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(lol i forgot to upload this here)
There was an uneasiness at the pit of his stomach that made Akashi consider if it was a bad omen. The uneasiness emerged when Kudo failed to return for a while after she ran off and Hattori returned with Yoshida just a few minutes after that. The tanned male was bewildered at the absence of the other suspects and only clicked his tongue when Akashi explained their absence.
"Where's Kudo?"
"She is in the engine room. She said to go meet her there."
The feeling intensified as they walked towards the engine room after seeing Yoshida off to the ballroom. He wondered if it indicated that something had happened to Kudo, or if it was just his senses playing tricks on him. On most occasions, he could trust his instincts. They were hardly ever wrong. Which unsettled him more.
Briefly, the uneasiness disappeared when he saw the lighted up area by the main turbo alternator – the crime scene. It meant that she was still investigating the area. It meant that the feeling in his stomach was just that; a feeling. Nothing more. However, it arose once again just as they stepped down the steps towards the main turbo alternator and this time more intense than before. It puzzled him.
He finally understood the indications of his feelings when Hattori shone his phone's torchlight at the crime scene, only to find a phone on the floor. The two teens shared a look and Hattori quickly picked up the device from the floor, examining it right away. The torchlight of the phone was left on and when Hattori pressed the button on the centre-bottom of the phone, his name and phone number appeared on the bright screen.
"There's no mistake; it's Kudo's." He uttered, his eyebrows furrowing as he did. "Judging by the fact she attempted ta call me but didn't, I bet she didn't just… drop it."
It was apparent that he was worried; from the creases on his forehead and the strong grip he had on his friend's phone. Perhaps it was the shadow caused by the light from both phones and their torchlights; the expression on his face seemed unnerving.
Akashi wondered if his face mimicked the older male. He could feel the uneasiness well up to his chest and he felt like throwing up. There were numerous scenarios that ran through his complicated mind and he hoped that none of them were true. Although they weren't on close terms with each other, the thought of something bad occurring to her was dreadful. And he was sure Hattori shared the same emotions, perhaps a little more stronger than him.
His eyes unconsciously trailed over to the hidden area where the pictures Kudo took indicated Mochizuki's Rolex was. He wasn't sure why his eyes started to search for the Rolex, but they did, and they narrowed when they couldn't find the glint from the object that they were searching for.
He was reminded of the conversation Kudo and Satoru had in the lounge; about how all of the five suspects received the same Rolex and about how each watch had the name of the respective receiver carved behind it. His heart pumped a tad faster as the cells in his brain connected the information he had to build up a theory. A theory that only strengthened the uneasiness that had made it up to his throat.
"Tha' Rolex…"
Hattori seemed to notice the absence of the watch too.
Akashi was snapped out of his thoughts at his voice and almost immediately, he relayed the information obtained from the time in the lounge. Hattori's eyes seemed to light up under the shadows as he came to the same conclusion as him, horror now making it across his face.
"That means Kudo's in danger or..." Hattori gritted his teeth and didn't continue.
"We could search the whole ship for her," Akashi suggested sternly. "However, I feel that it would be more effective to find the killer immediately and demand them to tell us where Kudo-san is."
Hattori clicked his tongue and ruffled his bangs in frustration.
"Ya got a point." He scowled. "I wanna see tha' picture of Mochizuki-san and Sakaguchi-san. Let's get back ta tha' ballroom and see Sakaguchi-san."
Sakaguchi clearly noticed the absence of the female detective who had previously questioned them. However, he didn't say a word and gave his phone to Hattori without any fuss. The picture in question was displayed on the screen and Hattori scrutinised the picture, searching for anything else notable and relevant in the picture other than the watches.
Akashi glanced over the other's shoulder to take a look at the picture himself. Hattori had zoomed into the picture and swiped the image from time to time to switch from the zoomed in image of Mochizuki's Rolex to Sakaguchi's. He couldn't help but feel that there was something off about the watches; like although the watches were identical, there was something not identical about them. He couldn't put his finger on it, but his meticulous eyes were certain that there was something.
It wasn't until the 5th swipe that it struck him, and his eyes darted towards the watch on Sakaguchi's wrist. It was hidden under his sleeve, blocking his view. He involuntarily clicked his tongue. He recalled Yoshida and Nishiyama wearing their Rolexes that night too. He wondered if he could get a view of theirs as well.
If his eyes served him well – and he knew they did – what he noticed from the friendly picture would determine who the killer was.
"Hattori-san, do you have a moment?"
