The dim sun shone over the ominous island. At Shunji’s house, Yuto lay asleep in the bedroom, still recovering from his wounds. Beside him, his phone buzzed and rang loudly, over and over again, breaking the silence. Eventually, the ringing woke Yuto up. He groaned and slowly rolled over, reaching for the phone. The caller ID displayed Kuro’s name.
“Hm… Yeah, Kuro, what’s up?” Yuto mumbled groggily as he answered.
“YUTO! I KNOW YOU’VE BEEN REALLY SICK AND ALL, BUT HAVE YOU HEARD WHAT HAPPENED TO RIKU?” Kuro’s frantic voice exploded through the phone.
“No? What happened?”
“LAST NIGHT, SOME LUNATIC ABDUCTED HER!”
Yuto bolted upright in bed, his heart pounding. The pain in his wound now felt almost irrelevant.
“WAIT, WHAT?!”
“GO LOOK, IT’S ALL OVER THE NEWS!”
Without wasting a second, Yuto grabbed the remote from his nightstand and turned on the TV. Onscreen was a breaking news broadcast. Sierra Reeds stood outside the Hoshiga residence with a tense expression. Behind her, shattered windows and officers swarming the scene painted a grim picture. People in white hazmat suits moved in and out of the house.
“People of Daimon,” Sierra began, her voice strained, “this is Sierra Reeds, reporting live with… awful news. If you’re just joining us, last night, Mayor Hoshiga’s home was broken into in what can only be described as a horrifying attack. The intruder murdered one of their maids, Mei Inoue. Her throat was completely burned from the inside out by radiation. That’s right, radiation. Authorities have confirmed this is the same individual responsible for the recent string of radiation-based murders.
But that’s not all. During the incident, there was an altercation between the intruder and ‘Star Rookie Detective’ Yamato Fujimura. The intruder used what witnesses are calling a ‘radiation bomb,’ which left Detective Fujimura, Mayor Hoshiga, and another maid, Faith Ashford, unconscious. And during that time… During that time, Riku Hoshiga, the Mayor’s daughter, was abducted.”
Yuto sat frozen. His mind raced as his eyes stayed glued to the TV. His grip on the phone tightened. “Kuro… I’ll call you back,” he muttered before hanging up.
He threw off his blanket and leapt out of bed, adrenaline pushing through the remnants of his pain. Racing downstairs, he found Shunji in the living room, his attention fixated on the TV.
“SHUNJI!”
“I know,” Shunji replied, pointing at the screen.
The broadcast continued onscreen. Sierra Reeds’ face had grown even graver since her last update.
“We’ve just received an anonymous video, likely sent by the intruder himself. I warn everyone watching, this footage has not been reviewed, and we have no idea what we’re about to see.”
The news cut to a shaky video. Atsuki Nishima appeared onscreen, grinning sinisterly. His wild, uneven hair framed his scornful face, his smile dripping with malice.
“HELLO, CITIZENS OF DAIMON! I’m Atsuki Nishima, that’s right, the dead son of those HATED scientists from five years ago. You can call me Nishima. Bet you all thought I died, huh? Well, surprise… I’M STILL ALIVE! And I’m here to take revenge on every last one of you who BETRAYED me and my family.
Oh, but don’t worry. It’s not fully your fault.” He chuckled bitterly. “No, your precious MAYOR lied to you. He fed you a FAKE TRUTH, and you all swallowed it whole like the fools you are.”
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Nishima’s eyes became wider and wilder with every word. His breathing grew erratic, each inhale sharp and unnerving.
“BUT! I’m not entirely heartless, I’ll give you all a CHANCE at redemption. SOMETHING MY FAMILY WAS NEVER ALLOWED!”
The camera shifted, and Nishima held it to reveal Riku tied to a chair, her body limp, with a blindfold over her eyes.
“This is Riku Hoshiga,” Nishima said mockingly, like he was presenting a prize. “The esteemed Mayor’s daughter has had a very, very bad day. And trust me… it’ll only get worse.”
He turned the camera back to his crazed face. “I’m going to take my revenge on this island. BUT, you people are lucky, like I said I’m giving your mayor one chance. One chance to set things right. Here’s the deal.”
Nishima leaned closer to the lens as his voice dropped into a chilling tone.
“I’ve placed five bombs throughout the science laboratories in the medical sector. Each of them is loaded with concentrated radiation. Relax, don’t panic… shutting them down is easy. All your mayor has to do is tell the TRUTH, confess what REALLY happened the night my family was TAKEN FROM ME. After he confesses, he must turn himself in to me at a location I’ll reveal. Then I'll kill him and his prized little daughter Riku. If he doesn’t…” Nishima paused before exploding into manic laughter. “BOOOOM! AHAHAHAHAHAHA! YOU HAVE TWO DAYS!”
The video ended abruptly, leaving chilling silence in its wake.
---
In the heart of Daimon’s medical sector, Yamato Fujimura sat in a hospital bed at the Daimon Health Center. He was watching the same broadcast as it unfolded on a nearby TV. Around him, the other rookie detectives sat in tense silence.
“Damn, Yamato,” Hibiki muttered after a moment of reflection. “You really should’ve called for backup.”
“Oh, give him a break, Hibiki,” Kiara cut in. “He was going off a hunch. He didn’t know for sure what would happen.”
“Thanks, Kiara, but Hibiki’s right, I should’ve called for backup. I just… I got so obsessed with solving the case that I didn’t even think. That was my mistake.”
Kiara’s face softened. “Yamato…”
Before she could say more, a doctor walked hurriedly into the room, carrying a clipboard stacked with papers.
“Alright, Detective Fujimura,” the doctor began, looking over his notes. “Because you managed to throw the bomb far enough, you, Mayor Hoshiga, and Faith Ashford were only exposed to minimal radiation. Physically, you’re all fine for now. Barring any long-term complications, like cancer in the far future, you should recover completely.”
Yamato nodded solemnly. “What about the other maid… the blonde one?” he asked hesitantly.
The doctor paused, setting his clipboard against his chest. “...She didn’t make it. Mei Inoue’s throat was burned from the inside out. There was nothing anyone could do. She… she died very painfully. While this doesn’t help, I can at least tell you that her blood will be used to make a cure. The scientists are saying they should have it done in a day or two.”
Yamato’s chest tightened as flashes of the encounter surged through his mind, Nishima removing his glove and wrapping his hand around her throat.
“His hands,” Yamato muttered under his breath, his voice low but tense.
“What?” Kenta asked, breaking the silence.
“I think he gives off huge amounts of radiation to whatever he touches. That maid started violently coughing immediately after Nishima’s hands touched her throat.”
“Well, that explains a lot.”
Yamato gets up out of his bed, determined to find answers.
“Yamato, where are you going?” Kiara asks.
“To find Nishima.” He replies, his eyes sharp and determined.
“How, we have no leads, not even a clue where he’s hiding.”
Yamato remembers the time when Yuto told him Ryota Shima works for Nishima.
“I think I might.”
“What?”
Suddenly, Yamato’s phone starts ringing, the caller is Jace Wright.
“Kiara, Kenta, come with me. The rest of you need to help the senior detectives. Let’s hope my good fortune hasn’t run out yet.” Yamato says as he exits the room along with the other rookies.