even birds leave this world
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i
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It's after hours; all the customers have left, and the doors to the pie shop are closed and locked, but of course, he's slacking off. Mayaka tries not to glare a hole through the newspaper obscuring her view as Satoshi reads on, his body hunched over like his back is broken, the papers raised higher than usual.
The headlines seem to be extra bold today and it's gruesome, the death of a young heiress. A murder — unsolved too. It's what everyone — anyone who came through the shop's doors — discussed; the topic floating about and bouncing off the walls.
And as Mayaka stacks a plate onto another, she asks Satoshi about his opinion. She may just be wasting her breath, but to her surprise (or his credit), he responds.
The newspaper is folded away, too neatly for something that will expire in a matter of hours. That should have been Mayaka's third clue to Satoshi acting funny, but she may have just pushed it away, not wanting to believe the kicking in her gut.
Finally, Satoshi says, "I knew her. Chitanda-san was my friend,"
Mayaka's head snaps up and she wipes her tiny hands on her apron. She doesn't know what she's about to do, but a hug seems appropriate. She raises her arms and makes a gesture.
Satoshi's brown eyes widened in an instant. His mouth presses into a line. He tells her, "You know how I like my personal space."
"You just can't handle touching other people," Mayaka says bluntly but doesn't lower her arms. "You heard your friend passed away, you'll need some comfort."
Satoshi shakes his head. "Let's talk about something else,"
Mayaka harrumphs. It's just like Satoshi Fukube to avoid a subject that needles him, he wastes so much of his energy skirting around something that will eventually be talked about. Satoshi's belief in getting something done and over with is always pushed back; an I'll do it later mentality.
However, Mayaka will lay the topic aside for now. She's got another question brewing on her mind.
"Okay then," She says and leads the conversation. "Who's the guy who keeps coming to the pie shop after the last shift is done? The brunette who looks like a human version of a sloth."
A chuckle slips out of his mouth. "A friend. We meet up now and then." Satoshi answers, taking his time as he does his closing up routine.
"For?" Mayaka asks.
"Just some catching up. We share a similar interest in Sherlockian mysteries,"
"I've always been a Christie girl."
"I know," He says softly and that gets on Mayaka's nerves for some reason.
"Aren't you always complaining about not having time for your many hobbies? When was the last time you sewed? How come you have the energy for —"
"It's a side job. You should know enough to not want to talk about all of its struggles."
This gets Mayaka to grimace. She never should have told Satoshi about her mangaka side business.
Her pink eyes glare at Satoshi. His back is turned to her as he wipes a table. If her hands weren't occupied with a trayful of plates, she'd grab him by the shoulders and spin him around. He's always doing this. Always talking to her like it's nothing. Always hiding a side of him with his lousy lies. It's rude, she doesn't like it.
"If you don't want to talk about this topic, then we'll just go back to the original one." Mayaka snaps. Honestly, this man. "You mentioned Chitanda-san was a friend? How did you two meet?"
She's not ruthless though, she does want to talk about the positives. Maybe she'll rouse some goodness from a fond memory?
Satoshi hesitates for a moment, then tells his tale, "We met many years ago, it was Summer. Our families were booked into the same inn. I found Chitanda-san an interesting person and wanted the two of us to become friends. We bonded, but then we had to leave just as abruptly."
Something didn't sit right in Mayaka's chest. She puts down her tray and presses her palms onto her hips.
"How old were you?" She asks.
Satoshi pauses once more. Then he replies, "Twelve,"
"Isn't that —?"
"Yeah. My mom passed away at the inn. Her uncle did too. His name was Jun Sekitani, if I'm not mistaken. We bonded from that unlucky turn of events, exchanged e-mails and such. It got less frequent as the years went by."
Mayaka's arms went limp to her sides. "I'm sorry,"
"No, it's —" Satoshi pauses then shakes his head. He grabs a broom near-by, his knuckles white to the touch. "Let's just close up for the night."
"Do you want to talk about it over dinner?" Mayaka asks, her tone quiet.
Satoshi stares at his hands, then at Mayaka, he begins opening his mouth when his pocket vibrates, followed by a particular jingle.
