To be honest, Mihana Kurosawa had guessed the identity of the girl before her, but she had never expected such an official answer.
And from the Metropolitan Police Department, no less...
Mihana Kurosawa even wondered whether she had misheard. The police near Mount Hi-no-e had almost never dealt with missing persons. Once someone reported that a family member or friend had gone missing on Mount Hi-no-e, the police basically treated it as Spiritual Possession. That was why Mihana Kurosawa did this job in the first place. The local police simply could not be relied upon.
Of course, Mihana Kurosawa did not blame those officers. She had spent years coming and going around Mount Hi-no-e, so she naturally understood how dangerous it was. Ordinary police officers entering the mountain would simply be walking to their deaths, so their inaction was understandable.
But... the Metropolitan Police Department?
Mihana Kurosawa studied Shizuku suspiciously. If the girl had claimed to be some paranormal enthusiast, it might have sounded more believable.
Rei Kurosawa, on the other hand, looked quite surprised.
"The Metropolitan Police Department? Miss Shizuku, is that really all right?"
"It's fine. The Metropolitan Police Department won't acknowledge this internally, either."
Shizuku waved her hand and looked at Mihana Kurosawa again.
"The reason the Metropolitan Police Department issued this commission is the local government's previous tourism development project here. I assume you've heard about it."
"Ah... yes, of course I have."
Mihana Kurosawa nodded.
"That's right. During the development of the tourist area, there were repeated accidents and heavy casualties, far above the average. After internal discussions, the Metropolitan Police Department decided to classify this as a difficult case and assign it to me. And by the way, I didn't come here just to conduct a cursory investigation and submit a report. I'm here