"I must say that this whole thing is rather strange from the outset," Bankei commented. "The first thing that comes to my mind is the idea that this is simply a result of miscommunication. For succinctness, perhaps we should recount what we know. Hoshi and Takeshi, you two left the game room. Do either of you remember when?"

"I kinda do, I think," Takeshi replied.

"Ah," Hoshi responded, "I see where you're going. You spoke to Naoko and Yori about this matter earlier."

"Yep," Takeshi replied. "When Sasa left the game room, it was about 12:40. I dunno if it was on the dot or anything like that, but it was around that time, I think."

"That's what I remember as well," Hoshi agreed. "Were you paying attention to the time?"

"Not really," Takeshi shrugged. "It's not like I knew the time would be important. Of course, every now and then, I'd notice and register what time it was, so…"

"What about the two of you, then?" Eryu inquired impatiently. "That's what we need to know."

"I mean," Takeshi replied, "about ten minutes later, Hoshi left. Had to use the bathroom, apparently. I left the room myself a couple minutes after that."

"That's all more or less what I remember myself," Mareo chimed in. "You didn't say why you left at the time, however. From what I could tell, you basically just snuck out, not drawing unwanted attention to yourself."

Takeshi responded with a look that resembled surprise. "Is that how it looked? Jeez, I must've looked pretty shifty."

"You did, in all honesty," Mareo replied. "In fairness, I can relate to not wanting to bring attention to oneself, but in the context of the mostly lighthearted atmosphere of the party...one could say it was a bit strange."

"Oh," Takeshi replied simply, now looking like he was truly ashamed. "I guess I kinda deserve to get called out for that. It must've really worried you guys. I'm really sorry."

"Hey, c'mon, man, no need to be all sad about it," Haru said encouragingly. "It's not like he's sayin' you ruined the party atmosphere or somethin'."

"How'd you know he didn't?" Ishi asked innocently. "Like, you weren't there, right?"

"Well, speaking as someone that was there," Mariko spoke up, "it was mostly fine. I barely noticed it myself. We were mostly just laughing and joking and having an all around good time. You don't have to worry about whether or not we were freaked out or anything."

"...Thanks?" Takeshi replied, hesitantly and contemplatively.

"There's still an issue here, isn't there?" Bankei asked. "Haru, you went to the men's bathroom on the first floor, yes?"

"Of course I did," Haru replied. "I had to take a mean shit, and I didn't want to go all the way back to my own damn bathroom, that's for fuckin' sure."

"And you didn't see either of them there, correct?"

"Yeah." Haru put a hand to the back of his neck. "I'm startin' to think that if neither of them are lyin', then they must've been thinkin' somethin' else. Do either of you have a problem with public bathrooms or somethin' like that?"

"I'm not really sure who'd prefer them over a home bathroom, but they're fine, I guess," Takeshi replied.

"Alright, fair enough," Haru replied. "Hoshi?"

"I'm not a fan," Hoshi admitted. "When you participate in large public events like conventions, you end up having to deal with a lot of public facilities, and they're not always exactly the cleanest."

"Oh, absolutely," Mareo commented. "In my experience, if it's not in something like a hospital, there's little tangible difference in regards to sanitation between a public restroom and a landfill."

This prompted an amused chuckle from Takeshi. "Yeah, alright, good to see we're in agreement," he got out in between chuckles.

"Alright, so what? Did you both go all the way to your rooms to do your business?" Mine asked curiously.

"Well I certainly did," Hoshi responded.

"I went to my room too," Takeshi added.

"If you did, why didn't you excuse yourself at the time?" Naoko asked, pointing at Takeshi. "That's what Hoshi did, and from what we know, it's what everyone else but Sasa did."

"Ah. You have a point," Takeshi conceded. "I only told you guys that when you asked afterwards. That was kinda dumb, huh? Or maybe the problem is that I'm just a bad liar."

"Wait, what?!" Haru shouted. "What are you sayin', man?"

"So he lied?" Ishi asked. "Does that mean he's the killer?"

"Woah, woah, hang on," Takeshi responded calmly. "I know that sounds bad, but listen. I went to my room, like I've been saying. But when Naoko and Yori talked to me in the game room, and I said that I went to the bathroom, that was a lie. It was a stupid, spur of the moment act of sin that I realize I shouldn't have done, but hindsight's 20/20 in any case. After this is all over, I hope I can be forgiven for doing that."

"Why did you go to your room if you weren't going to use the bathroom?" Eryu asked.

"Well, I wouldn't have lied if I didn't have something to hide," Takeshi replied. "That's just how lying works. If I have to tell you guys, though, I may as well do it now. So, back when we were in the game room, and I was in between songs, I had my mouth on my saxophone's mouthpiece and, uh...I broke the reed."

"The wooden reed on the mouthpiece, you mean?" Naoko asked.

"Well, technically, no," Takeshi replied. "Reeds aren't made of wood."

"Oh. They're not?"

