Evalynn

"So," I asked Eizo once we were sitting there all settled, recording on and formalities completed. "Do you know why you're both here?"

"I'm guessing it's got something to do with Moeka's dad?" Eizo asked.

"Why do you think that?"

"Well…" Eizo blinked, more than a little puzzled by my question. "You were there, Detective Dupont, and you took him away. What happened? Was he okay?"

"That's very good of you," now it was Juro's turn to jump in, and he did so well. "To worry about him even though from all accounts it seems as if it was Kamiya-san harassing the two of you."

Eizo laughed hesitantly and rubbed the back of his head.

"Yes, well. He is Moeka's dad, right? That counts for something. Besides, even before we recognised him, Azami thought he looked lost or something, like perhaps he had memory issues or something. That's why we went to talk to him in the first place."

Oh come on, he's not that old. Well, not old, old anyway. I just nodded, to indicate to him that I was giving him my attention.

""That's fair enough, but all the same, it's very good of you." Juro said.

"Well thanks, I guess?"

"So, we've had Kamiya tell us his side of what happened. Do you think you could tell us what your side is?"

"I mean, sure, but…." Eizo frowned now, just slightly. "Why? We're alright, and I don't want to make a complaint against him or anything. "

"We just want to get things clear, that's all." I assured him.

Eizo nodded slowly, not instantly answering. He studied us carefully, his eyes worried. But underneath that worry, there was some degree of calculation. Trying to work out our precise motives, what we knew. Or, to be exact, what it was Tetsuji had told us. After a moment though, he leaned forward slightly, folding his arms and leaning them against the table, relaxed and confining.

"So, we were getting burgers and things, for takeaway, something to eat after the long day yesterday…"

"The place that was across the road from you when I came, yes?"

"Yes, that's right."

The wariness was back, just for a moment. I smiled at him warmly, reassuring, nothing wrong here. The goal was just to up the stakes a bit, not completely rattle him, after all.

"Alright, just checking."

"Alright, and then we were talking a bit, we ordered, and then as we were going to leave anyway, Azami spotted Moeka's dad. I mean, she didn't recognise him and I didn't at the time, either. But he was kind of pacing, looking a little confused, so like I said, I guess we both thought there was like, dementia or something going on, so we decided to go out and see what was going on."

"So what did you say to him specifically, when you went to approach him?" I asked. "Did you introduce yourself?"

"No…I just asked if he was alright."

Again, that look, asking: what are you getting at? Oh, we'll get there soon enough, I thought.

"What did he say to you then?"

"Well, at first he didn't say anything to us as such, he said something about how he was sure had seen someone, but that maybe he hadn't. It was sort of in half sentences, like he was thinking aloud more than anything, you know?"

"Yeah, I know what you mean," Juro said. "I do the same sometimes, myself."

"Cool, yeah. Then I asked him if he'd lost someone, and then I must have put my hand on his shoulder or something, you know, reassuring-like because I thought he was disoriented, but then he directly told me to let go, and when we looked at each other…it took a moment, but then I recognised who he was."

"Did you make it clear to him that you did?"

"Yeah, I asked 'Moeka's Dad?', specifically."

"What happened once you recognised him?"

Eizo bit his lip, then rubbed his forehead slightly. But he didn't speak.

"Amai-kun?" Juro asked.

Still, no answer. I sighed, and decided to just push on in general rather than push on this. There'd be plenty of time to circle back, I was sure.

"How did he react to recognising the two of you?"

"He started harassing Azami."

This was said instantly, straightforwardly, looking straight at us.

"How do you mean, harassing?"

"He just kept asking her and asking her for 'answers'."

"Answers about what? His daughter."

"Yeah," Eizo gave a one-sided shrug. "Pretty much. Oh, and where we'd come from. I think he knew that though."

At this, Juro and I exchanged glances. When Shizuka had given us the directive to get Eizo and Azami in, that hadn't been clear, whether he knew about the hospital or not. It seemed like he did-but how?

"So what did you say?" I asked. "What did she say?"

"I mean, I told him that he should ask the police, and then we tried to get into the car, but he blocked our way, still demanding answers. He wouldn't believe her when she tried to tell him that she doesn't remember anything…and she doesn't, not really. She doesn't."

"It's alright, we know."

