Chapter 15: Interrogation
'There raise not the dead.'
This sounds familiar.
'There cannot recover lost things, never again.'
Yeah. I've heard these words before.
'Even the greatest miracle can only affect the living -.'
But I still can't remember who said them-
'Vroom! Vroom!' I was awakened by the sound of an engine. I attempted to rub my eyes only to realize that my glasses were still on. I was so exhausted that I just wanted to close my eyes and go back to sleep. But I couldn't. Not yet at least. My first question was…
"…Why am I here?" I asked the person driving the car. It was obvious that I was in a car due to the noise coming from the engine. But I had no clue why I was here? Did Saber call me a taxi? I doubt it. However, something about this car felt familiar. Like I've seen it before in a mov-ah!
"Good evening, Ms. Sajyou. My name's Akasaka. You're being taken to the station for questioning." The person in front named Akasaka replied. Only now did I realize my current predicament. The truth is I did see the interior of this car before in a movie. This is a police car! Which means he's a police officer and by station, he means he's taking me to the police station! That means they believe that I-
"If you think that I killed all of my classmates, I can assure you that you are mistaken." I spoke.
"Now look. Whether I believe you or not, that doesn't matter. I'm just doing my job." Akasaka replied.
"But I didn't do it! I'm not a murderer!" I shouted.
"That's what they all say. Anyway, I recommend getting some rest. Because I doubt you are going to get a wink of sleep once we arrive at the station." The officer replied.
'Unfortunately, now I'm wide awake after being told that I'm a murder suspect.' Is what I wanted to say but I decided not to. Instead, I stared out of the window and looked at the neon lights that made Tokyo feel like it was alive. However, they hurt my eyes and I blinked only to notice-
A man in a dark trench coat stared at me. His eyes burned into me that they-
"AAAAAAHHHHH!" I screamed which caused the police car to come to an immediate stop.
"What's wrong with you?! Are you trying to get us into a car accident?!" Akasaka yelled.
"Who's that?!" I asked as I pointed toward the man. Something about him was off. Why was he staring at me? Could he be a Servant? If not, then why? Shouldn't he just go home then? And why do I get the feeling he wants to suck my blood? All of these questions made my brain go haywire as I couldn't answer any of them. But maybe this officer can help m-
"Who's what?" Akasaka asked. What is he talking about?
"He's right there! How don't you see-eh?" I replied as the man in question was gone. He disappeared without a trace as if he was never there to begin with. But that doesn't make any sense! He was right there just a second ago!
"I swear that he was-" I spoke only to be interrupted mid-sentence by the officer.
"Listen to me. If I was in your shoes, I would be scared out of my mind too. But if you said you didn't do it then you'll be fine. Just go back to sleep, ok?" Akasaka asked.
'Was I just being paranoid? I mean, I guess. Maybe he's right. If so, then I'll try to go back to sleep.' I thought to myself as I closed my eyes. However, no matter how hard I tried to think about pleasant memories or anything else, I couldn't forget that stare. I've seen that stare before, by that fake priest. Even though he didn't say a word, his eyes told me that-
'I'm going to kill you.'
After what felt like an eternity of waiting, I arrived at the police station. This isn't the first time that I've been to a police station. After Misaya's mother died, I was interrogated on what transpired the night of the murder. Though since I was only eight years old at the time, they didn't question me too harshly.
"It's time. Just remember to breathe and you'll be fine." Akasaka spoke as he parked the car in one of the few available spots nearby. After he got out of the car, he opened the door for me, and I got out too.
"Sorry about this." Akasaka spoke as he took out a pair of handcuffs and proceeded to cuff my hands together.
"…" I then took the officer's advice to breathe as I did so in and out. With that, I accepted my fate as I followed him into the police station. Afterward, I was then led into a room that was familiar to me because I'd been there before. It was an interrogation room. But before that-
'Tap. Tap. Tap.' The sound of someone tapping their foot came from the room. I then walked into the room. The first thing that caught my attention was the trash can beside the door. It contained multiple small paper cups, cigarette butts, and finally a broken pencil.
Now onto the room itself. It was a room without any color to speak of. There was a massive square table along with two chairs placed at opposite ends of each other. There were already two people here. One of them was sitting in the chair at the back of the room. And the other was an officer keeping watch at the back of the room in case anything were to go wrong.
"Take a seat right there." The officer behind me instructed as I did just that. I was now face to face with the guy who was sitting in the chair. The person in question wasn't a cop. I could clearly tell that he was a criminal psychologist due to him not wearing a uniform. In fact, he was wearing a regular business suit and had black hair with a few grey hairs along with glasses.
