Chapter 11 : Innocent

A Romance Mystery Fict

Originally From Aprian K. Len

Main Pairing : IA & VY2 Yuuma, Maybe a slight pair and crack pair content

Disclaimer : Vocaloid ©Yamaha, and other companies

Story ©Aprian K. Len

Translation © Me

UTAUloid © Its Respective owner and creators

Summary :

"I've always lived out of habits, nothing really matters, disappearing without any meaning. When that memory is finally imprinted, somehow, in the end, it is forgotten. Until she came, and changed my whole life."

Warning : OOC (Maybe), typo(s), lack of depiction, misused word(s)

'Abc' : Flashback, foreign words, indirect conversations (Phone calls, email, etc.)

'Abc' : Normal conversations

'Abc' : An emphasized word or sentences, important statements

HAPPY READING MINNA!

Chapter 11 : Innocent

"What suspicion?"

"A suspicion that I know well who the killer is…"

Yuuma's POV

"Ring... Let's go home, okay?"

"But why, nii-chan?"

I've been trying to ask Ring to exactly do as I told and go home, but she kept asking why stubbornly, this is really troublesome. I scratched my head in confusion, why now of all times?

"Ring? Yuuma?"

Miku came with shopping bags on her hands, it looked like she just came back from shopping for dinner. Ring quickly ran to Miku and rubbed her head against Miku's leg like a little kitten.

"What's going on here Yuuma?"

I approached Miku, gently pulling her away from Ring and whispered to her.

"Murder, and looks like we know well who the killer is. The chain of murder that have been happening recently…"

Miku gulped, I can tell she's shocked. I turned my head to Ring that had been humming to herself.

"Ring, can you go home by yourself? We have things we need to do."

"No! I refuse!"

This… girl… Why can't she just do one thing I asked to her?!

"Ah, what about this. What if you go along and play with Mr. police officer over there? Just tell him we left you to them."

"Hmm… Okay. That's better than being kicked out…"

Great job Miku! Looks like kids don't like me too much, huh?

"So now what?" Miku asked me with her head slightly tilted in front of me.

"We're going inside, I got the permission, besides your brother is inside right?"

"Eh that..? You mean Kuo-nii? I-I'm not sure…"

What's with her? Weird, but, okay I guess…

"Miku come on, this is not something to hesitate about."

"Eh? A-ah?! Okay! Wait! My shopping bags!"

Same old Miku…

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We went inside the building, it was a 15 story high building. If the victim was dropped from the highest floor, it would surely bring chaos.

"Yuuma? Who is she?"

Kaito pointed Miku, how come Kaito didn't know Miku? She's the sibling of one of his men.

"This is Miku, Mikuo's younger sister. Miku Hatsune."

"Ah! Yes, I remember! You've grown well! Not like the picture I've seen!"

Kaito took Miku's hand and shook it enthusiastically.

"Umm, Kaito, where have you seen Miku?"

"Mikuo showed a picture to me, just once. In the picture, she's just this tall."

Kaito lowered his hand next to his knees. Kaito, how old was that picture? Miku was so small…

Miku turned her head around, it looks like she's looking for her brother, maybe…

"Hey! What's this?! Let us out! We have no relation to this incident!"

Wait, that voice?

"But miss, the building is being inspected, no one is allowed to go out without permission."

I approached the source of voice from the group of people around me, and I was right…

"Shorty…" Aria is here? Great, my day will go a lot smoother with shorty here…

"Yuuma? What are you doing here?"

"Don't ask that! What are you doing here?!"

"I don't know, Len asked me to come with him, he said there's a new shirt he wanted to buy and begged me to accompany him. Eh wait, who said you could call me shorty?!"

I ignored her last comment.

"Where's Len now?" I asked to Aria, Len suddenly slipped out of the crowd.

"Phew! So crowded here!"

Well maybe that's your fault for being small Len…

"So all that happened…"

I explained the things that happened tonight, Aria nodded her head. Kaito went ahead for a while to check the highest floor. Me, Miku, Len and Aria were sitting on the second floor, the game zone area, which is empty, everyone else is on the ground floor.

"Yuuma!" Len shouted my name, probably because I ignored him.

"What is it Len?"

"If you're talking about Gakupo, I think I saw him just now in this building. His appearance is strikingly unique, he always carry his sword, like a cosplayer."

I was shocked, is it true that it's Gakupo, but…

"Are you sure you're not just mistaking it? I mean, it could just be a real cosplayer."

"Impossible, his hair is purple, and I'm sure!"

What does this mean?

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"Yuuma, any clues?"

Kaito brought us to the rooftops, where the murder occurred. Worse, the few of what left of the body is still scattered here, the sting of fresh blood still lingering. Miku quickly covered her nose, while Len already looked like he's sick.

Aria approached the scattered body parts, she inspected it up close.

"Is there anything more that the witnesses know?"

"I don't know if it's related or not, but from all of the similar cases recently, taken from the witnesses, they said they heard a person counting before the murder happened, when the count reached to ten, a sudden horrifying scream could be heard. The police always arrived when the scream happened, but only the body was found, nothing more."

