New year, new chapter! Let's hope that 2025 ends up being a good (or an at least okay) year for all of us. Anyway, hope you enjoy the chapter!
The air felt almost electric as Shouichi entered the room, behind Ogawasara and Nishihara. He'd only just met Yuri Nishihara-the Chief Inspector of the Organised Crime Division- a few hours ago, in the wake of the chaos discovering the recording and the list from the Motowari house. She wasn't entirely unfamiliar to him, as such, but communicating with someone sporadically through emails and phone calls was very different to suddenly having to work closely together. It had turned out that the Organised Crime Division had been looking into the Motowaris for a very, very long time. It seemed that apparently, being hired killers ran in the family and had done so for generations.
Given these developments, and how much else had happened, it had then been decided that a press conference was sorely needed. So, the arrangements had been made to organise it, and they all discussed what they were going to reveal and hold back for the time being. Though they had advisors from the media department, they'd all dealt with enough press conferences to feel fairly confident in how to handle it.
"Are you going to reveal the potential link between your pairs of victims?" Ogawasara asked.
"No," Shouichi said. "I'm not going to."
Just moments ago, he had received the results of the tests done on the knife that had been found on Fukue's body, confirming that she had been the one to handle it, and that it was Kaida's blood on the blade. They hadn't been able to test definitively if Chiara had been the one to kill Seren, but the calling cards, combined with the definitive link between Kaida and Fukue did point to that as being the case. And thus, the implication was that Fukue and Chiara's
Though, there was no clear reason as to why. His team had combed through their lives, and there hadn't been anything significant to link them beyond their attendance at Hope's Peak. Yes, Fukue and Seren were in the same year group and yes, the two of them interacted with Chiara via Luca. And yes, both Chiara and Kaida had parents with connections to Hope's Peak.
"We will need to mention the calling cards, though." Nishihara said. "If only to prompt somebody's memory. But we won't detail the contents or anything like that, to lessen the chances of a copycat."
"Do you think there's going to be a copycat? We still don't know what we're dealing with!" Ogawasara exclaimed.
"That is true. We do have more questions than answers." Shouichi said carefully.
"Speaking of questions," Ogawasara said. "What the Assistant Chief Commissioner said, you know, about not pissing off important people…"
At this, Ogawasara looked to the door, his expression apprehensive in a way that Shouichi suspected was quite unlike him.
"Yes. There's no sense in unnecessary provocation. However, Hope's Peak is, so far, the only common factor between all of them, so we might be able to frame it that way. I'll run it by Takahashi-san, of course." Shouichi said, referring to one of the media department advisors.
"Mhm. Yes, that makes sense. But I think there is one thing we should mention plainly." Nishihara said.
"Which is…?"
"The recording."
Shouichi sat down in the seat he knew was assigned to him, on the left side of Nishihara, while Ogawasara sat on Nishihara's other side. The reporters seated at their tables stared at them in anticipation, all while writing up preliminary notes on their laptops and tablets, while camera-people snapped away, cameras flashing steadily but not too intrusively. A few reporters had been whispering, but they fell silent very quickly.
As agreed, it was Shouichi who started off.
"Hello, I am Chief Inspector Shouichi Kiyofuji of Division One of Tokyo's Criminal Investigation Bureau. I am currently leading the investigation into the recent murders of Seren Nishiya, Chiara Kai, Kaida Adachi and Fukue Amari, and by extension the investigations into their initial disappearances and that of twelve other students of Hope's Peak Academy. Joining me today are Chief Inspector Yuri Nishihara of the Organised Crime Division of Tokyo's Criminal Investigative Bureau, and Superintendent Yakumo Ogawasara of Yakanabe City's Yakanabe Station. We will take questions at the end, so please bear with us. First, though, I will explain the progress made on my end of the case, before my two colleagues explain their involvement in the case."
Shouichi then went on to briefly run through what had they had agreed to share about the case. The existence of the calling cards, the circumstances of each body discovery. The fact that although Tomioka had indeed been Seren Nishiya's stalker, he had not been her kidnapper or murderer, but simply one of many accomplices coerced into carrying out some of the kidnappings, presumably so that the true culprit had an alibi for the times of the kidnappings. He also showed pictures of the footage of the mysterious person running away from the dumping of Chiara's body (the one whom Kiyomizu had let slip away, and this was mentioned too, although Kiyomizu's name specifically was not), footage from the delivery lockers (though he did not state that Ogawasara believed them to be Hideru).
Though the decision had been made to not show the pictures of the lists, especially given that there were names on there of teenagers who were still safe, he did talk about the lists. Specifically, the fact that they believed that Tsukiko Shinsato had been in possession of one at some point, and how she had turned out to be missing when they'd tried to speak to her. Tsukiko's photograph flashed up on the projector screen at this stage, which was the cue to pass things onto Ogawasara, who ran down the basic details of the case, concluding with:
"While we are keeping an open mind regarding Tsukiko Shinsato's involvement in the Hope's Peak disappearances, at the moment our priority is locating her. Given the state of the crime scene and the footage that we found, there is good reason to be concerned for her safety and so, yes, the main thing is to find her and get her to a hospital so that she can be checked out. Once that is done, then we will be able to ascertain the connection to both Chief Inspector Kiyofuji's and Chief Inspector Nishihara's cases. Speaking of which?"
"Yes, I'll take over from here." Nishihara said coolly.
She nodded at Ogawasara, and then faced the journalists, saying:
"The Organised Crime Division have been looking into the activity of the Motowari family for almost two years now, following…"
She then gave a short but detailed summary of her team's investigations into the Motowaris, most of which she had already discussed with Shouichi and Ogawasara. She then explained the outcome of the raid on the Motowari house, and how that had been a direct result of the lead found in Tsukiko's flat.
"Two lists were mentioned by my colleague earlier, with the first being found on Hope's Peak's grounds. The second however, was found in the Motowari household, along with a recording which we are now going to play for you."
Nishihara nodded to the young officer who had been handling the projector and the attached computer. He nodded and tapped away. Nanako Motowari's voice echoed out into the room, and Shouichi saw how it made all the journalists sit up straight, many of them gasping, or blinking incredulously as they stared at each other, as if to silently ask are you hearing what I am hearing? Their incredulity only seemed to increase as the recording went on, switching between Shinji and Nanako's voices.
But it was that last line that clearly stuck in their minds:
"Bring back our daughter safely, and we'll turn ourselves in and tell you everything."
And indeed, after the recording ended there, a silence seemed to fill the room. Then, abruptly, a reporter stood up, emboldened by their own indignation as they burst out:
"You're not going to negotiate with them, are you?"
"Sit down-"
"No, we are not going to negotiate with them." Shouichi interrupted calmly.
He fixed his gaze on the reporter, who looked young and righteous. The reporter blinked rapidly at Shouichi, not having expected to be directly addressed, let alone have his question answered.
"We are not seeking to enter a negotiation with criminals, nor will we let their purported societal status sway us. However, their desire aligns with our goals. We do want to bring their daughter back safely, just as we wish to bring back all the students. Would you suggest that we do not try to rescue the remaining missing students, just because this is something a major suspect also happens to want?"
"Well, no….I…."
The reporter sat back down looking baffled. Shouichi turned to Nishihara.
"Apologies, Chief Inspector Nishihara. Shall we now open this up for questions?"
"I do think you already have," Nishihara said drily. "But this would have been where I invited questions, regardless. So…."
She scanned the sea of reporters, most of whom had their hands up, all of them looking like children eagerly waiting for the teacher to pick on them. The first few questions were simple-clarifications about how the bodies had been left and how the calling cards were found, further questions about some of the Motowaris' histories, and a couple of questions about how the other disappearances would be re-reviewed in the wake of what had already been discovered.
The three of them took it in turns picking different reporters to answer questions, and when it came to Shouichi's turn once more, he studied them carefully, and then picked another young, idealistic-seeming reporter. But unlike the reporter who had had an outburst before, this reporter seemed thoughtful, measured. As if she had been waiting for her moment.