"Detective Kurosawa, he remembers that, right? She doesn't remember anything, and Moeka's dad he…he tried to grab her. To try and get her to give him answers.""

"Don't worry, Detective Kurosawa has experience with witnesses and victims who need extra care." I reassured. "He's usually the one we go to for advice with that when we need it, in fact. "

"R-right."

"So, how did the two of you respond? Did you say anything particular to him about his daughter?"

Eizo's eyes flared at this, and he stiffened. For a long moment he looked like a deer in the headlights, before he took a deep breath and shrugged.

"I don't….I don't know, really. Just apologising, that we didn't know anything, that Azami didn't remember…asking him to leave us alone."

"He didn't believe it though, that you didn't know anything."

"No….no, I guess not." Eizo pulled a face. "I guess you heard, huh, Detective Dupont? That he was calling us liars and all that."

"Partially, but that's neither here nor there."

"Do you think the same?" Eizo asked, with a small half-laugh.

"No, not like that," I said. "But it's clear you are holding something back about the conversation."

Eizo's smile faltered. He said nothing, just staring at us.

"No, I'm sure I told you everything. It was all a bit of a blur really, especially once he was just shouting. I was worried about Azami, I wanted us to get back so she could rest. It had been a hard day."

"It was hard for you, too, no?" Juro asked.

Eizo blushed slightly, and his smile strengthened just a little for a moment.

"Yeah."

"Don't you think it'll be easier, if you weren't holding things back?" I asked, keeping my tone conversational.

"I….." Eizo looked hesitant once again, and he bit his lip. "What did Moeka's dad say?"

"What do you think he might have said?"

Eizo's brow furrowed slightly, and he looked first at me, then at Juro, then back at me. The two of us waited patiently as his expression continued to falter further. He clasped his hands together, then unclasped them. Ran a hand through his hair. Then, he placed both his hands in his lap and took a deep breath.

"I….could we take a break?" he asked. "I'm sorry, I can't…."

For whatever reason, I hadn't expected that, so I just blinked at first. Then, I had a sideways glance at Juro, who nodded subtly.

"Alright then. Would you like anything to drink?"

"Ah, a soft drink, maybe?"

Eizo looked relieved, too relieved. I pretended I hadn't noticed, and smiled as I got up.

"Alright then. I think Detective Arisato needs to get a drink too, don't you?"

"I..oh, yeah."

"We'll be back in a bit. Interview paused at…." I checked the time. "15:02. Detectives Dupont and Arisato exiting."

Leaving the room once Juro'd paused the recording, we were surprised to see Nobuyuki at the door. Quickly closing the door, we all headed into the small observation space that connected our two interrogation rooms together. Before that though, I took advantage of a uniformed officer walking by with no apparent task to complete, snagging them and ordering them to get drinks.

"I was just coming to get you," Nobuyuki said. "She's having a break at a moment. It was rather slow going, and hard for her, but she was quite cooperative, all things considered."

"Did she admit to Eizo telling Kamiya-san that his daughter was the one to kill her sister?" Juro asked curiously.

"No, she didn't. She did mention that he's renting an apartment in the same place that the two of them are."

"Oh?"

Juro and I looked at each other, and Nobuyuki didn't miss it.

"I assume then you didn't know that?"

"Nope, no idea at all." I said. "How does she know this?"

"She recognised him from outside the apartment, before she knew his identity."

"That's a strange thing to hide, though." Juro pointed out.

"Perhaps it must have something to do with what he's trying to hide." I speculated.

"It's possible," Nobuyuki said. "But it could be something completely different. How many times have we had people trying to hide inconsequential things from us?"

"Well, it's not like they've never been inconsequential, as such." I pointed out. "Just details, really."

"True enough."

"So, what else did she say?"

From what Nobuyuki related, it sounded a lot like that by-and-large, Azami's account of events had matched Eizo's, though perhaps with more emotion. It sounded like she was holding onto a lot of guilt, feeling as if she was to blame for something.

"She implied that she thought it was her fault that her sister died, but she wasn't able to explain it further. She was starting to reach her limit when she let that slip." Nobuyuki explained.

"Her fault?" I asked. "That doesn't fit at all!"

I glanced up at the time.

"Okay, looks like we'd better get back in there." I said decisively. "Let's crack this thing!"

