Said the Cannibal
"Come on, where is it? I know I packed some. Man, did Kirigiri-chi go through my stuff already? I knew I should have stuffed it in the mattress . . . Oh, wait. I did!"
With a relieved sigh, Hagakure slid out from the bottom of his closet, back cracking as he straightened up. He stepped over the rumpled coat on the ground, tiptoed his way between the tarot cards he had dropped earlier, and then dropped to his knees next to the bed. He felt the underside of the mattress for the slit. Hah! Take that, coppers! Kirigiri would never find his hidey-hole unless she had packed a drug dog in her suitcase.
"There's the good stuff!"
You could never be too sure Kirigiri wasn't watching, so he rolled the good stuff up in his shirt before tiptoeing into the corner of his room. He cupped his hand over the blunt's end to protect the small flame, and then raised his lighter.
Kirigiri was watching! She was! Why else would someone be knocking on his door right now? Oh man, he knew from experience what the cops were like; if he didn't answer, Kirigiri would kick down the door and send him the kill.
Thinking quickly, he hid the blunt in his hair, and then wrapped an old shirt around it to keep the smoke in. He whistled loudly – because he was relaxed and not doing anything suspicious, of course! – and strolled over the to the door. He opened it.
"Hey, Hagakure-kun. Is this a bad . . . What are you doing?" Asahina asked, squinting up at him.
"Me? I'm, uh. . ." She was asking about the shirt. He knew that had been a bad idea. "I just took a shower, and I forgot to grab a towel for my hair. Yep. That's it."
"You're not even wet."
". . . Okay, you got me." He ripped the shirt off and threw it to the ground. "I thought you were Kirigiri-chi."
"Oh, I get it." Asahina smiled craftily. "Don't worry, I won't tell. Actually, I was hoping that you did have some. . ."
He threw the door open. "C'mon in! You want a smoke?"
"And ruin my lungs for swimming? No thanks." Asahina walked right in and threw herself onto his bed. Lying like a starfish, she groaned loud and long. "But if you have edibles, I'm down. I was just hanging out with Naegi-kun."
"Naegi, huh? It's crazy to think that little guy could cause so much stress."
"No, this isn't his fault – well, it kind of is – but he was fine. Like, really fine. I know Kirigiri-san's a lot smarter than me, but I really don't understand why she's freaking out so much. Anyways, he gave me something to think about and it's stressing me out a lot."
"I'm here if you want to go over your options," Hagakure said, rifling through his dresser. Once he found the gummies, he palmed them. "If you want to complain about Kirigiri-chi, you gotta make sure she's not outside first. She's still pretty out of whack so, heh, she kinda scares me a little."
"What do you mean she's out of whack?"
"You didn't notice? Ever since she came back after finding Naegi-kun, her energies have been all crazy. I keep telling her she should attend one of my sessions and get everything back in balance, but she won't listen."
"That's because you were probably going to charge her!"
"Hey, it takes a lot of work to get these ready!" he protested, slapping on of his bigger crystals. "Not everyone can siphon the planet's aura and. . . Ack!"
In a truly heroic action, Hagakure dove to the floor just in time to keep said crystal from hitting the ground. Asahina offered courtesy applause.
Hagakure huffed. "I just saved you a couple thousand so that's right: clap!"
"Me?"
"I wouldn't have knocked it over if you hadn't been here, so yes, you!"
They bickered about that for a few minutes, even though Hagakure knew he was right and Asahina was just being a cheap customer (remind him not to offer her a two-for-one deal!) They ended up in an uneasy peace where both had yet to admit fault.
"Here." He tossed a gummy at her.
She swallowed it, and then he sat back and popped one into his own mouth. It always took a while to seep in, so they relaxed and settled into that haze of anticipation.
"Hey, Hagakure-kun, do you ever think about. . . you know?"
Shit! How did she know about that?
"Like, I know nobody's forgotten about what happened, but no one ever talks about it either. It's like we're pretending that we never got our memories back and everyone who died were strangers. I tried to talk about it once with Kirigiri-san, but I don't think she was very happy about it."
Oh, she was talking about that, not that. What a relief!
"I think everyone's coping in their own way," he said. "Getting our memories back was heavy. It's probably a good thing Naegi-kun didn't get his back."
"It feels like we're trying to leave them behind," Asahina said. "Like they didn't matter."
"If you feel strongly about it, then they mattered to you," Hagakure said. "If they mattered to you, then they mattered, too."
"Yeah. That makes sense. Wow, you're kinda smart when you're high."
He gave her a limp thumbs-up. "Years of practice."
