CrossRoad – The Past
Third Road: Truth
That day in the preschool finally ended. She happily ran towards the entrance, looking forward to another day of playing with her sister. She was busy with her own studies but she always get her from school and play with her before going home, and it was something that she really enjoyed doing.
Reaching the entryway, she saw her sister's open arms, a wide smile playing in her lips. She jumped in her arms, laughing happily.
"Onee-chan!"
Her sister patted her head fondly. "How's your day, Mari-chan?" she asked her.
The five-year-old girl Mari pulled away and smiled brightly at her sister. "Sensei said I'm a good singer!"
Her sister giggled. "Ehhh~ then you have to sing for us when we got home later, 'kay? I know Dad would like to hear your voice."
Mari nodded greedily with a bright smile. "Hai! I will! But will we play in the park today?"
The 10-year-old girl nodded with a smile. "Of course, so let's go!"
She jumped happily and held her sister's hand as they walked along towards the park near their neighbourhood.
Her sister's primary school was near to the park so she took her there since she said it was a nice.
They played by the slide, monkey bars, sand box, and more. The last thing they did was the swing. Little Mari was swinging with her sister pushing her when she heard her sister's name being called by someone.
"Satomi-chan!"
Her sister stopped swinging the swing where she was in and looked on the newcomer. She saw her smiled softly and waved. "Satoshi-kun!"
The young boy—her sister's age— she guessed, smiled and held a hand in front of him in greeting. "Yo!"
Satomi acknowledged with a smile of her own. "What are you doing here?"
The boy scratched his head. "Well, I'm on an errand. My mother asked me to buy soy sauce from the nearest supermarket." He explained. "On my way home, I saw you here so I called out."
"Hmm…" Satomi hummed.
Mari looked at the both of them confused as they talked in front of her. Noticing her younger sister's stare, Satomi jumped. "Ah! My sister… Mari." She introduced, gesturing to her.
The five-year-old saw the boy stare at her for a while before letting out a smile and looking at her closely. "Hi! My name is Ohno Satoshi. You can call me Satoshi-nii if you want."
Mari shook her head. "I don't want to. It's too long."
Satomi laughed. "Mari-chan…"
The little girl pouted. Ohno patted her head. "Then you can call me whatever you want…"
Mari seemed to be thinking. After a few seconds, she looked up to him and smiled brightly. "Sa-chan!"
The boy's eyes widened but a few seconds passed and he smiled. He ruffled the hair of the little girl and straightened up. He looked down at her with a grin. "Sounds like a girl's nickname but if that's what you want, you'll be the only one allowed to call me that."
The little girl smiled brightly. "Sa-chan, are you my sister's boyfriend?"
At the sudden question, the two ten-year-old kids blushed as Satomi looked at her sister in surprise. "Mari-chan!"
"Hm?"
"Where did you learn that?"
"Tsukasa-sensei said that he is Tsukushi-sensei's boyfriend so…"
Satomi fought the urge to slap her forehead. She was going to talk to her sister's teachers tomorrow. Satoshi laughed.
"It's okay, Satomi-chan. I don't mind."
Satomi stared at her classmate in shock. "What?"
"I said, I don't mind since it's true. We are friends and I'm a boy, you're a girl… so you are like my girlfriend."
Satomi fought the urge to slap her forehead for a second time. She stared at the two figures in front of her. They were both playing in the swings without her.
She smiled. She couldn't believe that they will get along so well.
Well, in a way, they were somewhat alike.
"Onee-chaaaan! Let's play with Sa-chaaaan!" her sister's shrill voice interrupted her thoughts and she ran towards them. How did they go from in front of her towards the slides that fast?
She shook her head and ran towards them. "But Mari-chan, Satoshi-kun needs to go home now to give back the soy sauce to his mother!"
Satoshi shook his head. "It's okay. My house is near here. I can run fast towards home and return to play with you guys, if Mari-chan would allow me to."
Mari nodded enthusiastically. "Hai!"
Satomi smiled. Well… at least Mari seemed to like her crush.
…
Mari woke up with the smell of coffee lingering near her. She slowly opened her eyes and saw that it was the ray of the sun that was making her eyes hurt. She blinked lightly and settled her vision around the room. She seemed to be alone.
She tried to sit up on her own but she winced. It was still painful to move her arms, so she gave up and stayed still. Her thoughts came to her dream.
So that was the first time she met Ohno Satoshi.
How come she didn't remember him?
Her sister also didn't mention anything about him. There was no way she wouldn't know. Ohno Satoshi was a national idol. Well… for at least five years since Arashi's debut. He was twenty-three, just like her sister.
She sighed. Maybe because he was a national idol that it's just wasn't the same anymore.