He pointed to her, and she nodded her thanks. She introduced herself as a freelance journalist, and then hesitated:
"Well…"
The reporter's cheeks pinked, and Ogawasara encouragingly said:
"Go on, young lady."
"Well, you didn't mention it, but I was wondering if you were considering Hayami Motowari as an accomplice?"
"That is something we are considering, yes. However, given that she was also a kidnapping victim and that this clearly was not the part Shinji and Nanako Motowari had involvement in, we are exploring other avenues too. After all, as we have mentioned, there clearly have been multiple accomplices." Nishihara answered.
"But shouldn't Hayami Motowari been considered a suspect earlier? Especially considering her real SHSL Talent?"
The reporter gazed at them calmly, as around them all the others started to whisper furiously. Shouichi felt a chill creep up his spine, but managed to calmly ask:
"What do you mean?"
The freelance reporter tilted her head.
"So, in all your investigations, you never learnt that Hayami Motowari is actually the SHSL Hitman?"
In that moment, it felt like the room itself exploded.
The other reporters clamoured, demanding to know where this reporter had got her information from. The cameras flashed so brightly and insistently that Shouichi found himself blinded. Despite it, he and Nishihara and Ogawasara tried to keep order, as did security. But eventually, they had to cut the conference short, and usher everybody out.
When almost everybody had left, Shouichi returned to the press conference room to collect the freelance reporter, who had been instructed to wait. Security guards were supposed to wait with her, just in case.
But when he got there, the room was empty.
…
The morning had started off chaotically.
As one would have expected in the wake of the televised press conference, reporters of all kinds had camped outside the front gates, hoping to find out what people within Hope's Peak thought of it all. Meanwhile, the police had descended on the school and were apparently turning it upside down. A couple of detectives-though ones from Organised Crime, rather than the Homicide detectives she had grown accustomed to-had even cornered her as she'd reached her office. Asking about Tsukiko, about the list, about what she knew about Hope's Peak and its inner workings. Whether she knew if there was anything to the rumour that Hayami Motowari was, in fact, the SHSL Hitman. She thought that a stupid question. She was very clearly not a part of the inner circle of higher-ups. Besides, why would they be so daft as to put such information somewhere it could easily become part of official record?
Still, they had grilled her, assuming that because of Sakichi, she must have known or picked up on something. After all, he had been an SHSL, and so had her brother. At which point, she'd icily pointed out that they must know that her brother was dead. Which, apparently, they did. That didn't stop them from asking if that had made her suspicious of Hope's Peak, and what Sakichi had thought. And she thought the questions intrusive, but she tried her best to be polite, but they didn't seem to be put off.
"You could ask my father, you know," she eventually pointed out. "He's the one actually looking into the disappearances at the moment, he would know a lot more than me."
"Nonetheless," one of them said. "Surely the two of you must have talked about Hope's Peak and the way it runs, especially in the wake of your brother's murder."
Ririka really wanted to snap at them, but she didn't think that would be the best idea. So, she took a deep breath, but when she did eventually speak, she couldn't stop her words from coming out coldly:
"I was thirteen when he died. And I had to take care of my siblings after everything. What makes you think I had the time to know what my father thought about anything?"
To their credit, the Organised Crime detectives looked taken aback, exchanging glances with each other, before one handed over a business card.
"If you do think of anything, then please do contact us straightaway. We will be on site for most of the rest of the morning, so alternatively you can come and find us if need be."
Ririka accepted the business card politely, and then waited for them to leave before going inside. Once she had taken off her coat and bag and she looked at the business card she had accepted. Perhaps it would be a good idea to send on the recording to them, but then she'd have to admit where she had got it from. Or perhaps she could hand it to Shouichi Kiyofuji instead, but that wouldn't avoid the problem of explaining.
I'll have to talk to Utada-san about that, then, Ririka thought. At least so that he doesn't freak out when he gets approached about it. With that thought, she put the business card in a drawer where she'd have easy access to it later, and then surveyed her office. There had been an effort to put things back, but nothing was quite right, either. But just as she was just about to start sorting out, she heard a sharp knock at the door. Biting her irritation, she went over to open it.
She was none too pleased to see that it was Rin standing there, but what could she do?
"Come in, take a seat." She told him. "As you can see, I'm still getting things in order, somewhat."
"Quite."
Rin sat down at the seat she'd indicated, and she sat back down at her desk, and she waited. And waited. And waited. She was just at the point of wondering if this was some sort of weird, convoluted intimidation attempt when Rin spoke:
"Misa and I met with the police today in order to be updated about the case."
"Together?"
Rin gave her an unimpressed look, and Ririka silently admonished herself. Of course it wouldn't be together. What was she thinking? In any case, Rin had then moved on to say:
"They were not terribly clear, but my understanding is that this is a case with multiple perpetrators and many accomplices. The person who kidnapped Kaida may not necessarily have been the one to kill her, and the person who killed her was highly unlikely to have been the person to…discard her here. Nonetheless, they are all responsible, don't you think?"
"Well, of course."
Rin nodded, and then there was a silence. He stared at her evenly. Not with hostility, as she'd expected. But she couldn't say that she was entirely at ease, either.
Oh, I may as well be out with it.
"Are you holding me responsible, too?"
"You didn't write that list, did you?"
"No."
"You didn't know what it meant."
"No."
"Did you know that Tsukiko Shinsato had been the one to leave it there?"
"We don't know that for sure." Ririka said, automatically.
"And yet, the evidence is damning, isn't it?" Rin challenged.
Ririka narrowed her eyes at him.
"You know very well that I had nothing to do with this. At least, you should know it by now, shouldn't you?"
Rin's expression hardened in response:
"Do you not take any responsibility whatsoever?"
"Of course I do!" Ririka shot back. "I should have told somebody about the list earlier, when I actually realised what it could mean. And on the day your daughter disappeared, I should have kept her with me when I went to sort out the fight, or at least taken extra care to keep her in my sight. Those things, I take responsibility for. But don't try to lay everything at my feet!"
She felt all the blood drain from her when she realised her voice had risen, and she pressed her lips together in a tight line, bracing herself for the admonishment. But Rin instead stared at a random part of her desk intently, clearly not actually looking at the desk. He didn't say anything for a long moment, but when he finally lifted his head and spoke, his voice had the rasp of someone who hadn't spoken for years, rather than the minutes that it had actually been.
"In that case, I bear the responsibility for taking that phone call. Don't you think?"
Ririka stammered, but did not commit to an answer. Rin cleared his throat, and then said:
"Kaida's funeral is tomorrow."
"Oh. That's…"
Even she knew it was still terribly inadequate when all she came up with was:
"It's a terrible thing for a parent to bury a child, isn't it?"
"And what would you know about that?"
Rin cleared his throat again, because his voice still had that rasp to it. It was for that reason that Ririka didn't bristle. Instead, quite honestly, she answered:
"I don't."
"Misa said that she would have taken Kaida's place, if she could have. I told her that was nonsense. The culprit would not have taken her, not if they had a plan. They wouldn't have taken me either."
"And you would have offered too, wouldn't you?" Ririka asked softly.
Rin crossed his arms.
"I wouldn't expect you to understand."
"And again, I don't. I won't pretend to, either."
Let Rin think that this was because she wasn't a parent, rather than because she'd once been a child. Another moment passed, and then another, and she asked the question she'd asked when Rin had first come in:
"What do you want me to do?"
"I want to look at the activity of the admin assistants."
When Ririka just stared, Rin sighed heavily.
"You can see when they logged in, when they signed out, their activity on our systems and so on, yes?"
"I mean, yes. Though, the admin assistants will have access to this data themselves, especially the sign-in data."
"Enjou-san, do you really think they are going to give up that information willingly?" Rin asked witheringly.
"Are you investigating the admin assistants?"
