Third person POV
"Htet-kun?" Akira said to that detective.
"Woah, you again?" Hachi was shocked.
That detective was their friend Htet Kawa, who was surprised to see them again.
"Oh, Akira-kun? Hachi-kun?" Htet replied back.
"Yes, this is Kawa Htet," Toshi introduced Htet to his apprentices, "he is from the Maruyama Supernatural Agency in Kawasaki."
"Nice to meet you two," Htet politely responded to Akira and Hachi with a quick and deep bow.
"Hi there, Htet-kun," Akira positively replied back. "I am Akira Cruz."
"My name is Shimizu Hachi," Hachi added nicely.
After that, Htet gave them a folder containing a case involving a yokai known as the Yamauba. According to folklore, those yokai are unkempt, old women with long, messy white hair and old, wrinkled, and dirty clothes. They can be seen living alone in huts or caves in the mountains and forests and waiting for travelers to cross their paths. When they see a traveler passing by, they act like kind, old women and offer the traveler food and a place to rest for the night. When the traveler has fallen asleep, the Yamauba attacks and eats them.
Akira and Hachi were stunned to hear all that.
As for their origins, some believe that Yamauba was created when a young woman was accused of a crime and fled society in isolation.
After years of exile, the women begin to change, sometimes even growing horns, until they fully transform into Yamauba, being vengeful against the society that ruined their reputation and social standing.
The place where those cases came from was Mount Oyama in Nanasawa, Atsugi, Prefecture of Kanagawa.
The 4 missing victims were young travelers who hiked that mountain recently.
The date of their disappearances was between 1 week ago and 4 days ago.
Because of that, Akira and Hachi agreed to collaborate with Htet and help him out.
"Okay then."
"We'll do our best in that case."
Htet smiled positively, knowing that those two boys will help him.
Toshi was happy as well.
So, later, at 11:23 a.m., the three detectives, Akira, Hachi, and Htet arrived at the scene of the crime, which was on the side of Mount Oyama in Nanasawa, Atsugi, Prefecture of Kanagawa by train, bus, and on foot. There the three of them began to scour the surrounding area to see any signs or traces of the Yamauba.