She looked towards the window. It was bright outside, she realized. She couldn't believe that she was alive. She thought she would die the night before.
Everything happened in just a blink of an eye. Everything that she has, had, was now… gone.
Her home…
Her family…
Her education…
Her first love…
All because of something which she didn't even know.
All she knew was that someone was trying to kill them.
But who?
Why?
As far as she knew, her family didn't do anything wrong. They did their best to be useful to people.
She gripped her sheets. Maybe that was the reason.
Being in a high class family, they weren't supposed to mingle with low and middle class people, but her family was trying their best to change that.
They tried to make at least a difference.
However, it didn't work. It became much worse.
She didn't know what was wrong and right anymore.
She thought she would cry again so she gripped her necklace. Her sister's necklace keeps her calm, even though it was really Ohno-san who gave it to her.
The door opened and she turned around. She was surprised to see him on the door and coming in towards her bed.
"You're awake." He said with a smile. "Good morning."
She slowly nodded in acknowledgement. "Good morning."
He offered the cup of coffee he was holding in his right hand. "Want some coffee?"
She looked at him confused and he smiled encouragingly. She couldn't help but return the gesture. "Okay, I'll accept the offer, Ohno-san."
Ohno nodded and placed his own cup of coffee on the table next to her bed. He helped her sit up first and set up the table on the bed. After that, he went outside to get her a coffee. It wasn't for long that he returned and laid the cup of coffee in front of her.
He sat down on the chair next to her bed as they took a sip from their own coffee cups.
It was warm, Mari thought. She wasn't a fan of coffee, but drinking right now made her feel normal.
Like everything was normal.
"Mari-chan?"
She heard his voice and turned to him. He was looking at her straightforwardly, with a soft expression.
"Yes?"
"How do you feel right now?"
She tried to smile. "I feel better, Ohno-san. After crying my heart out before I fell asleep, I think it really helped. Thanks for asking."
He nodded. "That's good."
Silence followed and their coffee was almost done when Ohno spoke. "If…"
Mari glanced at him. "If… you don't have somewhere to go… I want you to come with me."
Her eyes widened.
"Ohno-san…"
"Don't take me wrong. I'm not really doing this just because you're Satomi-chan's sister but…"
He placed his cup down on the table and held a hand towards her. "…it's because I consider you as my sister ever since we met that day."
Mari turned away from him. He was so kind. He remembered. He was still the same 'Sa-chan' he met.
She breathed deeply and gathered the courage to look in his eyes. "Ohno-san… I…"
"You can stay with my family. I'll tell them the situation. They knew Satomi-chan so they will understand."
"But… I don't want to get you into trouble." She reasoned.
He shook his head. "No you're not. Believe me."
She weighed her options.
"But… I'm being targeted. I don't want your family to be at risk because of me."
Ohno shook his head. "No worries. You're going to hide. The people who were targeting you thought that you were dead." He said. "They probably saw you being hit by Sho-kun's car so…"
She nodded slowly, understanding the situation. He had a point. "As long as you're going to hide, there will be no problems."
The 18-year-old looked at her lap, deep in thought. Ohno stared at her. "Well?"
She turned to him. "Okay. But I'll move out if I managed to find a place to hide."
Ohno sighed but accepted. It was better than to make her change her mind and refuse.
The woman smiled brightly. "Thank you very much, Ohno-san."
The man shook his head. "Will you please stop calling me with such formality? You used to call me 'Sa-chan' before."
Mari blushed in embarrassment. "But it's a childhood nickname. You're a national idol now. It doesn't suit you."
Ohno smiled. "I see. But I prefer you call me a different name. I feel uncomfortable with the formality."
"Then…" Mari averted her gaze shyly. "…Satoshi nii-san. Just like what you want me to call you before."
"Better." He nodded. "Though, I would like it a bit more informal."
Mari smiled a little. "I'll try my best."
"I'll look forward to it."
They both smiled and chuckled.
"Anyway, what time is it?" Mari asked, wondering.
Ohno looked at his phone. "Oh, it's almost 8 already."
"That early?" Mari asked.
"Yeah, but we have a variety shoot at ten in the morning so I think I'd better go."
Mari nodded. "Yes, I think so."
Ohno stood up and waved at her. "Eat what the nurse will bring you, alright?"
She nodded with a salute. "Yes, nii-san." The man chuckled, at least she was cheerful.
"We'll come back here right after the shoot to plan on what we're going to do from now on." He told her. "Until then, take plenty of rest."
She smiled in response. "Thank you so much and take care."
"Yeah, you too."
The door closed and Mari was alone in the room again. She was grateful to Ohno's kindness, though she still couldn't believe it that the leader of Arashi, Ohno, considered her as his younger sister.
