Tsumugu fell to the ground on his bottom, and immediately let out a high-pitched wailing. Kazuno stormed forward, yelling:
"Hideru, what the fuck, get back here! You idiot! Oi, Hideru!"
Shouichi blocked her before she could storm out of the door, but before she could draw breath to yell at him, he said calmly:
"We need to handle this now, so it is best that you stay here and make sure your younger brother is alright."
Kazuno faltered, then looked back at Tsumugu, still wailing. Yue was standing next to him, patting his shoulder ineffectually and looking confused. Kazuno sighed and went over, kneeling down and cuddling Tsumugu, attempting to soothe him. Shouichi didn't stay to watch, instead following Tsukasa as he chased Hideru down the road. Neighbours peered out from their windows in curiosity, and passengers in cars driving by stared quizzically.
Reaching the end of the road, rather than turning the corner, Hideru darted out across the road, just as a car was approaching. Luckily, the driver managed to screech to a halt just centimetres away from Hideru, but they were understandably irritated as they got out of their car and started to demand what was going on. Tsukasa shouted that this was a police matter and flashed his ID as they continued their pursuit. Hideru continued to show little regard for the people around him as he ran, shoving people away, making them fall or drop their shopping, and knocking over shop signage and some chairs outside a café.
"Oh look, it's Amari! Yo, bro!"
"Heeeeey, Hide, man! What's the rush?"
Sauntering out of a bookstore, a couple of young men spotted Hideru and immediately accosted him. Both grabbed him in presumably friendly headlocks, and Hideru squirmed.
"Shut it, Ryo, Shin, you idiots, I'm being chased by the cops!"
Seeing the opportunity, Shouichi slowed down and got out his ID and presented it as he approached the three boys. The other two blinked stupidly, and one let go of Hideru abruptly and rambled:
"I swear I'm not a perv the bra and panties were from the charity shop and we only put it on old Kanomiya's bushes because he's a damn prude and he's always nagging us about stupid shit like who cares if we leave beer bottles in his garden it's dryer than his skin anyway and it was Shin's idea any-"
"HEY!" the other boy interjected.
"While it is good you have confessed all of that," Shouichi said drily. "It is not that we are here for, but Amari-kun instead."
"Huh?"
"Shit, for fuck's sake, let go of me!" Hideru railed at his other friend.
Hideru then glared viciously at Shouichi and Tsukasa.
"I didn't fucking do anything! I don't care what you think, Fukue's death nothing to do with me!"
"You can explain to us exactly how that's the case down at the station, then." Shouichi said.
Hideru seethed as his other friend slowly let go of him and stared at him, aghast.
"Hide, man, what's going on?"
Hideru didn't answer, instead looking between his friends, the street ahead of him, and Shouichi and Tsukasa. The two friends exchanged looks, somewhere between puzzled and suspicious.
"The outlook will be much worse for you if you try to abscond again," Shouichi said. "It is in your best interests if you cooperate here."
Hideru scowled, but made no move to try and escape again. Instead, he gave a surly nod, and allowed himself to be arrested.
…
Hideru's churlish cooperation ended when the interview actually started. He had been left in the interview room while Shouichi and Tsukasa went to get the materials they needed for the interview, as well as passing over Hideru's phone (which had, of course, been on his person). The entire time, he'd swung on his chair or simply twiddled his thumbs, but as soon as Shouichi and Tsukasa came in he whined:
"Why am I even here? I'm not a criminal, I didn't do anything! I'm actually the victim, you know! It's not exactly easy now Fukue's wound up dead! I keep getting nagged all the time, and the brats are always crying! And my ma's always crying which, yeah, I guess I get. It is pretty shit. But still! I shouldn't be here! I didn't do anything!"
Shouichi badly wanted to either talk or throttle some sense into Hideru. His younger self probably would have leant more towards throttling the young man. But instead, he didn't react , motioning for Tsukasa to do the same. Instead, they waited for Hideru to lose steam. Unfortunately, Hideru continued to complain in a similar vein for quite a while. But eventually, he quietened. Shouichi took out a still of the delivery locker footage and laid it out on the table, calmly asking:
"Do you recognise this person?"
"Huh?"
"It's funny that you don't," Shouichi went on. "Because we've had multiple people claim that this person is you. In particular, they recognise that motorcycle helmet and its distinctive pattern."
"W-what if someone stole it?"
"Did somebody steal it?" Tsukasa asked. "Would you like to make a report about it?"
Hideru sneered, but didn't answer the question. Instead, he asked one of his own:
"What, is it a crime to make deliveries now?"
"In itself, no, of course not," Shouichi said. "However, when the delivery's purpose is to aid a crime, that's when things get a little murkier. What sort of things did you deliver?"
"Heck, I wouldn't know. I don't peek inside, what do I care?"
"You must be given an idea of what it is you are being asked to deliver? Whether it's made of delicate materials, how heavy it is and so on." Tsukasa asked.
"I mean, yeah, but it's just boring shit. Books. Clothes. Drug store shit. Food tins and crap. Not fancy stuff or anything. But why does it matter?" Hideru retorted with a smirk. "Not like any of it was expensive shit or anything."
"That same locker was used by another young man like you, who has been implicated as an accomplice in the kidnapping of the sixteen students from Hope's Peak." Tsukasa informed him.
Hideru's smirk froze as Tsukasa continued:
"Additionally, some of the medication may have been obtained by filling falsified prescriptions in the names of actual patients."
The smirk fell away completely and Hideru just blinked at them. Shouichi asked:
"Were you aware of this?"
"I dunno shit about false prescriptions. Like I said, I never peeked. Why would I? Not like anything was worth stealing, not when I got good money for it!"
"Were you aware of the purpose of your deliveries, though?" Shouichi pressed.
Hideru glared:
"So what? So, what to any of this? Yeah, I picked up shit from that delivery locker and delivered it, and kept my mouth shut about it."
"So, that's a yes then, is it?" Tsukasa asked.
Hideru scoffed.
"So? What's that got to do with me?"
"At no point did it occur to you that perhaps you should take what you knew to the police, given that more and more students were being kidnapped? Or even when one of them was your sister?" Tsukasa pressed.
"I'd ask if this is good cop, bad cop," Hideru sneered. "But I can't tell who's who. You're both trying to piss me off, but you're both clearly fucking goody two shoes. You sure would have gotten along with Fukue, if she hadn't gotten herself killed."
Hideru laughed harshly, but he watched them warily, eyes darting from Shouichi to Tsukasa and back again. And though they already had a culprit for Fukue's abduction, and Shouichi knew they couldn't use the words of a three-year-old as testimony, nonetheless he knew there was something there. Even Kazuno had said that Hideru had gotten Tsumugu worked up about seeing Fukue.
"No! Hide-nii said, I can go and find Fuku-nee. I can go with her to school! Fuku-nee is going to school."
Hopefully, Hideru's phone would shed some light on the matter. But until then, he and Tsukasa would have to see if they could wring it out of Hideru instead.
"Let's talk about her instead then, shall we?" Shouichi asked.
"Huh?"
"Your sister, Fukue Amari, the most recent victim."
He took out a photograph of her from the file and placed it next to the one of Hideru at the delivery locker. It wasn't necessary, of course. Hideru knew what his own sister looked like. But Shouichi was hoping to provoke a reaction with the image, making her more immediate to him. But Hideru barely glanced at it as he demanded:
"What about her? I didn't have anything to do with that either!"
"We have established that you were aware that the supplies you were delivering were for the purposes of kidnapping, yes."
"Well, yes, but it's not like I actually kidnapped anybody! I keep fucking telling you idiots, I never actually did anything, so I shouldn't be here! And besides, I'm the one who got short-changed, didn't I? She wasn't meant to die, was she?"
"So you knew that she was going to be kidnapped then, didn't you?"
Tsukasa had gotten there before Shouichi could, and Hideru shrunk back.
"H-huh?"
"There isn't any point in denying that you didn't do anything," Shouichi tapped the photographs. "By your own admission and this footage, you have been delivering supplies for the purpose of keeping the captive students alive for some unknown purpose. We have your phone and we know that you have been in communication with the kidnapper directly, which is being looked through as we speak."
"H-how would you know that?!" Hideru spluttered.
When they got to the entrance, Hideru was still there, leaning against his motorbike as he held his phone to his ear, hissing furiously:
"You said it would be fine, you said that she wasn't going to-"
Hideru frowned, listened, then said:
"Yes, well, you'd better make up for it. My ma's going crazy, and I'm stuck taking care of the brats until I can palm it off on Zenbe or maybe-"
Hideru looked up and saw Kumiko and Shouichi, and his eyes widened, before narrowing again:
"This isn't the last time you'll be hearing from me."
