"Ah, as expected, this was the kind of legend every region had." Kochi Mikari adjusted her glasses and calmly summed up the tragic tale. "I asked around. The girl who drowned was named Okuda Tamako, right?"
"Okuda?" Heiji Hattori frowned. "That surname..."
"Yes, she was Makoto's younger sister." Hikawa Moegi curled her lip. "Wasn't that obvious?"
"So, the father who entered the forest at night and then disappeared..."
"Yes. Makoto lost his family after that incident." Hikawa Moegi lowered her head. "There has still been no trace of his father, so he could only be registered as missing. This forest is simply too complicated. Even locals like us don't dare venture deep inside. So Makoto's father may also have been taken by the Death God..."
"But couldn't this simply have been an accident?" Mori Kogoro waved his hand helplessly. "Why are you so certain some demon from a legend did it?"
The forest around Higashioho Village, according to the conclusions they had reached while inspecting it that afternoon, had seen very little development.
There were only two or three paths up the mountain, none of which led deep into the woods. It was clear that the legend of the Death God had affected the area for many years, and the villagers did not dare explore too deeply.
Without human disturbance, it was perfectly normal for an almost primeval forest like this to have a complex ecosystem. No matter how rare the wild animals living within might be, it would not have been strange. Nor was it strange that ignorant villagers mistook them for monsters.
"I wasn't the only one who saw it!" Hikawa Moegi glared back. "People from the village office said they saw it last week too! Quite a few people in the village firmly believe in Lord Death