Soil 16

Soil, Volume 2, Chapter 16 (pp. 219~244)


<220>
=CLACK

=Umm...

=Where am I...?
=How long have I been here...?


<222>
=Kento is...
"Tattoo"
=Cutting himself...?

=Normally, I keep the counseling sessions confidential. Even to the parents.
=But I was bothered by the location of his injuries...

=Location...?

=Children who injure themselves on visible parts of the body, like the arms,
=Are making a statement to others by altering themselves... It represents a desire to communicate with those around them.

=On the other hand, children who injure concealed parts of their body, like the legs,
=Do so purely as an internal impulse...


<223>
=There's a chance it may get out of control unless his emotional problems are resolved...

=But why would he...?

=This may be a bit uncomfortable to hear, but...

=He said he is unable to keep himself from masturbating,
=And feels the need to punish himself each time...
=Huh...?

=You see... Feeling curiosity and guilt towards sex,
=Is perfectly normal during adolescence.

=But in Kento's case...
=He seems to be fixated entirely on the feeling of guilt...


<224>
=He believes he is "tainted..."

=But recently, he's been walking home with Mizuki Suzushiro from Class C.
=I'm hoping that will bring about some positive changes.

=With Mizuki Suzushiro...?

=Ma'am...?

=...This is all a bit of a shock...
=He's a very good boy at home, so I never imagined...


<225>
=Where is Kento right now?
=Outside... He should be back by dinner...

=It's a delicate subject. It would be best if he could begin talking about it himself...
=Yes...

=But afterwards...
=Kento never returned home...

=Then the blackout happened that night...


<226>
=The next morning...

=I learned that the Suzushiros had gone missing, and...

[tape]Police//Keep Out

=It made me very uneasy...


<227>
=I searched Kento's room, hoping to find a letter...
=Any mention of his whereabouts...

=And then...

[label]Kento age. 9


<228>
=It was a special type of cassette...
=So I went looking for a device that could play it...

=And I saw it...
=Saw the abominable things inside...

=That's when I realized everything, and...

=W-W-We found about ten other similar tapes.
=A-All were boys roughly 10 years of age.

=He increased the density of the laughing gas,
=And once they were asleep, he...

=He... Is a terrible man...


<229>
=Kento did nothing wrong...
=But he unknowingly had those feelings of guilt planted within him...
=That man must have forced him into doing even more horrible things...

=He was afraid of that man...
=He couldn't come home even if he wanted too...

=So that's why you...?

=...I...
=I couldn't even protect my own child...


<230>
=So I had to atone for my mistakes...

=That was the only way...
=I could ever get my son back...


<231>
=I'm sorry...!!
=I'm sorry...!!

=S-So, ma'am... Are you also unaware of Kento's whereabouts...?

=GATHUCK
=Hey!

=There was a rape incident in "Soil" the other day.
=The victim was found wearing this.

=It's your son's, isn't it?

=Wh-//What does that mean...?


<232>
=It means Kento Miyahara is still somewhere in "Soil!!"

=W-W-W-When did you put that thing on, Sergeant Yokoi!?
=I-I-It's evidence!! Evidence!!
=Shut up, the air conditioning was on too high!

=He may be a good boy to you,
=But we know for sure he sent that ransom letter to the town council!

=If he keeps this up, he's gonna be charged with kidnapping and sexual assault.
=WHAP

=No...!
=My son would never...!

=You better spill the guts if you know where he is!
=Well!?


<233>
=...Kento is somewhere in the town...?
=Huh!?

=Then please! Hurry up and find him!
=GRIP

=Tell him that man isn't here anymore...!
=Tell him everything is okay...!

=He must be alone and afraid...!!

=Please find him and take him back home!!
=Please!!
=Please!!


<234>
=Sighhhhhh

=Once again, we were unable to find any connection to the Suzushiro Family's disappearance...

=I suppose finding Kento Miyahara really is our only course of action...

=Fucking brat...
=Where the hell is he...?

=What the fuck is he thinking...?


<235>
=Skipping school?
=This many students...?

=With all this going on in such a small town,
=A great deal of fear has spread amongst the students...

=The police are at fault, too.
=Arresting mothers in front of their children right in the middle of a funeral...

=We didn't arrest them. We asked them to come.
=It makes no difference.


<236>
=Ultimately... It exposed the malice that the townspeople had held towards the Suzushiros.

=It must've triggered a reaction,
=Which destroyed the precarious balance of the students' minds...

=The female student who was raped the other day will also bear deep scars on her mind...


<237>
=I came here looking for witnesses about that case, but...
=There's really no point when the school is so empty...

=Oh yeah!
=Have the students been spreading any rumors concerning suspicious individuals?

=Rumors?

="A man with scales,"
=For example.
=CLACK

=WHAP

=...Scales...?
=What is that about...?
=We haven't revealed this to the public yet, but...


<238>
=Right before Officer Ichinose disappeared,
=Over the radio,

=He said... "There's a man with scales across his entire body standing in front of the Suzushiro Family's house."


<239>
=My... That sounds like a horror story...
=I have no idea...
=I see...

=I thought it might have something to do with the rape incident...

=A "man with scales...?"
=Th-Th-Th-This is big news, Tomiyama!

=It could be the fish aliens!! The most ferocious alien species in the universe!!
=Can you just stop and think about what you're saying?


<240>
=You guys wouldn't care to skip school by any chance,//Would you?
=Oh, Mr. Tokita!
=You smell!

=Skip school? Why?
=...I thought so.
=You smell!

=Do I? Really?
=You smell!

=SNIFF SNIFF
=Yeah, I've been sleeping over at the school a lot these days...
[x2]=You smell!

=I do smell!


<241>
=Mizuki...
=What should I do...?

=How can I see you again...?

=Where are you right now...?


<242>
=Who took you away from me...?


<243>
[x5]=ZWIIISH


<244>
ZWIIIIISH