Far from the quiet neighborhood where the doctor disappeared into the city, another part of Derata was already preparing for an entirely different pursuit. At the edge of the city, several police vehicles remained parked beneath the pale morning sky while officers moved with disciplined efficiency around them.
Inside one of the cars, the police officer sat beside his assistant, speaking with a firmness that left no room for hesitation. He made it clear that the wanted doctor had to be captured before sunset, and although his words were calm, the determination behind them was unmistakable. The assistant understood the seriousness immediately and answered without argument.
Moments later both men entered the vehicle, and within seconds the convoy began moving toward the newer districts of the city. To the officer, the investigation seemed close to its conclusion. Perhaps another week, he believed, and everything would finally return to the way it had been before the Fetus Case disrupted countless lives. Yet even as the cars disappeared into the morning traffic, the city itself seemed unwilling to believe that normality was anywhere close.
Elsewhere in Derata, entirely unaware of the police gradually narrowing their search, Juson slowed his car before a quiet cemetery enclosed by low white walls without even the presence of a gate. The place felt open, almost exposed, yet strangely peaceful beneath the morning light. He stepped out of the car alongside Yokina and Herik, allowing the silence surrounding the grounds to settle over them before they walked any farther.
Only a short distance away, beneath the broad shade of an old tree, someone sat alone upon a weathered bench. Dressed in a black suit and matching trousers, the man held himself with the stillness expected of someone attending a funeral, while a neatly tied bundle of flowers rested beside him. It was Hakiten. His eyes remained fixed upon the ground for several moments before slowly lifting toward the bright sky overhead, where nothing disturbed the silence except the distant songs of birds and the gentle whisper of wind moving through the branches.
Those quiet sounds continued until another rhythm joined them, the measured footsteps of Juson and his family approaching across the pathway. Hakiten shifted his gaze toward the entrance, noticed them immediately, and rose from the bench to meet them, his expression calm despite the thoughts clearly weighing upon him.
Neither Juson nor Hakiten exchanged unnecessary words as they met upon the concrete pavement leading into the cemetery. Yokina, however, stepped forward quietly and apologized to Hakiten for Wanna's death. There was no comforting reply that could lessen such a loss, so Hakiten simply accepted her words in silence before turning and leading them farther inside.
Even while walking, his thoughts refused to leave Genido, lingering stubbornly at the edge of his mind despite the solemn occasion surrounding him. Together they followed the narrow pavement until it gave way once more to open grass, weaving carefully between rows of graves that stretched across the cemetery in every direction.
Yokina found herself reading many of the names carved into weathered stones as they passed. Then, unexpectedly, her eyes stopped upon another grave entirely. The polished stone bore a name she recognized immediately.
Hiori Garen.
The sight rooted her to the spot. She stood motionless beside the grave, unable to look away for several long moments before finally forcing herself onward. Until now she had believed the maid had simply disappeared without explanation, but seeing her name engraved upon a gravestone shattered that assumption completely.
The realization settled heavily inside her, leaving behind a quiet shock that words could not express. Eventually she caught up with the others, who had already reached a small gathering of mourners waiting beneath several trees. Hakiten quietly introduced Juson, Yokina, and Herik to the relatives assembled there.
Among them stood someone Yokina recognized almost instantly. It was Wanna's mother. Without hesitation, Yokina approached her, offered a heartfelt apology, and gently explained that she and Wanna had been childhood friends. While the two women spoke together, Juson and Hakiten exchanged greetings with another man nearby until the funeral finally began.
Two men carefully lifted the coffin and carried it toward the freshly dug grave waiting nearby. The moment Wanna's mother saw the coffin lowered into place, the composure she had struggled to maintain finally broke apart. Tears filled her eyes almost immediately, and quiet sobs escaped despite every attempt to suppress them. Yokina moved beside her without speaking, placing an arm gently around her shoulders in silent support.
Nearby, Juson and Hakiten stood watching the coffin descend. Neither man's face revealed much emotion, yet each remained lost inside thoughts far too complicated to express. Yokina herself could no longer prevent tears from gathering in her own eyes, though she remained silent throughout the ceremony.
