This story is a work of fiction, with no relationship to real persons or groups.
Have you ever seen this sticker before?
The first time people started talking about these Sumo Stickers was back in 2007.
The first time people started talking about these Sumo Stickers was back in 2007. But after the 2009 Shibuya Earthquake, everyone just stopped seeing them.
But after the 2009 Shibuya Earthquake,
everyone just stopped seeing them.
Lately, they've been appearing in Shibuya again.
This was found yesterday, for example.
At first, these stickers may appear to have been put up at random.
But they actually have something in common with a certain case.
This was put up on the karaoke box
This was put up on the karaoke box opposite the apartment where Don't Look at Me took place.
opposite the apartment where Don't Look at Me took place.
This was put up on a streetlight near Leaky Noise.
This was put up on the love hotel opposite the scene of Revolving Dead.
Some of you may think this is just a coincidence, but…
Consider Don't Look at Me and Revolving Dead.
Some of you may think this is just a coincidence, but… Consider Don't Look at Me and Revolving Dead.
Those two took place in a fifth-story condo and on the third floor of a love hotel.
Those two took place in a 5th-story condo and on the 3rd floor of a love hotel.
And yet, both of their stickers were placed on the fifth and third floors
Those two took place in a 5th-story condo and on the 3rd floor of a love hotel. And yet, both of their stickers were placed on the 5th and 3rd floors of the buildings opposite them, high up, as if they were looking directly at the scene.
of the buildings opposite them, high up,
as if they were looking directly at the scene.
Leaky Noise is no different.
Those killings took place in a 5th-story condo and on the 3rd floor of a love hotel. And yet, both of their stickers were placed on the 5th and 3rd floors of the buildings opposite them, high up, as if they were looking down on the scene. Leaky Noise is no different. Its sticker was placed on a streetlight, looking down over the scene.
Its sticker was placed on a streetlight, looking down over the scene.
Is this really just a coincidence?
Who created these stickers?
Why are they being put up?
Who created these stickers? Why are they being put up?
And do they have anything to do with all these strange deaths?
Who created these stickers? Why are they being put up? And do they have anything to do with all these strange deaths?
We'll continue our investigation.
Finally...
Have you noticed that
Have you noticed that these three incidents took place on the same dates as the first three New Generation Madness killings six years ago?
Don't Look at Me = 9/7. Leaky Noise = 9/19. Revolving Dead = 9/29.
these three incidents took place on the same dates
as the first three New Generation Madness killings six years ago?
If the Sumo Stickers have something to do with what's going on in Shibuya right now,
Have you noticed that these three incidents took place on the same dates as the first three New Generation Madness killings six years ago? If the Sumo Stickers have something to do with what's going on in Shibuya right now, then maybe they have something to do with what happened six years ago.
then maybe they have something to do with what happened six years ago.
Five views?
Views
Comments
[Hekihou Academy Newspaper Club] [Camera
This means that only we've seen it, right?
Well, it has only been 24 hours since we upped it...
Hey, are you listening?
Yeah.
Do these stickers really make you feel that sick?
Of course they do.
But, you know, when I look at them again...
Did you find something?
Yeah. Compare the stickers that were put up around town before
to the ones that were put up along this wall on the 2nd of this month.
And the ones at the crime scenes, too.
What? What's wrong?
The design's different.
Yes. The Sumo Stickers have lots of different designs.
This often happens because of copycats,
but, in this case, the Sumo Stickers found at the crime scene
and along that wall match exactly.
Then the same person put them up on the wall and at the crime scenes?
No, we don't know that.
Some of the random Sumo Stickers put up around town
also have the exact same design.
What? That means...
But what's interesting is that never before have so many been put up in one spot.
If it is the same person,
there's a chance that the next incident will take place by this wall.
And if we can get video of it, it'll be...
It'll go way beyond a "big scoop," huh?
Yeah.
But do we really want to do this?
Do what?
We're basically putting up a spy camera, right?
