When Satoko woke up, she could hear yelling throughout the Furude house. At first, she couldn't tell what they were yelling about, but then she started to listen closely.
"She's dealt with this since the Watanagashi festival, four years ago! Alone! Because she was afraid of this! You all rejecting her again!" Satoko heard Mion yell. "Rika, Rena, and I have been watching her since that retched uncle of her first showed up. She started missing school, her and Satoshi, and then they would both come to school with bruises and they were both very closed off, and depressed! Satoko's uncle was horrible to them!"
"Mii, and after Satoshi came up missing and her uncle returned, she became withdrawn and the cycle began again. We have all reported the abuse many times, but no one listened." Rika added.
"So, finally, Satoko told me what had been happening to her, and I snapped. That fucking uncle of hers needed to die!" Satoko heard Mion hit something.
Next Satoko heart Ooishi talk. "You expect me to believe that Mion Sonozaki-one of the three houses-murdered Teppei Houjou?"
"Yes, because that's what happened!" Mion yelled, her her emotions like venom n her voice.
"I think that you all are just covering for Houjou!" Ooishi said, loosing patience.
"She didn't do anything! I even left evidence for you to trace back to me! I left the knife, with my fingerprints all over! There's no way it doesn't lead to me! I even have his blood on my shirt!" she called.
Satoko was now sitting up, her hands on her head. 'It's my fault... I should have just kept my mouth shut.' Satoko blamed herself for all of the yelling in Rika's normally peaceful home.
"Teppei Houjou was killed about an hour again. Satoko obviously wasn't at school today. Why was that?" Ooishi asked Mion and Rika.
"It's because that cruel uncle of her's kept her home, because he made her sleep in her own vomit last night." Mion said, sounding like she was on her last nerve.
Satoko pushed herself up off of the floor. She needed to show Ooishi the damage that her uncle had caused. She didn't give any warning to them, she just opened the sliding door to the kitchen and looked straight at Ooishi.
"Well if it isn't the culprit herself." he said, greeting her sarcastically into the room.
"Last night, my uncle made me eat. Normally that would sound great, but he made me eat an entire table's contents. I'm only 12, an I have a very small stomach. One bowl of rice fills me up. He gave me about 6 hours to eat enough food to feed everyone in this room for a week. I ate, though. I ate about half of it, before it was time for me to go to bed. When he had found out that I had not eaten it all, he began throwing bowls of food at me, and telling me to eat it off the floor. When I said that I didn't want to, he kicked me in the stomach until I puked. He pushed my face into it, and told me not to move. Then he left home, and I assume he got drunk, because he came home this morning with a really bad hangover. I knew he wouldn't have let me go to school, so I went to Mion's house. I didn't expect her to be home, but she was. I was so upset and mad about the night before that I told her everything. She told me to come here, and to just stay put. She didn't tell me why or anything. But I did as she said, and found that Rika was home, as well, with a fever. Rika let me take a shower. After my shower, I decided that I should go back home before my uncle woke up from his hangover. I found him bloody and dead. That's when I came back here and called you." Satoko didn't let anyone talk until she was done talking. Even though part of that had been a lie, she was sure that she had covered that up well enough.
"Mii, it's true!" Rika said, nodding. "And not too much after Satoko came over, and called you in a panic, Mion showed up and confessed to us about the murder." Even though she was the one talking with the most level head, her eyes kept darting over to Ooishi's shoulder, as if looking for confidence in someone, that wasn't even there.
"Look, Ooishi, Rika and Satoko have alibis. It is not fair to suspect someone with a proved alibi. I have no alibi. I was obviously mad when Satoko first told me about the situation, then I disappeared, and my sister, who also stayed home today, can tell you that I was not home. Then I showed up here, with a guilty conscience, and told them what I had done." Mion said, obviously getting very worked up. Her bangs were sticking to her forehead, from where she had begun to sweat out of stress.
Ooishi's eyebrows furrowed, but he knew that he was cornered. There was absolutely no way, from what these three are saying, that Satoko could've been there to hurt her uncle.
Mion then laughed suddenly, "And really, do you think that a young, very tiny girl like Satoko could hold a man of that size down? That's outrageous!"
Ooishi groaned inwardly. She had a point. Teppei Houjou was a pretty big man, probably around 113 kilograms (250 pounds), maybe even more. Someone as small as Satoko wouldn't have the body strength to even sway someone of that weight.
"Now that that is all confirmed, are we going to station or what, Ooishi. I mean, you'll probably piss my grandma off pretty badly if you try to arrest me, but ya know, it's all on your head." Mion said, shrugging.
Ooishi sighed, this time outwardly. He knew that he would really aggravate Oryou if he took Mion into custody.
Mion laughed again, and couldn't help but to point at his face, "She'll kill you! So either I'm home-free!" Mion said, holding her gut.
Rika smiled, partly at the fact that they had all baffled Ooishi, but also because it was hard not to with someone laughing hysterically near. "Ooishi-San, will you please leave? Satoko really needs more rest, and probably something to eat." she said, trying to escort him out.
He almost shook his head, but then realised just how unwelcome he had made himself, and the fact that he was nothing more but a clown to them. He nodded, and started to the door.
Rika politely guided him all the way through to the exit of her home. "Nipah~!" she left him with that.
She went back to the kitchen, where Satoko was standing at the kitchen sink, washing her face, and Mion was calming now from her earlier laughing fit. "Well, now that that's all resolved, is anyone hungry?" she asked, as she glanced at the clock. It was just past 1 in the afternoon, and normally they would have eaten lunch by this time.
"I'm starved!" Mion said, a smile still painted across her red face.
"I guess I'll eat." Satoko said, as she dried her face with a rag.
"Okay!" Rika said. She started to the fridge, before being stopped by Satoko. She turned to face her friend, who looked rather concerned.
"You had a fever earlier, why don't you sit, and I'll make the food." Satoko said, noticing the light pink flush on Rika's cheeks.
Mion than looked up, and said, "Why don't I help too? We can make dinner for the three of us, and it'll be easier if we all make it!" she said.
"Alright!" Satoko said. She had already began to pull ingredients out of the fridge.
"So, Rika, just go sit. You don't need to push yourself. Just let us take care of it." Mion said, getting up from her spot.
As the two prepared lunch for the trio, Satoko couldn't help but think that this was one of the best days of her life, and that it was only going to get better from there. No uncle or aunt, taking care of herself with Rika, being able to go to school everyday again, never worrying about what punishment she would have to deal with. Satoko, for once, felt free.