CHAPTER 3 The Echo That Remains
The forensic room felt colder than usual.
Akira stood in front of the examination table with both hands in his coat pockets. Across from him, Reina Aizawa was still staring at the computer screen displaying the results of the material analysis from the victim's fingernails.
The name that had just been spoken between them still hung in the air.
Akira.
Reina herself looked uncomfortable with her mistake. "I'm sorry."
Akira shook his head. "For what?"
"I called you by your first name." "It's not a problem."
Reina looked at him for several seconds. "But I've never done that before."
Akira fell silent. He wanted to say that it was strange.
But some part of him felt the opposite. As if hearing his name from that woman's lips was something that had happened before.
Many times.
In a place very far from this room. "Dr. Aizawa."
Reina looked away. "Yes?"
"Have we met before?" The question slipped out on its own.
Reina looked startled. Then she slowly shook her head.
"Not that I remember." Not that I remember.
Those two words made Akira stop. Not no.
But not that I remember.
"Why?" "It's nothing."
Akira turned his face away. "Maybe I'm mistaken."
Reina looked back at the screen. But her thoughts were no longer on the examination results.
There was something about the man in front of her that made her chest feel strange.
Not attraction. Not fear.
Something older than either of them. A sense of loss with no name.
"This material..." Reina enlarged the microscopic image on the screen.
"...didn't come from an ordinary warehouse." Akira stepped closer.
"What does that mean?" "Its composition is highly specific."
She pointed to several sections of the analysis. "A polymer mixture with a thin ceramic coating. Materials like this are usually made for environments requiring resistance to heat and chemicals."
"A laboratory?" "Yes."
Akira thought back to the old warehouse. "Could it have come from a medical facility?"
"Possibly." Reina paused briefly.
"But there's something else." She opened the victim's tissue examination results.
"The victim had old scars." Akira studied the image.
A small, curved-line scar was visible near the collarbone.
"Surgical scars?" "No."
"From a medical device?" Reina nodded.
"It seems that way." Akira stared at the image a little longer.
"How many?" "Three."
"All in different locations." Reina opened several other photos.
One on the arm. One on the back of the neck. One more beneath the collarbone.
They all had nearly identical patterns. "Did they undergo a medical procedure?"
"Most likely." "Why aren't there any records?"
"That's the problem." Reina closed the file.
"The victim's medical history is almost empty." Akira looked at her.
"Almost?" "There are records from ordinary hospitals. But not one of them explains these scars."
"Does that mean someone erased them?" Reina did not answer immediately.
"Or the records were never created." Sota appeared in the doorway a few minutes later.
"Sorry to interrupt." Akira turned.
"What is it?" Sota lifted a folder.
"Dr. Haruki Mizuno's address." Reina stopped working.
The name sounded familiar. Not because she knew the man.
But because several days earlier, she had found the same name in an archive of old research.
Akira accepted the folder.
"Does he still live in the city?" "Yes."
"Then let's go." Sota nodded.
Before Akira left, Reina called out to him. "Detective Kisaragi."
Akira stopped. Reina picked up a photo of the examination results.
"The symbol on the victim's hand." She handed it to him.
"I found something." Akira accepted the photo.
There were extremely thin scratches on the back of the symbol. Almost impossible to see.
Three short lines.
One. Two. Three.
"These aren't part of the symbol," Reina said.
"Like a code?" "Maybe."
Akira slipped the photo into the folder. "Thank you."
Reina nodded. Akira turned around.
But when his hand touched the doorknob—
"Akira." He stopped.
Reina looked startled to hear herself say it again.
This time, she did not apologize. "I..."
She furrowed her brow. "I just wanted to tell you to be careful."
Akira looked at her. There was something in the way Reina said it.
Not like a doctor warning a detective. More like someone who had lost someone once...
and did not want to experience it again.
"Thank you." Akira left.
The door closed. Reina remained standing where she was.
Her hand slowly touched the pendant around her neck. Her heartbeat quickened.
She closed her eyes. For a moment, an image appeared in her mind.
A white corridor. Cold light.
A little boy stood behind glass. His hands were small.
There was something in them. A paper bird.
Reina opened her eyes quickly. Her breath caught.
"Akira..." The name left her lips again.
This time, it was not a mistake. It was because something inside her recognized that name.
The car pulled away from the police station. Sota was driving.
Akira sat in the passenger seat, reading Dr. Mizuno's file.
"Doctor?" Sota glanced at him.
"Dr. Mizuno." "Yeah."
"Did he work at Genesis?" "According to the old archives, yes."
Akira turned a page.
"What year?" "The data is incomplete."
"Why?" "Most of the Genesis archives are missing."
Akira looked out the window. The city buildings slid backward.
People walked along the sidewalks. A family crossed the street.
A little boy ran while clutching his mother's hand. Akira watched them.
For some reason, the simple sight made his chest feel heavy. He looked away.
"How many Genesis researchers are still alive?" Sota shrugged.
