Dogra Magra (32/47)

by Hisashi Yumeno

At that moment, I thought it was Dr. Wakabayashi's voice. However, I immediately realized that it was a completely different tone, with a bright and youthful sound, and I turned around in surprise. But the room was empty in every corner, and not a single mouse was to be found.

...How strange...

The bright autumn morning light poured in like a flood from the three windows, reflecting dazzlingly off the glass of the specimen shelves, the varnished desk, and the linoleum floor, and the room was silent.

...Chichichichichichi...Kurikurikuikurikuri...Chichi...

Only the chirping of small birds could be heard, carried on the wind through the pine trees...

"...How odd..." I thought, and as I closed the will I had just finished reading, I noticed something in front of me and almost jumped up in surprise.

There was a strange human right in front of my nose... Dr. Wakabayashi was nowhere to be seen, not even a shadow, in the armchair across the large desk where I had initially assumed he was sitting. Instead, a small, skeletal man in a white medical coat was sitting opposite me.

The man had a closely cropped head, shaved eyebrows, and was overall a reddish-brown, sun-tanned gentleman in his fifties, though he actually looked younger. He wore large rimless pince-nez on his high nose, tightly gripped a freshly lit cigar between his large inverted-V-shaped lips, and leaned back with his arms crossed high over his chest... The small, skeletal man met my gaze, then leisurely took the cigar in his right hand and laughed loudly, showing his pure white teeth.

I jumped up.

"Wah... Dr. Masaki..."

"Ahahahahahaha... Surprised, were you... Hahahahahaha. No, very good, very good. It's wonderful that you remembered my name. And it's even more impressive that you didn't mistake me for a ghost and run away. Hahahahahaha. Ahahahahaha."

Overwhelmed by the echo of that laughter, I felt my whole body go numb. I let the will of Dr. Masaki, which I held in my right hand, fall with a thud onto the large table... and at the same time, I felt as if everything that had happened since this morning had been negated by Dr. Masaki's appearance, and suddenly all strength drained from my body, causing me to plop back down onto the original swivel chair. I swallowed my saliva over and over again...

Seeing my reaction, Dr. Masaki leaned back in his chair and laughed even more gleefully.

"Ah-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha. You're terribly surprised, aren't you? Ah-ha-ha-ha-ha. There's no need to be so startled. You're currently caught in an incredible illusion."

"...An incredible... illusion..."

"...Still don't understand? Heh-heh-heh-heh-heh. Well then, think about it. You came into this room earlier... I believe it was before eight o'clock... led by Wakabayashi, and were told various stories, weren't you? Things like it being one month since I died, and how the date on that calendar was this or that... Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha, surprised? I know everything... I do. And then, while you were reading that 'Madman's Hell Litany,' and 'Fetus's Dream,' and newspaper articles, and the will, you truly came to believe that I had died a month ago, didn't you? Isn't that right?"

"..............."

"Ah-ha-ha-ha-ha. However, that, as fortunate as it may be, is Wakabayashi's joke. You've completely fallen for Wakabayashi's trick. Look, as proof. You'll see if you look at the very end of that will. It's open right there, isn't it? ...How about that... As proof that I was writing it all night since yesterday, there's still the fresh scent of blue ink, isn't there? Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha. How about that? It's not necessarily true that a will must only appear after the person has died. There's nothing strange about me still being alive, is there? Ah-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!"

"..............."

My mouth hung open. I wondered why Doctors Masaki and Wakabayashi would play such a strange prank. Even for a prank, it was too peculiar and full of irrationalities... Were all the various events I had witnessed since this morning and the contents of the various documents serious facts, or were they merely a play orchestrated by the two doctors in collusion to toy with me? As I pondered these thoughts, the excitement, surprise, and curiosity that had accumulated in my mind simultaneously began to waver and collapse, feeling as if they were slowly disappearing somewhere along with my own body.

Enduring it, I firmly placed both hands on the edge of the large table and vaguely gazed at Dr. Masaki's smirking face at the tip of my nose, as if in a dream.

"Ufufufufufu,"

Dr. Masaki burst out laughing. At that moment, he choked on the cigar smoke he was holding, and with a mix of pain and amusement on his face, he hastily adjusted his pince-nez.

