, and stare intently at Dr. Osumi’s face as the scientist watched the proceedings.

“Hey Doc, yesterday you were spouting some weird sleep-talk nonsense—your head wasn’t quite right back then, huh?” “Don’t talk nonsense.” “I’m perfectly sane.” “Well, well—so you were dead serious about all that talk?” Sasa widened his eyes again and said, “So you’re still obsessed with that so-called ‘irrational world’ thing, huh? That thing’s pretty hard to get along with, y’know? How ’bout it? Feel like switching over to Sasa Hōdan’s no-nonsense approach?”

“...Cease your idle chatter and devote yourself to repairing the aircraft.” “I would hate for us to mishandle these critical repairs only to have the Sky Louse commence its midair disassembly protocol the moment we ascend.” “Ha ha ha!”

“Nah, this side’s fine.”

Even as they exchanged such banter, the repairs on the Sky Louse steadily progressed, and before evening fell, it had been completely restored to its original condition.

The peaceful dinner concluded, and soon after, the two welcomed the cool night.

The cloudless night sky held no moon, only the galaxy's stars glittering like diamond dust strewn across the dark void. It was the perfect dimly lit celestial canvas.

“Alright, it’s finally time to depart!”

“Ah, it’s about time we get going.” “Then let us set out.”

Dr. Osumi carried a cloth-wrapped bundle under his arm while Reporter Sasa secured himself in a flight suit, both leaving the inn with complete nonchalance. When they stepped out onto the street, the two shook hands anew.

“Alright, I’m counting on you to hold firm.” “Yeah, no problem. “Then you hold firm too!” With those words, the two split to the left and right. Reporter Sasa headed toward the square where the Sky Louse was parked, while Dr. Osumi briskly climbed up the slope. What could they be about to begin?

Some time later, an ominous sound approached the airspace above Dr. Tsujikawa’s Western-style mansion—a sprawling complex dominating the foothills.

At first, it seemed to be the sound of an airplane, but then it gradually descended until it drew near enough to graze the roof. And the mysterious aircraft continued circling over the mansion, showing no sign of flying away. It was clear now that Dr. Tsujikawa’s mansion had become the target. Inside Dr. Tsujikawa’s mansion, sudden commotion erupted.

That was when it happened. Once again, an aircraft came flying low, and the moment it seemed to pass directly over Dr. Tsujikawa’s mansion, something struck the iron gate of the main entrance—encircled by walls as high as a castle—and clanged thunderously. At the same instant, a brilliant flame flashed and blazed up. Before long, the aircraft came back again. This time, it seemed to be flying even lower. With a bang, another distinct sound came from near the high wall beside the main gate, and at the same moment, another dazzling flame blazed up.

Bombing! Dr. Tsujikawa’s mansion was now about to be bombed by bombs being dropped from the aircraft. However, fortunately, the bombs did not fall inside the mansion; instead, one after another, they landed outside and exploded with great force.

Startled by the commotion within the mansion, the back gate's small door creaked open, and a black figure flew out from inside. The black figure left the side of the small door and gradually made its way out toward the street. He had to come out because otherwise he couldn't see where the bombs were exploding. At that moment, another flash—this time a roaring flame that had surged up leaped to a pine tree and began crackling fiercely as it burned. And showed no sign of dying down... The black figure that had emerged from the back gate now appeared thoroughly alarmed and came running toward the pine tree engulfed in flames. When seen clearly illuminated by the firelight, he was a sturdy man who appeared to be two or three years past thirty. He had been dragging his leg oddly—and for good reason, as his right leg ended below the knee. All that remained was a stake-like prosthetic leg bound to his thigh.

He timidly approached the brightly burning pine tree, then straightened his back in relief and muttered.

“What the…?” “Thought it was real bombs or incendiaries, but this ain’t even a proper scare—just some firework contraption…” “No doubt it’s those village idiots pullin’ some prank.” “They don’t know a damn thing about Dr. Tsujikawa’s greatness—just a bunch of blasted idiots!”

With that parting shot, the man hobbled unsteadily back toward the rear gate he’d come from. Then, noticing the back gate remained open just as before,

“Damn! I left this open!” “Leaving it wide open like that—if someone’d snuck in, that would’ve been a real disaster.” “Close call… close call…” No sooner had he leaped inside the gate than he slammed the iron door shut and snapped the lock with a sharp click. This man was Iwazō, who served Dr. Tsujikawa faithfully—but was his relief truly justified?

Grotesque Cage

Dr. Osumi finally greeted the dawn without sleeping a wink. Of course this was due to extraordinary tension, but it was also partly because he had forgotten how many bush mosquitoes swarm 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 away the assailants, the more newcomers—having noticed the human presence—would press in.

Inside Dr. Tsujikawa’s mansion as well, the sun broke through the clouds of dawn and cast its refreshing light. Dr. Osumi crawled through the garden thicket, keeping a wary eye on his surroundings. Under cover of Sasa Hōdan’s "Sky Louse," he had thrown mock bombs—actually magnesium fireworks retrieved from his furoshiki bundle—at Dr. Tsujikawa’s gate the previous night, skillfully luring Iwazō outside before seizing the opportunity to slip through the rear gate one step ahead. If one did not stage such an elaborate ruse, it would have been nearly impossible to infiltrate Dr. Tsujikawa’s mansion, which was fortified like a medieval castle. The purpose of Dr. Osumi’s infiltration went without saying—it was to investigate the movements of the enigmatic Dr. Tsujikawa and to survey the secrets within the mansion. With the resolve that a single misstep could cost him his life, he had executed this direct assault to unravel the bizarre case.

Having slowly and cautiously crawled out from the thicket, Dr. Osumi—reassured that fortunately no one had spotted him—began his exploration of the vast mansion grounds. A spacious garden—though "garden" seemed rather inadequate; it might have been better described as an artificial mountainous terrain. To put it another way, one could more clearly describe the garden of Dr. Tsujikawa’s mansion as an elaborate miniature landscape—artificially shrinking the Hakone mountain range to a scale of roughly three hundred meters square. The terrain formed strange undulations and irregularities—here lay hills, there flowed streams; where one might expect a grove stood instead a majestically towering Western-style spire. It was only natural that the walls surrounding Dr. Tsujikawa’s mansion stood as high as a fortress—for had they not been built to such heights, the mansion’s bizarre interior would have easily caught the villagers’ eyes and inevitably become a subject of controversy.

Having crawled out from the thicket, Dr. Osumi stood frozen in astonishment amidst this surreal landscape. It was as if he had traversed vast raging seas and found himself wandering in a foreign land. Even if he were to search all of Japan, he doubted there existed another mansion as bizarre as this. He found it terrifying that Dr. Tsujikawa could take such perverse delight in this grotesque scenery. However, Dr. Osumi’s astonishment came somewhat too early. For as he wandered through this monstrous garden—happening upon an extraordinarily tall iron cage encircled by towering zelkova trees—the shock of peering inside rendered all previous oddities insignificant.

What on earth could have been inside that cage?

“Oh… this…” He froze like a fossil, every drop of color draining from his normally ruddy face.—Behold, behold! Within that sturdy cage, an aberrant creature swayed and squirmed… The first thing that caught his eye was a black bird—about the size of a crow—flapping noisily as it flew within a cage labeled "No. 1." But this was an optical illusion; upon closer inspection, the shape of its body, wings, and limbs revealed it to be a black fly.

“Hmm... A black fly...” A giant black fly with a body the size of a crow! This was his first encounter with such a monstrosity—yet this horror wasn’t alone. Behold the next cage! ...a rounded torso gleaming like black-lacquered armor; blade-like limbs jutting beneath; lens-like eyes glinting coldly; a single horn resembling a varnished twig... “Ah! This is it—the Demon Forest monster! The beetle they mistook for a turtle...”

He heard the violent clattering of his own upper and lower teeth as they trembled against each other. A beetle of terrifyingly massive proportions!

At that point, he apprehensively shifted his gaze to the next cage.

“Gah…” He became acutely aware of every hair standing rigidly upright on his head. What horror! Oh, what savagery! Confined within the neighboring cage was neither insect nor beast, but truly a human—the paragon of all living things. It was a naked human roughly the size of a pig, its head disproportionately large like a grotesquely enlarged infant. An ogre’s baby…?

Dr. Osumi thought. Unaware that this was Omiyo’s sister Taishiko, he believed it to be an ogre’s child. But the sheer enormity of the creatures kept in these cages! This scene resembled visiting a zoo from the Land of Giants found in fairy tales. Now, what creature was kept in the next cage? Assaulted by sudden anxiety, he found himself compelled to look ahead. He peered into the next cage. There sat an even more enormous animal cross-legged inside the wire mesh, staring fixedly ahead. It was a living human resembling a Nio guardian statue—but when Dr. Osumi caught a fleeting glimpse of its face—

“Guh…”

With that single cry, he suddenly grew faint and collapsed in a heap where he stood. Oh, I wish I hadn’t seen it. That particular cage—even if it had cost him his life—was one he should never have looked upon. What manner of being could possibly have been inside there?

Infiltration: The First Step

"Oh, if I'd known it would be like this, I never would have looked!"

What was it that had made Dr. Osumi turn his face away? What manner of creature could possibly have been contained within Cage No. 4? Indeed, it was Takeo, the boy who had ventured into the Demon Forest and disappeared. No—to put it more accurately, it might be better to say it was Takeo’s monster. For the Takeo confined within that cage was no longer the endearing boy of yore—with a height exceeding three meters, or rather over ten shaku, he had become a towering giant demon. It was no wonder that Dr. Osumi, having seen this, had succumbed to cerebral anemia. Truly, this was an anomaly upon anomaly—an unimaginable, colossal aberration in this world.

In the iron cages constructed within Dr. Tsujikawa’s garden, curiously enough, only such giant creatures had been gathered. Unbelievable giant creatures! How had such monsters arisen? And why were such grotesque giant demons appearing exclusively in Yaoi Village? The first interpretation anyone could imagine regarding these questions was that Dr. Tsujikawa, the sorcerer and master of this bizarre mansion, had used sorcery to create such grotesque creatures. Given that Dr. Tsujikawa’s true nature remained unclear, it might have been imprudent to voice such suspicions at present—but with all these varied giant demons gathered within the doctor’s estate, it was only natural that he would be viewed with such doubt.

Anyone who had even once seen the creatures in these bizarre cages would likely come to believe that the strange news from last year—about a beast resembling a creature from the previous century appearing in Scotland’s Loch Ness—might indeed have been true. Could it be that even the Loch Ness Monster had been created by Dr. Tsujikawa’s hand? Dr. Osumi softly 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 him? Which course of action should I take?

"Ah, perhaps it's best if I don't meet him for now." Dr. Osumi had ultimately decided against meeting him. 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, Takeo had stopped that too. Reflecting on how Takeo had let only his voice be heard without ever revealing himself made clear that even then, he must have already assumed that horribly transformed appearance and despised being seen in such a state. Each time Dr. Osumi sensed Takeo's pitiful feelings, tears would surge anew from his eyes without cease.

Having finally abandoned his attempt to meet Takeo, Dr. Osumi moved on to the second phase of his operation. Having gone to such lengths to infiltrate the place, he wanted to conduct as thorough a reconnaissance as possible. He would stealthily crawl out from grass thickets to climb trees or slip into crevices in large boulders, then use his trusted telescope to survey every building and terrain feature within the estate. What he paid particular attention to was the state of the expressionist-style building where Dr. Tsujikawa seemed to be constantly active. However, since he was observing from outside a tightly sealed building, he couldn’t help feeling a frustration akin to trying to scratch an itch through a shoe.

In the sky, the roar of explosions could be heard time and again. This was both a visit by comrade Sasa Hōdan’s "Sky Louse" aircraft—a show of force against Dr. Tsujikawa’s faction—and an effort to bolster his colleague Osumi’s resolve.

As evening fell and the garden began to darken, the "Sky Louse" returned as if awaiting this moment, engaging in low-altitude flight that seemed to search intently for something on the ground. Upon seeing this, Dr. Osumi aimed his flashlight skyward and flashed it repeatedly to signal his location. The signal apparently having been received, something black plopped down from above. It landed directly before Dr. Osumi's eyes. Reporter Sasa's bomb-dropping skills proved as precise as he boasted—the black object now lying there was a bag. Inside were rice balls and caramels. This was Sasa Hōdan's considerate provision.

Dr. Osumi filled his stomach with the provisions that had been dropped from the sky. And with renewed energy, he waited for the night to deepen. Before long, the deserted mansion grounds grew as still and silent as a deep mountain forest. Rather than quiet, it might be said they welcomed a night of terrifying intensity. In the woods, an owl—from where had it flown?—began to hoot "Hoo-hoo." Intermingling with this, from deep within the zelkova forest came an eerie, unidentifiable wailing sound. It echoed off the walls there and the hills here, sending shivers creeping up his collar.—Dr. Osumi slowly crawled out from the thicket.

Two windows with blazing lights were visible in the building where Dr. Tsujikawa resided. They felt almost like the twin glowing eyes of a sea demon. Having crept beneath the window, Dr. Osumi cautiously raised his head. Inside the room, taxidermied animal specimens stood crammed together in every available space, while expansive walls displayed various astronomical charts and weather maps. Looking over at Dr. Tsujikawa, he sat at a massive desk absorbed in reading.

“Hmm—now’s the time to sneak in…” Dr. Osumi moved to the back entrance he had previously identified. From there, Iwazō had frequently been coming and going. When he approached the door and gently pushed it—indeed—there was no lock there. “Locked!…”

Dr. Osumi boldly slipped inside. There, a dimly lit corridor stretched straight ahead, and at its far end, a bright hall could be seen. Dr. Osumi made his way toward the hall, hugging the shadows of the curtains as he crept forward slowly and cautiously, muffling his footsteps. But there, a terrible trap had already been laid in wait. “Gah—”

Before he could even cry out, two thick arms shot out from the curtain beside him—and from behind, they clamped tightly around Dr. Osumi’s throat.

Had he become Dr. Tsujikawa’s prey? “Hmm...”

How unfortunate! "What the—!" Dr. Osumi tried to wrench himself free from the mysterious figure’s grip, but the hold on his throat only tightened further, squeezing relentlessly. Before long, his mind grew foggy until he could no longer comprehend anything at all...

When Dr. Osumi stopped resisting, the arms that had been constricting him finally released their grip on his neck.

What suddenly emerged from behind the curtain was Dr. Tsujikawa—his face truly ghastly, like a Western devil marooned on a desert island. As for his beard, it had been left to grow wild and unkempt; each strand of his hair stood on end, with white hairs glistening among the black like autumn pampas grass. His body was clad in a velvet Western suit that had likely been expensive when new but was now wrinkled and frayed to the point of squalor, while around his neck he wore a narrow black necktie of a style that had been fashionable decades prior. Thus, no matter how one looked at him, it became clear that he was a man in an abnormal mental state.

“……Heh-heh-heh……”

Dr. Tsujikawa wore an eerie smile as he looked down at Dr. Osumi’s body stretched out along the corridor. Then, after prodding Dr. Osumi’s body a few times with the tip of his slipper and confirming there was no sign of movement, he turned and walked briskly down the corridor. After walking two or three ken, Dr. Tsujikawa suddenly whirled around. Thrusting his right hand’s fingers into the bird’s nest of his hair and scrubbing vigorously, he eventually gave a firm nod and returned to where he had been.

“……Right,” he muttered. “I’ll put this one to use.” Though unclear how exactly he meant to use him, Dr. Tsujikawa acted at once. He gripped Dr. Osumi’s body, heaved it onto his shoulder with a grunt, and strode briskly down the corridor. Turning a corner, he clanked open the automatic elevator door and ascended with a whir—to the fifth floor! When the elevator halted automatically, the doctor opened the door and emerged outside. The corridor stood immaculately swept clean—a stark contrast to Dr. Tsujikawa’s disheveled appearance—with doors and walls painted in restrained hues. —He opened the door on the right bearing a “Laboratory No. 1” placard and entered.

Illuminated under the bright electric light was a spacious room that appeared to be nearly sixty-six square meters in size. Instruments of all sizes and peculiar designs—their purposes unclear—were crammed into every available space, lined up in rows. There were what appeared to be large transformers as well as a telescope that seemed too grand for such a place, firmly installed. What was particularly strange was the high domed ceiling—shaped like a large ball cut in half and placed overhead—at the center of which a narrow, slit-like window had been opened. Dr. Tsujikawa laid Dr. Osumi’s body down on the armchair. After that, he worked in silence, pacing back and forth across the room as he busily examined something.