It was an honor.
Amazing.
She turned to the window and smiled. She basked in the sunlight and tried to forget unwanted thoughts even for a little bit.
…
Ohno entered the green room with some time to spare. The studio of Shiyagare was quite far from the hospital but he was glad his manager managed to make it in time.
The others were already there, wearing their costumes. They greeted him in unison as soon as he entered.
"Leader!" Aiba said. "You're finally here!"
Ohno nodded and prepared himself to be dressed up by the staff. He apologized for being late, in which the staff dismissed.
They didn't talk about Mari in the green room since there were still staffs inside. Who knows who might be listening in? After all, the woman was being targeted.
The members were doing their usual routine; Nino was playing with his DS, Aiba was eating a slice of strawberry shortcake, MatsuJun was scanning his phone, probably searching about something and Sho was reading a newspaper.
When Ohno was done preparing and all dressed up, the staff said they still have ten minutes before the shoot so they were left alone inside their green room. As soon as the staff left, the members except the youngest turned to Ohno and asked, "How is she?" that was Sho.
He smiled at him. "She's going to be fine. She's quite cheerful when I left."
Sho nodded. "That's good."
MatsuJun looked at them in confusion. "Who are you talking about?"
The oldest in the room gazed at them. "You haven't told him yet?" he asked.
They nodded. "We're waiting for you." Nino replied with a shrug. He sighed and settled comfortably on a sofa.
"Then talk Nino. Inform MatsuJun of what happened last night."
The youngest rose his thick eyebrow. "Hn? What is it?" he asked as he locked his phone and placed it in his bag.
Nino exchanged glances with Sho and the latter gestured Nino to start. He just didn't want to say it… heck, he didn't even want to remember. He already asked his manager to help him sell his car in order to buy another one.
After a few moments…
MatsuJun placed his hands on both of his hips. "Let me get this straight. So… you were saying that… on your way home, Sho-kun hit a woman with his car?"
"Yes." Nino replied.
"…and then, it turns out she's still alive so you brought her to the hospital?"
"Yes."
"…and then, you realized there is someone who wants to kill her?"
A nod.
"…and then, you guys called Ohno-san and Aiba-san to cancel on the fishing trip but in the end, they got worried and went in the hospital… only to discover that Leader knew that woman?"
Sho nodded this time. Nino was making a face.
"How come I didn't know this?"
"Sorry, we know you have a meeting this morning so we want you to have at least the time to rest."
"We really did plan to tell you today."
The youngest sighed and nodded. "Okay, so now what do you plan to do?" he asked.
Ohno raised his hand. "I already offered her to stay in my family's house."
They all turned to him. "Eh?"
They were surprised. It was rare for their leader to offer something like that. She must be really important to him if he was willing to bring his family into this.
"My mother is fond of Satomi-chan. I'm sure she will welcome her."
MatsuJun shook his head. "No, leader, more importantly, what did she say?"
Their leader smiled. "Of course, she said yes."
The Arashi members exchanged glances with each other. "I guess… that's good news." Sho responded, crossing his arms against his chest.
Nino nodded in agreement. "Right."
"What are we going to do next?" Aiba asked. "A place to live when she's out of the hospital is already set…"
Ohno leaned on his seat. "I told her that we'll talk about it later, after the shoot." He looked at his friends. "Are you going to come?"
Aiba smiled brightly. "Of course, I'm in! I want to help too!" The oldest member grinned at him. "Thanks, Aiba-chan."
Sho checked his phone for his schedule, making sure that he could insert at least a little time to visit the woman. He was feeling responsible for what happened, even if they didn't blame him. He turned to Ohno after. "I can spare some time to go, Satoshi-kun."
He nodded in reply. "Okay, Sho-kun."
Meanwhile, Nino glanced at Sho but the latter didn't notice. The genius actor of Arashi was reading his facial expression and he could tell that he was quite worried for her.
Even though he wasn't saying it, he could tell.
Sho-chan was easy to read.
He placed his DS inside his bag and turned to Ohno. "I'll come too. You'll need my help."
"I understand." Ohno replied and gazed at the youngest. "What about MatsuJun?"
"Well, I don't have anything to do after this so might as well join you guys." He shrugged. "And… I want to meet her."
"You'll like her for sure." Their leader said fondly and if Nino didn't tell him earlier that Ohno considered her like a sister, he would think that she was someone he fell in love with.
But, it was her sister he was fond of and until she met the woman, he will refrain from speaking out his thoughts.
He will restrain himself, even though it was hard for him. It wasn't his character.
