"It seems that Gennai is an atheist," Maruo said, lightly adjusting his glasses.
"Every day, people die in accidents—hit by cars, treated by incompetent doctors, struck by falling objects. Out of those who die in unfortunate circumstances, about one in ten is a follower of some religion. If gods can't protect their believers any better than a mob boss can protect his underlings, why should I believe?"
"I used to be an atheist like you, but I eventually became a believer—not in gods, but in dark spirits. Only they can truly grant my wish. And to achieve this goal, I have no choice but to use all of you as offerings for this ritual."
"Offerings? What do you mean? What are you talking about?" Shizuko's boyfriend stared intently at Masashi.
"Gennai," Maruo said, crossing one leg over the other as he sat elegantly on a chair, smiling at Masashi, "it seems they won't understand unless you explain it to them."
Seeing the confused expressions on Kazumi and Rumi's faces, Masashi gave a bitter smile. "This man is insane. When he started dissecting people around Tokyo a while back, I had a pretty good idea of his motives. As far as I know, there are only two reasons why someone would fully and meticulously dissect people besides sheer insanity—either for divination or for a deal."
Masashi glanced at Maruo before continuing, "In ancient East Asia, some diviners believed that by dissecting people born on certain significant days and examining their organs, they could predict the future of an entire country. But this method has long been lost to history, and it requires multiple people to be dissected simultaneously—not one by one. So I ruled that out from the start.
That left me with two possibilities.
If he were just a deranged killer, there wouldn't be any specific time or place to his attacks. But a deal is different.
The concept of a 'deal' originates from medieval Europe. It was said to be a ritual that allowed those who believed in demons to make transactions with them. This is what is commonly known as a 'devil's deal.'
Over time, this ritual evolved and spread beyond demon worshippers. Even in Asia and the Americas, some people started incorporating it into other dark cults.
This man's 'deal' is one of those. It involves choosing the darkest night of each month, positioning oneself in a specific location, and dissecting a living person as an offering to a certain dark spirit in exchange for the fulfillment of a wish.
In my opinion, it's just a bunch of dreamers lost in their own delusions. If these deals actually worked, then why would we even need armies or nuclear weapons?
So I shared my theory with the police, and then…"
"Then they ambushed me at the exact spot I'd chosen for my work—that's the gift you gave me," Maruo interrupted, unbuttoning his shirt to reveal a large scar across his chest.
"If I had died there, you'd be pleased, wouldn't you, Gennai? But too bad—I survived. Because of you, my wish remained unfulfilled. The ritual I'm performing tonight can't compare to the last one; it'll only grant me a small wish. But having captured you all, at least, is some compensation." Maruo spoke while adjusting his clothing.