Aria walked towards me, she pulled me away and whispered.

"I think it's impossible for Gakupo to be the culprit."

"How come? The screams convinced you? I don't think a fact like that can be taken as evidence." I answered her while also whispering.

"No, back then, after I looked over the pieces of the body, the cut looked so thin and clean, too impossible for a cut like that using something wide and long like a katana. More like a string."

"String? You mean like a metal string? So the culprit could possibly using some type of whip?"

"Maybe, but this does not prove that Gakupo is not completely free of suspicion. I'm just trying to decrease it, somewhat."

Aria and I went back to where Kaito was. Len and Miku went to a corner, it looks like they couldn't stand the stench…

"What did you talked about? Let me know if you figured out who the culprit is."

"Not so fast Head officer, there's not enough evidence."

"Kaito, do you know another fact?" I asked after Aria answered Kaito.

"The person that always arrives at the crime scene is Hatsune Mikuo."

"Akh…!"

Aria and I turned our heads back, Miku looked like she was surprised. What is going on, exactly?

"Is it possible if the culprit is Mikuo?" I guessed blatantly, Miku responded harshly.

"THAT IS IMPOSSIBLE! Stop blaming my brother! You jerk! I won't accept such a ridiculous opinion!"

"W-whoa, whoa. Calm down Miku! D-don't mind me! Ignore what I just said okay?"

This is weird, Miku has never acted so rashly before…

"Seems like nothing is working out Kaito. We almost interrogated everyone here, including the employees. Negative." Mikuo came and reported to Kaito the results, which made Kaito desperate.

Mikuo left not long after, I saw that Miku kept her head lowered. Even if it was just a glimpse, when Mikuo went, I saw in one of his pockets, something was gleaming. What is that?

"Yuuma, can you follow Mikuo?"

"What Aria?! Are you trying to stir up trouble?!"

"Just do as I said!"

"Tch! Fine!"

I quickly chased down Mikuo, while I was running as fast as I could, I widened my eyes…

…Gakupo? Was that him earlier…

I could not turn back my head after what I just saw, I was sure that when I turned my head I saw someone similar to Gakupo, or did my eyes just fooled me?

"Hoi!"

I snapped back to reality and turned my head to the source of the voice, Mikuo suddenly right in front of me with two cups of coffee.

"You're one of my sister's friends correct? Thanks for protecting her all this time."

"Eh? Y-yes."

"Here, for you. Let's sit down, I want to talk for a bit."

Mikuo and I went to a nearby bench, Mikuo started sipping down his coffee while I'm just holding mine.

"Hey, what's your name?"

"Yuuma, Yuusei Yuuma."

"Ah, I feel like I've heard of that name before… Ah, who cares. What about my sister? Has she been troubling you?"

"N-no! Not at all!"

"Good, good. I was scared family problems were still haunting her."

"Excuse me?"

"No, nothing. She lives by herself?"

Eh? Doesn't Miku lives with Mikuo?

"Yes, she does." I followed the flow of the conversation, looked like Aria was right, she saw something in Mikuo.

"Is there anyone else with her?"

"As of now, Ring is with her."

"Ring? That trouble child? Hahahaha! I wish her luck for living in the same roof with that little demon."

"Well, about the demon thing, I agree."

"Ah, also. Yuuma? Have you heard of the Okiku tale?"

"Okiku?"

"You didn't know? It's a Folklore, once upon a time there lived a waitress named Okiku, but one day, Okiku did a mistake, she broke one of her master's 10 beloved saucers. Her master was furious and tortured Okiku until she died, her body was thrown away to a well. Some say that in that well, a cry of a person counting from 1 to 9 could be heard, and when it reached to 10 the voice screamed in agony, the people believed that it was Okiku's spirit that couldn't be at peace and kept counting her master's favorite saucer set and always frustrated when she reached the tenth due to one of it being broken by her and unable to find the tenth one."

Why? Why did Mikuo told me all that?

Mikuo stood up and patted my shoulder, then he left me. What is he trying to achieve?

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"You found anything Yuuma?" Aria approached me, I held my head in my hand, is it true that Gakupo is here. It's been the third time that I felt like someone like Gakupo went past me, but when I tried chasing it down, it always disappears.

"Don't know… But Mikuo told me something weird… The Okiku folklore…"

"Okiku?"

Aria looked like she was thinking, I stared her. And I just realized something after thinking about it myself. The piece of cloth the victim grabbed? It certainly didn't belong to something so thin like Gakupo's yukata, more like a formal wear. Doesn't live together? Miku's weirdness? The thin steel string? Something that gleams? The first person to arrive at the crime scene? Scream? Okiku's folklore? Something isn't right here!

"Kaito! Hey, head officer!"

Aria called Kaito right after I figured something, was she thinking what I was thinking? That story, in other words Mikuo indirectly told us the culprit, the motive was so similar to what Mikuo told me. But if Mikuo understood, is the culprit someone he knows? Or maybe… him?

"I would want to know Hatsune Mikuo's normal activity, can you please explain?"

"He's quiet, but he's an expert. As far as I know in his district, none of his co-workers dared to interact with him directly if not for work."

