“No, not at all. I think all guys can relate to the ideals…of each section.”
“Right? What’s wrong with having standards?”
“Exactly. I agree with you one hundred percent, Kunikida. A word of advice, though: Never show this to a woman. It’d really turn them off. I mean, even I’m struggling to keep myself from yelling ‘A girl like this doesn’t exist!’”
Is it really that far-fetched?
“Okay, I get it. Now let’s get to work and find that kidnapper. By the way
, have you found out anything else?”
“There’s one thing I noticed.”
“What’s that?”
“If you truly wish to pursue your ideal woman, then we’re going to have to do something about those boring glasses first.”
Dazai swiftly swipes the glasses off my face, then puts them on. They look awful on him.
“Enough! Give those back!”
So long as my work isn’t hindered, then nothing else matters. Besides, simply wearing nice glasses isn’t going to magically improve my life. And Dazai looks even more comical with them on… Even more ridiculous than usual for some odd reason.
“……Glasses?”
Glasses. The photos of the victims. Their faces. The monitoring equipment. The hotel they stayed in—
“Something the matter, Kunikida?”
The missing people all left the hotel of their own accord, and they all stayed in Yokohama alone. So that means the security footage of everyone entering and leaving the hotel is…
“Come on, Dazai. We’re leaving.”
I snatch my glasses and put them back on.
“I figured out who the kidnapper is.”
The ocean breeze soars past the Port of Yokohama. Dazai and I stand on the levee at the mouth by the shore. I gaze into the sky. The sun is already high, peeking through the sea of clouds and shining onto us. I do not feel as fine as the weather, however. A familiar taxi stops before me.
“Detective Kunikida! Please get in.”
A familiar cabdriver waves me over, and we waste no time climbing in.
“I apologize for the sudden call.”
“Oh, don’t be. I would go through fire and water for you and the agency, Detective! So are you in a hurry to get somewhere? Don’t you worry! The speed limit means nothing to me!”
“It should. Anyway, do you remember the missing-persons case we spoke of last evening? Well, I figured out who the kidnapper is.”
“What?! I saw the news about the abandoned hospital. I feel so sorry for those poor victims… So we’re going to arrest the kidnapper, yes? Roger that! We have to hurry, though, or he’ll get away. So where is this perpetrator?”
“Right here.”
“Excuse me?”
“You’re the kidnapper, and inside this taxi is where the kidnappings have been taking place.”
“Uh… I don’t think I’m following you, Detective. What are you saying?”