At the same time, police cars, ambulances, and fire trucks arrived at the scene one after another, their ear-piercing sirens tearing through the chaotic atmosphere surrounding the hospital.
"It's completely over... there's no saving this..."
Feeling the thoughts gradually increasing within the [Tomie Network] and listening to the melodious sirens, [Amamiya Rin] couldn't help but smile miserably.
Given [Tomie]'s constitution, as long as she wasn't completely burned to charcoal, she could regenerate. Now that the fire trucks had arrived, the idea of letting all those [Tomie]s die inside the hospital was undoubtedly unrealistic.
He was thoroughly unable to shake off [Tomie].
"Although I don't understand what you're thinking," [Tomie]'s hands cupped [Amamiya Rin]'s face. Her bewitching beauty radiated charm without restraint, entrancing even the patients in the distance. "Come help me. Help me kill those fakes. As long as you can help me kill them, I can become your girlfriend."
Her sweet voice drilled into [Amamiya Rin]'s ears. But before [Amamiya Rin] could push [Kawakami Tomie] away, a hand grabbed [Kawakami Tomie] by the back of her collar and yanked her away from [Amamiya Rin]'s side.
"What are you doing?!"
[Kawakami Tomie] stumbled backward. Regaining her footing, she turned around to scold angrily, only to see a face identical to her own.
"Oh my, trying to sneak away all by yourself? That won't do."
The owner of that hand was another [Tomie]. And it wasn't just one; over a dozen [Tomie]s had appeared nearby unbeknownst to them, wearing cold smiles and eyes filled with malice.
"You fakes!"
Looking at her own face, [Kawakami Tomie] gritted her teeth, her expression filled with hatred.
"The fake really knows how to make false countercharges. I am the true [Kawakami Tomie]."
A [Tomie], whose original identity was long indistinguishable, placed her hand over her chest and spoke with brimming confidence.
"Don't say such stupid things. I am the real [Kawakami Tomie]. Anyone can see that at a glance, right?"
Another [Tomie] brushed her glossy black hair behind her shoulder, speaking arrogantly.
"You fakes! You're just thieves who stole my beauty!"
The [Kawakami Tomie] who had been yanked away stood firm. Her cheeks flushed slightly with anger as she pointed at the group of identical faces opposite her, her voice carrying undisguised disgust.
"Oh my, the one calling others fakes is actually the biggest fake herself, isn't she?"
Some [Tomie] crossed her arms and sneered.
Although they wore different clothes, the mixture of arrogance and mockery on their faces was exactly the same.
The argument escalated continuously. More than a dozen identical mouths spat out vicious words simultaneously, the content almost identical. Every single one of them insisted she was the true [Kawakami Tomie] and accused the others of being clumsy imitators.
They glared at each other, their eyes filled with pure hatred.
The quarreling of the [Tomie]s made [Amamiya Rin] feel as if a hundred ducks were quacking in his ears. The noise gave him a splitting headache, his temples throbbing violently.
Meanwhile, the massive bodies of the fire trucks drove into the hospital compound. Firefighters leaped off with agile movements and began laying out water hoses.
Thick pillars of water rushed toward the smoking floors. As water met fire, massive amounts of white steam were generated. Police and firefighters entered the building together, subduing the rioters who were still fighting and dragging them out of the main building.
As for the wounded, medical personnel rushing over from other hospitals loaded them onto ambulances.
Police tape was quickly set up, isolating the growing crowd of onlookers. Reporters also arrived upon hearing the news, aiming their camera lenses at the billowing smoke of the hospital building and the busy rescue workers.
The actions of the official organizations also had an impact on the [Tomie]s' dispute.
"Tsk! There are always some stubborn fools getting in the way."
"The police are here. It's better to keep a low profile."
"Although they are all trash, occasionally they can be troublesome."
...
The [Tomie]s stopped their bickering and turned their attention to the police not far away.
Their attitude toward the police was generally one of contempt, yet they could not ignore them—a contradictory sentiment.
"Bye-bye, [Rin]-kun. Let's meet again tomorrow."
The [Tomie]s reached a consensus. They scattered individually and soon vanished without a trace.
[Amamiya Rin] immediately realized that these lawless monsters still had some scruples regarding the official organizations that represented order and violence.
Did the official organizations of [Japan] have a department specifically for supernatural anomalies?
[Amamiya Rin] wasn't sure. He only knew that the authorities must have had contact with supernatural anomalies.
[Junji Ito] had drawn a manga called Something-something Sword.
Forgive him, it had been too long, and he had forgotten the name. He only remembered the rough plot: someone possessed a demonic sword capable of depriving and granting life, specifically used to extend the lifespans of politicians.
The supernatural forces in [Junji Ito]'s worldview were usually the type to parade through the streets openly. Even if the authorities couldn't do much about them, they would inevitably come into contact with them.
At this moment, the police began to approach the people taking refuge outside, questioning eyewitnesses about the specific situation.
Two police officers wearing uniforms walked toward [Amamiya Rin]. They were a pair of one large and one small. The large one was a burly man two or three times the size of an ordinary person, with a very mature appearance, looking at least over thirty. The small one was very young, probably in his twenties.
However, the officer who looked at least thirty fell a step behind, following the young officer, appearing to be led by him.
"Are you alright? Do you need medical assistance?"
The young officer looked at the crutch [Amamiya Rin] was leaning on and his pale complexion, asking with concern.
"I'm fine, just a bit tired."
[Amamiya Rin] slowly raised his hand to indicate cooperation while trying to steady his breathing.
"That's good. I am Assistant Inspector [Kazumi], and this is my colleague [Kogure]. We'd like to ask you about the situation that occurred inside the hospital."
The young officer nodded and showed his ID.
The burly officer named [Kogure] stood silently behind Assistant Inspector [Kazumi], like a high wall, bringing an invisible sense of oppression. Yet his expression wasn't fierce; instead, it was somewhat simple and honest.
([Kazumi]? [Kogure]? Why do I feel like I've heard these names somewhere? Is it not from my predecessor, but memories from my past life? Characters from some Japanese work I've seen?)
[Amamiya Rin] had a vague feeling that this duo was familiar, but the time gap was too large, and he really couldn't recall based on just two surnames.
He didn't delve deeper, but instead carefully considered his words. "The specific reason... you might not believe it if I say it, but I saw many identical people inside the hospital."
"Identical people? Twins? Triplets?"
[Kazumi] and [Kogure] looked at each other, then asked speculatively.
"Not that few. At least more than twenty people."
[Amamiya Rin] shook his head.
The two police officers couldn't help but reveal expressions of astonishment.
"More than twenty people? Could you have been mistaken? Or was it makeup and dressing alike? Deliberately disguising themselves as the same image?"
[Kazumi] asked hurriedly.
He didn't think there were really more than twenty identical people, but such a bizarre phenomenon appearing in the hospital might be related to the riot inside.
____
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