Before long, the large electric lights in the room were turned off, leaving only a spotlight projecting a conical beam from one wall. Within that circular beam of light floated a single table resembling an operating table—its distinction being the gaudy array of small instruments attached like decorations, their purpose utterly unclear. Dr. Osumi’s body was transferred from the armchair onto this peculiar operating table, where his neck, hands, and feet were securely fastened to the surface with leather belts.

Dr. Tsujikawa’s face gradually flushed like a child’s cheeks. There seemed to be something that excited the doctor. Soon, Dr. Tsujikawa brought over another large machine—one draped with a loosely fitted canvas—to the side of the operating table where Dr. Osumi lay. When he removed the canvas, a large discharge tube emerged from beneath it. The glass bulb was as large as a full moon. Inside it, silver and gold electrodes glowed. When the wall switch was pressed, a faint buzzing sound rang out, and this discharge tube began glowing pale purple. The mysterious light beam hissed sideways through the reflector inside the tube, its purple deepening each time it passed through circular frames until transforming into a deep wisteria-colored cylindrical beam. Tracing the beam’s path revealed its collision with a shielding membrane—upon which lay Dr. Osumi’s body, sleeping soundly and unaware....

“Well, this level of the beam should suffice,” Dr. Tsujikawa said, grinning slyly. “Now then, I suppose it’s finally time to begin the experiment.” “First, I’ll project the omega rays from this device onto the right half of this human and apply those questionable rays to the left half.” “Let me start by administering the omega rays through this apparatus...” What would happen? Dr. Osumi—now poised to become a victim of Dr. Tsujikawa’s bizarre experiment—noticed this for the first time. Confronted by the abnormal scene before his eyes, Dr. Osumi sensed terrible danger and gasped in shock.

*Strange Telephone Call*

“Mmph…” Dr. Osumi tried to spring upright, but his body remained firmly bound to the table, unable to twitch. He strained to shout Wait!—but no sound emerged. His mouth had been packed with something like cotton. “Ah, you’ve come around...” Dr. Tsujikawa displayed no astonishment at Dr. Osumi’s regained consciousness. Without hesitation, he gripped the shutter button controlling the omega ray blockade. In the next instant, that uncanny beam of light would descend upon Dr. Osumi’s right flank. What monstrous transformation might erupt there? The scholar’s fate—now reduced to experimental fodder—flickered like a candle in a gale. At that precise moment—

Riiiiiiiiing!

And a shrill bell rang out from one corner of the room. When Dr. Tsujikawa whirled around, he saw a red pilot lamp flashing furiously on a panel in the corner. …… "Ah... Exactly the communication time had come."

Dr. Tsujikawa muttered to himself, then stepped away from the omega rays and approached the panel. Dr. Tsujikawa clattered away at it for a while, but soon 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—referred to as the universal language. “I see. Wait a moment, please. Is SS-501 at 4.68 points? …Is SS-502 at 4.79 points?…” Dr. Tsujikawa feverishly jotted down detailed numerical data.

“Good—thank you. …Things are quite intense on my end tonight.” “Overall, it’s nearly tripled—astonishing.” “In other words, SS-501 is still at 4.90 points, SS-502 at 5.18 points,...”

For a while, the sound of the doctor rattling off a stream of incomprehensible numbers could be heard. “…These numbers finally prove that my hypothesis is correct.” “Well, you’d agree with me, wouldn’t you?” “Anyway, I’d like to try leaving Earth soon, but…” “No—before that—I’ve started an interesting experiment.” “Tonight.” “Right now.” “It would be fascinating if you could come…but tonight I can’t take my eyes off the Orion constellation.” “That’s unfortunate.” “Anyway, I must conduct this experiment tonight, or the research program will… Yes—exactly. Well then—next time at sixteen hundred…” “Farewell!”

Dr. Tsujikawa’s strange telephone call ended abruptly there. Who could this mysterious counterpart be? When he mentioned SS-501 being at 4-point-something... what exactly did those numbers signify? "I’d like to leave Earth soon..." – such statements made the entire exchange sound utterly nonsensical. Yet if one avoided probing too deeply into these oddities, Dr. Tsujikawa’s conversation displayed no apparent incoherence compared to ordinary discourse. If anything, it resembled the measured dialogue one might expect from an accomplished scholar. Was the doctor’s mental state fundamentally unstable – or perhaps alarmingly overdeveloped? Could he truly be considered evil? Or was this all some terrible misunderstanding? Having studied Esperanto himself, Dr. Osumi understood every word – which only deepened his torment over whether to brand Dr. Tsujikawa as righteous or depraved, visionary or deranged.

Dr. Tsujikawa returned from the panel area. “Now...” “And... this should do it, but...” With that, he once again began meticulously examining the device. Dr. Osumi glared wordlessly at the doctor’s eyes. At this moment, he deeply regretted having his mouth gagged. If only the doctor would clarify even one of the things he was wondering about—he thought—it would be good. However, Dr. Tsujikawa—appearing to have no use for someone like Dr. Osumi—leaned slightly forward beside the ray apparatus and began earnestly making adjustments. It seemed some part of the equipment had malfunctioned, and Dr. Tsujikawa showed no sign of rising for quite some time.

At this moment, Dr. Osumi, who had been lying on the operating table, finally managed—after much struggle—to push out the cotton-like material stuffed in his mouth using his tongue. Since his breathing had become much easier, he regained his vigor. He on the operating table moved on to the second stage of his work. First, he had to free his hands somehow. As he quietly bent his body, gathering all his strength... just then, he sensed an unexpected new presence in the room and froze.

“Gah! It’s him!” When had he come in? Sasa Hōdan crept stealthily toward them. The one peering was the doctor. In Sasa’s right hand was clutched what appeared to be a Browning pistol. If the doctor moved, it seemed he intended to shoot. “Don’t shoot—” From the bed, Osumi signaled with his eyes and face. Sasa seemed discontent, but upon seeing the doctor completely engrossed in his work with his back turned, he apparently felt reassured and realized it would be safe to engage in hand-to-hand combat. There, he began to holster the pistol into his pocket. As his hand vanished into his inner pocket—the moment he thought it was finally secured—a loud clunk sounded, and the pistol slipped from between his clothes to clatter onto the floor.

Captive of the Underground Passage

Dr. Tsujikawa, caught off guard, leaped nearly a meter into the air on the spot. As for Sasa, he too showed extreme disarray at this unexpected blunder. With that, they stood evenly matched. “You bastard…” “Ugh… What the hell are you?”

The two glared at each other as they slowly closed in from both sides. On the operating table, Osumi—seizing what he believed was the perfect moment to escape—tugged and pulled at his limbs in every way he could, but try as he might... not a budge.

Sasa lowered his body and abruptly tried to pick up the pistol. Seizing the opening the instant it appeared, Dr. Tsujikawa lunged at Sasa like a starved wolf. “Oww…” It was Sasa who let out the scream.

“Ugh... Help...” “Help...” Sasa, now unable to speak, finally had his dominant arm twisted backward by the doctor, forced into a posture like a deep bow against the floor. From his right ear came faint whimpers as bright red blood trickled steadily downward. Dr. Tsujikawa appeared to have bitten Sasa’s ear like a rabid dog. “Unconscionable vermin.” “What on earth is Iwazō doing?” After securing Sasa’s bindings, the doctor inflated his cheeks and expelled words seething with indignation.

“Ah, that hurts... If it’s that guy, I had him comfortably put to sleep earlier.” “At least compared to my current situation, he’s been handled with far more care.” “And what’s that supposed to mean?” “This...” “Doctor, can’t you loosen these ropes a bit more?”

When the Doctor heard this, he went to the window and looked outside. He tsked in irritation. It took about ten minutes to rescue Iwazō from the gatekeeper’s shed and bring him here. During this time, Osumi and Sasa merely exchanged futile indignation.

When they saw Iwazō with his prosthetic leg, their anxiety grew even deeper. What in the world did Dr. Tsujikawa intend to make this man do? However, this man untied the restraints on Sasa’s feet and made him stand up on the floor. Then they waited, expecting that similar freedom would be granted to Dr. Osumi as well, but it was not done. He was plunged into great disappointment. “Now, walk over there…”

The man with the prosthetic leg shoved Sasa’s body forward. The two allies, separately yet in unison, came to feel just how wretched being captives truly was. Realizing that he alone was being taken away, Sasa conveyed his farewell to Dr. Osumi with his eyes. Don't you dare despair! Osumi intended just that and let his eyes convey the message.

Sasa was put into the elevator. Just when he thought it was only Iwazō, Dr. Tsujikawa had come along as well. Soon, the elevator descended with a groan, but where it stopped was the basement. He was dragged outside like a condemned prisoner. “What are you going to do with me?” “Shut up and walk!” Iwazō resentfully drove a fist into Sasa’s lower back. Talking only seemed to invite more trouble.

The three entered the underground passage. Though low-ceilinged, it had been built as sturdily as the interior of a famed pillbox along the Sino-Soviet border. A dry, cool wind blew in from nowhere in particular—a refreshing sensation. But where might this subterranean path ultimately lead?

After traveling nearly 1000 meters through the long underground passage, the path suddenly widened. Looking around, the space appeared to be a warehouse, with six large iron doors lined up, each marked with numbers like "1" and "2." *What kind of warehouse was this, storing who knows what?* Dr. Tsujikawa walked ahead alone and approached Iron Door 4. Then, just as he was clattering away at something, the iron door began to open quietly to both sides. And what was it that emerged from within? ——Something shaped like a large bomb was crammed inside. But it was not a bomb. Rocket B18——the characters were inscribed on the steel in white enamel.

Ah, the rocket. Why had Sasa been brought before the rocket chamber?

The Whereabouts of Hōdan

There were few people as meticulous about preserving the future as Dr. Osumi. He remained intently focused on working his hands and feet free from the tightly fastened leather straps. Perhaps due to his efforts, his right leg first slid out from between the straps with a slow, steady motion. Then his left leg's bindings began loosening too, allowing it to slip free in the same gradual manner. Now came his hands - these restraints proved far sturdier. With a grunt, he thrust his hips upward and swung his lower body. This formed part of his strategy to dislodge the knife concealed within his waistcoat. The blade slid smoothly from the waistcoat pocket. Clamping it between his teeth, he maneuvered it with his feet until finally transferring it to his right hand. The ultimate challenge lay in extracting the knife's blade using only his right hand. This required considerable time, but at last the blade emerged. What remained posed little difficulty.

"Alright, I'm free now!"

Dr. Osumi stood up from the floorboards in ecstasy. He looked around curiously at his surroundings. For someone specializing in natural sciences, every piece of equipment in this room astonished him beyond measure. His profound fascination seemed to dilute even his terror and hatred. There he wavered over his next course of action. Should he exploit Dr. Tsujikawa's absence to investigate this room's secrets? Or should he chase after the abducted Sasa Hōdan?

He felt regretful, but believing that pursuing Sasa’s trail was the correct course of action now, he set aside his curiosity about the room for another opportunity and quietly made his escape.

There was no sign of Sasa on the fifth floor. As he tried to descend the stairs, he suddenly sensed the window outside flare bright. Startled, he rushed to the window—and what a terrifying spectacle met his eyes! Outside blazed with a dazzling light as vivid as midday. Beneath something resembling an artillery shell, a furious crackling erupted until—with a whoosh—the projectile-like object floated upward, then shot skyward with ferocious speed, soaring like fireworks in an instant. Afterward, a broad pillar of fire seared its afterimage into his retinas, lingering with crystalline clarity.

“Ah, this pillar of fire!”

Dr. Osumi involuntarily shouted aloud. What he had seen before in the Demon Forest was indeed this same kind of pillar of fire. This was what the people of Yaoi Village had meant when they spoke of pillars of fire appearing in the direction of the Demon Forest. Now, for the first time, he understood the true nature of these fiery columns. This was undoubtedly the rocket said to ascend to great heights and even make space travel possible. The rockets had undoubtedly been launched numerous times from Dr. Tsujikawa’s mansion before. The Demon Forest and Dr. Tsujikawa’s mansion were situated quite close to each other. The pillar of fire he had thought he saw in the Demon Forest might have actually been visible through the forest’s standing trees overlooking the mansion grounds, and it was no wonder villagers viewing from afar had mistaken this adjacent forest for the doctor’s estate.

Dr. Osumi descended the stairs to search for where the rockets were being launched. He tried to exit from the first floor, but the door was locked. He couldn’t get outside like this. As he was pondering his next move while troubled by the situation, he suddenly noticed a staircase leading down to the basement that stood open there. Dr. Osumi slowly descended the stairs. As a result, he emerged into the underground passage through which Dr. Tsujikawa and his group had earlier dragged Sasa Hōdan.

“Ah, this is spectacular!” When he peered down the path, there appeared to be three sets of footprints. He forged ahead through the underground passage with vigor. Eventually, he emerged into a spacious hall. “Oh—warehouse-like structures are lined up here... Hmm.” Dr. Osumi scrutinized the warehouse-like doors thoroughly. Despite all other warehouse doors being tightly shut, his eyes caught one carelessly left ajar. He dashed toward that door.

“No. 4, hmm.” “Are all three of them inside here?” He stealthily peered inside from behind the door. Sure enough, there were numerous rockets stored inside.

The rockets were fine, but he suddenly discovered something disturbing in one corner. The interior was dimly lit, making it hard to see clearly, but it appeared to be human. Lying sprawled on its back on the floor, a dagger was thrust deep into its chest... Apart from that, while there was the smell of humans, their figures were nowhere to be seen.

Who was being killed? Dr. Osumi, suppressing his pounding heart, crept slowly toward the spot.

Beyond the Stratosphere

Sasa Hōdan remembered being locked inside the rocket, but the moment he received a sudden violent impact, he fell unconscious. He had no idea how much time had passed before he regained consciousness. “Aah…” When Sasa came to, the first thing he felt was a terrible dizziness. It felt as though his brain matter were being tightly clenched in someone’s palm. The nausea was so overwhelming that even when he tried to open his eyes, he couldn’t. He wondered if this might be death.

Hiss. Clatter-clatter-clatter-clatter.

He could hear what sounded like hissing steam mingled with the mechanical whirring of some engine at work. However, since there was no vibration, he was relieved. "Aah…" "My head feels like it’s going to split." "Is there any medicine…"

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

That was when it happened.

Suddenly, a loud voice rang out.

“Take your seat and open the panel on the side wall. Drink the liquid medicine there, and your headache will be cured…” It was undoubtedly a human voice.

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

As he was thinking how strange this was, about five seconds later, the same voice shouted the same words again. “Take your seat and open the panel on the side wall." “Drink the liquid medicine there…” Whether it was a god’s voice or a demon’s, Sasa couldn’t tell, but he felt irresistibly drawn to its words. He regained a bit of strength and rose to his feet there. Upon closer inspection, he found himself lying stretched out in what resembled the bottom of a barrel. Sure enough, nearby there was a chair with a long leather belt attached.

Sasa finally managed to settle his body onto the seat—when he looked at the wall, there was a panel there. He undid the latch and opened it to find a small medicine bottle labeled "Headache Sedative," containing pale blue liquid in the glass vial. He didn’t know whether it was divine medicine or a demonic potion. Without hesitation, Sasa pulled out the stopper and gulped down the liquid in quick swallows. If this agonizing headache persisted, he thought dying might be preferable.

“Aah…” After draining an entire bottle of the liquid, he planted both elbows on the square table before him—resembling a strapped-down mandarin orange crate—and plopped his face down with a thud.

“Ah... This medicine works!” “This is a godsend.” “My headache is going away.”

The intense headache, which defied all explanation, had vanished as if wiped away. He stretched both hands high above his head, “Ah, it’s gone. …Hooray!”

he shouted. Now fully recovered, Sasa took another look around the room. As mentioned before, it was a spindle-shaped room like the inside of a barrel, with an oddly high ceiling. However, the ceiling tapered sharply to a narrow point, making the whole space resemble the inside of a beer bottle. In any case, everything from top to bottom was of truly strange shapes, filled with furnishings of an unconventional nature. It would later become clear that each of those strange shapes held some terrifying purpose, but at first, he could only stare in wide-eyed wonder at their bizarre forms, utterly mystified by their design.

