Episode One: The Garden of Eden
Client:
Natsuki Yamamoto, age 11
Request:
“Why did Adam and Eve eat the apple?”
Consultant:
Professor Kintoki — age unknown, occupation unknown
Accompanying Members:
Ichiko Kuno — age unknown, Director of the Detective Agency
A Parakeet — age unknown, bird
Advertisement:
“We will find the answers to any mystery you wish to know.
All services are free of charge.”
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We solve any mystery.
No charge.
The Kunoichi Detective Agency
The shop stood on the main street of an old post town known as “Ko-Edo (Little Edo),” squeezed between a traditional Japanese sweets shop and a secondhand antiques store. Tourists passed by one after another, gazing with curiosity at the Edo-period streetscape, but almost all of them wore puzzled expressions when they noticed the out-of-place words written on the signboard standing on the sidewalk.
Older passersby showed little reaction. Most pretended not to see it at all, and looked away in another direction.
Young couples, on the other hand, chatted cheerfully as they walked past.
“They say they solve any mystery. And it’s free. Sounds suspicious, doesn’t it?”
“Totally weird. Free means there’s got to be a catch. Kinda scary.”
“Any mystery, huh? Maybe they’ll help with school test questions.”
“Do you think they’d tell us what’s at the edge of the universe?”
“Or if we’re compatible?”
“That’s fortune-telling, not detective work. Ha ha.”
Groups of trendy young people—who made you wonder why they were interested in the Edo period at all—often stopped by as well.
“Hey, look at this. That’s hilarious.”
“No way, seriously? Isn’t this kinda dangerous?”
“This is super sketchy.”
“Let’s take a photo! Yeah!”
It was middle-aged couples who spoke in philosophical tones.
“Hm. Do you think they could tell me what life is all about, in the first place?”
“Yes… the years we’ve spent together must have meaning, don’t you think?”
“You’re right. Thanks to you, I’ve had a good life.”
“I hope we can come back together again next year.”
But the sign was not there to entertain passersby or enjoy their reactions.
The director of the detective agency chose her clients.
Only those who possessed both a pure heart—free from suspicion, fear, mockery, or doubt—and a truly desperate question, serious enough to bring to a dim, unfamiliar shop to ask a stranger, were accepted as clients.
The chance of such a person passing by was rare. About once every two months.
In the three years since the agency opened, there had been seventeen clients. Ten were children under fifteen. Four were teenagers. Only two were adults.
Occasionally, people who were clearly just fooling around would slide open the lattice glass door laughing, thinking, There’s nothing scary if we go in together. But they would end up wasting their time. No one appeared to greet them in the empty shop. The only response was the shrill, unsettling laughter of a ring-necked parakeet inside a birdcage tucked away in a corner. Startled and uncomfortable, they would mutter, “That was creepy,” and leave.
Only when someone who truly met the conditions timidly slid open the door would a hoarse, high-pitched voice echo through the shop.
“Welcome!”
It was the parakeet, flapping its wings happily.
Late June. On a Sunday when summer heat arrived all at once, the main street was bustling with tourists holding handkerchiefs and fans. At last, the parakeet’s voice echoed through the cool, dim shop again.
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Natsuki gently slid open the lattice glass door. It moved more smoothly than she expected, opening wide enough for her to slip through. Before she could even think Oh?, her left foot—and then her right—moved on their own, carrying her inside the dim interior.
She surprised herself. What am I doing?
The ceiling was high. The room felt empty. From outside, the shop looked small and narrow, but inside it was astonishingly spacious. In the center of the earthen floor stood a round wooden table with an old-fashioned black rotary telephone on top. Two chairs with spiral-shaped legs sat beside it. That was all.
Ahead was a raised tatami room, one step higher than the floor.
It feels like an old country house, Natsuki thought.
Suddenly, a voice rang out behind her.
“WEL-COOOOME!”
Startled, she turned around. Inside a large birdcage, a bright green bird swayed on its perch. A black ring circled its neck, and its red, curved beak moved as it muttered something.
“It’s beautiful,” Natsuki murmured.
As if answering her, the bird spoke again.
“WEL-COOOOME! WEL-COOOOME!
IF YOU HAVE BUSINESS, PLEASE TALK ON THE TELEPHONE!”
The voice sounded like that of a middle-aged man.
“Huh…?”
Natsuki looked at the black rotary phone on the table. A lace cover was wrapped around the receiver.
She hesitated.
What number am I supposed to dial? Maybe I should just leave…
“PLEASE TALK ON THE TELEPHONE,” the parakeet urged more loudly.
Without thinking, Natsuki replied, “O-okay,” and lifted the receiver to her ear. Immediately, a cheerful young woman’s voice came through.
“Hello. May I have your name and age, please?”
“Ah—yes. I’m Natsuki Yamamoto. I’m eleven.”
