The Snow Woman is a type of Yokai known for her abilities revolving around snow and ice. She is the final supernatural being investigated in Operation: Mystery.
History[]
Operation: Mystery[]
Akiko Inoue
Saori Ogawa's friend, Akiko Inoue, received an anonymous letter from her father, Hikojiro Tsunoda, who had been living in seclusion for many years. Akiko mentioned that her father was believed to be deceased, but recently, she had been receiving frequent calls from a "contact person" who persistently inquired about her father's situation. This made her begin to suspect that her father might still be alive. Accompanied by the entire SRI team, they traveled to the location specified in the anonymous letter: Nasu Highlands, where they arranged a five-day stay.
Paintings depicting "Snow Woman".
The entire SRI team, along with Machida, disguised themselves as hotel staff or guests. While ensuring Akiko's safety, they conducted surveillance, waiting for the mysterious "contact person" to appear. Strangely, in the hotel rooms that all originally displayed identical paintings, only the one in Akiko's room had been replaced. The new painting depicted a white woman standing against a mountainous background.
Having been separated from her father for fifteen years and believing him to be deceased, Akiko saw the painting and concluded that her father was still alive, suspecting that he had painted it for her after all these years. To avoid arousing the sender's suspicion, Director Matoya instructed Akiko and Saori to relax at the skating rink. During a break from skating, they received a message from the "contact person," informing Akiko that her father had painted an image of the "Snow Woman" for her and expressed a desire to meet her.
However, terrifying events soon followed. Akiko was threatened by an armed man in the hotel lobby, but fortunately, Maki, disguised as a hotel worker, intervened just in time, allowing Akiko to escape danger temporarily. Following Maki's identification and a joint investigation with Machida, it was discovered that the armed men who had been closing in on Akiko were the four criminals wanted for the Ten'yōdō diamond heist fifteen years ago, where diamonds worth $40 million were stolen. Among them, the fugitive Hikojiro Kakuta—Akiko's father—was the mastermind behind the crime. This was also why Akiko was adopted by her uncle when she was five years old.
It turns out that the entire incident was orchestrated by Tsunoda, who had secluded himself in the mountains to keep the diamonds for himself, planning to hand them over to his daughter, Akiko. The "contact person," Kazuo Kotake, was sent by Tsunoda. The armed men who appeared at the hotel were actually Tsunoda's betrayed accomplices from the diamond theft, seeking to reclaim the diamonds and track down Tsunoda to exact revenge.
Early in the morning, Akiko suddenly awoke in her hotel room to find that the painting of the Snow Woman was melting. As the painting disintegrated, a map was revealed behind it. Surprised but determined, Akiko took the map and left the room. By the stream at the hot spring's source, Akiko retrieved a small pouch from the water. The pouch was filled with diamonds. However, Shinzo Nakamura, one of the masterminds behind the old crime, stealthily approached Akiko. As Akiko realized the danger and stepped back, Kotake suddenly appeared, knocked Nakamura down, and shouted, "I'll make sure you meet your father—now run!" From the shadows, Tsunoda watched as Akiko fled.
When Kotake rescued Akiko from Nakamura and approached Tsunoda, Tsunoda suddenly shot Kotake. He feared that after seeing the diamonds, Kotake would betray him just as he had betrayed his own partners years ago. However, one of the other diamond theft accomplices, Daikichi Sakamoto, relentlessly pursued Akiko. It seemed as though all hope was lost.
Akiko is being hunted by Sakamoto
The SRI team arrived at the scene and asked Kotake about Akiko's whereabouts. Kotake replied, "I won't tell you..." and then died from his injuries. During her escape, Akiko threw the diamonds at Sakamoto, who was chasing her. As she ran across the snowy plain, she called out her mother’s name. At that moment, a woman's laughter was heard, and the Snow Woman appeared in the sky, her figure covering the entire sky.
Seeing the woman floating in the sky, Sakamoto screamed and fled. But soon, the woman's eyes appeared in the sky, relentlessly pursuing Sakamoto. Panicked, Sakamoto saw the woman's long black hair stretching out, her smiling mouth appearing across the sky. Her laughter was everywhere, and Sakamoto could not escape the figure of the woman that pervaded the sky. Sakamoto eventually fell from a waterfall. The Snow Woman coldly observed this and then turned back to the grassy plain where Akiko had fallen. She gently looked down at Akiko before disappearing.
Inspector Machida and Director Matoya arrived at the base of the waterfall where Sakamoto had fallen. At that moment, a gunshot was heard. Machida, who had run to the snowy plain, discovered the fallen Tsunoda, with a handgun beside him. Saori and the others found Akiko, who tearfully told them that it was the Snow Woman who had saved her, saying, "She is my mother!" Director Matoya confirmed, "Yes. The one who protected Akiko was the Snow Woman. She was your mother, who looks just like you."
Maki offered this explanation for the Snow Woman phenomenon: "Sometimes, under certain meteorological conditions, one’s shadow can be projected onto the snow. That’s roughly what the Snow Woman phenomenon is." He added, "However, finding the diamonds scattered across this vast plain is now much more difficult." Misawa, Nomura, and Maki sighed as they searched for the diamonds while walking across the plain.
Trivia[]
- Actress: Michiko Matsuki
Data[]
- Stats
- Height: Infinity
- Weight: Unknown
- Origin: Nasu Highlands, Japan
- Powers and Weapons
- Ice Powers: Like the original Japanese folklore, the Snow Woman can use ice and snow to kill people.
Gallery[]
Operation: Mystery[]
| Operation: Mystery Kaiju | |
|---|---|
| Flesh Eating Moths | Vampire | Murder Dolls | Namakubi | Samurai Phantoms | Frozen Human Okazaki | E-Bat | Snow Woman | |