Cherry Red Flight

by JosElynne

SIOC fic. What happens when an SI is reborn as the younger sister of Akai Shuuichi and Haneda Shuukichi and the older sister of Sera Masumi? Two-shots. Spoilers Episode 1018 and Chapter 1037. If you're not updated on the anime or manga, read at your own risk.

4. Chapter 4: The Conclusion

Beta: Grammarly

Summary: SIOC fic. What happens when an SI is reborn as the younger sister of Akai Shuuichi and Haneda Shuukichi and the older sister of Sera Masumi? Spoilers: Episode 1018 and Chapter 1037 onwards. If you're not updated on the anime or manga, read at your own risk.

Author's Notes

Hi guys, sorry for the wait. I added that cliffhanger at the end of Chapter 3 without any planning at all. It took me three days after publishing before I was scolding myself for what I'd done. I hope I gave it justice and looks convincing? Did anyone guess who the culprit is? Leave a comment!

Chapter Summary: The conclusion to the case. Did Masami got the Conan curse?

Furuya nodded to Date, and the burly man blocked Yuki's view of the body while Furuya tightly grasped my wrist. He jerked Haruka's arm gently towards him as the crying girl attempted to enter the living room.

"I'll check the body," Hiro stepped forward and took out his phone from his pocket.

"I'll ask the neighbours and the staff," Hagiwara offered.

"The door was unlocked," Yuki said in a daze. "I remember locking the door when I left."

I looked up, remembering another person in our group. "What about Mamoru?" I asked, lower lip trembling as I imagined her dead and bloody somewhere inside.

Yuki-kun came from his dazed shock and struggled against Date's grip. "Mamoru!"

"I'll investigate the whole room," Matsuda said.

Furuya guided us towards the hall, away from the living room's view, and made us sit on the floor with our backs on the wall. Date followed, guiding Yuki-kun, who wasn't struggling with the tall man. Furuya turned towards me. "Masami-san, may I borrow your phone again? We need to call the police. The landline is in the living room. As much as possible, we do not want to contaminate the crime scene."

I was still in shock as I looked up at him with wide eyes. Once I understood what he wanted, I let go of his hands (wincing when I noticed that his hands were red and with nail marks of my doing) to open my handbag and look for my phone. My hands were trembling too much to function, so I just gave my handbag to him and wrapped my hands around myself.

I glanced at my left and saw Haruka doing the same, except her cheeks were wet from crying. I blinked, and I realised I was crying too. Yuki-kun stood up and sat between us, gripping our shoulders tightly as we bowed our heads mournfully. I never considered Haruto as a friend, but seeing a dead body, even if the person is unknown, would leave trauma to anyone. I felt Yuki-kun's face in my hair as he breathed deeply with shaky breath. I was about to grab his hand for comfort when we heard a feminine scream.

"Who do you think you are, barging into an occupied bathroom? Are you a pervert?! A stalker?! Hentai!"

"Lady! Stop hitting me! OW! That was my EYE!"

I should be empathising with Matsuda's yelling, but I only let out a sigh of relief, knowing that Mamoru was alive and well. They appeared in our line of vision, Matsuda nursing his eye and Mamoru, now visibly shaken up and crying. Yuki-kun let go of us and stood up, catching Mamoru as she collapsed on the floor. She must have seen Haruto's corpse in the living room.

Five minutes later, the police arrived, and we were all led out near the fire escape for the CSI to work the scene.

"You better explain yourselves, boys," the Inspector glared at the five police academy students. He looks tired, with dark bags under his eyes, a five o'clock shadow, and a crumpled trench coat. Though his neat haircut didn't help his appearance, he stood before them with a massive tick in his temple, not bothered that the five men were taller than him.

Furuya, Date, Matsuda, Hiro, and Hagiwara stood in attention side by side, chest out and back straight, and gave their report individually. CSIs are now inside the crime scene while the neighbouring rooms look on, five of whom are staff being interviewed by a younger detective wearing simple jeans, a button-down shirt, and a jacket that looks several sizes bigger than his frame.

"We came here from the convenience store as Masami-san and Haruka-san invited us. We arrived at the Ryokan entrance at 2:15 AM and found the body five minutes later."

"We made sure that no one contaminated the crime scene. I took pictures of the crime scene and the body with my phone. It's been surrendered to the CSIs, sir."

"The room is locked, and there is no visible sign of forced entry, but we found the glass sliding door unlocked that leads to the outdoor bath."

"Judging from the rigour mortis of the victim and the blood present in the crime scene, The victim died between 1 AM to 2:20 AM."

"We have confirmed that the victim clashed with an employee past midnight as the other guests saw the confrontation. They are a possible suspect."

The Inspector glared at them, lighting a cigarette. He ignored the "Sir! This is a non-smoking establishment!" outcry from the Ryokan staff as he stared at them.

"So," the Inspector drawled, exhaling cigarette smoke as he glared at the five slightly nervous academy students. "You baby chicks deemed that you are good enough in the field just because you apprehended five hostage takers a few hours ago and decided to conduct your murder investigation?"