“So, Natsuki-chan. Are you in elementary school?”
“Yes. Sixth grade.”
“What mystery would you like to solve?”
The conversation jumped straight to the point. Natsuki took a deep breath and, having made up her mind, spoke the question that had been troubling her.
“Why… why did Adam and Eve eat the apple?”
“I see. That is a mystery. Let’s ask Professor Kintoki. Professor Kintoki, please… Professor!”
Another voice answered, slightly flustered, sounding like a gentle middle-aged man—remarkably similar to the parakeet’s voice.
“Oh, me? I see. Um, Natsuki-chan, was it? I’m Kintoki. Nice to meet you. Tell me—why do you want to know the answer?”
Natsuki was usually shy and anxious around strangers, but for some reason, the voice reminded her of a kind father. She swallowed, then began to explain why she had come.
“My mom read me a picture book called Bible Stories. At the beginning, Adam and Eve—who God created—ate fruit they were told not to eat. Because of that, they had to leave the Garden of Eden, and people started to grow old and die. Their descendants suffered from sickness and hardship. My dad died of illness three years ago. I was born unable to produce insulin, so I have to give myself injections every day, and it hurts a lot. And in Africa, so many children die every day from hunger. Even rich countries fight wars and discriminate against others. There’s bullying at school too… Isn’t all of that Adam and Eve’s fault? I got angry thinking about it. If they hadn’t done that, everyone could have lived happily. Why did they disobey God? There were so many delicious fruits in Eden—why did they eat the one they weren’t allowed to eat?!”
“Hm… You sound very angry, Natsuki-chan. If you could meet Adam and Eve, what would you ask them?”
“I’d ask them why they did something so foolish. I’d tell them how much trouble we’re in now.”
“I see. That’s a serious question indeed. Director—ah, I mean, yes… understood.”
After conferring with someone nearby, Kintoki continued.
“Alright. We’ll answer your question. Please hang up the phone and wait right where you are. Do your best.”
The call ended.
Natsuki remained holding the receiver.
‘Do your best’? What does that mean…?
Natsuki looked around the room again while she waited.
The ceiling was very high. Thick, square wooden beams ran across it. The walls were made of wooden boards, and the grain of the wood showed clearly. Because the wood was dark brown, the room felt a little dim. Soft light came in through a small window near the ceiling. There were no electric lights anywhere.
Beyond the dirt floor was a tatami room with nothing placed inside it. Farther back, four pure white sliding doors stood side by side, all closed. No pictures were painted on them. Even though the shop was dark and no light seemed to shine on them, the doors looked as if they were glowing.
Just as Natsuki was thinking that someone might come through those doors, a wooden door behind the parrot’s cage suddenly opened. Someone stepped inside.
It was a young woman wearing a wide-brimmed white hat in a very stylish way. She wore a light blue, short-sleeved dress that looked cool and summery, with an open neckline. A small white shoulder bag hung across her body. At the end of her long, slender legs, red high-heeled shoes sparkled.
“Natsuki-chan, thank you for waiting,” the woman said cheerfully. “My name is Kunō Ichiko. I am the director of the Kunoichi Detective Agency. Nice to meet you.”
It was the same voice as the kind lady from the telephone.
She’s so pretty, Natsuki thought. Suddenly, she felt a little shy about her own clothes—a T-shirt with Hello Kitty on it, striped shorts, and her everyday sneakers.
“Now,” the director said kindly, “we are going to look for the answer to your question. It won’t take very long. But there are a few important rules. I think you’ll be fine, Natsuki-chan, but please listen carefully. What is about to happen must be kept secret. Don’t tell anyone afterward. Not even your mother. Can you promise me that?”
“Yes,” Natsuki answered right away. “I promise. I won’t tell anyone. I’m not very talkative anyway.”
The director smiled and continued.
“And one more thing. Never tell anyone about this detective agency. In other words, don’t say where you found the answer to your mystery. If there is someone you want to tell about this place, don’t explain anything. Just suggest that they walk down the street in front of the shop. If they notice the sign and decide to come in by themselves, then that is fine.”
“I understand,” Natsuki said.
“From now on, please call me ‘Director,’” the woman said gently. “Now, let’s go.”
The woman—no, the Director—took Natsuki’s hand. She slipped off her red high heels and held them, then stepped up onto the tatami floor. Natsuki did the same, taking off her sneakers and following behind her.
“All right,” the Director said softly. “We’re going in.”
“Yes, Director,” Natsuki replied.
The two of them reached for the handles of the sliding doors. Just then, the parrot flew out of its cage and fluttered through the air, landing on the Director’s shoulder. The Director didn’t seem to mind at all. She opened the sliding door on the right.
At the same time, Natsuki opened the sliding door on the left with a little burst of courage.
Together, they stepped forward into a place filled with bright light.
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To be continued.