…
It was already eleven in the evening when they reached the hospital. It was already past the visiting time but since it was a secret that Mari was staying there, the members of Arashi were allowed to see her. The director and the doctor and some of the employees knew how to keep secrets to their gratefulness.
This issue also was raised to their managers and it was just a matter of time before the agency's president heard of this.
The rest of the group lead MatsuJun to her room since it was his first time. Trudging towards her room, they heard someone singing.
"Did you hear that?" Aiba asked, since he was in the front of the group, he was able to hear it.
Nino ignored him and continued to walk towards the room but before he could go any further, Aiba pulled his right hand. The former looked at his friend with raised eyebrow. "What?"
"I can hear someone singing. Didn't you hear that?" he replied, gazing at the other members. They stayed still and tried to listen.
They realized it was true. It was faint but there was really a singing voice.
"Who might it be?" Sho asked, wondering.
"Why don't we move further to check?" Matsumoto Jun suggested and they all agreed. At this point, Jun was pushed in front of the group.
As they walked, they could already hear the voice clearly. "Wait…" Nino called.
"What?"
"Is the song familiar?" the gamer asked.
"Familiar?" Ohno questioned, placing his hands on his hips.
"Isn't that Ashita no kioku?" Jun asked. Nino turned to him in realization. "Ah! From Sho-chan's drama?"
The youngest member nodded.
"Now that you mention it…" Aiba murmured.
Nino thought of something. Sho realized it because of his best friend's mischievous smile. "Nino, what are you planning?" he questioned, eyeing him suspiciously.
The rest of the members thought the same. Well, Nino is Nino.
The center of attention smirked. "You know me so well." He said. "I just want to record the voice, that's all." He continued. "Don't you think it's beautiful?"
They exchanged glances and focused on the voice again.
They had to agree.
The singing voice is truly beautiful and if the song wasn't theirs, they might mistake it for an original one.
Her version was amazing.
"Give me your phone." Nino asked Ohno, who was next to him. "Hurry, the song is almost done…"
Ohno complied hurriedly, giving his phone to his friend after opening it. Nino immediately clicked the record button. They stood still as the voice continued to sing the bridge until the last chorus of the song.
It was beautifully sang without any music accompaniment and it would be nice for everyone to hear it.
After the song, they heard a sigh as Nino stopped recording. They all exchanged glances and suddenly, Aiba, who was leaning on Sho, lost his balance causing the both of them to almost trip, holding onto the door with their palms, creating a noise.
The three members hit Aiba's head playfully, scolding him quietly. Aiba apologized, bowing profusely.
"Is someone there?" they heard from inside the room.
They sighed in unison and Matsumoto Jun shook his head.
There was nothing they could do.
They pushed Ohno towards the door instead. The older member looked at them and pointed at himself as if saying, "Me?"
They all nodded with a point to the door.
"You go first…" Nino whispered, patting his shoulder. Ohno sighed.
He opened the door and peeked inside. She was sitting on the bed. Their eyes met and her eyes widened. She must have realized that they've been listening to her.
"Everyone…" she whispered.
They all went inside. "Good evening," they greeted with a slight bow. She returned the gesture. "Hai, good evening."
Silence ensued but the woman gathered her courage to ask what she had been wondering since she heard the noise.
"Um… how long have you been outside the door?" she asked as she moved her gaze to each of them.
The five members exchanged glances and Nino, as usual, smirked nonchalantly. "Well… long enough for us to record your singing voice." He teased, waving Ohno's phone in front of him.
Mari gasped and removed her covers, stood up and tried to get the phone from him but unfortunately, her legs failed her and she almost stumbled if not only for the arms that caught hers.
Her closed eyes – when did she close them? – opened slowly, and gazed upwards only to face the worried eyes of one Sakurai Sho. She couldn't stop the blush that adored her cheeks. She hoped he didn't notice.
"Are you alright?" he asked, still staring at her.
Mari pulled away and averted her gaze with a nod. "Y-Yes, thank you."
He helped her sit on the bed as Nino apologized to her. "Sorry, I didn't know that you're going to try and catch me."
Mari shook her head. "No, I got embarrassed so…"
Ohno snatched his phone from Nino's hands and smiled at the woman. "Don't worry, this is my phone. I won't let anyone listen or post it somewhere." He said reassuringly.
Mari nodded with a smile. "Thank you, nii-san."
The older man nodded with a smile. The endearment didn't go unnoticed by his friends in the room.
"Wait… eh? Nii-san?" Nino said slowly. "Did I hear it right?"
"I think I heard it too." Aiba commented, nodding.
Sakurai Sho noticed the youngest with crossed arms and just staring at them impatiently.
"Everyone… before we go there, are you forgetting something?"