"Making a call to them while you had just come from identifying your sister's body was not perhaps the best move now, was it?" Shouichi said.
"Well, what the fuck was I supposed to do? They reneged on the deal, didn't they?" Hideru burst out. "They said it very clearly-I won't kill Fukue, so don't you worry. It was just some sort of game shit that they wanted to play and like, yeah, it's screwed up but rich people are screwed up so like! Who cares! I mean, it was a pain having to actually do shit around the house but Fukue was meant to come back! That was the deal."
Shouichi and Tsukasa exchanged looks. Hideru watched them, and went pale before crossing his arms and belligerently spluttering:
"What? Don't look like that! It's not like I did anything! Not really! You think I'm some kinda perv or something? Huh? You can't blame me for any of it! I wasn't the one who kidnapped her! That was that weirdo Tomioka!"
If his previous statement hadn't been damning enough, this all but confirmed it. Shouichi made sure to keep his smile to himself as he asked:
"How do you know that?"
"H-huh? What sort of dumbass question is that?" Hideru asked. "You said it on the news yourself, Tomioka was one of the accomplices, stalking that slut Nishiya and shit."
"We never specified whom Tomioka had been involved in kidnapping, though. Just that he had been responsible for some of the disappearances."
Hideru opened his mouth and then closed it again. He glared at them mutinously, and then declared:
"You know what, I want a lawyer! Call my ma, tell her to get me a damn lawyer!"
…
Clio had her dinner in the cafeteria with almost the whole little group of investigators. Almost, because Junpei was of course at home with his aunt, and Yuuto was still holed up in his room. Clio had tried to persuade him out, and even Nazuna had come to try and reason with him, but they hadn't gotten anywhere.
"Send me up there," Keiji declared grumpily after being told this. "I'll shake some damned sense into him."
"More like annoy him into coming out just to take a swing at you." Konoha said wryly.
Keiji scowled, but Nazuna appeared thoughtful.
"As much as I don't condone fighting…"
"Ugh, whatever. If he's going to back out of investigating just to sit in a room and cry, then he should at least tell us that!" Keiji proclaimed.
"I don't think he's going to back out," Clio said. "Let's give it a bit more time."
"What, until the next body turns up?"
"Nobody's saying that, Matsumoto-san," Nazuna said with some exasperation. "But let's give him a little grace at least."
"Hey, I thought that you wanted to let me have at him." Keiji retorted.
"That is not what I said." Nazuna groaned.
"Let's leave aside the matter of Oshiro-san for a moment," Konoha said. "What have we found out in the last few days? Lets go over it."
"Well, I think I've cracked Detective Kuroki's question," Keiji said grandly. "Or, at least, the essence of it-ah, speaking of which. Hey!"
Ottillie's shoulders tensed as she walked past their table, but she didn't slow down. Keiji got up, and called:
"Oi! You heard me, didn't you? We have something to ask you."
Ottillie slowly turned around, giving them all a contemptuous look.
"What is it? I'm busy."
"We promise that it won't take long at all. There's just something we want to ask you regarding Seren."
"I've told you everything I have to say on the matter."
"But have you, though?" Keiji asked, raising an eyebrow. "I'm pretty sure that you never mentioned that you saw her on the night that you-"
"Don't say that so loudly!"
Ottillie's expression went from haughty to uncomfortable, as she darted looks at the other students in the canteen. They mostly seemed preoccupied with eating their food or talking to their tablemates (with one or two appearing to be studying while eating, too), but Clio couldn't blame her for seeming tense. It was a pretty open space, after all, and Keiji was loud.
Clearly, he knew it, because he grinned viciously, and patted the seat next to him.
"Then, come and sit down. Then I won't need to shout for you to hear me."
Ottillie pursed her lips, but didn't make a move either towards or away from them. Keiji tilted his head, and raised his eyebrow again:
"Oh? I'm guessing it's not common knowledge, then? You didn't tell the police-"
"If you'll leave me alone, then fine."
Ottillie abruptly sat down, though not at the seat Keiji had indicated, but the next one along, meaning she was just that little bit further away from them.
"You were at The Lotus Bar on the night of January 6th, weren't you?" Keiji started.
"I have been there a couple of times, yes. What does that matter?"
"It matters because you were there." Konoha said. "Were you not?"
"Yes, he's mentioned that. So? So what if I was there? Tell me how that matters."
Ottillie crossed her arms, clearly trying to seem uninterested. But that was the thing. Clio couldn't pin down what it was that told her this, but she just knew Ottillie was merely trying to come across that way.
"You saw her, didn't you?"
Ottillie swallowed, and then said:
"It was always fairly difficult not to see her, wasn't it? Always taking up the attention in the room. I vaguely recall an argument with someone or other. And a bartender tried to serve me a godawful blue cocktail which was probably something she had ordered. These are insignificant things, though."
"Are they, though?" Keiji asked.
"A drink intended for Nishiya-san came to you?" Nazuna asked, interested.
"Yes." Ottillie said wearily. "I corrected that error, of course. I don't drink such vulgar things."
"You must have seen something." Keiji pressed. "The last time you appear on any of their cameras is around 12:45AM, only a couple of hours before she disappeared."
"A couple of hours." Ottillie repeated derisively.
"Or, if you didn't see something, maybe you heard something. Perhaps someone asking for Seren, or asking if you were her. Or…"
Keiji drew out this last word, presumably for dramatic effect, before leaning closer to Ottillie and saying in a hushed voice:
"Perhaps it was meant to be you instead."
Ottillie's eyes flared as she reared back.
"Excuse me?"
"Well," Keiji said in a more nonchalant tone, sitting straight again. "I could be wrong. There's no evidence either way. But if The Lotus Bar could accidentally hand over some footage of you and not Seren to the police because of mistaken identity, it stands to reason that they could have kidnapped Seren thinking she was you."
"I'm not the one who walked around claiming to be a victim." Ottillie sneered, though her shoulders had tensed further, and her knuckles were white from gripping her handbag and lunch bag tightly.
"No, but she's the one who ended up as a victim, didn't she?" Nazuna said.
"How dare you?"
"Look, I appreciate we're taking up your time. I'm sure you must be busy. But I don't appreciate your attitude about all of this." Nazuna reasoned.
"You're not detectives of any sort, why should I cooperate?"
"We'll find out anyway, you know." Keiji said. "And we will turn it over to detectives when we do."
This was, of course, not entirely accurate, given that presumably Hirotaro already knew whatever it was they were trying to work out. Still, Ottillie seemed to go slightly grey beneath her immaculate make-up, as she hissed:
"I could go and make a complaint right now, you know? Harassment, stalking and then libel on top of it?"
"Is it libel, though? Surely, if we do go to the police with whatever we find out, they'll just say that they knew that already….because you told them, didn't you? You told them that you were there, and whatever you saw, no matter how insignificant."
When Ottillie glared mutinously at them, Nazuna gasped.
"No. You didn't go to the police?"
"Not that it's any of your business, but I had nothing to do with Seren Nishiya's fate."
Ottillie got up, made a big show of straightening her clothes and dusting herself down as she gave them all withering looks. Clio cringed slightly, but forced herself to keep looking at Ottillie, trying to understand. Even she could see that the older girl was being unusually defensive, even for someone who claimed merely to be annoyed by them.
But then, Konoha rested her chin on her hands, head tilted slightly as she considered Ottillie, before saying:
"Dax Haley."
"What?"
Without answering, Konoha said:
"Yori Miyagi. Silas Jon Finsen. Fukue Amari. Kagura Nabenashi."
"Kagematsu-san." Nazuna started, blinking in confusion. "What are you doing?"
Konoha didn't answer, instead watching Ottillie as she stared in bafflement, still clutching her things. Still playing with her goggles, which she'd taken off her head at some point, she continued:
"Kakeru Yanai…Ena Setsushi…Luca Fontana."
Ottillie stumbled back abruptly, then straightened and glared:
"I am not putting up with this!" she hissed. "If any of you approach me again, if any of you so much as look at me again, I will be raising a complaint against you!"
She then turned on her heel sharply and strode away. Clio blinked after her, wondering what was going on.
"Kagematsu-san," Nazuna repeated eventually. "What were you doing?"
Konoha stared at them for a moment, and then sighed.
