“Good morning, big brother. I brought the mail.”
Ichijou Mika, his younger sister, came unsteadily into the room, leaning on a cane.
“Hey, are you okay? I keep telling you not to walk around on your own.”
Yuma, halfway through a bite of breakfast toast, hurriedly stood up to support his younger sister.
“I'm fine. I told you, my doctor already gave me permission to walk on my own. You're being too overprotective, big brother. What'll you do if it delays my reintegration into society?”
Yuma frowned at her harsh words and said “Alright” before lowering his eyes to the screen of the smartphone on the table.
“What? Are you checking for news on the Glass Tower again? There isn't any more information out there.”
Mika sounded surprised he was still trying.
More than half a year had passed since the tragedy in the Glass Tower. That day, Yuma had been carried outside by Tsukiyo, where Kuruma and the others had found him not long afterwards.
In the middle of that snowstorm, Yuma and the others managed to stay warm through the night using the heaters in the cars left in the parking lot.
The next morning, the snowstorm from the previous day cleared up as if by magic, and a van came up the mountain road. It was a manager from an entertainment company who had come out of concern after losing contact with Yumeyomi. Yuma and the others rode with him down the mountain, where they immediately called the police.
As Kozushima, a world-famous scientist, had been murdered, the local police deployed a large number of investigators to track down the culprit, Tsukiyo. However, they were unable to find any trace of her, let alone arrest her.
In the end, the Nagano Prefectural Police were forced to conclude that Aoi Tsukiyo had been lost in the mountains during the snowstorm and lost her life, and closed the case by sending documents to the prosecutor's office reporting that the suspect was presumed dead.
The media raised a fuss for a time about the serial murder committed by a great detective in a bizarre mansion. However, an official announcement was made that the culprit was presumed dead, and everyone involved, Yuma included, kept their mouths shut, so eventually, the public forgot all about the tragedy in the Glass Tower.
Fortunately, Kuruma and the others agreed not to tell the police that Yuma had tried to poison Kozushima. As a result, Yuma was treated as just an unlucky man who'd been caught up in the incident, and not interrogated very aggressively.
The lawsuit to stop the sale of the treatment was dropped due to Kozushima's death, and the new ALS cure was approved, allowing Mika to continue taking it. As a result, further muscle loss was prevented, and after rehabilitation, she eventually recovered enough to walk short distances with the help of a cane. With her needing almost no further care, Yuma had begun working part-time as a doctor at a nearby general hospital last month.
The Glass Tower Murders had ended, and he was living a normal life. But for the past six months, a question had smoldered in the back of Yuma's mind.
Had Aoi Tsukiyo really lost her life on Mt. Chogatake?
There was no way that somebody could have escaped walking on a snowy mountain in that blizzard. But it seemed impossible that a great criminal would die so easily.
Kozushima Tarou was a cautious man. For his scenario, he had deliberately cut off all contact with the outside world and punctured the tires on the cars. Wouldn't he have made some preparation in case of emergency?
For example, perhaps he'd hidden a snowmobile somewhere in the nearby forest so he could go out to town if the need arose.
There was no point in thinking about it. Yuma shook his head and took another bite of toast. Even if she was still alive, he would never see her again. Their paths had diverged, and they would never cross again.
Well, if he didn't leave soon, he wouldn't be able to make it to the outpatient clinic on time. Yuma crammed the rest of his toast in his mouth and washed it down with milk.
Just as he was about to stand up, Mika handed him a postcard.
“What's this?”
“I don't really get it, but it's addressed to you, big brother.”
On the front of the postcard, “Ichijou Yuma” was handwritten. There was no sender's name.
Who on Earth was it from? Normally, the recipient's name would be prefaced “Mr.”
Thinking that, Yuma turned the postcard over, and his eyes widened. One the back of the postcard was a beautiful picture.
A picture of a deep blue night sky full of stars, with a full moon shining in the center.
Written in elegant cursive were five English words: “Godspeed you, my dear Watson.”
“What's that? A postcard with a blue moonlit night? An... aoi tsuki yo? What does it mean?”
“...Godspeed you, my dear Watson.”
Yuma narrowed his eyes and read the message on the postcard.
“I can understand that much English. Watson is the guy from Sherlock Holmes, right? Why does it say that? Is it from one of your mystery nerd friends?”
Mika leaned her cane against the table and sat in a chair.
“Don't call me a nerd. I prefer 'enthusiast'. I'm a mystery enthusiast.”
“It's the same thing. So what is your relationship with this person?”
“She's my partner. No, she's my ex-partner.”
“You have a partner? You mean she's your girlfriend!? Huh? When did this happen? You need to introduce me some time.”
Mika's eyes were sparkling with curiosity. Yuma smiled and stood up.
“I said 'ex'. I'll never see her again.”
“Oh, you broke up? How boring.”
Yuma glanced down at Mika, who had clasped her hands behind her head, before dropping his gaze to the postcard.
Yes, Tsukiyo no longer needed him. Moriarty had no need for Watson. Sherlock Holmes was his only rival.
Actually, he probably should have turned that postcard over to the police. But he didn't plan to.
Even if the police did learn she was alive, he couldn't imagine them managing to arrest her.
The only thing that could corner Aoi Tsukiyo was the great detective she had been searching so many years for.
Aoi Tsukiyo, the great criminal.
No doubt she would continue on her search for a great detective who would jump with her into the Reichenbach Falls.
Yuma wasn't sure if he wanted her wish to come true.
“Either way... Godspeed you, Tsukiyo.”
Yuma whispered softly, put the postcard in his jacket's inner pocket, and made for the front door.
“Well, I'm off.”
As he opened the front door and stepped out into the apartment's entryway, a voice called out “Have fun, big brother.”
The early summer breeze blew through.
Yuma took a deep breath of air that smelled of fresh greenery.
Born in 1978, simultaneously an author and a practicing doctor of internal medicine. His experience in the hospital system and as the child of a family of doctors has led him to become a popular author of medical dramas and a staple of the daytime J-Drama circuit, but mystery has always been his first love. His hobbies include mixed martial arts (two black belts!) and playing with his cat, Harry. Ameku M.D.: Doctor Detective, starring a certain female doctor from Tenikai General Hospital, was adapted to anime in January 2025 and to live action drama in April 2025.
Mitsuda Madoy used to play keyboard for Mystery Freak Connections. His Bluesky is https://bsky.app/profile/mitsudamadoyvt.bsky.social and he streams at https://www.twitch.tv/mitsudamadoy.