"Ahahahahahah... *cough cough*... You're making a strange face, aren't you... Ufufufufufu, are you saying it would be inconvenient if I weren't dead... *ahem ahem*. Hehehe, I'm troubled, really... This is how it is. Listen. Early this morning... I think it was probably around one AM, you were lying spread-eagled in the middle of Room Seven. And when you woke up, you were surprised to suddenly have forgotten your own name, and you made a fuss by yourself, didn't you?"

"...Eh... How do you know that...?"

"What are you talking about? You were shouting and screaming at the top of your lungs. Everyone else was asleep, but I was writing my will in this room, so I heard your voice. You were in Room Seven, desperately searching for your name. ...I thought you were finally starting to wake up from your sleepwalking state, so I hurried back upstairs to finish writing my will. Before long, dawn broke, and when I woke up from my doze, still groggy, I saw Wakabayashi rushing over in a car, sounding a new type of siren. ...This is interesting. Someone must have noticed you were waking up from your trance and reported it to Wakabayashi quickly. Quite agile, but what does he intend to do by rushing over...? As I watched from behind a hiding place, Wakabayashi fixed your hair, put you in a bath, and dressed you up as a dignified university student. Then, he introduced you to the beautiful girl hospitalized in Room Six, next to yours. ...And you must have been surprised to hear that she was your fiancée."

"Huh... So that girl, she's still a mental patient...?"

"That's right. And it's a rare mental disorder, even in academic circles. On the night before her important wedding, the groom unexpectedly displayed a sleepwalking seizure of 'psychological heredity of sexual perversion,' which unknowingly put her under its influence, causing her to have a seizure of the same type and fall into a state of suspended animation. However, when Wakabayashi revived her, she then yearned for Emperor Xuanzong and Yang Guifei, who died a thousand years ago, apologized to a sister who wasn't there, and pretended to hold a baby, saying, 'You will become Japanese.' ...Well, she's recovered a good deal of her sanity now."

"...Then... what... is that girl's... name...?"

"What, you must know her name without even asking. It's Hamakomachi of the famous niece, Moyoko Kure."

"...Huh... Then... am I Ichiro Kure...?"

As I was about to say that, Dr. Masaki closed his large mouth tightly. Frowning at the cigar smoke, he stared intently at my face with his dark eyes.

I felt all the blood in my body concentrate in my heart and then disappear. Sweat dripped from my forehead, my lips began to tremble, and I almost swayed again. As I stood with both hands on the large table, my body felt as if it were scattering with the air, yet my eyes felt as if they were firmly fixed on Dr. Masaki. My soul was racing through infinite time and space at a deathly speed... I was terrified whether I could recall my past as Oh Il-rang, and I listened to the sound of my lungs and heart being assailed by a great wave from somewhere far away.

However... no matter how much my heart and lungs clamored, my soul simply could not recall my past as Oh Il-rang. I could not feel the slightest nostalgia or familiarity towards the name "Oh Il-rang," which I had repeated countless times in my head during that time. My past memories, going back to the "buzz" sound I heard in the dark early this morning, got stuck there. ...No matter what others thought, no matter what evidence was shown to me, I could not recognize myself as Oh Il-rang.

...I let out a deep sigh. At the same time, my full consciousness gradually returned to me. The pulsations of my heart and lungs began to quiet, and the moment I sat down in the chair, cold sweat dripped from both sides of my body.

Then, at that moment, Dr. Masaki, who had been maintaining a calm expression, took a puff, exhaling a purple cloud of smoke.

"Well? Did you remember your past?"

I silently shook my head from side to side. As I took out a new handkerchief from my pocket and wiped the sweat from my face, I felt a little calmer. ...However, there were still too many incomprehensible things, and I was afraid to even move, so I remained still in my chair. ...Then, soon after, Dr. Masaki let out a loud cough, which almost made me jump in surprise again.

"...Ahem... If you can't remember, I'll tell you again, alright? ...Calm down and listen carefully. You are currently caught in a trick. In other words... my colleague, Dr. Wakabayashi Kyotaro, is trying to make you believe you are Go Ichiro, and once you are convinced, he intends to have you meet me. And he is trying to make you point me out to be a heinous and inhuman monster, one of a kind in this world."

"Eh? You...?"

"Yes. Just listen. If you calm down and clearly reconsider the events that have occurred since this morning, everything will be resolved without any difficulty. ...Alright?"

Dr. Masaki, with a renewed serious expression and in a calm tone, coughed once. Leaning back in his chair, he leisurely turned to look at the calendar hanging beside the large fireplace, blowing out thick smoke one after another.