"You noticed, right?"
"Um…I don't know?" Clio said honestly.
Konoha put her goggles down on the table, and then repeated:
"Not that it's any of your business, but I had nothing to do with Seren Nishiya's fate."
She said the words slowly, and that made Clio realise:
"Why did she emphasise Nishiya-san's name?"
"That's what I wanted to know," Konoha said. "But chances are, she may not have realised as such. So I thought, perhaps that means there's someone else's fate she had something to do with."
"So," Keiji carefully added. "You listed all the names off like that, to see if any of them would startle her into a reaction. And you made sure not to list them in the order of disappearance, in case she cottoned on."
"Something like that." Konoha shrugged.
"Damn," Keiji whistled. "I'm actually impressed. I'm sure I would have caught on and done something similar myself, but you managed to beat me to it!"
"Thanks, you're a bad influence."
Konoha smirked, in direct contradiction to how flatly she had delivered that line, but sobered as she added:
"But that doesn't necessarily mean that she's telling the truth about Nishiya-san, per se. Unfortunately, all we have to go on is gut feeling based on how she reacted."
"So…." Nazuna said. "Does that mean that she knows something about Fontana-san's disappearance?"
She glanced askance at Clio, who whispered:
"It's possible, isn't it? They could have both been coming from the airport on the same day, right?"
"Well, the first step will be to verify that. Most likely through social media, since I'm sure none of us feel like dealing with her unhinged threats unless we can bring concrete evidence of something." Konoha said.
"But…" Clio had to work to force the words out. "Could she really have done something to Luca-kun?"
"It might be something else," Konoha said quickly. "It's entirely possible that this is just part of her personality. Do you know if maybe she had an argument with Fontana-san?"
"Not that I know of. She didn't even come into the Student Café. At least not when I was there."
"No, I'm sure there's something to it. " Keiji declared. "There's no way that girl is completely innocent."
"Matsumoto-san, have some tact!" Nazuna scolded.
She shot Clio a worried look, but she tried to give a weak smile in reassurance. This didn't stop Nazuna from continuing to look worried though, as Keiji scoffed:
"She's right," he went on, pointing to Konoha. "It could be down to something petty, some fight or some shit, but we need to work it out, just to eliminate it for our investigation."
"And so that you can bring Detective Kuroki an answer, yes?" Konoha said pointedly.
"Yes, well, that too. But that'll help us with our investigation too, technically." Keiji retorted.
"Alright, alright, so, before we try and decide when to meet," Nazuna intervened. "Is there anything else we need to talk about?"
Clio couldn't hold it in any longer:
"Hideru-san got arrested!"
"Who?" Keiji asked.
"This is Amari-san's brother?" Nazuna asked at the same time.
Clio nodded, and Konoha asked.
"What for?"
"Apparently…he…" Clio took a deep breath. "He was also delivering some supplies for the kidnapper-"
"Oh, like that security guard!" Keiji said.
"Mm. But that's not all. Apparently, he helped someone abduct Fukue-chan."
Keiji frowned.
"What does that mean?"
Clio couldn't answer, so she fished out her phone, looked for the texts Zenbe had sent to her, and laid it on the table for them to have a look. She finished the remainder of her dinner while watching them go through the conversation. Konoha was the first to finish reading, and looked up:
"Well, I wasn't expecting that. And for money?"
"Yeah, surely just, you know, getting a job would be easier?" Keiji scoffed. "Still, that's fucked up. And he hasn't said anything about the kidnapper themselves."
"Well, Zenbe-kun's only hearing this second hand, from one of his older sisters, who's home with him and the younger ones. The other sister and the mother are waiting to find out more, I think, and arranging a lawyer for him. " Clio explained.
"That's a tough situation for them to be in, though," Nazuna acknowledged. "For one child to be dead, and another to have been involved in that."
"I can't forgive him." Clio said.
"Nobody would expect you to." Konoha said, slowly.
"I…"
Clio took her phone and stared at the messages from Zenbe. He doesn't deserve a lawyer, one message said, I want him to rot because he's a shit, but Ma says we have to at least be SEEN to be family which WTF. She could almost hear it in Zenbe's voice. He could be a little whiny, sometimes, but he wasn't a bad kid overall. He never really went out of his way to actively help Fukue, mostly because he kept himself busy and away from the house with as many clubs as possible, but he had thanked her and tried to at least not make things harder for her. Clio had liked Zenbe well enough, the few times she'd met him. She wished she could comfort him, knew that she should. He was Fukue's brother, she was just the best friend. She'd sent condolences, but that wasn't enough. And yet, she couldn't. She just couldn't.
"I see the funeral's in a couple of days' time. I can take you, if you would like." Nazuna offered.
Clio looked at her gratefully and nodded.
"Alright…well…I wasn't expecting that." Keiji said. "Damn. Doing that to your own sister is a whole new level of savage. But we'll talk about that when we meet. Speaking of which, can we hurry up and figure out when we're meeting?"
"Yes," Nazuna said, getting out her diary. "Let's do that."
"I'll message Ito-kun and Oshiro-sempai, so they're kept in the loop." Clio offered.
Nazuna nodded, and then they talked through different times. After some back and forth, it was eventually determined that they would meet the next day after school. There was some scepticism over whether Yuuto would come, but he had said he would in the messages, and Clio, recklessly, declared that she would make sure of it. Whether she'd actually be able to stick to that, though, she didn't know.
As they cleared away their trays and left, Nazuna said that she was still trying to find the thing she needed to confirm her hunch about Shiranui's identity, while Konoha said she would try and find out more about the hitman rumours online. Keiji told her to also find out anything she could about Ottillie, because he would also be focusing on her. More specifically, on the footage that he had gained from the Lotus Bar, and searching for any sign of Ottillie in that.
"Though," he casually said just as they were about to part ways. "Chances are there's going to be more Seren than Nylund in all the footage, regardless of which one of them it's meant to focus on."
"Because of the mix-up?" Clio asked.
"No," Keiji replied. "Because Seren had a thing, where she'd try and catch the attention of security cameras wherever she went. Just in case it was the last time she was ever seen. Presumably, she'd have done the same in that alleyway, but we don't know that, of course."
Clio sort of thought she knew what Keiji had meant. They had security in the Student Café (Luca had bought a simple camera system online), and quite a few times Seren had stood near to the cameras and looked into them, or faced them meaningfully while walking past doing some task or other. She'd also heard Kagura teasing Seren gently about being 'like, magnetically drawn' to cameras. But that was just glimpses, really. She didn't know precisely how long the footage was that Keiji had, but she knew it must be hours. Hours of him watching Seren seemingly looking right at him, over and over and over. Hours of him watching her get closer and closer to her death, and not being able to do anything about it. How would that feel?
Was it anything like looking across the road at Fukue and seeing nothing at all?
It was for that reason that, when she had returned to her room, she sat on her bed and scrolled back through her phone, looking for the video she had shown to Shouichi the day she'd discovered Seren's body. She tapped on it so that it started playing, and watched.
First there was Kagura, the only one in the video who was now (presumably) still alive, merry and bright:
"Hey, Clio-san, come and film this! Hey, I never knew you were so good at latte art, Seren-chan!"
And then Seren, darker but still so very alive:
"I thought it'd be worth trying for once in my life."
And then, later on, confronted with the coffee art that hadn't been as good as the previous ones, Fukue asking:
"Is that meant to be the ghost?"
And she kept watching it, right to the end, where Kagura and Seren and Fukue drank coffee together. Then, she went right back to the start and watched it all again. And then one more time.
Then, before she could really think about it, or stop herself, she selected the option to 'share' the video, and searched for Keiji's number in her contacts to send the video to him. She didn't give an explanation. She wasn't sure she had an explanation, not entirely. But she waited long enough to make sure it had gone through, before returning to the video and watching it again.
And again.
And again.
And even when her vision went blurry with tears she watched it again. And again. And again.
…
Ririka was having a poor track record where lunch was concerned.
Once again, she had managed to leave it on the kitchen counter without even realising until it was too late. This time though, she decided to get her lunch from the Student Café. She wasn't sure she was up for another adventure. Then again, if it turned out that Keiji and Konoha were up to anything, she might very well end up on one.
