A/N: Two more days until my first day back to school! Uncertain how things will go, considering how everything is online now—compels me with motivation though.
Chapter 16: Questions Unanswered
When Inspector Etou and Sergeant Tanaka found Kanami and Hiyori coming towards them, both men were anxious to inquire about what was going on. However, the inspector had the strength and will to restrain his curiosities. Patience was one of the virtues he had that allowed him to solve many cases in the past. His colleague, in comparison, was struggling to hold back his puffed-up pride. He just knew those two were an item!
"You going to confront them about what you showed me?" Sergeant Tanaka whispered.
Inspector Etou sighed saying, "Not yet. There's still something else I need to confirm first that'll have to wait till tonight."
He then turned his attention to the two girls, approaching them. "We were looking for you both. Are you alright, Juujou-san?"
Hiyori nodded wordlessly and the inspector registered the discomfort in her expression. He had been wary of this girl ever since this morning, and now she looked more questionable than ever. Inspector Etou had seen many suspicious looks before and Hiyori's wasn't any different. For some reason, there was definitely something she was trying to hide...
"That whole thing must have been a blow for you, eh, Hiyori-chan?" Sergeant Tanaka chuckled with his hands on his hips. "Quite the promotion you've gotten!"
Hiyori's fists were stiffly at her sides and her mouth set itself into a straight line. "I don't want it."
Eyes stared at her in surprise, including Kanami's. With a sigh, the Heijou Toji repeated, "I don't want it."
Kanami asked, "Why not, Hiyori-chan?"
The gaze Hiyori gave her was intense and eerie. Although the ebony-haired girl's face was expressionless, it didn't change how heavy her stare was. For a split second, Sergeant Tanaka even began to think Hiyori almost looked like a younger-version of Yukari at that moment.
Mysteriously, she replied, "You know why."
There was an uncomfortable silence. Despite his own perplexity and distrust towards her, Inspector Etou knew that Hiyori was quite smart. Guilty-looking as she could be, Hiyori had a very intellectual mind and must at least suspect there were drawbacks to being the Head of the Origami Family.
Kanami's father cleared his throat, asking, "Do you think you can handle going back to the library? This will be something you'd have to discuss with the women and Souraku Haruto."
The four could hear the commotion before they even reached their destination. Just halfway down the corridor, thunderous voices echoed through the walls. Hiyori cringed, preparing herself to be bombarded by six angry women. Nobody noticed the men and Tojis enter; everyone was too focused on crossing swords with each other.
"Why the hell would Yukari-onee-sama make that girl her heiress? The same girl who once attempted to assassinate her?" Yukina bellowed.
Haruto's face remained closed. It was clear he didn't care about listening to everyone else's troubles and grievances after laying the hard facts clear before them. The Origami Family lawyer had no sympathy for ill-tempered school administration.
He rose saying, "It's there on the paper. Yukari-sama was very insistent about the changes in her statement. Very sorry, of course, that it's caused so much discord among you, but I must be off."
Inspector Etou then decided to announce their entrance by saying, "On the contrary, sir, Juujou-san has something to say."
Everyone stared at the Heijou Toji from glares to looks of confusion. Hiyori always hated having the spotlight on herself and seeing all the women staring her down made her wish she could hide under the rug. Taking a deep breath as her mother would always do when stressed, Hiyori prepared herself for what she knew would cause extreme mixed reactions.
"I don't want to be the next Head of the Origami Family."
Yukina and Iroha could hardly contain their joy, but Akane protested at once. "But Hiyori-san, this is what Nee-sama wanted. Without you, there wouldn't be—"
"There! She said she doesn't want it," Yukina interrupted. "And now it seems the only one fitting to take the position is—"
"Oh, enough with your ridiculous fantasies of becoming Head!" Yuzuki cried, mimicking Yukina's whiny voice on point. She was ultimately done with having to listen to the Renpu president's misguided assumptions.
"How dare you, you insufferable—!"
"For heaven's sake, just shut up, both of you!"
"Stop it! Stop it at once!"
"You stuck-up bitch!"
Maki and Suzuka let out simultaneous groans, not attempting to conceal them, knowing that they wouldn't be heard over the arguing. Finding no reason as to why they should remain there, the Elite Guards left the library, not bothering to announce their departure. Likewise, unwilling to wait to be cordially ushered out by Akane, Yuzuki's husband steered himself out, but not before whispering something to Ema. His leaving was not noticed by anyone besides Kanami and her father.
"Maybe Hiyori-chan should've stayed silent," Sergeant Tanaka muttered to his colleague.
Not wanting to have her eardrums bleed anymore, Kanami sighed heavily and turned to the two men. "I'm taking Hiyori-chan out for some fresh air in the courtyard."
"I know what being Origami Yukari's heiress would mean," Hiyori said, at last, once they were outside.
"What are you talking about, Hiyori-chan?" Kanami asked.
Hiyori sighed as if it was as easy as stating the weather. "Come on, Kanami. Haven't you read any of your Toji history textbooks?"
An awkward blush on the Minoseki Toji's face answered her question. Rubbing the back of her neck, Kanami sheepishly admitted that she never really paid attention in her History class. Hiyori rolled her eyes—she should've known.
With a serious expression, the Heijou Toji proceeded to explain. "Kanami, every Origami Family member has been in an arranged marriage—all for the sake of producing at least one daughter to take over as heiress. That's why I don't want to be the next Head, not to mention such a position would mean having everyone's eyes on me. Fame and power come with a price."
"You heard what Origami Akane said," Hiyori added, after a pause. "She and her older sister were both sterile. Neither of them could have kids even if they wanted to."
Kanami concluded, "So, Yukari-sama chose you…" Her words made Hiyori turn away.
Trying to change the subject, the Minoseki Toji said, "I was thinking about that blackmail note earlier. It was written in Yukari-sama's handwriting, which seems baffling. How could she give you a note if she's dead?"
"You think she wrote it before her death?" Hiyori asked.
"Yes, it's possible. But who delivered it to you then and why?" Kanami wondered aloud.
She pulled at her short ponytail saying, "Could the blackmailer be the killer at large? Are they even the same person? Did they previously kill someone before and Yukari-sama knew? Is that why Yukari-sama was killed?"
Hiyori's head was becoming all the more confused with these questions Kanami kept spewing out. However, the Heijou Toji couldn't help also being fascinated at how smart Kanami actually was to come up with such theories. Sergeant Tanaka wasn't kidding when he had said the Minoseki Toji possessed brains hardly anyone knew about.
Hiyori asked, flabbergasted, "Still, what would the blackmailer get out of giving me the note?"
Kanami thought for a moment before saying, "It's hard to say. You aren't on bad terms with any of the suspects, are you?"
"Kanami, I barely even see and interact with them, besides President Gojou."
Thinking a bit more, the next suggestion was, "You don't suppose this has anything to do with you becoming the new Head, does it?"
"We only learned about that half an hour ago, Kanami. I received the note way before then."
"Yes, yes. But I still don't see any other reason why the blackmailer would want to send the note to you. Perhaps whoever the blackmailer was...might've secretly known about your little promotion, before anyone else..."
Kanami shook her head, frowning in puzzlement. "Somewhere, there's something we have missed…"
A/N: Who do you guys think wrote the blackmail note? Was it indeed Yukari-sama or somebody else? And for what purpose? Chapter 17 will have more clues about the murder mystery, so keep an eye out! In the words of Inspector Etou in Chapter 3, "You never know if someone might say something contradicting or out of the ordinary."