10 – Suspects

Hinamizawa, 11st October 1983

On her usual path from school to home, Satoko was singing happily. After dinner she would have payed a new visit to her brother, and she would have done her homework next to him. Probably Shion would have been there, too, she could help her with her math exercises if Satoshi wasn't able to do them...

Satoko already knew about the Syndrome, Rika told her months ago, and since she was quite a sharp little lady, trying to lie her about what had happened to Satoshi would have been just useless, but she didn't care that much about his past illness. The most important thing was being with her beloved Nii-Nii again, and the giant teddy bear he presented her in the previous evening made her even more pleased. Irie had asked her to keep Satoshi in the Clinic at least a couple of weeks, just to be sure he was definitely healed, but he hadn't mind about a daily visit by her, on the contrary it was a way to keep Satoshi's conditions continuously checked. Satoshi had a pager, just like Takano, to contact the doctor at any hour, even if he wasn't at the Clinic, but having someone next to him was always better. He even gave her the keys of the main door of the Clinic, just in case she needed them.

Near her, Rika was much less calm. The Sercos had been absent the whole day because of their job, and she hadn't been able to discover anything new about them. She was worried, nearly obsessed... she hardly had noticed that Mion had been absent, too. The new Sonozakis' chief was just too tired because of the musing she made in the previous night. Satoko couldn't be so absent minded not to notice her friend's mood. She looked at her, and she asked what problem she had.

Rika smiled, like an ill girl having a visit from someone beloved "Satoko... Do you think... that Gi-chan and Ali-chan could be hiding something...?" The blond-haired girl didn't expect that kind of question. Why is she thinking about that, now? She was worried... but if Rika had some tangible suspicion she would have made her some more exact question, just like when they fought against Takano. Or she could have directly asked for help to the whole group, she surely could trust her friends. This sounds rather... fear... After some second, however, she decided to answer.

"Hmm... maybe."

"Really?"

"Everyone has his own secrets, Rika. Personal facts or feelings you want not to be made public. I suppose this rule is valid for them... and for us, too. Even you have told me not to say anything about the Syndrome to the adults, do you remember?"

"I'm talking about something different..."

"Different? How different?"

"Different since it could become dangerous for them, and for us."

"Dangerous for the whole village? Don't you think they are too young?"

This was not a worthy objection, unfortunately. Satoko couldn't remember about what Keiichi, Shion, Rena, Satoko herself had done in the previous worlds... they were even younger than the Italian twins, but even so... And listening to Irie assuring her that they couldn't be affected by the Syndrome was not enough for her. Okonogi and the other Yamainu soldiers were immune too, for example, thanks to Irie's medicine. Rika's breath was slightly panting, so Satoko, to make her calm, decided to explain to her a detail she noticed some day before:

"Well... do you remember when we've played with the water guns, in the afternoon they had to go to the Clinic to move those archives?"

"Yes."

"Well... I was so surprised when I saw Gian-san's gun like exploding, and wetting his tracksuit". Satoko reminded Rika of what had happened. It was just the beginning of the game. He was looking for a target, and in the meanwhile he rolled up his left sleeve, just as a menacing sign, but when he pulled the trigger all the water in his gun had wetted him, and he had been eliminated. Of course, he had to undress the suit at once, to avoid a pneumonia. "I hadn't eiiher realized he was a lefty, before that day. Do you remember? Even the sleeve of his shirt was wet... but fortunately not that much, it's not a good idea to stay stripped on the waist. You know, these are cold days, we are not in summer anymore. We should change our activities now."

Rika already knew Giancarlo was a lefty. She had observed him writing with the left hand, during past schooldays. Maybe being left-handed could be a further bad presage? No, that was too much. She didn't live in medieval times, these superstitions were just stupid and harmful. As priestess, she knew which tales could be plausible, and which one were just a fable.

"But why are you saying it's strange, Satoko?"

"Well, he had been defeated so easily..."

"Oh, Keiichi-kun always does..."

