Not long after, a man's voice was heard from the radio device in front of Suga.

“Hello? Can anyone hear me?”

Suga was surprised to hear that. Suga lifted the radio phone from this radio communication device, which was the size of a hand grip and connected with a cable.

“Yes, I can hear you. Who’s this?”

The voice from the radio answered.

“Thank God. I’m a fire lookout tower two officer; I’m stuck inside the tower’s surveillance room. Can you come here and help…”

The sound on this radio communication device suddenly cut off. Suga fell silent for a moment upon hearing this person’s words. Suga tried to talk to the person again, but there was no answer.

The view of the blackish-white fog outside the surveillance room row of window panes began to thin. In the distance, a black silhouette of a tall building could be seen with a shape and height resembling this fire lookout tower and was lit by several lights. Not long after, the blackish-white fog around the surveillance room was increasingly fading until it disappeared completely, and the silhouette of another fire lookout tower in the distance had also disappeared.

Suga immediately came out of the surveillance room, Nellson flew after Suga, then perched on the balcony railing near him. They looked toward the direction of another fire-lookout tower’s silhouette, but it had already disappeared. Suga’s expression changed to surprise.

“What was that? Where is the second tower building?”

Nellson turned to Suga.

“Somehow, the tower almost seemed to appear, but it disappeared again.”

Suga nodded.

“Right, something wrong going on here.”

Suga curiously checked the scenery around the tower for something.

“If it’s true that it was fire lookout tower two, Kagohara village should be around here.”

Suga looked around, but Kagohara village was still nowhere to be found. Suga supported his body forward using both hands on the balcony railing; his expression changed to surprise. Nellson flew and perched on the balcony railing next to Suga.

“What happened just now was very strange.”

Suga nodded.

“According to the activity log book, decades have passed since the second tower officer went missing.”

Nellson nodded.

“Or could it be... he's like the other victims who suddenly reappeared?”

Suga's expression shows that this bothers him.

“Unfortunately, there’s nothing we can do since that tower disappeared.…”

Nellson appeared to realize something.

“Should we investigate the officer who once guarded this tower?”

Suga turned to Nellson.

“Good idea.”

Suga sat cross-legged while leaning against the wall of the surveillance room behind him. Suga operated his smartphone and tried to find officers sent to this tower by the agency that employed them through the Yokai Controller Association database. Unfortunately, the association database does not have it.

“I don’t think all the data is stored by the association. It’s normal if something is missed.”

Nellson appeared to realize something.

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“This is just my guess, but perhaps the person employed at this tower is one of the villagers living in Kagohara town? Because the village is close to the tower.”

Suga just realized that.

“You’re right. We’ll try to find information in the town tomorrow.”

Nellson nodded.

The time is now 12:15 am. Suga sat cross-legged while leaning against the tower’s surveillance room wall in the front of the room. Suga looked lost in thought, looking at the photo in the locket in his hand. Suga's head blocked the direction of the photo, so the photo in the locket couldn't be seen. Nellson stood nearby, watching Suga curiously. Suga thought.

“This locket holds a photo of me with my parents. I remember their smiles, the looks on their faces, their voices, they sometimes were wearing the Yokai Controller Association overcoats. One day, I saw them looking at me anxiously and took me away with them. Then… everything went dark…”

Flashback to when Suga was seven years old. Suga's sight was blurry for some reason, and he couldn't see his surroundings clearly, but a silhouette of someone was standing before him. Not long after, Suga's sight went completely dark. Flashback ends.

Back to the current Suga, his expression looked lost inthought. He wears the locket back around his neck and puts it into his shirt. Suga stood up and then walked into the surveillance room, Nellson flew after him.

The time is 1:00 am. Suga sat on a chair at the table in the middle of the surveillance room, propping his cheek with his right hand on the table with a sleepy expression.

“Looks like there’s nothing left to look forward tonight.”

Nellson nodded.

“Should we just sleep?”