"Alright, let me reiterate. Today is October 20th, Taisho 15. I'll repeat that. Today is October 20th, Taisho 15... This is the day after October 19th, when Kure Ichiro, as stated in this will, casually appeared at this Liberation Treatment Center after a month's absence and watched Hachimaki Gisaku-ji working in the fields. ...As proof, look at that calendar. ...OCTOBER... 19... That's yesterday's date. This is because I've been busy since yesterday and forgot to tear off that page, and it also proves that I've been here all night since yesterday... Alright, do you understand? ...And while you're at it, look at the electric clock above my head. It's 10:13, isn't it? Yes, it matches mine exactly. That means only five hours have passed since I finished writing this will this morning and then dozed off. ...Considering these facts, combined with the fact that the last ink on that will is still fresh, it's not strange that I'm so energetic. Alright... You must keep this point firmly in mind, or you might fall into a terrible delusion later."

"...But... Dr. Wakabayashi just now..."

"No!"

Dr. Masaki's voice rang out particularly loudly. His right fist rose high, dancing in the air as if to instantly dispel the confusion in my mind. ...It was full of vitality... overflowing with an energy that seemed to negate everything.

"No. Believe what I say. You absolutely must not believe what Wakabayashi says. Wakabayashi has made one single, huge mistake on this very point. As soon as he entered this room just now, he must have noticed the burnt smell of the manuscript I incinerated in this large fireplace. Then, when he found this will on the table, he immediately came up with a trick and explained it to you accordingly."

"...But... but... today is November 20th, one month after Sensei passed away..."

"Tch... it can't be helped. When you're caught up in such preconceptions, I'm at a loss too... Listen carefully... it's like this."

Dr. Masaki said, as if chewing on his words, and spitefully spat a piece of cigar that had clung to his tongue onto the floor. Then, he rested both elbows on the desk, thrust the yellowed fingers of his right hand, stained with tobacco tar, close to my bewildered nose, and continued to explain, pushing each word into my mind.

"Listen carefully. Don't misunderstand... Wakabayashi said that today is one month after my death, but that was merely a trick to keep you from getting agitated. Listen... if you knew that only a few hours had passed since I wrote this will and disappeared somewhere, you would surely be anxious, thinking I had gone to commit suicide. If that were to happen, Wakabayashi wouldn't be able to stay put either. Out of his duty as a friend and his responsibility as a dean, he would have to drop everything, find my whereabouts, and stop me from committing suicide. ...However, if that happened, Wakabayashi might lose the only chance to restore your past memories by himself... right... isn't that so... whether you remember your past memories or not is a matter of lifelong importance to Wakabayashi. And this morning is the perfect opportunity..."

"..............."

“...That's why Wakabayashi, knowing full well that I was listening from somewhere, said today was November 20th, a month after this will was written, a preposterous lie unbecoming of even a forensic scientist, just to calm you down. He thought that if he could slowly complete this experiment and restore your memories as Wu Ichiro, then everything would be his. ...If you just recovered your past memories as Wu Ichiro, as Wakabayashi intended, then getting you to recognize me as your sworn enemy, the killer of your parents and your wife, would be no trouble at all with the right explanation. ...And besides, thankfully, I am a psychiatrist, so I'm confident I could always hypnotize an unknowing Wu Ichiro, make him strangle his parents and wife, and prepare all these experimental materials. He's the perfect suspect for this case, isn't he? Don't you agree?”

“……………”

“And if, by any chance, that experiment failed... that is, if even after reading such documents, you yourself remembered nothing, he would prepare a last resort... This time, he would quietly hide himself without you noticing, then confront me with you, who would surely appear here later, to see if you remembered my face... and if you did, to test whether your own past memories would be restored by that impression... And if, by some chance, that test succeeded, he ultimately devised a truly clever and cynical scheme to make me fear myself through my own power. That kind of sharp intuition is truly his unique trademark, you see.”

“……………”

Originally, he possessed a unique talent for such stratagems. No matter how unfounded the accusations, once they fell into his hands, the accused would become confused and unable to think clearly under the relentless interrogation. Ultimately, they might become disoriented, resign themselves to the inevitable, or even, in their panic, exclaim, "Indeed, that's true!" and end up confessing to crimes they didn't commit. The crude interrogations currently conducted in America are child's play compared to his methods. He employs every conceivable trick, from the first degree to the hundredth, making it unbearable.