We can't pass that off as a club activity.
Don't start talking like Kurusu.
But if we get caught...
It'll be fine.
She hasn't been hassling me lately for some reason.
And it's not just us and the police who are investigating this.
Whoever took the video that was up on that aggregator site about the case
has to be after it, too.
This is our chance.
Go! Go! Hana-chan!
In the best-case scenario, we get a lead on the killer before anybody else.
And the worst that can happen is that we waste our time.
Looking good! You can do it!
Fine.
Fight! Fight! That's right!
All right. Shall we get going now?
Looking good! Looking good! Hana-chan!
No, can you go on your own?
I'm going to talk to Arimura-san again.
Can you? You'll trip over your own tongue.
I'll go with him, then!
Taku's not used to Arimura-san yet, after all.
Miyashiro!
K-Kawahara-kun?
I've heard the newspaper club is investigating a dangerous case.
It's not dangerous.
Whatever. I don't care what you do.
But this cultural festival is the first one with all three grades taking part.
And Kurusu's carrying the heaviest load, since she's student council president.
Just don't make her life harder.
No way!
First I'm hearing of it!
So how'd you meet?
It's not a very interesting story.
So, how'd you meet?
It got started when I retweeted a meme he liked...
So you planned it all out.
No, I didn't do it deliberately.
It was just a coincidence.
Sorry.
I've got somewhere to be.
Can you guys do the shopping for me?
Sure.
Got it.
I'll be in touch later.
Adios gracias!
Taku!
Why would you show up at school? Are you insane?
Sorry, but it's a lot of work for me to find any free time at all.
I didn't tell anyone I was a detective, so cut me some slack.
That's not what I'm talking about!
You're on conditional release.
You know that, right?
Can we go somewhere else?
I assume you're not here for something we can discuss with other students around.
Welcome.
Sit where you like.
Is this a place Hekihou students don't frequent?
I think so.
Take your time.
Thanks.
So what's this about?
I'm showing up to questioning, aren't I?
I just noticed earlier,
but you act a lot differently at school, don't you?
I'm told that you're not remaining silent during questioning anymore,
but you're remaining entirely flat and unemotional.
"Hinae Arimura, Class 2-3.
Age 16. Enrolled at Hekihou Academy in 2014.
Has lots of friends, and boasts a bright and social personality.
Grades are average.
No record of police arrests,
or of causing any problems with the school."
This is what the school gave us about you.
Except for this, and a simple profile we made about you,
we don't know anything about the case.
I mean, all you tell us is that you don't remember anything.
Orange juice and gapao rice.
Can you at least be a little more sociable, like you are at Hekihou?
Understood. Wait just a moment.
The police are doing everything we can to solve the case.
That's a lie!
You're right.
Sorry.
I, and the people helping me, are doing everything we can to solve the case.
At the very least, we're not your enemies.
I'm not trying to be uncooperative during questioning.
It's just that I can't answer you.
I really have no memory of what happened in the time surrounding the incident.
Is there anything else you can tell us, then?
For instance, your relationship with Hironobu Kakita, the murdered man?
Taku?
Did he say "murdered"?
The police said that the love hotel incident, Revolving Dead, was a suicide.
By "we," you mean yourself and those other people, right?
Yes. The police have nothing to do with it.
"We"? "The police have nothing to do with it"?
Kakita-san and I were cooperating.
On that thing?
Of course.
Every now and then, we'd meet at places that gave us some privacy
and exchange information.
I see.
Then his ability...
Excuse me.
Yes, this is Shinjou.
Yes. Yes.
Got it.
I'll be back in ten.
Get started.
Oh, right, one more thing.
Seen this before?
What's wrong?
I know about that thing.
But I don't like that sticker.
Did she say "sticker"?
You're aware that a video of the hotel crime scene
was uploaded to the internet, right?
While we still don't have any leads on who did it,
we did find this sticker put up where we believe the camera was filming from.
It can't be...
Do you know anything about this?