"Sir," Date stepped forward, still looking straight and stiff as he kept his eyes level. He gave a salute. "We conducted a thorough investigation of the scene before police investigators arrived. We will be more than happy to cooperate with the investigation if you deem our work unsatisfactory."

The Inspector stared up at Date, who started to sweat nervously. Standing but looking irritated, Matsuda is ready to yell at the detective. Only Furuya and Hagiwara, standing on either side of him, gave him a sideway glance and shook their head minutely.

They jumped out of their skins when the detective let out a barking laugh. He flicked the cigarette towards the trash, which he missed, and ignored the further glare of the ryokan's manager. He slapped Date on the back, grinning at all five men.

"Onizuka-sempai did say that he has five exceptional students in his class this year," he laughed merrily, now slapping Furuya's back enthusiastically. They gave no reaction except a wince while Matsuda and Hagiwara were grinning from ear to ear. "Exceptional indeed. If we solve this case, boys, I'll provide a glittering review for all of you!"

All five let out a sigh of relief. However, the Inspector turned serious again. "But you baby chicks can't continue playing detectives. I will allow you to assist, but you must understand that you're all now witnesses to this case and should remain as witnesses."

They all nodded, which earned them another round of back-slapping. This time, Hiro took the brunt of the Inspector's strength.

"The victim is Haruto Sasuke-san, twenty-one years old," the younger detective, who introduced himself as Hasegawa Ao, started his report. "He's a second-year Engineering student at Teitan University. He came here with Souma Yuki-san, Mamoru Akira-san, Nanase Haruka-san and Kudou Masami-san. The room is registered under the victim's name, and he shares with his girlfriend, Mamoru-san."

In school and legal documents, I go by Akai Masami. However, since everyone knows I'm staying at the Kudou's, they have dubbed me Kudou Masami. It's a good thing, too, I thought as I glanced at Furuya Rei's stoic face. Him knowing me as Akai Masami might ruin any plans in the future.

"Inspector," called a CSI. "I found this in the victim's pockets." He held up a container inside a plastic bag. "It's a bottle of sleeping pills."

"Hmm, the victim is a student. Possibly, he's taking it to help him sleep. Were there any sleeping pills in the victim's system?"

"We don't know, sir. We will send blood samples to headquarters."

The Inspector nodded. "Can you confirm that the time of death is between 1 AM and 2:20 AM?"

"Yes," Detective Hasegawa confirmed. "The coroner said it's between 1 AM to 2 AM. Witnesses from the restaurant confirmed that the victim was at the restaurant at 12:30 AM and fought with a bartender. The victim refused to provide his ID to the bartender. He left but returned with his ID at 12:45 AM to buy sake."

The Inspector looked around. "I don't see any signs of struggle."

"Yes, it's possible that the suspect apprehended the victim first before slashing his throat. He's a stocky guy. There is a bump behind the victim's head. It's possible that the victim was hit at the back with a blunt object before somebody slit his throat."

"Somebody told us that the victim is a football player in the university." Detective Hasegawa went to read his notebook for further information. "He also works at the university's gym part-time and works out. It's possible that the assailant is small and weak and had to incapacitate the victim first before killing him."

"I was told that there is a possible murder weapon surrendered?"

"Yes, sir." The CSI left only to return with another bag. "One of the students found this near the bathroom door. It's a nail file with blood."

The Inspector took it to look closely at the nail file. The sharp tip of it is caked in blood. The handle doesn't have any fingerprints visible to the naked eye.

"There are fingerprints smudges on the handle, but not enough for comparison."

"What about the blunt object?"

"We found a small wooden statue of a plaque at the genkan. There is no blood, but it reacts with luminol. The CSIs are dusting it for fingerprints as we speak." Detective Hasegawa said, closing his notebook. "We also found the victim's mobile phone under the table in the living room. It is being investigated by the CSIs as well."

"Hmm. Anything additional to report?" The Inspector asked.

"No additional information yet, Inspector Takagi." Detective Hasegawa said. "I'm about to interview the witnesses, but I thought you might want to talk with the students first."

"Well then, let's talk with the witnesses first, ey?"

Yuki, Haruka, Mamoru, and I were accosted in the tatami room. A detective had to retrieve clothes for Mamoru to wear. She's not happy with the overalls she was given, judging from the irritated expression on her face. Then, one by one, we were called inside the bedroom for a pat down. I even exceeded my effort to show my cooperation by stripping in front of the officer. I didn't mind. She was curious about the blood stain on my skirt and sleeve.

"Oh, that was Date-san's blood," I explained as the female officer took a swab of the dried blood. "Would you believe that Haru-chan and I were hostages not two to three hours earlier? It happened in the nearby convenience store."

"Ah, yes, there was a report about that." The female officer shook her head. "You must be unlucky to be part of two incidents in one day."

"I know!" I said, exasperated, as I put on my skirt back. I straightened up and grabbed a hair tie from my bag. I made my long strawberry blond hair into a loose braid before twisting it into a bun. "On my fifteenth birthday, a car nose-dived into the sea from a cliff. My eighteenth birthday was a few days ago, and now this."

