“Next Shinto Priest, huh.”
Professor Sanjiro picked up the documents on his desk and double-checked the contents regarding the Next Shinto Priest.
“Let’s see. A drug dealer… presumed to have seduced the priest to gain status… ho ho.”
He let out a hollow chuckle and tossed the documents onto the desk, looking at his subordinate with a slight frown as he asked him.
“Did you come up with this?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
“A report that sounds like it belongs in some drama or cheap novel, and you thought of it?”
Professor Sanjiro delivered a scathing evaluation and silently stared at his subordinate. It was nonsensical, but since he was a subordinate from Harvard, he believed he might have some valid reasoning and wanted to hear his follow-up explanation.
“The speculations written in that report are the result of interpreting scarce information too fragmentarily. It’s a terribly immature report that fails to view things from a national and macro perspective, but I’ve done my best with what I have, so please don’t get too angry.”
“Tsk tsk. Alright. As foolish as it sounds, I’ll listen to you.”
“According to the report, this ‘Next Shinto Priest’ is presumed to be a criminal. Not just any criminal, but one deeply involved with drugs.”
The subordinate spoke with an excessively polite tone.
“After comparing data from the Public Security Investigation Agency and the Metropolitan Police, we suspect that this individual is not linked to any specific organization. We also considered the possibility of being entangled with smuggling or foreign crime groups, but upon checking the data from the Cabinet Intelligence Service, that’s also highly unlikely.”
“So, is he definitely operating alone?”
“Definitely. It’s an individual. If there were more than one person involved, we wouldn’t have missed that.”
Professor Sanjiro nodded.
“Go on.”
“My thought is this. This unknown entity known as ‘Next Shinto Priest’ has obtained drugs through some means…”
The subordinate slowly began to express his thoughts. The ‘Next Shinto Priest’ had used ‘some means’ to manufacture or discover drugs, intending to harbor malicious intent. Rather than selling drugs for money, he aimed to ensnare a power holder into addiction to elevate his own social status. But approaching someone well-known or an aristocrat would be tough since it’s harder to sell drugs to them; thus, he selected the easiest target—’Saigo Kenji.’
“Coincidentally, Saigo Kenji was deep in grief after losing his wife. To fill that void, he started frequenting the pleasure district and dipped into gambling. However, neither satisfied him, leading him to fall into depression. And…”
“That’s when the approach happened?”
“Yes, just as you said. This criminal likely used all means necessary to drug Saigo Kenji. There are many ways. While he couldn’t forcibly administer the drug due to divine protection, he could have mixed it into food or drinks or made it so he inhaled it through perfume or flowers. And thus, Saigo Kenji experienced the drug’s effects, feeling as if the emptiness inside him was being filled.”
“Yes, it’s often the case for depressed individuals to turn to drugs. That was the case in America too…”
“Exactly. People struggling through life often resort to drugs to escape reality, only to end up living life for drugs. Saigo Kenji was likely the same. Initially, he sought the drugs to fill that void of grief… but as it gradually escalated to addiction, the cravings for pleasure, coupled with withdrawal symptoms, slowly led to his downfall.”
“Hmm. Makes some sense. Evidence?”
“I obtained hair samples from Saigo Kenji when he visited a pleasure house last year and compared them to recent samples. Upon analysis using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, it was confirmed positive, revealing the presence of three types of drugs, including methamphetamine.”
“Substances detected… alright. But that alone lacks sufficient proof…”
“I have more evidence.”
The subordinate presented a photograph to Professor Sanjiro.
“Hmm. This man is Saigo Kenji. And this woman?”
“Saigo Kenji’s daughter, Saigo Rise.”
“Hmm. Indeed.”
Professor Sanjiro nodded, seemingly understanding as he looked at the photograph.
“Saigo Kenji’s appearance… well, he’s the very embodiment of a drug addict.”
“Not just any addict, but one who is on the brink of becoming a complete junkie. His teeth and jaw aren’t damaged, but just looking at his gaunt expression, dark circles under his eyes, and that sinister smile filled with madness tells you everything…”
“Yeah, no one would mistake him for anything else but an addict. Hahaha.”
“In addition to his face, there are wounds all over his body characteristic of drug addicts.”
Professor Sanjiro laughed heartily as he looked at the photo. It reminded him of seeing ‘Before & After’ photos of drug addicts back in America.
A neat, robust look before drug use. A state looking more disheveled and sinister than a homeless person after the fact.
“We might not know about others, but you and I can spot it. When we were abroad, we often saw people looking like that. Coming in high on some strange music or whatever, making screeching noises that weren’t even singing—it drove me crazy.”
“The same was true then. There were those who came in high trying to convert others, and those who claimed they needed drugs to compose music were loopy too.”