Asahina sprawled out on her back again. "You know what? I'm going to do it. I'm going to get those videos and I'm going to watch them. Who cares if anyone thinks it's weird?"
"You can cook, too? Is there anything you can't do?"
"Don't exaggerate," Kirigiri said briskly. "Cooking isn't difficult as long as you follow the recipe. I had plenty of time to practice, as well; Grandfather was often out on cases when I was younger, and wasn't home to prepare dinner for me."
"You're amazing," Naegi gushed. "I've tried to cook a couple of times. It was okay, but it wasn't good."
"It was average, I'm assuming," she said. "Nevertheless, until Hanamura-kun recovers, it's likely that our class will do most of the cooking. You'll have plenty of opportunities to practice. You'll find, too, that it's more satisfying to eat food you personally prepared."
"Ah," he said neutrally. He looked around at the empty kitchen, as if thinking of fleeing. She wondered if these were the issues Tsumiki had mentioned popping up, and if he had been planning to skip this meal. "So, what are we making?"
"I thought I'd let you decide today. You can find all the available ingredients on here." She powered on the computer screen. Once, it had been a dining room tool used to keep track of all the tables and their orders. Now, it was their electronic records.
"Hello!" Alter Ego shouted, his chef's hat bouncing on his head. "Your handy kitchen assistant, Chef Fujisaki, is awake!"
"Hi again, Alter Ego," Naegi said cheerfully. "You have a mustache. I think you might want to make it curl more at the end if you're going for a French chef."
"Merci!" In a flash, the mustache changed to match his suggestion. "What can I help you prepare today?"
Naegi immediately looked to her for help. She stared back. Getting the hint, Naegi wandered over to the cabinet and opened it, slowly checking out everything that was inside. "Uh. . . Alter Ego, what kind of meat do we have?"
Alter Ego said. "We have pork, fish, duck and poultry. Oh, I should also mention that serving human is not permitted here!"
Internally, Kirigiri sighed. She was going to have talk to Alter Ego about appropriate things to say, especially in front of Naegi. Because of that thought, she was extremely surprised (and alarmed) when Naegi's only reaction was to say, "Really? I thought that would be the easiest to get."
"It doesn't matter. We don't serve it!"
Had these two coordinated a prank? It seemed like the most likely explanation, because she wasn't coming up with any other answers.
"It's just meat." Naegi took out a spice container and checked it over, looking bewildered after he read the name.
"It is, and in some cultures, cannibalism is perfectly acceptable. However, in our culture, cannibalism is considered unhygienic and highly offensive. There's no reason to serve human meat when there's lots of other meats that won't upset anyone."
"Oh, okay. That makes sense." Naegi put the container back and examined another.
". . . Makoto, why don't you check out the freezer in the back? That's where we keep all the meat; it may give you inspiration."
"Okay," he said eagerly, pleased to be given directions.
She waited until Naegi was securely behind the heavy fridge door.
"Alter Ego, what was that?" she demanded. "Why would you bring up cannibalism?"
"It seemed like a good time to do so," Alter Ego said. He smiled brightly. "It's better to handle it now so he doesn't bring it up later and upset everyone."
"Why would he ever bring it up?" Although no one was there to see her, she still fought the rising emotion and the paling of her skin. "Is that what they fed him?"
"I'm not aware of any occasion where Naegi-kun consumed human flesh. But his friend, Tanaka Gundham, did and they convinced him it was okay."
She leaned her weight against the counter and squeezed the ledge. Thank god it hadn't been him, at least. That scenario was not something she had ever imagined.
Kirigiri asked, "Alter Ego, did you you witness this? Or did he tell you?"
"Neither!" Alter Ego said cheerfully.
"If that's the case, then how did you know about this?"
"Kamukura-kun told me," Alter Ego said.
By the time he finished that sentence, she had pushed off the counter and was back before the computer screen. She grabbed both sides of it, even though Alter Ego could neither see nor feel her.
"Kamukura-kun told you about this? What else did he tell you?"
Alter Ego shook his head. "I'm sorry, Kirigiri-san, but I was instructed not to share that information with you."
But he had told Alter Ego something. Kamukura had decided to share his knowledge. With the computer.
Naegi came running up with a slab of meat. "Kyoko-san, how about this?"
"It's fine," she said, barely looking.
Naegi went to Alter Ego afterwards, and the two worked together at piecing together a plan for dinner. Kirigiri stood back, watched, listened, wondered if she would hear enough clues to piece together the rest of Naegi's story. They stayed on subject though, leaving her with nothing to grasp at. She felt like a dog snapping at a laser beam, unable to understand why it felt nothing between its teeth.
