Soil 14

Soil, Volume 2, Chapter 14 (pp. 167~190)


<168>
=...It's too quiet...

=Nothing's happening at all...

=Nothing...
=Happened...?

=But why...!?


<169>
"Later"

=PLICK

=SIGHHHH...
[sign]Soil Surgical Hospital

=What'd the lab say?

=Well!?


<170>
=...An analysis of the samples revealed...

=That the "salt" at the town council had been shipped from South America...
=It's a very common type available anywhere in the country...

=...On the other hand, no matches were found for the "salt" left in the Suzushiro home and the school yard...
=Apparently, they don't even know where it came from...

=Which means, they've got absolutely nothing in common...

=...Hmph.
=So it was much ado about muffdiving, huh.
=...About nothing, sir.


<171>
=We can't file harassment charges for the Suzushiros 'cause the victims are gone.
=Some of the housewives involved in the scam just got booked for illegal door-to-door sales.
=And no connection with the "salt" either...

=We made a huge fuss just for this!?

=You haven't gotten any closer to the crux of the matter, Onoda!
=Who the hell cares about solving neighborhood disputes, huh!?
=I-It's not my fault, sir!

=...If none of the housewives are suspicious, then...
=I suppose we'll be focusing our investigation on "Kento Miyahara..."

=And? Where the hell is that brat!?
=...We have absolutely no clue, sir...


<172>
=If we could only start questioning the mother...

[x3]=I'm sorry...!


<173>
=Please come in, Mr. Yokoi and Ms. Onoda.

=Katakuri, I heard you starting yelling at the ladies back at the station.
=Oh... I just... Sorry 'bout that...

=So you were in a bike gang, huh?
=Old habits got the best of you?
=P-Please, gimme a break...


<174>
=Fortunately, there's been no damage to her brain... She should've regained consciousness by now, but...
=The psychological factors just seem to be...

=...Poor girl...
=She must've been raped after being beaten...

=Geez, we haven't gotten any leads on the main case,
=But these stupid cases keep popping up left and right!


<175>
=S-S-S-S-Sergeant Yokoi! I-I-I-I can't overlook that statement!
=C-C-C-C-Calling this a stupid case is...!

=Go see if there's any witnesses, Katakuri.
=PAT
=Huh? Oh... Yes sir!

=Let's go, Onoda.
=S-S-S-S-S-Sergeant Yokoi—!!

=Umm... Mr. Detective...


<176>
=This parka...
=The girl was wearing it when she was discovered, but...

=The mother said it's not her daughter's...
[x3]=SNIFF

=...Hmph.

[x5]=CLINK


<177>
=...Why...?
=Why hasn't anything happened...?

=So the person who took you from me...
=Wasn't someone from this town...?

=Then who...?
[tag]8th Grade, Class C//Mizuki Suzushiro
=Who took you away...?

=...Mizuki...

=Where are you...
=Mizuki...

=Mizuki...


<179>
=STOPS


<180>
[x2]=SS—T

=Oh, not again...
=What should we do?
=Hasn't this happened a bit too often these days?


<181>
=C'mon, let's just go.
=It's okay, right?
=Let's go.

=Sorry, Mizuki.
=Good night—
=Ah-hah-hah


<182>
=GRICK
=Ow!!

=Oww!!
=Wha...!?


<183>
[x4]=HUFF

=Wha... What the...?
=What the hell!?

=Fucking...!
GRACK
=Brat!!

=Fucking brat!!
=You little...!
=Fucking brat!!
[x3]GRACK


<185>
=Mornin'
=Good morning.
=Good morning, sir.

=Good morning, Mizuki!


<186>
=Sorry 'bout yesterday, Mizuki!
=I had an exam at cram school!
=I had to meet up with a girl from Class A...

=Oh, it's okay! I woke up right after!
=Nothing happened!

=Anyways, that gym class today...
=Hey, I forgot my sweatpants!
=No way!


<187>
[tag]8th Grade, Class B//Kento Miyahara

[x3]=GRIT

=Hey, Mr. Tamura!
=Please stop poking, okay!
[x3]=GRIT

=Huh?


<188>
=A treasure box?
=The lock's been broken.
[x2]=TRRR

=Hi, this is Tamura.

=Yes, Kento Miyahara's room...
=Huh?

=More video tapes?

=There was a suspicious-looking safe in the council president's dental clinic...
=We found them inside...


<189>
=And these had neat labels written on them...

[from right]Kazuya age. 9//Yuichi age. 10//Katsuhiro//Hironori//Yuya//Tomohiro//Satoshi//Takuya//Yoshihiro//Mitsuyoshi

=So... We're playing them right now, and...

=These...
=Contain disturbing images...


<190>
=Very...
=Disturbing images...

=We've got one here, too...
[label]Kento age. 9