"Nope," Takeshi stated simply. "They're made of cane, mostly. I know some are made from bamboo, or plastic, or some such material. Still, though, and I don't want to seem opinionated, I just prefer using the ones made from cane."

"Sorry, I didn't know that," Naoko apologized.

"No need to apologize," Takeshi responded, waving him off. "Correcting you is just splitting hairs anyway. But yeah, I broke it, and obviously, I needed a new one."

"So you went to your room to get it?" Naoko asked.

"Yeah," Takeshi replied. "I'm guessing that makes sense to you. Like I've said before, you seem like you don't forget things easily."

"Right," Naoko agreed. "I think I know what you're getting at."

"Have you gone mad?!" Hoshi cut in suddenly. "Naoko, what are you doing, exactly?"

"What do you mean?" Naoko asked.

"You're not going to just let his lie slide, are you?" Hoshi asked. "I've been waiting quite some time for him to give an explanation for what he said while you were investigating. Now he's changed his story, and you're going to just accept it?"

"Well, if you have an issue with what he's saying, then that's fine," Naoko replied cautiously. "We can talk about it."

Naoko felt like this was actually a long time coming, funnily enough. Back when Takeshi first made his original claim, he noticed it didn't sit well with Hoshi. Perhaps he noticed something odd about the way he said it. As Takeshi himself had just admitted, he wasn't a very good liar, and even at the time, both Naoko and Yori thought his claim was a bit odd. But still, Naoko had an okay feeling about Takeshi, and why he wasn't as suspicious as he seemed.

"I understand miscommunication," Hoshi explained. "That occurred with my own alibi, and I'm sorry if I confused people. However, we now know that Takeshi purposefully misled the both of us. If that doesn't put suspicion on him, I don't know what does. Frankly, I have no idea what benign thing he may have wanted to hide."

"Just because he lied doesn't mean he's guilty of anything," Naoko defended. "I think we need to hear him out. Before you interrupted, he was explaining himself."

"All things considered, I wouldn't think to trust him," Hoshi retorted. "He's lied already. Certainly, he could have prepared a better lie before this trial. Currently, he's claiming to have needed a replacement reed. And so, he went to his room. I can't help but find that completely baffling. If he were to go anywhere for a replacement reed, he would've gone to the music room."

"Allow me to prove you wrong," Naoko said defiantly. "Takeshi, you and I spoke in the music room when the second floor opened up to us. Do you remember what you told me?"

"Of course," Takeshi replied. "I wouldn't have alluded to it if I didn't. I took some of those reeds and put the box of them in my room for safekeeping."

"You did?" Hoshi asked, eyebrow raised. "Then...Hm. Why did you do that, then?"

"Well, my room is the safest, coziest place I know," Takeshi said casually. "Because of that, I practice playing in my room every now and then. So, that was a big motivation for me to keep spare reeds closeby. I mean, I just wanted to be on the safe side. I'm not trying to brag or anything, but I actually haven't broken a reed in a good couple of years."

"And yet you still broke a reed?" Mareo asked confusedly.

Takeshi frowned. "Oh, yeah. It actually made me pretty self-conscious, I'm not gonna lie."

"So, did he actually go to replace a broken reed?" Eryu asked skeptically. "Do we have any evidence of that?"

"Well, yes," Naoko replied. "At least I think so. I noticed when I took a look around his room, I found the box of reeds, and two were missing."

"Eh-heh," Bankei chuckled. "So, we're still invading everyone's privacy, are we? I was expecting that to be a one-time thing."

"Well, to be fair, we've only been here a week, haven't we?" Yori pointed out. "I don't expect anyone to have much of anything they'd want to keep secret."

"Heh, speak for yourself," Ishi chuckled. "If the crappy rooms we have here were anything like our rooms back home, I would not be letting you guys anywhere near my bedside drawer." She then began wiggling her eyebrows suggestively at no one in particular. Everyone in the room elected to ignore her.

"So, um, Takeshi," Mariko began, "if you don't mind me asking, what made you break the reed?"

"Huh?" Takeshi responded. "What do you mean?"

"You said you hadn't broken a reed in years. Did something happen that made you break it?"

"It wasn't anything crazy, I don't think," he replied. "I just bit down on it by mistake."

"So, you're saying you made a mistake," Yasuo summated. "That's understandable. We all make mistakes."

"Tch," Kimi responded. "You sound like a crappy school therapist."

Yasuo looked over at Kimi with an expression that seemed surprisingly confrontational. "Well, Kimi, it's true. If you have an issue with what's being said, that's fine, but I'd advise you to simply be a bit kinder, for everyone's sake."

Kimi rolled her eyes. "Sure, whatever. But hey, if you want my opinion, that sounds like a rookie mistake for someone who's supposed to be super good at what he does."

Takeshi visibly deflated at this observation, and looked down at the table in front of him. "I know that. It was just a circumstantial thing. Or, at least, I'd rather see it that way than think I'm bad at what I do."