…

Eikichi

Not having wanted to encounter the detectives and possibly be entangled in a conversation with them, I'd waited a few moments for them to have left enough distance between us and them. That, and Mai still had to box up the rest of the food-despite the need to get out, get away as quickly as possible, I couldn't persuade myself to abandon that.

"Fuck." Ayuna swore. "Just, fuck. What could that even be about?"

"The school, maybe?" Friede suggested.

"Yeah, but why then would they ask for Kishinami as well?" Takaaki pointed out.

"That's beyond me."

Friede shrugged insolently, looking almost sullen. I stared at her. The features were the same, just twenty years older. But with a look like that, she may as well have been a stranger. She caught me looking and stared evenly before adding.

"Whatever he says, the school can't be up to any good, don't you think?"

"You don't sound especially worried about it." Ayuna retorted. "Especially considering your son is to be a student there."

"Why should I be?" she asked. "Why should I waste any more heartache on him?"

"That's just-"

Ayuna's mouth twisted in disgust, and I couldn't blame her. I couldn't imagine treating any future children of my own-if Shion and I were to have any-like that at all. It was probably a moot point that I couldn't even imagine being in such a situation with my own children in the first place.

"And who might you be?"

The blond girl smiled politely at me.

"My name is Friede Benbow," she paused to gesture at Sadie, Teiichi and Kiran who'd already introduced themselves. "As you can probably figure from the name, I'm also half-Japanese. You can call me Heiwa, if you want."

"Is that a nickname?"

"It's my middle name, technically. But I've been using it as my Japanese name."

"Does 'Heiwa-san' work for you?"

"Of course."

There was a pause as we assessed each other, when suddenly Friede gasped and gave a little laugh.

"Oh, sorry, Talents! You'd think that I would remember to use that in any introductions in this school, but oh well," she gave another chuckle. "I'm the SHSL Interpreter. What are you?"

"It's understandable to forget, they're new titles to us all and it's only the first day of school," I said. "But in any case, my title is SHSL Fencer."

"Well then, Hanamura-san, I can officially say it's very nice to meet you!"

Not getting any further response from either me or Ayuna, Friede laughed, but not the soft slightly embarrassed chuckle of the past, but a proper sneer, low and hateful.

"See?"

"In any case," I said slowly. "I don't think they're suspicious, but I doubt they've thought about the risks. Sure, Eizo's trying. But I don't think that's enough."

"What would you count as 'enough'?" Takaaki asked.

At that, I just glared.

"It's all going wrong, isn't it?" Friede murmured.

"Look, we don't know what the detectives want with the two of them, we won't know until either we hound them or until they come out-"Ayuna started.

"Is this what comes of us meeting again?" Friede asked. "Perhaps we should have stuck to the promise."

"Perhaps." I said. "Does that change anything, though?"

Friede shrugged, and I looked at her. I wonder if she remembered that she'd been the one who had triggered the promise in the first place, saying it'd be better if we never saw each other again after what happened. I supposed it didn't matter too much, though. Not when the end result was the same.

"But more to the point, we'll need to do something." Ayuna quickly said before either of us could say any more. "It's feasible that they will come to question us soon, if they've already singled out those two."

I stared tiredly. Ayuna looked at me, and instead of delivering a snappy retort or anything like that, she just nodded.

"But not now," she said. "Let's just go, leave Mai be. Let her talk to her husband about the kids. We can regroup tomorrow, maybe?"

"Ah, sorry for taking so long!" Mai exclaimed, coming back with boxes in little bags, which she handed out to each of us. "What was that about tomorrow?"

"Meeting up again. To talk about what we're going to do next."

Mai's mouth dropped open, and then she snapped it closed again, lips thinned in worry.

"What's wrong?" Friede asked, instantly softening.

"I've just got to make sure Akio won't come back, unexpectedly." Mai said. "I don't have to worry about Sachi for now, but Akio is a different story now, especially since he knows."

"Well, we don't need to come back here, right?"

Friede placed a protective hand on Mai's shoulder and looked over at us, daring us to disagree. Every inch the loyal friend. I don't understand. I just don't understand.

"It'll need to be somewhere private though." I pointed out.

"My hotel room." Ayuna said decisively. "But we'll figure out the details later though, alright? Let's just rest for now and wait for news from those two. Alright, Mai?"

