26 That Long Summer Night, Part 2

Ema, Monido — Three hours earlier. Mura and Lilith had ordered a ticket for the podcar station, causing Lilith to become disappointed they had replaced the train that was once there. However her glum demeanor quickly changed back once she actually saw a podcar for the first time.

They were roughly two and a half meters in length with simple sliding doors, windows and two cushioned benches opposite of each other within. The pod was attached to a rail track, much like the bullet trains Lilith talked about on their walk over.

Luckily today was slow for business, so the both of them could enjoy the pod all to themselves. Mura and Lilith were pleasantly surprised by the doors closing automatically as a woman's voice played over the speaker installed above them.

"Destination: Ema City; arrival time: sixteen minutes. Please, enjoy the ride~" the automated voice chimed out.

The podcar took off smoothly as Mura and Lilith looked out the windows, watching as they departed off the mountainside and along the track towards the glimmering city. Mura felt a tad dizzy being so high up and gripped his seat's cushion. They towered above forests and small ponds as a flock of birds flew underneath them, appearing more like ants from the current altitude.

Lilith boisterously awed over the sights, taking them in as Mura closed his eyes and waited for the ride to be over. Not too long after, they neared their destination. Mura looked out the windows once more, now being closer to the ground but still three stories high.

Flying cars went past them in designated lines lit with neon lights. They weren't like the automobiles in Yomi, as Mura could spot several of the drivers talking. Some were eating and others had their feet up on the dashboard whilst asleep. The common similarity was that every vehicle lacked a steering wheel.

—Even the cars are automated here, huh?

The podcar's speed slowed and led them towards a large building that acted as a port. There was a visible square cutout of the building for the track and pods to lead inside of, allowing passengers to disembark indoors. As they approached, Mura took his eyes off the cars and was overwhelmed by the abundance of screens.

Approximately six gigantic screens covered every building, taking up as much real estimate as they could. Ads flashed by in rapid succession from building to building for human products that escaped the demon's understanding. One advertisement was broadcasted as a large hologram of a woman's head, displaying glowing eyes and a perfect smile.

Mura tried to read what the product was for, but the podcar retreated inside of the dimly lit docking station. No light was emitted from the outside world here, causing the interior of the pod to become pitch dark until four blue LED lights flashed on inside.

"Oooh, spooky," Lilith joked.

The podcar came to a complete stop as they heard a gasp of pressure releasing underneath them. With the air brakes engaged, the doors slid open with an expected dinging sound.

"Arrived at: Ema City. Please enjoy your stay~"

Mura took Lilith by the hand and walked out, blinking several times as he tried to walk off his vertigo from earlier. The duo looked around the station, which resembled a large domed interior stretching up to incredible heights. It lacked any windows or outside illumination; instead having fluorescent ceiling lights above and glowing white circles lining the ground.

Several lights were along the walls as well, making it rather easing on the eyes and not difficult to see. Numerous people in both business and casual attire walked throughout the station, either transferring or exiting through escalator ramps in the distance. Multiple screens were placed around showcasing maps of the city and even a hologram of an obnoxiously adorable cartoon girl giving directions.

"This is incredible… I never wanna leave," Mura whispered to himself.

"Right? It's so much better than Demon Capital if you ask me, but that's probably my roots talking."

Mura realized subconsciously as he looked around at the other humans that he and his Thrall stuck out like sore thumbs.

"We need to buy some human clothes… Disguises," Mura stated as he walked with Lilith, picking up a paper map as he passed by a kiosk.

"Since we'll be investigating, we need to look the part! Trust me on this, Kirin can say whatever she wants but I'm the real human professional here," Lilith said with a laugh of confidence.

"You sure about this, Lilith?"

"Of course! I'm only really missing the memories of my past self, but it's weird… All the stuff regarding this? It's still intact. A little fuzzy and some stuff has changed in the last four years but still! Nothing to worry about."

The two followed the signs exiting out towards the city and stepped onto the moving walkway that led to ground level. Mura spotted a sign on the ramp as they moved downwards.

—'Keep to the right for moving pedestrians'? Hey, I can do that. Blending in isn't so tough!