She'd passed on Benkei's video to Keiji, despite her misgivings, in the hope that it would persuade them to think twice. She had a feeling that was a foolish hope but in any case, he'd given her a recording of his own in return. She'd listened to it at home and immediately made backups. And then she'd gone back to Benkei's recording, trying to decipher the words again, with little luck. She had then gone to the station with both recordings, only to find that Shouichi had been in the middle of an interview. Not wanting to leave it with someone else, she had then gone back home to listen to them over and over again, only stopping briefly to read Ichizo's messages giving brief updates on his search for Tsukiko. He seemed to still be following leads around Yakanabe and even further out, though none had panned out just yet.
She supposed with all of that on her mind, it wasn't that surprising that she'd forgotten lunch.
In the cafe, Clio was working the till alongside two other students. Clio and one of those students took down the orders and the payment, but because Clio remained seated to rest her ankle, it was the other two students who made drinks, retrieved food and actually handed it over to the customers.
Clio looked weary but brightened slightly when Ririka reached the counter. After exchanging pleasantries, Ririka remembered something else she had been thinking of:
"I thought you might like to know, Oshiro-kun seems to be accessing lesson materials online. Not very many of them, but then again he is in his final year, and the year's almost over. So it is not as if there is that much in the first place anyway. But that might reassure you that he isn't completely withdrawing."
Clio nodded.
"He's been answering the door to me, and we're supposed to be meeting after cla-oh!"
"Meeting to investigate some more?" Ririka asked, raising an eyebrow.
Clio reddened slightly but nodded again.
"Matsumoto-san and Kagematsu-san did tell us about seeing you yesterday." She admitted.
"Good. It wouldn't be the best thing to talk about it here. Though, in saying that, who's 'we' in this case? Just the three of you?"
"Oshiro-sempai too, and Kurihara-sempai and Ito-kun too."
Something clicked in Ririka's mind.
"You went to meet with them after Kai-san's memorial."
"Yes, that's right. Though, we didn't get very far because that's when…that's when Fukue-chan was…"
"Ah. Of course."
There was a moment of semi-awkward silence, but Clio broke it by shaking her head and giving a weak smile:
"So, what would you like to order, then?"
Ririka ordered a sandwich and some tea, not really in the mood for anything more complex. She stepped to the side so Clio could take the order of another student, when she spotted Alexis come into the café. Immediately spotting them both, she came over. After greeting Ririka, she asked Clio:
"How is your ankle?"
"It's getting better, thank you." Clio said politely.
"It probably still hurts, yes?"
"Well, I mean-"
"Don't put too much strain on it," Alexis told her. "You need to take the time to heal. But it's good that you're still up and about."
"A-ah, thank you, Burton-sensei."
"And I know that now more than ever, you'll feel like you want to do something. I understand that. If I was still a student here, and something like that happened to my best friend, I may well feel the same. But leave this to the investigators, alright? Don't be tempted into doing anything reckless."
Clio reddened again and averted her eyes briefly, before stammering out:
"I…I wouldn't really know what to do, anyway."
Even though Ririka noticed full well that Clio had side-stepped the need to outright lie, she still sensed that this was the truth. At least in a way. She didn't think Clio was completely clueless, especially as she wasn't working alone. Nonetheless, the way her gaze went hazy as she took Alexis' order, her eyes still averted, told Ririka that despite all of that, she was as lost as she admitted to being. More than that.
And why wouldn't she be?
"That doesn't mean you can't ask questions, or talk to us about anything you're worried about. Especially if you need someone to come with you to talk to the police about anything." Ririka said.
Clio's brow furrowed.
"But you've both always been busy when the police have come to interview me."
"Unfortunately, that does seem to be the way things work out," Alexis said, brisk but regretful. "But as long as my other duties permit, you know you can approach me for that."
"Who sat with you in the end?" Ririka asked, somewhat idly.
"Adachi-san did the last time."
It was at this moment Ririka's order arrived, with the student handing it over telling Alexis hers would be a little longer. The delay gave her time for the words to sink in.
"Adachi-san was?"
"He wanted Yamaguchi-san to be there but I…"
Clio's gaze flicked from Ririka to Alexis hesitantly.
"You don't feel comfortable with her?" Ririka supplied.
Clio nodded a little too vigorously, which set the gears in Ririka's mind turning.
"I don't blame you," Alexis said. "I don't really know why someone like her would work in a school if she can't tolerate teenagers. Though I suppose that in admin, you do have very little contact with students. Nonetheless, I wouldn't have considered her a suitable appropriate adult for the circumstances. Did you tell Adachi-san about your discomfort?"
"I…did. I don't think he was very pleased though."
"No…quite."
Ririka and Alexis exchanged a look. Ririka knew that Alexis didn't know about the recording Keiji had made, but given she knew about Benkei's recording, it wouldn't be such a big leap for her to make the same assumption that Ririka was currently making.
Biting her lip, Clio asked:
"Would it have been better for me to not have said anything?"
"No!"
Ririka and Alexis again looked at each other, this time in surprise at having spoken in unison. Ririka elaborated by shaking her head, and saying:
"You can also always ask for me. It's easier for me to shift things around and rearrange them if need be. "
Clio stared at them searchingly, then lowered her eyes as she murmured:
"Thank you…and, sorry."
"Do not apologise." Alexis scolded sternly, though not without fondness. "Just don't get into any more trouble. Running out into the road to try and save Nylund-san was bad enough."
"Yes, there's nothing to apologise for." Ririka agreed.
Alexis' order arrived, and after saying goodbye to Clio, the two of them left the café together.
"Shall we eat lunch in my office again?" Alexis asked.
Ririka was about to agree when her attention was caught by a figure in a black dress striding furiously to reception.
"Isn't that Misa Aikawa?" she asked Alexis after a baffled pause.
"Hmm. Oh, you are correct. It is Kaida Adachi's funeral today, is it not? What is she doing here?"
"Perhaps we should go and find out."
Ririka had absolutely no idea why she had said that, but once she had she didn't feel like she could change her mind. So she followed, a quick glance behind her showing that Alexis had followed too. When they got to reception, a receptionist was explaining that Maruyama was on her lunch break, and asking if they could take a message for her.
"No you cannot, because I can guarantee that she will ignore it. I'll wait here if I have to." Misa said.
"Aikawa-san, is there anything we can assist you with?"
Misa whirled around. Her eyes were red-rimmed, her hair tied back into a bun with only a black ribbon to adorn it.
"Oh, it's Burton-san and….Enjou-san."
Ririka nodded. Misa made no mention of the list or the circumstances around its discovery. Instead, she asked:
"This may be a long shot, but I don't suppose either of you have seen Rin or Maruyama around today?"
"I think I've seen Maruyama-san around this morning, though only briefly. Adachi-san, though…the last time I saw him was yesterday."
"Yesterday?" Misa demanded.
"Yes…?"
"I do not believe that Adachi-san has come into work today. Could you check?" Alexis asked the receptionist.
"I….uh, sure. At least it's quiet at the moment. We're short staffed today, since Yamaguchi-san was meant to be on reception today as well, and she didn't come in."
"Did she call in sick?" Alexis asked.
"No…actually, no, she didn't. Hold on!"
The receptionist swivelled her chair and called:
"Hey! Did Yamaguchi-san or the lawyer call in sick today?"
Immediately, a voice replied:
"No? And Adachi-san's meant to be off today anyway, it's his daughter's funeral, remember?"
Misa snorted:
"Right, so what's the point of taking time off for a funeral if you don't bother attending it?"
Ririka tensed, and asked:
"Adachi-san didn't come to the funeral?"
Misa sighed heavily.
"That's what I just said. And we did try to wait, in case he was running late. The traffic seemed pretty awful today, even I struggled to get in to get everything prepared. But he just never came. He's not even picking up calls or reading my messages to explain himself and I just…listen, I would be more than happy to never, ever see the man again, but this was Kaida's funeral. She would have wanted him there too. And he can't even be bothered…."
Alexis immediately turned to the receptionist, and started to ask her to contact Maruyama, when the secretary walked in, carrying a bag bearing the logo of a local restaurant. She faltered when Ririka, Alexis and Misa all stared at her.
"W-what's happening?"
"Where's Rin?" Misa demanded.
Maruyama squared her shoulders, and attempted to look haughty.
"I don't see how it's any of your business what he does." She said. "And isn't this a little bit possessive of you? That's not a good look."
Misa glowered and stepped forward, clearly ready to give Maruyama what-for. But Alexis stepped in front of her in a smooth motion, facing Maruyama.
"Maruyama-san, " Alexis said. "He didn't attend the funeral."
Maruyama's mouth opened, but she didn't say anything at first.
