NOVEL NEXT Episode 6 - "The Video Tape"
Episode 6: “The Video Tape”
Two weeks later, January 31st.
“I-I did it!”
In the dim room, a boy’s creepy “hehehe” laughter echoed.
Duanmu Liang’s head collided heavily with the floor with a “thud.” He lay there, staring at the ceiling, letting out a long breath.
Deep dark circles under his eyes, disheveled hair, and a worn-out mental state after several days of working through the night; if anyone were to visit right now, they might mistake him for the house’s bound spirit.
“Finally…”
After pulling several all-nighters, he had somehow managed to complete the work before the month-end deadline.
“I can… rest a bit now.”
…
Two weeks had passed since discovering the corpse in Miyagi-san’s home. During this time, he had remained buried in his computer screen.
Until now, no police had come knocking.
Neither newspapers nor television media had published news of any murder. The victim who died at the hands of the killer had likely been treated as an ordinary missing person case.
As for the corpse that had been lying in the next room, it seemed to have vanished by the next day. When he asked Miyagi-san about it, her response was “I had someone take care of it~☆”
By the way, starting a week ago, even Miyagi Aki herself had left Amazu Manor. She seemed to be staying elsewhere, searching for the returned “Nagawa City Murderer.”
…Well, at least there hadn’t been any trouble.
It seemed he had made the right choice—
Just as Duanmu was thinking this, the phone rang.
He lazily picked up the receiver.
“Hello… who is it?”
“Um, Landlord-san, are you there?”
Though he hadn’t heard it for a week, he could still recognize it… the voice coming through the line was Miyagi-san’s.
Duanmu Liang quickly became alert.
“Do you need something? If not, I’m hanging up.”
“Wait! Why are you being so cold?! You’ll hurt my feelings!”
“…So, Miyagi-san, what do you want?”
“…Well, there’s something I’d like to ask Landlord-san for help with.”
She said somewhat sheepishly.
This attitude was quite cute.
However, Duanmu Liang only felt his head starting to throb.
“Listen… Miyagi-san, I’m in a state where I could pass out at any moment. Rather, if I don’t get some sleep soon, I might die of exhaustion. So…”
“It’s fine! It won’t take much time!”
Miyagi Aki quickly said.
“I hope you can pick up a delivered package for me.”
“…”
He glanced out the window.
The blue sky outside showed a translucent azure color. It wasn’t too late yet.
“Is that all?”
“Mm-hmm.”
Even through the phone, he could imagine her nodding vigorously.
“What’s in the package?”
“It should be… a ‘video tape.'”
His gaze fixed vacantly on the ceiling above, and after hesitating for a few seconds, Duanmu Liang asked seriously.
“Say, Miyagi-san… is this really okay?”
“Eh? Well, I have a player at home, if Landlord-san wants to watch it… you just need to put it in…”
“No, that’s not what I meant.”
He sighed.
“Though I don’t quite understand, but the video tape must contain something important, right? Is it really appropriate for me to see it?”
This wasn’t his true feeling, of course.
In fact, since Miyagi Aki had someone deal with the corpse, he had confirmed: this woman indeed lived in a different world from his own.
The less he knew, the fewer problems there would be. In short, Duanmu Liang believed that the less interaction between him and Miyagi Aki, the better.
“Ah, when you put it that way, indeed… there might be trouble.”
She seemed lost in thought.
“Right? So…”
“After all, it’s the kind of video tape where a ghost girl crawls out of the TV seven days after watching it.”
“That’s the kind of trouble you mean?!”
…
A few minutes later, Miyagi Aki ended the call.
According to her, the “video tape” in the package was just a euphemism, meaning “a carrier of recorded information.”
It could be paper documents, it could be a recording device, or it could actually be a video tape.
And, it must be…
Something that ‘won’t cause trouble even if Landlord-san sees it.’
…He decided to trust her for now.
“Well then, is there anything else?”
He asked casually.
“Hmm~ Actually, there is something I’d like to confirm with Landlord-san. On the day the deceased appeared, did you notice anything unusual happening around?”
“…No. Except for discovering that a certain tenant had dragged a corpse into her home.”
Duanmu Liang said while yawning.
“I don’t mean that! For example… any strange sounds?”
…
…Come to think of it, that day he had fallen asleep in the afternoon due to pulling an all-nighter writing.
Normally, he might have slept straight through until late night.
If that had happened, he might never have discovered Miyagi-san’s secret.
Thinking about it that way, it felt like some kind of “turning point of fate”…
Duanmu Liang shook his head, clearing away those strange thoughts.
“…There was something.”
He frowned, remembering.
“Oh! What was it?”
At that time, some kind of loud noise from outside had woken him up.
“Hmm…”
Duanmu Liang crossed his arms in thought.
Just then.
“—?!”
At dusk, a sharp sound echoed rhythmically outside the window.
And with it, his memory awakened.
“…I see.”
Duanmu Liang nodded.
He told Miyagi-san his answer.
“I understand. So it was like that after all…”
She muttered in a voice too low to hear clearly, then returned to her cheerful tone.
“See you tomorrow, Landlord-san!”
“…What, you’re coming back tomorrow?”
He clicked his tongue.
“I told you not to be so cold to me—”
*
After retrieving the package while forcing his body to move, Duanmu Liang’s will was nearly at its breaking point.
However…
“Why did I trust that person?”
When the exhausted him opened the package, what slid out were neatly stacked documents, and…
“Is this… what she meant by ‘won’t cause trouble even if seen’?”
—It was a gun.
“You’ve got to be kidding…”
However, Duanmu Liang no longer had the energy to complain. After hastily stuffing the fallen handgun under the sofa, he collapsed onto the tatami and quickly fell asleep.
The white documents from the package fluttered down like snowflakes, scattering across the floor.