A/N: Hey y'all! This is the last chapter of "Homicide for the Holidays" and quite possibly, the last fanfic of the "Toji No Miko murder mystery series". I'm so glad you guys enjoyed my mysteries so much. I certainly enjoyed writing them. Thank you all for the huge amount of support and see you until the next fanfic. I hope you are in for a surprise because who the murderer is in this fanfic, I'm sure none of you were expecting.


Chapter 18: A Difficult Decision

"This shall be a process of elimination," Kanami said. "We already have an inkling of why each of our suspects has said what they said. So, now we shall do the guessing."

"Guessing?" Sanae repeated, her expression bewildered.

"Surely that method would be a little risky in cases such as this?" I questioned, raising an eyebrow at my girlfriend.

"Even though the clues from those obituaries are so obvious?" Kanami pointed out.

I could only sigh, my shoulders slumping. Kanami was right. As much as I wanted to deny the awful truth, everything was so clear. There was no use in trying to avoid our way around it. All the clues and lies we discovered pointed directly at those responsible. And now for the sake of justice, we were going to have to bear the weight of exposing them—our friends.

"I suppose so," I replied, giving in.

"But say that your guess is wrong, Etou-san?" Sanae asked.

"Then, that person will be clear."


In the drawing-room, we assembled the entire Akabane Sword Team. Sanae suggested that she could bring up the servants as well, but Kanami and I didn't want her to. This was solely for the sake of our friends' privacy. And quite frankly, neither of us knew how we'd be able to bear putting those we cared about in the spotlight. The door of the drawing-room, upon Kanami's instructions, was locked and Sanae stood next to it. Prepared with our announcement, Kanami and I took our place, standing in front of the fireplace.

Sitting on the cream-coloured sofas, the Akabane Sword Team all had the same facial expressions. Ones of nervousness and tension. So fraught from the suspenseful situation, Kiyoka was crying, being held and patted on the back by Chie, who spoke soothing words of consolation to her.

"I don't want to be here," Kiyoka sniffled. "I'm too nervous at all this."

Taking Yui's hand tightly in her own, Hana addressed Kanami, "You have something of importance to tell us. Is that correct, Kanami-san?"

"Indeed. We have investigated the death of Fumiko-sama and have, at last, come to a conclusion. We know the basic facts. She was killed at some time from between ten o'clock to midnight. And then as we have all told you during our inquiries, Fumiko-sama was the main instigator of the terrorist attacks on November 9. We know that because of the missing page we discovered in her diary," Kanami began. "And as for the 11/9 attacks themselves..."

Then, with a pause, she pressed her lips together. "There was a remark Hiyori-chan made when we discovered Fumiko-sama's diary. She said, 'There is not a single Toji who has not personally known someone lost that fateful day.' I have thought about this over and over in my mind.

"Iwakura-san, Hiyori-chan, and I have received every file on the 11/9 attacks from Director Maniwa—including the obituaries of the more than 3,000 people lost that day. We already know that Musumi-san lost her former senpai, Koike Saaya. But as for the rest of you..."

By now, the room was so dead silent that one could hear a pin drop. Taking the cue from Kanami, I pulled out my phone and began reading aloud the names we picked out from the obituaries.

"Setouchi Chie, we know that you lost your former Osafune schoolmates from Mokusa...Yonemura Takako and Ogawa Satomi," I began, earning a hard look from Chie.

I continued, "Yamashiro Yui, you have lost your younger sister, Yamashiro Miku. In fact, during our inquiry with you, you told us that you had to care for your mother for several months. I am guessing that the reason for her deteriorating mental health was because of the death of your sister. And not just that, you mentioned how much you missed your mother after she died—because she was the only family you had left."

Yui's normally googly eyes of infatuation had tears in them. Then, all at once, without warning, she broke down, weeping bitterly.

"Yui, come on! It's alright... Pull yourself together," Hana urged, rubbing her lover's back.

"You were fond of Yamashiro Miku too, weren't you, Suzumoto Hana," I said, with no tone of uncertainty. "Or at least, you were saddened because Yamashiro Yui was—and so, you shared her grief."

Only giving me a sad smile, Hana said, "Do continue on then, since you seem to have it all figured out."

Rising from her seat, Mirja said, "Please, Hiyori-sama. Don't cause such pain for my team—"

"And as for you, Kitora Mirja, you lost Futagawa Toshi, the boy on your laptop wallpaper. We immediately identified him in the obituaries," I said. "Am I right in assuming he was your boyfriend?"

Mirja's face became grave. In a hollow voice, she answered, "Yes. He was."

"And you lost your partner too, Shichinosato Kofuki. The one who gave you your silver case for your birthday...Ban Tsugumi."

Kofuki only scowled at me, but the tears I'd seen earlier twice that day were making another reappearance. With a grunt, she pulled the hood of her hoodie tighter around her, stuffing her hands in her pockets.