"Well, of course. The police clearly aren't doing their job, are they?" Rin declared. "Otherwise, this would have stopped a long time ago. The Motowaris would have been exposed as hitmen a long time ago too, and perhaps none of this would have happened at all."
"I'm not so sure about that…" Ririka said cautiously.
"What is there to be unsure about?" Rin demanded. "Students are being murdered, and the Motowaris are killers. It's simple, isn't it?"
A lot of thoughts swirled around Ririka's head just then, and she took her time in trying to pick one out for her next response.
"Do you know if there is anything in the idea that Hayami Motowari's true Talent was covered up? Or rather, do you believe that there is?"
Rin's nostrils flared.
"What do you take me for? But is that really surprising that I wouldn't? The Motowaris would have bribed admin and the like to hide the truth, and then would have used my…ignorance to give their disguise some legitimacy."
When Rin said 'ignorance' he looked like he had just attempted to eat a lemon whole, and if it wasn't for what they were talking about, Ririka might have (just about) found that funny.
"So…. you think the Motowaris really could have pulled that off completely unchecked by anybody else?"
Despite everything, Ririka didn't want to come right out and say it. It did sound like Rin didn't know that much at all, but she couldn't be sure. If she showed him the recording, it could go either way. He was still a member of staff, and even if he wasn't apparently part of that inner circle, he still had a certain amount of extra power. The blank look he now gave her was somewhat encouraging, in that he wasn't immediately threatening her or anything, but then Rin sighed heavily:
"I wouldn't really expect you to understand this, either," Rin said. "But given how you've refused me before and how that turned out, I think it's best if you give me the information I am asking for."
Ririka rubbed her face tiredly. She supposed he had a point. But still, she had to press:
"What are you hoping to find out?"
"Exactly whose feet the responsibility should be laid at."
Another silence. Then, Ririka sighed and moved her chair off to the side, while gesturing to Rin that he should come around the desk. As he did so, she looked for the information that he needed, trying to ignore the dread thickening in her stomach. This wasn't easy, especially once she could feel Rin's gaze on her, intent. But eventually, she brought up sheets of the data he needed for each of the admin assistants.
"I set the date to November, up until now, just to be on the safe side."
"That was prudent of you. I can take over from here."
Ririka wasn't about to leave Rin alone with her computer, so she only pulled her chair further over to the side so he could sit right in front of it, and she waited. Rin flicked her a sideways glance, laden with irritation, but proceeded to take screenshots and jot down notes in a notebook he had apparently been carrying in his blazer pocket in preparation.
"Just how much responsibility do you think the admin assistants have?" she asked after a while.
"I imagine they would probably try to wriggle out of it, much as you have."
"That's-okay, never mind. But not a single one of them are former SHSLs, or from well-connected families, let alone both. They're just ordinary people. How much power do you think they have?"
It wasn't so much that she thought that the admin assistants were necessarily innocent. One of them could, for example, be directly working for the Motowaris, or any of the sponsors who had been in Benkei's recording, or even for the main culprit themselves. But as much as she didn't share her father's hardline suspicions, she had to admit that he had a point. The more power you had, the more you could get away with things.
And she would have considered Rin one of those people, if not for the fact that he gave her an utterly baffled look as he asked:
"What would any of those things have to do with anything?"
Ririka didn't have the energy to argue. She knew that Rin wouldn't listen to her anymore anyway. But she thought it was incredibly obtuse of him, all things considered.
"I have work of my own to do, so I'd appreciate it if you could get on with whatever you're doing."
Even that was incredibly daring of her, but Rin didn't seem particularly annoyed, which was somehow even stranger than his obtuseness. Instead, he carried on screenshotting and writing notes. It was a relief when he eventually finished and got up.
"That will be all. Thank you for your time, Enjou-san."
He closed the door behind him, and Ririka sighed. For a moment, she thought he'd come back, but when he didn't, she got up again and carried on with her sorting out. As she did, she couldn't help thinking of the day she had found that list. How ordinary everything about that day had been. She wondered what would have happened if she had perhaps texted Tsukiko about it, asking hey, what should I do with this? Or, if instead of putting it away herself, asked an admin assistant to do so. Then again, perhaps that wouldn't have helped anything, considering that Tsukiko was missing, and Rin apparently suspected the admin assistants.
She shook her head, and carried on, moving to some of her usual duties when she had finished getting the office just as she liked it. Some time went by in reading emails and solving queries, and soon she approached what felt like a good time to take a lunch break. She got up to get her bag, expecting to pull her lunch box out. Except, her hand met empty space instead, and she quickly realised that she had left her lunch at home.
Great, she thought, that means I'll have to go and buy something.
She sighed again, then grabbed her bag and jacket, and left her office (this time, triple-checking that she had locked it). A few students called out a greeting to her as she headed towards the Student Café, and she waved back. But just as she was about to go in and join the lunchtime rush, she saw Rin again. Thinking that he was going to approach her again, she started to steel herself, only to be wrong-footed when he walked past her, intent on something ahead of him. No, she realised. Someone. For Yamaguchi was heading towards the front gate, and for some reason, Rin was following her. But they were not the only ones heading for the gate, for, coming from the opposite direction, she saw Konoha Kagematsu and Keiji Matsumoto walking together, both of them out of school uniform. That wasn't so strange in itself, but underneath their jackets, it still looked like they had dressed up fairly formally. Konoha looked like she might have been dressed almost entirely in black, but again, the jacket made it difficult to tell. On top of that, since they were two of the students that Sakichi had asked her to keep an eye on, she was immediately curious about where they were heading.
But there was Rin to consider, too. He had been so insistent on getting information on the admin assistants, and now he was apparently tailing one of them. She wanted to know what he was doing, and why, especially since she had a role to play in that. But she could not go in two directions. First, she looked at the teenagers.
"They gave us a rather unusual lead, and I suspect they're going to keep investigating. Kuroki-san, I know, wants to utilise that. Which is fair enough. However, there are enough students in danger at the moment thanks to Hope's Peak. I can't just leave them to it."
"That's unusual of you." Ririka commented.
"What is that supposed to mean?"
"Forget it," she said. "Just tell me who they are."
And then she looked at Rin, almost completely out of sight now.
Rin crossed his arms.
"I wouldn't expect you to understand."
"And again, I don't. I won't pretend to, either."
Let Rin think that this was because she wasn't a parent, rather than because she'd once been a child.
Ririka gritted her teeth and made her decision. Unfortunately, at that point, Konoha and Keiji had almost disappeared out of sight, and she had to run to try and catch a glimpse of them, only to see them getting on a bus. She let out a hiss of frustration, and then, at a loss of what to do, she headed to the same bus stop. But, in an unexpected stroke of good luck, another bus going along the same route came, and she hopped on. Standing as near to the front as she could get without being in the way, she was able to keep the previous bus in her line of sight, though depending on the traffic its distance from her varied. In this way, when she spotted Keiji and Konoha getting off the bus ahead of her, she was also able to hop off and try and follow them once more.
She was not exactly a surveillance expert, but she had a feeling that following them into the convenience store was the fastest way of getting herself noticed, so she hung back, pretending to look at the window display of a shop while waiting for them to come out. It didn't take very long for them to come out, with Konoha carrying a large carrier bag filled with newspapers. Well, that's a bit odd, Ririka thought. Why come all this way for newspapers?
She couldn't catch all of their conversation, given how busy the street was, but she got the sense that Keiji was impatient for them to move on to somewhere else, but that Konoha didn't fully know what it was they were doing. At least, that's how she interpreted Konoha's dry remark of 'so, are you going to tell me what's going on, then?'.
But she wasn't expecting them to go into the Lotus Bar, just a few blocks away.
As they disappeared in, Ririka could do nothing but gawp for a moment. Well, that sort of explains the change of clothes. Even if the Lotus Bar turned a blind eye to Hope's Peak students coming in, it didn't want to be caught with the students actually in uniform. But neither of the two students seemed like the type to frequent bars for fun, or to drink. At least, that was what she thought.
After a moment more of pontificating, she decided to follow them in.
