「血みまれ刑事竜ンボ」Detective Dragonfly: Bloodied Chronicles

The after-school science lab was shrouded in silence, the blue flame of a Bunsen burner flickering faintly. Tetsu Hanatake held a cigarette between his lips, observing the skeletons and flasks with detached precision, savoring the lingering aftermath of the human experiment he had just completed. The faint scent of ammonia tickled his nose, and his mind remained calm, yet intensely focused on the next target.

The sound of rain tapping against the windows, the laughter of students, the murmur of club activities—none of it disturbed Hanatake's concentration. His fingers lightly rolled test tubes, his eyes tracked the sway of liquids in flasks—every motion precise, like the rhythm of a well-composed piece of music. Even the cold gaze of the skeletal models became a part of his intellectual curiosity.

"Now… who shall it be next?"

In a low, measured voice, Hanatake murmured as he organized the test tubes on the counter, repositioned the flasks, and adjusted the Bunsen burner. Every movement of his hands, every breath, every curl of cigarette smoke was calculated within the precise harmony of his mind and body.

Time passed slowly. The smells, sounds, and flickers of light in the after-school lab—all became subjects of Hanatake's observation, data for the next "experiment." His gaze fell equally upon the instruments on the table, the droplets forming on the ceiling, and the students sitting quietly in the corners.

And then, a faint presence. Outside the window, a subtle movement at the edge of the shadows. A dragonfly—but Hanatake barely registered it. In his mind, the flickering of the dragonfly among the skeletal models was processed as mere "background noise," insufficient to interrupt the flow of his work. He exhaled a plume of smoke, checked the liquid levels in the flasks, and mentally mapped out the steps for his next subject.

The dragonfly stirred the bones slightly in a fleeting breeze, but it blended into the atmosphere of the lab, unnoticed by Hanatake. At most, its presence was registered through a minute vibration in his fingertips—a mere "variable" in his calculations.

He set down the cigarette and fixed his gaze on the Bunsen flame. The lab was cold and silent. Hanatake Tetsu’s hands never faltered, his eyes remained merciless. All the instruments, all the bodies, all the experimental subjects—at that moment, the lab’s time was dominated by 99% of Hanatake’s consciousness.

He made a quiet decision.

"So, I am the culprit, then."

The dragonfly hovered faintly, a shadow bathed in the last rays of the setting sun. Nothing more.

Hanatake didn’t glance at it, instead pulling out his phone.

His composure, his craftsman’s diligence, his intellectual curiosity, and his cruelty—the entire lab converged into 99% of Hanatake Tetsu’s world.

"Ah, hello… Officer? I have a confession I’d like to make."

放課後の理科室は静寂に包まれ、ガスバーナーの青い炎が微かに揺れる。花岳徹はタバコをくわえ、骨格標本やフラスコを淡々と観察しながら、先ほど終えた人体実験の余韻を噛みしめる。アンモニアのかすかな匂いが鼻をくすぐり、彼の意識は冷静に、しかし濃密に次のターゲットへと向けられている。

雨音が窓を打つ音も、生徒たちの笑い声や部活動のざわめきも、すべて花岳の集中を乱すことはない。手元の試験管を指で軽く転がし、フラスコの液体の揺れを確認する動作は、音楽のリズムのように正確で美しい。骨格標本の冷たい視線さえ、彼の知的好奇心の一部となる。

「さて……次は誰にするか」
低く、落ち着いた声でつぶやきながら、花岳はカウンターの試験管を整理し、フラスコを移動させ、ガスバーナーを微調整する。手の動き、呼吸、タバコの煙の揺れすべてが、彼の頭脳と肉体の精密な調和の中で計算されている。

時間がゆっくりと流れる。放課後の理科室に漂う匂いや音、光の揺らぎ——すべてが花岳の観察対象であり、すべてが次の「実験」のためのデータとなる。彼の目は机の上の器具にも、天井の水滴にも、教室の隅に座る生徒にも等しく注がれていた。

そして、かすかな気配。窓の外、影の端に小さな動き。竜ンボ——だが花岳の意識はほとんど届かない。彼の脳内ではその骨格標本とした竜ンボの揺らめきは「背景ノイズ」として処理され、作業の流れを止める理由にはならない。タバコの煙を一息吐き、フラスコの液面を確認し、次の被験者の手順を頭の中で組み立てる。

竜ンボは一瞬、そよ風で骨をきしませるも、理科室の空気に溶け、花岳の注意には届かない。唯一、微かに指先の振動を通して、その存在は花岳の計算の中で「変数」として認識されるに過ぎない。

煙草を置き、ガスバーナーの炎を見つめる。理科室は冷たく、静かだ。花岳徹の手は止まらず、眼差しも冷徹そのもの。全ての器具、全ての遺体、全ての実験の対象——その瞬間、理科室の時間は花岳徹の99％の意識によって支配されていた。

花岳は静かに決意する。

「そうか、僕が犯人だったのか」

竜ンボは最後に、かすかに夕日の浴びて影として浮かぶ。それだけ。

花岳は一瞥もせず、携帯電話を取り出す。

彼の冷静さ、職人気質、知的好奇心、そして残酷さ——理科室の全てが、花岳徹の99％の世界に収斂している。

「あ、もしもし、お巡りさんですか、僕にはあなたに告白したい事実がある」