They all looked at each other until finally, the three members' gaze laid upon the youngest who were looking at them.
"Ah! That's right. I almost forgot." Ohno said, looking at Mari. "I think you already know him but it's better to introduce him to you and vice versa."
The woman smiled in relief as if she had been waiting all this time to be introduced to the only member she hadn't met yet in person.
"Mari-chan, this is Matsumoto Jun. We call him MatsuJun." Ohno introduced. He turned to the youngest member and gestured to Mari this time. "MatsuJun, this is Koizumi Mari. She's the younger sister of a friend of mine."
Jun knew she was the sister of his leader's special someone but he didn't say anything and held a hand towards the woman. "Nice to meet you, I'm Matsumoto Jun."
"I'm Koizumi Mari, it's a pleasure."
Jun smiled at her. She was courteous. She was probably from a high class family.
"Okay, now that's done." Nino interfered as he looked at Ohno. "Oh-chan, what's with that, 'Nii-san' earlier?"
Arashi's leader stared at him. "I am uncomfortable being called in a formal manner so I asked her to call me whatever she wants to."
"Hmm…" Nino nodded. "If that's the case…" he faced Mari and pointed to himself. "You have to call me less formally too!"
Aiba pushed Nino and nodded. "Me too!"
"Hey you two…" Sho tried to stop the two to no avail. He shook his head with a sigh.
"You have to call all of us less formally then!" Aiba chirped with a grin. Mari found it contagious and returned the gesture confusedly.
"Um… okay? If that's what you want." She replied, looking at them.
"Nice! Then, start with me." Nino said, waiting.
Mari squinted her eyes. "Is it… okay to address you the same as your fans?" she asked. "Since… I'm a fan too."
They all exchanged glances. "Well, yeah." Nino said, agreeing.
"We're kind of curious of what the fans call us too." Jun commented, looking at her.
Mari nodded. "Then… Ninomiya-san."
Nino gaped at her. "Eh?! Isn't that too formal?"
She smiled slightly. "Is it fine to call you Nino though?"
The said man shrugged. "Sure. I actually expected that, since almost everyone calls me Nino."
"Hmm…" she turned to the one next to him. "Aiba-chan."
They all chuckled. "All of the fans always call him like that, ne?" Sho asked, earning the nods from the rest of the members.
Mari continued to the next one. "Um… Sho-kun."
He nodded and gave her a thumbs-up. "Nice." He told her. Mari bowed her head slightly. "Thank you."
She faced the last person and hesitated. "Is it… alright to call you, Matsujun?"
He grinned. "That's fine with me."
The woman smiled in return.
"Now…" Nino moved to the sofa in the room. "Is it alright to go to our agenda tonight?"
Mari nodded and made a move to stand up but Sho stopped her. "Wait, can you stand now?"
She smiled. "Yes, my legs are quite shaky but I can manage. If we want to talk about this, I think I should join you all in the couch." She replied.
"Then let me help you." Sho said, holding out his hand. Mari looked at him. "Are you sure?"
"Of course."
"Then, I'll take your offer."
As soon as he held her hands in his, she felt her heart beat fast inside her chest. She was afraid he might hear it. She looked at him facing forward and averted her gaze towards the others. Thank goodness, he didn't seem to notice. She thought as he helped her on the couch.
She smiled and thanked him to which he answered, "You're welcome" as soon as he sat down next to her.
As they settled down, with Nino on a single couch, Aiba and Jun on the first couch and Sho, Mari and Ohno on the other one, they started their meeting.
"What we're going to do is to investigate first the reason why Mari-chan here is being targeted by someone." Nino began.
"Well, in order to know that, we have to know fully who she is…" Jun said. "Or even the story before her encounter with Nino and Sho-chan." Aiba added.
Ohno stared at her. "If it's painful for you, we can take it easy for a while." He told her. Mari looked at him and shook her head slowly. "It's okay. The sooner we do this, the sooner we'll know who's behind everything." She replied, smiling sadly.
"This is… for my family too so…"
Nino nodded. "Okay, so let's do this." he faced her. "We're ready if you are."
Mari smiled gratefully. "Thank you."
She breathed deeply and joined her hands together on her lap, facing the people in the room with her. These five members of Arashi were someone she could trust. She knew that.
So she would take the chance to recall everything…
…even if it will cause her pain.
She would… for her family… and for herself.
"As you already know, my name is Koizumi Mari. I'm eighteen years old. I belong to a high class family. My father is a Police Chief of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police. My sister, Satomi, is a world-class photographer and my brother, Kento, is a piano prodigy. My mother died when I was thirteen years old. She was an interpreter all around the world."
She paused, leaning on the couch a little bit. "I… am studying in Shizu."
