Holmes of Kyoto: Volume 19 E-Book

Mai Mochizuki

• Herausgeber: J-Novel Heart
• Kategorie: Abenteuer, Thriller, Horror
• Serie: Holmes of Kyoto
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 203

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2024

Beschreibung

One February afternoon, Reito Kamo visits Kiyotaka at the Komatsu Detective Agency. The spirit exorcist comes with two requests—one is an appraisal, while the other is for the agency as a whole. According to Reito, the latter requires the team to visit a haunted house. What spooky phenomena will they find there?

Leseprobe

Table of Contents

Cover

Characters

Prologue

Chapter 1: That Which Changes and That Which Doesn’t

Interlude: Their Emotions

Chapter 2: Twilight House of Horrors

Final Chapter

Afterword

Extra Story

References

Color Illustrations

Maps of Kyoto

About J-Novel Club

Copyright

Landmarks

Color Images

Table of Contents

Prologue

“Aoi has been shooting me glances as of late,” the handsome young man murmured with a sigh. His melancholic expression was straight out of a literary novel.

The office was rather lively whenever conversations got going, but otherwise, it was quiet as everyone did their own thing. That was the case at the moment, with the only sound being the tapping of a keyboard. The whispers of the wistful young man—Kiyotaka Yagashira—were therefore clearly audible. Thus, a response was necessary.

“Glances?” The detective agency’s chief, Katsuya Komatsu, stopped his work and looked up.

Kiyotaka had his hands folded in front of his chin and a distant look in his eyes. His expression was completely serious. When he was like this, his clean features made him appear even more handsome.

Kiyotaka was an appraiser with a brilliant mind and an exceptional eye for observation. He called himself an apprentice, but Komatsu already considered him a professional. This talented man wasn’t here just to mutter to himself, of course. In addition to helping with the agency’s work, he was now providing consultation services. It wasn’t anything fancy, just a poster on the front door saying, “We offer thirty-minute consultations on anything. Pay what you want.” But even though it was only targeting visitors who saw the poster, it was quite popular.

Kiyotaka could give advice on anything, be it restaurant management, Kyoto attractions for tourists, or relationships. And some people just wanted to chat with a good-looking man. Satisfied customers recommended the service to their acquaintances, and its reputation steadily grew.

People looking for consultations typically came after 3 p.m., and it was currently 2:30. Since there wasn’t much going on at this time, Komatsu was working on his programming side job as usual, while Ensho (real name Shinya Sugawara) was playing online mahjong and Kiyotaka was reading a magazine.

That was when Kiyotaka had murmured those words. This man seemed perfect, but he had a fatal weakness—his fiancée, Aoi Mashiro. The topic he was bringing up was probably going to end up being much more trivial than his serious expression suggested. Then again, the words he said were already trivial...

Ensho put a hand on his head, which was shaved bald like a monk’s. “What is it this time?” He clicked his tongue. “More bragging about your girl? I can’t stomach any more of this.”

He was as harsh as ever, but this time, Komatsu agreed.

“I’ve had enough too,” the detective said. “I’m just about ready to ban it from the office.”

“No,” Kiyotaka said, holding up his hand. “I’m not trying to brag.”

“Huh?”

“Aoi has always been the type to focus on her work. I could understand if it was during downtime, but normally, she would never glance at me while doing her job.”

Komatsu imagined Aoi Mashiro in his head. The girl was the type to get fully absorbed when she was hard at work. On several occasions, he had seen her cleaning the store or rearranging the small display in the window without looking away for a single moment.

“But recently, she’s been glancing at me while cleaning, checking the inventory, or preparing a new display.”

Komatsu and Ensho frowned at the same time.

“What’s wrong with that?” Komatsu asked.

“You are bragging,” Ensho spat.

Kiyotaka sighed. “I’m happy that she’s looking at me, of course. However, it’s not what you’re thinking. Her eyes are extremely calm. It feels less romantic and more like she’s observing me. I have no idea why she’s looking at me like that.” His face paled as he spoke. Everyone recognized this man’s sharp observation skills, but when it came to Aoi, he was useless.

Komatsu and Ensho looked at each other.

“Seems pretty obvious to me,” said Ensho. “She’s appraising you.”

“What?” Kiyotaka furrowed his brow. “Isn’t it a bit late for that?”

“You don’t get it. Aoi’s been maturing by the day. She’s been happily playing fiancée until now, but reality’s starting to sink in.”

“Reality...” Kiyotaka gulped.

“She’s getting close to marrying age, so she’s probably thinking, ‘Should I really marry this person?’ And her hesitation’s manifesting in her glances.”