Mai nodded slightly. And with that, finally, after a round of goodbyes, I could finally, finally leave.

…

"So, what happened?"

Sitting by the desk, I regarded Shion sitting cross-legged on the bed, and wondered where, specifically to begin.

"What was it like?" she asked. "I guess they're all pretty different what with it being twenty years and all, right?"

"Well, that's one way of putting it," I said. "I mean, two of them are parents now."

Even if that seems to be in the coldest, most biological sense with one of them, I thought with some disgust.

"Ooooh." Shion's eyes shone. "Have you met the kids?"

I thought of the seven teenagers, most of all Akio. There was the physical semblance to Mai, sure, with the brown curly hair and something about the face. But he had also seemed like a genuinely nice boy, considerate of his mother but also clearly wanting to understand. Bright, curious, eager to learn, just like my own students. I suppose, if we had met under less combative circumstances I would have sat him down and calmly but firmly told him that there were things better left unknown and forgotten no matter what. I would have told him to keep safe, and keep those new friends of his safe. Though maybe it was really Akagi I needed to tell that too, considering that at least Akio had someone to love him at home, someone to worry about him, out in the unknown. They were ordinary kids, just like my own students. They didn't deserve history to repeat. And perhaps it wasn't guaranteed to, but I couldn't share Eizo's faith that this was the case.

"No, but I saw pictures. " I managed, eventually, well aware that Shion was waiting for an answer and not wanting to explain.

"That's nice, but a shame that you didn't get to meet them? Little kids?"

"Teenagers, but Arisato has a little girl as well."

"Awww. So….what else did you get up to?"

"Nothing really. Just talking, eating." I shrugged. "I have the leftovers."

"Yeah, I noticed. Least we don't have to splash for room service tonight." Shion laughed.

"You love room service." I responded. "We'll order dessert."

"Wait, really?" Shion grinned, almost childlike. Children. Like them. Like us. "For real!"

"Sure," I said. "I don't mind."

"But, anyway. Tell me more about them! I want to know!"

I had been smiling, but I felt the good mood drop away rapidly at the thought of Shion's dessert. Instead I thought of Takaaki, sitting on the floor, insisting that the ridiculous table fort was actually a social experiment. I thought of Eizo, determined that he'd be powerful enough to keep those kids safe. Those kids.

"Hey, sensei!" Katsuya called out. "What do you think about the trip idea? Cool, right?"

"Ah, yes, yes, it does." She said. "You'll need to get it approved with the Principal first and I'll need to organise my schedule to join you."

"Oh, he already said it's fine!" Katsuya said cheerfully. "Him and Tengan-sensei too! And you don't need to come with us, he said!"

"What?" I said. "Teachers always come on school trips."

"Oh, don't be such a wet cloth, Ekichii."

I glared at the nickname, which wasn't even a nickname but a hideous name-mangling, but decided it wasn't worth the bother of arguing against. Before Katsuya could continue though, Moeka spoke up.

"It's a bit unusual, but this is a proper road trip and besides, we can do it, right? We've got each other! We'll be alright."

"Yeah!" a few of the others chimed in.

I rolled my eyes, and exchanged a look with Sen'ya and Fumiaki, who seemed to agree somewhat at least.

"It won't be quite that easy," Fumiaki murmured. "We'll have our work cut out for sure."

Sonoda looked at all of us cautiously, her forehead puckered.

"Well, I'll need to double check just to be sure…"

This was immediately met with a bunch of protests, though all were cheerful. Oh for god's sake, I thought, how crazy can you get? Still, there was something funny about it.

And besides, the idea of being completely free on this trip did sound appealing.

I sighed and rubbed my face.

"There's not that much to say, really," I said eventually. "I know a bit about the jobs they do and stuff like that. But really, we've just met again."

"So?" Shion tilted her head, lovely in her ignorance. "Doesn't that mean you should be scrambling to know more about each other?"

Not after parting like we did.

"It's a process."

Shion nodded at this, studying me closely. I squirmed, despite my best efforts and soon enough, she asked:

"Did something happen?"

"What do you mean?"

My shoulders stiffened, I kept my gaze firmly on her, tried to make sure my breathing remained even.

"I mean, you're taciturn, sure, but you're not even giving me trivia. The stupid sort of details that you know about all my friends."

