The Case of the Yadagami-sama Murders Pt. 1

**The Case of the Yadagami-sama Murders Pt. 1** (夜蛇神様殺人事件①, *Yoru yagamisama satsujin jiken ①*) is the 18th chapter of the *Ron Kamonohashi: Deranged Detective* manga.

## Summary

Ron calls Toto as he heads home after work. Ron asks if Toto remembers Spitz Feier. Toto says he does, that he is the tracking instructor from Blue who is weirdly cheerful and calls him Tototo. Ron tells him that Spitz says he needs Ron's help. Toto says he probably wants Ron to help him look for his missing family. Ron asks him if he should do it. Toto says Spitz is helping with their investigations. He feels bad for Spitz when Toto thinks about his missing family, and thinks they should help Spitz. Ron says he figured Toto would say that, and why doesn't he tell that that to Spitz directly? Toto wonders about that, when Ron says Spitz is trailing him right now. Toto looks around, and finds Spitz at the top of a building, but looking depressed as he waves at Toto.

Toto and Spitz are welcomed into Ron's apartment, and Toto notices that one section of the living room now has several mismatched sofa chairs, a stool, bookshelves, and a coffee table. Ron says it is a work in progress, and this way he can actually invite clients over, and says his first-ever client is Spitz.

On a tray are three containers of Nandan brown sugar syrup, as well as three glasses of tea on the coffee table. Toto notes that Spitz looks kind of down, which Spitz denies. But Ron says he is freaked out by the unreasonable terms of exchange he offered him. As soon as Spitz gets Ron Blue's case files from the Bloody Field Trip, Ron will start searching for his family immediately. Toto says wouldn't such files be with the police? Ron already has a copy of the file from Scotland Yard, but a crucial piece of it was removed by someone. Toto asks how he got something like that, but Ron says that doesn't matter. All that matters is that a vital part of the file is missing. Since the incident's investigation was jointly handled by the police and Blue Academy, then the same files should be at Blue as well. Ron wants Spitz to infiltrate Blue and retrieve the complete files so Ron could see the missing portion.

Toto asks if Ron thinks he could prove his innocence if he had it. Ron says that is important, but he is interested in something else. Dr. Mofu thinks there might be a way to treat his culprit-killing pathology medically. There was a period of three hours wherein he received treatment for the injuries during the Blood Field Trip. Those records of the three hours are missing from the file. If Ron knew what happened, he might be able to find a way of dealing with the pressuring. More importantly, he will be able to find the true identity of the one who stole five years of detective work from him.

Ron says that is why he told Spitz he would search for his family if he promises to steal the file for him. Toto tells him to stop. He may be a joke, but he is still a police officer! There is no way he would look the other way if they stole a file! Spitz's family has nothing to do with it, he says. They should just help him. Ron argues back not to say it so lightly. Spitz's previous years of searching have not turned up anything, so the odds of them finding Spitz's brother is incredibly low. They cannot take on something like that for free. Toto retorts that they should still do it. If they see someone in trouble, they should give it everything they got, and Spitz is their friend, isn't he? Through this exchange Spitz is in awe. Ron also grins.

Spitz tells "Tototo" that is enough, he is making him ashamed of his hesitation. If his friends are going all-out to help him, then he will go all-out to help them as well. He accepts Ron's condition. If they help him find his brother, he will get the file. Ron shrugs, well, if he says so. Meanwhile Toto says not to do, Ron is messing with him. Spitz says it's fine. He feels like he was just waiting for this. Plus, how could he not help after hearing about Ron's terrible past? Toto says he is taking it too lightly. Ron meanwhile tells them there will head out. Spitz confirms, they're starting already? Toto adds they can't just run off to Europe like that! But Ron says no, they're going to Yamanashi.

When the three arrive in Yamanashi prefecture, Spitz gives them more information: his brother was an anthropologist who studied the world's folk religions. Due to his father's work, his brother lived in Japan when he was little, thus it may be why he loved doing field work in Japan. The three are heading to Yada village. His brother visited there multiple times for research. His brother disappeared 11 years ago in the summer. Spitz was on summer vacation in high school when he was brought to Yada village.