"Are you actually stupid?"
She stopped in the doorway, staring at Keiji. His back was turned, but he was waving a tablet (not his Electro-ID, she noted) in the face of a stunned-looking bartender, who did not appear to know how to answer the question Keiji put to them:
"Why would you give me this footage?"
"Y-you asked me for the footage of Seren Nishiya on January 6th and 7th!" the bartender protested. "That's what I gave you!"
"No, you didn't." Keiji said.
"What…that….I mean, what are you…?"
After a moment of spluttering, the bartender exclaimed:
"You're holding it! Right there!"
They gestured at the tablet, and Keiji tilted his head slightly.
"Are you sure about that?"
Konoha had been sitting silently watching them, doing nothing more than take off her leather jacket (revealing that the roll-neck jumper she wore was dark grey rather than the black of her trousers. Still, close enough, Ririka thought). But it was now that she spoke up:
"I know you enjoy a dramatic reveal. But I don't think you're going to spontaneously combust if you just tell us what's going on."
Keiji turned slightly as if to respond to Konoha, but then he caught sight of Ririka, and spun all the way around.
"What the fuck?" he asked. "Why are you following us?"
Konoha also turned, and blinked in surprise, saying:
"Oh, so there was someone following us. I did wonder."
Now it was Keiji's turn to splutter incoherently, before half-hissing:
"You thought somebody was following us and you didn't say anything?"
"And remind me at what point I was supposed to do that? Besides, I wasn't sure. I didn't think someone could follow us from a different bus to the one we were on?"
"She could have driven-"
"No, I did take the bus. "Ririka said, though that was not really the most important thing here. "But what's going on? Are you conducting your own investigation?"
Well, that's a stupid question, isn't it? Clearly, Keiji seemed to think so, because his mouth twisted, and he said:
"You know that, don't you? That's the only reason you're here, right? Detective Enjou must have asked you to keep an eye on us or something."
"…we can talk about that later." She eventually said. "For now…what's going on here, specifically?"
"An actual explanation this time, please, Matsumoto-san." Konoha added.
Keiji glowered, but then propped his tablet on the table and loaded up a video. Ririka walked over to get a better look, and the still-befuddled bartender leant over the counter to peer at it. It appeared to show the same section of bar that they were all sitting at, but late in the evening, with the lights on and people everywhere. One of the people sitting at the bar appeared to be Seren Nishiya, wearing an outfit that involved a black halter-neck. She appeared to be staring into her drink before then knocking it back and then pushing the glass back across the counter, before then getting up and heading, moving somewhere to the right of the camera's view. Here, Keiji paused it the video.
"We'll come back to that one. Here's one with the same time stamp, from that corner-"
He turned to point out the relevant camera in the bar, then returned his attention to the tablet. He found another video and played that. This one clearly showed Seren heading towards a door marked as being the bathroom. He then closed the video, and then went back to the first video. It ran on for a few minutes, people coming and going, nothing that stood out. Yet, something didn't seem right to Ririka, and she couldn't work it out. It didn't become any clearer when Seren returned to her stool and immediately flagged down a bartender while still standing. It was only once someone had seen to her that she sat down, after first carefully draping her coat over the-
"Wait, did she have a coat, in that first video?" Ririka asked.
Keiji smiled sharply.
"Oh, finally, someone's getting it."
Ririka frowned at the footage, showing Seren sipping at her drink-wine, this time, it looked like-before turning to survey everything around her. Her hair looked neater than it had done before, as if she had fixed it. But where, then was the lacy headband-
"You see it, don't you?"
Ririka met Keiji's eyes again, and though he still had that smile, it didn't reach his eyes. It was only now that it struck her just how tired he looked.
"Wait, see what?" the bartender asked.
Konoha didn't say anything, as she was still studying the screen intently. But Keiji groaned at them all, and then tapped on the tablet a while until two videos were side by side-the video of Seren going into the bathroom, and Seren returning.
"Look at the time-stamps."
On one, 22:12:34 2023-01-06 and the other, 22:13:09 2023-01-06. Realisation hit Ririka abruptly, and she gasped. At the same time, Konoha pointed to the second video and said:
"Hold on, she's coming from the opposite direction there. Like, she should have been sort of going around the counter to come back from the bathroom, but she's come straight in from the other side-"
Ririka hadn't consciously noticed that, but she realised now that this must have been what had had set off her alarm bells.
"That can't be Nishiya-san, because how could she have returned from the bathroom and just come in, at practically the same time?"
"And there it is." Keiji said triumphantly.
The bartender spluttered:
"What do you mean? Are you saying we've given over footage of somebody else completely?"
"That is exactly what I'm saying. I can pull up more, just to show you, if you like." Keiji said.
The bartender opened their mouth and closed it again. Their face had turned a sickly colour as they struggled to pull themselves together, eventually saying:
"But that's what….that's what we gave to the police! Boss and Okura pulled together everything to hand over, because we wanted to cooperate and…"
Alright, I should probably step in, shouldn't I?
"I think you should probably get your boss over here," Ririka said calmly. "And it's likely we'll need to call the police as well."
"Ah, our boss isn't in yet, but Okura…yeah, I'll get Okura…"
The bartender scuttled into the back, and came out with a group of other staff members, all of them whispering in hushed tones, before one of them turned and spoke.
"I'm Okura. I'm the one in charge when the boss isn't here. What's the issue?"
"The issue is that most of your so-called footage of Seren is not actually Seren." Keiji replied.
"Oh, really now?" Okura raised an eyebrow. "Then, who is it?"
Ririka had known instantly who it was when she'd realised that it was not Seren, but before she or Keiji could say it, Konoha answered:
"Ottillie Nylund."
"Ottillie Nylund…Ottillie Nylund…" one of the other staff members repeated the name over and over, stumbling over the unfamiliar syllables.
"Wait, shit," Okura said. "That foreign girl. The fashion photographer or something, right? Come to think of it, they do look kinda like each other and…shit, can I see?"
"Knock yourself out." Keiji said.
The staff members all huddled around Keiji's tablet, while the boy showed them video clips. Ririka caught glimpses, and realised that, at first glance (if only from the top half), the two girls' outfits had also been fairly similar that day. Yes, one had been a top with tight jeans and another a dress with tights, but both were halter-necked and black. And surrounded by the hubbub of a busy club, and the low lights in all their different colours, she could just about see why someone may not have noticed the difference. But even so, the coat? Nishiya-san didn't have one at all, did she? Ririka didn't think so, but she couldn't be sure from what she had seen.
After a few more moments of furious conferring, Okura eventually looked up and said:
"We're calling the police."
…
Okura had also called 'the boss' who turned out to be a rotund, affable man named Sakamoto. He arrived just moments before the detectives did, and these detectives turned out to be ones Ririka recognised as being ones who worked with Shouichi, though she couldn't remember their names. Since a few more customers had arrived in this time, Sakamoto ushered herself, Konoha and Keiji into a back room so that they could be interviewed. Of course, she herself had very little to say, given that she wasn't the one who had asked for the footage in the first place. But she remained as an appropriate adult for the two students, along with assurances that she would personally escort them back to school.
Not that either of them seemed particularly pleased. Konoha seemed more resigned than anything, but Keiji didn't waste time in letting her know of his displeasure as they walked back to the bus stop.
"We had that handled!" Keiji stormed. "Why did you have to interfere? I had a plan!"
"Surely in that plan, they would have had to call the police anyway?" Konoha pointed out.
Keiji glared.
"Well, yes, but that's not the point-"
"Look," Ririka interrupted. "I was just concerned about where you were going-"
"Why? Are you feeding back information to Detective Enjou?" Keiji challenged.
Ririka winced at that but was saved from answering by the bus arriving. She made sure Konoha and Keiji got on first before then boarding the bus. She sat in the seats just behind the ones they had chosen, and they both turned to her.
"I don't want anything to happen to any other students," Ririka said. "It's already on my conscience that anything happened at all, and while you're right, Detective Enjou has mentioned you, all he's said is that he thinks that you likely need to have someone looking out for you."