"My name is Dr. Nakamura. It's a pleasure to meet you, Ms. Sajyou." Nakamura spoke as he extended his hand toward me. Though I chose not to. For starters, it was hard for me to shake his hand since I'm in handcuffs. But the second reason and more importantly-
"I'm not falling for that trick." I replied.
"Huh? What do you mean by 'trick?' There's nothing wrong with a friendly hand-" The officer spoke but I cut him off.
"Stop lying. I know what you're trying to pull. You want me to shake your hand and then you'll scream and say, 'you dug your nails into me!' That way you'll make me out to be the violent criminal in your head once this reaches court." I explained.
"And what made you consider all of that?" Nakamura asked as he was continuing to play dumb.
"It all comes down to three reasons. First, I'm the only suspect, of course, there would people who wouldn't stand the sight of me after that tragedy. Second, I heard you tapping your foot repeatedly before I came into the room. Though that could have been easily explained away by you wanting to go home if it wasn't for the third reason." I explained.
"Which is?" Nakamura asked.
"Third, that trash can. When I walked into the room, I noticed a broken pencil. Pencils don't break unless you apply enough pressure to them. You were enraged about something. What else could it be but you have a grudge towards me?" I asked.
"Hahaha!" Nakamura laughed.
"Not bad. I'll admit it. You guessed everything perfectly. By any chance, are you aiming to become a detective?" Nakamura asked with a smirk.
"Not in the slightest. I just pay attention to my surroundings. That's all." I answered. While that was true, it wasn't the whole truth. Since, I don't have any friends to speak of, at least at school, I tend to observe others out of boredom. And after a while of that, you can tell how people will act in most situations. It's called 'reading.' Even though I'm not actually reading words, in a way I'm reading a person like a book.
"Hmm. Interesting. Then I guess I can just be straight with you then. I'm going to prove that you were the one responsible for that massacre you call a tragedy. That is my goal and I'm going to see it through no matter what." Nakamura declared as he pushed his glasses closer to his eyes while glaring daggers at me.
"Fine. If that's your goal, then let's get this over with. Today was a long day so I can't wait to go take a hot shower after this." I spoke with a smirk which made Nakamura's eyes twitch in anger.
"Then let's proceed. First, when did you arrive at school earlier today?" Nakamura asked. This proved that it's still the night of the 24th though it wouldn't be for much longer as Christmas was rapidly approaching.
"I overslept so I arrived at twelve in the afternoon. I knew this fact because it usually takes me thirty minutes to walk to school unless I take a taxi. That and by the time I arrived everyone was eating lunch and 12:00 is lunchtime at school after all. Does that answer satisfy you?" I asked.
"I'd be lying if I said it does. Let's continue. Next, what did you do after arriving at school?" Nakamura asked.
"I went to the rooftop to eat some lunch and talk with a classmate." I answered.
"Which classmate?" Nakamura asked.
"Misaya Reiroukan. I'm sure you can just ask her about it and say would say 'that's right.' Or something like that." I replied.
"So, you're saying that this 'Misaya Reiroukan' was a classmate of yours?" Nakamura asked.
"Of course. If she wasn't why would she be the-" I spoke only to be cut off by Nakamura.
"You're lying." Nakamura declared.
"W-What do you mean?" I asked.
"Exactly as I just said. That school suffered massive damages today, but it wasn't completely destroyed. The records listing all currently attending students survived…" Nakamura spoke as the officer behind him handed him a folder.
"…And 'Misaya Reiroukan' was not on that list!" Nakamura shouted as he slammed the folder onto the table. I attempted to reach for the folder, but my arms weren't long enough. Plus, if I did, he could probably use it against him by saying this was me attempting to attack him.
"May I see that?" I asked.
"Be my guest." Nakamura replied as he slid the folder toward me. I then opened the folder up to see that it contained a few papers listing the names and addresses of all the students. I flipped to the 'R' section since they were labeled alphabetically from 'A to Z' though by last names as that was common in Japan and other parts of the world. However-
"I-It's not there?!" I shouted out of surprise. For some reason, Misaya's name wasn't listed here even though she exchanged schools to be there quite a few days ago. Hell, she was formally introduced along with Rider and everything!
"That's my exact point! So, how could you say you met up with Misaya Reiroukan when she does not attend your school?!" Nakamura asked.
