(JK)
Everything calms down and returns to it's original pace. School life among the students resumes as if all the terrible things that happened in the past month or so meant nothing. The sheer amount of panic among every party involved in both the Kuzuryuu incident and the disappearance of Hinata Hajime has dissolved back to near silence. Not like Hinata's situation caused much uproar, strangely. Unlike any other situation, it wasn't a good thing. Yes, I appreciated how light my workload is comparatively, though his mystery doesn't sit right with me.
As heartless as it is to think, with Kuzuryuu, I at least knew the truth of the situation and could handle the backlash of the lies told about it. Although, the Steering Committee's choice in a cover up was decided and told before I had any say. Why would they say some pervert broke into the school and not blame it on the Yakuza? Everyone knew Kuzuryuu Natsumi was born into that life, yet they wasted the opportunity. As a result, I had an influx of rightfully concerned parents and students come to me to yell about safety and I would blindly give them my lines on promises of an improved security system. How exhausting. At least it's over now. I suppose the Committee isn't as wise as I once thought.
However, with Hinata's situation, things only make less sense as they go on. After my talk with Nanami, I checked the dorm Mrs. Hinata claimed to help him move into. I searched everything. Every drawer, corner, and compartment poked into with eyes desperate for details, just like I was taught years ago. All that work and the only thing I found was a black tie. Male Reserve Course students wore a uniform with a similar tie, devoid of any distinctive marks or tags, much like the one I retrieved from that room. This 'evidence' simply wasn't enough. A black tie isn't a strange thing to own. Hell, half of the staff wears one daily! There's a high chance that the previous student left it behind. A strange coincidence to keep note of nonetheless.
I can no longer search that dorm for any more clues. It's been cleaned and prepped for a new occupant. Now I'm back to before. No leads. No real evidence to think about. Only a headache when I try to understand it. The lies, the inconsistencies, and, worst of all, the inability to make any headway towards the truth... It's just exhausting! Perhaps the Steering Committee wasn't completely lying about that boy getting into trouble and hurting himself after getting expelled. Regardless, factors aren't adding up. Even if Hinata faked moving into said dorm after he knew the previous owner left, where did his stuff go? Did he move everything before running away? Then why would he have his mother help him move? I guess it was so his family couldn't stop him or figure out his plan. How depressing.
The Committee's lack of communication itched at my clarity. Regardless of what really happened, they act strange when the topic goes to him. Sometimes I question if I'm overreacting. Genuinely, what real reason did I have for not believing them? A new lack of communication, pressure to believe that Hinata hurt himself anytime the strange details were mentioned, and not telling me what the kid did to get expelled in the first place. Sounds like genuine reasons to not fully believe them, I'd say.
The answer doesn't get any clearer throughout my daily morning commute. Usually these thoughts don't terrorize me until I'm falling asleep. I wouldn't think about it as early if it weren't for the date. July 8th. The date lingers as it marks 2 weeks since Mrs. Hinata came by. I take a breath and I blow on my coffee. There's no need to stress about this. It isn't helping anything. On the bright side, it's only 12 days until summer break!
Focusing on the positives, I continue my normal walk to the school. Listening to nostalgic hits through cheap earbuds and sipping hot coffee to assure myself that no matter what the truth held, everything would be alright. Whether it be a confusing web of lies from either the Steering Committee or Hinata, I had to remind myself that it would work out. One was much more stress relieving than the other, yet still had dark consequences. At least, it's calming down.
Just as I stood in front of the gates to Hope's Peak Academy, a spiky haired woman greets me with her presence and a stapled stack of papers in her hands. Muted green eyes glaring as I get closer. A lack of color in her face. A lack of spirit. "M-Mrs. Hinata, why are you here this fine morning?" My surprise effects my voice. Almost like a true guilt manifestion, she seemingly knew I was thinking of her situation and showed up without a warning. "I need to talk to you and whoever you claimed expelled my son." Her tone firmer than it was 2 weeks ago.