“Huh?” Kiyotaka was lost for words. The explanation was strangely plausible.

“The other day, you said you finally bought your own car, right? Knowing you, it was probably some super expensive import that normal people would be put off by.” Ensho folded his hands behind his head.

Indeed, Kiyotaka had mentioned buying a car half a month ago. The reasoning had been that the owner—Kiyotaka’s grandfather, Seiji Yagashira—had recently moved in with Yoshie Takiyama, so the Yagashira residence often didn’t have a car available to use. Also, although the owner was elderly and hadn’t turned in his driver’s license yet, it wasn’t a concern because Yoshie did the driving, not him. “The time has finally come for me to buy my own car.” Kiyotaka had said those words with a sense of resignation.

“No, I bought a modestly priced Japanese car,” Kiyotaka said.

Komatsu hummed in surprise. He’d assumed that it was the German MINI, since Kiyotaka had been saying for a while that he liked it. “Did you get an electric car?”

“I considered it, but this time, I went with a design that I liked.”

A Japanese car design he likes? What could that be? Komatsu wondered.

Ensho’s eyes lit up a bit. “What, was it a Honda NSX?” Apparently, that was Ensho’s car of choice.

Kiyotaka gave a small shrug. “It was nothing that expensive. I said it was modestly priced.”

“I can’t trust your definition of ‘modest.’ Was it a Mazda Miata, then?”

“No. I do like the Miata’s design, but a two-seater convertible isn’t suited for daily use.”

“You sound like a housewife.”

“I’m in charge of the family’s finances and housework, so that description isn’t too far off.”

“If you’re a housewife, does that mean Aoi’s the husband?”

“That sounds nice. I’ll cook my best dishes and wait for her to come home.”

“Seriously, stop bragging.”

“You’re the one who asked.”

“So what’d you buy, kiddo?” Komatsu asked impatiently.

“The Mitsuoka Viewt.”

“Oh, yeah, you did talk about that one,” said Ensho.

“It’s a retro-style car, right?” asked Komatsu. “I can see the kiddo liking that.”

Kiyotaka smiled happily. “Yes. It’s very cute, with a cream-colored body and red seats. Aoi also said it was great.” He placed a hand over his mouth, startled. “Could it be because I bought another car despite previously saying that one was enough for us? Perhaps she thought, ‘This person is throwing his money away; I’m concerned about his future.’”

This guy went from excitedly talking about his new car to worrying about Aoi again. Komatsu held back the urge to laugh and put on a serious expression. “Nah, there’s no way she’s worried about your future.”

“Komatsu...” Kiyotaka looked at him, relieved.

The detective came close to laughing again—Kiyotaka would normally never show him that expression—and held it in by pinching his thigh. “I don’t think it’s anything like that. It’s probably something simpler that’s worrying her.”

“Like what?”

“Maybe she thinks you’re cheating on her.”

“What?” Kiyotaka frowned. “That’s impossible.”

“She doesn’t know that,” Ensho butted in.

Komatsu hid his grin behind his hand and continued. “What I’m trying to say is, maybe you did something to give her the wrong idea without realizing it.”

Kiyotaka hummed and folded his arms. “It has happened before. But I don’t think it would have happened again.”

“No, you never know. My wife suspected me of cheating when I was really busy with work. The way she looked at me was terrifying.”

That was the truth. Some time ago, when Kiyotaka had solved the cannabis cult case, the agency had seen a surge of interest. Because Komatsu had suddenly become so busy with work, his wife had grown suspicious of him. Remembering her glare at the time made him hug himself in fear.

“How did you resolve her misunderstanding?” Kiyotaka asked, curious.

“Well...” Komatsu looked up at the ceiling. “I actually didn’t do anything. My wife checked my phone while I was asleep. There weren’t any suspicious chats—it was all work emails. So she understood that I was just very busy.”

“I see. I could offer Aoi my phone, then.”

“That’d make her even more suspicious,” said Ensho.

“Oh, I suppose you’re right.” Kiyotaka nodded.

Just how stupid is he when it comes to Aoi?

“In that case, I need her to secretly check it...”

“What?” Ensho frowned. “You want her to see your phone without permission? I’d never be okay with that, even if I didn’t have anything to hide. If my partner did that to me, I’d stop caring about ’em right then and there. I don’t even know why the old man forgave his wife for doing it.”

“Uh, well, it was scary at the time, but she apologized later,” Komatsu hurriedly added. He felt bad that his casual small talk had damaged his wife’s reputation.

