A/N: IMPORTANT! PLEASE READ: This chapter deals with a fictional disaster that is based on a real one that happened back in 2001. I'm sure a lot of you can already guess which worldwide famous disaster this was. Please be advised that this chapter deals with a sensitive topic to many people and that I mean no disrespect. If truth be told, I hope this chapter honours the memories of the thousands of lives lost, and that we all do not forget.
Chapter 5: Tragedy Of The Past
"This won't be easy," Kanami sighed. "No chance to perform an autopsy. No database. No equipment of any kind. Period."
I immediately sensed something was wrong. "Kanami, you've done this before even without all that stuff you mentioned. What's holding you back?"
Kanami stared at me as if I grew another head. Somehow, that look she gave me made me feel guilty. As though there was an obvious fact my eyes were blind to. I soon found out that was exactly what it was.
"This isn't like those other times, Hiyori-chan. These are our friends we're dealing with!" Kanami exclaimed. "And like it or not, it's most likely one of them. I don't want to be the reason for leading a friend of mine to the noose."
I bit my lip, feeling inferior. While I'd been ruminating on finding the culprit, Kanami had been struggling about balancing justice and friendship. It was only one of the many examples that showed the gaping chasm of a difference between my girlfriend and I. Just like our okatanas, I was a person who killed, while Kanami was one who'd protect. My eyes turned from Kanami to Ryosei and Kaho, who remained silent, staring at us with equally troubled expressions. Stepping back a little, my face burned with what could only be shame.
Kanami was right. The possibility of one of the Akabane Sword Team members being a murderer...it wasn't something my mind could bear. If Kanami and I did decide to solve this murder, what horrible truths would we discover? And would we lose a friend as a result? Despite my strong sense of justice and duty, I didn't want that. Another terrible realization struck me.
"Kanami, do you think the police will care whether they are our friends or not? They'll arrest someone either way and it might not even be the right person. They might arrest Kofuki because of her already violent nature. Or even Yui just because she has a criminal record of attempted sexual assaults. Don't you see, Kanami? You have to solve this mystery! I believe in you," I cried.
My words seemed to stir something back in Kanami. Her determined eyes returned and she pulled herself up straighter. Even so, I could still see conflicting emotions cross her face.
"Alright. But I need your help, Hiyori-chan. I can't do this without you," Kanami said, taking me by the hands in a firm grip.
We stayed like that for a few seconds, silently encouraging each other. Kanami and I held hands many times in the past and every time, just the touch of each other's palms was enough to reassure us.
Turning to Ryosei, I said, "We will need to address the subject of Murasaki Fumiko's death with the others. Could you please do so?"
"Yes, m'lady."
"And advise them to stay in their rooms with the doors locked," I added.
"Is there anything I can do, Ojou-sama?" Kaho asked, apprehensively clasping her hands together.
"Yes, please bring Sanae, my lady's maid, here to this room. I wish to speak to her."
Both servants bowed before leaving, clearly wanting to get out as soon as possible.
"Just want to make sure their statements were true—that is regarding all the servants being downstairs during that time," I explained to Kanami. "Sanae is a trustworthy person and has no connection with them whatsoever. I know she would never lie."
Pondering a little, Kanami said, "The main question is on what motive would any of our friends kill Fumiko-sama for?"
My cheeks must've turned noticeably red again because Kanami looked at me sharply. "Hiyori-chan, what are you not telling me?"
There was no use in being evasive. I already knew Kanami would not believe me if I tried lying. We both were aware I was never a good liar anyway. I had to spill the beans. After taking a deep breath, I told Kanami everything as calmly as I could. About Fumiko's involvement with using noro and how she wanted to use it on other Tojis. I didn't even omit the part about her threat to our family. If she was angry at me for keeping this from her, Kanami hid it well.
"So, she was similar to Tagitsuhime's former Myouga Tojis then? And Hitakami Makoto's Tamayori Tojis?" she asked.
"That's what puzzles me. With noro and great aradama strength, Murasaki Fumiko should've been more than capable of defending herself against one person. I doubt she would've even needed an okatana," I said.
Looking back up at Fumiko's body, Kanami said, "I want to know as much as possible about Murasaki Fumiko. We can ask the maid, Sakimoto-san, when she comes back with Iwakura-san. But first—"
She shuddered as more gusts of wind and snow came blowing through. "We might as well shut the windows. There's no need for us to freeze in here."
At that moment, Kaho returned with Sanae. Although she must've been warned beforehand, Sanae's face still looked shocked, tinged with fear at the sight of Fumiko's hanging body. Nevertheless, she recovered quickly. I asked her to confirm the servants' story to which she agreed. Well, that washed them out. All four servants downstairs with Sanae playing several rounds of cards... I could tell my Sanae's voice that it must've been a very intense game.
Meanwhile, Kanami had been examining the door. "Sakimoto-san, this door—it does not have a bolt."
"No, miss. It's a very old door, you see. It has to be locked with a key," Kaho replied.
"So, when you opened the door and discovered the body..."
"It was locked from the inside with the key still in the keyhole. I could tell when I opened it with my own master key because it clattered out at once."
"Ah! Do you have that key now? The one that was in the lock?"
Kaho took it from her apron pocket and handed it over. For the first time in the morning, Kanami's face became excited as she examined the brass key.
"You see here, Hiyori-chan? The key has scratch marks at the end of the barrel, meaning someone from the outside locked it to make it appear as though it was locked from the inside. Perhaps with needle-nose pliers."
She turned back to Kaho. "Sakimoto-san, what can you tell us about the late Murasaki Fumiko? What kind of a person was she?"
