385. Watching from the Shadows

"Unnecessary."

Shuya shook his head and said, "I have business with Director Abe. Please lead the way."

The members of the Supernatural Bureau exchanged glances. "... Okay."

After one person stepped forward to answer, the members of the Supernatural Bureau took off first, and one of them made a phone call to report.

Shuya didn't say anything, but told the Monster not to follow, and then flew away with them alone.

"Ah, um, I'll go there and wait for your director."

Upon arriving near the headquarters of the Supernatural Bureau, Shuya landed en route and went into a nearby coffee shop, but did not enter the headquarters.

Who knows what traps the Supernatural Bureau headquarters might have?

He simply doesn't believe that there was no special design involved.

Shuya didn't need to put himself in danger. Even though he didn't think the Supernatural Bureau would target him, he still felt the need to be cautious just in case.

This is a compromise.

It's also inappropriate for him to invite Director Abe to meet on his own turf.

Meeting outside the headquarters of the Supernatural Bureau was acceptable to both parties.

Shuya sat down and waited for a short while Director Abe, Deputy Director Ashiya, and a group of people walked in.

The coffee shop was emptied instantly; the owner and staff were asked to leave, and the place was temporarily rented.

Most of the members of the Supernatural Bureau left, leaving only the director and deputy director behind.

Outside the coffee shop's floor-to-ceiling windows, the female members stared intently at Shuya.

The bureau chief's daughter, whom he had met many times, was still a fan and stood at the front, grinning foolishly at him.

Shuya smiled and waved to them.

"Inoue- kun, let's get down to business."

Director Abe's expression darkened, and he immediately interrupted him.

"Well, there's no need to rush. How about you have a glass of water first?"

Shuya picked up the cup that the waiter had just brought him.

The three clinked glasses.

Shuya then said, "I came here today because I have something I'd like to ask you two... Do you remember Sakurajima Mai?"

Who is that?

"I don't know him."

The two shook their heads.

Shuya leaned back in his chair and recounted the story again.

"... I see."

Director Abe nodded. "Just as Heavenly God said, quite a few of these strange incidents have indeed occurred in the past two years, and our Supernatural Bureau has handled some of them. To be honest... we still don't know the source of these incidents."

"You really don't know?"

"I'm not sure."

Deputy Director Ashiya replied.

Shuya smiled.

They weren't telling the truth.

It's perfectly normal. We're not all in the same group, so keeping information confidential is perfectly normal.

"So, regarding the Sakurajima Mai incident, could you two offer me some advice?"

"This..."

"We won't hide it from you, even we find these kinds of cases difficult to handle."

Director Abe said:

"But before we discuss this, may I ask Inoue -kun, are you asking for our help?"

He struck a victorious pose and showed it to his daughter.

Shuya laughed and said, "No, I'm here to report a crime."

Director Abe: "?"

Deputy Director Ashiya: "?"

Faced with two question marks, Shuya patiently explained, "Mai- chan is just an ordinary person. Although I'm helping, it doesn't mean you can completely stand aside. Ultimately, this is your responsibility."

"Was something bad to her, or was it your negligence?"

"..."

Director Abe paused for a moment, then said:

Have you ever heard of "Puberty Syndrome"?

What the hell?

Shuya had never heard of it before.

"This isn't a name we named; it's just a name that circulated online. During our investigation, we discovered this general term people used to refer to these types of incidents, and we adopted it."

Deputy Director Ashiya began his explanation.

This is a mysterious event circulating online that only happens to teenagers.

"Hearing someone's inner thoughts," "Meeting someone's future," and "Who swapped personalities with whom" are all urban legends, often referred to as Puberty Syndrome, and no one believes them.

These stories, which sound like fabrications, are actually true.

"According to our bureau's investigation, such incidents mostly occur among middle and high school students. The victims often exhibit signs of being under some degree of repression in their daily lives, leading to instability in their mental and physical state."

"Under these circumstances, there is a chance that such incidents could be triggered."

"There is no human intervention, no absolute triggering conditions, and no two solutions are the same."