"We're more than capable of looking after ourselves!" Keiji huffed. "We don't need interference from someone who isn't even a detective."
"Matsumoto-san." Konoha said, clearly irritated.
"No, it's fine," Ririka said, though it wasn't really. "Look, I'm not saying that you can't look after yourselves. I'm saying you shouldn't have to. The weight of all of this shouldn't all be on you."
Konoha and Keiji both appeared to be thinking about this. It wasn't much of a surprise when Keiji was the one to speak. But it was a surprise to see that he was less indignant before when he muttered:
"I'm not just a kid."
"No, but you still are kids." Ririka said. "And as patronising as it sounds, most of this does need to be an adult's responsibility."
"But it's us 'kids' who are the most affected. Kids who've been taken, kids who've been left behind and hurt by this."
Both Keiji and Ririka stared at Konoha, who blinked and shook her head.
"Not me. I can't claim any of that grief as my own. But still. I can't just shrug my shoulders and say it's not my problem, you know. Because it's our problem more than it is anybody else's. No offence."
"None taken."
Konoha acknowledged this with a nod, then continued:
"And Matsumoto-san has a point. We're not just kids. If any kids are going to try and do something, why not us?"
Konoha had been holding her goggles in her hands, fiddling absently with them, and now she put them back on top of her head. She seemed fairly calm, but Ririka thought she could see a slight tremor in her hand as she pushed the goggles in place. I should say something, Ririka thought, but it was at that point the bus arrived at its stop.
At first, Ririka let the two teenagers go ahead of her, keeping an eye only to make sure they went back through Hope's Peak's gates. But then, as she too went through the gates, she called out their names.
"There's something I need to show you, before I show it to the police. Can you come by my office after school?"
"I'm helping another student with something," Konoha said. "It is somewhat related to our investigations, but it's not dangerous."
"What is it?" Ririka asked.
"Oh," Keiji scoffed. "Just them visiting some housebound lady who sorta lives near the other side of the forest."
He gestured vaguely in the direction of the forest, and Ririka looked over before turning back to them.
"Anyway, I'll come and get it, and I can share it with them." Keiji continued.
"You had better actually share it, unlike the Nishiya-Nylund footage." Konoha said.
"That's what we're calling it now? And who said I was never going to show it to you?!"
"…"
"Ugh, whatever. I guess that is what it is," Keiji shrugged. "Whatever. Fine. I've got more of it to go through myself anyway."
"….when? And how?" Ririka asked.
"They're all idiots there, they owed me!"
"In return, can I have it?" Ririka asked.
Keiji gawped, and she elaborated.
"The 'Nishiya-Nylund' footage."
Keiji narrowed his eyes at her:
"Why?"
"I suppose it's as Kagematsu-san said," Ririka admitted. "I can't claim any of the pain here as my own, but I do feel I failed some obligation to have helped. Especially as I am one of the adults, even if I am not an investigator. And Nishiya-san was failed in a particular unique way, wasn't she?"
Ririka wasn't prepared for the way Keiji's face scrunched up strangely at that. Konoha said his name again, but softer, but this only made him glower and step back. Unsure of what to do, she waited a moment until his expression eased just a fraction. If returning back to the glares she'd become familiar with over this past hour and a bit could be counted as 'easing', that was.
"Fine," Keiji said. "Whatever. I'll see you then, Enjou-san."
She watched the two teenagers walk away, suddenly feeling terribly helpless. Not really sure what to do, or even what to think, she found herself walking towards the security building.
"Enjou-san."
Alexis had just opened the door to her own office within the building, paper bag in her hand.
"Hello there, Burton-san. Sorry, I didn't mean to disturb you when you're having lunch."
"Hmmm. Have you had yours?"
"My what? Lunch? Oh. No."
Great, I've basically forgotten lunch twice now, Ririka thought to herself in annoyance. She was about to apologise to Alexis and leave in the hopes that the third time would be the charm, but to her surprise, Alexis gave her a small smile and said:
"I probably have enough for two. Come in."
Alexis ushered Ririka in and cleared some papers off of her desk. She put the paper bag down in the cleared space, and took out the various buns, bowls of noodles, and sauce. The amount there led Ririka to wonder what Alexis thought a proper amount for two people was if this much only counted as being 'probably' enough.
"Please help yourself to whatever you like."
Rather than taking anything from this selection herself, however, Alexis sat down at the desk, reached into a drawer, and pulled out a jar of pickles. She opened the jar in a smooth motion, then picked out a pickle and started chomping on it. She finished that one quickly, then chomped down three more in quick succession while Ririka just stared.
After the fourth pickle, Alexis used a fifth to gesture at Ririka.
"Go on, I must insist."
Ririka hesitantly took a bowl of noodles and opened it, eating it after murmuring her thanks. To her relief, after eating the fifth pickle, Alexis picked up a bun instead. But after a few bites of the bun, she asked:
"Do you believe it?"
"Believe what?" Ririka asked.
"That Hayami Motowari's Talent was a faked one."
"Uh, well…."
"There is a history of it," Alexis said. "Isn't there?"
"You mean of Talents that are technically illegal actions? That's true, although as far as I know they've never been hidden before."
"You are correct. And at least with the likes of the Organised Crime Boss and the Thief, there were arguments to be made for transferable skills, and channelling those into better uses. And Kuzuryuu has always made an effort to ensure that yakuza business doesn't infringe too much on ordinary people's lives. I've met him once, though that was after I graduated and before I came to work here. For all his bluster, he seems like a decent enough man, despite his occupation. On the other hand, they couldn't really justify the SHSL Serial Killer, could they, despite their best attempts."
"So what you are saying is, you believe there is a precedent for this sort of thing?"
"Exactly. Well, to an extent. On the other hand, I knew young Motowari-san well. I used to help her practice various martial arts."
Ririka raised an eyebrow, and Alexis sighed.
"I am aware that does sound strange, given she was apparently masquerading as the SHSL Gymnast all this time. But again, it's about those transferrable skills, and the girl did-does-like to keep active in different ways. She used to say doing different things with her body helped keep it flexible and healthy. Which is, of course, reasonable. And of course, even her family's wealth would make her a target, so it was useful for her to know how to defend herself. That is what I believed anyway."
Alexis sighed, and ate a little bit more, before saying:
"Needless to say, this is a shock. As I've told those detectives, I did not have an inkling. I knew Motowari was familiar with advisors and many other higher-ups, but again."
"Are they still around?" Ririka asked. "The detectives, I mean."
"Adachi-san's assistant sent them away, pointing out that they needed a warrant, and something."
"Maruyama-san did?" Ririka asked incredulously. "On Adachi-san's instructions."
"No, that was the strange thing," Alexis said, stopping halfway through taking the plastic wrapping off of the top off the other noodle bowl. "The name she gave was Eguchi-san, whom I understand to be a personal lawyer of one of the members of the Advisory Board."
"Eguchi-san?"
The name didn't ring a bell to Ririka, but then again, why would it have? Still, it didn't make very much sense that Maruyama would have acted on the orders of a completely different lawyer. Alexis must have seen the confusion in Ririka's face, for she went on to say:
"After the police were sent away, I followed her to ask what was going on. Apparently, Principal Kirigiri's own secretary had passed on the instructions to Eguchi-san, who had then passed them to Maruyama-san. She was understandably confused, but she assumed this was something that Adachi-san would want, given that he's a lawyer too and Eguchi-san is a lawyer."
"That sounds…."
"Extraordinarily dim? Yes."
Ririka almost choked at how unexpectedly blunt Alexis had been, but she didn't seem to notice, going on to say:
"To her credit, she did tell me that she tried to call Adachi-san about it, but he hadn't answered. He went out for lunch, but hasn't returned since."
"That's what Maruyama-san told you? That he had just gone for lunch?"
Alexis fixed Ririka with a piercing look.
"Why?"