She gave me a look of sympathy as she inspected my bag. "I'm afraid I also have to take your phone for evidence."

"Oh, I don't have it," I pointed towards the door. "Furuya-san still has my phone. He borrowed it to call the police earlier."

She nodded. "I'll get it from him. The blonde one, right?"

I nodded.

Haruka came before me, and they didn't need to search Mamoru, given that she came out with just a bathrobe on from the bathroom, but they did a quick inspection before giving her the overalls earlier. The female officer exited the room with me, and a male officer gestured for Yuki to follow him for his pat down.

I walked past him to sit next to Haruka when he grabbed my hands and looked concerned. "Alright?" He asked.

I nodded. "Go ahead, the officer's waiting."

It took less than five minutes before Yuki-kun returned and sat beside me, arms around my shoulders again. He looked pissed.

"Are you alright?" I asked in concern. I glanced behind him to see the frustrated male officer who searched Yuki. He was jolting down on his clipboard furiously.

"Everything's fine," he gave me a tight smile and glared at the floor.

Furuya and Hiro are inside the room with us as guards. Something caught Furuya's attention, and he followed the male officer to the other room. A few minutes later, he returned with the Inspector and Detective Hasegawa with Date, Matsuda, and Hagiwara behind him. Date's fixing the bandage I placed on his cheekbone. Most likely, the female officer took a sample to compare the blood on my skirt. They nodded at the two police officers guarding the door.

The Inspector started asking Mamoru questions because she was found with a dead body in the living room.

"I didn't kill Sasuke-kun!" she wailed. Matsuda and Hagiwara winced while Furuya listened with furrowed brows. "Yes, I was in the bath, but I fell asleep right after going in!" she screeched further.

The Inspector stood over her while Furuya walked around the room to inspect it.

"You didn't hear anyone outside?" the detective pressed on. "No raised voices or sounds of a struggle?"

"That's right," Mamoru said quietly as she sniffed. "I set up my phone to play soothing music and lit some scented candles." Then she blushed. "Sasuke-kun and I have a routine that he'd join me in the bath once after I shower. I waited, but he didn't come."

"Does that include wine?" Furuya interjected. "Matsuda-kun said there was a glass of red wine in the indoor bath when he found you."

"Ah, yeah," she sobered, suddenly understanding that she was talking to the police. "I saw the wine glass and soda on the bathroom counter after I got out of the shower. Usually, Sasuke-kun drinks wine whenever he joins me in the bath."

"I also found her asleep in the tub," Matsuda said to the room. He looked accusatory at the girl. "Maybe you got drunk."

Mamoru was about to yell again when the Inspector cleared his throat, nodding at Furuya and Hiro.

"Mamoru-san, does Haruto-san have trouble sleeping?" the Inspector asked. "We found a bottle of sleeping pills near him."

"I don't think so," she answered. "He's always out like a light whenever he's tired." She frowned. "He doesn't get drowsy when drunk, though. He's always boastful and loud."

"What about you, Souma-san?"

"We were halfway through a movie when the girls left to buy snacks," Yuki-kun let out a heavy sigh, rubbing his left hand on his face furiously while his left arm was around my shoulders. He hasn't let go of me since we discovered Haruto's body. "Since he is the only one that's not underage, he took all the beers from Masami and Haruka's room and my room and brought them over to his room," he gestured with his left hand around to point out the room they were in. "I fell asleep, and when I woke up, Haruto's drunk, spouting nonsense about this guy at the bar."

"Did he say the guy's name or what the guy looked like?"

"I can't remember; I was half asleep and trying to clean the mess he made," he said irritably. "He left all the beer cans and empty bags on the floor, and there were two bottles of sake from the bar. Both are empty, so I assumed he finished them."

"Where were you at this time, Mamoru-san?"

"I was in the bedroom getting my things ready for the bath. Haruto was awake when the movie ended, and I told him I'd shower. Yuki left to buy drinks from the vending machine."

"And the key to the room?"

"I told Mamoru that I was going out to buy drinks, but I took Haruto's key with me since Mamoru would be in the bath. I remember locking the door when I left. I had the key in my hand when we returned to the room, but the door was unlocked."

"The rooms in this hotel are not electronic, and there is no auto-lock," Date said.

A knock came, and the Inspector irritably turned to the door. "What is it now?!" He bellowed.

"I apologise for interrupting, Inspector," a man with a CSI jacket came and whispered something to Inspector Tagaki.

The Inspector nodded his thanks and straightened his jacket before levelling his hard stare toward me. "CSI's have investigated the phone and found several messages sent from the victim's phone." The Inspector nodded to the CSI.

"Yes, sir," he nodded. He lifted a black flip phone with the messages visible. "All relevant messages on the sent items are sent to one number only. We tried to dial the number from the victim's phone, but the number could not be reached. So, we tried to use the room's landline, and Masami-san's phone rang."

"Care to explain, Masami-san?"

