After breaking up, my ex asked me to win her back

The body was safely moved out of the well and lay on the ground, with incontrovertible evidence, solid as iron.

There was no room for prevarication, Hiroichiro Tanaka was arrested on the spot, and after the shrine maiden's bones were photographed and documented, the police put them into a body bag and took them away. Kagura Hikaru was also invited to the police station as an important witness in the case.

But before that, Kagura Hikaru called the old policeman known as 'Shimizu' aside and said he had something to discuss.

"What brings me here, anything special you want to discuss, Mr. Kagura?" the old policeman looked at Kagura Hikaru with a puzzled expression.

He had initially thought he might be the one to initiate this meeting, that missing person case from thirty years ago; he was only in his teens at the time but for some reason, it had lingered in his memory, becoming an unresolved issue.

After graduating, he returned to the town as a policeman partly because of that case.

Thankfully, now that the whole truth had been revealed—though brutal—it was satisfying to bring the criminal to justice, and that alone was a relief for Mizuno Yuna.

This was all thanks to the young detective before him, who had managed to capture the criminal from mere scraps of evidence; in his years of police service, he had never seen such a talented youth.

The old policeman's gaze at Kagura Hikaru was filled with gratification and fondness; this boy, in a way, was his benefactor.

However, as soon as Kagura Hikaru spoke his first words, the gratitude turned instantaneously into fear.

"Officer Shimizu, did Mizuno Yuna tell you that you once confessed to her?"

".....What did you say?"

"Don't overthink it, it's the Mizuno Yuna you're thinking of, the shrine maiden just excavated from the well."

As Kagura Hikaru's voice fell, the old policeman sank into a long silence.

He was not the only one rendered speechless; even the involved shrine maiden was stupor-stricken.

Initially, when Kagura Hikaru called the old policeman aside to talk, she thought it was about the case and eagerly followed, only to hear Kagura Hikaru dropping a bombshell.

And it was her bombshell!

Was this her own confession? She wasn't ready yet!

Mizuno Yuna looked utterly disheveled, but was still faring better than the old policeman who stood frozen for over ten seconds.

He was several decades older than Kagura Hikaru, with more than half a lifetime of experiences, even foolish as they sometimes were. Hearing Kagura Hikaru's words now, he couldn't help but think of many possibilities.

The thirty-year-old missing person case being solved was already bizarre enough, practically improbable—the old policeman, though a countryside officer, had discussed with colleagues who were criminal police, and knew the likelihood of solving such old cases was less than one in a thousand.

This day he witnessed a special case, a miracle he thought without much consideration.

But Kagura Hikaru's words suddenly brought to light all the overlooked suspicions.

A high school boy from Tokyo, not even a local from Wakayama, solving a thirty-year-old case that had stumped the police, just by visiting the mountains.

The clues he presented sounded logical, but upon reflection, the coincidences were too many.

And the speed at which he identified Hiroichiro Tanaka as the criminal was astonishingly fast, less than a day. After thirty years, were there really any clear clues leading to him? If there had been any, the old policeman would have found them long ago!

Unless... this young man had known the answers from the start. He had known who the murderer was.

But how could he have known that, thirty years ago, before he was even born, when even his parents were just children?

.....Ah, it must have been Mizuno Yuna who told him!

Mizuno Yuna, the shrine maiden who died thirty years ago. As the victim, of course, she knew who the criminal was!

"Is she still here, still alive?" the old policeman trembled with excitement, "No, no, I have seen her body, could that skeleton be fake?"

"That was indeed her, Mizuno Yuna is dead," Kagura Hikaru denied as he glanced at the frantic shrine maiden beside him, "What I saw was her ghost."

"Ghost..." the old policeman stared blankly, "You mean she turned into a ghost? What are you joking about, how could such a thing..."

"She is right here."

"..."

The old policeman was stunned again.

After realizing this, he hastily scanned his surroundings, his expression tinged with fear and doubt yet faintly showing a glimmer of hope.

Kagura Hikaru knew that accepting such a thing could be hard for someone who had lived in a material world for decades; thus, he directly turned to the Shrine Maiden beside him, who was helplessly slumping her shoulders, and asked, "Is there something that only the two of you know? Tell me, I need to convince him."