"He…didn't….what?" she eventually managed. "That doesn't make any sense. He was determined to attend, it's the most important thing on his calendar. I'm handling all of his inquiries today, and he's even put a sign on his door to explain."
"And yet, I can confirm he never turned up."
"Has Adachi-san been in contact with you today?"
Ririka had wanted to ask the same, but was glad that Alexis seemed to have it all handled. Maruyama frowned, and then took out her phone. After scrolling, she sighed:
"You're right. I haven't heard from him at all since yesterday morning, which is very strange. I'm going to call him now. But not for you."
This last sentence was directed at Misa, with a narrow-eyed look so exaggerated that it made Maruyama seem as if she herself was a high-schooler. Misa raised an eyebrow but simply said:
"It's not about me, so that doesn't bother me."
Maruyama's eyebrows twitched, but she flounced (actually flounced, there was no other way to describe it) into the main building. As soon as she was gone, Misa swore under her breath and then asked:
"What now? What am I meant to do?"
Alexis looked at Ririka, and it was clear she was thinking what Ririka had been thinking. That something was seriously wrong, and that it had something to do with the fact that Rin had followed Yamaguchi yesterday.
"Aikawa-san, how about we talk in my office?" Alexis suggested.
Misa narrowed her eyes at the two of them, before saying:
"Lead the way, then."
They did just that, and once they were settled, Alexis gestured to Ririka.
"I think it may be best if you start."
"What? Um, right."
Ririka did her best to summarise the conversation that she had had with Rin the day before, and how she had seen him following Yamaguchi afterwards.
"You didn't see where they went?"
"No," Ririka said. "I had to keep an eye on some students I was concerned about."
To her relief, though Misa raised an eyebrow at this, she didn't question it. Instead, she asked:
"Was that it?"
"Adachi-san had asked Yamaguchi-san to act as an appropriate adult to a student during an interview, but said student expressed enough discomfort that Adachi-san felt obliged to step in instead."
"Oh, I bet he wasn't pleased with that." Misa muttered, apparently almost reflexively.
She tapped her fingers against Alexis' desk before asking:
"Can I speak to this student?"
"That wouldn't be appropriate," Alexis said smoothly. "She isn't aware of this situation with Adachi-san."
"Can you at least tell me the reason behind the student's 'discomfort'."
Before Ririka could answer, Alexis said:
"We aren't sure, although Yamaguchi-san's attitude is likely to be one of the motivating factors."
"Right. I'll leave that for the time being. " Misa said. "I know for a fact that Rin isn't at home. His father came to the funeral, but appeared to be surprised that he wasn't already in attendance. To paraphrase him, Rin's more than capable of managing his time and he doesn't need to be nagged. Also that it was a bit late for me to be acting like a wife."
When she caught Ririka blinking in confusion about that, Misa let out a laugh.
"I couldn't even let it annoy me," she said. "What's any of it matter, anyway? But when the funeral finished and Rin still hadn't turned up…well, I don't think Rin would be answering a phone call from Kazuki-san anyway, but that's just in normal circumstances. This is…this was Kaida's funeral."
"This Kazuki-san, he's Adachi-san's father, right?" Ririka asked. "Is he going to contact you if he hears anything?"
Misa snorted at that.
"Like I said, he thinks it's a bit late for me to be acting like a wife."
"You're not though, are you? You're acting like a mother, which you still are."
Both Misa and Alexis stared at Ririka, who blinked back.
"Was that the wrong thing to say?"
"No…" Misa said after a pause. "No. It wasn't. But what do we do now?"
"Maybe we should see if Yamaguchi-san can shed any light?" Ririka suggested. "If she's off sick today, then she might be at home. I know it wouldn't be great to disturb her, but under the circumstances…."
"Yes, under the circumstances, I think that is the best option. She did not call in as sick, after all, so we cannot know for sure." Alexis said. "Allow me a few moments to get everything tied up here, and the three of us will go together."
"Me?" Ririka startled. "I understand the two of you, but-"
"You are the one who saw Rin following Yamaguchi-san, aren't you?" Misa asked pointedly. "That may work in favour of getting her to explain what's going on."
Ririka looked between the two of them-Alexis's face almost impassive apart from her slightly furrowed brow, Misa's eyes heavy with tiredness-and then sighed.
"Alright then. I'll come."
…
Alexis drove them there, and Ririka managed to eat half of one of her sandwiches before they got there. It was better than nothing, she supposed as Alexis parked.
"It's that house, I believe."
Alexis pointed to a house a few doors down from where they had parked. There were bushes planted by the fences, presumably to give more privacy, but there didn't seem to be anything else in the garden. When they got to the gate, Ririka could see that this was the case, with the entire front garden space save for the bushes completely paved. There weren't even any plant pots to brighten things up. Indeed, the entire front of the house looked utilitarian, the walls painted an off-white and the door grey, no sign of personalisation save the name plate by the door which read Yamaguchi: Seiichiro and Toki. Despite being carved onto a simple wooden block, the font looked like calligraphy.
Alexis rang the bell, and the sound echoed through the house. There were no responding footsteps, though, nobody calling out to tell them to wait. Just the sounds of the outside world, and the silence. Alexis gave it a moment, then rang the bell again, before stepping back out of the gate and looking up at the house.
"Those curtains are pretty thick," she said. "Otherwise we'd be able to see some sign of activity behind them, if there was any."
"It is strange for the curtains to be pulled at this time of day though." Misa said.
"Is it worth calling the police, though?" Ririka asked.
"I don't think there would be the grounds for it. Both were seen yesterday, and neither of them could be considered vulnerable adults." Alexis said.
"Tch, and he'd say the own damn thing about himself!" Misa groused.
"And you'd disagree, correct?" Ririka asked.
Misa tapped her foot against the ground, before slowly nodding.
"What do you think?" she asked Ririka.
"I think…."
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?"
"I think…Burton-san, isn't it fairly normal for security personnel to do welfare checks?"
Alexis lifted her sunglasses and regarded Ririka before turning to look at the front door.
"That is true, although without there being clearer signs of danger either towards Yamaguchi-san or Adachi-san, I cannot justify breaking in."
Misa let out a frustrated growl, and marched back to the door, balling her hands into fists as if to start hammering on the door. Alexis immediately sprung forward to grab her wrist.
"Don't act too recklessly."
"Recklessly? Recklessly?!" Misa demanded. "Rin's the one being reckless, shacking up with this Yamaguchi-san!"
"I don't think it's an affair."
Ririka said this at the same time that Alexis said:
"We cannot assume that the two of them are together."
Misa narrowed her eyes at them both, but chose to only respond to Ririka's statement:
"No. You're right. I don't think Yamaguchi-san would be his type. Nothing like Maruyama, after all."
Ririka wasn't sure what to say to that. She didn't think that saying she thought it unlikely that Rin was having any affairs would help. In any case, Misa now turned her gaze onto Alexis, though she didn't try to wrench free from her hold. She looked somewhat grey and wan now, despite her still-steely gaze.
"I think, for the time being, we can assume it. That's why we're here in the first place, are we not?"
"Perhaps," Alexis said cautiously. "But let us try and not cause a scene, please."
She let go of Misa's wrist, and Misa immediately turned back to the door. Thankfully, though, she did not attempt to hammer at it. Instead, she just stared at it and remained silent. Alexis took out her phone, and informed them that she was going to attempt to call both Rin and Yamaguchi. Neither of these calls were answered, however.
"As alarmed as I am now," Alexis confessed after this. "I don't wish to escalate this unnecessarily and waste police time, especially time that could be used on actually working on the case."
An idea occurred to Ririka, though she hated it. But my pride isn't the most important thing here though, is it? She swallowed down that thought, and suggested:
"Rather than calling the police, then, how about my father?"
"Your father?" Misa asked quizzically, looking over her shoulder.
"She's Sakichi Enjou's daughter." Alexis explained.
Misa didn't seem particularly bothered by this news in any shape or form. Then again, Ririka supposed it wasn't the most important thing to her at the moment.
"If there is a…situation," Ririka said uncertainly. "Then there'll be no choice but to call the police anyway. But since we don't want to jump the gun, a private detective seems like a good stepping stone."
Misa turned to the door once more, then shook her head:
"I am at as much of a loss as you all are so, you know what, alright. Call him."
Ririka took out her phone but became aware of a car door opening. She shot a sharp glance across the road, and couldn't help but gasp.
"What is it-ah, Detective Kuroki." Alexis said.
Hirotaro crossed the road and regarded the three of them from the gateway.