Ririka sighed, and told Alexis about her sighting of Rin, and the conversation they had had that morning.
"You shouldn't have done that, Enjou-san, but what's done is done," Alexis said immediately. "However, that is concerning, especially since I have a feeling that Yamaguchi-san never returned either."
"Do you have any idea why it is that he might have an interest in Yamaguchi-san specifically, rather than the admin assistants in general?" Ririka asked, curiously.
Alexis shook her head, but didn't answer as she picked up the desktop phone she had, and dialled Rin's extension code. She put the phone to her ear and waited a few moments, before hanging up, dialling another extension and waiting again.
"Ah, no, I was just wondering if Yamaguchi-san was around….ah, I see. No, no, do not concern yourself with it, I will simply try again later. Thank you very much, Shoji-san."
Alexis frowned, then got out her mobile from the pocket of her blazer, making another call. It didn't take long for her to purse her lips, shake her head and put her mobile phone down.
"No answer?"
"Not from Adachi-san, no," Alexis said, crossing her arms and staring at the phone. "Although it may not mean anything. I do not have Yamaguchi-san's work mobile number to be extra sure, but nonetheless. There could easily be an innocent explanation for all of this. "
"You don't think so, though."
And I don't think so, either.
The two women stared at each other for a moment. Then, Alexis uncrossed her arms and gestured to the food wearily.
"I'll consider this matter closely later on. For now, please keep eating, Enjou-san. The food's getting cold."
And at a loss to do anything else, she did.
…
"Clio-san!"
Clio turned as she heard Junpei's voice calling for her. She wasn't used to her crutches, and she slipped a little as she turned, but managed to right herself as she stepped to the side of the doorway.
"Hiya."
"You…you got hurt?" Junpei asked.
"It's okay…" Clio said. "It's just a sprain, it doesn't hurt that much."
"A-are you sure?"
"Yeah." She sighed heavily. "I'm sure."
Junpei nodded, and then asked:
"Did you…uh, this sounds silly, did you want to come around again today? Obviously, Aunt Kanna's driving, so you don't have to walk so much. And Shiro would love to see you again."
"Ah, that would be nice, but I'm visiting Yama-san today."
"Yama-san….Yama-san…."
Junpei frowned as he repeated the name, trying to place it. Clio gave him a moment before supplying:
"The housebound lady who lives near to the forest boundaries."
Junpei's eyes widened.
"Oh! Oh, yes! That does sound familiar. But, when are we all going to meet up? We need to, right?"
"We do…but actually, Ito-kun, is it okay for me to ask you to wait?"
Junpei looked quizzically at her, but she hesitated before explaining. Is this really a good idea, she wondered. Then again, it's safer out of school, isn't it? And if Ito-kun looks at it first, then we can make some progress. Then maybe, Luca-kun can still be saved…
"I need to go back to my dorm to get some stuff and put down my school things…but there's something I need to give to you, too. Can you wait?"
"Oh!" Junpei nodded earnestly. "Sure! I'll tell Aunt Kanna!"
He fished out his phone from his pocket and made a note, and then pointed over to the front gate.
"I'll be there!"
Clio nodded, and then headed towards the dorms, trying to be as quick as possible while on crutches, which was no mean feat, even while using the lift instead of the stairs. As she headed to her room though, she paused and looked over at Ena's room. She hadn't knocked that morning, but she was sure she hadn't seen him leave.
So carefully, she hobbled over, and knocked on the door. A few seconds went by, and then the door opened. A dishevelled-looking Yuuto glowered, but then blinked at her, before asking:
"How's your ankle?" he asked.
"I'm managing." She said.
"Hmmm."
He narrowed his eyes at her, scrutinising her closely. Then, he dug in his pocket and pulled out a lollipop, which he held out to Clio. She blinked at him uncertainly, and then took it.
"T-thanks?"
"Psh. Make sure you've eaten. And if there's anything you want to tell me about Amari, let me know."
"Um…?"
"Don't you have to go and visit this Yama-san?"
"Uh, yes…"
"Then, fucking go."
The door slammed in her face, and Clio blinked at it, wondering whether she was meant to feel touched or offended. But he was right, she did have to go, so she went to her room. After putting down her homework on her desk and picking up the newspapers Konoha had given her between afternoon lessons. Her hand then went to the drawer that the memory card was hidden in, but she hesitated and put things off by limping to her wardrobe to select a jacket. There, she paused. She brushed her hand against the sides of all the jackets and coats she had hanging in her wardrobe, but she kept returning to one.
She took a deep breath, and reached out for the deep grey frock coat with the pink fur and the rose-gold buttons. She touched the fur on one of the cuffs, gripping it tightly, before sighing and taking the coat out. She shrugged it on without buttoning it up, then looked at its lighter grey, mint-green-accented twin. She took that out too, still on the hanger, and held it against herself, before looking down.
It doesn't look right.
Of course it doesn't look right. How could it, when it was Fukue-chan's jacket?
She hung it back inside and closed her wardrobe door, before buttoning up the jacket she had put on, and going back to her drawers. She opened it up, grabbed the envelope, and hid it in her pocket before making sure she had everything she needed and leaving.
She found Junpei near the front gates, standing by Kaniza's car, with Kaniza next to him. They were both eating pastries of some kind, and when Kaniza spotted her, she frantically swallowed before shoving her pastry back in its paper bag and enveloping Clio in a hug.
"Oh, you poor thing! Jun told me that it was your friend this time. No wonder you took off like that!"
"I…."
Kaniza patted her back a couple of times, and then stepped back. Clio wiped away the tears that had welled up, and this didn't go un-noticed by Kaniza, who asked:
"Are you alright? Do you have anyone you can talk to?"
"I….um…"
"Aunt Kanna, she has me! And the other sempais, right?"
Clio blinked at Junpei, then felt in her pocket, where she had also stashed her lollipop. I guess he's right, isn't he? So, she nodded. Kaniza nodded but looked a little grave.
"Clio-chan, if you want to talk to someone, or cry with someone, then you can talk to me as well, alright?"
"Um…okay. Thank you."
"Alright. I'll let you two talk. Junpei, don't take too long though, okay?"
"Okay, Aunt Kanna!"
Kaniza got into the driver's seat of the car and closed the door. Through the window, Clio saw that the moment Kaniza was seated, she took out her pastry once more and started chomping at it. It made her smile, before she remembered what she had to give to Junpei. Soberly, she held out the envelope to him and said:
"Keep this safe, alright? We need to look at it together."
"What is it?"
"It's something I found when we…you know…the admin offices?"
Junpei nodded with understanding. Dramatically, he put a finger to his lips and grinned.
"Say no more! Can I take a look at it myself first?"
"Um…I mean, even I haven't looked. I haven't got anything that will fit it."
Junpei looked curious at this as he took the envelope from her. Opening it, he peered in, and his eyes widened. Without a word, he resealed the envelope and put it in his own pocket.
"Okay then. I, um, guess you gotta go then, right?"
"Yeah."
Junpei got into the car, buckling himself in, and then waving as Kaniza drove away. Clio smiled and waved back, then turned back to wait for Konoha and Nazuna.
…
It didn't take very long for Yama-san to answer the door once they got there. As usual, she'd put on too much make-up, as if attempting to appear younger than she really was. But also, as usual, her clothes were neat and formal, as if she were going out.
"Hello, Yama-san. I like your jacket."
Clio did like Yama-san's jacket. A smart-casual cream blazer, with flower shaped buttons, and a lining with a purple floral pattern, which she could see since the sleeves were rolled up and the blazer unbuttoned. Under this, she wore a grey roll-neck jumper and a long light purple skirt. Her grey hair was in a bun as usual, and her light blue eyes assessed them keenly.
"Oh, thank you dearie. I thought you might. I see you've got some new friends with you today."
Nazuna and Konoha introduced themselves, and Yama-san's eyes sparkled:
"Oh, it is very good to meet you, but I am forgetting myself. Please, come on in."