I was slack-jawed. Haruto's sending me messages? "I don't remember getting any messages from Haruto. I don't even know his number."

"Hmm? You don't know your friend's number?"

Furuya came forward to inspect the two phones with the CSI's permission. He was holding the two phones side by side, comparing something.

I shrugged and glanced at Mamoru, who glared at me. "To be honest, I consider Haruto-san as an acquaintance only, not a friend," I explained, fiddling with my hands on my lap as Yuki's arm returned to my shoulder. "Haru-chan and I have been friends since we were eight. I met Mamoru-san because she is Haru-chan's childhood friend, but we never hang out. Haru-chan and I met Yuki-kun in junior high. Then all of us met Haruto in university."

"Haruto and I dated, but we only lasted for three months," Haruka explained. "I liked him initially because he seemed sweet and funny, but he started to bully other students. I broke up with him because he sent a guy to the hospital last spring. The guy was hospitalised for a month before deciding to leave Teitan."

"Oh, Bullshit!" Mamoru yelled, shocking Haruka and I. Yuki-kun stared at her silently. "Satou's been trying to get Sasuke-kun in trouble with the professors! He confronted the shit and only defended himself!"

"Satou-san?" the Inspector questioned.

"The guy that Haruto beat up and was sent to the hospital," Yuki-kun explained. "And Haruto was trying to get Satou-san in trouble with the professors. I heard him boasting in the corridors that he slipped a cheat sheet under Satou-san's table during mid-terms."

Mamoru could only grit her teeth in irritation.

"Inspector," Furuya called out, and Inspector came closer. Furuya showed both phones to him. "The victim's messages started two months ago. The first message was a video. According to the victim's phone, the message was unread. At the same time, the victim's phone number was blocked already. It's possible that the blackmail messages are not read by Masami-san's."

Another officer entered the room and whispered something to the Inspector, showing him an evidence bag.

"Mamoru-san," the Inspector returned to us, eyes sharper than ever. "We found a bloody nail file near the bathroom door. We also checked the drain, and there's blood in it." Mamoru's face went paler and paler as the Inspector continued to explain. "We confirmed that the victim was hit at the back of his head by a blunt object. This vase reacted Positive for blood, the same blood type we found inside the drain." He showed us the vase that's been sitting in the living room. There is some white powder on the rim. I'm guessing someone took fingerprints. "From the search conducted on you earlier, there is no evidence of a wound on your person."

"I think I know now what happened," the Inspector glowered at Mamoru. "Judging from you dying your hair like Masami-san's, you were jealous of her. You are possibly trying to keep Haruto-san as your boyfriend. But Masami-san is a better girlfriend, in his opinion. So, you struck him in the back with the vase and slit his throat. He's larger and stronger than you, so you incapacitated him and slit his throat." Mamoru is now in denial, tears streaming down her cheeks. "You then proceeded to clean up the mess by taking a shower. By dying your hair red, the red dye blends the blood, and no one would be suspicious."

"No!" Mamoru screamed, standing up. "I didn't kill Sasuke-kun! Yes, I was jealous of Masami because she's all he's talked about, but he promised me that we will live comfortably for the rest of our lives!" She collapsed on the floor and cried harder.

I wanted to comfort her, but Yuki kept a tight grip on me. However, Haruka came forward and enveloped Mamoru in a hug. She glared up at the Inspector. "That's enough! Her boyfriend was just killed!"

"What do you mean by you and Haruto-san will live comfortably for the rest of your lives?" The Inspector asked, ignoring Haruka's glare.

Mamoru just sniffed, wiping her tears with her sleeves. "My father cut me off. He said he updated his will, and I won't get a dime from him." She started crying again, and Haruka ran her hands on her back to comfort her. "I was able to beg my dad to cover my tuition, but I can't depend on him after that. I told this to Sasuke-kun, and he said it's his time to take care of me now."

Date and Hagiwara came back with a man wearing a white shirt and black slacks. "Inspector, this is Yamamoto-san. He's the bartender at the restaurant."

Beside me, Yuki bent down to clutch his stomach. "Are you alright?"

He nodded. "Sudden stomachache." He muttered faintly.

"Do you need to go to the lavatory?" I asked, glancing around. I saw Furuya and Hiro looking at us. I was about to gesture to them when Yuki snagged my hands.

"I'm fine," he assured me quietly.

"A guy came down at the bar around midnight and bought two sake bottles," the bartender said nervously. Detective Hasegawa wrote down the information on his pad. "I asked for his ID, but he got angry and tried to shove me back. It is the practice of our establishment to request an ID even if the customer is old and wrinkly if they order alcohol."

"So, you're the one the victim fought with?"

Yamamoto-san nodded.

The Inspector gestured to one of the CSIs, and he was given a photo. "Is this the man?" The Inspector showed the picture to the bartender. The bartender paled at the image and swallowed. He must have been shown the photo of Haruto's dead body. "Y-yes, he looks familiar."

"Familiar?" Furuya asked, narrowing his eyes.

"I couldn't be sure," the bartender answered. "He's wearing the same clothes, though, but he had on a cap."