"What are the three of you doing here?"
Despite her exhaustion, Misa seemed to sharpen once more as she addressed Hirotaro:
"You're that other private detective, aren't you? The one working for the Izawa family."
"If you want to be technical, two detectives are working for the Izawa family, although only I have been hired."
Presumably this was referring to how Ichizo had reportedly been looking into the case at the behest of Inori, before she too had disappeared, but Ririka didn't think this mattered and made that clear:
"Detective, I do not think now is the time for semantics. We might need your assistance. It's concerning Yamaguchi-san and Adachi-san."
Hirotaro nodded, but apart from that gave no other reaction as he asked:
"How so?"
"He's missed Kaida's funeral!" Misa burst out. "And according to them, nobody's seen him since yesterday."
"The funeral was today then."
Ririka narrowed her eyes at Hirotaro, unsure of whether or not that was a question. He simply looked at her, before stepping in and pushing past them to the door that presumably led to the back garden. He crouched to inspect the lock, and then pushed the door open before disappearing through it.
"Wait-"
Ignoring Alexis' protest, Ririka went to the door herself and frowned at the lock. To her eyes, it seemed as if the lock had been picked before, hanging slightly loose off of its hinges.
"The lock's broken here," she said. "The front door's lock was fine, right?"
"Yeah, it's not been tampered with." Misa confirmed.
Ririka swallowed, and then ducked through the door. She heard Alexis protest and Misa query it, but two sets of footsteps confirmed that they had both followed her. She came out into a back garden which appeared to have more personality than the front had, but she didn't have the luxury of properly observing it. Instead, her gaze was immediately drawn to Hirotaro, who stood by the back door with his hands in the air.
And in the doorway, Rin stood with a shotgun aimed at him.
He was no longer wearing his blazer, and his tie had come almost completely loose, his shirt rumpled. There were drops of blood on the collar of his shirt, presumably a result of the gash on his face. His sleeves were half rolled back, though messily, revealing scratches on his arms. He didn't seem to be in any particular pain, however, his hands steady as he held the gun.
"Rin! What the hell are you playing at?!"
Rin looked over Hirotaro's shoulder and at Misa completely expressionlessly. He didn't speak immediately, and when he did, his voice was as wooden as his face:
"This gun is registered to Seiichiro Yamaguchi. He uses it for hunting trips. He's away at the moment, but on a business trip, which is why it is still in their house."
Ririka turned slightly to look at Misa, who shook her head and ran her hands through her hair, almost completely dislodging the bun it had been tied in.
"That's not…well, I mean, it is, but also, what are you doing?! What the fucking hell are you playing at-"
"Don't swear, it's coarse."
"DON'T TELL ME WHAT TO DO! AND GET YOUR PRIORITIES STRAIGHT!DID YOU EVEN REMEMBER WHAT TODAY IS? DID YOU-"
Misa was abruptly cut off as Rin moved slightly, so he was pointing the gun right at her. The colour she'd regained from yelling at Rin visibly drained, and she stepped back. This made Rin blink, and he lowered the gun.
"Perhaps you should all come in," he said. "Maybe some extra pressure will make her give me the answers I'm looking for."
"If you put that gun down, then we can talk about whatever you need-"
"Not happening. I am not the one who needs to confess anything. It's her." Rin interrupted Alexis sharply, tightening his grip on the gun.
"Where is Yamaguchi-san?" Ririka asked, dreading the answer.
"Come inside."
Ririka looked at Alexis and Misa, and they exchanged worried looks. Hirotaro slowly lowered his arms and looked over his shoulder at them.
"Are you coming?"
"Um…"
There didn't seem to be any choice, so they did. As soon as Rin had locked the door behind them, he gestured to the kitchen counter.
"Leave your phones there. You'll be free to leave and to call whomever you need to call once all of this is over. I have no intention of confining you here unnecessarily, or of harming you."
Ririka didn't want to comply, but she couldn't get past the fact that Rin Adachi had a gun. Of all the things she had imagined him doing after she'd spotted him yesterday, none of them had been anything close to this. So reluctantly, she did put her phone down. Misa also complied, but Alexis refused.
"If there is an emergency back at Hope's Peak, I will need to attend to that. However, you can put my phone somewhere you can see it, so that you know I am not trying to deceive you."
Rin pursed his lips, but nodded.
"And you, detective?" he asked Hirotaro.
"I, too, will have to decline," Hirotaro said. "However, I think you will find that allowing me to keep my device on me will eventually aid you in your goals."
"Do you know something about Yamaguchi-san's role?" Rin demanded.
"Shall we go upstairs, then?" Hirotaro asked.
Rin narrowed his eyes but nodded again as he left the kitchen. Hirotaro took the lead in following, and the rest of them filed nervously behind as they went up the stairs to a spacious room that appeared to be an office or study of some sorts. The curtains here had also been pulled, and by the wall next to this window, Yamaguchi sat, tied to a chair with what looked like lengths of ripped bedsheets. She, too, looked scratched up, her hair messy and a bruise forming on her cheek. And although it could have just been something about the way they were tied, the angle of one of her arms just seemed wrong. Indeed, as Yamaguchi shifted slightly at the sound of their arrival, she winced in pain.
"Are you alright, Yamaguchi-san? Are you hurt?"
Alexis immediately darted over to Yamaguchi's side, and knelt next to her, studying her bindings.
"Oh my god, thank goodness you're here! This crazy, crazy….he followed me here and attacked me for no-"
"Burton-san, step aside." Rin interrupted.
Alexis looked up, at which point Rin lifted the gun again. Though he kept it steadily aimed at Alexis, it was Yamaguchi he addressed.
"I don't want to escalate this in any way whatsoever. There is no logical benefit to shooting you, after all. However, I wouldn't have had to 'attack you' as you worded it if you had just answered my questions as I had asked."
"What did you do?" Alexis asked Rin.
Rin pursed his lips, but did not answer. Instead, he continued to stare until Alexis-clearly reluctantly-inched away from Yamaguchi slightly. She did, however, change her posture slightly so she was ready to spring into action of needed. He then turned to Ririka, though he mercifully lowered the gun first.
"You were wrong in Yamaguchi-san's case."
"E-excuse me?"
Rin let out a long sigh and rubbed his forehead with his free hand.
"Take their phones," he gestured to Alexis and Hirotaro. "And put them down over there. Whether on the bookcase or the desk is up to you. Then look at what's there."
Ririka looked uncertainly at them both. Hirotaro simply held out his phone expectantly. Alexis took a while longer, but also complied, adding:
"Adachi-san, I'm giving you a chance to explain yourself quickly, and then release Yamaguchi-san, otherwise I will be forced to act."
"Blame Yamaguchi-san. If she would just admit it-"
"You're mad!" Yamaguchi exclaimed. "You're completely and utterly mad, and I will be making complaints to the police, to the school, to the media! You'll never work again, you'll-"
Yamaguchi let out a cry as Rin darted forward and smacked her with the side of the gun. Alexis immediately leapt up and tackled Rin away, knocking him to the ground and sending the gun spinning away from both of them. Rin groaned as he sat up, but made no move to retrieve the gun or to tackle Alexis in retaliation. Instead, he just glowered. Alexis stared at him, then, rubbing her shoulder, turned to Ririka.
"I think you do need to call the-"
"That won't be necessary."
Ririka let out a strangled noise of surprise when Hirotaro snatched both phones and pocketed them in his waistcoat pocket.
"What was that for?" she said. "Can't you see what we're dealing with here?"
"I think we should hear Adachi-san out first, don't you think?"
"You cannot be serious."
But Hirotaro just looked at her expectantly, sticking his hands back into his trouser pockets and leaning against the wall as though he had all the time in the world. Ririka attempted to formulate a response but came up empty. At a loss, even though she no longer had the phones, she went over to the bookcase.
Most of the shelves were, as expected, filled with books. Various classics, a few contemporary paperbacks, some textbooks that looked a couple of decades old. Any space of the shelves not filled with books held framed certificates, all for various secretarial and accounting qualifications. There was also a certificate from Hope's Peak, in recognition of having worked there for twenty years.
Curiously, though, these weren't the only certificates. On the wall above the desk, there were a number of certificates that appeared to date back from high school. Debate club, an essay-writing competition, a science competition. Not all of them were winning certificates-many were second or third place, or runner-up certificates. But they had been displayed nonetheless, arranged in such a way that they surrounded a group of photographs.