He brought the tanned detective towards a wall – excusing themselves from Sakaguchi – and informed him of the detail he noticed. Hattori understood the indications of the information he was told and held his chin in thought. It took him a moment before he nodded and announced that he would gather the suspects back into the lounge.
"It's time ta get tha' bastard an' find where Kudo is."
"I'm getting sick of you kids pulling me away from my guests."
Kanae was seething. Her foot was tapping impatiently on the carpeted floor and her arms were crossed firmly across her chest. Although she had a prominent frown on her face, she remained the beautiful host who had just lost her husband. Beside her was Satoru who placed a hand on her shoulder in an attempt to calm her down. Nishiyama, on the other hand, seemed concerned while Yoshida and Sakaguchi merely exchanged glances.
"Sorry, lady," Hattori smiled confidently. "But we thought ya would like ta know who killed yer husband."
"You know who killed father?"
Satoru stared at them wide-eyed in surprise, the other four mirroring his expression. Akashi studied the five, searching for any indications of guilt or fear. He couldn't find any. Was it because the killer was confident they wouldn't be caught?
"Yeah." Hattori nodded. "But before that, wouldja mind liftin' yer sleeves for us, Nishiyama-san, Yoshida-san, Sakaguchi-san?"
The three shared a puzzled look on their faces and Hattori had to repeat his request before they hesitantly folded up their sleeves. They folded it on both arms up until their elbows, allowing a clear view of the watches, the main object of focus for the two teens in the room.
Silence took over the room as the two teens observed the watches. They were careful to not hint the three of what they were looking at and when they found what they were looking for, Hattori couldn't help but let a smirk curl upon his lips. Akashi noticed the look on his features and took a step back to give him full command of the stage. He was curious of the abilities of the male, of whether he was as good as Kudo in the same playing field.
"Well?" Kanae asked, mockery coating her words. "Did you find anything?"
"As a matter of fact, yeah." Hattori's smirk widened as he raised a finger towards the group. "Tha' one who killed Mochizuki Takuya-san is ya, Sakaguchi-san."
As the gazes of the other four shot towards him, Sakaguchi widened his eyes in disbelief and bit his lip. His body started to tremble, and his face started to sweat. However, he immediately regained his composure and defensively questioned Hattori's allegation.
"That's ridiculous." He scoffed. "I don't see how I could've killed Mochizuki when I was at the ballroom the whole time."
"No one could corroborate yer claim so ya definitely could've killed Mochizuki-san."
"Wait, how would Sakaguchi-san kill father?" Satoru questioned. "Wasn't he found decapitated on the deck? Sakaguchi-san would've been covered in blood if he did."
"That's right!" Sakaguchi crossed his arms as he huffed. "I couldn't have done it."
"No, it's totally possible for him ta kill Mochizuki-san an' return to tha' ballroom without any blood on his clothes."
Akashi watched as concerned murmurs took over the room at Hattori's statement. Although he too knew the killer, he didn't know how exactly the killing was executed. So, letting himself feel just a little excitement, Akashi waited for Hattori to continue with his deduction.
"First, ya killed Mochizuki-san in tha' engine room an' decapitated him. Then, ya put Mochizuki-san's body an' head on a cargo trolley that ya prepared beforehand an' brought it up to tha' deck, taking care not ta let anyone see ya. Once ya got ta tha' deck, ya dumped Mochizuki-san's body there an' changed inta clothes that ya hid there beforehand. As proof, there's sticky remnants near tha' body from probably tape that ya used to conceal yer change of clothes."
Hattori paused for a moment, gauging Sakaguchi's expression, before he continued.
"After changing, ya threw yer bloody clothes an' Mochizuki-san's head overboard then ran back ta tha' ballroom, acting as if nothing happened. Since tha' deck where Mochizuki-san was found is directly above tha' engine room, ya definitely could commit tha' whole thing in just around an hour or so."
"Bullshit! Anyone could've done that." Sakaguchi spat. "Where's your proof that I did it!?"
"I got plenty of proof that ya did it, Sakaguchi-san. Yer shoes, for one, should still have traced of blood on it." Hattori's grin grew when Sakaguchi's breath hitched in realisation. "Ya probably planned to change yer shoes and dispose of 'em into tha' see once ya returned ta yer room but because we discovered tha' body early, ya didn't have tha' chance."
"T- That's—"
"Also, tha' Rolex that ya're wearing." Hattori took a few steps closer to the man and pointed at his watch. "That's Mochizuki-san's Rolex, ain't it?"
Sakaguchi's hand instantly covered the Rolex by reflex and he took a step back, clearly shaken at the revelation that unveiled itself step by step.
