The policeman looked at Suga departure with a curious expression, then used a nearby telephone to call someone.

“Yes, I want you to check information about a person named Suga Hisoka, whether it is true that he is a government investigator.”

The female voice on the phone answered.

“Okay, please wait.”

A few moments later, the woman on the phone resumed talking.

“Yes, Suga Hisoka is indeed a government investigator.”

The policeman was a little surprised.

“Okay, that’s all I need.”

The policeman hung up the phone, the doubt in his expression gone. He then continued his activities.

The time now is 12:15 pm. Suga was in the inn’s restaurant, eating his lunch and drinking a cup of hot tea, sitting on a sitting cushion (zabuton). Nellson stood on the wooden floor near Suga and looked at him curiously.

“What do you think about the information the man gave you?”

Suga stopped eating his lunch occasionally while looking at Nellson.

“Important information, it’s just that he doesn’t know some of the details and the big picture of it.”

Nellson nodded.

“Yes, that’s because his generation decided to stop the sacrifice ritual, so perhaps the villagers haven’t seen Gasokami for a very long time.”

Suga appeared to realize something.

“Therefore, I wonder if this town’s history has anything to do with Kagohara village.”

Nellson nodded. Suga took out his smartphone and then searched the internet and the Yokai Controller Association database but couldn’t find a complete history of Kagohara town and Kagohara village. Suga’s expression changed to surprise.

“Strange, there’s nothing about the history of this town and village.”

Nellson appeared to realize something.

“Maybe townspeople and villagers don’t store it online.”

Suga nodded. Not long after, Mrs. Unjyo walked into the restaurant and headed to the kitchen to make observations. Seeing Mrs. Unjyo, Suga appears to have realized something.

“I’ll try asking Unjyo san.”

In the kitchen, Mrs. Unjyo is checking the stock of foodstuff used for cooking, with several employees in the kitchen helping her. After finishing, Mrs. Unjyo exited the kitchen and was about to leave the restaurant. Suga immediately got up from his seat and met Mrs. Unjyo, who was close to the entrance.

“Sorry Unjyo san. Can I have a moment of your time?”

Seeing Suga’s sudden arrival surprised Mrs. Unjyo.

“Hisoka-san? What’s the matter?”

Suga smiled.

“This is regarding Kagohara town and the need for my investigation.”

Mrs. Unjyo looked a little surprised, then sighed.

“Okay then. Please, have a seat.”

Suga smiled and nodded.

Mrs. Unjyo sat in a seiza position on a sitting cushion (zabuton), and Suga sat cross-legged; they sat opposite each other with a short table between them, at the table closest to the row of classic Japanese sliding doors (shoji). Mrs. Unjyo’s expression turned curious.

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

“So, what does Hisoka san need from me?”

Suga answered.

“Unjyo san once said that your family has lived in this town for a long time, can Unjyo san tell me about the founding history of this town?”

Mrs. Unjyo’s expression turned a little surprised.

“This town, like most other towns, Hisoka san. It was built decades ago, there is nothing special about its history.”

Suga’s expression turned curious.

“Then why does it have the same name as Kagohara village?”

Mrs. Unjyo was surprised, then smiled awkwardly.

“I don’t understand what you....”

Suga had expected Mrs. Unjyo’s reaction, then interrupted her words.

“Unjyo san don’t need to hide it, there were already several other townspeople who told me about the existence of the Kagohara village while I was looking for information, such as the uncle who own the bicycle rental shop in front of this inn.”

Mrs. Unjyo was surprised and then sighed.

“Okay, I’ll tell you what I know.”

Mrs. Unjyo got up from her seat.

“Please, follow me.”

Suga was surprised to hear that. Mrs. Unjyo walked away from the inn’s restaurant, and Suga followed her. Nellson watched them momentarily, then flew to catch up with them.

After walking along the corridor, they arrived at a single wooden door with a board that said “General Manager’s Office” above it. This room was located at the end of the inn’s building at the end of the corridor. Not long after, Nellson flew and landed near Suga, surprising Mrs. Unjyo.

“I may not have said it before, but I think your pet owl is very smart.”

Suga was a little surprised and then smiled awkwardly.

“Yeah, that’s because I train him every day.”