"Yes... but we are talking about someone who had seen that thin wire during their very first day of school, and who had created that system to recognize all the cards of Mion-san's deck... It's not... how can I name it... coherent?"

Rika understood immediately what Satoko meant. Yes, this must be the strangeness which is making me so worried. Her friend went on speaking.

"But the strangest part is another one. I didn't remember having sabotaged his gun, and since I'm usually the one who prepares this kind of tricks, I wanted to know who had copied me. You weren't the culprit, am I right?" Rika nodded. "As I had imagined. Well, I really can't say who did it. Winning in this way doesn't belong to Keiichi-san's style, so we can exclude him directly. I've asked the others... and they all claim to be innocent."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. That gun was quite new, but we had already used it this summer, so it could hardly be an accidental failure, or a manufacturing fault, so..."

Rika touched her forehead with the span of her hand, just like she had a strong headache. "Please, tell me... in your opinion, could... her sister have lied to you?"

"Alice-san? Everything is possible, I've even thought about it, but it still would be strange. First of all, when did she sabotage the water gun? It was the first time she saw them, and she couldn't know where they were. Then... they are twins somehow, if it was not the first time she makes him these jokes he would have been ready to it. Finally, why should she have done it? After the game, she decided to have her face painted exactly like him even if she hadn't to, just for fun... Namely, it would be much simpler if someone else had lied, they could deny being guilty just to use the same trick next time, don't you agree?"

Rika didn't agree. She was still nervous. She was thinking about another hypothesis, as to justify her frame of mind. "And what if... he had sabotaged his own gun?"

"And why should he have done so?"

"I don't know, but, if you remember, he had rolled up his sleeve, maybe he was trying to avoid to wet it..."

"No, Rika. The water made all his tracksuit soaking wet... OK, excluding the right sleeve, but it's the same. Rolling up the left one is useless. Even his shirt under the suit was wet. But we can ask him tomorrow, if you want."

"He'd lie."

"Maybe, but we should try."

Rika shook her head. Her temples were aching, and she had to make sure of everything, as soon as possible.

…

"School time never ends here! I love it."

Alice looked at the time, 4:15 PM. Lesson had just finished, but she couldn't still call it a day. Club activities were going to start in a few time. They just have to wait to Mion to arrive, Irie had asked her to go to the infirmary for some minute, but the Italian girl was ready to fight, visibly impatient. Rena was pleased to see all that enthusiasm:

"Rena likes to see you're happy to be in our club. Rena thinks Ali-chan is nearly scary."

"You're right, I am happy to live these moments, I want to do my best during them... And that old lady, as she likes to be called, looks ready to make up for lost time, after yesterday's absence."

"In my opinion she has already made it..." Keiichi still kept in mind the early morning, when Mion had arrived at school wearing a long green kimono, suddenly bursting into the classroom like the Special Forces and drawing her sword against him, as she was a green eyed demon who wanted to take revenge on him.

"But why has she brought a katana at school? I'm not that kind of fighter, and I don't care if she did so while laughing and shouting Trick or treat, Kei-chan!... Halloween is arriving only in three weeks. This time I really feared to die..."

"I didn't know that Halloween Night had reached even this little traditional village..." noticed Alice.

"We could say it's the effect of globalization... However, that was not a katana, but a nodachi, Kei-chan." Shion explained "They are quite different weapons, even if, to tell things short, a nodachi is a longer sword, basically. The Sonozaki family has some katana too, obviously, but they are old and worthy for us, so she had preferred not to carry here such a dangerous weapon. You should be grateful."

"Grateful for being menaced and - supposedly - killed only by a normal nodachi instead that by a precious katana? Oh, it's a real honour! Still, declaring war here should be considered a crime against humanity, nowadays! And she hasn't been punished!" Thanks to Satoko's help, Mion had been able to change her clothes and to hid the sword, before Chie-sensei's coming.

"Come on, Kei-chan! She didn't plan a mass genocide... At least I don't think so. But if are mean with her, she could change her mind..."

