１．Ｓａｔｕｒｄａｙ　Ｍａｒｃｈ　３０，　２０１９

The comments on 〈Silva〉's channel were the only thing that made Maruta feel more or less positive about the past week. Hundreds of comments have gathered since then, and the movement to keep 〈Silva〉's will alive has been gaining steam, smoldering in a corner of the Internet.
Attempts to solve the case made no progress at all. Every time he traced the information he had gathered, he was confronted with a wall of cul-de-sacs that seemed to harass him. Nothing in what 〈Captain〉 told him was contradictory, and the mystery that remained was still a mystery.

It is beyond the scope of human understanding when a depressed woman suddenly starts running around in a good mood, or when a friend suddenly moves away without telling anyone. Maruta was beginning to feel that such a difficult problem, for which there was no model solution, only reaffirmed the limits of his thinking and loneliness.

Other than the killer, who is closest to the truth of the case? Maruta felt both like it was himself and like it wasn't.
Does anyone among the non-criminals know the truth?
Who is the murderer of Silva? The question echoed in his imagination and eventually came back to him, unprocessed.

On the PC screen, 〈Silva〉 is walking along a path lined with cherry blossom trees, taking a selfie video as he goes. Maruta spent several evenings this week watching videos of 〈Silva〉 floating like dregs on the Internet. Cut out in fragments, they were supposed to be the last hope in solving the case.

However, he could not find any new clues there. 〈Silva〉 did not wake his sleeping friend, but was testing to see how many drone beetles he could place on the forehead. On another occasion, he had an octopus soaked in sexual lubricant crawling on the naked upper body of one of his juniors.
In each case, it was like an extension of childhood play. The more they seemed to be enjoying themselves, the more the space in Maruta's heart was filled with loneliness.

Maruta watched the video showing the rows of cherry trees without any expectations, thinking that it was probably one of those childish tricks too. At some point, however, his attention turned to the screen.

I've seen this place before.
Yes, Ueno Park, where we met up with Number 4.
Having just been there about ten days ago, Maruta could recall it immediately. 〈Silva〉 was followed by the five members of 〈Tokyo Spread〉 at a leisurely pace.

"Silva-san," 〈Captain〉 called out to him from behind. "Why are you taking the video yourself?"
"Yuya has been busy lately."
"Shall I hold the camera for you?"
In response to 〈Captain〉's offer, saying, "No, thanks," 〈Silva〉 continued filming on his own.

"How do I ask for directions to the museum in English?" 〈Silva〉 looked back.
"You can say 'How do I go to the museum?'" 〈Shaggy〉 replied, looking at his smartphone.
"You're so smart." To 〈Silva〉's words, 〈Shaggy〉 replied, "No. I just looked it up on the Internet."

"Excuse me?" 〈Silva〉 approached a couple of women passing by in English, which he had just learned. "How do I go to the museum?"
He repeated the same phrase to the women, who clutched their hands over their mouths and fidgeted.

"Musical? Does he speak English? We don't know!"
To their confusion, 〈Silva〉 switched to Japanese and said, "I'm Japanese, too."
The women clapped and laughed.

〈Silva〉 must have been walking in that area, too. Maruta tried to trace the route he remembered in his mind, along with his memories of that day when 〈Number 4〉 appeared.

The scene changed again, this time showing 〈Captain〉 wearing a shiny green tricornered hat. "Now it's complete."
The room looked familiar to Maruta. This must also be 〈Silva〉's room. Holding up a large paper box with one hand, 〈Captain〉 clumsily holds the lid down with the other.
"Hold the lid tighter." 〈Kirvy〉, standing beside him, also put his fat hand on the box. 〈Shaggy〉 then carefully wrapped the box with a red ribbon.

"Silva-san, Merry Christmas!" When 〈Captain〉 called out, 〈Silva〉 appeared in the frame.
"What's that?" 〈Silva〉 pointed at the box with a look that said it was something stupid.
In fact the box was 'something stupid'. He took it and untied the ribbon.

Inside was a volleyball with a fool's face painted on it. Below the ball, a spiral-shaped wire is attached with duct tape.
"Is this a Jack-in-the-box?" 〈Silva〉 remained calm.
"Yes," 〈Captain〉 began to make excuses. "The ball didn't pop out properly because we pushed too hard."
Just as 〈Captain〉 was finishing, 〈Silva〉 opened the window and tossed it with the box outside.

There is no end to these videos. Maruta closed the video site and turned off his computer. Then he let out one big sigh. He looked at his cell phone, which he had thrown out on the bed, but there were no incoming calls from anyone.
It's sunny outside. Only those who are sound by nature can be sound under blue skies. The depression of the unwholesome is not purified by its blue, but on the contrary, it intensifies its nature. Just as a vivid-colored shirt and faded jeans are incongruous, the overly fresh color of the sky is out of harmony with a somber mood.

Is there some place that can be a receptacle for this feeling? Maruta was not in the mood for a leisurely cup of coffee on a terrace under a clear sky, where even the most expensive dogs were relaxing.
If there was ever an appropriate place for what I feel now...

It's 2:00 p.m. Not early, not late. Maruta took up his smartphone to send a text message, not a call, to Kira.