They went in, slipping their shoes off. Clio leant against the wall as she did so, but declined help in getting to the living room. As they sat themselves down, Yama-san asked if any of them wanted drinks, or biscuits. Automatically Clio got up and said:
"Oh, no, no, I can-"
"Clio-san," Nazuna chided gently. "No, you can't."
"Ah…yes."
"Oh, you poor thing," Yama-san said. "Whatever happened?"
"It's just a sprain," Clio tried to reassure her. "Nothing too bad. I just can't put too much strain on it."
"Oh dear, and with poor Fukue-chan dying as well…no, no, you don't worry about it. You went to the trouble of visiting me, I can manage the drinks and biscuits."
"Ah…well."
Clio sat back down on the beige sofa, and adjusted some of the cushions (today, put inside lacy cushion covers which were a little scratchy) and watched Yama-san shuffle off into the kitchen. As they waited, she watched Nazuna and Konoha looking around them. In looking at them look around at Yama-san's living room, she felt like she was seeing it anew too. The bookshelves filled with books, the knick-knacks on top of it, the defunct fireplace which now had a variety of fake plants sitting in front of it, and the photographs on top of the mantelpiece.
Yama-san came back, carrying a tray laden with plates of biscuits, a cup of tea, and three glasses of juice. She seemed to be straining with the weight of it, and though both Nazuna and Konoha got up to help, it was the latter who got there first.
"Oh, you are a nice young lady," Yama-san said. "Thank you very much."
"Not a problem."
As Yama-san sat down, Clio remembered the bag she'd brought with her and passed it over. Yama-san took it and peered in. Her eyes sparkled.
"Oh, excellent, thank you. I do love the internet and all of that, but sometimes a good old fashioned newspaper is the only thing that will do. It's the same with books. Nothing can be a substitute for the feel and experience of reading a physical book, you know."
"You do have a lot of books." Nazuna commented. "It's almost like a library down here."
"Oh, no, I have more upstairs, but I like to have the stories in easy reach too."
"So, you mostly read fiction then?" Konoha asked.
"What makes you think that, dear? Oh, and go on, have your drinks and a snack!"
Clio picked up her glass of juice, while Konoha took a biscuit and elaborated:
"I apologise, I thought when you said 'stories'…"
Yama-san laughed, a thin, reedy sound.
"Well, I like all sorts of stories, dear, whether they are true or not. It's all in the telling. "
Nazuna was now also studying some of the bookshelves, and she said:
"You've got a lot of biographies there."
Yama-san's eyes lit up.
"Ahh now, those ones… those ones are particularly special to me."
"They are? How so?" Konoha asked.
"Yama-san's a ghostwriter!" Clio piped up.
Nazuna and Konoha both glanced at Clio, then looked at Yama-san in some surprise. The old lady chuckled.
"Well now, it would be more accurate to say I used to be. I mostly had to retire, of course, when I became unwell. It is hard to truly get to know a person if you can't meet them in the flesh, such as it were. And if you don't get to know them, how can you write in their voice? But, there are some who seem happy with that, which is why I haven't fully retired, such as it were. "
"Ah, so these biographies are the ones you've written, then?" Nazuna asked.
"Correct."
"Are you working on anything at the moment?" Clio asked.
"Ah, no, not at the moment," Yama-san said. "I'm taking a little break to work on a…personal project."
"Ooooh," Clio was intrigued. "Are you going to publish your own memoirs, maybe?"
"Ah, I'm not nearly as interesting as all that." Yama-san said, modestly.
"But you must have met a lot of interesting people, right?" Konoha asked, gesturing to the bookshelf. "Those people come from all sorts of fields."
"That is very true." Yama-san agreed. "But I am not a part of those stories, only their…conduit, so to speak."
"Maybe you could write a memoir about being a ghostwriter?" Clio suggested. "I think people might be interested in that."
"Maybe, maybe," Yama-san said. "But, believe me, dearie, it's not nearly as interesting as all the scandalous things happening in the world now. And the tragic ones."
Nazuna frowned at this, while Konoha raised an eyebrow. Clio knew that Yama-san was a little odd, and it couldn't really helped given how isolated she was, but nonetheless her light statement stung, and she looked into her glass.
"Poor Fukue-chan," Yama-san said. "I remember being so pleased when her brother brought her here, after he'd showed her the advert, I'd put out asking for helpers. I hadn't really thought it'd come to much, but she turned out to be so lovely. And then she brought you along too, Clio-chan. Such a horrible thing. I do hope they work out who is behind all of this…it does seem like a terribly knotty mystery, though."
"Um…."
"We should probably apologise to you, Yama-san," Nazuna said. "For we had an additional reason for coming along to visit you today."
"Oh?"
Yama-san tilted her head.
"See…some of us are trying to find more information on the disappearances and murders, in the hopes of getting everyone else back. And Clio-san realised that you could probably see some of the forest from here."
"The forest?" Yama-san asked.
"Ah, the forest that's near school," Clio said. "You're kind of on the other side of it, right?"
"That's true, yes," Yama-san said. "But to be perfectly honest with you, it's mostly just the treetops I see from here. Do you want to come out to see?"
"I…um, sure."
She put down her glass and got her crutches and got up. Nazuna and Konoha also got up, and the three of them followed Yama-san as she shuffled out into her kitchen and then opened the door to the back garden. Most of the plants were still barren, save for some of the evergreen bushes around the shed, but a few looked as if they hadn't been pruned before the frost had shrivelled them.
"It will be nice to try and get back out here, once the weather improves." Yama-san mused.
"When my ankle gets better and everything is over, I'll try and come around to help." Clio promised.
"Oh, you are kind," Yama-san said. "Too kind to be enduring all of this."
"Um…."
Yama-san turned an unusually intense look on Clio, and then reached out to pat her shoulder, before then turning back to gesture at her fence, and the trees that could be seen just beyond it.
"That's the forest you are referring to, right?"
"That's right, yes."
"Sometimes I hear people trekking, or chatting, but only ever very distantly." Yama-san. "On sunny days, when I am out here, if I hear such things I do admit to trying to listen and imagine what the stories around what I'm hearing are. But I've never seen or heard any criminals running through here. Or if I did, I wouldn't have known it just from what I heard."
"Oh."
Clio knew that this wouldn't have been the key to unlock everything, but her shoulders sagged with the disappointment of it all the same. Yama-san patted her shoulder once more, then looked at the three of them.
"I know that must be quite disappointing for you young ladies."
"No, we understand," Nazuna said. "We appreciate you taking the time to think about it, though."
"Ah, what's an old lady to do, really?" Yama-san said. "I'm not nearly as interesting a character as you, so of course I wouldn't witness anything truly vital. But I do hope that you manage to find out something, though. I have no doubt that you will. In any case, let's go back inside and try and chat of nicer things, shall we? Take Clio-chan's mind off of things for a little while."
So they went back inside, and exchanged small talk while snacking on biscuits and drinking juice. It didn't entirely take Clio's mind off of things, but she pretended it for Yama-san's sake. The old lady meant well, after all. After a little while, Nazuna politely pointed out that it was best for them to be getting back, and they were seen out.
"Do make time to visit again, if you can," Yama-san said. "Perhaps next time I will tell you some stories of my ghost-writing life."
Clio smiled gently.
"I'll do my best, Yama-san."
Yama-san nodded, and closed the door. They went out of the gate, and were just about to make their way back down the road and to the bus stop when Nazuna startled, looking up.
"Kurihara-sempai?" Clio asked.
"I thought someone was watching me."
Clio followed Nazuna's gaze to the upstairs windows, where the curtains were drawn. One of the curtains looked like it had been slightly disturbed, but it could easily have been that Yama-san hadn't pulled it neatly.
"Ah, don't mind me," Nazuna said suddenly. "I forgot she lives alone. Let's get you back to your dorm then, Clio-san."
"Mhm."
But she couldn't resist one more look back at that upstairs window as they left.