Satoshi screws up his face, as if he already knows what this means.
"Sorry," He says, "I already made plans with Houtarou. Could you —?"
"I'll feed the cat," Mayaka promises, already knowing the routine. She does find it strange though, how Satoshi keeps an animal he claims he's allergic to. Poor thing can't even get all the pets and scratches it craves.
Holding out her small palm, she makes a motion for Satoshi to hand over his apartment keys. He gives it without much consideration. And as his fingers barely brush against her hand, Mayaka notes how it's the only time he'll allow himself to touch her.
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ii
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Tani grins at the two men as they walk into the morgue. Satoshi smiles back, a tight lip one, and Houtarou doesn't move a muscle on his face. Stoic as always.
The room is cold and full of corpses and decomposition. Satoshi can't stand the sight, never could, but his part of the job is easy and keeps his pie shop afloat.
As soon as Tani leaves the space, shutting the door behind him with a click, Houtarou turns to Satoshi, his white trench coat swishing. It's a fitting outfit for a guy in his field of work.
"Let's not waste any time," Houtarou utters.
Satoshi does not return the gesture with a nod nor utter a word. He's busy gawking at the pale hand peeking under the sheet. He hopes the body looks peaceful and in deep sleep. Most murder victims look grim.
"Shall we start? The sooner we solve this murder, the sooner we can split our reward money." Houtarou says. Though his question is a rhetorical one as Houtaoru brings his wristwatch into view, ready to set the countdown timer without a second thought.
Satoshi takes a deep breath then pushes his fingers against the corpse's arm and colour returns to her skin. She exhales loudly and a pair of big purple eyes flutter open.
.
.
.
"Good evening, Chitanda. I'm sure you're very confused right now and have a lot of questions, but we're on a time crunch so it's best we get straight to it. I'm Houtarou Oreki, a Private Investigator, this is my partner Satoshi Fukube, and we're here to solve your murder, so if you could please name the culprit, that would be grea —"
"Fukube-san?" Chitanda echoes and Satoshi's stature goes rim-rod straight.
"Hi, Chitanda-san. Long time no see."
Houtarou's green eyes gaze back and forth between Satoshi and Chitanda. "You know each other?"
"Yes," Chitanda says.
The same time, Satoshi answers, "We were friends a long time ago."
Houtarou's face tells Satoshi that a million things are running through his head as a sudden pressure of awkwardness hangs in the air.
"I'm sorry, but …" Chitanda blinks, as if she's just woken up from a long nap. "Did you say I was murdered?"
Houtarou claps his hands. Right! "Yes, it's in the newspaper. We would show you and talk about all the details, but — like I said, we're on a time crunch. Can you please tell us who killed you?"
"I …" Chitanda's hand touches a spot on her spine, probably the place she was stabbed. "I don't know. I didn't see, my back was turned. I just knew, one minute I was walking home, trying to get away from the rain, then the next thing, I was in pain and I fell from the shock."
Houtarou frowns. He hopes this won't turn into a cold case. "Do you remember anything? Anything at all?"
Satoshi stays silent the whole while Houtarou and Chitanda exchange words. He's never been the one to engage with the dead. Even if he really wants to — because it's a friend that he hasn't seen in ages — there's no time to catch up, and to prove this, Satoshi quickly glances at Houtarou's wrist. Forty seconds left.
"I … I think I remember the shoes." Chitanda replies. "They were running shoes. They were Nikes. Yes, I remember the checkmark logo. It was a dark blue colour. The person didn't wear any socks, or maybe they were hidden from view? I can't imagine wearing those shoes without socks. They looked new, it would have given them blisters. Maybe my murderer was wearing ankle crew socks?"
Houtarou sighs in relief at the detailed description, it's less work for him and an unnecessary load lifted. "Thank you, you don't know how much this helps our case." He says and writes all the details Chitanda's described in his notepad. "Is that all you can tell us?"
Chitanda bobs her head. "I blacked out soon after."
Houtarou mirrors her, nods too, then snaps his notebook shut. "Thank you for your cooperation, Chitanda."
"Am I … going to go back to being dead now?" Chitanda asks, her voice a little sad.