"Shizu?" Jun asked. "Isn't that the University of Tokyo?"
She nodded slowly. "Yes."
"Ehhh~" Sho stared at her. "That's amazing. You must have been very intelligent."
Mari shook her head. "No, I just love studying ever since I was little."
"Hmm…"
They all waited for her to continue. "Not to be brazen or anything but I… always do my best in my studies so I had the privilege to be at the top of my class. I also excel in other curricular activities like singing and dancing so I got the nickname 'Princess' in the university."
The five nodded. "I bet it's also because you're beautiful." Aiba commented, causing the woman to blush a bit.
"Um… they also say that but I don't really pay attention." She said shyly. "I just love doing the things I love to do."
Sho nodded. "I get you."
"Sho-kun can relate." Jun commented, earning a glance from the person mentioned. "Yeah."
"Anyway, I also had a boyfriend and he is called the 'Soccer prince'."
Ohno turned his head to her. "You had a boyfriend?"
"It's not really surprising, ne?" Nino asked, "She is beautiful and capable after all."
"But…"
"Leader, you're too overprotective." Jun added, causing the oldest to pout a little. Mari couldn't help but smile.
Sho's forehead creased a little. "But she said 'had'. Doesn't that mean…"
The woman just shrugged. "It will be mentioned later, I guess."
"Hm…"
"Okay so that night, I was sleeping."
The five focused into attention realizing that the next story will be the night of the incident.
"It feels really hot so I woke up and wondered if the air conditioner broke again… I sat up and saw a light from the gap under my door. I got curious so I opened it and saw that it was fire." She sighed. "Our house is burning."
The eyes' of the five members widened at this fact. "I ran to the bathroom immediately, wet myself with water and ran to my sister's room. She saw the situation and we went to my brother's room together. My brother told us to escape first and he was going to get our father alone in his room. My sister refused, saying that we should go together, but my brother insisted. Before I knew it, we were outside, and my sister, after calling my name, suddenly pushed me on the ground. I got surprised and then, I saw that my sister's back was bleeding so I realized that I was supposed to be shot but she saved me."
The room's atmosphere turned into a tense one. Mari gripped her right hand tightly with her left, trying hard not to shake from the memories.
"She was telling me to run away… but I don't want to leave her there like that so I helped her up and we hid in an alley near there."
She breathed in deeply and stared at her hands in her lap. She couldn't make eye contact with anyone, because for sure, she was going to cry again.
"She… told me to escape for the second time. She said she could feel she wasn't going to make it, and gave me her necklace." Her right hand gripped the necklace around her neck. "She told me to search for him because she knew he was going to help me if I showed him this necklace."
Ohno nodded quietly, looking at her but her head was lowered so she didn't see.
"I hesitated in escaping, but her words and her look gave me the courage to. And then… I ran away… while apologizing inside my head for leaving my sister like that."
She bit her lip and tried hard not to let out a sob. She still felt so guilty for doing that. She shouldn't have left her to die on her own. It was so sad, leaving someone to die alone.
The five men in the room probably felt her guilt so they all did the same thing to comfort her.
They all placed a hand in hers.
Her shaking left hand felt warm, and gradually, the shaking stopped. Their presence alone was so reassuring.
Mari wanted to cry for a different reason now. She was so grateful.
Her right hand that was grasping her necklace rubbed her eyes and she raised her head. She knew her eyes were still wet with tears but she grinned brightly. "Thank you."
They all nodded.
Their hands gripped hers and she knew it will be alright.
They removed their hands after making sure she felt at ease. "Are you okay?" Aiba asked. "Do you want to take a break first?"
She shook her head. "No, I want to finish my story so that we can establish what to do. There's no other time to do this but now." She said determinedly. Ohno let out a small smile. "We're here for you so you don't have to worry."
The woman smiled at his words. "Yes, I know. Thank you."
"I… went to my boyfriend's place after that. I don't have somewhere to go so…" Mari sat straight and breathed. "Anyway, I rang his doorbell and was quite surprised to see him topless. I realized maybe it was because he came from the shower."
"I also noticed his panicked expression but I thought maybe it was because he wasn't expecting me at that time."
"I was about to tell him what happened when I heard a woman's voice coming from inside."
At this, the five men's eyes widened for the second time.
"Don't tell me…" Nino let out.
Mari nodded. "Yes, like what you are thinking, there was a girl in his room. Not only some random girl though. It was Yoshitaka Maki, the university's queen."
"Yoshitaka? Isn't that the eldest daughter of the Stardust's president?" Jun asked. Mari nodded.
"Yes, that same Yoshitaka Maki."
Everyone nodded and gestured for her to continue. She sighed.