Not much.
Just that it's a creepy sticker.
It's all over town.
Now put that thing away.
Sounds right. I can't imagine something like this being related to the case.
Arimura-kun, try to be more cooperative with the questioning at the station.
Like I said, there's nothing I can tell them.
You don't have to tell them anything.
But some of the bosses aren't happy about your conditional release.
There are ties of obligation here.
Taku?
With as much energy as you have at Hekihou, it should be easy, right?
Just so you know,
it's pretty hard for a high school girl to be a high school girl these days.
Tell me, what should I do?
Yeah, looks good.
You picked a decent angle for once.
Shinji Itou
You asshole.
Listen, this was a pain in the butt!
I see.
So how'd it go with Arimura-san?
I'll tell you tomorrow.
I got some pretty interesting info.
What? Tell me now!
It's about time for Shibuya News to start.
It's on today?
You need to learn to read the whole page.
It was at the bottom of today's update.
Shinji Itou
Really?
Hi. It is now midnight, October 7th, 2015.
Shibuya News
Welcome, everyone.
I'm Kei.
That sticky heat is gone now, isn't it?
How was your day?
Now, I'm doing this broadcast today
to showcase a certain article.
It's about the Shibuya serial killings that I often discuss.
The Rorschach Test Reveals Her Heart.
Now You'll Know How She Really Feels
I've mentioned before that
the dates of the New Generation Madness line up with the dates of these murders,
but this video points out another commonality they have.
This is it.
Have you ever seen this sticker before?
The first time people started talking...
Thanks so much for listening to this short broadcast.
The time will soon be 12:22 AM, October 7th, 2015.
I pray you spend tomorrow in a way you won't regret.
What?
Nothing...
Good work.
Mio-chan, want some coffee?
Sure.
Um, what were you doing?
Spreading information.
Mio-chan is our information broker.
Though she's really a scientist.
At her age?
Indeed.
She's a genius who skipped grades and became a researcher at an American lab.
I'm really only a good student.
A real genius is much more.
What do you research, Kunosato-san?
Does my profile have anything to do with the case?
No, that's not it.
This.
The head?
The brain.
Special research into quantum brain dynamics.
Can we get to the point?
What did Arimura have to say about the Sumo Stickers?
She just seemed to find them creepy.
Are you sure?
Yeah.
Why are you so focused on that?
Oh, you were just saying something about the stickers, too.
What was that about?
I told you I was sharing information.
Why not give him a real explanation?
You'll be working with Shinjou-chan until the case is solved.
It's give and take, right?
I just hope he's got something to give me.
Kunosato-san, couldn't you show your elders a little more respect?
Are you aware of the media consumption rates that were announced this year?
70 percent of consumers use the internet.
For consumers in their teens, it's 80 percent,
and in their twenties and thirties, it's 90 percent.
Both of these consumption rates are higher than TV's.
The rates are even higher in urban areas.
Less than ten percent of people in their teens and twenties read a daily newspaper.
It wasn't that different last year, or the year before.
Over half of all middle schoolers have a smartphone.
For high schoolers and older, it's ninety-five percent.
And owning a smartphone means using the internet.
Wait, what are you talking about?
Do you know how many people use the internet as their primary source of information?
It's a large number.
They believe what they see on the internet and base their actions off of it.
Even if that information turns out to be incorrect.
And it's also possible to use that to spur them to action.
Shinjou-chan, she's accomplished a lot doing that.
Has she?
What I want now is information about the Sumo Stickers.
"The Hekihou Academy Newspaper Club."
They're pretty sharp.
When I have the opportunity to use them, I'm going to.
What do you mean?
It's simple.
Within twenty-four hours,
this video will be flooded with information about the Sumo Stickers.
Today's News with Watabe Tomoaki
Loading
What?
He stole our stuff?
Did you see Niconiya yesterday?
You mean Watabe's article?
Of course!
How does he get those photos?
His big scoops are always so amazing, aren't they?