"We don't know yet." "Find them."
"All of them?" "Everyone we can find."
Sota nodded. "Okay."
Akira went back to reading. Names began to appear.
Researchers. Doctors. Technicians. Administrative staff.
But one name made his hand stop. Takumi Kisaragi.
He read the name once. Then again.
Sota did not notice. Akira stared at the data on the screen.
There was no photo. No address.
Only one description:
Co-founder — Project Genesis.
His heart began beating slightly faster. That last name...
was the same as his. Kisaragi.
Impossible. Kisaragi was not an especially rare name.
It could be a coincidence. Akira closed the file.
But deep inside him, an old feeling surfaced again. The same feeling he had when he saw the Genesis logo.
As if his body knew something his mind did not.
Dr. Mizuno's house was in a much quieter neighborhood.
The building was old. The iron fence was rusted.
There were no vehicles in the yard.
Sota rang the doorbell. There was no answer.
He pressed it again. Still silence.
Akira studied the door. It was unlocked.
"This is strange." Sota nodded.
They went inside after showing their identification to the officer who had come with them. The house was dark.
Too dark for the middle of the day.
"Dr. Mizuno?" There was no answer.
Akira walked slowly. The living room contained a bookshelf almost entirely filled with scientific journals.
Several old photographs hung on the wall. Akira stopped.
One photo showed a group of scientists standing in front of a white building. A circular logo with a line through it was clearly visible behind them.
Genesis.
Sota stood beside him. "Akira..."
Akira did not answer. His gaze was fixed on one person in the photo.
A young man standing on the right. His face was different from the one in the photo they had seen earlier.
But Akira recognized him. Seiji Amemiya.
Another man stood beside him. Akira moved closer.
The face felt unfamiliar. But there was something about the shape of his eyes...
something that suddenly made Akira's chest tighten. Beneath the photo was handwritten text.
Genesis Research Team — First Generation.
Akira raised his hand. His fingertip almost touched the glass.
Then— a sound of breaking glass came from upstairs.
Sota immediately drew his weapon.
"Police!" There was no answer.
Akira stared at the staircase. Someone had just moved up there.
And for the first time since the case began... Akira felt that they were no longer searching for someone.
Someone was making sure... they did not find too much.
Sota raised one finger. Silence.
Akira nodded. They moved up the stairs without a sound.
The old wooden boards creaked softly beneath their shoes. One step.
Two. Three.
Akira was in front. He raised one hand slightly, signaling Sota to wait.
A faint sound came from upstairs. Not footsteps.
More like something being dragged. Akira held his breath.
Then the sound stopped.
Sota whispered, "Left."
Akira nodded. The second-floor hallway was lit only by gray light coming through the window.
There were three doors.
The first door was open. Empty.
The second door was closed.
The third door moved slightly.
Akira approached. His hand touched the doorknob.
He counted silently.
Three.
Two.
One.
The door was pushed open. There was no one inside.
Only a window standing wide open. The curtains moved in the wind.
Akira went straight to the window. A narrow alley lay below.
Empty.
"He got away." Sota looked outside.
"Impossible. We just came in." Akira examined the window frame.
There were fresh scratch marks. "Someone was waiting outside."
"Then they knew we were coming." Akira did not answer.
His gaze shifted to the floor. There was something there.
A small black object. He crouched and picked it up with a gloved hand.
A memory card.
There was no label. No identifying mark.
"This isn't ours." Sota stepped closer.
"Don't open it here." "I know."
Akira placed it in an evidence bag. Then a sound came from downstairs.
Crash!
They both turned at once.
"Downstairs." They ran.
The living room had changed. Drawers stood open.
Several books were scattered across the floor. But there was no one there.
Sota checked the front door. "Locked from the inside."
Akira looked at the table. The Genesis photo they had seen earlier was still there.
But something had changed. The photo was facedown.
Akira turned it over. There was handwritten text on the back.
{Don't trust what you remember.}
Sota read it. "What does that mean?"
Akira was silent. His hand tightened around the photo.
The sentence felt too personal. As if it was meant for someone.
Not the police. Not an investigator.
Someone who had once been there.
They searched the house for nearly an hour.
They did not find Dr. Mizuno. There were no signs of a struggle.
No blood. No valuables were missing.
But the study on the second floor was different. Someone had cleaned the room with meticulous care.
The bookshelves were empty. The computer was gone.
The hard drive had been removed. Even the trash can had been emptied.
Akira stood in the middle of the room. "He already knew."
Sota nodded.
"Before we even came." "Then someone tipped him off."
"The police?" Akira looked at him.
"Maybe." Sota immediately frowned.
"You think there's a leak?" "I think there are too many coincidences."
Akira walked to the desk. One drawer was unlocked.
He opened it. Empty.
There was only dust. But the inside of the drawer had rectangular scratch marks.
As if something had been stored there for years. Akira pressed the back of the drawer.
There was a click. A small panel opened.