…
Despite everything, it hadn't taken long for multiple sources to confirm that the young man pictured at the delivery locker was indeed one Hideru Amari. In between attempting to track down the elusive freelance reporter, Shouichi had even managed to have a phone interview with Hideru's former high school teacher, who had described the boy as a 'delinquent in the making' and someone who 'never accepted responsibility for his own actions'. The teacher had even met Fukue once or twice, remembering the girl as being 'old for her years' and not getting on with her older brother. That had been the most compelling testimony, but even the other callers who had identified him were more than enough to warrant needing to talk to him further.
The first priority had been to track down the freelance reporter, though. It turned out that the security guards had been distracted by a couple of more combative reporters from a larger newspaper demanding more answers, and that the young woman had taken advantage to slip away. The name she had given when registering-Miku Oyama-had turned out to be fake, and she hadn't listed herself as having arrived at the venue with a car. Attempts to find out what she had written and who might have employed her had come up empty, and though Nishihara was digging deep, it was unclear how this woman had managed to get into the press conference at all. CCTV showed her coming and going from the venue, but she hadn't been picked up on any other CCTV.
They needed to find her, but it was clear that this was not going to be an easy task. Eventually, it was decided that this was best left to Nishihara's team, as part of their investigations into the Motowari family as a whole. Ogawasara returned to Yakanabe to continue working on Tsukiko Shinsato's disappearance, and once he had been seen off, Shouichi decided to try and track down Hideru.
Taking Tsukasa with him, he decided to start at the Amari family home first. From the things he had pieced together, there were a few clubs and bars he also liked, as well as a couple of motorbike stores. But one of the calls had been from a worker from one of those stores, and he was unlikely to be at one of the clubs or bars at mid-afternoon. Though, given what Hanaoka had just told him about the footage that they'd received from the Lotus Bar, he had good reason to go there anyway. He was also particularly interested in visiting The High Place, given that the person who'd called in to name that place as one of Hideru's hangouts had been the only one who hadn't given a name, or even explained how they'd known Hideru. If it turned out Hideru wasn't at home, those would be the places he'd try next. But given what he knew of Hideru, home was probably still the best place to start. So, he and Tsukasa approached the door, rang the bell, and waited.
After a few moments, the door opened to reveal a child standing there. A girl, about kindergarten aged, holding a handful of felt-tip pens in one hand and a plastic wand in the other. None of the felt-tip pens had their lids on. She scowled up at them sceptically, and before Shouichi could ask her if there was an adult around, she immediately asked:
"Are you a pirate?"
Shouichi was used to this, so he simply replied:
"No, I'm a policeman. Is your mother or another adult around?"
This was met with another sceptical scowl, before the little girl said:
"That's the same thing."
She then wandered off into what Shouichi assumed was the kitchen, without actually answering the question. However, an exasperated female voice soon exclaimed:
"Yue, I was filming! And what do you mean, there's a pirate at the door?"
This was followed by footsteps, and a harried looking young woman in a pink floral kitchen apron appeared. Her face was lightly made-up, but nonetheless it was still obvious that she was wearing make-up. This, combined with what Shouichi knew of Fukue's mother, made him suspect that this was one of the older sisters, who was following in their mother's footsteps. She was dark haired and purple-eyed, but there was something in her face structure that echoed Fukue's, in any case.
"I'm Kazuno, can I help?"
After Shouichi had introduced the both of them, he asked:
"We were wondering if your younger brother, Hideru, was around?"
Kazuno's brow furrowed.
"What is this in regards to?"
Not knowing if she had read any of the news and spotted that the 'person of interest' was Hideru, Shouichi decided to take the cautious approach:
"We were hoping he could help us answer a couple of questions."
"What, about Fukue? Could ask me, couldn't you?" Kazuno said. "I'm family too, and I'm older than him."
"Ah, this is relating to something Hideru-kun may have inadvertently witnessed during one of his delivery jobs. I understand he works as a delivery driver for a number of places?"
Clearly, Tsukasa had it in hand, and Shouichi decided to let him continue with the questioning.
"Yeah, apparently it works out better to be part time for a number of places. And I mean, he's bringing in the cash so like, whatever." Kazuno shrugged. "Doesn't mean Hideru's not a complete pain though."
"Hide-nii?"
Shouichi hadn't noticed the small boy coming down the stairs, but now he came to stand in front of Kazuno, barely paying attention to the two strangers in his midst to ask:
"Hide-nii?"
"Kid, do I look like Hideru to you?" Kazuno sighed. "No, he's not here. Go back upstairs and play."
"No. I'm going out." The little boy said stoutly.
And sure enough, the little boy did have a small backpack on. It was half open, a teddy bear and what appeared to be a long stripey sock peering out of the opening.
"Oh, are you?" Kazuno asked.
"Yeah. I'm going to find Fuku-nee."
Kazuno bit her lip, and gave Shouichi and Tsukasa stricken looks before kneeling down to the little boy's level and saying:
"Tsu-chan, Fuku-nee's not coming back. You won't be able to find her, because she's not coming back? Remember what the nice daycare teacher told you, about dying?"
"No! Hide-nii said, I can go and find Fuku-nee. I can go with her to school! Fuku-nee is going to school."
"No, Tsu-chan, she's not…"
Kazuno tried to give the little boy a hug, but he wasn't having it. He pushed her away and spun around, little face furiously determined, again still not noticing the two men until he almost collided into Tsukasa's legs. Tsukasa immediately also knelt and said:
"Hey there, little man, where are you going?"
"I'm not a little man, I'm Tsumugu!" Tsumugu objected.
"Tsumugu-kun, then," Shouichi said, "Have you been looking for your big sister Fukue?"
"I want to go to school with Fuku-nee!"
"Ah, Tsumugu is…was pretty attached to Fukue. She's a good sister, a great caretaker. Much better than I ever was, even though everyone expects me to be brilliant at little kids, being the eldest daughter and all."
Kazuno grimaced, then shook her head:
"But anyway, whenever Hideru was watching Tsumugu after Fukue finally went off to school, Tsumugu used to sneak off and try and follow her down. No matter what we tell Hideru, he just never got to grips with it-like, even I know to make sure all the doors are locked and shit. And making jokes with him about going to school? The boy's an idiot. Hideru, that is. Fucking idiot."
"Zuzu-nee, that's a bad word!" Tsumugu suddenly admonished.
"Okay, okay, sorry Tsu-chan. But come on now, yeah? Want to do some baking with me?"
"Noooo, I wanna see Fuku-nee! I wanna go school with Fuku-nee!"
Tsumugu lay down on the floor, kicking and screaming in a full-blown tantrum. It couldn't have been comfortable, with the backpack on his back, but that didn't seem to deter him. Kazuno ran a hand through her hair, turning it from artfully messy to simply messy, and she huffed in exasperation, ineffectually saying:
"Tsu-chan, please…"
Yue also reappeared from the kitchen, no longer holding the felt tip pens but still brandishing the wand. She regarded her younger brother's tantrums as if she were a scientist looking at something through a microscope, until she locked eyes with Shouichi. She again scowled, then asked:
"Are you going to arrest Tsu-chan and make him walk the plank?"
"Wha-" Kazuno's head whipped around to Yue. "Yue, that's not helping!"
Before anybody else could respond, there was the sound of the key in the lock. This seemed enough to halt Tsumugu's tantrum, as his yelling quietened (though he sniffed quite loudly) and he sat up, eyes wide. Shouichi turned to watch the door widen, a shadow appearing in the gap as a disgruntled male voice said:
"I'm back-"
"Hide-nii!"
Tsumugu jumped up and barrelled over clumsily as the door swung completely open and Hideru appeared. He immediately clocked Shouichi and Tsukasa, but for a moment, didn't seem to recognise them. The few seconds were enough for Tsumugu to reach him and cling to his leg.
Shouichi stepped forward:
"Hello there-"
Hideru swore loudly, making Yue yell something about bad words, and shoved Tsumugu roughly away from him, before running away as fast as he could.