"Just to make sure, where were you between 1 AM and 2:20 AM?"

"I was at the bar until 2 AM as my shift starts at midnight. I took a break for twenty minutes in the staff room. We have CCTV in the restaurant— you can check."

The detectives requested the footage and were led back toward the manager's office. The video was blurry, and a cap obscured the face of the victim. However, the man who punched the bartender is wearing the same jacket as the victim.

"And where is the staff room?" the Inspector asked the security personnel.

The man tapped a few keys on the keyboard and pointed at the far-left monitor. "This is the security cameras pointing at the staff room's door." He rewinds the tape and plays the video. The bartender is shown entering the staff room with two other employees. The time stamp shows 2:01 AM.

"Please fast forward the video until 2:20 AM," Furuya requested.

"Sure." The security personnel clicked fast forward, and the staff room door remained closed until 2:18 AM when the bartender and the other two employees exited.

"Two minutes," the Inspector mused, rubbing his chin. "That's a concise window to go to the victim's room, kill him and return to the restaurant."

"There are windows in the staff room, but I doubt anyone would fit through it. I checked." Hiro said. "Even a small child won't fit through."

The Inspector nodded. "Still, I need to see."

"Of course, follow me."

The group went to the staff room. Everyone lingered outside while the Inspector and Hiro came inside. "Ah, yes, it's too small for a child to fit."

Double lockers covered one whole room wall, while a three-seater couch was on the other side with a coffee table. There is a small table where employees can make tea or coffee— with a small fridge beside it. There are four awning windows above the couch, but they can only be opened with a crank and can only open as wide as fifteen centimetres.

The Inspector nodded in satisfaction. He tilted his hat to the staff in thanks and gestured to the rest to follow him. Detective Hasegawa jogged to keep up with the Inspector. However, one person returned to the restaurant to ask additional questions to the staff.

Furuya went to the bar and nodded to the bartender again. The bartender came over with a curious expression as he wiped his hands on a clean towel. "You mentioned earlier that your shift started at midnight." The bartender nodded. "Have you ventured towards the rooms before your shift started?"

"Ah, no," he shook his head. "I was running late. I managed to clock in at 12:01 AM for my shift. You can ask my manager if you want to be sure. I stopped by my girlfriend's apartment to drop off some medicine before coming to work. She has been sick since yesterday. When I returned to my bike, some jerk messed up my front wheels. I had to abandon it and run here."

"Thank you."

"Although," the bartender said as an afterthought, still polishing the glass with a white rag. His eyes looked up with a faraway look. "Something about that photo bothers me a little, though."

"The photo of the victim?"

"Hmm. I can't put my finger on it," he said. "Maybe it's because of all of that blood." He shuddered, placing the glass below the bar. "I hope this doesn't happen again. That's the first time I saw a dead body, picture or not."

Furuya left the restaurant and met up with Hiro in the hallway. "Have you solved the case?" Hiro stayed behind to wait for him. Furuya looked at his friend with a severe expression.

"I have a suspect, but I don't have any solid proof yet."

Hiro nodded and jerked his head towards the group, returning to the room. "Are you coming up?"

"No," he answered back, not looking at Hiro. His gaze trained towards the entrance of the ryokan. "I'm going to check my hunch." He ignored his friend's call and walked out of the building.

He looked around. There is a path of concrete blocks from the street to the entrance. Near the hall are two vending machines and a rubbish bin between them. He was about to return to the room when he saw an officer running towards him, panting and out of breath.

"Thank you for your hard work," he smiled, bowing slightly at the officer.

The officer slumped on the ground as he leaned on the wall, trying to regain his breath. "Ah, thank you."

Furuya chuckled but took a bill from his pocket and bought a cold bottle of water from the vending machine. "Here, I think you deserve this one. Why are you running anyway? What's the rush?"

The officer gratefully accepted the water bottle and took a huge swig. He groaned in satisfaction and finished the bottle in no time. "Thank you for that. I've been running ragged this week. I was working on a murder case with my senpai, but he called sick three days ago, and I've been working on the lab alone." He stood on wobbly legs and threw the bottle to the trash but missed. "You're one of the academy students who found the body, right?"

"Ah, yes."

"Could you give this result to the Inspector?" He showed an unsealed envelope to Furuya. "I left my car in the corner because my car battery decided it's a good time to die, and my phone was broken this morning, he said irritably. "Everyone in the lab is gone for the night, so that I couldn't call."

Furuya took the envelope and nodded. "Of course."

The officer smiled and left. Furuya inspected the envelope and took the lab results inside. There were traces of antihistamine and diphenhydramine in the red wine and soda found in the bathroom with Mamoru Akira—however, there was no trace of gelatine. The suspect must have emptied the capsule's contents on the wine glass and the soda can.

He absentmindedly grabbed the water bottle the officer threw to dispose of it in the trash properly, but he caught a glimpse of plastic inside. He smiled.

He went back to the room and was greeted by Date. The tall man took one look at him and smirked. "Looks like you figured something out, Zero."

Furuya only grinned back. "Let's close this case and get that glittering review."

