Black Bile #8 Sumito Mogi (Part 1)

Monday, September 29, 2025

I am in my mother's womb.
My body is curled up.
Just like when a cat is sleeping.
There is something tapping against my lower back.
The sensation gradually grows, eventually becoming an intense pain as if my lower back were being struck by a massive iron hammer.
“Ah! My back hurts!”

I woke up, surprised by my own voice.
It’s not as bad as in the dream, but my lower back feels heavy.
Is it the effect of the highway bus from the day before yesterday? It’s been two days since then. At my age, it makes sense that I’d have muscle pain from something two days ago.
Also, is it that? Does the fact that I had a thick injection needle stuck into my lower back two months ago have an effect?
As you get older, you get into the habit of decoding the signals your body sends one by one.
If I don’t convince myself of each one, I can’t keep up with the aging of my own body.

I stretched in bed.
I tried various positions for about five minutes, focusing on my lower back.
Once the anxiety about the pain finally subsided, I took a shower and decided to eat the half-price bento I bought on my way back from Tochigi yesterday.
My Basket is seriously my savior.
What I bought last night was “Tandoori Chicken and Jambalaya”.
It was an amazing price of ¥199 (excluding tax) at half price.
I half-seriously think that this supermarket is keeping half of my life together.
While washing down the jambalaya with instant coffee, I thought about today’s meeting.
Once all five are gathered, the first thing is to reconfirm everyone’s intentions.
If someone changes their mind here, it will be a disaster.
Chihiro Senkawa said to contact her once confirmation is obtained.
What is the upper management at Mishiro thinking? I’m not good at this kind of secrecy.
Other than that, things will work out as they will.
Thinking that my job ends there, I felt a little, just a very little, bit of loneliness.

Today is easy because it’s a straight shot on the Tokyo Metro Ginza Line.
I thought about taking a taxi, but my war chest is unreliable. On the other hand, I didn’t feel like being stingy with the small fare to take the JR and walk a long distance from Shimbashi while carrying my heavy lower back.
I pictured the route to Toranomon in my head and left my house, calculating backward to arrive at the Starbucks meeting place 10 minutes early.

There are a lot of people in Shibuya on a Monday afternoon.
It must be lunchtime, as people who look like office workers are swarming everywhere.
Maybe I’m actually a lucky person, being able to eat a cheap daily set meal at the company cafeteria.

There were no train delays, and the Metro arrived at Toranomon Station at 12:45.
As I wandered around after leaving the ticket gate looking for Starbucks, I saw the back of a girl with a silhouette I recognized.
If I call out to her and it’s someone else, they might call the police.
I’ll stay put for now.
The girl turned around. My guess was right.
“Oh, Dobashi-saaan!!!”
It’s Hii-chan, waving her hands and shouting loudly. She runs toward me.
A few passing salarymen stop at the high-pitched voice echoing through the office district station. Everyone is looking at Hii-chan. She might be an unusual presence in this city.
Hii-chan stopped in front of me.
“It seems like it stands out in this station when a cute girl shouts loudly.”
Hii-chan looked around, then turned red.
“TPO is important. I’ll carve that into my heart!”
“Anyway, it’s been a while.”
“Eh, it’s only been four days, right?”
“A lot has happened on my end.”
“Ah, that’s right. You persuaded everyone, didn’t you?”
Come to think of it, she was the easiest to persuade.
Four days ago feels like a long, long time ago.
“Well, it’s fine. Come on, let’s go to the meeting place.”