"Whatever. Like I care," she spat out.

But I knew she did care. Even though Kofuki lashed out, it wasn't like her usual displays of aggression. There was only the pain and anger of a wounded animal.

Turning to the last Toji of all, I gave Mihono what I knew was a true face of sympathy. She could only stare back with a look of terror, almost more frightened than Kiyoka.

"It's okay, Hiyori-sama," she gulped. "I promise you that all I lost was my hearing. I swear it!"

There was such desperation in her voice that I knew she was telling the truth. Sure, she may have lost a few schoolmates, but not anyone so very close to her as the rest of her teammates had. Even so, the sorrow of Mihono's closest friends must've made her just as painfully tormented as them.

With slight impatience in her voice, Sanae demanded, "So, who was the murderer?"

Her eyes almost as teary as those around us, Kanami murmured, "There never was a murderer, Iwakura-san..."

"...because there were seven of them," I finished.

Turning her head sharply at the Akabane Sword Team, Sanae's mouth dropped all the way with an aghast look of disbelief and horror. Yet, the empty eyes of all our seven friends already confirmed the words of Kanami and I.

"There were several lies each of you told, along with other incriminating evidence," Kanami said.

"Kitora Mirja, you forged that document, didn't you?" I said. "You never received a letter from Chairwoman Wilkinson at all. You told us that you studied in England, so therefore you'd use British-English spelling. However, Chairwoman Wilkinson is American. I have a legal document from the chairwoman herself and she wrote the word 'Defense'—with an s. But you, Kitora Mirja, wrote it the British way—'Defence' with a c. And normally, people don't alter their spelling. You had the letter printed so as to provide a reason to come to Hakuchou Manor. And if anyone consulted the American Toji Ministry of Defense, you could perhaps pretend to be just as confused. Maybe play it off as perhaps someone pranked you with a letter of a mission."

Her voice low and clear, Mirja said, "That was very clever of you, Hiyori-sama."

"Another thing," I added, "you claimed to have seen Setouchi Chie and Kiyoka in the library last night at around eleven o'clock. And then Kiyoka said she saw you in the mirror when she was writing her novel. But we know that couldn't have been possible. Why? Because the writing desk was in the far corner of the room beyond the left-hand window, whereas the mirror was right between the windows. To give proof to your story, Kiyoka, after we talked with you in the conservatory, you raced to the library to move the writing desk under the mirror. There was no validity in both of your accounts. You just wanted to provide alibis for each other.

"As for Mihono, we know that you lost your hearing last year. One of the trains loaded with noro unleashed swarms of aradama and subsequently, your left ear was wounded in the attacks. Kofuki, your motive is plain enough as Ban Tsugumi was your girlfriend."

Kanami now took charge. "Setouchi-san, you used your sleeping medication to drug Hiyori-chan and I, didn't you? You did it when you poured us drinks last night during dinner. And when we were all in the drawing-room, you tossed it out the window when we weren't looking. That's true, isn't it?"

Chie didn't bother giving Kanami a dirty look as she had before. "Yes, it is true."

"And Yamashiro-san and Suzumoto-san...you both just fabricated seeing a person come out of Fumiko-sama's study window. There is no way that you could've stuck your heads out of Suzumoto-san's window to look down. Why? Because her window has a casement stay for snowstorms—which prevents the window from opening all the way."

By now, everyone was in tears and those that weren't were close to it. Standing in front of Kanami and I, Mirja gave us a sad smile before humbly bowing.

"Everything you have both said is true. But the killing was my idea," she admitted. "I decided that I would be the one 'left alone without an alibi' since in case, any of my teammates were accused. That way, I would take the blame. I care so much for them—I didn't want any of them to be hanged as criminals."

At last, rising to her full height, Mirja took off her glasses to wipe away her tears. "It took such tremendous planning. Setouchi Chie was the one who tracked down the whereabouts of Murasaki Fumiko. None of us expected you two and Iwakura Sanae to come to Hakuchou Manor though, nor for the snowstorm to happen. But we still had to do what we came to do. For Murasaki Fumiko to get away scot-free even though she killed thousands of innocent people and ruined the lives of so many..."

Chie addressed me next. "I actually had an internship at the Special Sword Administration Bureau but was not there when it was attacked. But I overheard you and Director Maniwa saying that it wasn't a random attack. It only took me a lot of research into the Toji records to discover that it was a former member of Mokusa. I indeed knew Murasaki Fumiko and so, told my teammates. After more research, everything confirmed that she was the culprit."

"And you didn't think to tell the authorities?" I asked.

She shook her head with a sad smile. "It was perhaps because we knew Murasaki Fumiko, having gotten away with it once, would be smart enough to probably get away with it again. Or perhaps it was our own personal revenge... But Hiyori-sama! We did it for the greater good!"