Kaho stared. "Hardworking girl, I should say. Paid us all handsomely."
"And what about how you personally felt towards her?"
"Well, she didn't trouble with being polite if she wasn't feeling up to it. If the bell wasn't answered at once or she couldn't find something, she'd immediately get nasty towards all of us. None of us really liked her, but we all stayed in service to her because of the salary."
"And how long did you work for her?" Kanami asked.
Kaho shook her head. "Not very long, I'm afraid. All four of us servants are new recruits—we only came here two months ago."
"Remarkable," I muttered.
"From what I understood, Fumiko-sama had a way of dismissing servants very quickly after a short period of time," Kaho said. "That's why, I'm sorry to say that I don't know much. Not really anything else."
"Hm. Alright, that is all for the moment, Sakimoto-san," Kanami said. "Hiyori-chan and I will take things from here."
"I may stay to help you?" asked Sanae.
Kanami reflected for a moment, before giving an affirmative reply. Once Kaho left, the three of us methodically searched the study for clues of any sort. Preoccupying myself with the numerous bookshelves, my glance fell on a little black book that looked out of place, wedged between the huge tomes. Pulling it out, I recognized it as the exact book Fumiko was writing in when I first met her. My eyes widened at the symbol on the cover—a dragon with an okatana in its claws. It was a symbol I was very familiar with, since that fateful day last year.
My anxiety growing with each passing second, I flipped through the pages. From the looks of it, it appeared to be a diary. Some sections contained lists of figures on noro, some detailing schemes and operations... My fingers stopped running through the pages once I noticed one was missing—clearly torn out. Judging how the previous entry was dated 10/9 and the next one was 12/9, I could only guess that the record of 11/9 had been purposefully ripped out. That awful day...could there have been a connection after all?
"I think I know what this is about," I said, turning to the others.
"What's that you got there, Hiyori-chan?" Kanami asked.
"It's Murasaki Fumiko's diary. The page on 11/9 has been ripped out. You both know the terrible event that happened on that day, right?"
"My goodness, Hiyori-sama. Who hasn't?" Sanae exclaimed.
"I now know who Fumiko really was," I said.
"Who?"
"She was the founder of the Takamagahara Faction. This is their symbol," I said, showing the cover of the diary.
"I've never heard of that faction before," Kanami said.
"Of course, you wouldn't have. It's top-secret information—classified."
"So, what is the Takamagahara Faction?" Sanae asked.
"Auntie Akane and Director Maniwa told me that it was once part of Mokusa, but severed ties after being accused of anarchy. I guess you could say it was like Hitakami Makoto's faction, but ten times worse," I said. "The goal of the Takamagahara Faction was to replace all of mankind with ones fused with aradama—they were extreme noro fanatics."
"I still don't understand the connection," Kanami said. "Do you mean that on 11/9..."
Her voice trailed off, as we all stood there in silence. None of us had to speak to know that we were all thinking about the same thing. That awful day...
Last year on November 9, nineteen followers of the Takamagahara Faction hijacked four trains, loaded with noro, that were being transported to Kamakura. A couple of the trains derailed from high speed and crashed into the two Towers of the International Toji Headquarters. Both towers collapsed in less than two hours. One train was blown up when it was underground, passing right underneath the Special Sword Administration Bureau. And the fourth was believed to have been heading towards the Origami Family Estate. However, that train never made it to its destination because the Tojis onboard fought back—it unfortunately crashed too. The result was the worst aradama tragedy in Toji history, even worse than the Great Disaster of Sagami Bay. More than 3,000 civilians and Tojis died. Just a handful of terrorists were able to turn four trains into weapons and complete their mission, as the whole world watched live.
Director Maniwa's suspicions fell at once onto the Takamahagara Faction, but because the faction founder wiped her tracks well, nobody knew who she was and nothing could be proven. Our only clue was that it was most likely someone of a high-class Toji family. The media and public were told that it was a random attack by just the nineteen participants, so as to avoid panic. Security was increased and such, but in the end, the truth behind the attack was only known to me, Director Maniwa, and a few government officials.
"And now, after seeing this diary, it is now as clear as day to me," I said. "Murasaki Fumiko was definitely the one behind it all! But she was clever and secretive enough to give everyone the slip!"
"I cannot say that I regret she is dead then," Sanae gasped.
Sanae being a person who never spoke badly of anyone, her comment was probably the most unforgiving speech I ever heard her utter. Kanami's facial expression was likewise redolent of disgust.
"Someone did not want the page on 11/9 to be found," I said. "Maybe Fumiko was writing in this diary before she was murdered and the killer discovered it."
Kanami walked behind Fumiko's desk and stared at it curiously. With a gesture, she said, "So, the killer possibly found the diary open on the desk, read through it, before finding the page on November 9 and tearing it out. The killer then closed the diary and placed it neatly into a bookshelf, believing it was not noteworthy enough to strike suspicion. In the killer's mind, nobody would think of trying to look for that diary because this scene was staged to look like suicide."
"But can we be sure that it was because of the terrorist attacks that Fumiko-sama was killed?" Sanae questioned. "If the Akabane Sword Team members are indeed our main suspects..."
Sanae never finished her sentence, but I understood what her mind was trying to grasp. I could only nod solemnly.
"I believe so. Because one thing's for sure, there is not a single Toji who has not personally known someone lost on that fateful day."
A/N: For those of you who guessed, yes, the tragedy is based on the September 11 attacks. I simply switched the numbers from 9/11 to 11/9. One of my American friends lost her father on that day. It still haunts both of us now.