"Tch." I clicked my tongue. 'How am I supposed to answer that when there's clearly a contradiction here!?' Unless she brainwashed the students and teachers. Brainwashing is exactly as it sounds like; it's quite literally playing a mind trick on someone making them believe something that's far from the truth.
Misaya is a highly capable mage, especially for her age. I can't deny that's she far better at magic than I am. While she isn't a prodigy like Onee-chan was, I believe that Misaya could have easily tricked everyone into believing that she exchanged schools. It would also explain how fast she was accepted.
That day, the first day of the Grail War, Misaya didn't show up just to taunt me. Nor was she actually submitting the necessary paperwork to actually attend the school when there was a much easier alternative. That being brainwashing everyone into believing the 'lie' that she exchanged schools! Now this guy thinks I lied about it! Damn it!
"Ms. Sajyou." Nakamura spoke as my thought process was broken and I was forcibly brought back into reality.
"What is it?" I asked.
"I was saying that if you had anything to say after lying to me? Or are you ready to admit that you were the one who killed everyone? The clock is ticking. So, unless you want to take that hot shower you better tell me the truth." Nakamura demanded.
'Damn! What am I supposed to say?! Tell this guy that that Misaya brainwashed everyone with magic!? That will make me look insane! Not only that, but telling people who are not mages about magic is a big no no and I could be hunted down by the mages at the Clock Tower for it! Just what the hell am I supposed to s-ha.
"Ha." I laughed.
"What's so funny? Are you ready to give u-" Nakamura asked but I interrupted him mid-sentence.
"Not yet. In fact, there's not a chance in hell I'll be giving up since the answer is obvious." I spoke while grinning.
"W-What answer?! I demand you tell me what really happened!" Nakamura demanded as he slammed his fist onto the table.
"Sure thing. Remember when I said I arrived at the school during lunchtime?" I asked.
"What about it?" Nakamura replied.
"You still don't understand? Ha. No wonder you are just a psychiatrist. Because, if you were a detective, you wouldn't last the first day on the job!" I yelled.
"Stop beating around the bush! Answer the question already!" Nakamura snapped back.
"What about you answer this. You were a student once, yes? What happens after classes begin for the day?" I asked.
"The lesson for the day starts. What are you getting at?" Nakamura asked.
"But can a student enter the school after classes start?" I asked.
"Of course not. The front doors of the building are locked. AH! If the doors were locked, then how the hell did you get into the school?!" Nakamura asked.
"Simple. I used a secret entrance!" I revealed.
"What secret entrance?!" Nakamura asked.
"It wouldn't be a secret if I told you." I answered.
"Just answer the damn question!" Nakamura demanded.
"If you insist. On both sides of the school, there are fences. On the left side, the fence is perfectly intact. However, on the right, there is a hole. Big enough for me to crawl under and get inside with ease." I answered.
"But that only explains how you got into the vicinity of the school. How about how you actually got inside?" Nakamura asked.
"That's easy. There are multiple entryways to get into the school beside the front doors. Such as the door on the right side of the school. That's because someone always forgets to lock it. And since it was lunchtime, I blended into the crowd of students with no difficulty to speak of." I answered.
"B-But! That's a secret entrance, right? That means only a select few know about it! Anyone who doesn't attend the school would have no knowledge of it! Therefore, your logic fails!" Nakamura pointed out. Except-
"Fair point. Hypothetically, let's say Misaya had no clue about it. But, even if she didn't know, she could have easily climbed the fence. I'm sure of this because she is athletic enough to do so. And then, all she had to do was open the door and she was in." I answered as I bowed toward Nakamura though not out of kindness but as a taunt.
"DAMN IT!" Nakamura shouted at the top of his lungs. Looks like it worked. But then…
"You. Bring me a cup of coffee. I'm quite parched." Nakamura demanded the officer behind him.
"But, Dr. Nakamura, shouldn't you drink water instead if your throat is d-" The officer asked but was cut off.
"Do what you're paid for. Now on with it." Nakamura demanded once more with a snap of his fingers. After the officer got scolded, he left the room as he was instructed to do so. About thirty seconds later, he returned with a full cup of coffee. Nakamura grabbed it from him without saying a word and…
"…Gulp…gulp…gulp…ah. That hit the spot." Nakamura gulped down the entire cup of coffee in one go and tossed the empty paper cup into the trash can without looking behind him. Except, he missed, and the officer picked it up and threw it out for him.
'Poor guy.' I thought internally.
"Anyway, let's get on with this. My next question is what did you do after lunchtime was over?" Nakamura asked.