Mrs. Unjyo smiled and nodded, then opened the door.

“Come in, I have something to show you.”

Suga’s expression turned curious, and he walked into the room; Nellson then flew after him. Mrs. Unjyo then also walked into the room and closed the door.

This office room has a glossy, beautifully carved brown wooden desk, an ergonomic chair behind the desk, and two armchairs before the desk. In the middle of the room is a sofa that forms an L with a short table in the middle, a bookshelf, and a display shelf. Suga’s attention fell on the display shelf, where photo frames showed the photos from when the inn was built and the Unjyo family members, consisting of herself and her husband, and her two sons and daughters. Nellson, standing on the floor next to Suga, looked up and noticed this display shelf. Mrs. Unjyo smiled.

“Please have a seat Hisoka san.”

Suga came to his senses, then turned around and nodded. Suga sat on the sofa in the middle of the room, as did Mrs. Unjyo, who sat on the other sofa. Nellson remained standing on the floor while watching them curiously. Suga’s expression turned curious.

“What do Unjyo san want to talk to me about?”

Mrs. Unjyo’s expression turned serious.

“You must already know that missing persons cases in this town may occur due to something unusual.”

Suga remembered his conversation with Ishikari’s mother and the old man who owned the bicycle rental shop about Kagohara village’s guardian gods named Gasokami. Suga nodded.

“Unjyo san mean about Kagohara village’s guardian gods?”

Mrs. Unjyo nodded.

“That’s right, the townspeople believe that the calamity that we thought had ended when Kagohara village was isolated is actually repeating itself in this town. Something that even if we tell the police, they won’t believe it. Or maybe someone has even discussed it with the police, and it still doesn’t have any effect.”

Suga nodded.

“Have Unjyo san ever seen this guardian gods in person?”

Mrs. Unjyo shook his head slowly.

“That’s what I wanted to talk to you about, I remember there was someone who said he had seen the guardian gods in person, a male investigator named Hideyuki Totei.”

Unjyo’s expression looked a little disturbed by this.

Flashback to when Mrs. Unjyo was 16 years old, in 1987. She walks wearing a kimono in the side garden of a luxurious one-story classic Japanese-style house. Not long after, Mrs. Unjyo heard two people talking; she then hid behind the corner of the wall and watched who was talking.

Not too far from the front entrance of this house, which was an open sliding wooden double door, Hideyuki stood while chatting with a middle-aged man who is Mrs. Unjyo’s father, wearing a kimono with a plain cardigan covering it, and the hair on his head, most of which had turned white. Hideyuki has stylishly styled short hair, wearing a shirt, long jeans, boots, and a Yokai Controller Association overcoat with a different design than Suga usually wears. Hideyuki’s expression turned serious, and he was carrying a brown envelope containing a photo in his hand.

“I have proven it, sir. That guardian gods is real. I hope you and the villagers will evacuate until the situation is safe.”

Mrs. Unjyo’s father’s expression turned angry.

“I don’t understand what you are saying. We have been trying to eradicate the culture of the “Gasokami sacrifice ritual.” Gasokami is just the imagination of our ancestors and generations before us. There is no such thing as a guardian gods or anything watching over this village.”

Mrs. Unjyo’s father then just walked away, leaving Hideyuki behind. Hideyuki remained silent in his place while watching the man walk away. Hideyuki sighed, then put the envelope containing the photo in his hand into the inner pocket of his overcoat and walked away from here. However, after only taking a few steps, he was stopped by a woman's voice from inside the house.

“Wait, Totei san.”

Hideyuki stopped in his tracks and turned around. A middle-aged woman wearing a kimono and who was Mrs. Unjyo’s mother walked out of the house entrance.

“You can hand me the photo, he might change his mind later.”

Hideyuki was a little surprised to hear that.

“Of course, I am very grateful for your concern.”

Hideyuki took out the envelope containing the photo from his overcoat's inner pocket and then handed it to Mrs. Unjyo’s mother. Flashback ends.

Back to the present, Mrs. Unjyo looked a little lost in thought remembering that event. Suga and Nellson looked at her with surprised expressions. Suga thought.

“I think it would be strange if I said I knew Hideyuki…”