"Exactly!" Aria hissed, what is, exactly?

"Yuuma! Go to the roof! Look for Mikuo! I know who the culprit is!"

"EH?!" Me, Kaito and including Miku and Len that sat on the corner of the room were surprised.

"Mikuo… why are you doing this?" Aria hissed again.

"Impossible…" I could hear Miku quietly hissed. I snapped back and quickly ran to the roof. How could I not thought of this! He was directly telling me the culprit to me! He was telling me his story, how did I not notice his tone of voice! It was not someone in stress, it's someone that gave up!

"Aria! Are you sure?!" I shouted to Aria while stopping my running for a bit, and was quickly answered with a nod.

"Mikuo…"

"Ah, it's you…"

I was standing on the rooftop, with Mikuo standing near the railings. The hot wind that blew tonight seemed to raise the temperature, making the situation more heated. I wiped the sweat running down my neck, and gulped.

"What you meant, with your story telling, are you… saying you're the murderer?"

Mikuo turned his back, facing me, and nodded without hesitation.

"But why?! Why do this! What's your problem?! What's wrong with the old Miku?!"

"I was committed to a mental institute when I was younger; I forged my documents to get into the police department."

"N-no way…"

"We lost our biological parents, and Miku went into a coma for one month out of shock. I, I killed them…"

"Stop lying… Stop lying, Mikuo!"

"I lost control of myself, that time. Miku had always been our parents' favorite, while I, was simply forgotten. I thought that, I was unworthy to them, even though I was the older brother! So then, when Miku got praised by my parents for her achievement, why did I feel envy? Instead of, the proud I was supposed to have? That night, the night everything crumbled down, I made Miku fall into a coma from my inability to hold back, I was blinded by rage. I was convicted for 2 years; and released, from the assumption that I was stable. Even then, I couldn't live with Miku, afraid to open old wounds."

So that was his reason…

"But why? Why to people that has nothing to do with this?!"

Mikuo lowered his head in silence, his shoulders trembling. He was laughing, laughing so hysterically in front of me, and pulled out a small bundle of steel threads.

"HAAAA! YES! THAT'S IT! I WAS THE KILLER! AFTER YEARS! I've realized! I was still left out even after released from the institute! I had hoped to live a normal life, but no! Everyone in the police were frightened of me! No one dared to open their mouth, converse! It was absurd!"

"That's just because you've been too closed off! Try to be more open with your coworkers! Everything can be better if you start now!"

"No, no Yuuma… It's too late for that. HahahaHAHA! I couldn't stand it, they had to pay! So they did, I helped them. Killing, to kill, it was happiness, PURE HAPPINESS!"

Mikuo slit his wrist with the metal threads in his hand, Aria was right, the one that always carried metal threads was Mikuo. No doubt about it, he was the murderer, but I still couldn't believe it. Blood seeped out of his wounds, and I stared in horror.

"You and that smartass girl of yours, who was it, Aria? Ah well, not like it matters to me anymore. Send my regards to her… I can't wait for us to meet in hell…" His hair flowed, covering half of his face. The only thing visible was the grim filled grin he displayed.

Mikuo let go of his holdings, throwing himself off the building.

"NO!"

Normal POV

"Kuo-nii! No! Brother! Thi-this, this is impossible… Sob, sob… Aaaah!"

"Shh… it's okay Miku…"

Aria tried to soothe the girl, though she knew her efforts were in vain.

Yuuma had explained everything to Kaito, Mikuo's death was treated like taboo, and the case closed abruptly. Yuuma stared at Mikuo's crushed body, covered in white sheet, his eyes filled with pity and sadness.

Was he cursed? Yuuma thought, can he only bring misfortune to others? It has been the second time that someone had died in front of him and Aria, and two times that they said the same thing of meeting in hell.

Lin approached Ring, and stayed in silence. He knew that being near Miku as she was now, wouldn't do her any good.

Once everything settled down, Gakupo approached Yuuma.

"Young master… I have returned,"

"Ga-Gakupo?"

Yuuma snapped his head towards his direction, who lowered his head in respect.

"Where have you been?"

"I had a small task assigned to me,"

"Ah… Sorry, Gakupo, for accusing you of something dreadful,"

"Though I have no understanding to the words young master have said, I gladly accept your apology."

Yuuma meant to apologize for him blindly accusing of Gakupo for being the murderer, but it seemed like he knew nothing of it. Or at least, pretended not to…

Yuuma turned his attention back to Mikuo. Aria trying her best to soothe her friend. Miku letting out her sorrows. Len who stared at the stars vacantly. Yuuma with his head hung down dejectedly.

…Without them noticing, Gakupo stared at Yuuma with sharp, predator-like eyes. His malice seeping out of his eyes.

Phew, phew, phew

This was, what, sitting with dust for more than 2 years. It had been 3/4 finished too! I wonder why I didn't finish it before quitting…

This was this chapter, it was pretty fun, to me. I hope readers enjoyed it as much as I did.

On another note, I have been working on a oneshot, let's see if it can be uploaded this week, lol

Present, and alive,

UnGood