"I think I'm ready," Naegi announced. "Do you want to help?"
"Yes, I'll guide you," she said. She followed Naegi to the cutting boards, keeping her eyes trained on the back of his head. He really was small. Not only in height, but in width. Most of the wardrobe they had recovered had been scavenged from Kuzuryu Fuyihiko in the first place and even still, it didn't fit right; always a shade too large. He had that child-like aura of wonder, innocent and eager-to-please, that was somehow draining. Even the way he moved, the way he spoke, the way he looked at you and smiled seemed years younger than he was.
(And sometimes, it seemed rehearsed.)
Naegi was gathering the vegetables together. It would have been better to prepare the pork and set it to bake first since that would take longer, but she'd let him learn from experience. He shoved the carrots to the side, toward her, while he concentrated his own knife on the celery. Some feeling pinpricked up her spine, but she steadfastly ignored it.
"Your friend Tanaka likes to eat human flesh," she said, phrasing that so he would think she had figured it out for herself. "Did that happen often?"
"I don't know," Naegi said. He sliced into the celery stalk, lopping off one chunk after the other. "I only saw it once, and I don't think I was supposed to. I . . . I think I wanted to see if he wanted cake. Pekoyama-san tried to stop me, but I ran into him. . ."
The chopping stopped. Naegi stared into space. He shook his head and started up again.
"I only saw it once," Naegi repeated. "Tanaka-kun usually ate with the rest of us, so unless Hanamura-kun made him something different to eat, I'm not too sure how often he ate bodies."
A small part of her wanted to apologize to him for what he had experienced, but Naegi didn't seem to see anything wrong with it. She doubted he would understand why she was apologizing.
"Pekoyama-san was there with you at the time," she repeated.
"Yes. She was my bodyguard, so it's only natural she was. We spent a lot of time together," he remarked.
"Your bodyguard? Wasn't she Kuzuryu-kun's bodyguard?" More likely than not, Pekoyama hadn't been a true bodyguard, but a guard meant to ensure Naegi stayed under lock and key.
"She was, but after an assassin got in and almost killed me, Kuzuryu lent her to me. I shouldn't say it like that," he suddenly mumbled. "You can't lend people."
"I'm glad we agree on that," she said distantly. "Did she end up protecting you from anything?"
"No one broke in after that, so she didn't need to," he said. "Although, she. . . Never mind. I think I'm remembering wrong."
He wasn't paying close enough attention to the knife and ending up chopping past the celery and swishing it through open air. The shockwave vibrated through the handle, making him start. Quickly, he laughed it off and moved to the next stalk. Kirigiri, though, didn't shake off the shock so quickly and deliberately had to twitch her muscles to break out of it.
"Makoto," she said, "you're a poor liar."
He stilled. "Oh? You think so?"
"I did say you were an open book once. Tell me: what did Pekoyama-san do?"
Naegi gave her a hooded look that was hard to decipher. He moved the celery stalk into place, readied the knife, and began chopping. "We tried to escape once. I don't think she would have come all the way with me, but we ran outside together. It didn't work out."
"You got out?" she said slowly. "Is this that time you told me about on the phone?"
"No," he said. "I got out three times before that. The first time, I saw the Imposter and thought he was Togami-kun. The second time, I literally ran outside right into the army. The third. . . it doesn't matter."
"I beg to differ. I think it matters very much, especially since this was an escape a member of Ultimate Despair helped you with."
"What are you saying?"
"It's suspicious, isn't it, that your escaped failed when it was assisted by someone who should know the inner workings of Ultimate Despair," Kirigiri said. "One might wonder whether it was an attempt at demotivation, rather than a genuine act of mercy."
"You think she . . . ? That's wrong!" Naegi whirled around and for that split second before he dropped the knife, every cell in her body flashed a warning. "Pekoyama-san wouldn't trick me like that. She would never do that. Nothing that happened was her fault. There was no way for her to know that . . ."
"That what?" she pressed.
"It doesn't matter," he said again.
"Repeating that doesn't make it true," she countered. "It's clear to me that it does matter. If it's because of a mistake you made, I'm not going to blame you. You shouldn't have been in that situation in the first place."
Naegi shook his head. "I can't. You wouldn't like it."
"I dislike anything that caused you harm or inconvenience. However, I am a detective; it's my job to put those feelings aside to evaluate the facts before me. What I would feel about this is irrelevant."
"I can't."