Mura and Lilith stepped to the right as others behind walked past them down the walkway, leaving him with a gleaming sense of achievement.

"Alright then Miss Expert, where do we go?"

Lilith turned to face Mura, grinning with excitement.

"I remember this station, right? Well, I also remember there being this costume shop nearby! At least I think it was a costume shop, I never went inside…"

Mura raised an eyebrow.

"Well, no harm checking it out. We'll fit right in there, I guess."

Approximately twenty minutes later, Lilith led Mura to the costume shop she had vaguely recalled from her foggy memories.

Mura opened the door to the establishment, causing another dinging soft sound to announce their arrival. He looked around at the goods the vendor had to offer. Sure enough, there were several different costumes set up around the shop. The interior was decorated with various pinks and reds, as a few hearts were scattered about. There were other products in cardboard boxes and plastic packaging that he couldn't discern the contents of.

—Must be some human holiday approaching.

"Excuse me, is anyone here?" Mura called out.

A man with a greasy complexion and black goatee popped out from behind a backroom. He walked through several red bead-strings that hung above the doorway, leading to the front counter.

"Aha, hello! What can I help you with today?" the man asked with a friendly smile.

Mura cleared his throat, taking the lead as Lilith stood beside him.

"Yes, hello! I'd like to ask if you have any… uniforms in stock. Particularly of the police variety…"

The shopkeeper took a look at Mura and smiled.

"I see! Well, luckily we have just the thing for you! Is the outfit for yourself or a partner?"

"It's for myself, but I need it to be as realistic as possible. Is that a problem?"

The shopkeeper laughed to himself and walked to the back to retrieve the product.

"Oh no, not a problem whatsoever! We have lots of people come in here that enjoy an immersive experience just like you."

—… Immersive?

Mura looked down at Lilith, who raised her shoulders in confusion. The man came back to the counter, placing a large box on the counter that had a picture of a typical officer's uniform on the front. There was a muscular man on the picture as well, giving a seductive smile as he held a pair of handcuffs in his hand.

—… Goddammit Lilith.

He looked at the box, then back up at the clerk who was still smiling politely at him. Lilith meanwhile was completely unaware. A bead of sweat ran down Mura's face as his cheeks turned pink.

"You're in luck! This version opens up in the back for easier access~" the worker said.

"Why would you need that, for taking a crap?" Lilith grinned obliviously.

"I'll buy it…" Mura said, pulling the card from his wallet.

"Excellent choice, sir! I hope you have a wonderful time using it!"

Mura sighed as the product was bagged and his order was rung up.

"Yeah… Me too."

❇ ❇ ❇

Sekien Academy, Ema — Present Time. After hours of finding their way to the elite prep school, Lilith and Mura reached the property. This was a proper academy, with multiple sections and buildings within the grounds. The grass was an unnatural perfected green, as if artificially contracted in a laboratory. Multiple willow trees lined the stone pathway leading inside, creating a shadowy arch of drooping branches and leaves.

Mura rotated his stiff neck, the collar of his police uniform being a tad tight. In fact, most of it was form fitting — accentuating his lean physique. He had a talk with Lilith afterwards regarding the sort of location the shop had been. After a guilt-ridden sob from the yokai, they patched things up.

The demon looked up at the large cast-iron gates that were currently wide open. No doubt they were only there for show and security purposes at night.

"I guess that's to keep all the kids from escaping, eh?" Mura laughed to himself as Lilith rolled her eyes.

Both walked through the entrance and along the walkway, taking in the sights as the sun began to set. Mura could feel a presence from a nearby location, something foreign. A subtle spike of Tamashiryoku in the air.

—Probably just Kirin getting a kick outta seeing me in this getup.

Mura spotted a young orange-haired teenager with a flying contraption hovering alongside her.

"Let's ask her, maybe she knows something about our target?" Lilith said.

"My thoughts exactly."

They began walking towards the student with a casual air about them. As Mura approached, the girl began walking away as if to avoid detection. Mura quickened his pace and caught up to his target in no time at all.

"Excuse me, miss. My name is Detective Mura. I'd like to ask you a few questions," he said.

"We need to ask you about Junko Takagi!" Lilith said in tandem, putting on her best hard-boiled cop imitation.