"A preview of the video we took during the culture festival..."
Why did we make this the newspaper club's thing for the festival?
Kurusu wanted it.
Seriously?
Talk about desperate!
I didn't even know they uploaded stuff to Niconiya.
What a bunch of thieves, though!
No.
We uploaded ours first.
You know, I didn't realize everybody was so active on Niconiya.
Oh, you're finally here!
You're late, guys!
Sorry, what's going on?
We just broke 100,000 views!
And over 5,000 comments!
Seriously?
Seriously!
Hey, Miyashiro!
C-Calm down.
One hundred thousand isn't that big a number.
You're shaking!
What about the comments on Watabe's article?
It's still blowing up.
I see.
What's this URL?
Want to check it out?
Hold on.
It's just an amateur blog URL, right?
Yeah, go for it.
Okay.
What is this page?
Sumo Sticker Hunter
Looks like it's a page about the Sumo Stickers.
Stop a second.
Who created the Sumo Stickers?
"The creator of the Sumo Stickers is not,
as people say, k-lex."
"The creator of these stickers
became humanity's sacrifice to create the barrier.
This noble creator is currently...
This noble creator is currently in AH Tokyo General Hospital.
in AH Tokyo General Hospital."
Taku?
Want to go tonight?
No, there might be other clues in the comments.
And, if we are to sneak in, we'll need detailed info on the hospital.
You're right.
Okay, I'll look into the hospital.
Yeah, thanks.
By the way, Yuuto, Yui was saying you got...
A letter!
What happened?
It was a love letter, right?
Masashi Kawahara
Sorry to email you this late. The newspaper club has put up a video camera under the bridge near Shibuya Station and are videotaping people without their consent. I don't know what they're trying to do, but lately Miyashiro and the others have been out of control. I'm going to tell the teachers and have them take it down tomorrow. Can you talk to them too, Kurusu? Thanks.
No secrets, remember?
Right, Big Sis Nono?
That's right, Yuuto.
No secrets allowed in this house!
So how'd it go?
Well? Well?
Tokuda-kun...
Tokuda-kun found out.
And...
What? He made fun of you?
Yeah.
Yuu, when something's bothering you, you need to say so.
If you get used to that,
it changes you in bad ways without you realizing it!
Yeah.
Yuu—
If someone bullies you again, tell me, okay?
I'll get them back!
Who is it?
Me. I'm coming in.
What's wrong?
You were acting a little weird today.
Was I?
Did Takuru do something again?
No, it's more like he might be about to.
He never changes.
You told him to cut it out after the police took him in
over the love hotel thing, right?
Yeah, but he doesn't look like he's going to stop.
It's rare for him to disobey you.
Dad, how did he open up to us?
You remember, right?
When he first woke up from his coma and started his physical therapy,
he didn't open up to us at all, right?
Yui and Yuuto were like that, too.
And so were you, just so we're clear.
We're not talking about me here!
It was so long ago, I don't remember.
Is there ever really a single cause for that stuff?
I don't know when he opened up to us,
but I do remember the first time he ate dinner with us.
I remember that, too.
Why was that, again?
I think it was when you got mad at him.
He said he didn't go to elementary school a lot,
but I'll make it so he can.
If anyone tries to bully him,
I'll get them back!
You're kidding!
It's true.
Yui just said that too, right?
She clearly got that from the old you.
Anyway, he overheard that outside the room.
And, from that night on,
he started eating with us.
Did I say that?
Big Sis Nono?
What are you doing?
What are you two doing?
Yuu had to go to the bathroom.
And then we heard you.
I see.
Hey, do you two want Takuru to come back?
Yup.
Of course!
We're family!
And it's me and Yuu who are doing all the cleaning
he's supposed to do!
He needs to pay us back.
We're doing the shopping, too.
That's right! I forgot that!
Yui...
If anybody bullies Yuuto,
get them back!
Y-Yeah, of course.
Episode 2
Sumo Sticker