"We were a team of 5 girls : Tori Momoka, Aira Shizune, Mao Murizaki, Haruna Suichi and me. Aira and Mao were from other school and had joined us during our higher studies. Aira had told us that initially she and Mao used to be neighbors in class as well as in their homes too. Aira's house was just beside Mao's. After joining the high school, Aira had developed a huge crush on Masashi. She even proposed him on the Valentine's Day to our horror. We couldn't even think what made her fall for an eerie guy like him, but we didn't oppose her or ask her anything about this. She seemed to be enjoying with him, which was good of course, but the couple became the gossip of our whole high school. Somehow surprisingly, their relationship lasted quite a bit, about two weeks. After that, mysteriously Aira turned up in a hospital. The hospital authorities told us that she tried to commit suicide through poison. All of us girls knew that Aira wasn't such a girl who would try to commit suicide. In fact she was so full of life, so cheerful. We inquired her about this incident. What she told us, was a darker mystery. She told us that she had no control over herself whenever she was with Masashi. It was as if she was forced to do things that she wouldn't ever do. She knew that she didn't want to do those things, even so, she couldn't resist. She also told me that she didn't want to commit suicide, but she couldn't think why she ever tried to! After being kept in observation for about 3 days, she was discharged from the hospital. Even the police came and inquired her about the incident so that they could look deeper into the matter, but they found no suitable leads to follow. So after about 3 days we brought her home with us. Her parents were there too but she asked us to keep this a secret from them. After she came home, she tried hard to contact Masashi, but the peculiar thing was that he was out. Neither did he take any phone call from her, nor did he see her even when she went to his house. It was all very mysterious. It took her a long time to come out of the trauma of Masashi leaving her. She loved him too deeply. Nevertheless, by our graduation ceremony, we all were over the incident, even she too. We all were laughing and crying in the ceremony when suddenly we noticed that Aira was nowhere to be seen. Mao, Tori, Haruna and me were together, but Aira was missing. We thought that maybe she was in the toilet, so we didn't think too hard about it. But when she didn't turn up even after about an hour, I called her in her cell phone. No one took the call. So we thought that it might be better if we start looking for her. I proposed to search and all the others happily agreed. Our classroom was on the highest floor of the high school. I went to our class room, but there was no sign of her. She was not even in the toilet of the same floor. Out of curiosity and fear, I called Mao, Tori, and Haruna and asked them if she had turned up in there. After knowing that she hadn't, I asked them to come to our class room. Within minutes, they came. After they came, we proceeded towards the terrace, one of the two places we hadn't looked for her yet; another was the garden behind the high school. The terrace was empty, but we saw someone in the garden from there. All four of us rushed to the garden but we couldn't find anyone. So we spread out. It was Tori who came panting to me and then lead all of us to a corner of the garden. We hid behind the trees and what we saw was beyond our imagination. Masashi and Aira were kissing wildly. Everyone of us started recording the scene in our mobile phones, intending to tease Aira when she would come back. But little did we know about the incident that would come next! Suddenly we saw something flash in his hand and moments later Aira fell on the ground with a loud shriek. We all rushed to the spot, but as soon as he saw us coming, he was nowhere to be seen. Aira was lying on the ground and there was blood all over her body. She tried to tell us something but couldn't, instead she stopped moving all of a sudden. We were horrified. I shouted for help, but Tori was a bit quicker than us. She immediately called an ambulance and then notified the authorities who in turn promptly cancelled the graduation ceremony and rushed to the spot. The ambulance arrived within no time. After Aira was taken to the hospital, she was declared dead by the doctors there. The death certificate showed that death occurred by a blow from a very sharp object near the heart. We were all dazed. How could he do this! He killed her! And for what? We couldn't think of anything. Brother Hideyuki investigated the case but without success. And what's more within a year Tori, Mao and Haruna disappeared mysteriously. There were no traces as to their whereabouts. It was then I started working at the clinic we met. After about a year, I met you Ryo. I knew that we won't be together for a long time since the first time I met you. I was horrified and completely alone in this world when Brother Hideyuki left me. It was you who gave me hope Ryo, gave me a reason to leave. I came here to live with you, and with me, I brought the recording of the murder. It was in my phone's memory card. I had had it transferred to a disc. It is in the cupboard, behind the same enlarged picture of us, together, where you found this letter. I want you to make him pay for what he had done then. Take this as a job request from me, City Hunter. In case anything happens to me Ryo, be safe. I've always lost the people closest to me, brother Hideyuki, father, and now I don't want to lose you too Ryo. Remember Ryo, wherever I might be, I will always love you.
From Yours and only Yours
Kaori"
Ryo clutched the letter in his hands hard as he tried hard not to think of her in a situation in a dire need for him. He could feel how desperate she might be, to have written this letter. Just as he proceeded towards the cupboard in Kaori's room, the phone in the sitting-room rang once again, and moreover at the same time, the door bell beeped too! There was someone at the door. Ryo gave a desperate dash for both. Having unlocked the door, he rushed towards the phone and picked it up in a flash. Before that he glanced through the corner of the eye that it was Saeko who was at the door. As he pressed the receiver close to his ears, he signaled her to come in and showed her the pile of hassocks to help herself. Through one end of the phone Ryo spoke "Hello…"