Deputy Chief Ashiya slowly said, "Some cases will resolve themselves over time, and others will be resolved through the comfort and support of friends..."

Section 414, Chapter 385: Spying in the Dark

"In short, the key to the problem lies in the individual's inner thoughts and the influence of the surrounding environment. As long as we delve into the meaning of these factors, we can most likely find a solution."

"This is the key to Puberty Syndrome."

After listening, Shuya remained silent for a moment, pondering Mai's situation.

She must be a patient with Puberty Syndrome; all the clues match up.

No one was found operating it nearby.

Mai's surroundings were also very oppressive...

So the question is, how exactly should this be solved?

After asking the questions, Shuya bid farewell to the Supernatural Bureau and the others.

Incidentally, the female bureau chief didn't manage to have a proper conversation with him until the very end, and Director Abe sent her back.

Before parting ways, the Supernatural Bureau gave Shuya a piece of information.

There are students in the same school who are associated with Puberty Syndrome.

Azusagawa Sakuta.

A high school sophomore.

His younger sister, Azusagawa Kaede in her first year of middle school for not replying to a classmate's email in time, which triggered Puberty Syndrome. Her symptoms included bruises and wounds appearing on her body when she saw bullying language.

She subsequently lost her memory and developed a new personality.

Her situation caused a dramatic change in her family, and she currently lives with her brother in Fujisawa, where she has become a shut-in.

The members of the Supernatural Bureau noticed this and secretly worked to resolve the bullying issue, but Azusagawa Kaede had stopped going to school, was unaware of it.

She is still unable to overcome her psychological trauma.

The Supernatural Bureau stopped interfering, as it was no longer within their jurisdiction.

They are very busy and don't have time to deal with psychological problems.

Even when the girls who bullied Azusagawa Kaede were bullied in return, they remained unmoved.

Instead, they observed whether this would trigger new Puberty Syndrome.

In conclusion, there is no such case, so the triggering conditions for Puberty Syndrome remain a mystery.

As for Shuya, he didn't care about bullying or anything like that.

But he wanted to learn about other patients with Puberty Syndrome, so he planned to visit the Azusagawa siblings next.

He learned from the information in the Supernatural Bureau that Azusagawa didn't have a cell phone, so he went directly to his house to visit him.

He didn't work today; he should be at home right now.

Shuya flew directly to his destination. The apartment door had a password, but that wasn't a problem. He flew directly from the air to the corridor and landed.

He rang the doorbell, and footsteps could be heard.

The boy I saw this morning who could see him opened the door.

Shuya surprised; he had already identified the boy when he looked at the information.

"Azusagawa, Azusagawa-kun."

He smiled slightly.

"Inoue... Shuya? Why did you ring my doorbell... Oh, I see. You must have the wrong person? It's okay, bye-bye."

Azusagawa wanted to close the door.

"Wait."

Shuya pressed one hand against the door.

Azusagawa exerted force secretly, but the door remained unmoved.

He paused for a moment, recalling Shuya's countless achievements.

He was thinking about the videos on the Niconico Hidden Website.

Shortly after his sister developed Puberty Syndrome, he suddenly discovered a mysterious portal on his favorite Nico Nico Douga app, where he learned many things hidden beneath the surface.

He also tried searching for information about Puberty Syndrome online, but unfortunately found nothing.

... But those things aren't the point right now.

The key point is that Azusagawa knew that resistance was futile.

"... You're looking for me? Let's talk outside. My sister is shy and doesn't like meeting strangers."

He didn't want his sister to see Shuya.

Like Hikigaya, this was an instinct inherited from his older brother.

Azusagawa came out into the corridor and talked with Shuya.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Inoue Shuya. You can call me Inoue or Shuu-chan, it's Shu-chan too."

"I'll still call you Inoue, nothing like that..."

Shuya first greeted him. He had a good impression of Azusagawa; he seemed to be a rather calm type.

"Inoue, you've come to our school today, right? What happened?"

Azusagawa asked, but Rio didn't tell him.

Sakurajima Mai is disappearing.

Shuya pointed out the key point, and Azusagawa was taken aback.