"He tried to explain but the truth was laid in front of me. She was only wearing a towel and her hair was wet. I told him we're through and ran away."
"And he didn't try to follow you?" Sho asked, quite concern.
The woman shook her head. "No."
Ohno's eyes glinted dangerously. "The jerk." He muttered, causing the members to look at him. It was rare to see their leader pissed.
"Anyway, while I was thinking what to do or where to go next, a gunshot reached the post I was next to. I realized that I was being chase so I ran without a care. I reached the intersection and thought that since at that time, there will be no vehicles, I could just ran to the next street but when I did, I saw a light and tried to stop but it was too late and I just felt pain before I lose consciousness."
"And that was the time where Sho-kun hit you with his beloved car." Nino said teasingly, looking at his friend.
Sho glared at him. "Please, I want to forget it."
Mari looked at him. "I'm sorry for getting you into trouble but don't worry, I don't blame you for what happened. I'm fine now and you're helping a lot so there's nothing to be guilty for."
The rapper smiled at her gratefully. "Thank you… your words are reassuring."
"I'm just happy to help."
"Alright, now that we were finally enlightened of what happened, let's try to trace some facts." Jun said.
They all nodded.
"First, your father was a chief of the Tokyo metropolitan police. If he was, he probably made enemies with many people."
Mari agreed. "Yes, he does his job fairly regardless of status."
"Maybe he was investigating something and the people involved caught on so they wanted to kill him?" Aiba guessed, looking at everyone.
"If that is the case," Nino piped up. "… why would the whole family be targeted?"
Aiba thought about this deeply. "Hmm… I wonder why…"
"Hey…" Nino stared at him disappointedly. Sho furrowed his eyebrows. "Wait… maybe that person knew that his children would investigate his death so they targeted the whole family to ensure his/her safety?" he ended.
"Wait, Sho-kun has the point." Jun said. Ohno nodded. "Yeah, that was possible.
Nino nodded. "Okay, so let's say that it was the reason. Now, Mari-chan, do you have any idea of what your father might be investigating recently?"
The girl turned to him confused. "No, I have no idea. My father didn't share such confidentialities to us since he was afraid his enemies might hurt us."
"Hm…"
Silence ensued as they think of possibilities when all of a sudden, an "Aah!" from Mari was heard.
"What?" Ohno asked, looking at her. "Did you remember something?" Sho seconded.
She nodded. "Yes… I remember my father telling me something two days ago."
"What is it? What is it?" Aiba inquired enthusiastically and Nino who was next to him gripped his arm to calm him down. It was futile though.
"He said… I should open my personal email two days from now… at exactly midnight.
The five men exchanged meaningful glances. "You don't think it wasn't a coincidence right?" MatsuJun asked his friends with a serious glint in his eyes.
Sho looked at his wristwatch and exclaimed, "It's past twelve!"
"Mari-chan here." Nino offered his laptop to the woman. "Use this and open your email."
She nodded in determination. "I understand."
The room was in silence except the sound of pounding keys of Nino's laptop. They waited in anticipation of what could be the email all about. The truth about her father's email… and its possible relation to the case they were talking about.
Mari breathed out. "I opened it." she muttered. Her eyes were glued to the screen, waiting for it to finish loading.
They saw her eyes widened.
"There's a new email…" she sat up straight and looked at them. "…from Dad."
They all stared at her in reply. "And then… what does it say?" Aiba asked a little too enthusiastic again causing Nino to tapped his head lightly. "Aiba-chan."
The man got the message. "Sorry."
The woman smiled. "It's okay." She returned her gaze to the monitor as she moved the arrow to open the message. She inhaled and exhaled slowly. "Here I go."
The men nodded in unison.
As soon as she opened the email, she realized how long it was from the usual email she received from her father.
She realized that the truth of her family's demise probably lies in the email.
The men noticed the silence of the woman so Sho, who was next to her, offered to read the email for her.
"Mari-chan, I can read it if you feel uncomfortable with it." he mumbled quietly, staring at her with worry in his eyes. She returned the gesture with a smile of her own.
"Thank you, Sho-kun. But, I will be okay." She replied. "I want to do this, no, I have to do this."
Sho nodded. "Okay… if that's what you want." He told her. "But remember that we are here, so you can rely on us."
She appreciated his words so much it almost made her cry again but she controlled herself. She would do it later, when she had the time alone.
But now… she had to be strong.
"Thank you. I know I can count on you guys."
He nodded with a soft smile.
Mari looked back at the screen and closed her eyes. A few seconds later, after a firm nod as a sign of encouragement from her favourite idol group, she started.
"Mari," it began. It was addressed to her. Obviously.