"How can you be th-" Keiichi's unfair protest had been gently interrupted. The blade of the nodachi appeared again, and it was just by his neck.

"Kei-chan, Onee is Onee, and even if my main aim is guarding Satoko-chan, I can't ignore your impolite words towards her." Keiichi froze, terrified, while Shion smiled innocently, as if she was holding a doll instead of a mortal weapon. Well, she was happy and ready to joke, that day. Satoshi was fine, and a bright future was waiting for her.

"Can I see that sword, Shii-chan?" asked Alice. Shion lowered it, saving Keiichi's life, and she held it out to her.

"It's quite a long sword... the foil I'm used to is so short, compared to this."

"Ah, so are you keen on fencing?" asked Satoko, while finished arranging a bucket reserved for a certain target.

"Well... I'm not that good. A cousin of mine is much more skilled... but I can proudly say I can defend myself."

"You should go to our Manor to challenge Mommy, then." proposed Shion "She always looks for new opponents... Of course, if you accept she'd use a proper weapon, similar to your foil."

"Oh, that would be nice!" While hearing this, Shion giggled, Alice didn't know what fighting against her mother meant.

"So were you in a fencing club, in your Italian school? And were you the leader of it, were you?"

"Hmmm... no. You know, it's the first time I'm in a school club."

"Ohhh... Really?"

"Sure. In Italy there are such organizations, too, but you are not obliged to join them at all, and I don't think there are a lot of schools with a fencing club. So most of boys do something else... Something unrelated to school, I mean. Being part of a football team, joining a group of friends, or making new friendships, and so on. Ah, and of course having some date with your boyfriend." She solemnly nodded.

"Ohhh..." Shion was particularly interested in the subject. "I am sure it took at least a month for you to approach him and say I love you, next to the sea, during the sunset, or in the most romantic scene ever possible, while blushing and having your eyes bright..." If Mion had been present in the room, Shion would have looked caustically at her while saying this, and her sister would have directed her glance elsewhere, annoyed... How much time will it still take for her to come here?, she thought.

"Romantic...?" Alice shook her hand. "Uh, no, I wouldn't say so. We were coming back from school, we both have understood we wanted to live together, I've asked him if he wanted to be my boyfriend and he has accepted. Very simple, very quick. No useless gift, fattening chocolate or flowers you have to throw away after a couple of days."

Shion and Rena, looked at that monster, frozen. They had never imagined that one of the most important moments of a girl's life could be so aseptic and emotionless.

"Ara ara, I like this kind of attitude..." exclaimed Satoko "It's something very rational, I'd dare saying. Clear-headed and mistake-proof, no possible misunderstanding."

"But, I wonder, I wonder... does it work?"

"I'd say so. They have been engaged since they are 14, so this strange love story really works..." her brother added, while Rena was taking note "Anyway, we've known Alberto since we were little kids, don't think Nee-chan has decided to have an unknown boy as boyfriend, now. They spent so much time together during their childhood that everyone at home knew how it was going to end. Wasting any time with a preliminary courting would have been stupid..."

"Ah, Nii-chan, you are so mean, he was not a foreigner, for sure... However, it was a pity that Alberto is an only child, you know."

"What do you m... No, now I've understood what you mean! You'd have liked me to be engaged with her sister, if he had one, am I right?"

"More or less... A quick choice, an effective declaration, and we're all happy. We could have even saved some money for our weddings, in that case..."

"It can't be! This is not my model of a romantic story!" Shion protested "I want something nobody can forget, not such a shabby sketch! But... if you don't care these kind of moments... I suppose that without having any doubt your boyfriend and you have already made se-"

A nudge on Shion's head, and one at Alice's chin.

"Shi-chan is not supposed to make this kind of questions with little children around, and Ali-chan is not supposed to answer!" Rena The Great Moralizer had just spoken.

"Tsk, so you're the only one of the family who's a single?" Keiichi appeared behind the Italian guy, and he starting touching his right shoulder to tease him.

