The Mysterious Mechanical Tale

Fujita visits his family's village and grandmother's grave after a long absence. He is asked to appear at a public hall "Treasure Appraisal Association", and reluctantly agrees. Although he is presented with number of counterfeit works, he buys a metal sake-serving karakuri crab[b] from the Edo period for 5 million yen. However he worries about the warning of its former owner who said that "Who puts this crab close to him, somehow suffers from the heart". Over the next few days, Fujita works late and during the nights he hears disturbing mysterious bells and dreams that he sees a karakuri doll that says its heart was taken. He becomes sick and is take to hospital where he asks Sara to investigate the crab. Sara and Mitamura visit his village and return with another doll which Fujita recognizes as the one from his dream. They had discovered that its main spring was taken to replace one which broken in the karakuri crab.

久し振りに祖母の墓参りをするため、地方都市を訪れたフジタ。そこで従弟の清治に公民館での「お宝鑑定会」への出演を頼まれ、渋々引き受けることに。贋作や摸作の数々に辟易するフジタだったが、ある老人が江戸時代のからくり人形「蟹の盃」を持ってきたため、目の色を変える。 「この蟹を身近に置く者は、なぜか心臓を患うという言い伝えがある」という老人の言葉を気にしつつも、500万円でその人形を買ったフジタ。だがそれ以来、夜中に謎の鈴の音を聞くようになり…。