"I exited the rooftop and entered back into the building. After that, I made my way back to the classroom and…" I spoke but stopped mid-sentence.
"And what? What happened after that?" Nakamura asked.
"…I-I saw…" I muttered and stopped mid-sentence once more. Suddenly, all the memories of that massacre were resurfacing. I remembered all of those corpses. All twenty-six of them. Brutally murdered in so many cruel ways. And Akari-
'This is all your fault.'
Those still left a wound that has already healed externally. But internally it's still there and it's festering. I couldn't do anything. No. I chose not to do anything because I knew there was nothing that I could do. Because, in that moment I already knew that Akari was going to di-
"What did you see, Ms. Sajyou?! Out with it already!" Nakamura demanded as my thought process was cut off again. I had to calm down.
'It's time. Just remember to breathe and you'll be fine.'
"…" I breathed in and out as I remembered that officer, Akasaka's words. I can do this. I'll just tell him the truth.
"I saw all of my classmates. However, they were no longer alive. Every single one of them was dead. Their corpses were all-I don't have to go any further right?" I asked.
"Are you joking? Of course, you have too. Without a detailed description of the events that transpired, how are you expecting anyone to believe you?" Nakamura asked with a smirk.
"B-But I-" I spoke only to be interrupted by Nakamura.
"Continue. I won't repeat myself a third time." Nakamura demanded with a serious look.
"…Fine. One person's head was no longer on their neck…in its place was blood. Another person's stomach had a hole in it. Another person's neck was slashed open. Another person was missing their eyes. Another person didn't have their arms anymore. Another person's head was bashed open. Another thing was crushed under desks so badly he or she didn't even resemble a person anymore…" I explained as sweat ran down my forehead like bullets.
If I ate anything afterward, I definitely would have vomited all over the floor. Those memories were burned into my mind, and I doubt they will ever go away, let alone any time soon.
"Is that it? Aren't there at least twenty-five students per classroom? What about the rest?" Nakamura asked.
"That's all I noticed before I vomited all over the floor." I answered.
'I mean who wouldn't after seeing all of those corpses?!' I thought internally though I really wanted to say it out loud but I chose not to.
"I see. What happened after that?" Nakamura asked.
"I blacked out." I answered. Though that was only a half-truth. Technically I did black out after I saw all of that carnage. But it wasn't right afterward. I feel out of the school, got back inside through the use of my formally 'secret entrance.' And fought with Rider. Obviously, this guy isn't going to believe any of that, so I refuse to tell him. Much less incur the wrath of the Mage's Association, aka the mages who are part of the Clock Tower. But I digress.
"And you didn't wake up at any point before the police found you?" Nakamura asked.
"Of course not." I answered.
"Then there is nothing else to discuss." Nakamura spoke as he stood up from the chair he was sitting on.
"Then does this mean I'm free to go home?" I asked.
"Hahaha!" Nakamura laughed for a little bit.
"Not a chance. You are staying here indefinitely until the truth is revealed. Until then, there is a cafeteria to eat some food. We will also give you a tatami mat to rest on. And you can also shower here if you must. There are quite a few in the locker room." Nakamura explained as he readjusted his glasses.
'Finally! I can go take a nice, hot show-' I thought internally until my thought process was cut off once more by Nakamura.
"Though unfortunately, the plumbing is bad here. Which means that the showers are going to be cold. I doubt that will be a problem for you, Ms. Sajyou?" Nakamura asked as he smirked.
'T-That REDACTED! He's such a REDACTED!' I thought internally as the curse words I were using were bleeped out.
"I have one more question." I asked Nakamura as he was about to exit the room.
"What do you wish to know?" Nakamura asked.
"I told you everything that happened. But clearly, you still hate my guts. Why do you still hold a grudge against me exactly?" I asked. The answer to this question wasn't going to allow me to go home so it was meaningless. But my curiosity was piqued.
"You really want to know?" Nakamura asked.
"Of course. Why else would I ask?" I replied.
"Fine then. I'll tell you. But first, a question. Do you happen to know of another person named 'Nakamura' by any chance?" Nakamura asked. Another Nakamura? What does he mean by that?
"No." I answered.
"What about a young girl, just around your age, named 'Akari' You knew her didn't you?!" Nakamura asked.
"Ah." I gasped. No way! Does that mean this guy is actually Akari's father?!
"I knew it. You see, even before this incident, I knew who you were, Ayaka Sajyou. That is because when my daughter returned home from school that day, she had bruises all over her body…" Nakamura explained as slowly walked over to me causing me to walk backward and away from him as a result.