It's the same now. Let's say I killed Professor Saitō as he intended, took his place, attempted such an experiment, failed, and became a person contemplating suicide. Then, while I'm listening somewhere, he would gradually present a scenario where I am recognized as such a great villain, and the conversation would logically progress to make me realize that you yourself are Wu Ichirō, my enemy. Furthermore, if I were to fall into a situation where I had to witness or hear the results of my life's work being stolen before I could accomplish anything, there would be no greater torture for me. I would have no choice but to either silently commit suicide or burst out and confess... This is essentially how he operates, and it's unbearable. No matter how difficult the case, once it falls into his hands, he invariably drags out the culprit from somewhere. The reason he is praised in newspapers as the "Labyrinth Breaker" is due to these hidden circumstances.

"..."

「However, it seems that won't be the case this time. All of his experiments, which he's been attempting continuously since this morning, have turned out to be miscalculations, showing no reaction from you yourself. Moreover, seeing how his得意な取り調べのトリック (得意な取り調べのトリック) aren't working out this way, it seems there's not much to fear. Even the forensic pathologist, perhaps overly nervous because his opponent is me, seems a bit flustered since this morning. Perhaps this could be his 'unprecedented failure,' you know. Hah-hah...」

「But... but... but...」

「Are there still 'buts' remaining...? What is that 'but'...?」

「...But... it's natural for the professor to conduct that experiment...」

「That's right. Of course, it's natural for me to conduct the experiment that makes you recall your past. That's why he used such a trick to try and monopolize the results of this experiment... He tried to abandon me to my fate as much as possible.」

「Eh... such an unreasonable thing...」

「It's interesting precisely because it's actually being carried out. First of all, isn't the fact that I didn't fall for his trick and am here, alive and talking, the best proof?」

After saying this, Dr. Masaki displayed a hateful, cold smile. Leaning back in his swivel chair, he arrogantly crossed his arms and puffed cigar smoke high into the air, speaking boastfully. It was as if he anticipated Dr. Wakabayashi listening intently somewhere.

Seeing his demeanor, my heart was struck by a new terror and shriveled up. What an incredible battle between the two doctors. What a serious and persistent battle of wits. Until now, I, who had never even dreamed of being in such a terrifying conflict, realized for the first time that all my past suffering, anguish, fear, and madness had been dragged around by the devilish tricks of these two doctors, playing off each other. I was seized by an urge to scream and run away, and I almost stood up then and there.

However, at that moment, for some reason, I couldn't move an inch from my chair. Wiping the sweat from my forehead with a handkerchief, I settled back down and sighed. I then found myself in a psychological state where I was intently staring at Dr. Masaki's face, waiting with a feeling of betting my life for his darkened, eerie lips to start moving. Perhaps my soul had been completely drawn in by the sheer allure of the extremely bizarre psychoscientific experiment itself, which these two doctors were striving with all their might to compete over. The indescribable truth flowing beneath the story might have gripped my heart, making the blood of unknown curiosity pulsate. As I pondered such thoughts, lost in a daze and staring into the space before my eyes, Dr. Masaki's voice, after another cough, resonated anew and vibrantly.

"Hahahahahahaha... Well, have you understood it yet? The cause of the illusion... Yes, you've understood. But there are still some parts you haven't quite grasped, aren't there? Yes, there are... You're quite intelligent. First, you probably have no idea who you are, what kind of young man you are, and what causal relationship led you to be involved in this incident. Hahahaha... But don't worry. If you listen to what I'm about to say, all your questions will be resolved as neatly as if combed through with a fine-toothed comb.

That story, though it might be a bit repetitive, will be a continuation of my will. It will begin with the past secrets between Wakabayashi and me, gradually delve into the content of Wu Ichiro's psychological heredity, and finally, you will at last understand who you yourself are. Of course, if you realize your own circumstances midway through, that can't be helped. The story won't end there, but at that time, let's just enjoy it until then, shall we?

However, let me emphasize this one more time: you must not have any more delusions. I would be troubled if you were to believe that I am a ghost, or that it has been a month since I died. Hahahaha, alright? If you fall into such delusions or fantasies after hearing what I'm about to say, it might be permanently irreversible. Are you sure... are you really alright? ...Yes, good. Then, I will proceed with the story with peace of mind..."