"But what on earth will become of me now?" As his mind began settling，a sudden unease spread through his thoughts like black storm clouds． "This is a rocket．" Now I’m trapped inside this thing，booming through empty sky． Where could this rocket possibly be heading？ What are they planning to do with me？ "They can’t mean to send me to the moon．．．And looking around，there aren’t any control devices—how could this possibly land safely．．．？"

Though Sasa Hōdan was originally known for his boldness, being cast adrift into the endless expanse of space left even him unable to avoid feeling unease.

"There should be something like a control device here, but…"

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

The Black Pursuers

“……Oh, what is this button for, I wonder?” He thought it would be pointless to press this strange button and end up saddled with some terrible fate, but after all, he was trapped inside this narrow rocket. Even if he stayed still, he might be swept adrift to the ends of the void and never return to Earth again. Rather than idly waiting for death, Sasa resolved to go meet whatever awaited him—be it demon or snake—head-on. With this determination, Sasa Hōdan placed his thick finger on the button beside the desk and pressed down firmly.

With a *thud*, the desk's plank split into two and opened sideways.

“Ah…” What emerged from beneath the split plank were six square box-like objects. The bottom was lined with glass.

“What is this…?” Sasa peered into the bottom of the box.

For the most part, the glass bottoms were dark. However, in one of them, something like a round moon was projected, emitting a bluish-white light. In another lay a dimly glowing luminous mass within which a black cannonball-shaped object stood out in sharp relief; beyond it flashed intermittent bursts like lightning. "What am I seeing here?" Sasa Hōdan’s eyes remained riveted for some time on these strange projections.

“Hmm… This might actually be the view outside the rocket.”

Having thought this, he once again meticulously examined the area around the six frames. Sure enough, each box had a small tag affixed to it. The six characters—“Head,” “Tail,” “Front,” “Back,” “Left,” “Right”—could be seen. When he re-examined the name tag on the box showing the moon-like shape, it read “Left.” Then, when he examined the box showing a dimly glowing luminous mass and a black projectile-like object, he found it bore a name tag labeled “Tail.”

Then he understood… Ah, these six boxes were television receiver screens. In other words, these six televisions must have been projecting views from all six directions around the rocket: front, back, left, right, head, and tail. This was truly a marvelous mechanism…

Sasa Hōdan kept gazing at the six television screens time and again. As he watched, he gradually began to perceive his own rocket floating in midair with clarity. This rocket was now ascending vertically relative to the Earth’s surface! The dimly glowing luminous mass likely reflected the receding city lights below. Was that prominent glow near Tokyo—or perhaps Shanghai?

"But what is that black, bullet-like thing?" The black, bullet-like object swayed unsteadily within the receiver screen. Its size remained unchanged. Depending on how the black shadow swayed, the intermittent bluish-white flashes visible from its side were terrifying. What on earth was this monster?

However, the moment had come when the shape of this black projectile would suddenly become clear. The black projectile abruptly began extending left and right. In the blink of an eye, it elongated like a torpedo. From its tail section came blinding flashes of light bursting forth intermittently.

“Ah, it’s a rocket!” “There’s another rocket chasing this one...” A rocket chasing a rocket... The pursuing rocket tilted only slightly sideways, but after a while reverted to its original form as a round black circle. Thinking this strange, he checked inside the boxes and found that what had been labeled “Left” now showed where the moon-like object had moved to “Head.” The two rockets appeared to have suddenly changed course toward the moon.

That’s when it happened.

“This is strange...”

Sasa suddenly noticed something and let out a loud cry. The cabinet containing the television was gradually lowering. Somehow, the desk appeared to be sinking into the floor. Why was this happening?

But that was a grave misunderstanding. It wasn't that the desk was sinking. The floor beneath Sasa's feet was gradually rising. "Oh... The floor's rising..."

Sky Gallows

The moment he looked up at the ceiling, everything became clear—for the ceiling had grown unnaturally low. “This is terrible…”

Sasa jumped up from the chair. He examined where the floor met the wall. Through the gap, he clearly saw the felt-covered floor gradually rising while grinding against the walls.

He clearly felt the danger closing in on him. He placed both hands against the wall and both feet on the floor, then pushed with a grunt. He had intended to hold back the rising floor this way, but the floor, indifferent to such efforts, continued creeping upward relentlessly.

Before long, the desk reached the same height as the floor and continued creeping upward relentlessly. The chair too was sucked into the floor like sheets of paper being layered. Now, only Sasa’s body remained on the floor. Despite Sasa's desperate efforts, his body was pressed against the rocket's tip like a pickled onion crammed into a jar. There was a hole just large enough for a neck to fit through. It might have originally been intended for inserting one’s neck, but unless he stuck his head into that hole now, his spine would likely snap with a sickening crack. Therefore, having no other choice, Sasa inserted his neck.

The area was lined with thick glass, allowing a clear view in all directions. However, what met his eyes was nothing but the gloomy night sky and a stream of moonlight. He had absolutely no idea why he was sticking his neck into this hole. At that moment, a voice suddenly spoke near his ear. “Well? Don’t you feel any pain?” When he turned his face toward the voice, there was a small hole in the glass, and the voice was coming from beyond it.

“What the—!” he shouted back indignantly. “Well? If you start to feel any pain, say so. ...You—don’t turn your face sideways like that. Keep it facing forward.”

The owner of the mysterious voice seemed to be scrutinizing Sasa’s complexion with unnerving clarity, though from where he observed remained unclear.

Sasa, creeped out, repositioned his face forward as the voice instructed. At that moment, a shadow flickered and moved in front of him. When he looked closely, beyond the glass panel in front of him, the face of a suspicious-looking bearded man could faintly be seen. Glaring with two shining eyeballs, nostrils twitching as he stared this way—his appearance was so terrifying that calling it “horrifying” felt inadequate. Yet… he recognized that dreadful face. “Hmm, you’re Dr. Tsujikawa. “…What the hell did you put me in this rocket and subject me to this for?”

Dr. Tsujikawa’s face gave no response to that. And still, he continued to scrutinize Sasa’s face with such intensity it seemed his gaze might bore a hole through it. “Hmm… Is the power of the question rays weakening? Or has their trajectory shifted?” “Let me see…” As those words hung in the air, Sasa suddenly felt a faint warmth spread across his face. Simultaneously, an indescribable revulsion seized him—a nausea beyond articulation.

"...Guh... guh... guh..." As Sasa choked through hacking coughs, a faint yet unnerving smile materialized on Dr. Tsujikawa's face reflected in the glass pane. Sasa realized this calamity would surely claim him. "H-help me!" Dr. Tsujikawa observed Sasa's desperate cries with clinical fascination when abruptly—inexplicably—undiluted shock etched itself across his features.

At that exact moment, the rocket Sasa was riding suddenly began buzzing with vibration. Then the discomfort tormenting him abruptly ceased.—No sooner had Dr. Tsujikawa’s face reflected in the front glass begun to flow like rain than it flickered rapidly and vanished with a flash, just as when a film snaps during projection, leaving nothing visible beyond the glass pane.

The anomaly continued still.— The floor that had been pressing against Sasa’s body began lowering smoothly—then in an instant, his body thudded down onto that felt floor shaped like a barrel bottom. His entire body, suddenly released from the pressure, was assaulted by intense heat flaring up in waves. He noticed the rocket’s condition had turned slightly abnormal. Sasa raised his aching body and peered down at the cabinet desk that had reappeared there. And then he gasped in shock.— The six television receiver screens now displayed nothing. No matter which one he peered into, all showed realms of darkness. The moon and stars had all vanished somewhere.

Where in the cosmos was his rocket drifting toward?

Sasa suddenly felt as if his field of vision had turned pitch black. And then, his body collapsed clumsily beneath the desk.

Struggling Rocket “Damn it! This thing’s no good!”

Dr. Tsujikawa planted himself like a wrathful deity before the switchboard, desperately operating that circuit breaker over there and this lever here. “It’s getting worse and worse. “The machinery suddenly stopped working! …How utterly bizarre things can be…”

While he was vigorously tinkering with the instruments, the television circuit’s pilot lamp finally lit up with a flash. Dr. Tsujikawa made a face as if he were about to bite someone and peered into the first device’s receiver screen. “Nothing’s showing.” Dr. Tsujikawa spun the handles round and round like a ship captain caught in a storm. Dr. Tsujikawa’s eyes suddenly blazed with intensity. “Oh! It’s heading there… Rocket B18….” “Wait! Wait! I’ve got to recall it back here—!”

Dr. Tsujikawa lunged at the front switchboard and began repeatedly pressing the activation switches. The ammeter needle gave a jolt, then snapped sharply to the right as if flung—and in an instant, the needle was gone.

“Ugh… “What in blazes is this?!”

Dr. Tsujikawa growled low like a beast, then plopped down onto the seat and clutched his head with both hands.

“Ugh… ugh… I don’t get it… I don’t get it! …Can’t I retrieve Rocket B18 anymore?!” Suddenly, a shrill alarm bell clanged repeatedly—clang-clang-clang-clang! When he raised his head, the large red light was breathing violently like a living creature. Dr. Tsujikawa’s complexion abruptly changed. And just as he attempted to rise from his seat—too late—Dr. Tsujikawa’s body whirled through the air in a full spin before being slammed against the wall.—For the rocket had suddenly begun spinning like a top…….

“Ugh…” Dr. Tsujikawa abruptly raised his upper body and pressed himself flush against the wall like a spider. If he had shifted twenty centimeters in either direction, he would have touched a live high-voltage electrical line. Dr. Tsujikawa sustained a laceration to his head, and red blood ran down his forehead. Then, trickling steadily, it collected in his glinting beard streaked with white before plopping down onto the floor. Dr. Tsujikawa’s normally ferocious countenance grew even more dreadful, making him appear like a demon.

“...Oh, God.” “Do not abandon me to perish!” Dr. Tsujikawa wrenched out an anguished voice and glared at a corner of the ceiling.

At that moment, within Dr. Tsujikawa’s mansion, an abnormal scene beyond his wildest imaginings was unfolding—a development Dr. Tsujikawa himself seemed not yet to have noticed. In the power room beneath the tower of Dr. Tsujikawa’s mansion, two figures worked as nimbly as field mice.

“...Mr. Kawamura.” “Why don’t you try staying quiet for a while?” “That chest wound of yours will soon develop terrible inflammation.”

The one who had spoken was Dr. Osumi Seiji, covered in oil at the generator. “No, I’ll be just fine…” shouted the pale-faced man with bandages covering his chest, his voice shrill and strained. "My life won’t last much longer nah. “While my eyes are still black with life, if I don’t repay that bastard Tsujikawa with at least one or two blows of vengeance, even if I try to die, I won’t be able to perish.” “Look, look! Dr. Tsujikawa’s rocket seems to have righted itself again, I tell ya!” “Come on! Give me even more voltage!”

“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 who had seen Dr. Osumi lying in the rocket room with a sword plunged into his chest. Perhaps due to his strong vitality—or perhaps thanks to Dr. Osumi’s care—he had regained his vigor without succumbing to the severe wound. He was none other than the father of Kawamura Takeo, now confined in the cage within Dr. Tsujikawa’s mansion. Long ago, he had been one of three men who assisted Dr. Tsujikawa’s work and served as messengers to the foreign ship that had anchored off Yaoi Village’s coast. For some reason, he had become like a wild beast, burning with resentment toward Dr. Tsujikawa.

When he heard that Dr. Tsujikawa was piloting the rocket into the sky, he laughed with a fearsome visage, his guffaws rattling through the air. Then, after guiding Dr. Osumi to the power room beneath this tower, he wielded the magnetic cannon there to pummel Dr. Tsujikawa’s rocket ceaselessly with invisible magnetic projectiles. Before the magnetic cannon’s onslaught, even Dr. Tsujikawa’s prized rocket became as powerless as a feather battered by gale winds. This merciless aerial mauling continued being projected in brutal clarity onto a large screen through the giant electronic telescope embedded in the tower’s ceiling…….

The rocket carrying Dr. Tsujikawa—having at last lost all capacity to resist—pitched its nose sharply downward while billowing bright yellow smoke through the sky, and before long plunged into the very heart of Otogami Nada, whose jet-black waters lay south of Yaoi Village, sending up a towering column of spray. A thunderous roar followed as it emitted a firework-like flash of colossal brilliance. Startled by the tremendous tremor, villagers who had rushed outside in their nightclothes watched as this eerie light trailed across the sea like a searchlight beam racing eastward, lingering in their vision for a time…….

What became of Mad Scientist Tsujikawa Seigen? Did he sink deep into the seabed alongside the rocket that had crashed into this sea? Or did his limbs tear apart and scatter into the air with that tremendous explosion? No one knew the ultimate fate that had befallen him.

We must set that aside for the moment and turn our pen to the bizarre ghostly incident that suddenly manifested in Yaoi Village beginning the very next day.

A Night of Anxiety “Finally… I finished off that bastard Tsujikawa.” “Serves you right!” With that, Mr. Kawamura—Takeo’s father—let slip a smile of pure triumph, but had even he, this seemingly indomitable man, finally exhausted himself in this desperate struggle endured through grievous injuries? “Agh…”

With that cry, he collapsed on the spot with a thud. "Hey, Mr. Kawamurraaa—"

Dr. Osumi no sooner picked up Kawamura than he pressed his mouth to the man’s ear and shouted. However, he merely groaned faintly before collapsing limply once more, his body stretching out at full length. Kawamura’s limbs were rapidly growing cold.

“This won’t do.” “…Won’t someone lend a hand…”

Knowing full well the futility, he let out a scream in the deserted power room of Dr. Tsujikawa’s mansion, as lifeless as a wasteland.

That was when it happened.

“Oh…”

There was someone who answered. When he turned around to see who it was, there at the entrance timidly poking his head in was none other than Mad Scientist Tsujikawa’s servant, Iwazō. He dragged his prosthetic leg with a clunk-clunk as he entered the room.

“Oh, you were here. …Why had you been hiding until now?”

Dr.Osumi had thought Iwazō had been taken along by Dr.Tsujikawa and flown off in the rocket. Therefore, his appearance came as a surprise. Yet when he heard Iwazō's account, it unfolded thus: When Dr.Tsujikawa himself boarded the rocket, Kawamura suddenly materialized and lunged at the still-open hatch. There ensued a ferocious struggle between Doctor and father. Iwazō perhaps ought to have aided his master, but knowing Kawamura's strength from their old acquaintance, he judged this trouble best avoided and fled. Having retreated to his quarters and lain low, he now deemed it safe to return and survey the aftermath. His testimony bore no mark of falsehood. Thus did all Kawamura's wounds reveal themselves as the Doctor's handiwork...

“In that case, this is just perfect. For Mr. Kawamura’s sake, go and call a doctor.” However, Iwazō refused to comply. After all, within this mad scientist’s mansion were kept grotesque creatures that defied all conventional norms. He was opposed to informing the villagers about it now. Especially for young Takeo’s sake, wouldn’t this invite great misfortune? Because upon seeing Takeo—who had abruptly transformed into a colossal giant resembling a bronze statue—the villagers would undoubtedly treat him as a monster. That would also cause suffering to Takeo’s mother and, by extension, become fodder for further agitating his father—who now lay here unconscious—so he refused… was his argument. And having said this, he added:

“...A wound like this? Even I can patch it up, y’know.” “After all, when it comes to surgery, I’ve got a bit of know-how.” “Look here.” “When I lost this leg o’ mine, didn’t ask a lick o’ help from nobody.” With that, Iwazō began boasting in his peculiar way.

Dr. Osumi made up his mind then. Acknowledging that his argument held merit, Dr. Osumi considered: If they were to inform the villagers of this bizarre incident now, it would only needlessly amplify the commotion. While increasing the Kawamura family’s suffering was one concern, might it not make uncovering the truth of this strange affair exceedingly difficult? Therefore, it would be better not to inform the villagers for the time being. Having resolved this, he entrusted Kawamura’s care to Iwazō.

“Nah, he’ll be fine. As long as we treat his wounds and let him rest quietly for a while, it won’t take long for him to recover his strength.”

With those words, Iwazō gently hoisted Kawamura onto his back and began carrying him toward his hut.

With this, Dr. Osumi’s burden lightened somewhat.—Now, numerous formidable challenges lay ahead.

