"Long Dream, The Group, Tomie, Ju-on, Vampire..."
Amamiya Rin opened his eyes, a smile that wasn't quite a smile playing on his lips.
Ju-on, which looked like an ordinary ghost story, had actually transcended time and space due to the screenwriters patching the plot again and again, even boasting a record of destroying the world.
The Vampire, seemingly the weakest, not only existed in a world that wasn't solely comprised of the Junji Ito worldview but also had a clan behind him with a completely unknown version and setting.
He had been in this world for less than half a month and had already bumped into five urban legends. How had everyone else in this world survived until now?
"Wait a moment, I'll ask a professional."
Amamiya Rin entered the final digit and dialed Kazumi Junya.
Public Security Bureau, Fifth Basement Level.
The office of the Police History Compilation Office was starkly different from the glitzy departments upstairs.
Rather than an office, it looked more like a massive archive.
Towering metal shelves were arranged in rows, piled high with file folders and archive boxes of various colors. The air was permeated with the smell of old paper mixed with dust.
Deep within the cluster of shelves, an office area had been partitioned off.
An old-fashioned CRT television sat against the wall, broadcasting a horse race live, the commentator's excited voice sounding somewhat distorted.
Indou Ranko was sunk into a sofa, her legs crossed.
She wasn't wearing a uniform, just a loose sweater. Clutching a betting ticket in her hand, she stared at the TV screen with eyes half-closed, a cup of steaming coffee sitting by her hand.
Not far away at a desk, Kazumi Junya was typing away on an old-fashioned typewriter. Further off, Kogure Soichiro was standing on tiptoes, trying to stuff a newly filed, thick cardboard box onto the top shelf.
Just then, Kazumi's mobile phone, which was resting on a messy pile of documents, rang abruptly.
Kazumi picked up the phone, revealing a puzzled expression when he saw the unknown number on the screen.
"Moshi moshi, this is Kazumi."
He answered the call.
"Officer Kazumi, this is Amamiya Rin. Do you remember me?"
A young man's voice came from the phone. Kazumi Junya remembered this name; after all, they had only met two days ago.
"Amamiya-kun from Morita Hospital? Right? Is your condition any better?"
Kazumi subconsciously sat up straight. He had a premonition that this young man wouldn't contact him without reason.
"Much better than before, thanks to Officer Indou's advice. Is Officer Indou nearby? Although it's inconvenient for me to move, I at least wanted to express my gratitude over the phone."
Hearing that sincere voice, Kazumi couldn't help but look toward Indou Ranko.
However, his unreliable superior was still staring intently at the horse racing broadcast.
"Inspector, it's a call from Amamiya-kun. He wants to thank you."
Indou Ranko's gaze never left the TV screen as she waved her hand dismissively. "Forget it. It was just a few words, no need. I'm watching the critical part right now."
Kazumi felt a sense of powerlessness at Indou Ranko's slacker attitude. He turned back and spoke to Amamiya Rin.
"Amamiya-kun, you probably heard that, right? Is there anything else?"
On the other end of the line, Amamiya Rin's voice paused for a moment before continuing.
"Officer Kazumi, I want to consult you about something. Regarding Nerima Ward, four family extermination tragedies have occurred there. The first was at the Saeki house. Do you have records of this?"
"Nerima Ward? The Saeki house?"
Hearing these two locations, Kazumi Junya's expression instantly turned serious. Beside him, Kogure also tensed up, and not far away, Indou Ranko glanced over.
"Yes. A film crew went there the day before yesterday to shoot a supernatural program. As a result, they were tainted by the curse. Now, some are missing, some are dead; they've basically been wiped out. Have you investigated this?"
Hearing this, Kogure sucked in a breath of cold air, a look of fear appearing on his rugged face.
"We have the Saeki family files. The file name is Ju-on. Danger level: Maximum. No contactee has ever survived. It remains unresolvable to this day. The response protocol mentioned in the file is to shelf and blockade it because as long as one does not enter the haunted house, one will not be harmed. The degree of active hazard isn't high."
Kazumi Junya's face was heavy. He didn't equivocate and directly disclosed the information related to the Saeki family.
"But people still die from Ju-on. Didn't you truly seal up the haunted house?"
Amamiya Rin's voice revealed a degree of confusion.
"Those who wanted to do that are already dead. The only thing we can do is prohibit the sale or rental of that haunted house. As for those with morbid curiosity, it's hard for us to stop them."
As Kazumi Junya spoke, he looked toward Indou Ranko.
His understanding of the Saeki family came entirely from the files. He knew absolutely nothing about any deeper details.
Indou Ranko stretched, slowly stood up, and sauntered over.
She took the phone from Kazumi's hand and spoke directly.
"Let's put it this way: Ju-on isn't some ghost or monster. It is a curse, a concept. 'The accumulated resentment and rage of those who died wrongfully turns into a curse.' This kind of concept is equivalent to universal gravitation; it belongs to the composition of the universe."
The moment Indou Ranko spoke, she escalated the severity of the problem to a macroscopic, cosmic level, startling the three men who heard it.
"Who can eliminate a concept? I certainly can't. I went to handle a Ju-on incident back in the day and almost died there."
Indou Ranko shrugged, expressing her helplessness.
"Is it really that exaggerated? I heard you once exterminated a Split Spirit of the Nine-Tailed Fox?"
The voice coming from the phone carried a sense of astonishment, seeming not to expect Indou Ranko's evaluation of Ju-on to be so high.
"That was because I got my hands on Monk Genno's Vajra, which happened to counter the Nine-Tailed Fox's Split Spirit. Plus, someone killed the Nine-Tailed Fox's host, causing it to reveal a weakness. Although I don't know if the Nine-Tailed Fox really existed in history, that kind of Ju-on with a clear legend is much easier to deal with than modern Ju-on. Besides, destroying the Nine-Tailed Fox didn't equal destroying its resentment and rage. When that guy was destroyed by me, it even spat out harsh words, saying it would return for revenge sooner or later."
Mentioning this matter, Indou Ranko was truly resigned.
She only hoped the Nine-Tailed Fox's comeback would be a hundred years later. Otherwise, as an old lady, she wouldn't have the strength to deal with it.
"...Thank you for your hard work. But is there really no way to deal with Ju-on? My friend's senior, Harase Kyoko, was a special guest on that supernatural program. She hasn't died yet, but she has definitely been targeted by Ju-on. And my friend visited Harase Kyoko once after she was targeted. I'm worried she will also become a target of Ju-on."
"An indirect relationship, huh... Make her forget about this matter and reduce contact with Harase Kyoko. Events related to ghosts are all idealistic. In the absence of direct personal contact, as long as you reduce cognition and fear of the ghost, you can drop the mortality rate to ten percent."
Indou Ranko offered a solution that wasn't really a solution.
Simply put, it was learning from the ostrich: bury your head in the sand and pretend not to see. As long as there is no cognition or fear of the ghost in your heart, you can avoid the ghost's interference.
____
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