Right, because you have the experience of spending more than a month in captivity with them while watching them get picked off one by one, do you?

"It's not the same, Shion." I said slowly. "It's not the same at all."

"Isn't it?"

"No, it really isn't."

"Okay, okay, I'll let it go for now," Shion's tone was exasperated, yet mildly indulgent. "But something did happen, didn't it? You're shutting me out."

"Look, just leave it, alright? Leave it."

Shion's mouth abruptly shut, instead trembling slightly as her eyes widened. Instantly, I found myself softening, but not gently. No, though it didn't make sense, this softness was spiky, making my chest clench. I didn't know how to do this.

Slowly, I took a deep breath in, determined at least, to hold myself back from actually saying something cruel instead of just using a cruel tone of voice. I didn't want to sink to the level of Friede, so easily able to throw venomous words at someone I was supposed to love. If anything, as ridiculous as it was to admit to myself as I realised it, I wanted to be more like Eizo, who was so able to determinedly shield and protect, who was so eager for connection.

"Hey, Azami."

I glanced over as Eizo walked up to Azami, sitting by herself in a corner while Sadie was busy trying to calm Yuki down. His wails were filling the space, but even with Eizo raising his voice just to make himself heard over them, Azami didn't react.

"Hey, it's me. It's me, Azami. Eizo-chi."

When this didn't garner any more response, Eizo crouched down in front of her. From this angle, I couldn't see his face, but his shoulders sagged slightly.

"When will you come back, Azami?" he murmured, softly.

He reached out, and took one of her limp hands, clasping it between his two. Azami blinked slightly, and I held my breath for a moment. But nothing happened, and after a moment, Eizo shook his head and let go of Azami's hand, gently placing it by her side. Then, he went to sit next to her.

"There isn't much of a mystery, in this case," he said. "I suppose it'll make things easier, but maybe not. I mean, we all saw it, even you. But Yuki won't admit to it, and you…well, you don't know that you've seen it, do you? But it's alright. I'll sit with you a while, till Sadie comes back. Okay?"

He smiled widely, but it was just a fraction away from turning into a grimace. Then, he sighed, and leaned back against the wall. He started to talk, about whatever popped into his head from the sound of it, punctuated with jokes and laughter tinged with well-veiled hysteria. I shook my head at the sight, and walked away to continue the investigation.

They were still there when I walked past again, ages later.

Something like that, I could never do. I had never had such idealism, even before we had been trapped, and I certainly had none now. And usually, I managed just fine, but now…

I knew that Shion was looking at me, watching me with concern written all over her face, the want and need to reach out and take it all away clear in her features, in the downturn of her lips and the shadows around her eyes. I can't do this. I pushed my chair back and stood up.

"I'm going to take a walk."

"Eikichi-"

"Around the block, that's all. "

"Ei-"

"It's all going wrong, isn't it?" Friede murmured.

"Look, we don't know what the detectives want with the two of them, we won't know until either we hound them or until they come out-" Ayuna started.

"Is this what comes of us meeting again?" Friede asked. "Perhaps we should have stuck to the promise."

"Perhaps." I said. "Does that change anything, though?"

Friede shrugged, and I looked at her. I wonder if she remembered that she'd been the one who had triggered the promise in the first place, saying it'd be better if we never saw each other again after what happened. I supposed it didn't matter too much, though. Not when the end result was the same.

Still making a point of not looking at her, I swiped my phone off the table, then left the room before she could say any more.

Before I could say any more.

…

Ayuna

I dragged the suitcase out from underneath the bed, then placed it heavily on the bed. Sitting down next to it, for a long time I just stared at it. Then, slowly, I opened it and took out the sheaf of papers that were inside, and stared at the printed letters. Seiko's name, the simple title: Trapped.

"So, you know that I was in the middle of writing a new project, right?"

"Y-yeah." I said, still confused. "Is that it?"

I nodded to the papers Seiko had, and her grip on them tightened even as she nodded back in response.

"I bought it along with me because I thought that on parts of the journey maybe I could go through, annotate it with changes I wanted to make and other things I need to edit or change before setting about directing it."

"Okay…and, it was amongst the luggage that turned up here?"

"Yes."

Seiko sighed, closed her eyes for a moment, took in a deep breath.