First and foremost was determining the whereabouts of Sasa Hōdan's rocket. "...I must find Sasa's rocket..." He stood before the electronic telescope, adjusting its controls as he scoured every corner of the distant sky. Yet no matter how long he searched, the rocket refused to materialize. While the electronic telescope was fine in itself, focusing on a moving target without knowing its distance proved nearly impossible.

“Ah... This glowing object... Could it be...?”

Dr. Osumi suddenly noticed a flickering light that seemed to breathe. It was hazy, but by bringing it to the center of the lens and gradually adjusting the focus, its form began to grow increasingly distinct. “Oh, B18… This is it—the one Hōdan’s aboard…”

However, when he read the distance of Sasa’s rocket using the electronic telescope’s scale, he was stunned. The distance from Earth was exactly eight hundred kilometers away. In that case, it had long since flown past the likes of the stratosphere, pierced through the E and F layers of the ionospheric ceiling, and was now located three times that distance away. Moreover, as he observed, it became clear through recalibration of the telescope’s scale that Sasa Hōdan’s rocket showed no sign of returning toward Earth—instead, it continued to steadily and rapidly move even farther away. Where on earth was it headed? What must Sasa Hōdan be feeling aboard? It was better than making a clumsy landing on Earth and losing one’s life, but there was no help for it when its whereabouts remained unknown.

Dr. Osumi remained seated before the electronic telescope, adjusting the focus on Sasa’s rocket moment by moment as he continued to worry about his friend hurtling ever further into the boundless heavens.

Where was Sasa’s rocket?

He seemed to doze off drowsily. After all, Dr. Osumi’s body was as limp as cotton from days and nights of relentless struggle. However, when danger seemed about to come crashing down upon him with each passing moment, he was tense. But now, someone had blown up Dr. Tsujikawa’s rocket, the mansion’s guard Iwazō had surrendered to him, and this Doctor’s mansion was now effectively under his control.

Having been freed from peril—with no recourse but to worry about his friend’s fate while mechanically peering into the electronic telescope every five minutes—the dissolution of his mental tension allowed fatigue to surge forth all at once, and thus he had likely drifted into a drowsy slumber. “Oh no—this was a blunder…” Dr. Osumi, flustered, raised himself from the chair’s backrest and peered into the electronic telescope. While wondering how far his friend’s craft had drifted out of focus, he carefully turned the distance-adjustment crank, slowly and methodically. However... for some reason, no matter how much he turned the crank, Sasa Hōdan’s rocket refused to appear.

“This won’t do...” He turned pale. But it was already too late. Before he realized it, the silhouette of Sasa Hōdan’s rocket had vanished from the telescope’s view. Stunned, he tried every adjustment within his power—twisting dials and cranking levers—but the figure he sought never reappeared.

Meanwhile, the eastern sky gradually began to lighten. And before long, night gave way to full daylight. However, his telescope ultimately failed to grasp any leads. “Ah… Where has Hōdan flown off to…?!” And so, Dr. Osumi—recalling the fate of his brilliant and brave comrade—let his tears stream down. Standing in the refreshing morning breeze, he felt as though he had finally come back to life. He trudged across the wide garden and went to see the guard Iwazō’s hut beside the gate.

Iwazō was already up. And on the adjacent bed lay Takeo’s father, Kawamura, his chest swathed in thick bandages, his lips colorless and complexion ashen like earth—yet he slept soundly and peacefully. At Iwazō’s words—"He should recover just fine at this rate"—he heaved a sigh of relief, his hand pressed to his chest in reassurance. Since it seemed that Kawamura—once recovered—would provide ample useful information about this bizarre incident, he felt a surge of joy.

Thereupon, Dr. Osumi entrusted the remaining matters to Iwazō and decided to return to the village where he had been lodging—something he hadn’t done in a long while. He trudged down the gentle slope. Though it had been merely three or four days since he last saw Yaoi Village, he felt as if he hadn’t visited in three or four months.

At the boarding house, the landlady—bathed in the morning sun as she hung laundry to dry—let out a shrill cry and hurried over when she spotted him.

“Oh my, Dr. Osumi! “I was worried…” “What on earth has happened to you…” “Well, it was rather sudden, you see—I made a quick trip to Tokyo. “I didn’t have time to let you know, you see…”

Although he had said this, Dr. Osumi’s Western suit—wrinkled and disheveled, with rips like claw marks and mud stains—spoke volumes at a glance about days of desperate struggle. “Oh? To Tokyo...”

The landlady made a strange face and tilted her head. "And what about that Mr. Sasa who was with you?" "Ah... Sasa." "He went to Tokyo with me too, but he should be back before long." "Not even telling the boarding house or making preparations before leaving—what sort of urgent business could that possibly be?" Osumi, simply overwhelmed, flopped down onto the tatami mat. "Well now, Dr. Osumi." "...If I'm mistaken, you'll forgive me—but you did go into that Demon Forest, didn't you?" "If that's true, you must have the exorcism ritual performed without fail—or there'll be no life left in you."

Dr. Osumi felt the landlady’s voice growing gradually distant and faint. Overcome by exhaustion, he sank into a deep sleep right where he lay. His fatigue wasn’t the sort that could be shaken off with a little rest.

Dr. Osumi had no idea how much time had passed when he suddenly heard a shrill scream and jolted awake.

A clattering sound like someone tumbling down a ladder while landing on their rear, and— “Ugh...”

A groaning voice. He jolted upright in surprise, wondering what had happened. To his astonishment, night had fully fallen. Overhead hung a single five-candlepower electric lamp, while the pungent odor of mosquito coils permeated the room. He took two or three steps toward the staircase but then froze—somehow sensing another presence in the room.

“There shouldn’t be anyone here… So who…?” Thinking this, he surveyed the room—and just then, something pure white of indeterminate origin fluttered out through the window. “Gah…”

He was driven more by curiosity than fear and immediately rushed to the window. Then, the tail-like part of that white thing hung limply over the railing and began slithering snake-like outward. He groaned gutturally and tightly grabbed the white thing.

“Gyah…!” The one who screamed was not the white monster but Dr. Osumi himself. Before he could even touch the white tail, his body was hurled backward with a thunderous crash. Had the blow been any stronger, he would have been smashed directly into the center of the wall.

What was this? Was it human? Or some kind of monster?

He jumped up again and charged toward the railing. And he looked out into the dark exterior. The white monster was indeed still there. However, just as he stuck his face out, it blended into the darkness and silently concealed itself. "You won’t escape me…" While he couldn’t make sense of what was happening, he resolved to give chase. And he clattered down the ladder steps, but there lay the landlady, collapsed.

He vaulted over her form and burst into the thoroughfare. He raced everywhere—darting east, charging west—but ultimately lost track of the pale creature's silhouette. Crestfallen, he trudged back toward the lodging. The landlady appeared to have finally regained her senses; propped halfway up at the ladder's base, she massaged her hip with a pained expression. "Oh, Madam!" "What was that thing just now?" "What d'you mean, what was that? I don't know nothin' 'bout such frightful matters, I tell ya." "Plain as day—that were a ghost." "While you slept sound-like, it kept circlin' round and round you, over an' over."

“What’s this about something circling around me while I slept?... Could that really have been a ghost after all?” Dr. Osumi was startled. Could it indeed be a ghost? In such situations, Japanese ghosts would typically settle with utter composure—turning their heads slowly to look behind them, fluttering emaciated wrists to trace small circles in the air, and thrusting resentful faces forward in a practiced manner. Yet the ghost he had just witnessed delivered a thunderous blow when grasped at before slipping away like vapor. Given its intense power and vigorous behavior, it felt closer to some kind of living creature than a ghost. If that were truly a ghost, it must have been an extraordinarily vigorous military commander in life...

When he had thought that far, he suddenly felt as if struck in the chest. _Could that be Sasa Hōdan’s ghost?_ _Or could it be the ghost of that superhumanly strong Dr. Tsujikawa?_

Dr. Osumi felt his chest constrict as he thought of the friend he had abruptly lost. Yet the notion that Sasa Hōdan could have become a ghost was utterly unthinkable. First off, ghosts and such had fallen completely out of vogue these days. What truly unsettled him was how Yaoi Village this summer kept spawning one inconceivable event after another—all defying common sense. Ghosts too defied that same common sense. Considered as isolated phenomena, they might not be entirely impossible—but should antiquated specters steeped in bygone eras truly manifest in this age of scientific enlightenment?

The landlady descended to the earthen floor with tottering steps and went to drink water to catch her breath.

At that moment, a clamor of voices arose, and the sound of many footsteps passed by the gate. “Hey, Auntie! You there…?”

Just then, a voice called out from the doorway. “Oh, Jinbei-san?… We’ve got a real situation here, I tell you.” “Just now, upstairs—a ghost in a white robe was floating around, I tell you.” “What? A white ghost?… At your house too?” “Wait—so that ghost’s been appearing at your house too? And other places as well?” “No, I tell you—the whole village is in an uproar over that ghost right now.” “It first appeared at Tarōsaku’s place, then at the elementary school janitor’s office, then in front of Kijū’s liquor store… So with reports coming from here and there, that brazen ghost showed up in six places, I tell you.” “If we include yours, that makes seven houses in total.” “Right now, the villagers have formed a vigilante group and are beginning their ghost hunt, I tell you.”

“Oh my, then the ghosts haven’t only appeared at my place, have they? I tell you.”

“That’s right, that’s right! I don’t know what it is—whether it’s the great pillar of fire that fell offshore Ōto Kannada last night or tonight’s ghostly uproar—it seems this Yaoi Village has been cursed with strange happenings.” “Oh, that pillar of fire last night! I’ve never seen such a creepy column of flames in all my born days. My lifespan’s been cut short between last night and tonight! How about asking the village head to arrange a grand purification ritual for the whole village...”

“Yeah. “I no longer feel alive, I tell you… Gotta catch up with everyone now…”

Having said that, Elder Furuka Jinbei went outside.

Eerie Flash

Dr. Osumi 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 told the landlady, "I’m heading out toward the harbor—might not be back tonight," and left the house.

Relying on his flashlight’s beam, he proceeded straight along the dark 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 smoothly open from within. “Well? How is Mr. Kawamura’s condition?”

“I’m afraid I still don’t know for sure.” “His consciousness ain’t become clear at all.” “As for the wound, seems it’s avoidin’ festerin’ just fine.” “Reckon tomorrow’s the make-or-break day, I suppose.”

“I see.” “If your treatment isn’t sufficient, we could call doctors from Tokyo who don’t know the local circumstances, but…” “No, not at all...” Iwazō shook his head vigorously. “With this old me here, it’s just fine.” “If even I can’t treat him, then no great doctor could manage it either.”

Dr. Osumi then went to visit Kawamura at Iwazō’s cabin.

“Hey, Iwazō. “Why did you go and put Mr. Kawamura in this closet?” “Is it that you don’t want to let him lie in the main room?” “No, it’s not like that… But you never know when someone might come to this mansion again and find that person.” “If that happens, it won’t do any good for him.” “Hmm, why would that be?” “It’s safe because even if villagers come, they can’t get in, right?” “And since Dr. Tsujikawa perished in the rocket crash alongside his creation, he won’t be returning to this mansion anymore…” Just as he said this, something suddenly flashed through Dr. Osumi’s mind. “Or do you think Dr. Tsujikawa will return to this mansion again?”

“………”

Iwazō did not attempt to respond to that, but his restless attitude instilled no small sense of unease in Dr. Osumi. “Magyaku-kun…” Just as he said this, there came a sudden clang—like someone had struck a metal plate with all their might—from the direction of the main building. “Gah—” Dr. Osumi gasped in shock and rushed outside. Then, about four windows on the fifth floor of the main building were flickering with an arc light-like vivid blue flash.

“What’s responsible for that?!” In this mansion—apart from that cage—the remaining humans should only have been Iwazō; Kawamura, who was injured; and Osumi who had just entered—two people in total. The three of them were all gathered here in this gate-side hut. Yet from the main building came sudden metallic clangs like hammered steel plates and arc-light flashes flickering wildly—what could explain this? Someone must have been inside the main building—there was no other conclusion. But could such a thing truly be possible?

“I... I don’t know nothin’...”

With that, Iwazō looked down nervously and shuffled away. “You don’t know? Really?... Anyway, I’ll go check…” Dr.Osumi bravely steeled himself and headed toward the main building. Iwazō, startled, stretched out both hands to call Dr.Osumi back, but for some reason withdrew them immediately. Dr.Osumi carefully threaded his way through the shrubbery. And from the familiar back entrance, he stealthily slipped into the main building.

Then, he climbed the stairs all the way to the fifth floor without making a single footfall. When he reached the fifth floor, he heard an indistinct hissing noise—though he couldn’t tell what it was. It wasn’t the sound of machinery—rather, it resembled a moan or an animal’s cry. If forced to find a comparable sound, it resembled the eerie rattle of a Central American desert-dwelling rattlesnake’s tail. Osumi continued walking down the corridor, still suppressing his footsteps.

“I wonder which room it is?” As he pressed forward in his search, he soon found it. It was the room where he had once been placed on an experiment table for Dr. Tsujikawa—and where, according to the doctor’s muttered words, he had nearly been exposed to two mysterious rays called omega rays and question rays—in other words, the “First Laboratory.” There, he mustered all his courage, stacked the empty crates piled in the corridor by the doorway, then peered cautiously into the room through the revolving window above the door.

“Ah—” Dr. Osumi staggered back from atop the crates, nearly tumbling down before steadying himself through sheer willpower. Within the laboratory’s expanse—bathed in an unearthly bluish-white glow—only a swirling mist-like substance moved about, with no human figures visible anywhere. Yet as he kept watching, he realized this hazy fog coiling through the room was actually a cluster of bizarre creatures possessing semi-transparent bodies. Their numbers reached perhaps fifteen or sixteen. Jostling against one another, they emitted that uncanny shu-shu-shu-shu sound with every movement. These were identical to the white monstrosity witnessed at the boarding house.

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

White ghosts Throughout Dr. Osumi’s entire life, there had been no shock greater than discovering these inexplicably grotesque creatures within the First Laboratory of Dr. Tsujikawa’s mansion. In the room illuminated by a pale blue light, approximately fifteen or sixteen creatures with semi-transparent whitish bodies floated like mist, as if swimming, while hissing at one another. He had never read about such creatures in any zoological literature. No—such grotesque creatures were beyond human imagination.

"Could they be ghosts?" Dr. Osumi gripped the frame of the revolving window while peering into the room, suddenly entertaining this thought. For a scholar, it was utterly shameful to consider ghosts—yet he dwelled on this embarrassing notion precisely because those monsters defied all human common sense. (If these creatures are ghosts... Right, ghosts should understand Japanese.) (Maybe I should try speaking to them bravely?) As Dr. Osumi pondered this, the semi-transparent white monsters inside the room—apparently startled by something—suddenly gathered their heads together in one spot, shaking them vigorously as if engaged in urgent consultation. While he wondered what they might do next, two of them abruptly detached from the group with a smooth glide and came flying toward the doorway where Osumi peered—like ghostly orbs.

“Gah!” By the time Dr. Osumi cried out, it was already too late. The semi-transparent white ghosts had already pinned him against the revolving window from both sides. Dr. Osumi shuddered at the strangeness of the white apparitions flying out into the corridor by passing straight through the door without even opening it. Ghosts defy the laws of physics! These were indeed ghosts. _You, come down from there and enter the room._ _We wish to question you!_

“Wha—?!” Dr. Osumi was stunned breathless. 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. Yet despite this, he clearly understood that the white ghosts had conveyed their desire to question him. Silent dialogue! What an extraordinary phenomenon!

“M-me? You’re talking about me? "...Are you saying I should enter this room?" Dr. Osumi asked the two white ghosts looming near him in a trembling voice. “Yes.”

“Ah…” Once again without making a sound, the white ghosts conveyed their will to Osumi. What an astonishingly bizarre phenomenon!