"I hope you are well. I trust your older siblings to make sure nothing will happen to you so I took the gamble of sending this email to you."
"You must have been confused as for the reason why I suddenly asked you to check your email two days before. The truth is I've been feeling that something is going to happen soon and I don't want to waste all of the investigations I did. You know how much of a justice I have in my bones and flesh, my dear."
She smiled a little at this. It was so like him.
"That is why your father entrusts this to you, my youngest daughter. The truth of what I've been doing for this past few days and the danger it holds."
She bit her lip. Arashi listened quietly.
"The truth is I've been investigating the Stardust Inc. There were hidden reports that the President had been involved in embezzlement."
The Arashi members gasped. Stardust Inc. was one of the three famous talent agency in the country, with Amuse and Johnny's Entertainment, where they belong.
"The funds of the Agency were said to come from a high-ranking official in the government, who also embezzled from the people's taxes."
"You know how much I loathe people who steal from unfortunate people so I cannot drop this case no matter what. Even though my superior warned me of its danger, I cannot let this slide. I want them behind bars."
"I was almost done in investigating this case but my source was discovered by Yoshitaka Yuuta and was tortured. He didn't say anything about me and he was killed in the end but for some reason, he was able to know it was me who was investigating him."
"He is a dangerous man, Mari. If something wasn't in his favour, he will do anything to turn the tide favourable to him. Even kill."
"I am sure that he will do something to me. However, I am afraid that he will bring you and your siblings into this. He is thinking that to avoid further investigations of my death, might as well bring the whole family down to end it as a mystery."
"Your older siblings are clueless about this. I didn't want to tell them because for sure, they will scold me nonstop. You know how they are, especially Satomi. She is a very strong-willed woman. She definitely got your mother's scary face."
"Your brother is quiet most of the time, but if he believes in something, he'll do everything to prove it to everyone."
"And you, my dear, are also scary if you want to be but most of the time, you make me relax just by listening to my concerns and being naturally sweet."
"Anyway, I hope you are all safe right now. I included what I should in this email. I want you to give the attachments of what I had found to my superior and he will be the one to do something about this."
"Do not attempt to do anything, Mari. I know you. Don't endanger yourself just for me. I want you to live normally like always. I want you to always smile as you do the things you love to do and I will be happy from where I am."
"I'm sorry for breaking my promise. Take care of yourself and I will always love you."
"Dad..."
She placed the laptop on the table in front of her and covered her face. She didn't want to cry, however after reading the email with her father's feelings clearly shown there, she couldn't help it. She contained the sobs for a little bit and inhaled.
She felt someone rubbing her back and glancing next to her, she realized it was Ohno. The others were all silently and patiently waiting for her to calm down.
She accepted the tissues offered by Sho and wiped her tears away. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't do this anymore." She said. It was more of a self-talking than actually talking to the people in the room with her. "I'm already eighteen for goodness' sake!" she bit her lip and patted her both cheeks.
Sho smiled at her. "It's okay. We understand."
She sighed deeply and drank a glass of water MatsuJun had gotten for her. She thanked him and he smiled in return.
Silence engulfed the room once again.
"So… what to do now?" Aiba asked. Nino leaned on the couch. "Now we know the mastermind already."
Ohno faced Mari seriously.
"Mari-chan, what do you want to do?" he asked. The woman turned to him. He looked serious, she noticed.
Matsumoto Jun caught on. "We won't do anything unless you tell us to. We will help you as promised so you just have to tell us what you really want to do."
The rest nodded in determination. Mari exchanged looks with everyone.
What to do… What does she really want to do?
Her thoughts went back to her past.
Life was simple back then. Wake up in the morning, have breakfast with her father and older siblings, go to school, hang out with her friends, have a date with Toma, return home to have dinner with her family, do her homework and then sleep. There were some additional events sometimes but it was technically her routine.
She was happy and content with that life.
Where it was now?
What happened?
Just because he didn't want to get caught in a case that he started on his own, he will kill people?
He hired someone to kill, no, he killed her father, her family, just to save himself?
How unfair and cruel was that?
She never knew this kind of world existed. She thought it was only seen in movies and dramas but it actually happened to her and it wasn't a great experience.
She couldn't let this pass. She didn't want to be her pity self anymore.
Her father wanted her to live normally. However, it wasn't normal anymore. Everything that had happened cannot bring her back to her normal life.
It wasn't going to be the same anymore.
She will raise. She will shine, and send the people that made her family's life unworthy to hell.
Right where they should be.
With these thoughts, her eyes opened – when did she close them? – and stared at the people in the room.
With burning resolve, she declared,
"I want to give them their well-deserved revenge."
Third Road: Truth ends here.