“Right. If you’ve been abroad, just by looking at this photo, you’d know. It’s plain as day they’re involved with drugs. Well, if there are drugs, there are dealers too. Your assumption holds water…”
Professor Sanjiro glanced subtly at Rise’s picture.
“This girl looks rather haunted too. But considering her appearance hasn’t changed drastically… could it be that she’s not involved?”
“Unfortunately, we couldn’t acquire Saigo Rise’s hair. However, I presume she hasn’t been addicted. Perhaps she took it a time or two, but no more than that.”
“Right. If someone’s trying to gain social status through drugs rather than money, they wouldn’t want to ruin someone precious who could lift them up.”
Professor Sanjiro muttered under his breath, placing the photo back down on the desk, apparently displeased.
“One could brush it off as a coincidence, but if it happens again, it becomes a necessity. And with two cases, it’s not far-fetched to think there could be a third, leading one to expect the arrows of suspicion to point back at him.”
“Yes. If only Saigo Kenji were the addict, it could be dismissed as an individual deviation, so he might think he could escape. But well… he might have used Saigo Rise for the purpose of grooming. However, I doubt he administered methamphetamine.”
“Yes, meth is a double-edged sword. The side effects are severe, and it’s highly addictive. And using it during intimate encounters… one would never break free and would just be ruined.”
Professor Sanjiro looked at his subordinate, seemingly satisfied.
“Yes, very impressive! Excellent!”
“Thank you.”
“Please continue explaining.”
“This criminal must have ensnared Saigo Kenji into the depths of drug addiction, later demanding his compliance through sexual favors. His origin was likely humble.”
“Yes. He might even be of Burakumin descent… or some foreigner maybe.”
“And once he entered the clan’s shadow becoming a member, his entire status shifted. By using drugs as bait, he elevated his social standing and manipulated Saigo Rise, building that foundation. While surveying the shrine he now possessed, he likely discovered a peculiar divine object.”
“A divine object, huh…”
“In China, there were divine objects used for buying and selling ghosts.”
“Right. In places like the Ghost City, they sealed ghosts to sell them as playthings.”
“When Japan dominated the world back then, they occupied China too. The divine objects sealing ghosts from that era likely found their way to the shrine. Seeing that, this criminal—now turned Next Shinto Priest—must have harbored bad intentions.”
The subordinate’s explanation flowed without impediment.
It was theorized that he utilized Saigo Kenji’s connections to approach Murata Ryuunosuke, who was obsessed with pleasure, provided the divine object, and even if he maintained strict self-control, the curiosity regarding pleasure could have led the elder to ultimately agree. Using the divine object’s effects, he induced pleasures unattainable in mortal life, receiving protection from Murata Ryuunosuke as a consequence.
“Right. It does sound plausible… and if so, the elder would have invited others to ghost contact…”
“He likely couldn’t refuse the elder’s request, whether he wanted to or not. And once one tastes pleasure, they seek more, making it easy to get hooked.”
The subordinate paused briefly before continuing.
“However, one crack emerged in this seemingly solid alliance of pleasures, and that’s Uchikawa Ryosuke.”
“Hmm. Uchikawa Ryosuke is quite the materialist, and with a penchant for pleasure, how could he possibly avoid ghost contact?”
“The reason is that Uchikawa Ryosuke possesses spirit vision.”
Professor Sanjiro slapped his knee at the mention of spirit vision.
“Exactly!”
“Investigations revealed that Uchikawa Ryosuke recently gained spirit vision.”
“That’s right. While others can’t perceive the true nature of ghosts, Uchikawa Ryosuke must have seen their actual forms, leaving him aghast!”
Hahahahaha!
Professor Sanjiro laughed heartily.
“If they were created for sale as playthings, their charm would have been extraordinary, but only to the average person’s eye! A person with strong spirit vision would have seen them in their dying states, so it’s no wonder he wouldn’t feel any lust!”
“Certainly, he must have been frightened. After witnessing a ghost drenched in blood or nearly rotting, it would be enough to turn anyone off.”
“Hmm. If that’s the case, it all makes sense.”
Professor Sanjiro nodded.
“Uchikawa Ryosuke stole protective talismans and onmyōji texts from the evidence storage at the police department. That brought him into our view. If it’s a means of protecting oneself from ghosts, and if he secretly sent us some kind of signal… then yes, we could employ him.”
“Yes, that’s exactly it.”
“Alright, make contact. But this ghost contact is likely a sore spot for Murata Ryuunosuke… he wouldn’t want his secrets exposed. We need to proceed with utmost discretion to avoid any backlash on us.”
“Understood.”
—
『 The Next Shinto Priest is intrigued by the divine object given by Uchikawa Ryosuke. There are urgent matters to discuss, so please come to the shrine tonight. 』