What did this mean? Did she find him? Judging by the confrontation behind those eyes, whatever she had to say wasn't good. Wait, I might get in trouble for letting her in anway. After all, her son isn't a student here anymore. "Don't hesitate. It's about a police report that I'm sure you and your team wanna hear about before anything bad happens to this precious academy." She shows the header of her packet's front page. 'TOKYO POLICE DEPARTMENT' printed on the top. The same way it was when I had to talk to them and the press about my other skeleton in the closet when it comes to this school. I decide my best option is to hear her out. 'Last thing we need is to have more controversy' is what I'll tell the superiors. Not a lie, yet not the entirety of it. The reality is I needed to know what's in that report.
"I understand. Follow me." Managing to hide my nervousness, I head to my office. A police report must mean they found him. If he's not here, then it seems like the Committee's theory is correct. That still left many unresolved questions... I suppose I just need to see how this plays out. Mrs. Hinata trails behind with a deafening silence. Her emotions hidden in the clack of her black heels. The lifelessness of her face when I walked up to her allured to the worst outcome for her, yet possibly the best for me. I so desperately want to ease this situation with words or a solution, but I simply can't think of any. Or perhaps I'm wishing for a less grim outcome to appease us both.
Being one of the first to arrive in the mornings meant I didn't have to explain to or greet anyone. At least, not yet. As soon as I unlock my office door, Mrs. Hinata takes a seat on the couch to the right. Same one as last time. Taking a better look at her, I notice the little things. Spiky hair messier than before. No makeup. A misbuttoned blouse. Once brightly colored nail polish now chips off prominently in a contrast to her tan skin. It's like a piece of her soul just withered away. This isn't the vibrant Mrs. Hinata I met weeks ago; it's like she's just a shell of herself. "Just a moment, ma'am." Hurrying to the landline, I called the Steering Committee member most likely to have all the answers to this. The eldest. Almost as soon as the phone started ringing, he picked up with a groggy tone.
"Yes, Mr. Kirigiri?" Surprised at the speed, I don't waste time in stalling or formalities. "Hello. I need one of you in my office as soon as possible... It's urgent." Mrs. Hinata looks over at me as the conversation starts. A subtle, yet emotionally red look I have to turn away from. "Urgent? I'll send someone. Give him a moment." Without a proper end, he disconnected the call. His voice seeming off guard. I understand why he didn't ask for more details over the phone. I'm curious about the reactions once the situation is revealed; if it'll be urgent to them or not. Any sign of panic could point to them covering up something for sure. Returning the phone to it's receiver, I face back to the woman of the hour. Resting her head on her hand. Dazed in thought or perhaps trying to control herself. Her stack of papers beside her on the sofa.
"Do you need a water or anything before we begin?" She doesn't respond like she couldn't hear me. Silence again. Despite her spirits being so low, I admit she still terrifies me. I get the feeling she could easily switch back into mama bear mode at any point during this conversation, no matter what that report says. I can only sip my coffee as I mentally pray for our person to hurry up. I try to picture where he would be on his walk here. A quick knock before the door opens. No words or warnings. The member who joined wasn't the one I called, as expected, still should work all the same.
Mrs. Hinata stands up to greet him, although she didn't bother faking a smile. "You must be..." He acts like he can't pin her name or face, regardless of the fact she's the spitting image of her son. Perhaps that's how little this situation means to his team. "Mrs. Hinata. The mother of Hinata Hajime." He makes a face. A surprised one with a professional smile. "Ah, yes. I see. Are you here to talk about why he got expelled?" The member glances at me. Nonverbally asking why I let her in as he headed to the couch across from her. I respond back with a glance to her police report. Since I have no input or information, I decide to stay quiet and listen as more details unfold. To see if it made this story make sense.
"That would be a good starting point. What did he do?" Her voice has that restrained frustration similar to before. Only now it points away from me for the time being. "He was involved in leaking other students' information online, which is a serious violation of our school's policies. We take the privacy and safety of our students very seriously, and unfortunately, his actions have resulted in this consequence." The bearded man replies so quickly it takes a second to process.