"I was the one who jumped on Fumiko-sama," Mihono admitted, "when we all went into her study together. I possess Kanayamahime's strength, so it was easy. Fumiko-sama was writing in her diary at the time we attacked her. We ripped out the diary page about 11/9 and tried to hide it amongst the bookshelves."

Taking Mihono's hand, Chie finished, "And we hanged the criminal together as a team. For justice!"

Kanami, Sanae, and I looked at them all. I seriously believed in their innocence in the beginning. They were all good people, but for them to have taken so much effort to kill one person... Pain and anger had united them to finish a sordid task. They all risked their lives just for those they loved.

"As this was my idea, let the blame fall on me," Mirja pleaded. "I am their leader; it's only right."

"No, Mirja-san!" Mihono cried. "I attacked Fumiko-sama first and subdued her."

She turned to Kanami, falling to her knees, and tightly clasped the hem of Kanami's shirt. "Tell the police it was me, Kanami! Everyone else, they already suffered enough! Please...please..."

"Mihono-chan, no!" Chie choked out.

Yui and Hana hugged each other tightly. Neither of them bothered falling at our feet.

Whispering to her crying lover, Yui whispered, "It's alright, Hana-san. We'll go to death together."

Finally, taking off her hood, Kofuki went over to Kanami and I. She managed to tug Mihono gently off of my girlfriend before gesturing for Chie to take her. With a hollow and emotionless expression, Kofuki said, "There's no life in any of us."

"We're all to blame," Kiyoka agreed, through her tears. "But Etou-san, Hiyori-sama, Iwakura-san...surely you understand? What we committed wasn't murder—we took a life to save all of humanity! Fumiko-sama, she...took the lives of so many people who should've lived longer. And oh, for Hono-chan and Kofuki-san to have suffered so much...and Yui-chan and Hana-san...they love each other so much...they can't live without one another..."

Kanami looked very conflicted. She had to turn around from everyone else and stare into the fireplace. I was uncertain as to whether she wanted to show her face to anyone period. No doubt she was getting just as emotional as the others. When she spoke, she didn't turn around.

"Hiyori-chan, you are the Head of the Origami Family. What is your verdict?"

She wanted me to make the final conclusion?! I couldn't—I couldn't—

Out of all the tasks I faced as Origami Head, this was probably the most difficult one of all. Just how did Kanami expect me to make the right decision?! Was there even one at all? I closed my eyes, not wanting the faces of the Akabane Sword Team to influence my thoughts.

'Origami Yukari...' I desperately prayed in my mind. 'What would you do with something like this?'

I didn't expect an answer, but for some reason, I could almost hear Origami Yukari whisper, "What would you do, Juujou Hiyori?"

Opening my eyes in revelation, my mind flashed the same horrific images of that day as it had done several times before. Aradama raging in the streets and skies, buildings burning and collapsing, dead bodies strewn everywhere... It only took one girl to ruin the lives of so many. 11/9 was a disaster that shook the world. The many lives impacted because of it...in the future, they'd be forced to watch their loved ones die over and over again, year after year after year... And all those innocent Tojis that were killed—people lost daughters, sisters, cousins, friends... Not to mention the lives of other civilians and employees of the attacked buildings.

Nothing would ever be the same—all because of one girl's inhumane decision for her own selfish ambitions.

The old me in the past would have fought for justice. Gotten revenge. Done her duty.

But what was needed right now...wasn't revenge. Revenge would only lead to a never-ending cycle of despair...

No, this case called for a different approach.

Standing up straight, I gave a cough. The uncertainty of the young girl I was disappeared, now replaced by the commanding aura Origami Yukari possessed.

"It was a suicide," I declared. "I believe Murasaki Fumiko indeed killed herself."

Walking around the room, I continued on, "She invited me here having known me to have the power to merge with aradama. However, she immediately felt threatened in my presence once she realized I was not one to be swayed. And rather than risking an encounter with the police, she hanged herself in private. And as for the blood on her under her fingernails, perhaps she started having second thoughts but could not free her neck in time. And the letter of the mission Kitora Mirja got was most likely from an unknown individual, who only wanted to play a prank."

I paused letting that all sink in, before facing everyone with unwavering eyes. "This death was a suicide. Period."

"I too agree that it was a suicide," Sanae agreed, nodding her head.

Not turning around from the fireplace, Kanami murmured, "Then, in that case, that is the conclusion we shall offer..."


A/N: Were any of you expecting that ending? One of my professors, whose father is a police officer, told me that her dad faced a similar situation—where all the suspects were the murderers. However, unlike the Akabane Sword Team, they all did it out of evil intentions. I thought it would be a great inspiration for a future fanfic..and here it is! I hope you all enjoyed "Homicide for the Holidays"! Until next time, see ya!