Osumi resigned himself. Being watched like this, he had no room left to escape. Having steeled his nerves, he resolved to step before the white ghosts—answer their questions while investigating their true nature. Then he jumped down to the corridor with a thud. He placed his hand on the door and opened it. Through the opened doorway, he entered the room. When he looked at the accompanying white ghosts, both glided smoothly through a wall section no human could traverse—as though the barrier didn’t exist. They turned toward Osumi and laughed mockingly—to clarify (though this requires explanation)—not that he saw their grotesque faces smiling, but he somehow felt their derision. As if—

“What a cumbersome body you have, man! Ah ha ha!” “Ah ha ha!” And so it went… Dr. Osumi, oily sweat streaming from his forehead, advanced toward the cluster of white ghosts gathered at the center of the room. He observed their demeanor with trepidation. They were semi-transparent, like pale gelatin. Their bodies were about one size larger than humans. In short, they looked exactly like Western ghosts. In other words, their form was equivalent to that of a human completely draped in a white cloth from head to toe. Yet their bodies appeared capable of freely altering shape like amoebae, never maintaining a fixed form. Even so, at roughly the same height as Dr. Osumi’s face, there existed something resembling a neck, within which were embedded round objects that shone like diamonds—undeniably what one would recognize as eyes. However, those eyeballs were not two like a human’s, but 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 perspective, it appeared that these white ghosts could not only see straight ahead like human eyes but could also constantly perceive any direction—front, back, left, or right. In fact—though this would only be discovered later—these white ghosts possessed yet another eye positioned directly atop their heads. It was well-suited for looking upward. However, at this time, he did not think there would be eyes in such an unexpected place and thus overlooked them.

They hissed intensely back and forth for some time, but the meaning of this hissing remained unclear. From within the group, one of the white ghosts stepped forward before Osumi. Then suddenly, he understood the white ghosts' voiceless voices.

“Where has Dr. Tsujikawa gone?” The monster Uragogoru

Where has Dr. Tsujikawa gone?

Ah ha! Now I see—that explains it. They had brought Osumi into the room solely because they wanted to know Dr. Tsujikawa's whereabouts. There was no doubt they had 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 that either. However… as far as I know, Dr. Tsujikawa boarded a rocket and flew into the sky, but he hasn’t been able to return since.” “To the sky?”

“Yes.” Then the group suddenly showed signs of agitation and began emitting strange hissing sounds like a rattlesnake.

Gradually, some of them gathered their eerie heads together and stared at a corner of the ceiling. As he watched, they gradually turned their heads toward various directions. It seemed as though they were staring at the ceiling, but in reality, they had no interest in it—he realized they were using their superhuman vision to see through the ceiling and roof, scanning the distant sky. Of course, they were no doubt searching for Dr. Tsujikawa’s rocket.

Before long, the white ghosts spoke again. “Does Dr. Tsujikawa’s rocket have ‘B18’ written on it?” “No, that’s not correct. Dr. Tsujikawa’s rocket was indeed labeled E4.”

The white ghosts hissed strange cries to one another again. Dr. Osumi ought to have noticed a crucial fact during this exchange. But robbed of mental clarity, he ultimately failed to grasp it then. He would later bitterly regret this moment of foggy-mindedness. Meanwhile, the white ghosts kept up their vigorous chirping until abruptly falling silent. As he stared, they began floating upward one by one—linking tail to head—smoothly ascending toward the ceiling.

(Oh, they’re fleeing!) Dr. Osumi panicked. The perfect opportunity was slipping away at that very moment. He couldn’t let them escape like this. Having thought this, he bravely called out to one nearby.

“Ah... Excuse me. “……What are you?” “I believe you’re a different kind of being from us, but what exactly are you?”

Hearing his voice, they abruptly halted their ascent and shuffled back down. And they completely surrounded Dr. Osumi. However, they gave no response at all.

“Ah... everyone. ...I have answered your questions. Therefore, shouldn’t you all answer my questions as well? Are you all human? Or are you spirits?”

He had wanted to say "ghosts," but out of slight deference, he instead called them "spirits."

Then, the group of monsters seemed to burst into raucous laughter. And before long, they finally gave Osumi the long-awaited reply. “You wouldn’t understand even if I told you. We are Uragogoru.”

Uragogoru? What could Uragogoru be? Dr. Osumi desperately repeated the unfamiliar word under his breath, struggling not to forget it. Meanwhile, the group of white ghosts once again began ascending toward the ceiling one by one.

Uragogoru?

“Wait a minute…”

Dr. Osumi tilted his head.

Uragogoru was a name he had heard somewhere before. Where had that been? Remember—remember! Come on, remember now! Dr. Osumi slammed his fist against his head with a loud crack. Yet all he achieved was his brain throbbing with pain.

“Ah... wait,” “What are Uragogoru?” “Please tell me.” As the last remaining white ghost—no, Uragogoru—attempted to ascend from the floor to the ceiling, Osumi stopped it and desperately pressed his question. Then, the last one responded. “Dr. Schwartzcoff knows…”

“Huh? Dr. Schwartzcoff?” The figure of the last Uragogoru finally vanished beyond the ceiling.

Takeo's father

The monstrous Uragogoru!

"Ask Dr. Schwartzcoff about that!" Left alone in the room, Dr. Osumi kept shouting "Uragogoru" and "Dr. Schwartzcoff" like a man possessed for some time.

Though he couldn’t fully grasp it, those Uragogoru didn’t seem to be human ghosts. Firstly, their eyeballs outnumbered those of humans, and their placement differed. Therefore, they probably weren’t of the same species as humans. They seemed to be an entirely different species. If they were something other than human... what on earth could they be?

Dr. Tsujikawa must have known what the Uragogoru were and associated with them. Dr. Schwartzcoff must have been associating with the Uragogoru as well. With Dr. Tsujikawa gone, there was no alternative but to question Dr. Schwartzcoff. Where in the world was Dr. Schwartzcoff?

At that moment, Dr. Osumi noticed and swept his gaze around the First Laboratory. There must certainly be some record left by Dr. Tsujikawa regarding the Uragogoru. If one were to examine those writings—whether you called them memoirs or research notebooks—some of the Uragogoru’s secrets would likely become clear. Having thought this, he searched around the laboratory, trying his hand at the bookshelves and desk drawers, but spitefully enough, every shelf and drawer was securely locked with a latch, and no matter how much strength he exerted, there seemed to be no way to open them. He had no choice but to abandon his search of the cupboards.

Then he left the laboratory. He clomped down the wide staircase. And when he eventually emerged into the pitch-black darkness outside the mansion, he walked toward the gatekeeper Iwazō's hut.

“Dr.Osumi.” “Did something happen?” As soon as Iwazō saw his face，he asked． “Hmm…It’s nothing major．”

Dr. Osumi gave that reply. From the tone of Iwazō’s words, he sensed that he already seemed to know about the Uragogoru.

He went to where Takeo's father Kawamura was recuperating in the back of the hut. When he entered, Kawamura asked for water to drink. He seemed to have finally regained his vitality.

“Say, Mr. Kawamura.”

Dr. Osumi sat down at the patient’s bedside and spoke. “Wh-what?!” “I want you to tell me… about last summer when a foreign ship came offshore and contacted Dr. Tsujikawa, right? At that time, would you tell me what business there was?” “Hmm, that thing, huh…”

He replied, but Kawamura twisted his lips spitefully and grinned. “I... can’t speak about that.” “First off—there was a promise not to tell.” “And... there’s something I mean to settle myself regarding that business.” “So no matter what anyone says, I ain’t talkin’!”

Kawamura, for some reason, became excited, his expression fearsome, and refused Osumi’s request.

Dr. Osumi was disheartened. When he realized that what he had thought he could finally hear could no longer be heard from the lips of this severely injured man who had little time left to live, he felt a regret as if a prized jewel had been snatched from his grasp. That said, only four people had known about the foreign ship. Of these, Dr. Tsujikawa and Kitaro were already dead. Of the remaining two, Assistant Mayor Furuka Jinbei—due to both his current position and his prudence—refused to speak rashly. Moreover, if they were to detain him now, it would provoke unfavorable public opinion throughout the village. As a result, not only would Dr. Osumi’s investigation into this incident be jeopardized, but he would also no longer be permitted to stay in the village—something he desperately wanted to avoid. Under these circumstances, it had seemed best to extract information from Kawamura, who was barely clinging to life; yet with him still stubbornly refusing to speak, he could not help but despair. Was there no good way to make him talk?

At that moment, he thought of a plan. “Say, Mr. Kawamura... There’s something I really want to show you—won’t you take a look?” “Something you want to show me…” Kawamura looked up from his futon with a gaze that seemed to probe Dr. Osumi’s true intentions. “Yes. There’s something I must show you... Actually, your son Takeo-kun is here in Dr. Tsujikawa’s mansion.” “Moreover, unfortunately, he’s been imprisoned by the doctor.” “Well? Don’t you want to see him?”

“What?! You’re saying Takeo’s been imprisoned in this mansion?… Ahh, what in the world is the meaning of this?” “Why did Tsujikawa imprison my son?” “Now, let’s hear the reason—” “Even if I were to explain the reason, we wouldn’t know unless we ask Dr. Tsujikawa himself.” “But you know about it, don’t you?” “Now, tell me. …Even though you know he’s been imprisoned, why aren’t you trying to save my son?” “If you try any funny business, I won’t forgive you…”

As he said this, he tried to rise from his sickbed, but perhaps overcome by the pain of his wounds, he grimaced and thudded back down into the futon with a gasp.

Unfinished Secret Story

Dr. Osumi leaned forward on one knee as if he had been waiting for this moment. And bringing his mouth close to the ear of Kawamura, who lay on the sickbed, he softly whispered something.

“Hmm… So that’s how it was.” “You tried to save my son when those village bastards were about to let him die…” Kawamura’s words caught in his throat. “No… I was wrong.” “For a whole year, I’ve been abandoning my family and running wild—’cause…” “The reward money Tsujikawa gave me was too damn much—it made me turn wicked, so I left my wife and kids to go carousing.” “All of it—every last bit—is that bastard Tsujikawa’s doing.” “But… I regret it now.” “Even with these wounds, I don’t go home—if only to spare my family more trouble.” “But… how could my boy be locked up by that fiend Tsujikawa in this mansion…”

Kawamura poured his grief and indignation into the tears streaming from both eyes and sobbed.

“Now then, Mr. Kawamura,” Dr. Osumi said gently, placing a hand on his shoulder. “To save Takeo-kun, we absolutely must hear about the secret of the foreign ship from you—otherwise, it won’t work.” “What…?” “Hah! So you’re trying to cleverly trick me into spilling that story, huh?” “Oh, how dangerous!” “Who’d ever fall for such a trick?”

In response to Kawamura’s abruptly shifting attitude, Dr. Osumi remained unyielding and finally said: “Well, whether you talk or not, first please see Takeo-kun’s pitiful state.” “I’ve been avoiding meeting Takeo-kun since then because I thought witnessing such misery would only cause him more suffering.” “There’s no helping it now.” “This may cause you fresh sorrow, but to save Takeo-kun, it cannot be helped.” “Now then, I’ll stealthily show you Takeo-kun from here on, so climb onto my back.”

Whether Dr. Osumi’s sincerity had reached him or not, the critically injured man finally entrusted his body to Dr. Osumi. When the two reached the entrance, Iwazō—whom they had expected to find there—was nowhere to be seen. Dr. Osumi, still carrying Kawamura on his back, staggered along the garden toward that forest with the large cage. Even the father, peering through a gap in the trees at the brightly lit cage inside, wept openly. He hadn’t known his son had become such a miserable monster until he looked into the cage. He desperately swallowed his cries at Dr. Osumi’s warning. Kawamura, who had returned to the sickbed, had become obedient toward Dr. Osumi as if he were a completely different person from before.

“I didn’t know… I didn’t know.” “I’ve been so ashamed before you.” “I’ll thank you… I’ll thank you…” “……Then, please tell me.” “What kind of dealings took place between Dr. Tsujikawa and the foreign ship?” Dr. Osumi asked, not wanting to let this opportunity slip. “I don’t know much about that.” “No, I really don’t know anything about this!” “We just followed Dr. Tsujikawa’s orders—loading cargo onto the ship and bringing cargo from the ship to this mansion.”

“Oh? What did you bring from the ship?” “It was some kind of incomprehensible equipment. Since it was inside a crate, we couldn’t tell what was inside. But Dr. Tsujikawa was overjoyed. He shook hands with that foreign ship’s captain again and again in delight.” “Who was this foreign ship’s captain?”

“Dr. Schwartzcoff.” “What...? Dr. Schwartzcoff?!” Dr. Schwartzcoff—that was the name the pale ghostly Uragogoru had left behind. Could that Schwartzcoff have come sailing to these shores one year ago? “That’s all well and good, but what we transported from this mansion to the ship—those were no ordinary items.” “What...? Extraordinary items such as—” “It was inside a bag.” “A floppy thing.” “I’d wager I’m the only one who knows what was inside.” “I sneaked a look and nearly lost my wits.”

“Just what was that? Please tell me quickly!” Dr. Osumi felt a tightening in his chest. “That is… That’s how it is. Dr. Tsujikawa’s…” Just as he uttered “Dr. Tsujikawa’s—”, Kawamura suddenly cried “Gah!” and stopped speaking. At that moment, yellow smoke abruptly billowed from his forehead, and a red spot the size of a one-sen copper coin—like a bruise—appeared at its center. He groaned “Ugh” and pressed his right hand against his forehead. Then yellow smoke rose sharply from his hand, and an identical red spot emerged on its back. Kawamura’s face twisted into a visage too horrifying to behold—no sooner had he gaped his crimson mouth wide than he clawed at empty air with both hands and died on the spot. His end defied description—neither wholly tragic nor purely grotesque.

“Who’s there?!” Dr. Osumi realized mid-explanation that someone had killed Kawamura through some sinister method and resolutely rushed out from the gatekeeper’s hut. It must be Iwazō! Yet when he stepped outside, he cried out—“Ah!”—for there was Iwazō himself trudging toward him across the garden gravel from the entrance deep within the grove. Did he kill him? This was strange.

How could Iwazō, walking about three hundred meters away from the gatekeeper’s hut, have managed to murder Kawamura? When Iwazō noticed Dr. Osumi, he hurriedly approached him.

“Hey, what’s wrong?”

With the intention to pounce on him if he resisted, Dr. Osumi called out. “Well... I saw a guest had arrived, so...”

“A guest appeared? Who is this guest?” “...Dr. Schwartzcoff.”

The Mysterious Doctor

“Dr. Schwartzcoff?”

Dr. Osumi stared fixedly at Iwazō’s face and asked again. “That’s right. It’s Schwartzcoff.” At this, Iwazō was flustered. “Did you tell him Dr. Tsujikawa isn’t here, huh?”

“Yes, I told him.” “So then, since he looked a bit taken aback and had come all this way, he asked if he could rest for a bit.” “Why did you go to the main building?” “Huh? That... That’s what?” “He said that the doctor wanted me to check the professor’s room again thoroughly, just in case he might have returned…” “So I went to the main building and tried looking for the professor, but he was nowhere to be seen.” “That’s all there is to it.”

With that, Iwazō let out a relieved sigh. Upon hearing this, Dr. Osumi harbored a certain suspicion within his heart. But he did not let it show on his face, and instead said he would meet Schwartzcoff in Dr. Tsujikawa’s place. Iwazō nodded and went to bring the doctor standing outside the gate. “Oh, I am Dr. Schwartzcoff. “Dr. Tsujikawa is not here.” “That is unfortunate.” “Where did he go?”

And there, standing before Osumi was a gentleman with a bearded face wearing black glasses, his slightly corpulent frame clad in a white linen Western suit, and a well-shaped helmet hat upon his head.

Dr. Osumi explained Dr. Tsujikawa’s absence and guided Dr. Schwartzcoff to the main building. When Dr. Schwartzcoff entered the reception room, he complained of fatigue. He then asked if they would permit him to sleep there awhile. Dr. Osumi agreed. After instructing that he be notified upon waking and showing him the bell’s location, he left the room.

Dr. Osumi exited there and opened the door to Dr. Tsujikawa’s study, located about three rooms down, then entered inside. When he was alone, Dr. Osumi began to quietly contemplate the murder case of Takeo’s father. That was an utterly bizarre murder case. Even though no one had entered the room, in a single instant, he had been killed outright. And that terrifying murder method, which soundlessly and rapidly opened large holes in his forehead and the backs of his hands—what on earth could it have been? He had never before known such a bizarre method of murder.

This... somehow reeked of a death ray. But it is said that death rays cannot be materialized. If a death ray had been used, that must have been an extremely fearsome thing.