So Hinata got expelled for leaking information, then why didn't they say that before? Perhaps this was a lie to cover up the real reason and he was trying to find out more about the Kuzuryuu incident. Either way, why didn't they just tell me? If not on the phone that day, we had plenty of chances to talk since then. Mrs. Hinata sneers at such a statement. As if the idea of her baby doing that was simply impossible. "Sure, let's say I believe you. Why didn't you call me? Send me a letter? Anything." Her arms cross as she speaks. A valid point and a question I've wondered myself. "Ma'am, we sent the boy home with a letter. I see that he didn't inform you." His tone maintains professionalism, yet it was increasingly obvious how much he didn't want to be talking to her.
"You're really going to trust this teenager to inform me when you don't trust him enough to stay enrolled here? You don't have my and my husband's phone numbers on file for no reason." Mrs. Hinata's frustration bleeds into rage as her words get delivered through grit teeth. "I apologize for the lack of communication. We recognize that this was a mistake on our part. Please, try to calm down." He goes back to the fake politeness required, hiding the annoyance that begun to peer into his demeanor.
She mockingly chuckles before sliding him the stapled stack of papers from across the table. The police logo popping out at me again. "Read that and tell me to calm down." Feeling the agitation going through her, I notice her deep breaths as her chest rises and falls nearly shakily. The bearded man reads a few pages of the surprisingly small bunch. His eyes scrolling across slow enough to pile on my anxiety. With a quiet yet barely shocked look, he hands the packet to me. Each word on the papers project with a plea. An active scream into why I was useless at helping these students I try so desperately to protect.
'On June 24th, 2009, a missing person's report was filed for 16-year-old Hinata Hajime by his mother 8 days after his disappearance. Following the report, an anonymous tip directed authorities to investigate the Rainbow Bridge into Tokyo Bay off Daiba, suspecting a possible suicide of the missing person after a concerning comment made prior. Upon arrival at the scene, items belonging to the victim, including his student ID, shoes, and cellphone, were discovered and turned over to the lost and found. However, no body was found at the location despite investigators searching the waters as of July 6th. Furthermore, security footage covering the time of the incident is missing, complicating the investigation. Efforts to locate the missing boy or his body and gather additional information are ongoing.'
Oh God. The other pages filled with pictures. His belongings and the bridge itself. Nothing graphic, yet the pieces of the puzzle fit into a disturbing image. There's no wishful thinking now. Only a pit of shame where my guts should be. Any room for self loathing gets cut short by more conversation I force myself to listen to. "...If you had just told me, maybe I could've talked some sense into him. I could've stopped him from doing something so... terrible. If I knew, I would've talked about what happened. Maybe then he wouldn't have felt the need to lie about speciality classes or whatever and end up like this." The agitation fades into pain. A hurt, grieving rage I hope to never experience. I can only see her face from a 90 degree angle, yet the sorrow still twinges at my soul.
I debate assuring her that the report isn't conclusive about her son's condition. Would that ease any of her suffering or would it come off as delusional? I pass her the packet back as I think of the right thing to say. Even though I had no prior knowledge of this situation before she arrived weeks ago, I couldn't shake the feeling of blaming myself for not being able to help. She takes her report back, her face in my direction for a second and sighing as welled up tears start to fall. Even after seeing her so hurt, I still find her terrifying. She's strong for coming here today. In her situation, I wouldn't be able to live on. Although, I know my circumstances are different. "I'm sorry." That's all I could come up with. "I'm so sorry." She nods at me. Her expression softening before turning back to the Steering Committee member with a resentment. As if she knows I truly know nothing.
"I could sue you for this. Or the school. Heh, I don't know. Do you have any idea how terrible this is? My husband couldn't show up today because he's afraid he'll kill you."
"Even if you sue us, your son won't come back. He was in the reserve course after all, so it's not much of a los-"
A quick smack across his face. So loud it echoed throughout the office. The impact causing his cheek to turn red instantly. He cupped at it as the force made him go further into the sofa. Eyes wide at her as she got up and left with her stack of papers. Her heels making a similar clack as earlier with an added fury. Shock is the best explanation for why both me and the Committee member stay quiet for a minute as he sits up. Different reasons. "...Women, huh?" He grins while rubbing the affected left side of his face. A poor attempt to ease the tension. I can only give a fake half smile while I begin to think about my own kid. If I were in Mrs. Hinata's situation and anyone insulted my daughter, a slap would be the least of their worries. This only solidifies the unease surrounding everything. They're surely hiding something.