Tale of the Dead Town by Hideyuki Kikuchi

attack almost made it look like the two of them were in collusion.
    “Okay, next!” said the broadly smirking Pluto VIII. He didn’t look the least bit perturbed.
     In fact, he seemed to be enjoying the brawl. Whatever weird trick he had up his sleeve,
     it made Dr. Tsurugi’s martial arts seem commonplace by comparison.
    The remaining trio of opponents were united by disquiet.
    “What’s the problem? I’ll take the three of you at once. Look . . . ” Both hands hanging
     down by his sides so he was left wide open, Pluto VIII lifted his chin to them as
     if begging them to punch it.
    Howling curses, the two men in their thirties rushed him—one from the front, the other
     from behind. Trusting the abdominal muscles they’d hardened with a deep breath to
     protect them from any odd attack by Pluto VIII, the men had their arms spread wide
     to smash the little guy like a bug. It was a plan of attack that made it plain they
     had little regard for someone of his small stature. In a moment it became clear that
     was a mistake. As the two men came together to crush him, there was no trace of Pluto
     VIII there, and, the instant his form came back to earth some ten feet away, his massive
     assailants fell face first with a force that shook the ground. What the diminutive
     man had accomplished in this battle in the chill sunlight was nothing short of miraculous.
    Nimbly, Pluto VIII turned around. The face of the one young adversary who remained
     was right before him. And it was more bloodless now than when he’d heard D’s name
     mentioned before. “You coming to get some? How ’bout it, sonny?”
    The only reply the young man had for that affable query was a dash in the opposite
     direction.
    Watching the young tough run away without so much as a glance behind him, Pluto VIII’s
     gaze was unexpectedly warm, and then his eyes shifted to the entrance to the bar.
     “What do you think of that? Am I faster than that sword of yours?” His tone was so
     steeped in self-confidence it made the sunlight pale by comparison, but D’s only reply
     was a dark silence. “Well, then, I’m off to see a certain little lady next. You coming
     with me?”
    Giving no answer, D turned away.
    “Buddy, I don’t care how damn good-looking you are, you gotta get a bit more sociable.
     I tell you, women these days are interested in what’s inside a man.” Cackling in a
     way that made it clear he was pleased with himself, even Pluto VIII couldn’t be sure
     if his words had reached the black-clad figure whose back was now dwindling in the
     distance.
    -
    II
    -
    Afew minutes later, Mayor Ming was greeting a visitor in black.
    “Why didn’t you tell me about the house?”
    The mayor recoiled from the serene tone in spite of himself. “What house?”
    “Where they found your daughter. It seems it was the home of the girl who’s in the
     hospital—Lori.”
    “That’s right,” the mayor said casually. “I didn’t divulge that particular information
     because I didn’t think it particularly vital. Did something happen?”
    “I don’t know exactly what happened, but someone was in there. I believe they were
     looking for something.”
    “What kind of character was it?” The mayor’s eyes glittered with curiosity.
    “There’s no point getting into it. Have any of the townspeople shown any particular
     interest in that house?”
    “Can’t see how they could. The place is supposed to be locked up tight as a drum.”
    “Do you know of anyone in town with a talent for molecular intangibility?” asked D.
    The mayor didn’t answer.
    “What was Lori Knight’s family researching there?”
    “He was merely . . . ” the mayor began to say, but then he grew silent. A thin breath
     whispered from his lips. “For the longest time the Knights’ experiments were the source
     of some concern for folks around town. Not their results, per se. It was simply that
     no one could grasp what they might be doing in there. As