Who could possess a death ray? "That’s right... It might be that mysterious doctor." Even so, why would the doctor who had coincidentally come to meet him need to kill such a severely injured man in the middle of a conversation? Even if there were special circumstances, it didn’t sit right with him. First of all—he didn’t know where he was hiding it—but aside from his cane, there was nothing resembling such a device on Dr.Schwartzcoff’s person, nor could he find anything like it outside.

As Osumi continued to dwell on these thoughts, faint footsteps echoed down the hallway, soon coming to an abrupt halt before the room. Who?

In that instant, Dr. Osumi sprang up from his chair. And he spun around to hide himself behind the curtain, peering cautiously toward the entrance. Then the door opened without a sound, and from it emerged a bearded face with black glasses—(Ah, it’s him! Dr. Schwartzcoff after all!)—the doctor gripping a thick cane, his eyes casting wary glances as he crept into the room on stealthy feet. (What could he be planning?)

Dr. Schwartzcoff surveyed his surroundings for a moment.

Before long, he approached the heavily secured document cabinets lining the wall—Dr.Tsujikawa’s—and grasping the iron door, strained to pull it open. However, the iron door did not budge an inch. Perhaps having resigned himself, Dr.Schwartzcoff now approached the large desk, opened the second drawer from the top, and began searching through it intently. (Huh?) From behind the curtain, Dr.Osumi shook his head. Dr.Schwartzcoff seemed to know even the contents of Dr.Tsujikawa’s desk drawers. Eventually, Dr.Schwartzcoff withdrew his hand from the drawer. He made a troubled expression. Dr.Osumi could no longer emerge. It was better that he didn’t come out. If he had tried to emerge, he might have lost his life.

The mysterious doctor stood once more before the steel cabinet. After remaining deep in thought for a while, he extended the cane he was holding toward the door in one deliberate motion. The stone-tipped head of the cane gradually lengthened toward the keyhole. The doctor remained as motionless as a mounted mannequin.

Then, eerily enough, a blinding bluish-white point of light suddenly appeared on the door. It extended rapidly with a faint sizzling sound, tracing out a small horizontal circle as it grew. Mysterious Power-Ray Cane

(Ah—he's burning through the door! What a terrifying mechanism—this mysterious power-ray cane!) Dr. Osumi shuddered behind the curtain. I'd thought that cane looked unusually thick, but now its dreadful purpose became clear. From its stone-tipped head emerged what appeared to be a mechanism emitting fearsome mysterious power-rays. The steel door burned away like paper.

Dr. Osumi had once possessed a cane similar to that one. However, that cane had a small bulb attached to its grip, a tiny receiver inside its body, and a hook-equipped weight in its stone tip; when shaken, it would emit a low groan and release a long rope through its mechanism. However, alas, that cane had been dropped by him in the Demon Forest. However, Dr.Schwartzcoff also possessed a cane similar to that one. However, unlike Dr.Osumi’s, this one had been equipped with a truly dreadful mechanism.

Dr. Osumi looked over the cane once more.

(The shape looks quite similar, but...) To him, that cane increasingly felt like his own. Perhaps only its interior had been remodeled into something so dreadful. If that were true, how had Dr. Schwartzcoff obtained his cane? (This is strange!)

Dr. Schwartzcoff finally burned through the iron door. The document cabinets were soon effortlessly swung open to both sides. His face lit up with delight as he pulled out a large red-covered binder from the rows of document files lining the shelves. Promptly cradling it against himself, he fixed his gaze on the opened page.

But perhaps because the room’s lighting was dim, he walked toward the back window, still holding the document binder. And he voraciously immersed himself in reading it. What on earth could be written there?

Dr. Osumi—for reasons unknown—got down on all fours and stealthily crawled out from behind the curtain.

(Now's the chance!) He approached the document cabinets boldly, taking every care to make no sound. This was none other than the very cabinet he had longed to open but ultimately failed to. He crawled slowly and steadily like a stone turtle. Eventually, he finally reached the vicinity of the cabinet. There was a single armchair there. He moved around to its back and stealthily stretched out his hand.

“Got it!” And he shouted. In his hand was clutched tightly the thick Western-style cane. The cane that emitted those terrifying mysterious power-rays…

At Dr. Osumi’s shout, Dr. Schwartzcoff leaped up in shock on the spot. The binder fell to the floor with a thud.

“Wh-what are you doing?!” Dr. Schwartzcoff’s voice rang out.

“Obey my commands.” “If you don’t...” “If you don’t—” “Otherwise, your life will cease to exist!” Dr. Osumi pointed the Mysterious Power-Ray Cane firmly toward Dr. Schwartzcoff and declared in a voice brimming with confidence. “Ah! That’s dangerous!” “W-wait...!” “Who are you really? To ransack Dr. Tsujikawa’s study and take secret documents without permission—”

Dr. Schwartzcoff, wearing a terrifying expression, inched sideways across the desk with a grating motion. Dr. Osumi did not let his guard down for even a moment; wary of Dr. Schwartzcoff leaping at him like a leopard, he gradually retreated toward the cabinets. It was a truly suffocating standoff. "I won't resist. I'll tell you everything, so lower that cane for me... And don't make such a frightening face..."

Dr. Schwartzcoff pleaded uncharacteristically. Dr. Osumi wavered slightly at those words. It happened in that instant. The floor beneath Osumi's feet collapsed with a clatter. "Gah!" He writhed desperately against his plummeting body's momentum. His fingers barely caught the carpet's edge. Dr. Schwartzcoff had sprinted over like a bullet, but seeing Osumi still clinging to the trapdoor's rim, he panicked wildly—spun on his heels, flung open the door, and bolted outside like a startled hare.

Dr. Osumi, exerting desperate effort, finally managed to stand up without falling into the trapdoor. He grabbed the cane beside him and rushed out of the room in pursuit of Dr. Schwartzcoff. All this happened in mere seconds... When he stepped out into the hallway, Dr. Schwartzcoff was no longer there. And he heard the fierce sound of footsteps descending the stairs. He thought Dr. Schwartzcoff must surely be tumbling down the stairs in a frantic rush. He wasn’t about to let him escape and dashed toward the stairs.

At that moment, the reception room door swung open swiftly, and from it abruptly emerged a figure with a look of astonishment on their face.

Dr. Tsujikawa's Research

"What has occurred?" A voice rang out! Dr. Osumi froze on the spot, still crying "Eh?!"—and rightly so, for who should emerge from the reception room but... Dr. Schwartzcoff!

“Oh…”

Dr. Osumi's mind was in chaos. Even though he thought Dr. Schwartzcoff had run down the stairs, the one who had called out to him from the adjacent room—wearing a look of astonishment yet with relatively composed bearing—was none other than Dr. Schwartzcoff... Dr. Osumi could detect no trace of hostility in either Dr. Schwartzcoff's expression or demeanor. Moreover, Dr. Schwartzcoff truly appeared to have been asleep—his eyeglass-free eyelids were puffy, and he wore no coat. When Dr. Osumi looked closer, he saw that Dr. Schwartzcoff's trousers bore several large creases—distinctly formed, undoubtedly from having been slept in.

What in the world was going on here? "I was startled by the loud noise," said Dr. Schwartzcoff. "What has occurred?" Dr. Osumi made no attempt to reply and instead trained the death-ray cane on Dr. Schwartzcoff. The doctor remained perfectly composed.

“Doctor, what had you been doing all this time?”

“Me? … I was sleeping. I feel much better now.”

Osumi did not get the sense that Dr.Schwartzcoff was lying. Still maintaining caution, when he entered the reception room, there indeed lay evidence that Dr.Schwartzcoff had been sleeping there until now. Before the sofa sat a pair of short boots neatly removed. He slipped his hand inside them and felt a chill seep into his skin. If one had merely taken off shoes they were wearing moments prior, they wouldn’t feel this cold. The very same Dr.Schwartzcoff who had attacked Osumi earlier had undoubtedly been wearing shoes.

(Then... then that would mean there are two Dr. Schwartzcoffs: the one who attacked me and the one who was sleeping here.) Osumi had grasped this startling conclusion and struggled with how to explain it.

“This is rather strange.” “Strange? What’s strange?”

He had Dr. Schwartzcoff wait there and went down the stairs. Of course, there was no sign of the other Dr. there. He left the main building and came to the gatekeeper’s hut.

There, Iwazō was guarding Kawamura’s corpse and had lit incense sticks—though where he found them—in front of it, performing a memorial service. (It wasn’t even that this man was disguised.) Dr. Osumi asked whether anyone had come near the hut just now. Iwazō answered that no one had come. He realized it wasn’t a lie. The gate had its usual heavy lock secured, and Iwazō kept the key tightly in his custody. As for the matter of there seemingly being two Dr. Schwartzcoffs, Osumi decided to keep it to himself. In any case, it was certain that besides Iwazō, Dr. Schwartzcoff, and himself, another person was lurking about.

Dr. Osumi then returned to the main building.

Dr. Schwartzcoff was in the reception room, neatly dressed and quietly smoking a cigarette. When Osumi saw this, it truly seemed to be the real Dr. Schwartzcoff. “Dr. Schwartzcoff, how did you come to know Dr. Tsujikawa?” “Ah, that’s because we’re engaged in the same research. In Germany, I conduct research that no one else in the world is undertaking, and in Japan, Dr. Tsujikawa does the same.” “When you say it’s research conducted by just the two of you in the entire world—what exactly does that entail?”

Dr. Osumi, feeling a deep interest, inquired about it.

“It’s quite difficult research.” “It’s not something anyone can understand through explanation alone.” “But to put it simply, unprecedented anomalies have been occurring across this Earth in recent years—unlike anything since recorded history began.” “The most striking manifestation is the abnormal growth of organisms.” “Dr. Tsujikawa possesses abundant research materials on this abnormal growth.” “Ah! The abnormal growth of organisms!” “Then that beetle as large as a tortoise discovered in Demon Forest must be one such case too?”

“Oh, you’re quite knowledgeable.” “That X beetle is also one of them.” “There are still far more astonishing things out there.”

“You’re talking about humans, aren’t you?” “Oh, you’re quite well-informed. Dr. Tsujikawa has collected a great many of those research materials. This is something extremely rare in the world—they exist only in two places: the remote mountains of Japan and Argentina.” “What?! They exist in Argentina too?”

“That’s correct. I came to meet Dr. Tsujikawa on my way back to my home country after completing that expedition in Argentina.”

Dr. Schwartzcoff, perhaps assuming Dr. Osumi was Dr. Tsujikawa's assistant, spoke fluently without any attempt at concealment. Yet how profoundly Dr. Schwartzcoff's words must have shocked Dr. Osumi hardly needs explaining. The secrets of Dr. Tsujikawa's research—which he had long yearned to uncover—now began melting like an iceberg in temperate waters.

The Final Key

Dr. Osumi concealed his profound astonishment within his heart and continued questioning Dr. Schwartzcoff. “Why is this abnormal growth phenomenon limited to only Japan and Argentina?” “That is one key to the solution. The fact that there would be cases of abnormal growth in Argentina was something I finally deduced through my reasoning.” “You were in Germany—how did you discover that?” “There’s an interesting story behind that, but let’s skip it as it would take too long. In any case, my initial discovery of this phenomenon was based on meteorological changes.”

“Meteorological changes!” Dr. Osumi raised his voice then. He too had taken great interest in meteorological changes. This was something he’d noticed after coming to Yaoi Village—when he asked the villagers, he found the annual temperature fluctuations bore entirely different characteristics from those around Tokyo. Moreover, even topographically there were anomalies. In a place like this with mountains at its back and open sea ahead, seasonal climate changes should have been mild; yet in reality, drastic climatic shifts occurred. In summer, one would ordinarily expect cool daytime winds blowing inland from the sea, windless morning and evening calms, followed by nighttime land breezes flowing seaward—yet none of these phenomena manifested here. One might assume a continental climate pattern, but that didn’t fit either. The area underwent peculiar transformations unknown to conventional meteorology. Having recognized this, Dr. Osumi had gone so far as requesting climate statistics from the Central Meteorological Observatory beforehand to study Yaoi Village’s weather patterns—and confirmed it as a zone of abnormal meteorology. Yet how this connected to the abnormal growth phenomenon remained unclear until Dr. Schwartzcoff’s revelation—a realization that left him profoundly shaken.

“I have a laboratory at Berlin University in Germany, but while examining meteorological statistics over time, I discovered that in recent years the climate has not been conforming to the average curve derived from statistical data.” “Thinking this might be unique to Germany, I next obtained Spain’s meteorological records for comparison.” “However, I discovered abnormal weather phenomena occurring in Spain as well.” “Of course, they were on a much smaller scale than Germany’s...” “So I boldly requested Japan’s meteorological statistics.” “What I found astonished me.” “Japan’s climate has become utterly chaotic!” “Even summer follows this pattern.” “Some summers like last year show no temperature increase at all, while others like this year become unbearably hot.” “Furthermore, thunderstorm trajectories across Japan have changed dramatically nationwide in recent years.” “Through these observations, I identified particularly striking meteorological anomalies in Japan.” “And through our ongoing correspondence during this process, I became acquainted with Dr.Tsujikawa.” “Ah, the brilliance of Dr.Tsujikawa’s research!” “When I first understood its significance, I impulsively kissed the doctor’s cheek!”

Dr. Osumi’s cheeks gradually grew hot. No matter how he considered it, Dr. Tsujikawa could not be thought of as a good person—yet what incredible research he was conducting. Compared to that, his own struggles this summer were nothing more than child’s play.

Dr. Schwartzcoff continued speaking further, "In the end, it became clear that even within Japan, only this Yaoi Village has been placed in a particularly abnormal state, just as Dr. Tsujikawa pointed out." "The occurrence of abnormal growth phenomena throughout all of Japan is limited solely to this Yaoi Village." "Therefore, Yaoi Village alone is the world’s treasure trove for this grand research." "Ah… and I have discovered another one of those treasure troves." "That is the Capilanku region deep in the mountains of Argentina, as I just mentioned." "There, yet another interesting phenomenon is occurring."

“Doctor,” “What exactly could be causing this strange phenomenon called abnormal growth?” “What role might the White Ghost Uragogoru be playing?”

At that, the doctor showed extreme agitation and shot up from his chair. "Uragogoru? You know about that?" "...Uragogoru is precisely the final key to this research." "But they are truly intelligent." "We must not anger them." "Ah, Uragogoru..."

Dr. Schwartzcoff struck a pose as though offering a prayer to the heavens, looked up at the sky, and let out a sigh.

Reunion with Takeo

Dr. Schwartzcoff, who had cautioned Dr. Osumi that they must not anger Uragogoru, fell completely silent thereafter and avoided offering any further explanations no matter how Dr. Osumi pressed him. All he desired now was for Dr. Tsujikawa to return quickly so he might meet him briefly before departing for his homeland.

White Ghost Uragogoru! How far would that monster go to torment Dr.Osumi before being satisfied? It wasn’t just Osumi either—even Dr.Schwartzcoff clearly held Uragogoru in awe by then. Though it seemed only Dr.Tsujikawa had ever shaken hands with Uragogoru, that doctor had likely become a bleached skeleton at Ōtogami Nada’s seabed by now. When would Dr.Schwartzcoff ever realize this?

"This was troubling," Dr. Osumi thought. "I need to uncover Uragogoru’s secrets quickly somehow. Isn’t there any decent plan I could devise?"

And Dr. Osumi pondered until his head ached.

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

Having thought of this, Osumi bid farewell to Dr. Schwartzcoff. He left the room still holding that Mysterious Power-Ray Cane.

He then quietly descended the stairs, exited the main building, and walked toward the rear garden. In retrospect, he should have thought of Takeo much sooner. However, what tormented Osumi was that Takeo now had a monstrously gigantic body due to the abnormal growth phenomenon. That was why he had been hesitating, thinking Takeo would likely not want to show such an awkward body to him. But now that the cause had also been understood through Dr. Schwartzcoff’s explanation—that it stemmed from an abnormal phenomenon currently occurring across Earth—what possible shame could there be? No, rather than that, wouldn’t it be an act of kindness as his senior to proactively take the trouble to explain things for Takeo’s sake? Moreover, if he could borrow the various kinds of knowledge Takeo possessed, there would be nothing more fortunate than this.

He passed through the rear garden and approached the cage where Takeo and the others were confined. “Hey, Takeo-kun! Are you there, Takeo-kun?”