“You just don’t get it.” Kiyotaka slumped his shoulders dramatically.

“Get what?” Ensho asked.

“Komatsu’s wife was well aware that looking at her partner’s phone without permission is a very bad thing. She wouldn’t have wanted to do it. But she was so tormented by anxiety that she couldn’t help herself. If Aoi were to look at my phone without permission, I would blame myself for pushing her to that point,” Kiyotaka said earnestly, placing a hand on his chest.

“Kiddo...” Komatsu was impressed by his convincing argument.

Ensho’s expression, however, was cold as usual. “Oh yeah? Good for you.”

Kiyotaka ignored him and picked up his phone. “Now then, I’ll go right ahead and leave my phone somewhere where it’ll be easy to find. I’ll also change the password to something simple and find a roundabout way to tell her.”

“Wait, kiddo.” Komatsu held out his hand. “Look, my wife regrets sneaking a peek at my phone. Every now and then, she remembers what she did and feels bad about it again. You don’t wanna make the little miss feel that way, do you? If you don’t know what you did wrong, you should just stay confident. Don’t do anything unnecessary.”

Kiyotaka froze. The words seemed to resonate with him. “You’re right.” He gloomily put his phone down on the table.

Komatsu held back the urge to laugh yet again. “Regardless of what’s worrying her, why don’t you just try to make her fall in love with you all over again?”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, you’re the Holmes of Kyoto. I think you look really cool when you’re brilliantly solving cases.”

“You’re trying to make me help with your detective work again, aren’t you?” Kiyotaka’s gaze suddenly turned cold. Komatsu flinched.

Ensho laughed. “He’s oblivious when it comes to Aoi, but you can’t trick him otherwise.”

“Of course.” Kiyotaka shrugged. “I’m sensitive to when people are taking advantage of me.”

“That’s rich, coming from someone who’s spent his life taking advantage of everyone around him.”

“I won’t deny that.”

Komatsu looked back and forth between the two men’s icy smiles. “Wait, I wasn’t trying to take advantage of you, kiddo.”

“I’m just kidding.” Kiyotaka laughed in amusement. “But I think Aoi likes me more as an appraiser than a detective. In other words, I just have to do better at my original job. I think I’ll go back to the basics and work harder at Kura.” He stood up.

“Hey, wait, kiddo. People are gonna come in for consultations soon.” Komatsu checked the time. It was ten minutes to three.

“No, I think it’s about time to close my consulting business.”

Kiyotaka’s training period at the Komatsu Detective Agency had long since ended. He had only stuck around because of the new consulting service. Closing it could only mean that he was going to stop helping them.

Komatsu panicked. “But you said you started consulting here in preparation for something new you were gonna do in the future.”

“Yes, and I think I’ve prepared enough. I was already feeling that I should return to my original focus as an appraiser, so this conversation is a good reason to do that.”

“Aw, kiddo...” Komatsu scratched his head. I shouldn’t have said anything.

Ensho didn’t seem to care that Kiyotaka would no longer be around, but he did have one question on his mind. “Hey. What’s the new thing you’re trying to do, anyway?”

“Did I not tell you?” Kiyotaka asked. “I’m thinking of starting a new business alongside running Kura.”

“I know that. I’m asking what the business is.”

“Patience. I was about to explain.” Kiyotaka cleared his throat and held his index finger in front of his mouth. “I’m thinking of becoming a Kyoto consultant.”

“A Kyoto consultant?” Komatsu and Ensho asked.

“That’s right,” Kiyotaka said proudly. “Someone who can help with anything related to Kyoto, be it sightseeing information, organizing events, preparing for the Kyoto Tourism Culture Certification Test, advice on moving to Kyoto for school or work, or, with Ueda’s assistance, business management consultation. I’d be able to do it without leaving Kura.” His shapely eyes narrowed fondly as he smiled.

“Makes sense,” Komatsu said with a firm nod. “Normally it costs money to start a business, but that’s something you can easily do without really losing anything.”

Ensho hummed and rested his chin on his hand. “Well, I guess it suits a Kyoto-obsessed guy like you.”

“Right?” Kiyotaka said proudly. “Providing consultations here was a way of preparing for that. And meeting people who do business in Gion, the heart of Kyoto, will help me expand my web of connections in the future.”

“But didn’t you also wanna turn Kura into a café and the Yagashira residence into a museum?” asked Ensho. “Did you give up on those?”

“No, I still want to, but it’s too early for all that. As Komatsu said, I can start the Kyoto consulting business without any difficulty, so I’m going to begin there.”