Furuya entered the room and exchanged words with the other four. Ten minutes later, Hiro went out as he put on latex gloves, gesturing for a CSI to follow him. Date guided Haruka and Mamoru behind him, came closer to our group and positioned himself between us and Furuya. Matsuda moved to stand to our left while Hagiwara was on our right. Both are between us and Date. All four of them looked ready if a fight broke out. It took me a while, but they were cornering Yuki-kun and me.

"Inspector," Furuya spoke first, both hands inside his pockets. "May I make an observation?"

The Inspector nodded, watching Furuya with a grin. "Go ahead, baby chick."

I saw his eye twitch. If the situation isn't severe, I'd giggle into my knuckles. He glanced at me and Yuki-kun, and a look of realisation suddenly appeared on his face. He looked more determined and surer compared to a minute ago.

"To summarise the suspects, It would be Yamamoto-san, who had an altercation with the victim before he died; Mamoru-san, who was found sleeping in the bathroom with the dead victim inside this hotel room; and Souma-san, who not only knew the victim but is with the victim before he died."

Mamoru stood up to defend herself, but the Inspector just glared at her, and she sat down. The Inspector looked on in thought. "Go on."

"First is Yamamoto-san." Furuya continued. "I have rejected him as the culprit. His alibi is solid. He was in the break room for eighteen minutes, and there was no way for a human body- even a small child- to escape that room. He left with the rest of the staff with two minutes to spare from his break time, and he's been with the rest of the staff within eyeshot since then.'

"Second is Mamoru-san." Matsuda added. We all turned to look at him as he showed us a folded piece of paper. I saw Furuya gave it to him earlier. "I admit that finding her inside the bathroom with a corpse is highly suspicious. However, the wine and the soda in the bathroom tested positive for antihistamine and diphenhydramine— common ingredients in sleeping drugs available over the counter." He showed the test results to the Inspector, who nodded, impressed.

"The third is Souma-san," this time, it's Hagiwara who spoke. "We found him at the building's entrance five minutes before we found the body. It takes a human body five to fifteen seconds to bleed out if either the Carotid Artery or the Jugular vein is cut. Judging from the way we saw the body, the victim didn't struggle with the slash. The person who slashed the victim's neck can easily plant the murder weapon and point the police to Mamoru-san."

Yuki scoffed. "So, you're outright accusing me of killing Haruto-san just because I'm only five minutes' walk away from the room? Ridiculous."

"I spoke with Yamamoto-san, and he said there is something off about the picture," Furuya said. "It's possible that someone pretended to be the victim."

"Hmm? Why would that be relevant?"

"Possibly to instigate a fight. Someone to witness that the victim is alive. Or perhaps to find a way to remove suspicion away from him, making way for someone to have a reason to hurt the victim."

I reeled back. Yuki-kun's grip on my shoulder tightened. He grasped my withering hands on my lap, and everybody tensed. He scoffed. "Yeah, right. I don't have any reason to hurt Haruto-san."

"I can find a reason," Date glared down at Yuki. "You like Masami-san. I know that, judging from the fact that you have not let her go since we arrived and the jealous looks you sent my way when we first came." Then he smirked. "Or maybe the reason why you haven't let her go is because of the blood smeared on her upper arm."

"Blood?"

"Hai," Furuya nodded as I glanced at Yuki-kun's face. He's gritting his teeth as he pulls me even closer. It's like I'm almost on his lap.

"Date-hanchou was hit on the head by a culprit using the back of a shotgun earlier this evening," Furuya explained. "Masami-san tended to his wounds, but this was before Date-hanchou transferred his blood to Masami-san's skirt to get the cutter from her pockets. Date-hanchou has not touched Masami-san since then. The only person who did is Souma-san."

"Blood transfer can't prove that I killed Haruto," Yuki-kun said lowly. But he sighed, finally letting me go. I stood up, facing my back to everyone, as I looked down on Yuki. Hagiwara took hold of my shoulder and pulled me behind him.

"It can if the blood type is the same as the victim's." Date explained. "I asked the female officer who took a sample of my wound. My blood type is B. The victim's blood is type O."

"My suspicion is you do have plans to kill Haruto-san. Probably because of the blackmail messages to Masami-san." Furuya explained further. "However, today is not that day. Your efforts to frame Mamoru-san and the bartender are sloppy. The police didn't even need to conduct any further tests to know that you killed Haruto-san." He walked towards the table that displayed the crime photos. He took one and showed it to us. It was the photo of Haruto's bloody corpse. "The bartender said something is different in the photo, but he can't put his finger on it. Matsuda returned to the security personnel and had them play the feed when Haruto-san came to the bar." He showed another photo from the pile. This time, it offers a man wearing the same clothes with the addition of a baseball cap. The hood of the jacket is also up. "If you compare the two photos, it's clear that the photo on the right is a different person than the left."

The Inspector leaned in to look, squinting his eyes. "Yes, I can't believe I missed it. The clothes on the victim are a little tighter on him. However, the photo of the victim before the murder looks like the clothes are a bit loose."

