KINKI (近畿地方のある場所について)

Hey, do you know about this?

Some weird video just started playing on my phone.

Oh, I've heard of that.

Yeah, it was all over the net news, wasn't it?

They say it was watching from outside the window.

They say it follows you, walking like peta peta peta...

There was a line of people standing side-by-side.

A woman appears on the TV screen and like, raises her hand or something.

Never heard of it.

They say if you read that manga, you'll die in three days.

Under the light... something blurry...

They say you'll be cursed to death.

Uh...

My friend has gone missing.

If anyone has any information, please contact me.

His name is...

Sayama-san, good work today.

Yeah, thanks for staying late.

I'm heading out first.

Ah, let's go for a drink sometime.

Heh heh... No thanks.

Tch.

That's alcohol harassment & sexual harassment.

Ozawa, you can go home too. There's still plenty of time before the deadline.

Right... I'll head out.

Sayama-san, you've been holed up in the basement alone. What kind of special feature are you writing?

Eh? It's still a secret.

Oh... But right now, I'm really on a roll.

Heh... That's rare.

Look forward to it.

Hey.

Ozawa-kun.

Chihiro-san!

Hi, hi.

I'm sorry. For making you come all the way here.

It's been a while since we met in person.

So? What's this big job you couldn't tell me over the phone?

It's "Super Mystery Magazine," right?

Yes, Fushimaga.

I'll explain in the basement archives. This way.

Okay. Nice to see you.

Actually, the Editor-in-Chief...

Sayama-san has gone missing.

Eh? What!? When?

Shh.

Last week. Along with his wife.

And... he took all the data for the special feature he was working on alone, right before printing.

Eeeeh...

Ah... so you're offering that feature to me?

Yes. The higher-ups told me...

Either find Sayama-san and recover the feature data...

Or use the materials he collected...

...and quickly create the feature pages myself.

So you're saying "don't turn this down"?

Ozawa-kun, aren't you getting ahead of yourself?

Ah... Ah, I'm sorry.

The police decided there was no foul play involved, so they won't investigate properly.

I got kind of panicked.

Well, the police are like that...

Isn't there any manuscript left behind at all?

Ah... Sayama-san...

He was doing all his work on his own laptop, you know?

He disappeared with it. I don't even know the content.

All that's left are the materials he was collecting in the basement recently.

What?

You should have at least shared the content of the feature.

I'm sorry.

This way.

So, when's the deadline?

Ah... If the manuscript is ready by next week, we'll manage somehow.

Eh? A feature is 25 pages, right? That's seriously...

The higher-ups told me...

If we mess this up, "Super Mystery Magazine" will be discontinued.

So please help us!

Eeh...

I didn't know this place existed.

Yes. Almost no one comes to the archives.

It smells moldy.

Yeah, it does.

So, this is...

These are the materials Sayama-san chose for this feature.

Then you can tell what genre the feature was, right?

No... I looked at the paper documents a bit,

but the content is all over the place.

I wonder how Sayama-san intended to summarize this.

Can I watch this?

Yes.

Last February, Keiko Yamashina, living in Shiga Prefecture...

...7 years old, on her way home from school...

...within a distance of about 40 meters between parting with her friend and her home...

...suddenly vanished.

Keiko-chan disappeared as if spirited away.

Three months later, inexplicably...

Keiko-chan's uncle, who lived nearby...

...was witnessed throwing himself into a dam...

...and his body was found.

There was no suicide note...

...and the family had no idea why...

...but the police ruled it a suicide.

Then, near this dam, a new and bizarre eyewitness report emerged.

Um... it was around 3 AM.

I was driving this truck... over there...

...coming from the direction of the dam.

At that time, um... right there... you see that tree standing there?

Right between that tree and that white pole. Right there...

There was a girl with a red backpack. She was standing with her back to me.

I got worried, so I stopped the truck and called out from the window...

"What's wrong?"

Then, she suddenly turned around to face me...

At that moment... her eyes were pitch black. Pitch black.

Like they were holes or something.

Holes?

I was completely terrified.

Right here. She went *babababa*... and ran this way.

The mountain... it was pitch dark... so...

That girl... I feel like she looked like the missing girl, Keiko-chan.

Good evening!

Guys, the camera is here! The camera is here!

Yes, this way, this way, this way! Yay!

Come over here! Hurry, hurry, hurry!

Wait, what, what? Hey, wait.

Hey, hey, wait... Wait a minute.

Hey!

This way, this way, this way!

Wait, what is it?

Eh?

Don't you hear a voice?

Voice?

I don't hear any voice.

Ooooii...

I heard it!

Hm? What?

Oooi!

Wait, don't!

Ooooii...

It's saying it again! It's saying it again!

Isn't it getting closer?

Wait, everyone! It might be a weirdo, so...

It's a pervert!

Is something the matter?

Woooon't youuu cooome to the mouuuntaaiiin?

- The mountain? - Don't respond to it!

Is there something good if we go?

Wait... stop it, seriously!

We haaave persimmooons toooo...

There's persimmons! He says there's persimmons!

Rika, what's wrong!? Rika!

Someone! Call the teacher!

- Teacher! - Hey, are you okay? A-Are you okay? Hey? Hey?

Teacher, Teacher... She suddenly collapsed...

- There's something there! - Eh?

Everyone, calm down! Calm down!

Yeah, everyone calm down.

Everyone calm down. It's okay.

Calm down, everyone.

This incident with the middle school students... It's a famous one.

I heard there was footage, but it was never released to the public.

Is that so?

Look.

Eeeh... So the one just now was real?

There's no connection to the talk show incident either.

I wonder what Sayama-san intended to do.

Hmm...

Maybe if we watch more, we'll find a common denominator?

That's true. I have to finish the feature somehow.

2013, Touring.

Today, I rode a touring course...

...recommended by a blogger who loves bikes.

Man, it felt great!

Can you see this? Um, this...

This was on the blog too. Yeah.

A Torii gate and a small shrine beneath it.

You don't see this kind of thing elsewhere, right? Yeah.

I'm curious. Shall we go closer and take a look? Right?

Wooow...

Oh... A vermilion Torii.

It's pretty... pretty old, huh? It's falling apart quite a bit.

Heeh, this shrine...

Eh? What is this? Ugh, what is it? What is this? It's disgusting.

Wait... Eh?

Ooooi...

Ooooi...

Did you hear that? In the static just now.

Yes. It said "Oooi".

It's the same as the school trip earlier.

Yeah... 2002 and 2013.

It's been about 11 years.

A connection over 10 years later.

Alright. I'll check the back numbers and paper documents.

Ozawa-kun, can you look at the video related stuff?

Yes.

First, we need to grasp the aim of the feature.

January 24th, 2015.

Nico Nico Live Stream (Edited).

Ah... Wait. I feel like I read about this a long time ago.

Eh...

Found it.

This is the footage right before a Nico Nico streamer went missing.

He didn't have many followers, so the information didn't spread much.

But I kind of remember it.