In most of the photographs, which looked like official school shots (both group and individual, from what was clearly a private girls' school), she looked as dour as she was now, in middle age. But there were two photograph of her with other girls that caught Ririka's attention most. The first matched the others in that it was clearly taken during Yamaguchi's high school years. In it, all the girls were grinning, including the girl with the thick fringe and too-large glasses that was clearly Yamaguchi.
And beneath the picture, five names were written: Toki, Toshiko, Ichiko, Eiko, Kumiko, 1986.
The second photograph, pinned up next to this one, showed six girls who were slightly older, in casual dress this time. Ririka thought perhaps they were now university students, Yamaguchi still had her heavy fringe, but her glasses had slightly thinner frames. These girls were named as: Toki, Ichiko, Kumiko, Eiko, Tomoka, Nanako, 1990.
Strange, Ririka noticed immediately, that Toshiko is in the high school photograph but not the university photograph. Then again, not all high school friendships lasted forever, did they? Some did, but others didn't. Still, there seemed to be something familiar about Toshiko's freckled face, but she couldn't imagine what it was. Ichiko, on the other hand. The expression she wore was haughtier, and her features were sharper, her hair styled elegantly (perhaps a little too elegantly for the casual gathering the university photograph appeared to be), but the resemblance to Inori Izawa was unmistakeable.
"Yamaguchi-san is high school friends with Ichiko Izawa?" Ririka asked, turning around.
"Or Ichiko Abiko, as she was known back then," Hirotaro said. "You will also notice who she became friends with once she went to university."
Ririka looked back uncertainly at the second photograph. Toki. Ichiko. Kumiko. Eiko. Tomoka. Nanako. Wait. Tomoka. Nanako. As in…?
"You've realised it, haven't you?"
Ririka turned to see that Rin was watching her expectantly. When she didn't say anything, he rolled his eyes and said:
"Nanako, as in Nanako Motowari. Her maiden name is of little importance, just that she comes from the same sort of sordid family as the Motowaris. But those background details aren't important. What is important is that I have to concede your point. Stronger connections do have relevance, and someone who is close friends with three of the sponsors, including one whose child attended the school under false pretences-"
"Not false. Her Talent is as real as any of those other brats, including yours." Yamaguchi hissed.
"Have some decency." Misa snapped at her. "I cremated her today."
Rin startled at this, and Misa noticed, because now she glared.
"Don't tell me. Don't tell me that you forgot."
Rin's face contorted in a way that Ririka just couldn't decipher. The silence stretched, and Misa ran her hand through her hair once more, messing it up even more.
"You did, didn't you?"
"No. I thought that this could be her funeral instead."
Misa blinked.
"What the fuck are you talking about?"
"I couldn't possibly face Kaida without knowing who it was that had led her to her death, could I?"
"But that's…" Misa spluttered. "That's, that's just-"
"Of course, I had hoped that Yamaguchi-san would admit it sooner, so that I could attend the funeral ceremony." Rin went on blithely
"You're not going to get away with this," Yamaguchi said. " You're talking about connections, but do you think that your connections mean anything? That just because you're a-"
She winced in pain, cutting herself off. After a moment, she looked at Rin with pure hatred in her narrowed eyes.
"You don't have a clue what's going on, do you? Even if I were to tell you anything, you still wouldn't have a clue. And let me tell you why that is. It is because you are simply not as important as you think you are. You never will be."
"What does that have to do-"
"You think you're part of the upper echelons, that you're important and privileged twice over, but you're nothing. And your daughter wasn't anything, either. It's a shame she's dead, and all, but once it was decided that she would make the final list, that was always going to be one of the risks. "
Ririka knew that Yamaguchi had never been a particularly pleasant person, but this was too much to hear from her. She hadn't imagined the aloof, constantly put-upon admin assistant to have that much venom in her. Rin made a strangled noise, and looked as if he was considering going for Yamaguchi once again, but Misa spoke up:
"You targeted her."
Yamaguchi turned her head slightly, wincing, to look directly at Misa, who continued:
"You targeted my," she flicked a glance down at Rin, then corrected. "our daughter. We know that much. Why her, though? She was just a kid. A good kid. Too quiet, but good."
Yamaguchi didn't answer, but instead looked at Misa, mouth turning downwards and eyes lowering once more, as if in pain again. Ririka was tensed, waiting for Rin to lose it once again. But then, a recorded voice said:
"Oh good, Yamaguchi-san's left this unlocked for us as she said she would. That's a relief."
Yamaguchi gasped and flinched. Ririka also startled, but turned slowly to see Hirotaro had held out his phone almost expectantly. When did he…? Ririka wondered. She'd known that he had knowledge of it, because Keiji had mentioned that, but she hadn't expected to be hearing it here of all the places.
"Have you…did you place recording devices around the school?" Yamaguchi spluttered. "How did you get that past us?! Don't tell me, Ichiko-san asked you to-"
"What is this?" Rin demanded. "What are you playing?"
"I have to admit, I would like to know the same myself." Alexis commented carefully.
"Why don't we keep listening?" was the only response Hirotaro gave.
So, they did.
"The woman is crazy, you know this! We already knew she was crazy, but she had too much on us-"
"And that hasn't changed. You know our hopes for power are pinned on her keeping quiet."
"They're also contingent on her assuming that she'll get to step out of the shadows once we've got the expansion up and running, and we all know that's not happening. But that isn't the point. One of the other conditions for us allowing this to pass was that she would not touch our children. And when she did, she promised us that they wouldn't get hurt in this. But can you guarantee that now?"
"Well, they haven't died yet. And Itsuo and I have not raised Inori to be a failure."
"I'd hardly call Chiara Kai or Kaida Adachi failures, either!"
"No, but they're not that important. Kai-san and Bernadini-san were never ruthless enough to become part of the inner circle, and it was important to keep Adachi-san clueless, as it gives us plausible deniability."
"Be that as it may, it's clear that To-"
"Don't say her name, you don't know who might be listening!"
There was more to the recording, but Ririka couldn't hear what it was because once more, Yamaguchi exploded:
"Why the hell did Ichiko…that is, Izawa-san, why did she even hire you? Is she going to do a Nanako-san and double-cross us all? This is…after all the trouble I went to, this-"
She hissed and cringed, attempting to break free from her bindings. Rin stood up unsteadily, and Alexis prepared to hold him back should he launch himself at Yamaguchi again. Even Misa stepped forward hesitantly. But Rin just stared down at Yamaguchi as he asked:
"So. I was correct then, was I not?"
Yamaguchi lifted her chin.
"What of it?"
"I was correct. You could have saved yourself the inconvenience by simply answering my questions."
To everybody's (or, almost everybody's. Hirotaro barely blinked) surprise, Yamaguchi laughed.
"Do you really think yourself the winner in this situation? Pathetic man. As you keep reminding me, your daughter is dead. Yet here you are, looking down your nose at me like you're somehow better than me for making a fuss about 'responsibility' and needlessly harassing me-ouch!"
Misa stared at the hand she had used to slap Yamaguchi before then fixing the bound woman with an incandescent glare.
"Tell us what you did."
Yamaguchi gave them both a mutinous look, but then sighed.
"Fine. I was the one who lured her away. She went looking for a teacher when those idiotic brats started brawling and I saw my opportunity. I offered her a drink under the guise of noticing she was anxious-see, Adachi-san, I know precisely how to interact with students, you had no right reaming me out after you forced me to be there as support to that brat who didn't even show any grati-"
"Get to the point." Rin interrupted.
"The point is, I'd dosed the drink with sleeping pills. She had no idea what hit her, and I had handed her over by the time the police came. You never would have found her. Satisfied now?"
"That's…"
Both Rin and Misa seemed lost for words, frozen in place. But it struck Ririka that neither of them looked at the other. They were both Kaida's parents, and yet they were alone in this. Yamaguchi looked between the two of them, and her lip curled.
"It was about time somebody took you down a peg, isn't it? How does it feel, knowing you're so useless, and that now you have nothing?"
"Yamaguchi-san, I know you've been mistreated here, but this is unnecessary-"
"Don't misunderstand, I don't represent the win that you think I do," Yamaguchi continued, ignoring Alexis' warning. "But I have to say I'm glad your brat was picked. You got what was coming to you."
"Say that again."
Rin leaned forward, grabbed the grubby collar of Yamaguchi's blouse as he got right in her face, and repeated:
"Say that again. Say that again, and own it."
"Kaida didn't deserve that, though." Misa said quietly, blinking rapidly as if to hold back a stronger reaction.