"That's the problem."

"Seiko, I don't understand."

"No, that's fair. I'm not making myself very clear. But…if you read a little bit of it yourself, I think you'll see. That might just be the easiest way of explaining it."

"Ooooookay."

Seiko handed me the papers, and I glanced down at the title page.

"Trapped?" I asked as I turned it and began to read.

"It's a working title."

"Ah."

A few moments of silence as I read. Then slowly, I looked up at Seiko, meeting her stricken eyes.

"Sixteen teenagers, waking up in a building that looks like their school, with only hazy memories of how they got there?" I asked. "Really?"

I looked down, read a little more.

"It's….not the same. Not exactly the same. But it feels really similar." I said. "So what, you're saying that someone's taken this as what…inspiration for this?"

"Pretty much." Seiko sighed heavily.

"It's not like it's a blow-by-blow account of what happened, so how could this be your fault?"

"It's similar enough. It gets even more so…like how the 'punishments' work. Those are the same as the executions. At least in making us, the victims, do it. I wanted to tone it down, actually, but I was encouraged to keep it as it was, for now."

"Who?" I blinked. "Wait, no, him?"

"Yeah…."

"But does that mean…?"

"I don't know. It's a tentative connection at best, and a flimsy basis for accusation. But…there you have it."

I sighed and flopped backwards, staring up at the ceiling. Under normal circumstances I'd appreciate the puffiness of the pillows and the springy mattress, but they were not much of a consolation now. The copy I had now wasn't the one she had shown me back then-that had disappeared after she'd died. I'd gone back to her room to look for it, only to find that it had been taken. So had all her things, the way all the other dead had had their rooms cleared out. The police, I remembered, had found all their personal effects dumped in boxes into one of the rooms we weren't allowed in. I hadn't heard anything about the script though, and I hadn't wanted to ask.

No, this copy had come courtesy of Seiko's little brother a couple of years after everything had happened, boxing things up when his parents were not able to and picking a bunch at random that he'd thought I'd like to keep, then sending them on to me. In amongst photographs and stationery and soft shirts, the script was there. It wasn't the only film related documentation in there, but it had been in there. I remembered sitting with it, wondering if I could break the promise of never talking about it to tell the others about it. Or whether I should bypass them completely, go to the police. What would be the point, I had thought in the end, when it was as she said, a flimsy basis for accusation? And with so much I was working through back then, in the end it had been so, so much easier to put it aside. To almost forget about it. I'd been careful with the script, making sure that nobody else could get their hands on it, even though there was no way the significance could be understood beyond it being a final project of hers. But all the same, beyond that, I'd tried to make a point of forgetting it.

But now….now….maybe it's time.

I let out a breath, and curled up on my side, drawing the pages of the script to me as though they were a stuffed toy and holding them close. Then, I closed my eyes, and hoped that somehow, a solution would come to me.

…

Nobuyuki

"Alright, before we continue-are you alright to go on?" I checked.

Azami nodded cautiously.

"Y-yeah."

"This is going to seem repetitive, but that's what police work is, most of the time." I explained to her. "Checking and checking and checking the details. That way, we know we've got the culprit for sure and then they can face justice, and the victims can get closure. Like yourself."

"Mhm."

Azami's hands curled around the can, but she didn't lift it to her lips. Instead, she gazed at me, so disconcertingly open that I looked down at my notes to settle myself.

"Alright then," I said, brisk and cheerful. "So, I think we've gone over the first part of the encounter more than enough, so let's go back over when you and Eizo initially crossed the road to try and get home. Did Kamiya-san try to physically pull you back, or did he just call out?"

"Just call out," Azami said, shaking her head. "He said 'I'm talking to you' and then tried to get across the road. He had…he had a bit of a limp, so Eizo went to help him, but he didn't need the help."

"He went to help him come over to you, even though Kamiya-san was harassing you?"

Azami gave a one-shouldered shrug.

"Neither of us wanted him run over."

"Still, why not just guide him back to outside the restaurant?"

"I mean, he didn't actually need the help-he got to us before Eizo got to him." Azami frowned in confusion.

"Okay, okay," I said quickly. "I suppose that makes sense. Then what? Was there anything particular he said to you? Really thinking about that specific little moment, was there anything specific?"