"Ye —"
"What if we keep her alive?" Satoshi speaks up, breaking the two-way conversation.
"What?" Houtarou begins, his ever-present frown dripping lower and exchanging itself for a morbid expression. Then he raises a finger to Chitanda to excuse himself for a moment, grabs his partner around the shoulder and guides Satoshi to the other side of the morgue. "What are you on about? You told me yourself; anyone living closest to the alive-again person will take their place! I'm a living person within that proximity! We're not taking that chance, Satoshi! We got our info, we can avenge Chitanda by solving the murder!"
"But —"
"We can't! We —" Houtarou shakes his head. "We only have a limited time-frame, I'm begging you, Satoshi, I don't want to die. For the first time in a long time, my weekend is completely free and I intend to enjoy two whole days of doing absolutely nothing. I would like to bask in that luxury before my death day!"
"This is a big case, Houtarou. Chitanda-san's part of the Exponential Four Clans, we don't have much evidence aside from a pair of shoes. Think about it."
"No, you think about it! Don't let feelings compromise this case."
Satoshi opens his mouth, wanting to say he can't separate professionalism and his feelings. He wants to spill a well-kept secret he's never told anyone. It's a short life-story, and it hurts Satoshi's heart to say Chitanda's passing sounds so unfair. A complete tragedy, but —
"I'm standing by what I said. This isn't an argument I want or can get into right now. We have —" Satoshi raises Houtarou's watch to eye-level. "— five seconds left, so."
Houtarou runs out of the morgue without another word. Satoshi knew Houtarou rode a bike from time to time, but he didn't know Houtarou was fit nor that fast.
Tani, who happened to walk into the room at the same time the tall man shoves past him, gaps. "What's his problem?" Then Tani stares at Satoshi, "I heard a third voice, a woman's, are you on the phone or something? I told you no devices. Meaning no phone calls —"
He stops when he spots Chitanda who's sitting on the cold autopsy table and still dressed in her gown.
"Holy shit!" Tani yells then the next thing Satoshi knew, he dropped dead. Literally.
Chitanda lets out a gasp and clutches onto her beating heart. "What —?"
"No time to explain, we have to go. Now. Now!" Satoshi says.
Chitanda springs from the table like a flower eager to dig itself out of the dark soil. She's not going to fight the situation.
.
.
.
The car doors slam shut with Satoshi in the shotgun seat and Chitanda in the back, both panting from the run and the adrenaline rush.
"We're really doing this, aren't we?" Houtarou asks as he turns on the engine and pulls out of the parking lot. He sounds annoyed and stressed, "I can't believe this is happening." Houtarou looks over his shoulder to double-check then merges into a lane. "There's a dead person in my car."
"Don't panic."
"How can I not panic, Satoshi? We're the prime suspects of stealing a corpse!"
"Didn't we pay Tani to switch the camera off and keep quiet?" Satoshi asks.
"We did," Houtarou hisses and pulls his vehicle into the quiet street. "But forensics could still pin-point us to the empty spot Chitanda used to lie and Tani's dead body —"
"He's dead?" Chitanda asks, alarm in her tone.
"Very dead." Houtarou utters. "Which is why we could be in double trouble. It's not just you being missing, it's us looking guilty for what happened to Tani too!"
"Did we kill him?"
"It's …" Houtarou meditates on his answer. Satoshi did let Chitanda live past a minute, and Houtarou did run out of the room to distance himself, thus making someone else suffer the demise. But — "Kind of? We played a part. The universe balances out the living and the dead. We don't get to decide who stays or goes."
"Look," Satoshi says, trying to use logic. He's afraid Chitanda will feel bad and maybe ask to go back under. "Tani was taking money from us, maybe he took money from other people too? Maybe there were others visiting the morgue? They could be suspects too."
"What would Tani-san have other people visit such a place?" Chitanda asks.
"I'm not sure." Satoshi replies then thinks on the idea more, the outcome is morbid. "Selling organs to the black market? Necrophilia?"
Chitanda's expression sours.