Suga leaned his back on the chair’s backrest.

“Unfortunately, we still don’t hear the whispering sound that this man hears every night. Can’t sleep until I get a clue about that.”

Suga looked at the bedroll he bought.

“Why did I buy this bedroll anyway?”

Nellson watched Suga curiously.

Sometime later, Suga watched a TV program on his smartphone and looked bored. Nellson stood on the table while watching around them warily. Suga put his smartphone on the table and then yawned. At the same time, Suga noticed that there was a man wearing shabby clothes of a white short-sleeved shirt, long black jeans, and sneakers. This man looked at Suga, but because it was dark, his face could not be seen, and he had pale white skin covered in bruises. Realizing Suga was aware of his presence, this man ran from here and descended the stairs. Seeing the man, Suga and Nellson were shocked. Suga shouted.

“Wait!”

Suga got up from his chair and immediately took his sheathed black katana on the table, then ran out of the surveillance room. Suga looked down; the person had dashed and reached the bottom. Suga immediately ran down the stairs, Nellson flew after Suga.

When he arrived downstairs, Suga found that the man had run into the forest’s darkness and was no longer visible. Suga tried to chase him but stopped in his tracks. Suga stood with his breath slightly out of breath, in a shady wilderness with big and tall trees. Nellson landed on the ground near Suga and watched him with a confused expression.

“We’re not chasing him?”

Suga’s expression turned serious.

“Wait, Nellson. That man ran away from me for some reason and just entered the forest. There’s something wrong with him.”

They both looked at the forest before them. Not long after, a man's voice in a loud whispered tone came from deep in the forest.

“I am one of the missing victims. Can you help me?”

Nellson was surprised and reflexively got into a stance ready to attack. Suga was also surprised and immediately entered a stance, ready to attack with his black katana. Nellson said.

“You’re right, Suga. There’s something wrong here. Why is he avoiding us if he really wants to be saved?”

Suga nodded.

“Unfortunately, we have to keep following him.”

Nellson nodded. Suga holds his flashlight and katana in his left hand and is ready at any time to attack.

Suga walked into the forest’s darkness, Nellson then flew after him. Suga walked in the forest vigilantly while always keeping an eye on his surroundings. Nellson flew ahead of Suga and landed on the ground while watching the surroundings. Suga said.

“The trees are so shady here. Only a little moonlight can enter the forest.”

Nellson’s attention turned to Suga, then nodded.

“The strange whispers experienced by the fire look out tower officer did happen.”

Suga nodded.

“The strange events he refers to may also have something to do with the missing tower.”

Not long after, the man Suga was chasing pounced on him from the side, in Suga’s blind spot, so Suga didn’t notice.

Suga fell to the side, and this man fell on him. Suga used his still-sheathed katana to hold back the man above him who was about to bite him. Suga was holding this man so he couldn’t bite; this man then strangled Suga’s neck. Suga was surprised as he thought.

“He is very strong.”

On the other hand, Nellson immediately took a stance, ready to attack.

“I’m coming, Suga!”

Because he was strangled, Suga couldn’t hold back the man who attacked him any longer. Just before Suga almost got bitten, Nellson pounced on this man from the side, sending him thrown several meters, and Nellson rolled onto the ground. Suga immediately tried to get up while holding his sore neck. Suga shouted.

“Who are you!”

This man with bruises all over his body didn’t answer and just lay there; he then stood up with abnormal movements, facing Suga and Nellson. This man let out a loud roar; the nails on his hands were sharp and firm. Nellson immediately stood up and prepared to attack again. However, this man turned around and ran deeper into the forest’s darkness. Seeing that, Nellson and Suga were shocked. Suga said.

“Damn, chase him, Nellson!”

Nellson nodded.

“I understand.”

Nellson flew after the man. Suga walked for a while, then stopped where he was. Suga frowned because his sight was blurry.

“Damn, my sight....”

Not long after, Suga became blind again because Nellson was too far away from him.