As I mostly expected, we arrived at the Toranomon Starbucks at 12:50, 10 minutes before the meeting time.
“Who is here?”
“Who are the members faithful to the meeting time?”
“Let’s see, Kanna and Jinjin are here before the time. The loose one is probably Kokoro.”
“I see. Will we be misunderstood if the two of us go in?”
“No way!” I was slapped on the back.
Before finding the entrance, I spotted the members inside the store.
“No way!? Everyone is here!”
The four members of Kurotan were gathered in a corner of the back of the store where a large table is placed.
“Seriously?”
“You don’t have to be that surprised.”
“No, next to Kanna...”
I said as I entered the store.
“Since we happened to be together, I’ll treat you to a drink.”
“Lucky! There’s a limited-time one I wanted to drink, is that okay?”
“Sure.” Am I a failure as a working adult for worrying about the contents of my wallet while saying that?
What Hii-chan ordered was a drink with a bear-shaped chocolate on top of white cream.
I don’t quite understand it, but the hojicha latte I drank at the Starbucks I went to with Haihai the other day was surprisingly delicious, so the drink with the bear on it must be reasonably delicious too.
I let Hii-chan walk ahead.
“Wow, is everyone doing well?” “Long time no see.” “Did you lose weight?” “It’s Hii-chan!” “Did you gain weight instead?” Everyone is saying what they want.
I approached while hesitating.
“Thank you for your help yesterday.” Kokoro stood up and bowed to me.
“I mean, what happened?”
“Eh, what?” Kokoro replied while sitting down to Hii-chan’s question.
“Because, before, it was impossible for Kokoro to sit next to Kanna!”
She must be quite surprised. Hii-chan has been keeping her eyes wide open, looking back and forth between Kanna and Kokoro.
“Ah, that...”
Since Kokoro seemed to find it hard to say, I offered a helping hand to show I’m quick on the uptake.
“Did you talk properly about that thing yesterday?”
“Yeah.”
Nodding, Kokoro looked at Kanna.
Kanna is suppressing a smile, looking embarrassed.
“Eh, what, what? Am I the only one left out?”
Kanna opened her mouth.
“I’ll explain properly later. For now, I’ll just say that we had an overwhelming reconciliation.”
“Eh, what, seriously? Does that mean a favorite couple has been born within the group???”
Hii-chan suddenly became high-tension with a mysterious theory.

After spending some time talking about the joy of reuniting and the surprise that Kanna x Kokoro had reconciled, and once the tension had settled down a bit, I called out to everyone.
“I gathered you here for a final confirmation.”
I could tell that everyone suddenly fell silent and held their breath.
“Raise your hand if you agree to the reformation of ‘Black Bile’.”
I said it with a pounding heart, but everyone’s hands went up smoothly.
“Okay, next. Raise your hand if you want to renew the contract that expires tomorrow and engage in activities for two years starting from October 1st, the day after tomorrow.”
Everyone’s hands went up for this as well.
“Thank you, I’m kind of moved. The job I’ve been entrusted with probably ends here. Everyone, it was a short time, but thank you.”
I teared up a little while saying that. I don’t want to get old.
“Um...”
Kanna opened her mouth apologetically.
“There’s one thing I’m not quite convinced about. Maybe it’s just me.”
Having my emotion dampened, I reset my feelings and faced Kanna.
“What is it?”
“At this stage, we don’t know Mogi-san’s safety, or rather, what he’s doing. Even if the reformation and contract renewal are fine, what are we supposed to do and how should we proceed with activities from here on?”
“That’s it! Kanna posted about it when we were on hiatus, but Kurotan was run by the producer’s one-man operation.”
Hii-chan joins in on Haihai’s words.
“That’s right, costumes aside, the producer has all the sound sources, and he was the one making appointments for live shows, and first of all, what about the money?”
Jinjin responds immediately.
“If there’s no guarantee, I won’t do it.”
“There it is, Jinjin’s ‘The end of money is the end of the relationship’!”
“Hii-chan, you’re saying too much!”
“This is a positive opinion! Kanna, please be quiet.”
Now that I think about it, I haven’t been told what happens after the reformation and contract renewal are finished.
“Come to think of it, I forgot that I was told to contact her once I got everyone’s consent.”
“Tell us that sooner, doesn’t Mishiro-san have some kind of plan?”
Kokoro made a calm retort.
That’s true.
In the first place, this project came from Mishiro.
That huge production company wouldn’t move forward with things without any plan.

