Chapter 41

Thick fog after the snowfall.

Fifty-one cadets plus fifteen instructors formed one long-range training column, trudging along a mountain trail already swallowed by weeds. The snow-fog hung like a dense bridal veil, a white so absolute you couldn't see your own hand.

Instructor Shirata, calling it "tempering the soul," had ordered the cadets to march out of Daisetsuzan on foot while food and water were still plentiful. The actual exam scores would be tallied later—once they got back.

A freezing wind slipped through every collar. Hidenori, hunched like a quail, shuffled at the rear. Hearing others grumble about Shirata, he couldn't resist adding his own complaint to the teammate beside him. "Seriously, don't you think Shirata's gone too far?"

"Could be worse."

Miu had wound her braided pigtail once around her neck, and the extra padding on her chest made her more cold-resistant than the boys. She shrugged. "Instructor Shirata is a Superintendent, you know. The 'Devil Detective'—top-tier in the force. His squad's famous for discipline. And he's out front leading in just a shirt."

"Huh..."

Hidenori pulled a sour face; he hadn't expected Miu to defend the man. "Someone that good, nowhere near retirement—why become an instructor?"

"They say he screwed up and got punished..." Miu stopped mid-sentence, glanced at the gloomy Yoshimura Yu, and swallowed the rest. "Not sure of the details."

"I see," Hidenori muttered, then turned to Yoshimura on his other side. "Bet he lost his gun and got shipped here as penance."

Yoshimura's thick brows knotted like caterpillars. His mouth twitched; he lengthened his stride and left Hidenori behind.

"Ah, sorry—just joking..." Hidenori's voice trailed off; he scratched his head.

"Wasn't funny." Miu exhaled a white puff, then added, "Still, you guessed right."

"Guessed what?"

"Word is Shirata lost his service pistol and got demoted." She paused. "Rumor, of course—could be nonsense."

"Seriously?" Hidenori's first thought was how powerful the man's connections must be if losing a sidearm only earned a demotion. Then, hearing it might be gossip, he relaxed. Shirata didn't seem the type for rookie mistakes anyway.

They kept chatting until fatigue killed the conversation; heads down, they marched on.

Shirata's destination was the family-run minshuku Fushimi Shika had mentioned—thirty kilometers east of the mountain's foot, the nearest shelter. Once the cadets were bedded down, he would use the inn's phone to call the academy for help.

So far the cadets believed the hike was merely part of the exam. If they learned their instructors had lost all contact with the outside world, panic would spread—and the school's reputation would take a hit.

Shirata had already briefed every instructor: blame a flat tire on the support van and recast the march as a "pop-quiz." The two instructors Shika had handcuffed hated the cover story, but the alternative—"We got thrashed by a graduating cadet who also caught us reading porn"—would destroy what little authority they had left. Better to swallow the loss.

As the old saying goes: steal a belt buckle and you're executed; steal a country and they make you king. Screw up big enough and everyone will help you bury the mess.

Five hours in, the fog thickened until even the compass became useless. Shirata ordered a halt in the lee of a cliff to wait for visibility.

Behind the cliff face lay a cave curtained by vines—perfect shelter. Cadets filed inside, rubbing sore muscles, ready to collapse—until a scream tore through the gloom.

"—Ahh!"

Miu sat hard on the ground, face drained of color. The others crowded in, following her gaze. In a rough corner of the cave, half-reclined against the rock, lay a skeleton veiled in cobwebs.

"Jeez, I thought it was a bear..."

Relief rippled through the group; interest evaporated.

Miu clutched two teammates. "This isn't one of the instructors' props! There's a dead person here."

Yoshimura stared out the cave mouth, expression unreadable. "So what? People vanish in these mountains every year. A body or two is normal."

"B-but..."

"Relax," Hidenori chimed in. "We've seen fresh corpses. A few old bones shouldn't freak us out."

Miu swallowed. "It's not about being scared. This is a case—we should do something."

The cadets drifted away. If it wasn't part of the exam, why waste energy? Instructors wouldn't award extra points. Better to rest and avoid falling behind later.

Shirata rose and motioned Miu to sit. After the exam, he promised, he'd report the remains to the local station; professionals would collect them.

Reassured, Miu sat beside her teammates, hugging her knees. "I wonder if they'll ever identify him and find his family."

"Doubt it," Hidenori said. "He's too far gone."

Miu lowered her voice. "If Tamako were here, she'd figure it out."

Yoshimura gave a scornful snort. Fushimi Shika had tanked his grade and humiliated him in front of everyone; Yoshimura's resentment had long since spilled over onto Minamoto Tamako by association.

Hidenori rubbed his arms and forced a laugh. "Let's change the subject. Sitting in a cave with a corpse is creepy enough..."

As he spoke, he glanced back. The skull propped against the rock tilted suddenly; its hollow sockets fixed on him.

"Wh-what the—?!"

Cold sweat burst across his skin. He jabbed a shaking finger at the skeleton. "It moved! The skull just moved!"

The moment the words left his mouth, every head snapped around. The skull rotated on its cervical spine, black eye-holes sweeping the cave. A chill clawed its way up every spine.

What... what is happening?!

The skeleton had come back to life!!

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