"Yer watches probably fell off when ya two were struggling. Ya probably couldn't find yer watch after killing Mochizuki-san since it was in tha' shadows so ya decided: why not take an' wear Mochizuki-san's instead? They're basically tha' same, right?"
The other four in the room exchanged puzzled glances and it was Nishiyama who took the initiative to ask the question that circled in their minds.
"How do you know it's the Chairman's watch?"
"Ahh, it's because…"
Hattori's voice trailed off as he turned to face Akashi. The redhead blinked in question but instantly understood what the older male was indicating him to do.
"The diamond." Akashi continued for Hattori. The puzzlement on the suspects' faces only grew after hearing his words and Akashi proceeded to elaborate. "Based on the picture Sakaguchi-san showed of him and Mochizuki-san at the golf course, Mochizuki-san's watch has a small diamond piece at the centre of the watch which holds the hands, unlike the other watches. The watch Sakaguchi-san's currently wearing has that diamond piece, a piece that his watch isn't supposed to have."
"N-No. The watch Mochizuki gave me also has a diamond piece…!"
"If ya still plan on claiming that it's yer watch, I'm sure ya wouldn't mind showing us tha' name carved behind it."
It seemed that the watch was the final blow. Sakaguchi dropped to his knees and cursed as he landed a fist on the carpeted floor. His face seemed like he wanted to cry, however he didn't, merely gritting his teeth as he remained curled on his knees.
"Mitsuru-san, don't tell me you killed Takuya-san because of his affair with your wife…?" Kanae hesitantly asked, choosing not to conceal her shock.
"Huh, the affair with Sachie was merely the last straw." He scoffed as he straightened his posture, remorse hardly reflected on his features. "That bastard, he kept on asking money from me, saying that it's for 'investments' and shit when he uses it to satisfy his gambling habits. I was an idiot for believing him but even when I refused, he threatened me to give me the money or he would expose all the shit I did in the past. I was young but not young enough to escape punishment. Because of him, I had to mortgage the house and because of our declining financial situation, Sachie had an affair with him. Because of him, my life is ruined!"
"Even so…"
Interrupting Satoru's attempt to speak, Hattori grabbed Sakaguchi roughly by the shirt and yanked him up to his feet. The triumph that was etched on his features seconds ago had disappeared and was now replaced with anger. The stunned Sakaguchi could only stare at the younger male as he brought his tanned face closer to his.
"I'm not gonna say anything about why ya decided ta kill Mochizuki-san as that's for tha' cops." He growled. "But, ya better tell us where Kudo is right now, or I'll—"
"Hattori-san."
Akashi placed a hand on his shoulder and shook his head in disapproval. To this, Hattori merely offered a glance before he clicked his tongue and loosened his grip on the older man. The initially stunned Sakaguchi seemed to understand what had Hattori riled up and stuttered an answer with a cough.
"If— If you're talking about that girl," Sakaguchi coughed once again. "She's in the large freezer in the kitchen. I put her in there when the kitchen staff left to take a break."
"Ya bastard—"
"The kitchen is on the floor below us, am I right?"
Nishiyama nodded shakenly at Akashi's question and instantly, the two boys rushed towards the kitchen below them, not before making sure Sakaguchi couldn't run. As they ran down the stairs, Akashi peeked at his wristwatch and felt his heart race just a little faster when he realised more than an hour had passed since he last saw Kudo. Considering the temperature of the freezer and the clothes she was wearing, the redhead could only hope that hypothermia hadn't already set it and caused its dire effects.
Hattori slammed the kitchen doors opened and immediately stormed towards what he assumed was the freezer, Akashi who trailing behind. As Hattori requested – rather, demanded – the kitchen staff to open the freezer for him, Akashi was left in the position to explain their presence to the idling kitchen staff who were fortunately understanding.
"A person's in the freezer…?" One of the surprised staffs questioned as the freezer door opened in the corner of their eyes.
"Yes." Akashi confirmed. "Once again, I apologise for suddenly barging in."
Akashi spoke calmly despite the thoughts that raced in his mind. Perhaps it was the knowledge that they had already arrived to where Kudo supposedly was that eased his nerves and allowed him to speak as usual. He kept glancing at the freezer Hattori rushed in, however, hoping that there wouldn't be an addition to the death on the ship.
"Oh," a female staff brought a hand to her chin. "Speaking of a person in the freezer…"
"She's not in here!" Hattori was seething when he came out of the freezer, a hint of panic in his eyes. Akashi wondered why he felt relieved instead. "That bastard must've lied! Damn it—"
"Um," the female staff spoke up again, trying to get the two teen's attention. "By any chance, is the person you're looking for a brown-haired girl?"