When everyone, including me, started thinking about something with distant eyes, my smartphone signaled an incoming call.
The name displayed is Chihiro Senkawa.
Tension ran through the room.
I pressed the answer button, put it on speaker mode, and placed the smartphone in the center of everyone.
“Hello, is this Dobashi-san? This is Senkawa.”
“Good work.”
“Have you obtained consent?”
“Yes. I did a final confirmation with everyone gathered here.”
“I understand. Thank you for your hard work.”
“Um, Chihiro-san.”
“The next mission is in a different location. Please bring everyone there. There is a discussion about the future. Tomorrow, September 30th at 15:00, please gather at the day room on the 2nd floor of Toranomon Hospital Building 2. That is all.”
The call was cut off before I could understand what was happening.

A silence incomparable to before covered the place.
The hustle and bustle of the store passed through my ears, and a non-existent silence drifted around us.
It was Kokoro who broke the ice.
“If it’s a hospital, the producer is alive... right?”
“Does that mean he was hospitalized? If so, why now?”
Kanna followed up as if sulking.
Hearing the word hospital, my lower back ached.
“For now, we’ll know if we go, right? I think it’s better not to think too much about it.” Hii-chan lightened the mood with a bright voice.
That may be so, but what is this, gathering us and then telling us to gather again tomorrow?
“Sorry, even though I had you all gather, it turns out we have to gather again tomorrow.”
“That was the plan from the beginning, right? To get consent by today and gather tomorrow. Jinjin said she was going to a real estate agent today.”
“Ah, are you seriously planning to decide on that property?”
The haunted property in Shibuya. The room I couldn’t step into even one step.
“Yes, I’m strong with those kinds of things.”
“I feel like Jinjin is protected by a great existence, so she’ll probably be fine.”
Haihai started saying something scary and incomprehensible. Moreover, she is making a funny face.
“But why the afternoon? It could be in the morning, right? Idol fans are busy!”
“There are consultations in the morning, so those kinds of talks are usually in the afternoon.”
“Hmm. I wanted to go to the Shibuya joint gig...”
“Hey. This is a matter concerning your own future, so prioritize this.”
“Yes! I won’t go against Kokoro-sensei!”
I didn’t want to waste this time now that everyone is gathered.
“Since we’re here, can I ask everyone the questions I’ve felt over the past few days?”
“What, questions?” Kanna replied.
“There are various questions about your group. How should I put it, it’s hard to put into words.”
“Please say whatever comes to mind, I’ll take notes.”
As she said that, Jinjin took out a notebook and pen.
“Yo, as expected of the theorist!” Haihai teased.
“Let’s see... starting with the group name.”
“It’s kind of chuunibyou-ish and good, isn’t it? It feels like I could eat many bowls of rice just with the group name.”
“Well, leaving Hii-chan aside, I heard the group name was born from a typo, and I explain that to people around me too.” Kanna explained. The surrounding members are nodding respectively. This must be the common understanding.
“I also first mistook this group name for ‘short gun’ when I heard it on the phone.”
“Well, it’s hard to understand as an idol group name. If it were a short gun like a firearm, it might seem like something a rock idol would have, but ‘gallbladder juice’ doesn’t make sense.” Kokoro explained.
“But in the warring states period of underground idols, it’s also important to stand out even just with the group name.”
“Oh, Hii-chan’s idol fan explanation is relatable.” Haihai teased.
An honest impression slipped out of my mouth.
“What the problem with this is, there’s actually no problem at all.”
“But well, if it kills time until tomorrow, that’s fine, isn’t it?” Jinjin stated a calm opinion.