"Well, I didn't think males enjoyed love matters so much..."

"Oh, I'm really an expert, please open your heart..."

"I don't think you're the most suitable for this." Two girls love you hopelessly and you haven't neither noticed it, and still do you claim to be Cupid? The war between Rena and Mion to achieve Keiichi's heart was plain for all to see, only a blind or a Maebara could ignore it.

"Oh, don't say it. Bringing you to a calm place, where you can feel yourself comfortable... make you start talking about from the causes, your inner doubts and scares... using a logic process... and considering all my personal experience... there's no chance I can fail."

"Have you heard what I've just said?"

"About my hypothetical inadequacy? Why are you thinking so?" His finger touched Giancarlo's shoulder with more strength "I can go directly to the core of your problem, and when I reach it..." He took his wrist with the other hand, and "ZAAAAAC! I'll cut it into two perfectly equal parts!" he shouted, imaginably cutting his friend's whole arm with his finger, as if it was a sharp knife. So, with an offhanded gesture, Giancarlo removed Keiichi's hands from his body, annoyed.

"But, please, stop mocking me in that way! Are you talking about love or about a watermelon? Let's start this stupid game now, I don't like waiting too much."

"Oh, you are serious. OK, so if you lose today's activity you'll have to accept our aid, we'll create a specialized company and we'll name it Broken Hearts..."

Shion laughed. "You're right, Kei-chan. And I'm going to be its manager... I already know where to look for. There are a lot of pretty waitresses at the Angel Mort who'd probably like to meet some interesting guy..." The addressee of the invitation blushed, and the members of the club all laughed. Except Rika.

"Gii, can I ask you something?"

The other didn't know if she wanted to kid him, but he agreed: "Hmmm... Yes, why not..."

"When Keiichi-kun has said ZAAAAAC and has cut your arm, why have you gnashed your teeth?" The other looked at her. Nobody had noticed such a thing, neither Rena.

"Hm? I've really done so?"

"Yes."

Even Giancarlo wasn't sure about it. Maybe I've really gnashed them without even noticing it... That would have not been strange... Well, whatever. He addressed Rika to answer: "Well... You should have understood. I'm not like Nee-chan, who talks about her falling in love and about her feelings as she would do about today's weather. I think that privacy is a right of mine, and I want to defend it."

Rika didn't answer, so he imagined the matter was closed, then Shion started speaking: "Now, we should make some proposal about today's game. Of course, once our beloved president arrives, she'll be free to say her opinion."

"Our beloved president? Shii-chan is just too cruel!"

"Why are you saying so, Rena?"

"Oh, my, this villain can't find even the irony hidden in our sentences? You're hopeless."

"Hey wait a second, Satoko! Where do you think... OUCH!"

"Ho ho ho ho!"

"This bucket, again! When have you prepared it?"

"Oh, Keiichi-san, you should be more careful, it's such an elementary trap..."

"Let's see if next time..."

"It's a lie."

Everyone stayed quiet hearing those words, astonished. Rika was eying menacingly Giancarlo, who in the meanwhile had caught the sense of that sentence at once.

"Why do you think that was a lie?"

"Because I know it. I am sure of it. Now I've found which one of you two was the real problem. Blow the whistle, what are you hiding from us?"

Satoko approached her: "Rika, what ar-"

"AND LEAVE ME!" Satoko had put her hand on Rika's shoulder, but her friend didn't appreciate it. She pushed her to the ground. Her eyes showed everything, she was angry, even more than in the previous evening, when they were walking alone, and Rika had talked about her first doubts. She was so out of control that Satoko couldn't recognize her friend, and she was scared by her.

Giancarlo looked at Rika, thoughtful. She's just a little child... but where do these words come from? I... I don't think I've done something bad against her... at least I didn't mean to do that. Maybe she just hates me because I'm a foreigner... But that question... seems... so serious...

"Rika-chan" he finally answered, kneeling next to her "Love, as the other deep feelings, are something very important for people. It's not strange that I talk about that only to a little group of people, or that I don't talk about it at all. You will unders..."