Komatsu nodded, impressed. “You’re the responsible type, after all. So the consulting you did here was a stepping stone for that, huh?”

“Yes, but now is the right time to move on. I’ll be returning to Kura.”

“Kiddooo...”

“I’d like to continue cooperating with you, of course, so if anything comes up, please contact me. I’ll help in any way I can.”

Despite Kiyotaka’s reassurance, Komatsu predicted that if he really did contact him, the younger man would decline, saying, “No, I can’t help with that.”

“No, wait, kiddo...” Is there any way I can stop him?

Kiyotaka wasn’t the kind of person who could be swayed by higher pay. Most things in the world could be solved with money, but he was an exception.

Ding dong! The intercom rang as Komatsu was panicking over what to do.

“Oh, is someone here for a consultation?” Komatsu excitedly reached for the mouse to check the door camera, which was linked to his computer.

“I’m not here,” Kiyotaka said immediately.

Komatsu’s eyebrows drooped. “Have a heart, man.”

When Kiyotaka wasn’t present, Komatsu would take on the request instead, so the absence technically wasn’t an issue. However, most people turned around and left when they found out he wasn’t there, so in that sense, it was a huge problem.

Komatsu slumped his shoulders as he looked at the screen. “Huh?” He squinted. Standing at the door was a smiling young man in a kimono and haori coat. It was a friend of Kiyotaka’s.

Seeing Komatsu’s troubled expression, Kiyotaka quickly sensed an issue and looked at the screen. “Oh,” he said with a pleased smile. “If it isn’t Reito. Please come in.”

He stopped pretending to be away and stood up to greet him. Apparently, this man was special.

I’m still hanging by a thread, at least for now. Komatsu placed a hand on his chest.

And so the handsome young man—the epitome of beauty—entered the office.

“Greetings,” Reito said with a bow. He had an even stronger Kyoto accent than Kiyotaka.

“This guy’s like a maiko,” Ensho muttered.

“W-Welcome to the Komatsu Detective Agency,” Komatsu declared loudly, trying to cover up Ensho’s words.

“I apologize for visiting unannounced,” Reito said.

“I’m Komatsu. I’ve heard all about you. Thank you for your help with Sada’s case.”

“It was nothing.” The man shook his head.

“The kiddo—I mean, Yagashira’s making coffee right now, so please have a seat while you wait.”

“Thank you.” Reito sat on the sofa in the reception area.

“Who is this guy?” Ensho asked quietly.

Komatsu shot him a look before taking out his phone and sending him a text. “His name’s Reito Kamo. He’s a descendant of a well-known family of mediums, and he’s basically a modern-day medium himself, doing exorcisms and stuff. On Sada’s case, he helped us out by identifying which shrine the crystal bracelet came from.”

Ensho hummed and sent his reply. “He’s as fishy as a seafood market, then.”

Komatsu gave a strained smile. Well, it was natural to be skeptical of a modern-day diviner. The simile was a bit overboard, though...

“He kinda seems similar to Holmes.”

Upon reading the second message from Ensho, Komatsu looked towards the two men. Kiyotaka was preparing coffee in the kitchen, while Reito was sitting on the sofa, curiously gazing around the office. They did have many things in common—their Kyoto heritage, black hair, pale skin, attractive features, gentle demeanor, elegant mannerisms... One could come up with so many examples just from a glance. If someone told him they were brothers, he would’ve believed it.

What was different were their auras. Kiyotaka was sharp-witted, while Reito was gentle and calm. Kiyotaka was the type that girls would call “cool,” but when it came to Reito, Komatsu could imagine them whispering about the “beautiful man” instead.

What do two Kyoto boys talk about when they’re together, anyway? Komatsu wondered. Would they partake in the typical Kyoto sarcasm, chuckling all the while?

“Kiyotaka, would you like to go for bubuzuke?”

“Certainly; perhaps another time.”

Komatsu’s expression relaxed as he imagined it.

Kiyotaka arrived with the coffee and sat down across from Reito. “Thank you again for all of your help last year,” he said with a bow.

“It was nothing.” Reito shook his head. “This time, I have a favor to ask.”

“For you, anything.”

Komatsu gaped at how quickly Kiyotaka responded. If those words had come from anyone else, he would’ve asked, “What exactly is the request?” He wouldn’t have even tried to hide his wariness.

“Including relationship advice,” Kiyotaka added jokingly.

That seemed like the last thing such a gorgeous young man would need. Was this another Kyoto-style joke? A way of saying, “You wouldn’t need relationship advice, would you?”