“That’s right. I also have things I want to ask the other members.”
“I see, Kanna is the only scouted member, so there are things you don’t know.”
I remembered. Not all five of them have experienced auditions. Only Kanna was scouted.
“Thanks, Kokoro, that reminded me. About the audition. I heard it from Jinjin the other day.”
“Eh, I don’t know anything about the audition.”
“Because, Kanna, you didn’t really chat with us before, right? Especially with me.” Kokoro is pouting. I realized this wasn’t opposition, but acting spoiled.
“I’m reflecting on it a lot. But we reconciled, right?”
“But, we talked a lot about improving our performance, right? Kanna was shining even from an idol fan’s perspective.”
“I don’t feel bad when Hii-chan says that.”
“Is it about the audition application requirements?”
Jinjin calmly brought the conversation back.
“Yes, yes. ‘Age, appearance, experience not required.’ I can understand up to that point. By adding ‘must be healthy’ to that, the meaning becomes completely incomprehensible. Furthermore, according to what I heard from Jinjin, out of 150 applicants, the majority, about 140, were rejected by document screening. At this point, I’m at a loss.”
Looking at these application requirements, would a person with health concerns apply?
“It means they were rejected just by their profile, right?”
“Oh, the time has come for Jinjin, who loves mysteries, to show her true worth.”
“Please be quiet for a moment, Inugami-sensei.”
“Yes, I’ll be quiet. ...Ah, I remembered! Jinjin thought of the stage name Inugami for me, right?”
“That’s irrelevant right now, isn’t it?”
“It might be relevant! I thought about making it Inugami Runa, but the producer rejected it.”
“Come to think of it, that’s right. The producer decided all the stage names and nicknames, didn’t he?”
“Only Inugami passed... no, that was close. I’m grateful to Jinjin for giving me a cool name.”
“Runa was rejected, though.”
“What does it mean that Runa was a no, but Hina was a yes?”
I have no idea at all.
“Anyway, it means that those who passed have common points that you can see if you look at their profiles.”
Jinjin returned to detective mode again.
“Dobashi-san, do you have any of our materials?”
“Ah, I have them, your profiles.”
I said as I took out the documents for the five of them from my bag and placed them on the table.
At that moment, a blow hit my lower back.
“Ah!” I gasped.
“Seriously, this is why you’re an old man... fine, Hii-chan will write a protective charm for you. Dobashi-san, give me your business card.”
“Can’t be helped, don’t misuse it.”
“I already misused the business card I got the other day.”
“Hey, seriously! What did you do?”
“Just kidding, here, lend me your pen too... let’s see, like this and like this.”
As she said that, Hii-chan wrote decorations that looked like they would be on a protective charm on the back of the business card.
“And, I’ll write the characters in the middle... let’s see, youtsuu... what kind of character is ‘koshi’ (lower back)? The right side is this, right?”
She wrote “要” (you) while saying that.
“The right side is...”
“It’s ‘tsuki’ (moon), as a radical it’s ‘nikuzuki’ (flesh radical).” Kokoro teaches Hii-chan.
“Ahaha, my lack of education was exposed here.”
At this moment, my brain caught some kind of radio wave.
What is this sensation?
The surrounding sounds faded away.
My field of vision narrowed, and I was focused only on the charm Hii-chan was writing.
I felt like time had stopped.

“...san, Dobashi-san! Hey, masochist!”
“Ha!”
I saw it!
What is common to these five.
“Seriously, I can’t deal with it if you end up in the hospital too.”
“I got it!”
“Ah, you finally came back. I was about to bring an AED.”
“Not that, I understood what is common to you all.”
“No way? What is it?”
“Take a look at this.”
I pointed to the profiles of the five people I had taken out and placed on the table earlier.