The three hear a rustle, and initially find a white snake. Ron tells them to shush because they hear something else. They eventually find a waterfall, and a young woman standing at a shrine near the waterfall. But as they watch the young woman, an axe is thrown in front of Toto, hitting a tree centimeters away from him. Several men appear and Ron demands to know who they are as the young woman finds them. The village men casually and sarcastically apologize that his hand slipped, and it almost took Toto's head off. Nonetheless, the three keep heading down to Yada village through a path Spitz knows.

As they reach the bridge of Yada village, the three find many villagers arguing loudly, saying Yadagami-sama will not keep quiet about this, and that some one is going to get taken again. Several villagers notice Ron as he greets, and Spitz bows to the mayor, who recognizes him as the one searching for his brother. Spitz says that he brought his friends today, and they would like to search for his brother again. Ron directly asks about the fuss from the mayor.

The mayor says it is embarrassing, but it concerns a construction of a dam. Someone standing behind the mayor is demanding that the whole village be evicted. The man says not to make him sound so disreputable, that he represents the country. The village men declare that Yadagami-sama will not just sit back and let him sink the village with a dam. The god will deal out some more divine punishment. Toto asks into "Yadagami-sama", and a folklorist explains: it means "snake god of the night", and their folklore says that it has protected the village since ancient times. The folklorist came to the village to study the legend, but with the current uproar, it is the least of his concerns.

The mayor asks the villagers to calm down, saying it's not as if the village would be submerged anytime soon. The stranger agrees, saying he just came to do some preparatory surveying. But the villagers argue: if they let him survey, it will basically mean they have given in, they will be underwater before they know it. The stranger haughtily says to the mayor to please discipline his people, that he should try teaching them some manners in addition to the Yadagami legend. He walks away saying he will start his work tomorrow, and will sue anyone who intervenes.

Spitz says he doesn't want the village to be submerged, his brother disappeared there. The mayor agrees with him, but they are up against the national government. But the mayor offers to let the three stay the night. Spitz asks if they could borrow the hut again. The mayor says the government official is staying in the hut, but they can come to his house.

That afternoon it begins to rain, just as the three arrive at the mayor's house. The mayor says that they call that rain "Yadagami-sama's scowl", and says he must have something he is angry about. He invites them in as the young lady from earlier appears. Spitz greets her as Mii-chan, the mayor's granddaughter. Mii also remembers Spitz.

Spitz shows Ron and Toto a photo of his brother in his phone. He took the picture the day before his brother disappeared, when they were going around the village asking people about the Yadagami legend. After that thy went back to the hut across the river, ate their convenience store bento boxes, and went to sleep around 10pm. But when Spitz woke up at 6am, he saw no sign of his brother. He thought he left before him, so he looked all over but could not find him. He asked everyone in the village, but nobody had seen him. They filed a missing person report with the police right away, and the villagers even helped him search deep in the mountains, but they could not even find any sign that he had left the village. It was like he was spirited away, Toto notes.

Meanwhile, Spitz asks what Ron has in his tray, and Ron says it is tofu, pickles, and wild plants, which Toto notes is all hidden under brown sugar syrup. Spitz asks to try it, and Ron says he will need to try it all in one bite, as Toto says it looks like they are having fun. Toto looks out the window, musing that they get to use the mayor's riverside room, but it is too dark to enjoy the scenery. He wonders if the hut he could see is where the government official is staying.

But as he looks, Toto sees a humongous snake coiled around a man that appears to be dead. In shock Toto stands suddenly, and Ron and Spitz also see the large snake coiled around a man. Ron says they will check it out, and they run out of the mayor's house. They run across the village bridge to the hut.

They find the hut's only entrance. Ron notes that the ground is wet from the rain and there are no footprints. Nobody has gone in or out. Ron tries the door and finds it open. As they enter, a loud BAM is heard. They enter and looking into the rooms, all of them with tatami mats, the but find all of them empty including the bathroom. Ron looks down a window and also finds nothing. He wonders if the government officer disappeared.

The next morning, the government official's corpse is discovered in the waterfall basin outside the village. There are marks on his neck that look like snake's scales.

## Characters in Order of Appearance

* Totomaru Isshiki
* Ron Kamonohashi
* Spitz Feier
* Mayor
* Mii
* Surveyor