Akashi slid the door of the infirmary carefully as to not disturb anyone who was in the room. He would have let Hattori enter first, but he predicted he would storm into the infirmary just like how he did in the kitchen. So, he had to convince Hattori to let him take the lead.
He expected to be met with the white interior of the infirmary, as well as the gaze of the nurse or doctor in charge. Thus, he was taken aback when he was met with a mop of chestnut that crashed into his chest before he could step into the room.
"Kudo-san?"
By reflex, he caught the stumbling female by the elbow before she could make contact with the floor. Kudo seemed stunned for a brief moment but regained her composure as she steadied herself.
"Oh, you guys are done with the case?"
"Yes." He nodded.
She seemed a little disappointed, perhaps because she didn't get to stand in the spotlight this time. However, Akashi was more concerned with the paleness of her complexion as well as how she seemed to struggle with just standing up. The jacket he gave her was nowhere to be seen and he could see how her bare shoulders trembled as he held her by the elbow. Behind her was the infirmary doctor, her hands on her hips as she sighed with displeasure.
"See, I told you the case would be solved. Now, would you please return to bed and warm up?"
With a reluctant sigh, Kudo turned to obey the doctor's orders. Although she requested him to let her walk herself, Akashi insisted on helping her to the bed where the doctor immediately bundled her up in a few layers of blankets and deposited a warm cup of tea into her hands. The look of obvious displeasure on the brunette's face contrasted the satisfied look on the doctor's face so greatly that Akashi was tempted to smile.
"She has a mild concussion with mild hypothermia, but she'll get better once she warms up and rests." The doctor informed the two males with a smile. "Guess it was a good thing the staff thought she lost her earring there and found her before the hypothermia could get worse."
"Thanks, doc." Hattori grinned cheekily at Kudo once the doctor left to sit at her desk. "Ya really got yaself beat this time, huh. Got us worried, ya know."
"He caught me off guard." She shrugged with a dry look. "How'd you solve the case though? I assume Sakaguchi-san took his watch with him."
"Akashi noticed that Mochizuki-san's watch has a diamond unlike tha' other watches so we could prove that tha' watch Sakaguchi-san was wearing wasn't his."
"And he couldn't wear his own watch again because it was stained with blood." Kudo hummed and took another sip of her tea before sending an amused glance at Akashi. "Watson's getting good at this."
Akashi would have scoffed but he stopped himself and merely offered a smile.
A month had passed since Sakaguchi's arrest and the early end of the cruise at Nagoya port. The three teenagers stayed a day in Nagoya to give their statements about the case to the police before returning to their respective homes. It was a rather mundane ending, if Akashi had to say, but he supposed life had to have its fair share of mundaneness to balance its insanity.
He found himself back into his own daily mundane mixed insanity on the court. He watched by the bench as his team ran back and forth across the court, the squeaking of basketball shoes and the thumping of the ball accompanying their movements. Occasionally, an appalled Mibuchi Reo would yell a scolding to the underclassmen who either slacked or made a mistake. However, other than that, it was a relatively silent practice session.
He hadn't seen Kudo since the cruise case, though they did exchange occasional texts. Per usual, she'd find herself involved in a case or two and she'd marvelously solve them. There was a part of Akashi that felt a need to see her during her deduction shows once again. The thrill he would feel from the cases was addictive, and he wanted more. Although, he knew that would mean hoping for another dead body to drop by.
"Take a 10-minute break."
Relieved sighs collectively escaped the basketball team members as they all headed towards the benches and slumped on the floor, grabbing at their drinks. At this, Mibuchi rolled his eyes with a sigh that turned into a smile as he turned towards the redhead beside him.
"Sei-chan," he chirped with the affectionate nickname. "Should us regulars join next? The inter-high preliminaries are getting close as it is."
"Of course." Akashi nodded. "Gather the other three. We'll start immediately."
As he watched the older male saunter off to find their teammates, Akashi found himself fiddling with his cellphone – something unlike of him. His fingers tapped across the screen as they selected a name and typed out characters in the designated white space. He questioned what he was doing, whether it was necessary or appropriate. But his fingers continued typing rapidly. Until they stopped to hover over the 'send' button.
He sighed, lips pressed into a firm line as his eyebrows furrowed slightly. Once again, the pros and cons of tapping the icon were weighed and he wondered why he kept overthinking a simple decision.
He sent the text in the end.
Then, he shoved his phone into his bag where it belonged and called the members to resume practice, ignoring the nagging anticipation at the back of his mind.
Thanks for reading !