Had he heard that voice? “Oh—” A voice rang out, and suddenly emerging from what resembled a giraffe’s shed was none other than the giant Takeo. “Oh, Doctor! I’m ashamed... I’ve ended up in this disgraceful, unnatural form!” Having said this, he let his tears fall in a steady trickle. They formed a large puddle on the ground, like water poured from a cup. Even Osumi found it took courage to face this grotesque giant.

“Ah, there’s no need to worry. I’ve finally discovered the reason you became like this too.”

In fact, he briefly related what he had heard from Dr. Schwartzcoff about how things had unfolded. Then Takeo widened his eyes in astonishment as if realizing it anew— “Dr. Osumi—I understand now. Now that you mention it, there are various things I can recall. That’s why I told you about it in that pitch-dark forest in the first place. When I fell underground, I soon ended up in this body and crawled out onto Dr. Tsujikawa’s estate grounds. Of course, Dr. Tsujikawa was standing right beside me, observing my body with great intensity. That night, instead of this cage, I was taken into the main building and subjected to various examination-like procedures. After dinner, they gave me a bedroom to sleep in—but how could I possibly sleep? So I quietly slipped out and stepped outside. Then I passed through the original escape tunnel from the garden and emerged into the forest—that was when I met you.”

Having said that, the giant boy let out a deeply moved sigh. “Hmm, I get it, I get it. You must have been through a lot.” “But at that time, I told you about several strange things, didn’t I? That was during the day when I was in Dr. Tsujikawa’s room. When the doctor stepped away, I stealthily peeked at his notebook on the table. That’s all I did, but at any rate, I managed to grasp a problem filled with mystery.”

“Ah! Right! I want to discuss this properly—but can’t you find some way to come out of that cage?” “Well, I’m in a real bind— This key—Dr. Tsujikawa snapped it shut and took it away. I haven’t seen Dr. Tsujikawa around at all lately—but either way, this won’t open unless we get the doctor’s help. Thinking that since my body had grown larger, I must have gained more strength, I tried pushing against them many times, but given that it’s a cage made of thick steel bars, it was no use at all.”

At this, even Dr. Osumi could not help feeling deep disappointment. However, after a while, he shouted.

“Ah, there’s no need to worry. I’d forgotten I had something good. I’ll get you out right away—just wait there.”

With those words, Dr. Osumi repositioned the cane he had been holding under his arm. That Mysterious Power-Ray Cane...

Mysterious Meteorite Through the formidable power of the Mysterious Power-Ray Cane, even the steel bars rapidly softened like candy, allowing Takeo to emerge outside for the first time in days. The cage was restored to its original state and left as it was.

“Doctor, I’m so happy I can hardly stand it.” “But what a splendid cane this is!” “How were you able to obtain such a thing?” Osumi laughed and briefly recounted how he had seized it from the man believed to be the fake Dr. Schwartzcoff.

Then, the two of them entered the shade of the back mountain and began discussing their plans. The sight of the statue-like giant boy and Osumi—no larger than a grandchild—lying sprawled among the thickets conversing was nothing short of the rarest of the rare.

“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. Schwartzcoff on his return journey from Argentina—since he was 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 patterns are thought to relate to the abnormal weather phenomena occurring across Earth recently—in short, it suffices to say unusual changes have been occurring worldwide in recent years.”

“So this must also be related to those pale ghostly Uragogoru, right?”

“I think so too.” “In short, I believe those Uragogoru are creatures living on another planet.” “You can consider them higher animals that evolved from a type of amoeba.” “I think it’s because those Uragogoru are exerting some kind of influence on Earth.”

“There’s no doubt about it.” “Dr. Tsujikawa had been associating with them for some time, hadn’t he?” “Yeah, that must be it.” “But what’s truly baffling is the cargo loaded from the doctor’s residence onto the foreign ship—this matter concerns your…” Just as he was about to say it, Osumi suddenly realized— He had been hesitating over whether to speak about Takeo’s father’s gruesome death, but now concluded concealment would breed greater errors and resolved to disclose everything. Takeo hung his head and began weeping softly.

“If this is fate, then there’s nothing to be done. But does Mother know? I will definitely defeat this enemy.” “Now, you mustn’t get so agitated. If we can completely unravel the secret behind this current problem, everything will undoubtedly become clear. For now, let’s keep our resolve and both do our best, you understand? Though I must say—the contents of that cargo loaded onto the foreign ship still remain unclear. Your late father knew about it, but when he tried to speak of it, someone killed him. To be frank, I believe the culprit was that fake Dr. Schwartzcoff. Just who on earth could he be?”

“If such a bastard is wandering around this mansion grounds, we can’t afford to let our guard down.” “Yes, I’m exercising utmost caution. “What truly troubles me is how the contents of that shipment remain unclear.” “Then there’s the matter of the fifty-centimeter meteorite that fell in Daishū-ji Temple’s garden—we’ve confirmed Dr.Tsujikawa excavated and took it.” “But what purpose that meteorite serves remains unknown.”

“A meteorite is a fragment of a star flying through space, isn’t it?” “And its composition is said to be almost entirely iron.” “That’s right—the iron is said to be of quite high quality.” “However, it’s not just iron—there are cases where other substances are mixed in as well.” “Ah yes, that reminds me—this is a hypothesis from Gibson’s *Prehistoric Biogenesis Theory*, but regarding why animals and plants emerged on Earth or Mars, it posits that a star already hosting flora and fauna—for example, Earth itself could be considered one such star—collides with another star and shatters into fragments. These fragments become meteorites scattered through space, transporting bacteria and other organisms adhered to them to distant locations.” “And when they land on other stars, those bacteria then plant the seeds of flora and fauna on the newly arrived celestial body.” “It states that in this way, animals and plants are transplanted to many stars.” “That’s a rather interesting theory, don’t you think?”

“That’s fascinating.” “Doctor, then could it be that monsters like Uragogoru originated through such means?” “That might very well be the case.”

Dr. Osumi chimed in agreement. Yet if the two of them had remained calmer at that moment, there was an inference they should have naturally reached afterward. However, in their haste to continue their earlier discussion, they ultimately overlooked this crucial deduction. Because of this, the major incident—which should have been resolved much sooner—unfortunately became prolonged, an unavoidable consequence. In any case, the meteorite's purpose remained unclear.

The main building vanished.

The discussions between Dr. Osumi and the giant boy Takeo continued even after that. In the end, they resolved to appear together before Dr. Schwartzcoff and formulate a new plan. It was when they reappeared from the shadow of the back hill and began walking slowly toward the main building. Suddenly, everything before their eyes blazed with light. The brightness was terrifying—an earth-rending radiance like staring at the sun through an unfiltered telescope. With a startled cry, they clapped hands over their eyes and fell flat against the ground. What catastrophic event had just occurred?

“Ugh… I was stunned! What on earth was that?” “M-my eyes… haven’t they been ruined?”

Osumi and Takeo, rubbing their eyes vigorously with their fingertips, cautiously raised their upper bodies. And they gingerly opened their eyes.

The intense flash left their retinas still shimmering oddly, making it impossible to see ahead clearly. Tears streamed down incessantly. Gradually, Osumi's eyes began to adjust. His vision had begun to return. But what he saw then shocked him so profoundly he nearly collapsed. "Ah! What's happened here?!" "Huh?! Doctor, what's going on?!" Takeo kept rubbing his eyelids, his sight still blurred.

“Oh! Takeo-kun, this has become disastrous!” “How could something like this happen?” “The main building that was undoubtedly standing over there until now has completely vanished!”

“Huh?! Is that true?” “Ah, I can finally see faintly now.” “Ah, I see now, I see! That’s right.” “Certainly, until just now, the main building that looked like the eerie tower of an old castle was visible beyond those trees.”

The two of them cried out in unison, voices filled with astonishment.

“Let’s hurry over there and take a look.”

At full speed, the two of them dashed off. Of course, Takeo’s compass was a giant’s compass, so he instantly outpaced Osumi and took the lead.

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

“That’s right.” “This must be the spot.” “Look there! Only the building’s remains have turned stark white, like magnesium burning.”

“Ah-ha, I understand now! This is indeed where the main building stood—could it have exploded?”

“Yeah, it might’ve exploded.” “Wait, wait—this might be…”

With that, Osumi—apparently struck by some thought—suddenly looked up at the sky and shaded his eyes with both hands. For a while, he seemed to be searching intently for something, but— “Ah, Takeo-kun. “That’s it! That’s it!” “Look at that!” “Yes, that thing…” Takeo looked up along with him in the direction Osumi was pointing.

“Look—over there where you see the gap in the white clouds. Isn’t that strange-shaped object emitting bright flashes as it soars upward?”

“Yes! I can see it! I can see it!” “Ah! That’s shaped like a house!” “Yes, yes, exactly!” “Look closely.” “That’s the main building that was standing there until just now!” “What?! That’s the main building?!”

Upon closer inspection, there was no mistaking it—it was indeed the main building. What on earth could it mean that such a large building soared into the sky in an instant?

“This is utterly astonishing,” said Dr. Osumi, his voice trembling slightly. “Takeo-kun, that main building was itself a massive rocket mechanism! What a horrifying thing! If I had dawdled any longer, I’d be flying up there myself by now.” He shook his head vigorously, as if trying to dislodge the image from his mind. “No—how should I put this—it chills me to the bone.” Takeo stared down at the scientist, his mouth hanging open in a perfect circle of disbelief. After a long moment of stunned silence, he finally managed to speak again. “Hey—Professor.” His voice cracked slightly on the honorific. “Wasn’t there... wasn’t there a Dr.Schwartzcoff inside that building?”

“Yes, yes—Dr. Schwartzcoff. "And the fake Dr. Schwartzcoff too. “The two Dr. Schwartzcoffs have ascended to heaven together. “Why? “Why? “I feel like I’m losing my mind.”

Press corps

Even though the reason remained unclear, the fact that the main building—still carrying the two Dr. Schwartzcoffs—had vanished into the sky in an instant was an irrefutable fact.

That luxurious laboratory, the invaluable machine room, and the observational data shrouded in mystery—all vanished into thin air. What remained in the end? It was merely an imposing wall, a large cage in the grove, a gatekeeper’s hut—probably only those. Dr. Tsujikawa’s eerie mansion too had now become nothing more than a hollow shell.

At that moment, Dr. Osumi suddenly noticed something and scanned his surroundings. “Ah, there he is!” Takeo turned toward the voice and looked where Osumi was staring. Beside the gatekeeper’s hut stood a man with a prosthetic leg—like them, he shaded his eyes with one hand and gazed vacantly at the sky. “Iwazō was finally left behind, huh.”

Dr. Osumi strode briskly over and gave Iwazō’s shoulder a light tap. Then he fell backward with a thud, as if knocking down a sliding door, without letting out a single cry. Dr. Osumi, shocked, knelt beside him and tried taking the gatekeeper’s pulse. The pulse was faint and rapid, but he could definitely feel it at his fingertips. Apparently, 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 in the eastern direction.

“Hmm, I wonder what that is this time.”

When they stared at the sky in the direction of the sound, there was no mistaking it—it was indeed an airplane. But to their astonishment, it wasn’t just one or two. As they counted them, there must have been around fourteen or fifteen planes. There were large ones and small ones; as they drew closer, some had red wings while others sported blue fuselages—all manner of shapes and sizes vying to turn their noses toward where they stood. Where on earth could these planes be from?

Moment by moment, the engine roar grew louder. The faster planes first began circling Dr. Tsujikawa's mansion in wide loops. Before long, some of them—perhaps resolved to land—started descending to low altitude one after another. Most touched down outside the mansion grounds. Two or three small, lumbering "sky pests" that had lagged behind executed daring landings within the estate. These might be newspaper reporters, Dr. Osumi thought. He recalled Sasa Hōdan's previous dramatic arrival and reached this conclusion.

It was, as expected, a group of press corps from each newspaper company. They valiantly scaled the wall, clung to a pine tree to climb down, and came charging over with a roar—but when they got quite close, as if by some shared agreement, they abruptly halted their feet and made faces as stiff as dried fish. "What’s wrong with them?" The moment Dr.Osumi thought this, “Everyone is looking at me in astonishment.” said Takeo.

"Oh, is that all?" Dr. Osumi thought, and he walked over toward them.

Then, with another roar, they gathered around Osumi and surrounded him with a human wall.

“That’s right—what about the victims of the abnormal growth phenomenon?” asked one of them rapidly. “Oh? How do you know that?” “Well, that’s precisely it! You probably aren’t aware, but Tokyo’s in an uproar! After all, we suddenly received a wireless telephone call from Sasa Hōdan!” “What?! Sasa Hōdan...? Is Mr. Sasa still alive?”

“Well, this is practically us coming to deliver news ourselves,” one of them said, blinking his eyes. “But if we don’t tell our side first, it’ll be inconvenient for you to share yours, right? In any case, today’s report has made Sasa’s adventure completely clear to us—and he’s apparently alive and well. You—are Dr.Osumi, right? He asked me to tell you that.”

“It’s wonderful Mr.Sasakun survived! I thought he’d perished already... How fares our intrepid correspondent now?” “He’s reportedly made landfall on Uragogoru.” “Uragogoru?! So he breached its atmosphere...”

“Apparently he soared into the sky fully prepared to die. But then before he knew it, he’d somehow landed on Uragogoru—when he made that wireless telephone call from there, even we were stunned. Now then, let’s get to it—please answer our questions. First, tell us about the circumstances when Sasa Hōdan blasted off from this area. We insist.”

Uragogoru Communication

“Ladies and gentlemen.” “I have a rather urgent request to make, if I may.”

After allowing the newspaper reporters to take sufficient notes, Dr. Osumi began to speak. “What’s this request? As a token of gratitude, we’ll go out of our way to do anything.” “I earnestly wish to request that. The request is simply this: Would you please take me right away to a place where I can speak with Mr. Sasa Hōdan via wireless telephone?” “Ah, to a place where you can talk with Sasa?” The reporters looked slightly troubled. Forming a circle a short distance away, they began their discussion. After a while—perhaps having reached a conclusion—one of them stepped forward,

“Dr.Osumi. “In that case, we’ll specially lend you an airplane—please fly to Tokyo immediately and go to the observatory. There’s an excellent set of transceivers there. We had our conversation with Sasa using that equipment. No matter how we tried with other devices, nothing worked.”

“Ah, the observatory in Mitaka Village?” “Then please take me there.” “Okay.” “Hey, Matsuda.” “Hurry up, I’m counting on you!”

The giant boy Takeo was terribly lonely about being separated from Dr.Osumi, but this particular situation simply couldn’t be helped. There was no way they could let a giant twice the size of Nio statues ride together on the airplane. After telling them he would return right away and to keep waiting, Dr.Osumi—still wearing his tattered Western clothes—boarded the aircraft.

Being a communications plane, it moved at blazing speed. Dr.Osumi found himself relaxing for the first time in ages, yet before he could grow properly intoxicated by the earth below—its distant beauty like freshly laid green tatami—the aircraft had already touched down safely three hours later at Mitaka Village on Tokyo's outskirts, where the observatory stood. Dr.Osumi thanked the pilot warmly and bade him farewell. As he walked steadily toward the observatory's main entrance, a white-haired old gentleman with a boyish face approached from ahead, waving vigorously in his direction. Who could that be?

“Oh! It’s Director Kōchi.” “Ah! It’s my mentor, Director Kōchi!”

Dr. Osumi Seiji had encountered his former mentor—the professor he had troubled during his university years—for the first time in ages. “Well now, you’ve become quite the celebrity, haven’t you?” “What? Professor—what do you mean?” “I’m talking about Uragogoru,” he said. “And those abnormal growth phenomena in Yaoi Village. As their discoverer, you’ll likely receive this year’s Science Award. Congratulations!” “No, Professor—it’s truly nothing so grand. I was merely an observer.”

“That’s not true. Sasa Hōdan has written your theory in exhaustive detail day after day in Tokyo’s newspapers. You’re clearly in line for the Golden Kite Medal, First Class. The academic world is in a tremendous uproar right now!” “Ah yes! It’s regarding that Sasa Hōdan that I’ve come here now. Professor, please introduce me to this observatory’s director. I must absolutely speak with Sasa via wireless telephone.”

“Ah, I see.” “That should be fine.” “Professor, you know the director of the observatory, don’t you?” “Could you please introduce me?” “That’s no trouble at all.” “The director is none other than myself.” “Wh-What?! You’re… Oh!” “I see!”