"Oh, I didn't mean —"
"We'll have to deal with Tani later," Houtarou says, his tone hard. He touches his forehead with his free hand while the other grips onto the steering wheel. "Now that Chitanda is revived, it's crucial that we have her hidden at your place, got it? We have to avoid any suspicions. No funny business."
"I understand," Satoshi says. "But —"
"But? Why is there a 'but'?"
"We have to tell Mayaka,"
"The waitress?" Houtarou asks, his eye twitching. "Why? That's your first thought?!"
Chitanda shifts at this piece of information, listening tentatively.
"She's probably still at my apartment now." Satoshi explains. "If we want to hide Chitanda-san at my place, we'll have to explain our circumstance,"
"What is Ibara even doing loitering around your home at this hour? Doesn't she have her own house?" Houtarou asks.
"Mayaka lives next door, but she drops by often to feed my cat."
"Then give that responsibility to someone else. Don't give Ibara a reason to see the cat. Let Chitanda feed your pet, problem solved!"
"No, it's not just a matter of the cat. It's a matter of when. Mayaka's bound to step into my apartment sooner or later. She'll bump into Chitanda-san, it's inevitable." Satoshi tries explaining.
"It's not inevitable," Houtarou says, turning a corner. "Just ban Ibara from your place. I'm not sure it's a wise idea to involve a waitress in our crime-solving world. Does she know how to defend herself? Isn't she four feet tall?"
"Height has nothing to do with self-defence," Satoshi states, remembering all those punches she's swung at his arm.
"Alright then, is Ibara okay with the idea of whatever supernatural mumbo-jumbo we're in?"
"Mayaka hates ghosts."
"There you go."
Satoshi casts a steady stare at Houtarou. "I can't dodge her, Houtarou. It's not that easy. Believe me, Mayaka's someone who's been in my life since the beginning of the pie shop, she knows things that even I've forgotten. She'll find out."
"You're killing me, Satoshi!"
"Um, excuse me," Chitanda wedges herself in the space between Houtarou and Satoshi, which prompts Satoshi to press himself against the window. He can't risk touching her twice or she'll be dead forever. "Fukube-san, Oreki-san, I didn't tell you two this before since I didn't think it was necessary or important, but, I have to tell you this now. I believe my murder is bigger than it is."
"What do you mean?"
"I don't think this is any murder. It's not someone deciding to take a life simply because they can. I think someone is actively planning to kill all the heirs of the Exponential Four Clans. I was the first murder victim, obviously, but my friend Kaho-san was targetted first. She only suffered light injuries, but it's clear that it could have been fatal. I know I may be asking for a lot, but — please, we need to try to stop this criminal and keep the other three away from death's door!"
"Oh no, who do you think we are? I solve mysteries, not provide secret service protection. We're not going to get involved with any wacky hijinks!" Houtarou protests. "Satoshi, back me up here. You're a pie maker, tell her how unfit you are for this position."
Satoshi takes in all this information one step at a time. He bit off more than he could chew by bringing Chitanda back to life. It's clear to him now. However —
"I'm in,"
"Excuse me?" Houtarou sputters.
"I feel responsible."
"I don't."
"The reward money is supposed to be split between us, you have a part to play too!" Satoshi points out.
Houtarou glares ahead. "Reward money to solve a murder, not become Sherlock Holmes himself."
"Helping Chitanda-san is part of solving this murder."
"If Oreki-san doesn't want to get involved, then I'll take his earnings." Chitanda pipes up.
"What?"
"You have your beliefs, and I have mine. I must protect my friends, Oreki-san. I must!" Chitanda insists.
Satoshi smiles at this. It's two against one. "It's Chitanda-san's murder case, she gets a say in how this goes."
Houtarou scoffs, but he doesn't disagree. Not yet, not now as the wheels in his head turn.
"Fine," He says. "But only because I hate wasting energy in arguing against you two. You can't say you made me run for nothing,"
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iii
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"Mayaka, are you still here?" Satoshi asks as he waits patiently outside his home, trying to act calm and not look over his shoulder every second.
The sound of feet thumping behind the door is heard before a small click noise. The apartment door is unlocked. "I am, welcome ho —" Mayaka pauses when she sees the two people behind Satoshi.
