As [Amamiya Rin]'s voice fell, [Kazumi] and [Kogure]'s expressions changed completely.
They obviously hadn't considered this layer. It was only after [Amamiya Rin] pointed it out that they realized the severity of the problem far exceeded their imagination. This was not just a supernatural event, but a political crisis that could shake the social order.
[Indou]'s squinted eyes glanced at [Amamiya Rin], who was sitting to the side, and she nodded slightly.
"It seems your brain turns a bit faster than these two subordinates of mine. That's right, this is the most disgusting part. [Tomie] has no strength to truss a chicken; killing her is no harder than killing a pig. But her regeneration ability is too strong, and she has the ability to charm men. So, the default way the higher-ups handle it is to not handle it—at least, not to handle it openly. Record, observe, control the scope of knowledge, and occasionally clean up the mess from their internal slaughter, keeping the impact to a minimum."
[Indou]'s face held a touch of mockery. She spoke very bluntly, too lazy to even avoid [Amamiya Rin], an ordinary citizen.
[Kazumi] and [Kogure]'s expressions became very complicated. With the education they had received, it was difficult to accept this practice of remaining indifferent to criminal phenomena.
"Look on the bright side. It's not like this is the only unsolved case in the archives; there are hundreds. Some cases can be managed, some cannot. It's for the good of everyone."
[Indou] shrugged, turned around, and swayed as she walked toward the hospital exit.
"Please wait a moment, Officer [Indou]. I have something I want to ask."
[Amamiya Rin] hurriedly propped himself up with his crutch and shouted at [Indou].
[Indou] turned sideways, her long, narrow eyes looking at [Amamiya Rin], and asked casually, "What's up? Kid?"
[Amamiya Rin] asked directly, "I want to ask how to deal with [Tomie]."
One of the laws of the two-dimensional world: characters who always keep their eyes closed are invariably monsters.
This female police officer named [Indou] hadn't opened her eyes from start to finish; she was one hundred percent an expert.
"Killing her is simple. After killing her, throw her in a fire and burn her to ash. If you get caught, contact the Police History Compilation Office, and we'll fish you out."
[Indou] spoke in a strange Osaka dialect, talking about murder and arson—things a police officer definitely shouldn't say—as if she were telling a joke.
[Amamiya Rin] looked speechless and hurriedly said, "That's not what I'm asking. I've already been targeted by [Tomie]. My brain is thinking about her every single moment. What should I do about this?"
"Is that so?"
[Indou] turned around completely, looking at [Amamiya Rin] with surprise.
"Do you have a girl you like very much? Or are you a believer in some religion? Do you have grand ambitions and aspirations?"
Facing [Indou]'s questions, [Amamiya Rin] shook his head continuously.
In his past life, he was a single dog. The elders in his family believed in Buddhism and worshipped Guanyin, so he would chant 'Amitabha' a few times, but he had no ambitions.
In this life... because he had lived once before, he believed in the existence of gods and Buddhas more than in his previous life. However, this world was too outrageous, making it hard for him to believe that his transmigration was due to the blessing of the Great Merciful and Great Compassionate Bodhisattva Guanyin.
As for a lover or ambitions, he had neither. His biggest goal right now was to survive for three months.
"That's strange. People who can resist [Tomie]'s charm and maintain rationality during the first few days of contact are usually the types I just mentioned. However, even those people will unknowingly become obsessed in the end."
[Indou] rubbed her chin, sizing up [Amamiya Rin] with those narrowed eyes.
"Probably because I practice Kendo, [Hypnosis], and chant Buddhist scriptures to screen out distracting thoughts. I studied [Hypnosis] with [Professor Matsuura]."
[Amamiya Rin] tried mentioning [Professor Matsuura]'s name. [Professor Matsuura] was a forensic doctor, so these police officers should know him.
"So you are [Professor Matsuura]'s student?"
[Kazumi], [Kogure], and [Indou] all adopted an attitude of recognizing [Professor Matsuura].
"Let's get back to business. I have no way to help you deal with [Tomie]'s magic power. Since you can use Kendo, [Hypnosis], and Buddhist dharma to resist [Tomie]'s magic, just keep persisting. If you really hope to get help... I recommend you study The Sutra on the Secret Essential Methods of Chan."
[Indou] scratched her cheek with her index finger, her expression becoming a bit more serious as she offered [Amamiya Rin] a useful suggestion.
"The Sutra on the Secret Essential Methods of Chan?"
"The Sutra on the Secret Essential Methods of Chan is a method of Buddhist meditation cultivation. It specifically teaches how to break through the attachment to self and others through the White Skeleton Visualization. You can buy it at the Toyodo Bookstore. There is a [Kikoku Temple] on [Mount Kikoku] in the southern suburbs. There's an old monk inside. After buying the Buddhist sutra, you can go ask him for advice. Anyway, his small temple doesn't have many pilgrims on normal days, so it would be good for you to add some human presence."
"[Mount Kikoku]? [Kikoku Temple]?"
[Amamiya Rin]'s heart stirred. The names didn't sound simple. A religious site acknowledged by the boss of a special department was definitely not an ordinary small place.
Although the [Junji Ito] series was a type of horror with no solution, it didn't lack existences like espers and magicians. If the abbot of [Kikoku Temple] really had magical power, with his [Long Dream] curse, he could quickly master any method.
Even if there was no magical power, the man was at least a high monk who could give him pointers on learning the White Skeleton Visualization.
Come to think of it, whether it was supernatural power or powerful physical strength, there were quick-success methods in the [Junji Ito] world. What were they again?
[Amamiya Rin] frowned in deep thought.
"I'm going to play Pachinko. I'm leaving first."
After speaking, [Indou] waved her hand dashingly and walked away, swaying as she went.
[Kazumi] and [Kogure] looked at each other. After nodding to [Amamiya Rin], they left him a business card and also withdrew, leaving the hospital case to Investigation Division One.
As for [Amamiya Rin] himself, he did not stay long at [Morita Hospital].
Because of the chaos and fire caused by the [Tomie]s, the patients of [Morita Hospital] had to be transferred to other hospitals, and [Amamiya Rin] was one of them.
However, [Amamiya Rin] did not immediately go to another hospital. Given his physical condition, if he entered a hospital, he wouldn't be able to get out without a week of recuperation.
Taking advantage of the confusion during the transfer, [Amamiya Rin] propped himself up on his crutch and quietly left the scene.
The urgent task was not to continue being hospitalized for recovery, but to solve [Tomie]'s mental pollution.
He first took a train to the Toyodo Bookstore in the city center, which specialized in Buddhist books, and bought The Sutra on the Secret Essential Methods of Chan that [Indou] had mentioned.
The sutra consisted of three volumes: upper, middle, and lower. The text was in Chinese, but it looked obscure and difficult to understand. [Amamiya Rin] read through it carefully, only half-understanding it.
"Sure enough, I still need guidance from a high monk."
Putting away the three volumes of The Sutra on the Secret Essential Methods of Chan, [Amamiya Rin] checked the route and headed for [Mount Kikoku] in the suburbs.
The mountain road was harder to walk than he had imagined. It was torture for his sick body, which had been bedridden for nearly half a month and had only been awake for less than two weeks.
The crutch tapped on the rugged stone steps. He had to be careful with every step. Sweat soon soaked his back, and his breathing became heavy.
However, compared to the physical torture, what [Amamiya Rin] found even more unacceptable was the mental torture.
____
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