"…I questioned my daughter about this. But she said, 'nothing happened' and 'don't worry about it' But I knew someone hurt my baby girl. So, while she was sleeping, I went into her room and found a notebook inside one of the drawers of her desk…" Nakamura continued as he got closer to me.
"…You want to know what I found? Her diary. It mentioned your name repeatedly in it. And when I flipped to the page that listed what happened on that day, I found it. 'Ayaka hurt me over and over and over and over and over' I was horrified…" Nakamura continued.
"…But more than that, I was enraged! I was enraged that someone hurt her, my own daughter! So, the next day, I took her into this station and questioned her about it in this very room. And you know what she said?" Nakamura asked.
"I-I'm s-" I tried to say but I was cut off.
"Don't you dare say that after what you did to her! But even then, she said 'that it was her fault.' Even though YOU caused her all that pain, and it wasn't her fault in the slightest. She said that it was her fault?!" Nakamura shouted as he pushed the table at me which caused me to fall to the ground.
"Stop this! She's just a kid!" The officer at the back of the room intervened and grabbed Nakamura by the neck. But then…
"GET THE HELL OFF OF ME!" Nakamura roared like a demon and elbowed the officer in the back which caused the latter to fall to the ground as a result.
"Not only did you hurt my baby girl once, but you also hurt her TWICE! You killed her! I know you did! So, I'm going to make sure you never hurt anyone ever again!" Nakamura shouted as he got closer to me and was now face to face with me and then…
"I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!" Nakamura roared again like demon. What am I going to do?! He clearly has killing intent! If I don't defend myself, he might actually kill me! But the only way I know how to defend myself is with magic! However, if I use magic against him, I will definitely be made out to be a criminal! All of these thoughts swirled throughout my mind until-
"THAT'S ENOUGH! YOU'VE GONE TOO FAR NAKAMURA-SAN!" Someone roared as they entered the room. Who was it? Could it actually be Sabe-
"DAMN YOU! AKASAKA-SAN!" Nakamura roared like a demon once more until he was quietly incapacitated by that officer who drove me here, Akasaka. Since he was sitting in front of me in the car, I wasn't able to get a good look at him.
But now I can and while his hair matched Nakamura making him middle-aged, he was clearly a lot bulkier to the point he resembled the actor, Arnold Schwarzenegger! He's just my type, though unfortunately, he's way too old for me.
"Are you alright, Ms. Sajyou?" Akasaka asked as my thought process was cut off once more as he extended a hand to help me get back up.
"Ah…thank you." I muttered. I was utterly spellbound by the man in front of me until-
"AYAKA! Are you alright?!" A familiar voice shouted from a few meters away. Wait, why is he-
"SABER! What are you doing here?!" I snapped back. I wasn't mad at the knight. I mean, I was but not for the fact that he's here right now. More for the fact that now he's going to be questioned too and he didn't leave before the cops arrived!
"Saber? Isn't that young man's name Albert?" Akasaka asked.
"I-It's a nickname." I answered.
"I would consider 'Al' to be a more fitting nickname. But interesting choice none the less." Akasaka replied as some other officers tackled Saber to the ground before he could reach me.
"Anyway, why is Sa-I mean Albert here?" I asked.
"Oh, you didn't know?" Akasaka asked.
'No. Of course, I didn't know.' I thought internally.
"Your boyfriend was with you when we found you guys. I doubt he left your side for a second. What a Chad!" Akasaka spoke as he complimented Saber.
"B-B-Boyfriend?! Saber's NOT my boyfriend!" I refuted.
"Oh really? That's strange. I mean, when we you two, he was giving you the lap pillow treatment. Isn't that only reserved for couples?" Akasaka pointed out.
"L-L-L-LAP PILLOW?! Saber, why the hell did you embarrass me?!" I snapped back.
"…" Saber couldn't answer Ayaka's question as he was squished onto the floor when the police officers tackled him that resembled one from American football.
'Why would Saber do that?! I mean does that actually mean he l-likes likes me?! No! That couldn't be the case! But what do I feel toward Saber? I mean, I like him. He's funny, and cool, and charming, and handsome and NO! I don't like him that way! But if I think all of those things about Saber, wouldn't that mean I actually l-l-lo-'
"A-Ayaka-chan?" Akasaka called out to me but before I knew it, I blacked out as blood dripped out of my nose and I was foaming from the mouth. Though thankfully I was going to be ok, probably, hopefully.