"Hey," Houtarou says, raising a calm hand.
"It's nice to meet you." Chitanda smiles, forgoing her name just in case. Her gown is hidden beneath Houtarou's borrowed coat, but she still feels herself awkward without shoes.
"Oh, hello." Mayaka greets back, her hands fretting about, trying to tidy herself. She's still in her work uniform.
As soon as the door is wide enough, Satoshi ushers everyone inside. Chitanda first, to put as much distance between him and her as possible, then Houtarou then Satoshi.
He locks and re-locks his door before turning to Mayaka, "We need to talk," He says to her, gesturing to his small living room space.
The three guests wedge themselves on his couch while Satoshi remains standing, like a person about to give a presentation, except that he didn't know how to say what he wanted to say or how to wing it right. He's had his fair chance of diverging a topic, but he doesn't think that's appropriate tonight.
"... What's going on?" Mayaka asks, passing a look at the two new faces.
"Um," Satoshi rubs the sweat from his palms onto his trousers.
His cat chooses to nestle itself on Chitanda's lap then, like it knows the woman is a fellow undead. Houtarou tries hard not to stare at the furry feline. Satoshi thinks there's a strong urge in his business partner to pet the cat.
"This is Chitanda-san. Eru Chitanda-san." Satoshi says before he loses his bravado.
"Chitanda?" Mayaka echoes, like the name is too familiar, too famous to be forgotten. "Chi —" Then it hits her. "You're the woman from the papers." The dead woman.
.
.
.
"So … you faked your death?"
"... You could say that," Chitanda smiles, her lips stretched thin. She pokes the plate of the pie given to her with a fork, her gloved hands hidden under the pretence of being a germaphobe. "Um,"
"Ibara," Houtarou pipes up, putting on his best professional voice. "This is a serious case that cannot be shared with anyone else outside this room. Only a few have received the news. We trust you to keep this to yourself."
Mayaka's shoulders tense and she nods.
Houtarou clears his throat into his fist. "There's a rumour, a possible outcome, that Chitanda along with the rest of the Exponential Four Clans are targeted. There's a killer on the loose, and we plan to keep Chitanda safe. Satoshi is an old friend, you see. He and Chitanda haven't seen each other since childhood, they don't even go to the same school. So, we thought; this place, this pie shop and the apartments above where you live, are the last two places anyone would suspect. The chances of anyone finding out Chitanda here is —"
"Slim," Mayaka finishes his sentence.
"Exactly. Glad you see what we're seeing," Houtarou attempts a smile. It doesn't stick.
"What are we going to do now?" Mayaka asks.
"Well, try to get a good night's sleep. There's not much you two can do for Chitanda aside from offering her shelter and food." Houtarou answers. "I have some things to look into."
"Do we know what the culprit looks like?"
Houtarou shakes his head.
"We know they wore blue Nikes. They're new too." Satoshi says.
"Yes, we have to be on a lookout for anyone wearing those shoes," Houtarou confirms. "I'll check the Nike website tonight and the local stores to see if they've sold the shoes described first thing tomorrow." Then Houtarou notes to himself; the chance that the killer could have thrown said trainers away if they stepped into any blood on the ground. Though it was raining, so it could have washed away.
"You can sleep in my room tonight, Chitanda-san." Satoshi offers, trying to form a plan. "I'll lend you some of my clothes for sleepwear too. I think we're about the same size."
"I can go to the stores and quickly get you anything Fuku-chan doesn't have," Mayaka offers too.
Satoshi smiles at this.
"You three are so kind," Chitanda says.
"Don't mention it," Mayaka says while Houtarou simply hums.
Satoshi doesn't say anything back. He still feels a great distance between him and the three people in the room. Guilt and responsibility flip-flops in his stomach but he tries not to show it.
This is how he'll make it up to Chitanda. This is the least he can do — prevent the death of Chitanda's loved ones. Unlike when he was twelve and caused Jun Sekitan's unfortunate passing by bringing his mother back to life for a brief five minutes and twenty-three seconds.
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end
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Notes: R.I.P. Tani and his bowl haircut.
— 31 August 2020