Sota stepped closer. "Seriously?"
Behind the panel was an old envelope.
There was no name. No address.
Akira opened it slowly. Inside was a sheet of paper.
There was only one sentence.
{If someone is looking for Genesis, it means they've already found the first clue.}
Beneath it was the same symbol found on the victim.
A circle. A line through it. And three small lines.
Akira stared at the symbol. His head began throbbing again.
This time, it was stronger. He heard a voice.
A little boy's voice. "Don't be afraid."
Then a little girl's voice. "I'm not afraid when I'm with you."
Akira fell silent. Something flowed through his mind.
A room. A glass wall.
Two children sat on the floor. The boy held a paper bird.
The girl smiled. Then—
the door opened. Blinding white light.
Little Akira screamed. "Reina!"
Akira jerked back. The paper nearly slipped from his hand.
Sota immediately grabbed his shoulder. "Akira!"
Akira took a deep breath. "I'm fine."
"You're clearly not fine." "I'm just dizzy."
Sota stared sharply at him. "That's the second time."
Akira did not answer. Sota lowered his voice.
"Who is Reina?" The question made Akira freeze.
He looked at his partner. "I don't know."
"You just said that name." Akira lowered his head.
"I know." "Akira."
"I really don't know."
Several miles from Mizuno's house,
Reina was alone in her office. It was already past seven in the evening.
The case report was still open on the screen. She should have gone home.
But something kept her from leaving. She opened the old archive she had been unable to access that afternoon.
Genesis.
Access denied.
She tried again. Still denied.
Reina leaned back in her chair. Then her eyes fell on the pendant around her neck.
She gripped it. Her mother had always said the same thing.
"Never take it off." When she was little, Reina had once asked why.
Airi had only smiled. "Because one day, you'll understand."
There had never been an explanation. Never an answer.
Only the pendant.
And a family name given to her when she was too young to question it.
Aizawa.
Reina stared at her reflection in the glass. Suddenly—
a sound rang out.
Beep.
She turned. There was nothing there.
Beep.
Her heart beat faster. The forensic room was empty.
But the sound felt so real.
Beep... beep...
Reina closed her eyes. A memory appeared instantly.
Her hands were small. Her wrists were covered in needle marks.
She was crying. A little boy stood in front of her.
His face was covered in bruises too.
He held Reina's hand through a small gap between two beds. "Don't cry."
"We're hurt..."
"I know."
"I'm scared."
The boy was silent for several seconds. Then he gave her something.
A paper bird. "When we get out..."
Little Reina wiped her tears. "...we'll find the sky."
The memory shattered.
Reina opened her eyes. Tears were already running down her cheeks.
Her hands trembled. "Akira..."
She did not know why the name hurt so much.
At the police station, Akira sat alone in the examination room. Sota was handing the evidence over to digital forensics.
The memory card would be examined. Akira stared at the Genesis photo they had found.
This time, he studied the people in the photo.
Seiji Amemiya. Takumi Kisaragi.
Several other scientists. A woman stood a short distance from the main group.
Her face was younger.
But Akira did not know her. Beneath the photo were the names.
He enlarged the image.
Airi Amemiya. Akira stopped.
Amemiya. The same name as Seiji.
He looked over the team roster again. Then one name made his blood run cold.
Takumi Kisaragi.
Father.
No.
Akira closed his eyes.
He knew that name.
Of course he did. His father's name was Takumi Kisaragi.
But his father had never spoken about Genesis. Never.
He had never even mentioned Seiji Amemiya. Akira opened his eyes.
There were too many coincidences. Too many things that felt like fragments of someone's life.
Yet not one of them had entered his memories.
His phone rang.
An unknown number.
Akira answered. <Hello?>
There was no answer. Only the sound of breathing.
Then an old man's voice came faintly. <Don't look for Genesis.>
Akira immediately stood. <Who is this?>
<If you keep looking...>
The voice paused. <...you'll find out why you don't remember it.>
The call ended.
Akira stared at the screen. Unknown number.
It could not be traced.
A few seconds later, Sota came in. "Who was it?"
Akira slipped the phone into his pocket. "Someone who doesn't want us to find Genesis."
Sota looked at him. "A threat?"
Akira looked at the old photo on the table. "Worse."
"What?" Akira raised his eyes.
"He knows I don't remember."
The night deepened. In a place far from the police station...
a dark room was illuminated by a single monitor. Someone sat in front of the screen.
Old camera footage played. The image was blurry.
A white corridor. Two small children.
A little boy stood in front of the glass. A little girl was behind it.
The recording date showed decades ago. The person stopped the video.
They enlarged the boy's face. Then smiled faintly.
"So you've finally started looking for it again." The screen changed.
A file appeared. A-001 — MEMORY STATUS: ERASED
Beneath it was another note. RESONANCE: ACTIVE
Someone turned off the screen. The room went dark again.
And deep within the city... Akira Kisaragi was beginning to remember something that should have been lost forever.