Chizu woke up the next morning to the sound of sirens. Sitting up Chizu realized that neither Ayane nor Sawako were in there. They had been sharing that room. The sirens persisted, and Chizu dreaded the idea that she and her friends might have to pull through another day flooded with anxiety. Leaving her room, she headed towards the exit of the bus. Outside, she came across the whole group and a police man. His car was parked, but its siren continued.
Before Chizu could prod one of her friends for answers to this situation, the police man spoke.
"Mister Kazehaya, I need to hear a full summary from you about what happened." He sounded irritated. Kazehaya looked away from the man. "Trust me. I can help all of you get back home."
"Kazehaya, please tell him." Kento begged. Chizu quickly gathered in her head what was going on. Her mind reproduced the memory of slumped over Kento inquiring after the possibility that Kazehaya had stolen the monstrous vehicle.
"Don't tell him!" Chizu cried out. If what Kento had said was true, then Kazehaya would certainly be arrested.
The police man sternly widened his eyes, expectantly. He was wearing round shades that drooped down his nose every time he moved his head.
"Yoshida-san, don't worry." Kazehaya looked at the tall girl; his eyes were visibly exhausted and nervous. Kazehaya then explained to the police man how it started. Chizu inwardly cringed when he reached to the parts that sounded legally unstable. "And then, my girlfriend and I managed to sneak passed those guys and take the vehicle."
Everyone looked at each other, as they all worried about the lie Kazehaya had just told.
Didn't he say he had to fight them? Chizu inwardly asked. For some reason, everybody had been perfectly quiet up to that point.
"What else?" Asked the man. Kazehaya went on to explain how they went to the high school and what had happened to Pin. The police man did not flinch during any part of Kazehaya's story. This made Chizu uneasy. Deep down inside, her gut told her that this man was not trustworthy. After Kazehaya finished explaining what had happened with a few alterations to the story, the police man spoke up again.
"I must say, it is commendable the way you all worked together." Spoke the police man. "However, I am required to take you back to your home town. Once there, all of you will have to be individually inquired. It is mostly find the answers behind this unexpected group, who previously owned the vehicle you've been using."
"Is that all it's for?" Kazehaya pushed.
"Yes. I promise." The police man nodded. "I'll give you guys one hour to get prepared to leave."
With the close of this conversation, the friends all ventured to the place they had circled around before. Chizu suspected that they all equally desired to discuss this turn of events.
"You did a good job." Kento mildly pat Kazehaya on the shoulder. Kazehaya sighed resentfully, looking back at the police man, who was now inspecting the giant vehicle.
"You guys, I'm very sorry for just telling him everything without your consent." Kazehaya bowed his head. "I figured if we explained what happened, we might have more time to decide what to do."
"Don't be sorry." Ryu said. Kazehaya smiled a little, clearly relieved.
"So, I guess we're just going to go with that guy?" Ayane asked.
The group poured out various opinions on the matter. Chizu audibly expressed her distrust in that guy, while Kento urged the group that it would be good to go home. Sawako, Ayane, and Kazehaya were on the fence about it. Ryu was silent. Before they knew it, an hour had passed and the police man came around to collect them.
"None of you have anything to take with you?" The police man confirmed. Everyone nodded and agreed. The only things Chizu had brought were the clothes she still wore, and her cell phone. "My coworker arrived ten minutes ago. So let's go ahead and get going."
Sure enough, and another officer had arrived. This one was a woman. She was broader than the man and wore dull lipstick. Kazehaya, Sawako, and Kento went to one car, which left Chizu, Ryu, and Ayane together. After cramming into the back of the woman's car, they set off to go home.
In the car Chizu looked at her closest friends. Ayane appeared anxious as she looked out the window. Ryu seemed very serious. He turned to Chizu, allowing his hand to grasp hers. They didn't speak to each other, but Chizu's worry disappeared for the moment. She scooted closer to him. These days, it wasn't enough to see him. She couldn't explain why, but she always had to be closer and closer to him, just to know he was alright.
Ryu eventually fell asleep and Chizu found herself drifting in the same direction. She tried not to let herself fall asleep; she still did not trust these unfamiliar police officers. Several hours passed; day turned into night, and the cars pulled into the parking lot of a motel.
"You ladies can stay with Officer Janice." The police man said. "Guys, you'll come with me."
Chizu's stomach ached at the sight of Ryu and the other guys disappearing into one of the motel rooms. Chizu and Ayane and Sawako grew close together as they followed the woman into another room.
"You ladies may have the beds." Said Officer Janice. "I'll sleep on the floor."
Chizu escaped into the bathroom, and Ayane followed. Chizu looked at her friend in the mirror.
"Chizu what the heck are we doing?" Ayane slammed her fists on the sink.
"That's what I want to know!" Chizu barked in agreement.
"I just have a bad feeling about this." Ayane looked Chizu in the eyes.
"Me too!" Chizu almost laughed, relieved that someone else was sharing this concern.
"Kento spoke to you didn't he?" Ayane placed a hand on Chizu's arm. This question caught Chizu off guard.
"You mean about Kazehaya and that vehicle? Yeah." Chizu nodded. Ayane shook her head.
"That's not what I'm most concerned about. Kazehaya must have killed those men who kidnapped him and Sawako."
Chizu's eyes widened with horror. She had never expected to ever such words spoken about her kind classmate, Kazehaya.
"No!" Chizu exclaimed. Ayane remained silent, staring at Chizu. Anger flared inside of Chizu. "That's not possible, Ayane. How could Kazehaya kill anyone?"
"Look Chizu, when we met Kazehaya and Sawako at the high school, Kazehaya had a gun." Ayane explained. Chizu shook her head, terrified. "I don't think anyone else saw it, but I did. He had tucked in his pants, under his shirt. I don't really know how, but I managed to see it."
Chizu tried to speak, but all she could manage was to groan in mortification. She did not want to imagine Kazehaya taking someone's life, especially if Sawako also had to witness it. It was too horrific.
"What is he going to do?" Chizu demanded. Ayane bit her lip, visibly as clueless as Chizu.
"I don't know." She confirmed Chizu's observation. While the two stood in this tense silence, a loud crash came from the other room. Immediately Chizu thought of Sawako being alone with the officer. She darted out of the bathroom.