Time seemed to stand still as Hana's blade approached Kanako. Kanako couldn't move, and her strength was rapidly dwindling. She desperately clawed at the unknown restraints around her neck, but her frantic efforts proved futile.

In this life-and-death moment, Kanako made a decision.

"I'm so...s...sorry, Hana-san."

Kanako's attention was entirely fixated on each movements of Hana. When her right hand descended with the knife, when her left foot left the ground, when the distance between them was just a reach away; in an instant, Kanako used one of her legs to kick Hana's supporting limb.

It wasn't a reflex born out of desperation, but a calculated maneuver. The kick served three purposes. First, it must not be too strong to cause harm to Hana. Second, it exploited her lack of sight, creating a moment of chaos that disrupted her attention. The sudden disturbance compromised Hana's balance, compromising the power and accuracy of her impending strike. Finally, the kick needed to redirect Hana's momentum, altering its trajectory towards Kanako's side.

The sound of shattering glass reverberated through the air as Hana's body careened into the closet. The knife, which was Hana’s target, became embedded in the adjacent wooden surface, right within her restricted reach. Kanako's gaze locked onto the blade, wasting no time as she seized it, feeling its sharp edge against her trembling fingers. Without hesitation, she used it to slice through the strange substance.

"Come...on!" she gasped, her breaths becoming increasingly labored. But even with the aid of the knife, the substance remained stubbornly firm. Time was slipping away, and Kanako found herself growing weaker, struggling to breathe.

"Com..e...on!!" she urged, her voice hoarse.

The knife slowly advanced, bit by bit. And then, in a sudden turn of event, it hit the air and plunged deep into the surface of the closet. Kanako collapsed to the ground, coughing and choking. She fought to regain her breath. As she lifted her head to see her almost-killer...there was nothing there.

 

The policewoman didn't sit for long; she hurriedly crawled over to check Hana's condition. Kanako carefully avoided the broken glass pieces and helped Hana onto the bed. Hana was still conscious, with only a few scratches on her arms that were not serious. However, the impact of the crash and the unexpectedly intense actions from a person her age had left her looking visibly weak. Her body trembled, and her mouth kept mumbling her daughter's name.

"Are you okay?" Kanako asked, her voice laced with concern, but Hana didn't respond.

Witnessing this state of the woman, Kanako could only shake her head in dismay. As her hand absently brushed against the object in her pocket, she remembered the perfume bottle she had stowed away earlier. Suddenly, an idea emerged in Kanako's mind.

Retrieving the perfume bottle, Kanako applied some to her wrist, allowing the citrusy scent to fill the room. Tenderly, she placed the bottle in Hana's hand and said:

"Hana-san, this is the perfume that Misa loves the most. You gifted it to her."

This time, Hana reacted. The blind woman looked down, unable to see but able to sense the familiar fragrance. Her face softened, and she clung tightly to the perfume bottle. With sudden hope in her voice, she looked up and uttered:

"Is that you, Misa?"

A look of surprise crossed Kanako's face as she heard the unexpected question. Not hearing any response, Hana grew worried.

"Dear, is something wrong?" her concerned voice quivered with anxiety.

"Hana-san, I'm no—"

Before she could finish, Hana opened her arms wide, pulling Kanako into a tight embrace. Tears streamed down from her closed eyes.

"Where have you been, Misa? Mama is very worried, you know." she sobbed.

In that moment, Kanako could feel the warmth of a mother's love and affection enveloping her. It was a feeling she knew well, as if she were embracing her own mother.

"...I'm sorry, Mama," Kanako said, channeling what she believed the late Misa would say.

"I love you very much."

Kanako's words resonated from the depths of her heart, delivered with an emotion akin to speaking to her biological mother.

"Misa, my sweetie, Mama loves you very much too."

Hana responsed with a warm and gentle voice. She released Kanako from the hug and turned her face towards her with a radiant smile. There was a clear difference between Benihana now and the mother who had been poisoned by her obsession as in the diary Kanako had read, but her old traits was still there.

"Rest for a while, dear. You still have homework to do. Mama will prepare something for you to eat," Hana said, attempting to get out of bed despite the fatigue evident in her every movement.

Kanako gently restrained Hana's shoulder, her face reflecting determination.

"Mama, I have something to say."

Feeling the gravity in the words of her "daughter", Hana adjusted her posture, ready to listen.

And Kanako began to tell. Everything she said was the secret confessions of Misa written in her memoir. The words of hers included Misa's resentment, disappointment with her mother that Kanako conveyed with her appropriate emotions. Interspersed between those reproaches were also not lacking in concern, worry, joy, happiness of the daughter toward her mother. Nor did she forget to include Misa's hopes and dreams as a young girl.

Hana listened attentively, her expression hardly changing. It seemed as though she had been preparing herself for this moment for a long time. Finally, with a saddened expression, she asked:

"What about our home, your father's home? Don't you want to return, Misa?"

Kanako shook her head, she replied with a firm tone that did not waver.

"Mama, that's not our house. Our house is here. This is where you and I live, where we have created memories together."

Hana fell silent, absorbing Kanako's words. Kanako continued.

"Papa is no longer here... and me. But we are still a family. No matter where we are or how we are, everyone will always be in your heart."

The sound of sniffles lightly echoed in the room.

"Mama," Kanako said, using both her hands to tightly hold Hana's hands that were holding the perfume bottle. "This fragrance is what binds our family together. Whenever you miss Misa, miss father, use it."