Under Director Kōchi’s guidance, Dr. Osumi was able to approach the secret micron-wave transceiver. About three researchers were diligently tuning the machine. Through Director Kōchi’s introduction, Dr. Osumi became acquainted with everyone. The researchers, having witnessed this hero of the academic world before their very eyes, were utterly excited. “All right, it’s coming through,” said one of them as he held the receiver to his ear and busily turned the dial. “Ah, it’s coming through. “…Is this Mr. Sasa Hōdan?” “Ah, my apologies for the interruption.” “No, this time it’s not about astronomy.” “Dr. Osumi Seiji would like to speak with you.” “I’ll hand you over now, so please wait a moment.”

The researcher greeted him, saying, "Here you go."

Dr. Osumi Seiji lunged for the device and placed the receiver on his head. “Ah! Mr. Sasa?” “This is Osumi.” “That you’re alive... It feels like a dream.” “Nothing could make me happier!”

Sasa energetically replied from the other end. He took pride in being the only human on Uragogoru. "You... earlier... since Dr.Tsujikawa’s main building was rigged as a rocket and shot into the sky—it might land over there any minute now."

“Tch, so that’s what happened…… No, thank you for informing me.” “Right now, the Uragogoru beasts are making an unusual racket.” “So they’ve found it, then.”

“I see. Inside are two people called Dr.Schwartzcoff.” “What? Two doctors? Are they twins?” “That’s not it. One is the real Dr.Schwartzcoff and the other’s probably an impostor.”

“An impostor?” “I see.” “Wait—I do have an idea.” “Oh my, they’ve arrived.” “It’s a strangely shaped rocket indeed.” “Ah! The Uragogoru crowd is rushing toward the rocket!” “The atmosphere’s thick with bloodlust, but something feels… off about this.”

Earth Theft

Dr. Osumi was shocked to receive a report—while listening via wireless telephone to Sasa Hōdan on Uragogoru describe the arrival of the rocket from Dr. Tsujikawa’s main building—that a critical incident had apparently occurred there.

“Mr. Sasa. “What’s going on?” “Mr. Sasa, observe closely and report accurately—I implore you!” “Alright.” “Hey! Foreigners are coming out from the entrance!” “Could this be… Dr. Schwartzcoff, you mean?”

“A large figure wearing a brown Western suit.” “He has a beard on his chin!” “Yeah, exactly right.” “Oh! Another one came out from behind!” “Whoa, this is strange.” “What the— That’s Dr. Tsujikawa!” “Huh? Dr. Tsujikawa?” “That’s absurd.” “If it’s Dr. Tsujikawa, he should have died long ago when he crashed into the sea.” “No, you’re wrong.” “There’s no mistake in my eyes.” “It’s definitely Dr. Tsujikawa— Whoa!” “Dr. Tsujikawa’s been captured by Uragogoru—he’s flailing his arms and legs!” “Looks like something’s up with the Doc!”

“What? Dr. Tsujikawa… That’s dreadful! You—go investigate at once and report back immediately! Hello? Hello? Mr. Sasa! Hey—Mr. Hōdan!”

At the critical moment, a roaring sound erupted from the receiver—and with that, the call was abruptly severed. What in the world happened?

The observatory researchers, sensing an emergency almost before they could process it, rushed to the equipment. Then, quickly taking over from Osumi, they inspected the inside of the transceiver, but for some reason, they could no longer hear the other party’s voice at all. The equipment on our end seemed fine, but something must have happened to their side. “Dr. Osumi,” said the researcher apologetically. “I’m afraid there’s nothing we can do but wait for their equipment to be repaired.”

With that, the researcher said apologetically.

Dr. Osumi struggled to suppress his irritation but couldn’t help rejoicing at having finally established communication with Uragogoru. That Dr. Tsujikawa had been alive came as a complete shock. Yet upon later reflection, he realized there had indeed been clues. The Dr. Schwartzcoff who had recently infiltrated the study and burned through the document cabinet seemed different from the genuine article—his frame appeared smaller, and his entire face struck him as unusually hairy. Could Dr. Tsujikawa have disguised himself as Dr. Schwartzcoff and returned to his mansion to conceal his survival? After all, if even Sasa Hōdan had managed to survive, there was no way the rocket reserved for the doctor’s personal use lacked proper safety mechanisms. Though Dr. Tsujikawa’s rocket had crashed into the sea, his life must have been preserved regardless.

Why had Dr. Tsujikawa taken Dr. Schwartzcoff and flown out toward Uragogoru? Dr. Tsujikawa had apparently maintained deep ties with Uragogoru for some time, yet according to the conversation moments before the call was severed, it now seemed the white specters of Uragogoru were inflicting some manner of persecution upon him. For these very specters—who should have safeguarded the doctor as their most vital asset—to instead torment him... What cosmic reversal could explain this?

While the phone line was being repaired, the observatory’s senior scholars had requested to hear Dr. Osumi’s account, so he attended the gathering. It was on a cool north-facing veranda where cold water, melon, and Western-style confections were served. Despite Osumi’s modest protests, the scholars seated him in the place of honor and freely asked questions about the abnormal growth phenomena in Yaoi Village. Osumi answered in detail everything he knew, but the scholars were astonished anew at each revelation.

Director Kōchi, the elderly head of the observatory, had also been seated among them, but now he spoke up, “The abnormal growth phenomenon in Yaoi Village is truly a valuable discovery.” “At the Meteorological Agency too, they report observing meteorological values entirely different from previous years across all parameters—leaving their entire staff at a loss for interpretation.” “At our observatory as well, we suddenly became aware of Uragogoru’s approach, and it has been pure chaos ever since.” “All of this aligns with Dr. Osumi’s observations about Uragogoru approaching Earth—yet no one could have predicted such an approach.” “This situation defies all precedents.” “Dr. Osumi—do you have any insights regarding this matter?”

Osumi was looking downward in thought at his teacher’s words for a while—but soon raised his head,

“—With your permission, I would like to present an extremely bold theory.” “Well, well! A bold theory—that’s quite splendid.” “What do you mean by that, Dr. Osumi?”

Dr. Osumi smiled gently, “I don’t know if this will be to your liking, but I believe that Uragogoru’s approach cannot be resolved through conventional predictions.” “In other words, this too is one of the abnormal phenomena.” “I well understand that it’s abnormal, but…”

“And rather than Uragogoru having approached Earth, I believe it would be more accurate to state that Uragogoru has pulled our Earth toward itself.”

“What? Are you saying Uragogoru pulled Earth toward itself?” “Hah! That’s preposterously bold.” “Planetary motions cannot be altered by human means.” “No—to deem it impossible through biological forces is antiquated thinking.” “It’s absolutely achievable.” “Uragogoru has already executed this decisively against Earth.” “Our planet was drawn into Uragogoru’s clutches.” “In short, Earth had been stolen long ago.”

“Theft? “Are you saying Earth had been stolen? “Well, isn’t this amusing! “Earth theft? “That’s quite a large thing to have stolen. “Ha ha ha!” With that, Director Kōchi, in high spirits, continued to cackle—*karakara-kara*—without end.

The Secret of the Meteorite

Dr. Osumi’s "Earth Theft Theory" suddenly ignited a tremendous sensation across global academic circles. While some voiced wholehearted support for Dr. Osumi’s theory, hailing it as the greatest discovery since antiquity, others emerged who vehemently denounced it as heretical nonsense—even going so far as to demand his expulsion from academia unless he could immediately explain away the weaknesses they themselves had highlighted. The purported weakness of Dr. Osumi’s theory lay in this question: "By what means did Uragogoru draw Earth into its grasp?" The method remained unexplained.

This so-called weakness was not inherently significant from the standpoint of academic research itself, and Dr. Osumi’s achievement in discovering the abnormal growth phenomenon alone was more than sufficient. As for how this so-called weakness—Uragogoru’s method of pulling Earth—was achieved, someone could take their time resolving it another day. The fact that the answer had not been found was by no means a disgrace to Dr. Osumi. Moreover, that Dr. Osumi’s reputation gradually fell into disrepute due to support for this perceived weakness, with an increasing number of people labeling him a fraud—no matter how much academic detractors relished their mudslinging—what a despicable state of affairs this was!

The pure-hearted Dr. Osumi, unable to endure the emotional wounds, agonizingly secluded himself in a rented room and did not step outside even once. All the while, his mind was fixated on a single thing.

“Before long, the wireless telephone will reconnect with Uragogoru.” “When it does, Sasa Hōdan will surely deliver a crucial report.” “Since he’s stationed on Uragogoru, he must be investigating ‘the exact method by which Uragogoru pulled Earth into its grasp.’” Lately, Dr. Osumi—owing to his relative youth—had found himself battered by society’s contempt. Had he maintained greater composure, he might have unraveled this conundrum and regained his smile far sooner. He ought to have gone straight to Yaoi Village where young Takeo awaited him, rather than brooding in his rented room.

Putting that aside, three days later, an urgent call came in for Dr. Osumi from the Mitaka Village Observatory.

He hurried to answer the call.

The other party was Sugai—a scientist and wireless operator he had become acquainted with during his previous visit. “Hello? Dr. Osumi? “This is the observatory. The telephone line to Uragogoru has connected again, so could you please come immediately?” “Huh?! Uragogoru has appeared again?” “I see.” “That’s most welcome.” “I’ll be right there…” Dr. Osumi leaped for joy. The time had finally come for the problem to be solved. If Sasa Hōdan responded, there should be no part of this story that remained beyond comprehension.

He flagged down a passing 1937-model automobile and requested that it rush him immediately to nearby Mitaka Village. “So? Has Uragogoru appeared?” “Has Uragogoru appeared?” Dr. Osumi leaped into the observatory’s wireless room and immediately asked about it. “Well, it is appearing, but…” At this, Mr. Sugai made a slightly pained expression. “Huh?! What’s going on?” “It does appear, but what’s the matter?” “―Well, do listen. “The one responding is Mr. Sasa Hōdan.”

While harboring doubts about Researcher Sugai's suspicious words, Dr. Osumi placed the receiver to his ear.

“Hello? “This is Osumi. Is that Mr. Sasa Hōdan?” “Hello?” “Hmm, I can’t hear this.”

“It’s not that you can’t hear it—the sound’s just very faint.” “Well then listen carefully.” “Ah! Understood. “Hello? Hōdan?” As he persisted in calling out patiently—yes—the faint voice of Sasa Hōdan finally came through. “Oh! Sasa. “What’s happened there?”

“Well, Dr. Osumi. I’ve left Uragogoru and am now flying through space in a rocket.” “What do you mean you’ve left Uragogoru?! What’s the meaning of this?” “Staying there would’ve endangered my life. Moreover, I realized the distance between Uragogoru and Earth has been rapidly increasing since five days ago—I couldn’t stand it anymore!” “The distance from Earth?! What’s happening? You must know why.”

“You’re the one who should know that—it’s about that meteorite, you know.” “Meteorite? Ah, you mean the one that fell in the garden of that temple—Daishū-ji or whatever it’s called—and Dr.Tsujikawa dug up and brought back to his mansion, right?” “Yes, yes! That meteorite.” “What about it?”

“You’re surprisingly slow on the uptake, huh. That meteorite’s like an anchor they deliberately fired at Earth from Uragogoru.” “Huh?! When you say anchor—” “You know how whaling ships drive harpoons with ropes into a whale’s back? It’s exactly like that. That meteorite might not have a visible rope attached, but there’s something doing the same job.”

“Ah! Now I understand!” “It’s all coming together!” “So that meteorite—it isn’t an ordinary one after all!”

“They said that’s how it was.” “It’s a special substance created over fifty years at Uragogoru’s National Research Institute.” “They fired that into Earth and left it there, and then when they operate the huge machine built on Uragogoru, it pulls that special substance with tremendous force.” “Well, it’s like a kind of magnet, but with a force billions upon billions of times stronger than that.” “So that’s the story of how Earth was steadily pulled toward Uragogoru, I tell ya.”

“Hmm, I see. Now I get it. The answer I’ve been seeking has come together. I thank you. —And that ‘something like magnetic force’ you mentioned—what exactly is it?” “Heh heh. You think I’d understand something that complicated? —But those Uragogoru beasts called that force ‘Schupior.’” “Schupior? What could that be? This is yet another great new mystery.”

“Well, let’s leave it at that for now. The battery in my rocket’s dropped way down in voltage. Gotta save some juice or it might not last till I make it back to Earth, y’know?”

The wireless telephone aboard Sasa Hōdan’s rocket racing through space regrettably snapped off at that very moment.

Grand Finale

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

Ah, this was it—this was it! The answer to the question—By what method did Uragogoru pull Earth closer?—had now been splendidly formed. Even so, what terrifying power Uragogoru possessed! Their knowledge was over a century more advanced than that of us humans dwelling on Earth. A terrifying enemy of the vast universe!

The next day, Dr. Osumi stepped up to the podium in the grand auditorium of XX University and delivered this grave report. The number of scholars who flocked 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. It was something unprecedented even in the annals of political campaign rallies. This was simultaneously broadcast nationwide, and it is said that the crowd gathered before the speakers surpassed even that of the Keio-Waseda rivalry game. What was particularly notable was that during this broadcast, even the war between Fascism and Communism in Europe entered a temporary ceasefire. And simultaneously with the conclusion of Dr. Osumi’s lecture, wars around the world were widely announced to enter an indefinite ceasefire.

“We humans inhabiting Earth must immediately cease our fratricidal conflicts, unite all of humanity, and devise combat preparations against Uragogoru, who will soon come to invade. Otherwise, this time, our Earth will surely be stripped of its 8 billion years of honor and forced to become slaves to those Uragogoru.”

—And Europe’s leader, Mr. Hitlerini, went so far as to appeal to all of humanity through an international broadcast. Consequently, as a great benefactor of humanity, Dr. Osumi was hounded by daily invitations he could not refuse no matter how much he declined, until he was finally on the verge of physical collapse. Finally, one night, he secretly boarded a plane, slipped out of the imperial capital, and returned alone to Yaoi Village—the place he remembered.

Under the moonlit sky, Yaoi Village welcomed Dr. Osumi, wearing a peaceful expression as if nothing had ever happened.

"Ah, Takeo-kun... what happened to him after that, I wonder." There, he thought of the pitiful circumstances of Takeo, the boy who had unexpectedly contracted giantism disease. There was no longer any doubt that Yaoi Village had been irradiated by invisible special rays periodically emitted from Uragogoru, and that organisms heavily exposed to those rays had fallen victim to that grotesque giantism disease. The life of that boy Takeo, forced to become a giant he was never meant to be—how utterly tragic it must have been.

He visited the ruins of the doctor’s mansion because he wanted to console the boy. That imposing high wall, illuminated by the moonlight, cast a long and strange black shadow. Dr.Osumi stood before the familiar small gate and tapped the steel door with the tip of his Western-style cane.

“—Hello! Who’s there?” “I—I am someone called Osumi.” “Dr. Osumi! Ah—it’s you, Sensei!”

From inside the door came an adorable child’s voice. And then the door creaked open inward. “Oh—” Having cried out, Dr. Osumi kept staring endlessly with a dumbfounded expression at the face of the lovely boy who had come bursting forth from within the gate.

“Dr. Osumi! I’m Takeo!” “What? Takeo-kun? But if you’re Takeo-kun, you should be much larger!” “Yes, Doctor—please rejoice! My body has been shrinking gradually since four or five days ago and finally returned to normal! It’s like a dream—I’m so happy I can hardly bear it! Omiyo’s been overjoyed too!” “Ah! So it’s true! It really was you after all, Takeo-kun! I’m so relieved—I couldn’t stop worrying!”

“It’s not just me. Everything that grew large has all become small again. Look—there was a beetle as big as a tortoise, remember? That one’s shrunk back down too, just like this.”

Having said that, the boy pointed to his shoulder. Sure enough, a single beetle was crawling across the boy’s clothes. It was a tiny, tiny beetle. “Doctor, why do you think everyone has returned to their original size?”

The boy looked up at Dr. Osumi’s face with a grin.

“Hmm, Takeo-kun, I’ve finally figured it out. Because the Uragogoru Star has moved far away, that mysterious force weakened, and so everyone has returned to their original size. Doesn’t that explain it?” “Ah, I see. Oh, Omiyo also heard your voice and woke up to come here.”

Sure enough, from the direction of the guardhouse came the voice of Omiyo—who had been close with the boy—could be heard. “Everyone’s become happy now, haven’t they...”

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