Furuya nodded. "Souma-san and Haruto-san are the same height. They have the same hair colour, but Souma-san's hair is longer. However, the one that proves the two are different is their body size. Souma-san is lean while the victim is muscular."

I glanced at Yuki-kun. He hasn't said anything since, and he's just sitting on the bed with his elbows on his knees and his head hung low. Haruka and Mamoru are both behind Date, looking at Yuki-kun disbelievingly.

Hiro arrived afterwards who nodded at Furuya. "It's confirmed."

"Confirmed?"

"Hai. There is a trash bin outside beside the vending machine. I found empty capsules inside and had Hiro retrieve them for testing."

The officer nodded, taking over from Furuya. "We found fingerprints in the capsules. The remnants of the powder inside match with the same sleeping drug found near the body."

Yuki laughed. I honestly don't recognise my friend anymore. His laugh sounds dark and deep.

"I think this is what happened," Furuya gave a hard look at Yuki. "You stole Mamoru's sleeping pills and drugged Haruto. While he goes under, you leave wine and soda with the sleeping drug inside the bath while Mamoru-san is showering. You undressed Haruto-san, put on his clothes, and went down to the bar to buy sake bottles and cause a commotion. When you returned, Haruto-san and Mamoru-san were now both asleep. You hit Haruto-san with a vase on the back of his head after putting his clothes back on him. You rinsed the vase in the shower to leave the blood evidence, implicating that Mamoru-san showered to clean off the blood from her. They, with the sharp nail file, slashed Haruto-san's throat and left to wait at the building's entrance for Masami-san and Haruka-san."

"Furuya-san," I had been quiet for some time, analysing the situation. A part of me can't believe that, gently and quietly, Yuki-kun can do something like kill someone. However, listening to Furuya-san's observations shows me all the evidence falls into place. I saw the blood smear on my upper arm, and I remember Yuki-kun grasping my arms earlier in worry when he learned about the hostage situation. I remember the ghost of his hand in the same area since we arrived at the hotel room. I saw his facial expression of shock, and he saw the bartender enter the room and how he doubled in pain to hide his face.

"Furuya-san," I said again, my voice trembling, looking at Furuya with pleading eyes. "He could've transferred the blood on my arm from somewhere else. Maybe he touched something with blood and accidentally transferred it to me. Plus, look at him," I gestured at Yuki-kun, who looked at me with hope and longing. I cringed, hoping that no one saw that. "He doesn't have any speck of blood on him now."

He opened his mouth to explain, but I snapped. "I know about arterial spray. Even if Yuki-kun is behind Haruto when he slashes his throat- if he did- he would have blood on his hands or under his fingernails. Did they find any blood on him?"

He just looked at me with a straight face. Eventually, he sighed, and I let out a relieved breath. However, he closed his eyes and looked down, and just like that, I knew. It's like someone threw a bucket of ice-cold water on my back.

"I spoke with the officer who searched Souma-san. He said that Souma-san did try to cooperate but refused the officer to search his pockets. It was Souma-san who searched his own pockets for the officer. He refused to be touched and said that he suffered trauma from his father's abuse."

"Which is true!" Haruka exclaimed. She looked at me to confirm, and I nodded. "Yuki-kun reported the abuse to the police. But the police either weren't interested or didn't find enough evidence. Masami-chan and I helped Yuki-kun move to his apartment once he turned eighteen."

There was a pause, but it was short-lived when Furuya explained further. "The CSIs may have skipped this evidence and ignored it, possibly because it may not be part of the murder weapon, but Mamoru-san dyed her hair today. I can see the faint red tint on her scalp." I glanced at Mamoru and frowned. Yes, her hair is redder than earlier, but what's that with Yuki-kun?

"I checked the bathroom toiletries and the trash," Matsuda explained. "The toothbrushes, soaps, body wash and conditioner are all accounted for, except for a set I assumed Mamoru used for her shower earlier. I checked the other toiletries like the razor, comb, and shaving cream. But there is one box that was opened, but no trace of it in the room or the trash."

Furuya stepped forward and looked me in the eye. "He used the shower cap to protect himself from the blood spray. He had the nail file inside the shower cap and used the cap to contain the blood spray." I heard an intake of breath from Mamoru, and I knew why. "That's why he didn't have any blood on him. Though, as I said, everything he's done to implicate two people is sloppy. At some point, he must have touched a part of the cap that has blood on it and accidentally transferred it to you. And since the cap is not inside the room or in the trash, I can only guess where it is now."

Slowly, I turned my head to Yuki-kun. I remember him looking annoyed and angry after leaving the bedroom after his search. The offer left the room frustrated but defeated. Furuya saying that Yuki-kun refused to be searched…

Yuki stood up, shoved his fingers down his watch pocket on her jeans, and retrieved a crumpled transparent plastic with red stains… I paled and looked at him in horror. "Why?" I asked, tears threatening to spill from my eyes. "Why did you do this?" I looked at him, desperately trying to find the Yuki-kun I first met in high school. The sweet and quiet and shy Yuki-kun that Haruka and I befriended.

