Chapter 40

**Chapter 40** is the fortieth chapter of the *Dead Mount Death Play* manga.

## Official Blurb

The cops have come sniffing around the Fortuneteller Shop, but Corpse God has nothing to hide! ...Or does he?

## Synopsis

As a brunette 'bunny' whispers information about Nishida into Lisa Kuraki, her blonde 'bunny' coworker announces that there is a problem; Clarissa guesses that the police must have come to confirm whether or not Nishida works at Youtoukorou. At her employee's shock, she elaborates that Nishida's work history ought to be hidden and further intones, "This is just like...what happened with Hosorogi-san five years ago."

Xiaoyu Lei walks home with an armful of groceries, unsure what an honest 'heart-to-heart' with the fake Polka might entail but at least sure he has avoided the fake Polka for as long as he could. As he is about to round the corner onto his street, he spots Tsubaki Iwanome and Kōzaburō Arase standing outside the fortunetelling shop; worried that the two policemen have come about Phantom Solitaire, he ducks back out of sight—and does a double take at seeing four policemen walk past him.

Meanwhile, Iwanome and Arase prepare to enter the shop and press the occupants about the Solitaire case. Arase eagerly muses that Takumi Kuruya's possible presence should make their visit a quick one—but the four policemen then approach and ask them to move aside, the leader explaining they have come to investigate a case. Iwanome identifies himself as a police officer in charge of the Solitaire investigation, only to be surprised when the head says this case has nothing to do with Solitaire and was issued from the top brass.

The leader introduces himself as Ikeuchi from MPD's investigations Unit 1 as they step inside the building, explaining that a man who works at the local bar Youtoukorou was responsible for an 'ugly mugging' the night before and that they suspect this man is hiding within this building. Iwanome privately wonders if one of Clarissa's subordinates would do such a thing, but he allows Ikeuchi to take the lead and volunteers to keep watch while Ikeuchi investigates.
He also asks Ikeuchi to inform him if there is any trouble with the fortuneteller, who is an acquaintance of his.

As Momoya Agakura and Kuon Higuro watch the police from their vantage point in a nearby building's upper storey window, the latter stiffens upon spotting Arase through his binoculars and wonders out loud what the detective is doing here. He explains that Arase is the detective who destroyed his former organization, musing that his involvement here means they clearly cannot proceed safely with the clearly lacking amount of information their superiors have given them. When Momoya asks if Higuro has a contact through whom he can acquire information, Higuro remarks their organization once had a 'capable informant' who has since come to work for a business rival in Shinjuku.

The informant—Takumi—sits typing a frantic warning for the Corpse God that the police have arrived and to stop the ongoing fortunetelling session with Urai and Kochou Eightport. The warning comes too late: Ikeuchi enters the room as the Corpse God reads the message, and identifies himself as a cop. Once the Corpse God identifies himself as the owner of the fortunetelling business in turn, Ikeuchi requests everyone evacuate the premises so that his men can conduct a full-scale investigation of the building. Then, he pulls out a photo of Nishida and asks if the Corpse God recognizes the face of a 'suspected mugger'.

The Corpse God denies that he has, even as Nishida's bloody spirit exclaims upon recognizing himself in the photo. He also gives consent for the police to search the building for Nishida, even as Nishida wails he committed no such mugging. Eightport requests a glimpse of the photograph as well, claiming she is affiliated with the business, and Hosorogi takes advantage of the distraction to ask the Corpse God scope out the basement using magic. He claims he has a bad feeling, that the situation is familiar enough to what happened five years ago that he suspects something may be down below.

His hunch is proven correct: through necromancy, the Corpse God spies Nishida's headless corpse laid prone on the basement floor. He recognizes at once the dire threat the corpse's discovery poses for any chance he might have at a peaceful, quiet life, a reaction which leads Hosorogi to comment on the Corpse God's 'apathetic' attitude toward people who are not children or associates.

Reminded of his master's comments on his need for clear boundaries, the Corpse God does not deny Hosorogi's observation but—even as Nishida groaningly protests his innocence, even as the police begin their descent downstairs—believes his 'hands' can reach further still even in his present state.