The schoolgirl blinked and crossed her arms as Mura waited for a reply.

"Oh yeah, she can't hear me…" Lilith realized, a bit sad her impression was lost on the girl. "Guess I'll just be your backup!"

"Ahem, miss. Do you have any information regarding the recent disappearance of a Miss Junko Takagi," Mura inquired.

"You seem pretty suspicious honestly, rocking an old school uniform like that. Where's your badge, mister detective?"

Mura was at a loss for words briefly. This girl was clearly smarter than she looked. He gave Lilith a quick glance, motioning to the student's bag with his eyes. Lilith read the signal and nodded, going over to the girl and looking down at her messenger bag.

Lilith silently inspected around the bag until she found a small identification tag.

"It says her name is Tomoe Nagata! Even has her cell-phone number!"

Mura smiled in return, flashing a friendly grin to his new human friend.

"I understand the confusion, Miss Nagata. Your parents asked me to check in on you, to make sure you got home safe. It isn't safe to be wandering alone out here after all."

Tomoe softened her stance a little, taken aback at hearing her own name. Even Ai made an electronic gasp in reply.

"See Tomoe? He's just looking after you! You owe Detective Mura here an apology," the robot scolded.

Mura shook his head with a smile, really selling the role.

"No need, little buddy. As for my usual gear, it's at the station. You're free to have my badge number however?"

Tomoe sighed and rubbed her neck.

"Nah nevermind, sir… I'm sorry about the whole… backtalk thing," she forced out.

Meanwhile, Lilith marveled in secret at Ai.

"That's so cool! They never had those back in my day!" Lilith said.

Tomoe shivered, rubbing her exposed arms.

"Damn, do you feel that draft? How's that possible in this kind of heat?!" she uttered.

Mura looked at Lilith, signaling her wordlessly to back away.

—Is she having a reaction to Lilith? I guess humans can sense yokai through temperature.

"I don't. Anyhow Miss Nagata, your info regarding Junko Takagi?" Mura said.

"Right, sorry. She stopped coming to school a few days ago, her parents told the police she never came home either. It's been happening to girls all over the place!" Tomoe explained. "She's my best friend, ya know? So I've been putting up missing posters around campus, but here's the weird shit— Oh, sorry for saying shit!"

Mura nodded as he pulled out a pen and notepad from his pocket.

"So like I was saying, get this, someone… maybe it's more than one person, it has to be! I put up flyers everywhere, yet they all disappear not too long after!"

Lilith raised an eyebrow as Mura's eye grew slightly.

"… I see."

—Something weird is going on at this school. The presence I felt wasn't just a fluke. That, along with her testimony spells some kind of otherworldly culprit.

"Is that all you need, Detective Mura? Did we help?" Ai questioned, her pink eyes fluttering in concern.

"Yep, that helped plenty. Listen here though, you need to get home immediately. I need to investigate and I can't have young girls getting in the way." Mura said with a kind tone.

Tomoe glared at the ground, clenching her fists until they shook.

"I could help you… please let me—"

"Out of the question. I don't know what the culprit wants with all these girls, but I'm not about to let another get harmed if I can help it," Mura rebuked.

Tomoe sighed in defeat.

"Fine, whatever…"

She kicked at the ground, walking home slowly as twilight seeped through the treetops.

Waiting until both Tomoe and Ai were out of sight, Mura looked down at Lilith.

"Come with me. I'm going to need you to help me set up some bait."

Lilith's eyes dilated in surprise.

"Bait?! What kind of bait??"

Mura smirked, looking down at the yokai.

"The only kind that seems to attract this freak. Come on, let's get going."

Meanwhile, not too far away at the gymnasium building, the local janitor finished waxing the floors. Locking the doors, he exited the building with a whistle.

Within the gymnasium was a small corkboard littered with papers of varying sizes. Tacked to this board was the last missing poster of Junko currently located on school grounds.

Silence filled the empty, pitch-black space. Without any form of announcement, a single hand emerged from the surface of the corkboard. The appendage ripped the missing poster off and holding it firmly, magically reduced it to dust. With a girlish chuckle, the hand slowly sunk back into the flat surface as silence returned once more.