"Beep beep beep—beep beep beep—beep beep beep!"
The shrill sirens tore through the air as the police car sped past. The police stationed at the school gate also summoned all their strength to disperse the media and reporters crowding around to watch, allowing the police car to enter. It soon pulled over, and a male police officer stepped out. He had a square face with sharply defined features, as if carved from rock, and his scruffy beard looked as though he had not bothered to groom it properly.
On the other side, a young police officer hurried out after him. At the same time, one of the officers inspecting the school grounds noticed their arrival and quickly came over, saluting.
"Police Inspector Kudo."
"Mm."
Police Inspector Kudo nodded, then turned his head toward the school building before him. In the very center of the building, a bizarre, twisted circular pattern stood out starkly, looking like some kind of Magic Circle. The huge circular pattern occupied two-thirds of the building's surface. Though the scarlet design had already dried, it still made one feel sick to look at.
"Tell me what happened."
"Yes, sir."
The officer took out his notebook and began reporting quickly.
"The first to discover it were students from clubs who came to school for early-morning practice. When they arrived, they found the school gates tightly shut. This surprised them, so they went to the guardhouse, only to find it empty. Someone climbed over the wall and opened the gate, and it was only when they reached the front of the school building that they discovered all this."
As he spoke, the officer glanced at the bizarre pattern, then looked away.
"We've already tested the pattern above... We detected human blood inside it, along with fragments of skin and