"He was boasting about blackmailing you," Yuki-kun explained plainly. "You know him and his liquor. He'll tell you his darkest secrets while drunk." I laughed lightly. "When you and Haruka left, he told me about the messages he left you because he knew your secret. He said you will pay big bucks to keep it a secret."

"My secret?"

He nodded. "If it was two months ago when he said he heard you talking to someone on the phone in the fire escape. He said you're talking about merchandise for Project HP."

I thought back and nodded. I remember talking to Yusaku-sensei about potential royalties from theme parks and stores to sell Harry Potter-themed sweets. I gasped, recalling the conversation. I was excitedly talking about ideas over the phone and overwhelmed Yusaku-sensei with ideas. I remember hurrying home so we could talk in person.

Yuki nodded. "I purchased the autographed version of the books, and I knew you're the author. How often have I seen your butterfly signature since we met?" Then, his smile turned into a frown. "Haruto became frustrated when you didn't mention the emails and texts he sent you. I knew you were not reading them- you do have the habit of deleting text messages from unknown numbers without reading and blocking numbers from unknown callers. He said at first he plans to seduce you, but since that didn't work, he plan to touch you, and she knows about it!" He yelled, pointing at Mamoru's stunned face. He faced her angrily. "It's not that hard to figure out. Haruto told me that your father wrote you out of his will. But when his approach became a seduction for Masami, you became jealous and tried everything to copy Masami. The red hair, the extensions, the way she dresses…" He snorted when Mamoru's face turned pale as Haruka looked at her in horror. "And let's not forget about what you plan tonight. Haruto may have plans to rape Masami, but you plan to kill her, didn't you? Just because Haruto dumped you."

All the remaining blood vanished from Mamoru's face as she opened and closed her mouth in shock.

Yuki's face changed from anger to pleading as he turned to me. "I only did it to protect you. "I- I love you, Masami." Yuki approached me slowly, pleadingly, both hands in front of him to touch me. I didn't even have the chance to do anything when Hagiwara stepped in between us.

And then it suddenly became a fight. Maybe because I hadn't said anything to Yuki-kun or Hagiwara's stopping him from approaching me, but Yuki suddenly lounged for me. Date came to help and held Yuki-kun in a headlock. Yuki-kun struggled, screaming. I became rooted in my place, watching Yuki-kun work against Date and Hagiwara. Furuya was suddenly in front of me while Matsuda stood before Mamoru and Haruka's crouching form. The other police officers approached to help to detain Yuki.

I didn't know what happened after that. Either I blacked out or feinted, but I found myself sitting on a couch with Yusaku-sensei crouching in front of me.

"Sensei? What are you doing here?"

He sighed in relief, holding a cotton ball that smelled awful. "Are you alright, Masami?" I reviewed what happened, and I remember Yuki-kun fighting Date and Hagiwara. "Inspector Megure called me when he got the report from Inspector Tagaki. He called me right away when he saw your name."

I looked around, and the room was almost empty of people. Furuya and his friends are gone. It was just me, Yusaku-sensei, a woman I suspect to be an EMT, judging from her uniform and Hiro standing vigil right by the door.

"Hey," he greeted me with a smile and a wave. "Glad you're feeling better."

"What happened… to Yuki-kun?" I asked weakly, already knowing that he'd been taken for questioning.

"Souma-san's been arrested for murder, but his lawyer might plead for insanity. He was deranged when he was taken away." Hiro explained.

"Morofushi-kun," Yusaku-sensei gave him a stern look, but he looked back at me. "Come on, I'll take you home." He guided me to my feet and tightened the blanket that I just noticed that was around my shoulders. I clung to it for dear life as I stood up, ignoring the puddle of blood on the floor near the bed… the same place Yuki-kun stood a few minutes ago.

Yusaku-sensei must have noticed, and he intercepted my vision, keeping to my left to be between the blood puddle and myself while he supported my waist. But that didn't stop me. "Who was injured?"

Yusaku-sensei stopped and sighed in resignation. He knew that I'd be asking until I got an answer. "Souma-san was able to grab a gun from a police officer when they tried to arrest him. Morofushi-kun and his friends managed to pin him down, but Date-kun and Furuya-kun were shot. They were swiftly taken to the hospital. I have just been told that their wounds are not critical but are resting at the hospital with the insistence of the doctor." He said that last bit hurriedly.

I looked at Hiro for confirmation. "They're alright, Masami-san. Awake and already complaining to Matsuda-san and Jinpei-chan." He said with a smile. "I was left here to look after you and Haruka-chan until Kudou-san arrived. Haruka-chan was taken home by her brother, by the way. She told me to tell you that she'll call you in the morning."

I didn't question why Hiro didn't say Mamoru's name. If what Yuki-kun said was true, Mamoru's also been taken to the police for questioning.

Confirming what I had in my thoughts, Hiro further explained. "Mamoru-san was taken by the police as well. They saw the vial of poison from her bag when they did a second search of the room."

I sighed, suddenly drained. "I wanna go home."