A/N: Hey folks. So...really embarrassing error I've made. In the last chapter, I said that there are six more chapters to go till the end of this fanfic. I actually counted that wrong. There are actually four more chapters—this chapter being one of them. Which, in conclusion, makes this fanfic have a completed total of twenty-two chapters. Apologies for my mistake! Lol.

Chapter 19: What Kanami Realized

'What is their deal?' Maki thought, casting a quizzical eye towards the two Tojis on her right.

Ever since they took their places, standing guard in the dining hall, Kanami and Hiyori didn't exchange a word nor even glanced at each other. Normally, the Minoseki Toji would be all smiles and talking up a storm about kenjutsu to the latter. However, to Maki and Suzuka, their kouhais seemed like strangers to one another, avoiding eye-contact.

Leaning closer to her fellow Elite Guard, Suzuka whispered, "You seeing what I'm seeing, Maki-san?"

Maki nodded silently, still keeping an eye on the two in question. It was so strange to see the two "lovebirds", as Maki heard Kaoru call them once, be so...estranged from each other. And yet, to everyone in the Toji workforce, Kanami and Hiyori seemed inseparable.

Too focused on eating their breakfast, none of the adults noticed the tension between Kanami and Hiyori—well, most of them. Every so often, Kanami would see her father cast a strange look towards her and Hiyori, as he ate. Whatever emotion he was feeling, the Minoseki Toji couldn't guess. However, to her surprise, Inspector Etou's eyes were devoid of anger of any sort. In fact, they almost looked...pitiful? No, not quite. Guilty? No, not that either. Yet, there was something in her father's eyes that made Kanami think he felt responsible for causing such distress upon her and Hiyori.

With a sigh, the Minoseki Toji side-glanced at her lover. She felt she just had to say something! Things couldn't end up this way. She swore to love and protect Hiyori forever! Becoming alienated over a complication like this...the Minoseki Toji felt terrible. She must've made her girlfriend feel burdened with self-reproach. Deep down inside, Kanami knew Hiyori had been blaming herself for what happened ever since last night.

'I can't let Hiyori-chan think I'm giving her the cold shoulder,' Kanami thought. 'I must at least ask her if she's alright!'

"H-Hiyori-chan? A-Are you o-okay?"

"Mm hm," was the half-hearted response. The dryness in her voice made Kanami cringe slightly.

"J-Just so you know, Hiyori-chan, this isn't your fault. I won't let Father break us apart," the Minoseki Toji said. "I promised to love and protect you forever, remember?"

Her words seemed to have gone unheard because Hiyori kept staring in front of her, showing no sign of acknowledgement. Hurt at the possibility of Hiyori losing faith in her, Kanami closed her eyes, trying to hold back her tears. Her shaking fingers slowly gripped the Heijou Toji's green sleeve.

"H-Hiyori-chan, please d-don't leave me..."

Broken from her deep train of thought, Hiyori's head completely turned to look at the girl beside her. "Wait, what? Kanami, what would make you think I'd do that?"

"B-Because y-you were ignoring me," the Minoseki Toji hiccuped.

"What?! No! I was—" Hiyori stopped, once she realized the volume of her voice made everyone turn to look at them.

Maki, in particular, shot them a sharp glare that clearly read, 'How many times do I need to tell you both to not talk, while on duty?!'

Waiting till everyone carried on with what they had been doing, Hiyori whispered, "I was just in deep thought, that's all. Kanami, our relationship was going to be found out eventually. We both knew that, but we still decided to make it work, remember? I'm not going to leave you."

"Y-You're not?"

"Of course," Hiyori said, taking hold of her girlfriend's hand. "I knew what I was getting into. And I intend to stick with you, I promise."

Her words of affirmation made Kanami give a smile of her own, which quickly reverted to a look of confusion afterwards. "So, what were you in deep thought about?"

Hiyori's face became serious again and for a few seconds, the Heijou Toji seemed several years older. Kanami just noticed, upon looking closer, that her girlfriend's eyes were bloodshot with dark circles and wrinkles around them. Had she not gotten a good night's sleep? Well, after happened last night, Kanami couldn't really blame her.

"I was thinking in bed over something," Hiyori said, under her breath. "It happened when the adults had dinner. The words one of the women said...just doesn't feel right."

Kanami asked, "Who said it? What did she say?"

Closing her eyes tightly, Hiyori put a hand to her temple, hoping her eidetic memory would do its work. With a frustrated sigh, she shook her head.

"It's no use; my memory is too hazy right now. I can't remember it properly. But something seems inconsistent and is making me suspicious."

Kanami and Hiyori joined Inspector Etou and Sergeant Tanaka in the library later that morning. A low whistle came from the sergeant's mouth when the others told him about the incident last night.

He chuckled, "So you two are a couple of lovebirds, huh?"

He earned three unamused glares in response. Sergeant Tanaka quickly put up his hands.

"Right. Right. Sorry," he apologized, before turning to his colleague, "So, what was that other thing you wanted to discuss, sir?"

"I did another little experiment of sorts last night outside my room," the inspector responded. "This time, to see when the Elite Guards did their patrolling around the hallway of the guest bedrooms."