“Okay, it’s a story I heard from Jinjin, but when the audition ended and the passing members were decided, Mogi-san said this, right? ‘Now the luck (tsuki) is gathered.’”
“Yes. If my memory serves me correctly.”
“He did say that.” “Hii-chan remembers too.” “Wow, I just remembered, he said it, he said it.” The members other than Kanna also remembered.
“I thought it meant luck (tsuki) as in good fortune, but look closely. Everyone’s real names.”
“Ah!” Jinjin shouted loudly.
“Be quiet for a moment.” Kokoro warns her.
“Sorry. Hey, everyone, pay attention to the name part of your real names. Everyone has the character for ‘moon’ (tsuki) in it, right?”
Kanna is checking the names on the documents by pointing at them, her eyes wide with surprise.
“Oboro, Nozomi, Kozue, Iku, Tomo... ah, ah, indeed! But...”
I, who was ecstatic at the discovery, answered feeling like I had become a god.
“But, what is it?”
“What... is that?”
What is it? Hmm, what could it be?
Jinjin supplements my delusion.
“If we infer from this, it might be safe to say that we, who have names with ‘moon’ in them, were chosen with a very high probability.”
“I think the story about the producer deciding even the nicknames earlier is related to this.” Hii-chan’s eyes are shining.
“Shall we try to connect them?” Jinjin started rolling up her sleeves.
“Things related to ‘moon’. The producer who seems to be ill, and then...”
Kokoro suddenly raised her hand.
“Yes! Can I say something I was curious about too? Dobashi-san, do you have the jacket and lyrics for the new song?”
“Ah, I have them.”
I said as I took them out of my bag and placed them on the table.

“The motif in the background of the jacket, I’ve been curious about it for a long time, but these are human organs, right?”
Everyone except Kokoro, who brought it up, is blank.
“Okay? I’ll start from the easy parts. In the center, this is clearly a heart, right? The bottom left is the left and right kidneys. The bottom right looks like a stomach, but it’s a liver. From here it becomes a bit of a stretch, but the wing-like things on the top right are the left and right lungs, and the top left is the spleen.”
“Eh, eh? Wait a minute, I can’t keep up with this.” Kanna’s eyes are wide open.
“Can I continue and say it all at once? Next, I want you to pay attention to the lyrics. The English part in the chorus.”

“Everyone, didn’t you think this chorus was hard to sing?”
“I totally get it. It’s like I can’t quite get into it.”
“Right? Kanna, you sing the start of the chorus a lot, so you knew, right?”
“I was putting my effort into what kind of funny face to make during the chorus.”
“Hey, were you thinking about that?”
“Sorry Kanna, I don’t have many singing parts in this song.”
Kokoro brought it back just as the conversation was about to go off track.
“And so, look at the lyrics carefully. In order of appearance, Spleen, Kidneys, Lungs, Heart, Liver.”
“So that’s why. Liver and River are mixed in the same song, I thought it was a typo and told Mogi-san, but he replied that it was fine.”
“Ah!!!”
Jinjin shouted even louder than before.
It was enough to make the store quiet for a moment.
“This corresponds to everyone’s nicknames!”
“Eh, what does that mean???”
Hii-chan seems to have stopped thinking with her eyes almost rolled back.
“Kanna is liver, I, Jinjin, am kidneys, Haihai is lungs, Kokoro is heart, and Hii-chan, who had her name forcibly changed, is spleen. You tried to name her Runa at first, right?”
It was a masterpiece of deduction.
It feels like the mysteries hidden in Black Bile are peeling off their veils one by one here.

However, among the table seats where excitement was swirling, there was one person who had a different feeling.
Hii-chan, who seemed to have returned to her senses while slowly shaking her head, brought down the witch’s blow.

“But, so what? Where is the mystery?”

With Hii-chan’s words, the mystery regarding Black Bile deepened even further.
The group name, nicknames, organs, and the lyrics of “Crimson Fire”.
Everything draws a single circle.
However, only the meaning of it is unknown to anyone.

Tomorrow.
Will something change at the hospital?
Will something be revealed?

Reformation deadline day (Clear)
War chest, remaining ¥2,328