Kirigiri had dealt with plenty of uncooperative witnesses in her past. But the ones that were always hardest to crack were those who didn't defend themselves, who didn't respond or speak. Thankfully, Naegi was doing that much or she would be facing an entirely different problem. She could read his body language: raised shoulders and a curled in chin, angled away from her – it was classic defensive instinct, an unconscious attempt to shield his vital organs. Naegi felt threatened. Naegi was afraid. It appeared that even with Ultimate Despair safely locked away, he feared their reprisal.
"Makoto." She squeezed his shoulder. It was unusual for her and he knew it too, for he twitched and almost moved away. "You're safe. I'm not going to repeat whatever you tell me. Nobody is going to hurt you."
"That's what everyone always says, isn't it?" he bit out bitterly.
She pulled back, startled. He seemed to be, too. She cleared her throat and cut up a carrot because for once, she had no idea how to respond.
"I can't," he said softly, and it took for a second to realize he was continuing their conversation.
"We both know that isn't true," she answered. "I thought you said Ultimate Despair would never harm you."
"They wouldn't. What does that have to do with anything?"
The question was honest. But that meant . . . This wasn't about Ultimate Despair's wrath? In that case, why wasn't he talking?
". . . Komaeda." She breathed. Of course. "It was Komaeda's fault, wasn't it?"
"Komaeda-kun? What does he have to do with this?" Her gaze flashed to the knife again, held tight in Naegi's clenched fist. "Why are you blaming him?"
"Who else would you be protecting?" she asked. "There's no one you care about as much as him."
"That's . . . b-bullshit! So, what if I do? That doesn't mean it's his fault. He isn't the only person I care about!"
"So, there is someone you are protecting," she observed.
He blinked. "I walked into that one."
She smiled. "You did. Go ahead: keep talking. I didn't mean to disturb you."
His refusal was a bit firmer, had a bit more anger.
"Makoto." She raised her voice, too. "How long do you intend to drag this out? Perhaps you've forgotten, but the one thing a detective excels at is discovering the truth. Are you going to give that to me, or are you going to try another lie?"
He backed away from her, staring at the ground, but he had left the knife behind. She closed the distance.
"I am willing to be patient with you, but that doesn't apply to when you're deliberately deceiving me. If you want to treat me as an adversary, then I will respond appropriately." She didn't like threatening him, but this was about more than him. This was about the safety of everyone on this boat, and he had no right to jeopardize that. Naegi couldn't keep waffling between their class and Ultimate Despair. He couldn't keep pretending that everything was okay.
He seemed to be ignoring her. Apart from backing away straight into a wall, that is. She closed the distance again. Keep the pressure on. Throw accusations until they were on the defensive. That was how to crack a suspect.
"Makoto, I am not a good enemy to have."
He twitched, tips of his teeth showing in a half-formed grimace.
"Kirigiri, a word?"
Hm? Had Kamukura sensed his monopoly on secrets was about to break?
"We'll talk later," she said to Kamukura.
"No. We will talk now."
"Being the most talented doesn't put you in charge," she said sternly. "In fact, one might argue that your complete lack of social skills makes you the least qualified to direct this."
"None of that is relevant," Kamukura said.
"What makes you say that?" She turned her head, so she could watch his reaction.
"Why do you think?"
She waited to see if he would enlighten her. He made no move, however, and as she hated to jump to conclusions, she simply had to accept that she didn't understand what he meant. So be it. If he intended to ignore the conversation, then she would ignore him.
". . . Makoto?" She blinked. He had been here just a second ago.
"He believes you are angry with him," Kamukura observed. "You shouldn't get angry with him."
"If I'm angry at someone, it's not him," she said pointedly.
"Naegi-kun isn't as blind as he wishes he was," Kamukura said. "He understands how fragile some things are. Not all secrets are malicious."
"You know what it was, don't you?" she said.
"Yes."
"Then how do I know you're not protecting yourself?"
"You don't." Kamukura said, "This is not a case, Kirigiri, and those secrets belong to him."
"Naegi-kun's feelings do not override the lives of those upon this ship. The Naegi-kun I knew would understand that."
"Do you still not see the problem here?" Kamukura asked. "Do you not understand why your plan will fail?"
"Do you intend to actually tell me anything?"
He shook his head. "Not until you stop lying to yourself."
And he was gone. Just like Naegi. Kirigiri stared at that closing door, thought about pursuit (of which one, was the real question), then glanced back at the uncut vegetables. She sighed. The others would be by in about forty minutes to help, as they always were. She had only begun preparations now so Naegi and her could have that private time.
She picked up her knife and began cutting.