"And?" Sergeant Tanaka asked.

"Well, indeed at 10:00, Shidou-san walked down the hallway. That would've been the time she saw Director Maniwa and President Souraku enter their rooms," Inspector Etou said. "And also, at 10:45 and 11:00, the times President Takatsu heard the doors sliding open, neither of the Elite Guards were in the hallway. I've talked with Shidou-san last night when she passed by me, and she said they patrol the same areas of the mansion at the same times every single night. Whether that was something the murderer knew or not beforehand, I don't know. But it's definitely something worth noting."

"Who would've memorized the Elite Guards' patrol routes and times though?" Sergeant Tanaka asked.

Hiyori spoke up for the first time. "I know one person."

Everyone followed her gaze, their eyes landing on a portrait painting of Akane. Unlike pictures they saw of Yukari, the younger Origami sister had a soft smile with a background of rich colours behind her.

"Her room isn't even close to the guest bedroom hallway or the secret passage, but she's been living in this house for so long," the Heijou Toji said. "I wouldn't be surprised if she knew all the nooks and crannies of this place, not to mention the normal whereabouts of its residents."

Sergeant Tanaka said, in disbelief, "Akane-sama? She couldn't have. What motive would she have for killing her sister?"

"Besides losing her position as the Origami Head?" Inspector Etou pointed out.

"Then explain the doors sliding open at 10:45 and 11:00! It was definitely one of the presidents!" the sergeant argued. "Akane-sama would've had no reason to open one of the guest bedroom doors."

Kanami, meanwhile, had remained silent the whole time. She flipped through her own cryptic notes, before crossing some out in frustration. Her mind was a twist, as she closed her eyes trying to think back on the information she learned.

'What is it? What am I missing?' she thought, looking back at her list and singing internally. 'Seven strange clues. Four red herrings. And a partridge in a pear tree.'

Her eyes, half-lidded, immediately lit up when a thought struck her. 'I see now.'

Wondering why she was so quiet, Inspector Etou cast a questioning look towards his daughter.

Sergeant Tanaka noticed it too because he comically quoted, "You have a grand gift for silence, Watson."

The Minoseki Toji finally spoke up for the first time. "At first glance, it seems to fit. Akane-sama could indeed have committed the murder. Like you've said, she could've known when and where the Elite Guards were patrolling, and therefore, used a spare key to get into Yukari-sama's room and poisoned her. Still, as Sergeant Tanaka has mentioned, President Takatsu heard the doors sliding open at 10:45 and 11:00. Unless she was lying, that's one of the mysteries that puzzles me."

Her face setting itself into a frown, Kanami closed her notebook shut and faced the other three. "However, we've forgotten something very important."

"We have?" Sergeant Tanaka asked.

"The sleeping medicine."

Not getting the point, everyone remained quiet, letting Kanami explain further.

"Akane-sama gave her sister some sleeping medicine at 8:50, right when the latter started experiencing a hangover. She could've just as easily doped the medicine at the time, before giving it to Yukari-sama. Still, Yukari-sama was heard alive and well by Shidou-san hours after that at 11:00. Even if it wasn't drugged, wouldn't the sleeping medicine have taken effect by then? When she was being questioned, Akane-sama said that the sleeping medicine Yukari-sama took would knock her out within half an hour. Why would she still be awake at 11:00?"

Hiyori sighed as if the answer was obvious. "Yukari-sama could've just woken up during the night though."

She looked at her phone, her eyes widening at what just lit up on her screen. Quickly excusing herself, the Heijou Toji ran out of the room, not waiting for permission or acknowledgement.

His eyes watching the girl leave, while scratching his head, Inspector Etou said, "I think I understand what Kanami is trying to say. With the effects of the hangover, along with the sleeping medicine, Yukari-sama should've been out like a light."

"Someone could've just as easily woken her up and given her the overdose then," Sergeant Tanaka suggested.

His colleague shook his head. "But they wouldn't have had a good reason to give it to her! Yukari-sama would've already been sleeping peacefully. There would've been no need to wake her if she was already in a deep slumber."

"Couldn't someone have just woken her and said, 'This medicine would be better for your hangover,' and then drugged her?"

Kanami said, dubiously, "I doubt that theory. Yukari-sama would've been suspicious at being given something so late at night. And also, Shidou-san still heard Yukari-sama at 11:00."

Then, she paused, "Unless…"

A surge of excitement threatened to burst out of her chest. 'My God, why didn't I think of it before?'

"Unless what?" Inspector Etou asked his daughter.

Kanami didn't get the time to reply because at that moment, from somewhere down the hallway, there came a scream. Concerned and rushing towards the sound, the three stopped dead once they reached the drawing room.

Hiyori was kneeling over a wounded Yukina, her hands covered in blood.

A/N: What did Hiyori hear during the dinner last night that gives her a weird feeling? Who is she suspicious of? And what has Kanami realized? Has our Minoseki Toji detective solved the crime? Feel free to leave your thoughts in the reviews.

Also, yeah, I did include a Sherlock Holmes quote in this chapter. ;)