Tokyo: Rabbit Officer and Her Evil Partner
Chapter 41: The Resurrected Skeleton

Chapter 41: Chapter 41: The Resurrected Skeleton

After the snow, a thick fog.

Fifty-one cadets and fifteen instructors formed a long-distance training expedition team, trekking along the mountain path overgrown with wild grass. The snow fog was like a dense veil, white and vast, with no visibility at all.

Instructor Shirata claimed it was to toughen the cadets, allowing them to trek out of the Great Snow Mountain with ample food and water—but the final exam results would only be announced after statistical calculations were completed.

The cold wind seeped in through the collar, making Hideo shiver like a quail as he followed at the back of the team. He overheard cadets discussing Instructor Shirota, and couldn’t help complaining to his teammate, "I mean, don’t you guys think Instructor Shirata is going too far?"

"It’s not so bad."

Miu wrapped her braid around her collar and with her ample bosom keeping her warm, she was more resistant to the cold than the boys. She said casually, "Instructor Shirata is a Police Chief, known in the industry as a devil of a Criminal Police officer, and his team is famous for its discipline. Besides, he’s leading from the front, just wearing a single garment."

"Eh..."

Hideo grimaced, not expecting Miu to speak up for the instructor, "For someone so competent, why would they become an instructor before reaching retirement age?"

"I heard it was due to dereliction of duty, punished, and that’s why..." Miu’s voice trailed off as she glanced at the dejected Yoshimura Yu, swallowing the rest of her words, "I’m not too sure about the specifics."

"I see," Hideo turned around and teased Yoshimura Yu, who walked on the other side, "Maybe he also ended up as an instructor at the police academy because he lost his gun."

Yoshimura Yu’s face tightened, his thick eyebrows resembling knotted caterpillars. His mouth twitched unnaturally twice as he quickened his pace, leaving Hideo behind.

"Ah, sorry, I was just trying to make a joke..."

Hideo said, watching Yoshimura Yu walk away. His voice trailed off, scratching his head awkwardly.

"It’s not funny." Miu exhaled a puff of white mist, changing her tone: "But, you did guess right."

"Guess what?" Hideo was baffled.

"I heard that Instructor Shirata was demoted for losing his service gun," Miu paused, adding, "Just heard it though, it might be a rumor."

"Huh?"

Hideo’s first reaction was disbelief that losing a service gun only resulted in demotion and not dismissal, thinking how influential his backing must be. After hearing Miu say it might be a rumor, he was relieved, thinking Instructor Shirata didn’t seem like someone who would make such a basic mistake.

The two chatted about random topics for a while, but their energy quickly drained, leaving them with no mind for idle chatter, focusing solely on trudging along.

Instructor Shirata’s destination was a small family inn mentioned by Fushimi Roku, located thirty kilometers east at the mountain’s base, the nearest stopover for them. Upon reaching the inn, he planned to settle the cadets and then use the inn’s phone to call for help from the school.

So far, the cadets still believed that the trek back was part of their exam. Letting them know the instructors had completely lost contact with the outside would surely cause panic, and later bring disgrace to the school.

Instructor Shirata had already coordinated with all the instructors to maintain a consistent narrative, saying that a flat tire on the road forced them to modify the exam content temporarily.

The two instructors handcuffed by Fushimi Roku initially felt exceedingly dissatisfied, but realizing that if this incident got out, their reputations would transform into phrases like ’the instructors beaten by graduates’ or ’heard to enjoy reading pornographic magazines’ ... their authority would be lost, making it impossible to continue teaching at the school. So they chose to cut their losses and suffer in silence.

It’s said that those who steal hooks are punished, while those who steal a kingdom become lords. Only by making a big enough mess could everyone be rallied to clean it up for you.

The group had been walking for five hours, and the fog thickened to the point where they couldn’t discern directions. Instructor Shirata instructed the group to rest in a sheltered area until the fog cleared before setting off again.

On the backside of a cliff was a cave veiled by hanging vines, a perfect spot for wind protection and warmth. The cadets filed in, knocking the soreness out of their muscles, about to settle in for a good rest, when a scream echoed from within the depths of the cave.

"—Ah!"

Miu fell to the ground, face pale. The cadets gathered around, gazing in the direction of her stare, to find a partially reclined skeleton, interwoven with cobwebs, in the rough corner of the cliff wall.

"What the hick, I thought there was a bear..."

The group breathed a sigh of relief, their interest waning.

Miu, panicked, pulled at two teammates and said, "This obviously isn’t a body arranged by the instructors, is it? There’s a dead person."

Yoshimura Yu, with a stony face, looked toward the cave’s entrance, lost in thought. He replied nonchalantly, "So what? People disappear in the mountains every year; finding one or two corpses isn’t unusual, is it?"

"But, but..."

"It’s fine," Hideo also dismissed, "We’ve already seen fresh bodies, what’s there to fear about a few rotten bones?"

Miu swallowed, summoning her courage to say loudly, "It’s not about fear, this is a case, we should do something, shouldn’t we?"

Hearing this, the cadets dispersed, not bothering to care. Since it wasn’t a task set by the instructor, why meddle for no bonus points? It was better to conserve energy so as not to fall behind during the trek.

Instructor Shirata stood, signaling Miu to find a spot to rest. Regarding the skeleton, he would report it to the local police station after the exam concluded, and a specialist would come to retrieve it.

Miu felt somewhat relieved, sitting next to her teammates, she sighed, "I wonder if they can ever figure out his identity and contact his family."

"Not possible, is it? Given how decayed it is," Hideo remarked.

Miu cradled her knees, murmuring softly, "If Tamako were here, she would surely find out."

Yoshimura Yu snorted disdainfully.

Fushimi Roku failed him in the exam and made him suffer public humiliation by the instructor, leaving a grudge in his heart, so he detested Minamoto Tamako as well.

Hideo rubbed his arms, smiling bitterly, "Maybe we shouldn’t talk about this topic? Being in a mountain cave with a skeleton gives such a creepy feeling..."

As he spoke, he instinctively turned his head for a glance, only to see the skull leaning against the stone wall suddenly tilt, its dark eye sockets staring right at him.

"Uh-aaaah!!!"

Hideo was startled into a cold sweat, pointing at the skeleton, he screamed, "It moved! The skeleton moved!"

As his voice fell, everyone turned to look, only to see the skull rotating on the cervical vertebrae, its pitch-black sockets seemingly scanning the surroundings. A chill surged in everyone’s hearts, goosebumps rising all over.

What, what is happening?!!

The skeleton has come to life!!