The Shrine Maiden stared at him with wide eyes, visibly annoyed, "Why did you tell Officer Shimizu I am still here? I never planned to catch up with him, don't assume things on your own!"

"It's necessary; after all, I would slip up during the statement phase."

Kagura Hikaru said calmly.

The Shrine Maiden opened her mouth, furrowed her brows, and then sighed.

Only then did Mizuno Yuna realize why Kagura Hikaru had revealed himself to the old cop; he was looking for someone to 'fabricate' the story with him to cover up the peculiarities in his involvement in the case. Otherwise, if someone with intent investigated, the so-called clues Kagura Hikaru provided wouldn't hold.

Kagura Hikaru had been running around for her request and had indeed fulfilled his desire to find the body and catch the culprit. Now he needed her help to clear any suspicions; how could the Shrine Maiden ignore that?

Not wanting to cause him trouble, the Shrine Maiden compliantly said, "When Officer Shimizu confessed, he gifted me a bucket of fish. Telling him this should suffice, right?"

"Fish? A bucket of fish?" Komori Ai, who was listening, couldn't help but burst into laughter, "Hahaha, fish as a confession gift, that's so fishy!"

"I don't know what he was thinking at that time; maybe all boys are like that, naive." The Shrine Maiden grimaced.

Ignoring the two girls' ridicule, Kagura Hikaru turned to the surprised old cop and said, "She said that during your confession, you brought a bucket of fish as a gift, and she's now mocking you for being naive."

Amidst the Shrine Maiden's complaints of "Hey, why did you tell him that," the old cop finally confirmed the truth in Kagura Hikaru's words and couldn't help but tremble as he looked towards where Kagura had been facing, eyes brimming with tears.

"Sister Yuna? Is that you... Are you really there?"

The Shrine Maiden instinctively nodded, then realizing he couldn't see her, she nudged Kagura Hikaru to signal—of course, her hand passed through his body.

Kagura Hikaru felt a chill on his arm and glared at the clumsy Shrine Maiden, saying, "If you have something to say, I can relay it."

The old cop, upon hearing this, held his breath, silently waiting.

The Shrine Maiden was silent for a while, then said, "Tell him, I know he has been looking into this matter for years, and I am grateful to him."

After Kagura Hikaru relayed this, he added, "This Shrine Maiden said she is an Earthbound Spirit and can roam freely around the village; she has seen all the efforts you've made over the years."

Hearing this, the old cop was moved to tears.

He didn't cry when they caught the culprit, but now he simply couldn't hold back.

Once he had calmed down a bit and exchanged some pleasantries with the Shrine Maiden, Kagura Hikaru finally addressed the matter at hand, "Officer Shimizu, now you know how I pinpointed the culprit. The previous deductions were just made-up excuses; please cover for me."

"I understand," the old cop wiped the corner of his eyes and nodded earnestly.

Not only had Kagura Hikaru just helped him solve a case, but simply for telling him that Mizuno Yuna was still 'alive' and passing a few words on her behalf, the old cop wouldn't refuse.

After all, even if such a thing were recorded truthfully, the higher-ups would never believe it; rather, the 'made-up excuses' Kagura Hikaru mentioned seemed more plausible.

Subsequent events unfolded logically.

Kagura Hikaru and the others went to the police station for statements, where the old officer had spoken to them earlier and added many details; the two young officers raised no questions.

It wasn't until noon that Kagura Hikaru finally left the police station and couldn't help stretching.

It had been too long inside; those backless metal stools were unbearable.

Hiroichiro Tanaka had left even earlier, directly escorted by detectives who drove from the city, as the rural police station had no detention room.

A bleak life awaited him now, undoubtedly.

After leaving the police station, Kagura Hikaru accompanied the Shrine Maiden back to the Shrine on the mountain.

"Come visit me here when you have time; I'll always be here."

Standing in front of the sanctuary, the Shrine Maiden turned with a smile, her hands behind her back.

"You're an Earthbound Spirit; you should achieve enlightenment now that your wish has been fulfilled. What are you lingering here for?" Kagura narrowed his eyes.

"That's so mean!" The Shrine Maiden, deeply hurt, protested, "Don't you want to see me? I thought we were friends!"

Without responding, Kagura Hikaru waved his hand and led Komori Ai down the mountain.