"What do you mean by 'circumstantial'?" Haru asked confusedly. "Was somethin' botherin' you at the time?"

"Oh, no," Takeshi replied, "I wasn't being bothered. If anything, I was having a good time with everyone else. Like Mariko said earlier, things were chill, and there was good humor all around."

"Good humor?" Kimi asked. "What, did you break your reed stifling a laugh?"

Takeshi's eyes shot open at this. "Well, I mean…"

"...Wait a minute," Mareo began. "I remember now. Right before you left, I remember taking the time to try and inject some humor into the conversation we'd been having by telling a joke."

"Oh, yeah, I remember," Takeshi replied. "No offense intended, but I didn't really know you were funny until then."

Mareo froze up a bit and looked awkward. "Really? Because I've not really considered myself particularly funny."

"What about that joke you made earlier?" Naoko asked. "The one about public restrooms."

"Oh, that?" Mareo asked. "That was just a recount of an observation I've made. I never intended it to be funny."

"Well, if it means anything, heh, it was pretty good," Ishi said before chuckling. "And hey, Takeshi thought it was funny too."

Takeshi smiled a bit. "Yeah, I'd say I did."

A few seconds passed, and Mareo began to look uncomfortable. "Um," he said, rubbing his arm, "I know I'm used to it, but I feel as though people are looking at me."

"I wouldn't worry about it," Naoko assured him. "I think we've gotten the answer to our original question, if nothing else."

"Are you sure?" Hoshi asked. "That seems like a lapse of judgement to me. Even if what you've said, Naoko, is the truth, that doesn't mean that Takeshi is being entirely truthful. I still have some questions, myself."

"That's fine," Yori replied. "You may as well-"

"Excuse me," Bankei interrupted.

Yori, for a moment, flashed a look of displeasure at Bankei. She definitely didn't like that. "I'm sorry?"

"Oh, no, I'm sorry," Bankei replied politely, holding her hand to her chest. "I know interrupting isn't very proper, but in this case, I feel it's warranted. I think that what Hoshi is saying is odd."

"Oh! Like you said earlier, right?" Mine replied.

"Of course, dear." Bankei smiled at her warmly. "Hoshi, Takeshi is no less suspicious than you are. Why must you continue to assume he's being untruthful, hm?"

Hoshi went wide-eyed at this. "What? I-I don't understand. I thought that you were in favor of questioning the circumstances behind all of this."

"In the context of my questioning, I very much was," Bankei explained. "I asked how the murder occurred, and we were able to discuss that well enough. However, the questions you're about to ask, I feel, won't bear much fruit. You believe Takeshi may be lying, as if he's naturally distrustful. The questions that you intend to ask are related to this idea, methinks."

Hoshi stumbled on his words for a while, as his posture became more rigid and he began to sweat. Naoko couldn't help but wonder what was going through his head.

"That's not true," Hoshi finally got out. "Not entirely, anyways."

"So?" Bankei asked rhetorically. "Does that mean only the majority of what you ask will be 'Why should we believe you when you say that?', and questions of that nature?"

Hoshi once again was put in a state where it looked like he didn't know what to say. Many of the room's occupants, Naoko included, began to become concerned. What kind of power did she have over him, anyway?

"Bankei…," Eryu said firmly, "I don't like the direction you're going here."

"Well, thank you for making your thoughts known," Bankei replied kindly. "Negative as they may be, it's an improvement over the stolen glances in the cafeteria."

"Huh?" Mariko asked. "What's she talking about?"

"That's not important," Eryu snapped. "Look, Bankei, are you saying that Hoshi is being suspicious?"

"A little bit," Bankei admitted. "He's been very quick to point fingers, yet he himself is as suspicious as any one of us."

"I told you that I'm determined to find Sasa's killer," Hoshi insisted.

"And what if that killer were you?" Bankei retorted. "What if your accusations of deception are simply psychological projections? What if you have been deceiving us?"

"Look," Eryu replied, "I don't think that Hoshi would do something like that. He said that he was in love with her, and I believe that."

"Don't be so quick to believe such a thing," Bankei advised. "If he really were in love with her, then perhaps he wouldn't do such a thing...or maybe he still would. I suppose I cannot speak for him in this matter."

"Do you really think he would, um, kill the woman he loved?" Yasuo asked hesitantly.

"Perhaps. Perhaps not. However, in any case, whether or not that would affect his decision-making is not something that I have any real insight on. Nor anyone else here, for that matter."

Bankei smiled, as if she were preparing something that would probably be very worrisome for everyone else. Naoko felt like it was a bad idea to simply let her have her way. She was under their list of suspects, too, even if she wasn't drawing attention to it. But anyways, she claimed that Hoshi's possible crush on Sasa may or may not have affected his actions...That didn't seem right. In fact, looking back on what they already knew, he realized something. He thought that he, just maybe, knew the truth of the matter. He just had to ask Hoshi about it directly.

INTERMISSION