"Don't treat me as a little child!". She was looking on the ground, angrily.

"Rika-chan, you are exaggerating now, you do are a-"

"TELL ME, NOW! WHAT ARE YOU PLANNING TO DO? WHAT'S YOUR BIGGEST FEAR? WHO ARE YOU, REALLY?"

Silence. The whole group didn't know what to say, or what had happened to Rika. Her eyes were tremulous, her tone of voice was altered. She just seemed possessed by something... by a strong fear. She wouldn't have moved without an answer. On the other hand, usually Giancarlo couldn't stand such aggressive people, on the first day even Mion had made him nervous. Still, she was a little kid... after some moment of hesitation, he united his index and middle finger, and he symbolically hit Rika's head with them.

"Bad girl. You shouldn't say these things, and not with that tone. Don't you understand it's not a good way to find new friends, and to go along with the others?"

"I've already clearly told you not to consider me a nursling." Rika didn't get calm, on the contrary those baneful words removed any doubt about it. If she hadn't been that small, compared to him, maybe she would have even attacked him.

"I'm not treating you as a child. What I've said is worthy for little kids, grown adults and old pensioners. As for me, my daily activity is over, I think it's better for me to go away right now. Please tell Mion-chan I apologize for this." He took his bag and he exited from the school. Alice followed him rapidly, concerned about him: "Wait, Nii-chan!"

They walked for more than half an hour without saying a word. Alice knew his brother, she only had to wait for some time, to make sure his rage had cooled down. He didn't show it at school, but he was angry.

Finally she spoke: "Nii-chan, I know she had been rude, but..."

"I am not that patient, Alice... I am not like Flavia. I know she's an orphan, but she needs some more politeness and good manners. She should have a sort of tutor, or somebody who is responsible about her attitude. Do you know who is he?"

"I don't know... However, please, don't be so stubborn, once in your life. Wait some day and..."

"Wait... until I've just forgotten, as usual?" Alice smiled, she had just convinced him "Well, I'll give her another chance, but I hope she'll keep her hair on, next time."

In that moment they heard a honk from a coming car. It was Flavia.

"Hey, guys, shall I drive you to home? It will be a very nice chance to use this hooter once again..."

"Using it randomly once hasn't been enough, for you?"

"Sigh, why are you so rude? Damn, this place is too peaceful, when I was told about the Curse I hoped to run everywhere while never resting... OK, I recognize it would be a problem if someone notices me while doing it again, so it will be better acting in an orderly way." In that moment she looked better at them, and she realized something had been wrong "What's the matter? Please tell me." They got into the car, and they explained to her what had happened.

"Ahi ahi ahi," she finally answered after they finished "You know they are young and that they just want to play..."

"There are nicer ways to play."

"Well, you should teach to them, if you think so."

"I'm not a good teacher."

"Then don't blame them!" Flavia laughed, but then she didn't say anything for some second, before asking. "It was Furude-chan, so? That blue-haired girl who guards the Shrine?"

"Yes..."

"It's curious, then." Alice's glance invited her to go on. "Just a hundred meters before finding you, beyond the turn... I ran into her. She was alone, walking in your same direction."

"It's quite strange she's not with Satoko-chan. They always go to home together. So... probably she was looking for us, and I think to apologize." Alice looked at her brother, smiling. "Have you heard it, Nii-chan?"

"I wouldn't be that sure." Flavia had turned suddenly serious "Her look didn't make me think about someone who was sorry."

Alice had a bad presage: "What do you mean?"... and Giancarlo was the one who answered to her question:

"She was not looking for us to apologize... she was there to keep on eye on us."

…

That evening, a very heavy rain was falling, autumn had really arrived. Inside their house, Alice was looking at her brother, worried. He was next to the window, very uneasily. He had seen her. Her big dull eyes, her long wet hair, her opened hand leaned on the glass.

Behind that window, Rika Furude was watching inside, and spying them.