Herik, meanwhile, was still too young to fully understand what unfolded before him. He simply observed the adults quietly, sensing only that something serious had happened without truly comprehending death itself. When Juson noticed the small bundle of flowers resting in Herik's hands, he knelt slightly and gently asked him to place them upon the coffin.
After a brief pause, Herik walked obediently toward the grave and released the flowers over the half-buried coffin. He asked no questions and simply followed what everyone else was doing. One after another, the mourners stepped forward to lay their own flowers upon the coffin until, eventually, earth covered it completely and the burial came to an end.
By the time the grave had been filled, the sun stood almost directly overhead, driving most of the mourners beneath the shade of nearby trees. While Yokina remained seated there with Herik, watching quietly from a distance, Juson and Hakiten stayed beside the newly covered grave, carefully assembling the stone structure that would mark Wanna's resting place. Hakiten worked steadily, smoothing damp soil around the foundation while Juson held each heavy stone firmly in position.
The quiet labor continued without conversation until Juson finally hummed softly beneath his breath before speaking almost absentmindedly. He admitted that he had remembered something during the previous night. Hakiten's hands stopped moving instantly. Looking toward Juson, he asked what exactly had returned to his memory. Juson answered without hesitation, explaining that he had recalled the old days and one particular day involving Genido. Hakiten offered no immediate reply. He remained silent until the final stone had been secured before finally answering that they should discuss those memories later, perhaps believing they were nothing more than ordinary recollections from the past. Yet Juson did not let the matter end there.
Moments later he quietly added that he believed they could actually find Genido. Hakiten had already begun stepping away toward the shade, but those words halted him immediately. Turning back, he looked directly at Juson and asked how such a thing could even be possible.
Juson rose slowly to his feet without answering at once. Before speaking, his eyes drifted toward Yokina, who sat peacefully beneath the trees while Herik slept with his head resting across her thighs. Only then did Juson explain that Genido had once told him something long ago. Hakiten turned fully toward him, narrowing his eyes with renewed attention before asking what Genido had said. After a brief pause, Juson answered that Genido had been a pathologist.
The revelation silenced Hakiten for several moments before he finally replied that there were countless pathologists in every city. Juson immediately countered with another question, asking whether Hakiten truly believed Genido had lived somewhere far away. Hakiten answered honestly that he did not. Stepping a little closer, Juson explained his reasoning. During those earlier days, Genido had always arrived at work unusually early, day after day, suggesting he must have lived somewhere close to his workplace rather than traveling a great distance. Hakiten listened without interrupting this time. After releasing a slow breath, he finally asked what Juson expected them to do. Juson placed a reassuring hand upon Hakiten's shoulder and answered that they should search the city for him. Hakiten considered the proposal carefully.
By then the sun had begun slipping behind scattered clouds, softening the harsh afternoon light. After another long silence, Hakiten finally asked where they should begin looking. Juson stepped back, folded one arm beneath the other, and rested his chin thoughtfully upon his hand while considering every possibility. Only after several long moments did he turn back toward Hakiten and quietly declare that they should begin at Riverside Hospital. Hakiten frowned immediately, questioning why they should focus on only one hospital. A faint smile appeared across Juson's face as he answered with another question instead, asking what Riverside Hospital was famous for. Hakiten paused before replying with only two words.
"Pathology Labs."
Understanding dawned across Hakiten's face almost immediately. Still, one concern remained. He asked how they intended to gain access to those laboratories. Juson chose not to answer directly. Instead, he simply instructed Hakiten to call him after returning home. Without lingering beside him any longer, Juson walked back toward Yokina. She had unknowingly fallen asleep beneath the shade while Herik continued resting against her lap. Stopping beside her, Juson gently called her name. She opened her eyes in surprise almost immediately. Waiting until she had fully awakened, he quietly asked whether they could spend a little while with the rest of Wanna's relatives before leaving.
Yokina looked toward the family members gathered nearby beneath the trees, then gently nudged Herik several times until he slowly woke from his sleep. Without wasting another moment, she helped him to his feet, allowing him to lean against her shoulder before all three quietly walked toward the waiting relatives. As they disappeared beneath the shade, silence once again settled over Wanna's grave, though elsewhere, far beyond the peaceful cemetery, events had already begun moving toward something far more dangerous.