"I mean, he asked again if we'd come from the hospital, and he directly addressed me. Because I can talk now, so to him that meant I should talk."

"Were those his words 'you can talk'?"

"Mhm."

"And did you tell him anything?"

"I mean, I couldn't. I tried to tell him, then Eizo asked him to leave me alone, so he asked him instead."

Azami closed her eyes for a moment. I wondered if she was picturing the scene in her head. But a few moments ticked by, and she was still deep in whatever thoughts that she had.

"Then what, Kishinami-chan?" I prompted gently.

"Erm…" she opened her eyes. "Then when Eizo told him to ask the police, he asked us about…about twenty years ago…"

"About his daughter, yes? He wanted to know if you'd seen who killed her."

"I didn't."

I blinked at the sudden insistence.

"Didn't what?"

"See."

Her voice trembled, and her hand gripped the can more tightly. In surprise, she looked down at it, then cautiously lifted it to her lips and took a small sip before settling it down on the table.

"What happened after he asked?"

As soon as I did ask though, I realised what she actually meant. To Azami's credit though, she didn't seem particularly annoyed by this, or confused. She just shook her head sadly as she looked at me.

"I didn't see what happened to Moeka-chan."

"Ah, of course you didn't."

"I wasn't even there." She murmured. "They asked if I could sit it out. "

"Sit what out, Kishinami-chan?"

Azami looked down at the can once again, and there was yet another long pause. Except this time, she began to speak before I needed to prompt her again.

"Usually we had to be there, no matter what, no excuses. Not that there had been any before, apart from not wanting to go. But this time…I'm not sure who it was, but they let me stay. Lie down. I must have slept, I don't know. Nobody could stay with me, but I could stay. "

"Stay where, Kishinami-chan?"

Azami didn't answer, continuing to stare into her can. She wasn't refusing to answer, she was completely lost in whatever she was thinking. Gently, I tapped the table.

"Kishinami-chan," I said, loud but not too much. "Can you tell me what happened next?"

The way I thought it was-whatever she'd said was a diversion. I'd get the sequence of events with Tetsuji pinned down first, and try and probe more of what she was saying.

Azami blinked.

"Sorry, I…he blocked the car door." She said. "Eizo told me to get into the car, but Kamiya-san stood in front of the door."

"Did he try to restrain you? Did he touch you at all?"

"I mean…" Azami's face scrunched up. "He came up very close to Eizo, and then when I tried to go around the other side, he tried to reach for me, but Eizo stopped him. "

"What did they say to each other?"

"M-more of the same, really. Wanting to know what happened."

"Nothing particular was said at all? By either Amai-kun or Kamiya-san? Or you."

"I mean…." Azami frowned. "I didn't say anything…..I couldn't….."

"Eizo kept apologising, and Kamiya-san kept saying we were lying, just pressing, really. He was upset. Is that the kind of thing you mean?"

I studied Azami carefully for a moment, then nodded slowly.

"It is, for the most part," I said carefully. "The thing is, we have also talked to Kamiya-san to get a better picture of what happened."

The change was instant. Azami had picked up the can again, but her grip started to loosen. Her eyes widened, flaring and she stared at me. The can slipped, the corner hitting the table before it toppled over, spilling liquid over the floor. The clatter made her jump, looking at it for a moment before returning her fearful gaze to me.

"No," she shook her head. "No, no. I…that's….he…."

"You know, then? What I'm referring to?"

Azami nodded, panicked, wringing her hands.

"I can't….I can't say it. The words. I can't. Please."

Her breath started to quicken, and so I nodded, keeping calm.

"Yes, yes, that's fine. So…did he say that?"

I waited patiently, as Azami took deep breaths, composing herself. Her hands went in her lap, though they clutched tightly at her skirt. Then slowly, she nodded.

"And is it true?"

There was more hesitation, but once again, she nodded.

"And can you confirm that for the audio recording? That Eizo Amai claimed that Moeka Kamiya was the one to kill Akari Kishinami, and that you confirm this to be true?"

A moment, and another. Then, Azami's eyes filled with tears, huge glistening drops that spilled out instantly, rolling down her cheeks. Her shoulders shook, and she made no effort to wipe the tears. But after a moment, she spoke. Just a whisper, just one word, but all the confirmation needed:

"Yes."