4/11

Haru Okumura really hadn't wanted to go to school the next day, but her father insisted and her father always got what he wanted.

Her forehead was wrapped in an ignominiously large bandage, stretching across its entire length. And she had a huge forehead.

Plenty of stares were shot her way, her delicate form shriveling in on itself more and more from the growing humiliation as she crossed each hallway.

She certainly didn't have any friends and nobody seemed to realize that she had been involved in the subway accident the previous night. She supposed the reporters had heard Sugimura's threat and followed his orders accordingly.

Her gaze instinctually traveled down to the dark bruise tracing her wrist in the same place her fiancé had pulled on it the night before. She would have complained to him about the pain, but she was already in so much trouble that the last thing she wanted to do was add another felony to the list.

As she sat on the Shujin Academy rooftop, tending to the plant beds very gingerly due to the ache in her wrist, she grimly thought back to the previous night's occurrences.

It was apparently the absolute worst thing in the world for a high-class girl to be seen on the subway. While it was true that she had only ridden it a handful of times and was used to being driven around privately, she didn't think herself above boarding the subway. Maybe if Sugimura had never made her run off in the first place, then…

Her father was always pressuring her into spending more and more time with him. Sometimes he would pick her up from school, or randomly show up at her house to take her out to dinner. They had been on that sort of date the night before, to 'celebrate her new school term', he said. It was a nice meal at an expensive restaurant, though she left hungry considering Sugimura never let her eat much.

But he always got so pushy when the sun started setting. He wanted her to spend the night at his penthouse, told her that her father surely wouldn't mind.

His hands were everywhere, crawling up her thighs and gently tugging at the ends of her hair earnestly. Amongst every unwelcome touch and her constant protesting Haru doubted that he hadn't heard the word no.

So when the stained-white limousine had pulled into his driveway and her fiancé was fumbling with the front door amid his bumbling excitement, Haru made her grand escape. She took a few steps back, quietly at first and then converting into a full-on sprint down the street. At first she ran nowhere in particular but gradually as the crowd size increased she settled into a fast-paced walk, huffing and wheezing as if she had just ran a mile.

Of course in time she had found the subway station, and the events from that specific tale was easily accessible from any news station.

She sighed at the sight of her dirt-caked fingernails, making a mental note that she would have to clean them out with a nail clipper later to avoid any comments from Sugimura. No matter how many times she told him it was just from gardening, he continued acting repulsed everytime he caught a look at them.

Haru heard the door to the roof opening, startling her slightly. It wasn't uncommon for students to come up here while she was working, but she was always a little scared that if another person was caught up here she would somehow end up getting in trouble along with them. She began speaking while dusting the dirt off her hands. "Hello, the roof is only accessible to the gardening club and - ''

A light, pleasant chuckle caught her by surprise. Haru blinked, raising her head up in disbelief. "Akechi-san?"

He laughed again, bordering on a self-deprecating manner. "Aha, yes… I hope I'm not intruding, but we parted ways before I could receive your contact information so I had no choice but to track you down."

"How did you know I would be up here?" Haru asked incredulously. He really is a detective…

"I asked a PE teacher who was just roaming the halls, and he said you'd likely be up here."

"Oh, that must be Kamoshida-sensei," she said. "He's rather fond of me though I'm no good at sports. He even offered me a starting spot on the girls volleyball team."

"That's very generous of him," Akechi commented with his ever-present smile. "Is now a good time for you? To help with my investigation, I mean."

Haru had actually completely forgotten she had ever agreed to that, though made no move to display her lapse of memory. "Oh, yes, of course. Right now is fine."

Since there was only a lonesome chair shuffled near the back corner of the rooftop, Akechi offered it to her and she gladly accepted. Her knees were always a little sore due to the amount of time she spent tending to her small garden, anyways.

The boy detective brought out a notebook and ballpoint pen from his messenger bag. "For starters, what terminal did you first board the subway?"

"Ogikubo."

"Around what time was that?"

"I believe it was about… seven pm." Haru answered, frowning slightly. "I'm sorry. I would show you my ticket, but it was lost during the accident…"

"It's quite alright," Akechi responded encouragingly. "Any information you can give me is greatly appreciated."

He's so charming… Haru thought to herself, mindlessly running her hands down her skirt to smooth it. She nodded, allowing him to continue with his questioning.

"When did the subway start having issues?"

"I wasn't really paying much attention until people started freaking out about twenty minutes in," she admitted. "Apparently the train had missed a stop, and the engineer wasn't responding to anyone."

"Were you trying to get his attention?"

"No, not me," she shook her head. "I was in one of the latter cars."

"Perhaps that's why you didn't have any major injuries," Akechi mused. "I presume you had that cut looked at?"

"Oh, yes," Haru said, motioning to the bandage wrapped around her forehead. "I'm totally fine, though it's quite embarrassing…"

The boy detective chuckled as he began tucking his notebook back inside his bag. "Well, it seems that I have no further questions for you, Okumura-san."

"I hope that I was at least of some use to your investigation." Haru said earnestly. "And please, call me Haru."

Akechi's kind expression never seemed to falter. "Okay then, Haru. I'm sure that this interview will prove convenient in narrowing down the timeline of this harrowing incident. I'll keep you updated, of course, since you've been so helpful to me. Perhaps we could grab a coffee together sometime."

Haru felt a slight heat rising into her cheeks, but chose to ignore it as she responded. "I would very much like that. But, um, Akechi-san - ''

"There's no need for the san," he chided in a cordial manner.

Haru's face grew even redder. "O-okay, Akechi-kun," she said, her voice wavering remotely. "Um… it's fine if you use the information I told you, but I think it would be best if you didn't mention my name… it might cause some trouble." She phrased it as delicately as she could, bracing herself for his response.

The boy detective took on an expression of short contemplation before he questioned in an oddly serious tone, "Trouble for me, or for you?"

Haru opened her mouth, then closed it again. "Huh?"

"Nothing, I'm just kidding," Akechi dismissed his previous comment, despite there being no evidence of it being a joke at all. "Are you taking the subway? I'm heading over there myself."

"Oh, um…" Haru was still a little distracted. "I'm actually being picked up by a driver. He should be waiting for me near the front of the school."

"I suppose that makes sense. Your parents probably aren't eager to let you ride the subway again after last night's ordeal." Akechi considered. "I'll see you to your ride, if that's alright?"

"Ah, yes, of course," she agreed, quickly packing up her things as to not waste any more of Akechi's time. The two made idle chit-chat as she was escorted towards Shujin's entrance, the boy detective offering a friendly goodbye before he made his departure in the direction of the subway station.

Haru was still a little flustered from her interactions with Akechi, even as she plopped down into the cushiony backseat. That boy was just so charming, so good-looking, so good-natured… was it even possible to dislike him? She was overly flattered that he had taken the time to come find her just to ask a few questions. At this rate, they could even become friends. The very thought brought a smile to her face.