Hana nodded, her rosy lips wet with tears. She clung onto the perfume bottle even tighter.

"Misa...I won't hold onto your future anymore." Hana said with a smile. And that smile was very beautiful. "Go, find your own happiness."

Kanako felt like someone beside her was crying.

 

 

Suddenly, Hana collapsed.

“Hana-san!”

Kanako exclaimed, quickly reaching out to catch her falling body. She repeated calling her name, but there was no respond. Hana’s breaths was feeble, indicating her deteriorating condition. In a hurried motion, Kanako retrieved her fallen phone from the floor and called her aide:

“Misa, call an ambulance immediately! Send them to Inoue Benihana’s address. And...” Kanako instructed hastily. Then, she paused, her gaze shifting towards the nearby closet.

"Arrange for a forensic team to come here," Kanako finally added, her voice tinged with seriousness.

After escaping death from the mysterious entity, Kanako had faintly started to recognize a familiar characteristic smell. If it hadn't been for the scent from the perfume bottle, she wouldn't have been sure if she could maintain the necessary composure to talk to Hana.

Gently placing Hana's head on a pillow, Kanako then slowly removed the woolen hat. As she had predicted, there was a mark of an injury on the back right side of Hana's head. Considering the angle, position and the amount of blood splattered on her silver hair, Kanako deduced that the woman had been pushed by someone, causing her head to collide with a hard surface, possibly a wall.

The bleeding had ceased a long time ago, and the wound was relatively superficial, not at a critical level. However, timely treatment and care were necessary for a head injury like this. Kanako couldn't understand how Hana could endure it for such a long period of time. It was extraordinary.

Kanako adjusted Hana's lying position to ensure her comfort before walking toward the closet. She felt nervous and anxious, hoping for the best but prepared the worst.

Her one hand gripped the closet handle while the other was holding the kitchen knife. She wasn't sure what had attacked her earlier, what it had done to prevent that terrible scent from appearing when she entered the room, and how it disappeared. She wanted answers to those questions, but her intuition warned her to stay away and not get deeply involved. Nevertheless, now facing this closet’s door, facing the possibility of encountering that dangerous thing again, she couldn't retreat. It was her responsibility as a police officer, no matter what was inside, she needed to open it.

Creak!

The closet door slowly swung opened.

"Urg!" A wave of nausea washed over Kanako, causing her face to pale. The stench that greeted her surpassed her worst imaginings.

The policewoman fought to maintain her composure. After making sure that nothing strange would attack her, she began to focus her attention on... the decaying bodies of two individuals.

Switching on the flashlight on her phone, Kanako meticulously examined the scene, cautiously avoiding any physical contact. Her first impression was that the bodies were grotesquely piled on top of each other, as though they had been thrown into this closet like discarded objects. Judging from their clothing and body proportions, Kanako guessed that they were a man and a woman. The level of decomposition suggested the time of death was approximately two weeks ago.

Bringing the light closer, Kanako inspected each part of the bodies, forcing herself to ignore the repugnant odor assaulting her nose. On the female corpse, the neck and arms showed signs of strong gripping force, which could be the cause of death. As for the male...

"Kuso!"

Kanako cursed, shaking her head in disbelief. Anger surged within her as she beheld the victim's disfigured face. The murderer was a monster; he had strangled him and attacked his face to the point of being unrecognizable.

The female officer stepped back. She wanted to investigate further, but based on her conclusions, an immediate call needed to be made.

"Yes, Captain!" On the other end of the line, Misa's voice echoed with seriousness.

"Misa, quickly check all the reported missing persons cases in the Meguro and Setagaya districts from the past month. Collect and analyze the data immediately!" Kanako commanded, her voice filled with a sense of urgency.

Hanging up, Kanako clenched her phone tightly, her hand trembling. Shaking her head once again, she refocused her attention on the task at hand.

 

“This is...” Kanako muttered.

While she knelt down to observe the male victim more closely, who lay beneath the weight of the female, she discovered that the attire the man was wearing belonged to a food delivery staff. Additionally, there were numerous fast food advertisement flyers lying scattered around.

..."Fried chicken? Oh, that's Misa's favorite. She orders it quite often lately."...

Standing up, Kanako retrieved her phone, intending to call Peko. However, a change of heart led her to dial a different number instead.

"Moshi moshi, Ryosuke-san?... Yes, I have an important task that I need your help with."

 

 

 

BANG!

The deafening sound of a gunshot reverberated through an opulent hallway of the BiogeneX biotech conglomerate's building.

Kobayashi Reina walked down the corridor, exuding an air of elegance in her professional attire. Her gaze remained unwavering, fixed on the room from which the sound originated. Behind her, Adam and Miya followed; one was her bodyguard, and the other her secretary.

The room she was about to enter was the venue for an important meeting that would directly impact the future of her company. Despite its weighty implications, Reina's countenance showed no trace of concern.

The door opened, and there was a fight going on inside.

What a mess!

Reina's presence intensified the chaotic atmosphere of the large room. She separated from her two companions and walked alone, disregarding the loud screams, mocking laughter, and frivolous comments as she made her way towards her designated chair. On the table before her, a nameplate engraved with her name and the title "CEO" stood as evidence of her authority within the company.

Miya, a woman with long black hair, stepped in front of a grand screen. Casting a glance at the assembled attendees, a smile graced her lips as she addressed the room:

"Ladies and gentlemen, the meeting about Morpheus-2 now officially commences."