As the local patrolman had told Fusae, the only lead the police were pursuing was to find the missing college student.

An hour before, Fusae had called Yuichi, the local patrolman and the plainclothes detective standing in front of her as she did.

Chewing on the pickled plum, she went out to the entrance, where she found the local patrolman and another man she didn't know.

"The last few days the local patrolman's been coming by to check on me, but that's all," said Fusae.