Reito nodded shyly. “After what you said last time...I think I’ll try my best to remove the obstacles in the way. I’ll keep you updated.”

Apparently, he really had asked for relationship advice. But what were these “obstacles” he spoke of?

“This time, though, I wanted to ask you to do a job for me,” Reito continued.

Kiyotaka’s expression immediately turned serious. “What is it?”

“There are two parts to it. First, I’d like you to look at something for me.”

“Am I correct in assuming that it’s an appraisal job?” Kiyotaka asked in a happy tone.

“Yes. The other part is a request for everyone at the Komatsu Detective Agency, including you.”

“Huh?” Komatsu murmured.

“So it’s an investigation?” Kiyotaka asked.

“Correct. However...” Reito lowered his gaze as if hesitant to continue. The peculiar pause made Komatsu gulp as he awaited his next words.

“Is it a troublesome case?” Kiyotaka asked.

“Indeed.” Reito gave him a strained smile. “For now, I’ll just say that I need you to come with me to a haunted house.”

Komatsu and Ensho looked at each other in surprise. Kiyotaka, on the other hand, nodded without hesitation and said, “Understood.”

“I also wanted to ask you something. Kiyotaka, how much tolerance do you have for the supernatural?”

“The supernatural?” Kiyotaka folded his arms.

At this point, Komatsu already had a hunch that this was going to be a bizarre request, the likes of which he’d remember for the rest of his life.

This was the story that was about to unfold...

Chapter 1: That Which Changes and That Which Doesn’t

1

The antique store Kura seemed to never change—it was actually the opposite. The antiques didn’t stay there forever; they’d find their way into someone’s hands, and at some point, other items would come to take their place. The storefront display changed every month.

However, there were some things that remained the same. The Shino tea bowl, the antique doll, Ensho’s painting...each item was filled with memories. Then again, that must’ve been true for every item in the store. They all contained someone’s memories. Thinking that made me want to straighten my back.

Today, I was working at Kura again. As my hands moved, I sneaked a peek at the counter, where Kiyotaka Yagashira sat. The handsome young man was dressed in his usual attire: a black vest over a white shirt, black slacks, and arm garters. He was doing the accounting, but he noticed my gaze immediately and smiled.

I returned the smile and went back to work. As I looked down, I gulped and thought, He really is perceptive enough to be nicknamed Holmes. He caught on to every small motion or implication a person made, and sometimes, he guessed what they were thinking to the point where you’d wonder if he was a mind reader.

However, he wasn’t like that twenty-four seven. His exceptional powers of observation only kicked in when he had his antenna pointed at someone or something. When he was focused on something else, such as reading or studying, his perceptiveness was halved—still sharper than the average person, but not so keen that he would notice my gaze while he was looking down at the account book. Recently, something had changed. If I so much as looked vaguely in his direction, he would react immediately. He was definitely being more conscious of me than usual. In other words, he was aware of my persistent glances.

Perhaps he knows what I’m thinking...

*

He closed the account book and looked at me. “You’ve been sneaking glances in my direction as of late. Are you plotting something?”

I flinched at his stern voice.

“Surely you aren’t doing what Aigasa did, are you?” he continued, not showing me any mercy. “Can I take your silence as an admission of guilt...dad?”

So he did realize. I raised my head, resigning myself to my fate. “Well...” I scratched my head and laughed like it wasn’t a big deal. “I received a request to write a contemporary novel, and I decided to accept.” In other words, a novel taking place in modern times.

“That’s unusual for you.”

“Yes, it’s been a while.”

I, Takeshi Yagashira, mainly wrote historical novels. They were quite popular too, so I rarely received requests for stories set in the present day. Even when I did, I would say, “I think there’s more demand for my historical novels right now,” and stick to promoting my specialty. However, I’d recently had a change of heart. I’d started thinking that it might be nice to write something different, and that was when the contemporary novel request had come.

“And I was thinking of making you the main protagonist,” I added hesitantly.

“Good grief. Not this again.” Kiyotaka slumped his shoulders.

From his tone of voice, I could tell that, although he wasn’t enthusiastic about the idea, he wasn’t completely opposed to it. He was more intimidating than that when he really wanted you to stop. If I kept pressing, he would reluctantly agree. After making that judgment call, I continued to explain.

“I’m thinking of writing a mystery revolving around a narrative trick, and I was practicing just now.”

Kiyotaka’s eyes widened. “Practicing a narrative trick?”

“Yes. I was writing a scene taking place at Kura. It makes the reader think it’s from Aoi’s point of view, when actually, the narrator is me.” I looked around the store and chuckled.