"She didn't though, did she?"
Ririka didn't realise she had said this until the words had left her mouth, overlapping with Misa's. It was enough to surprise even Rin, who let go of Yamaguchi's blouse and straightened again. Yamaguchi turned her attention to Ririka.
"I'm surprised you're here."
Ririka did not know what to say to that, and remained silent. Yamaguchi raised an eyebrow.
"Do you want to end up going the same way as your brother, then?"
Of course, it hadn't escaped her attention that Haruma had been mentioned in the recording, when she'd listened to it at home. But what it could have meant hadn't sunk in, even here. After all, that hadn't been the part they'd focused on. Before she could even try to process, Rin cut in with:
"Forget that. Just to make it clear, while you did not directly kill my daughter, you were aware that she was a target, and you actively assisted in her abduction as well as that of either Ena Setsushi or Naruhito Ono."
"How many times do you need to hear people saying you are correct?" Yamaguchi retorted.
Rin regarded her coldly, then turned to Alexis and Hirotaro.
"Let us end it here. I have one more place to visit, so I would appreciate it if you could give us a head start before calling the emergency services. I would recommend an ambulance for Yamaguchi-san. Come on, Misa."
He beckoned to her as he strode to the door, and she spluttered:
"Wha-wait, Rin! Where are you going, and why do I have to come with you?"
"Kaida's grave."
"Oh."
Rin just looked at her, and then his gaze flicked to Ririka.
"I suppose you may as well come too."
"Um…."
…
She did go, though she didn't really know why. She expected the police-because she knew Alexis wouldn't have hesitated too long in calling them-to intercept them before they got there. But for whatever reason, they did not, and they were able to enter the cemetery undisturbed.
As they approached the Adachi family grave, with Kaida's name newly engraved in it, Ririka hung back. Misa immediately knelt by the stone, while Rin stood stiffly.
"Here he is, Kai," Misa said. "I managed to drag him here to see you. I hope that makes up for the funeral."
"She would know full well I had a valid reason," Rin said in a clipped tone. "Even you can't deny that you wanted to know the truth."
"Do you really think that our daughter wanted you going off on a crusade and committing a crime just to be proven correct about…how did you even know that Yamaguchi-san was responsible? If you had that recording, why didn't you go to the police?!"
"I do not need to explain my processes to you." Rin told her sniffily.
"Oh, for fuck-forget it, forget it, that's not the point! Kaida would have just wanted you here. You may be a fucking arsehole but you're her dad! You're still her dad, as regrettable as that is. All she would have really wanted was for you to just be here for her, this one final time. Was that really too much to ask?"
Misa rubbed her face. Rin stared down at her almost analytically, then started to crouch. He did so slowly, pausing partway through to hold his side before he knelt formally. He put his hand on the gravestone, fingers splayed over Kaida's name.
"What did you dress her in?" he asked hoarsely.
"Why? Are you going to criticise that too?"
"What did you dress her in?" he asked again, his voice crackling.
Misa startled, then said:
"Cream coloured trousers. Mint green blouse. Not her uniform or anything too stuffy, but still smart, so you have no grounds to complain-"
"Is that it? No jumper?"
"Yes, I was getting to that," Misa clicked her tongue. "I picked one that looked comfortable, green to match-"
"Dark green? The one with the ridiculous sheep?" Rin interrupted.
Misa looked taken aback.
"How did you-"
"Was it that jumper?"
Misa sighed heavily, but said:
"Yes. Yes, it was."
"She liked that one. It is good that a jumper she liked will the last outfit she'll ever wear."
Misa's brow furrowed and she tilted her head slightly, but Rin didn't turn to look at her. He just stared straight at the gravestone and the carved characters of Kaida's name, which he traced a few times. They stayed silent for a while, the only sounds the ones made by creatures in the tress and the distant traffic.
"Misa." He rasped eventually.
"What?"
"I won't forgive you."
Ririka had to hold back a gasp at that. She suspected they'd both forgotten she'd been dragged along, and the way things were going, she thought it was better that way. But Misa made a strangled noise, and appeared to be trying to find the words to protest, when Rin said:
"However, I will not forgive myself either."
Misa fell silent as she stared at him.
"Rin…that's…"
He turned to her, and quite woodenly, said:
"So I would not get unduly worked up about it, if I were you."
Hearing footsteps, Ririka turned away from them, so she didn't see how Misa responded. Seeing a number of uniformed officers cautiously making their way down towards them, she waved and jogged towards them. She vaguely recognised them, presuming them to have been at Hope's Peak at one point or another, but none of them ones she had directly interacted with.
"Would you be able to wait?" she asked them.
"You're Ririka Enjou, is that correct?" one of them asked.
"Yes, that's right. I know you'll have been made aware of the situation, and what Adachi-san did but…I think he's going to come quietly. Just….that's their daughter's grave, there."
The officers looked over her shoulder, and then at each other. Ririka turned around to see that Misa had looked up and noticed them. Her eyes widened briefly in alarm, but she nodded before looking back at Rin.
"You're going to need a lawyer."
"That-"
"Don't even say that you're going to represent yourself. In this situation, it's ridiculous to think that you could."
"I can handle that, thank you very-"
"I'll get you a lawyer. " Misa cut Rin off briskly. "I'm owed a few favours, I'll find you someone. "
"If you are hoping for a divorce settlement that favours you more, then do not waste your time-"
"For fuck's sake!" Misa threw her hands up. "That's not it at all!"
Rin's mouth twisted in distaste, but all he asked was:
"Then what is it?"
Misa sighed, and seemed to shrink into herself.
"Kaida wouldn't understand what you've just done, you know. And I'm not talking about her intellect. Her intellect was never the question here. But she didn't even get a chance to turn sixteen, and she died scared and alone, without any way of defending herself. So, do you really think intellect has anything to do with it?"
When Rin just stared at her with a similar bafflement to how he'd stared at Ririka in her office the day before, Misa shook her head in exasperation and ran her hand through her hair one more time. This was enough to loosen the hairstyle completely, her wavy brown hair cascading over her shoulders, the ribbon fluttering to the ground. Misa looked down at it blankly, and continued:
"But even if she wouldn't have understood it, even if she would have just wanted you to be there, I think she would've forgiven it. I can't. Just like you're not forgiving me, I can't forgive you. But Kaida, I think-no, I'm sure that Kai would have forgiven you. Especially because, as twisted and egotistical as all of this nonsense was, you did do it for her. So, I'll help you with a lawyer, for her sake. Hope for a reduced sentence, for her sake."
"I…I see."
Rin took a deep breath, and then said:
"In that case, I suppose for her, we can come to a civil agreement."
Misa looked up slowly, considering. After a moment, she said:
"The only thing I want is to have some of her personal effects to keep with me. That, and the hope that you'll have the courtesy to wait until the ink is dried on the settlement before you bring in Maruyama to replace me."
Rin stared.
"Excuse me?"
"Oh, don't give me that. I don't even care, she's welcome to you, and you to her. Just show some restraint."
"I…had assumed that your accusations relating to this so-called affair of mine were simply part of your sloppy character assassination campaign. I had not realised that you actually believed them. Of course, it does not matter now. But there never was an affair. There never will be."
Misa blinked rapidly, then wiped her eyes with the back of her hand, before roughly saying:
"No. It doesn't matter."
She stood up, brushed down her clothes, and looked at Rin.
"I expect that I'll encounter you here from time to time. Apart from that, though, I never want to see you again."
Rin nodded, looking diminished even as he met Misa's gaze evenly.
"I understand. We can finish everything smoothly through solicitors."
Misa nodded, but then went over to the officers briskly.
"I understand you'll have questions," she said. "I'll do my best to answer them. Shall we go now?"
Some of the officers drew her aside, while two started to approach Rin. He started to get up, before his attention was caught by Misa's hair ribbon on the ground. With an irritated huff, he picked it up, but then he stopped and stared at it in his hand. Then, slowly, he laid it down neatly in front of the gravestone. He contemplated it for a moment, before standing up.
Then he turned to look at them, holding his hands out, ready to be arrested. But even as the cuffs clicked around his wrists, it was as if he didn't see them at all.
Some notes:
I may or may not have borrowed Konoha's trick with the names from a similar-ish scene in Beyond Evil. Maybe. Hehe.
I've also had to tweak some of the sponsor parents' ages to make the newest revelations about Yamaguchi's connection with the sponsor families fit together better
And finally, I made myself sad writing this last scene.
Anyway, as always, I hope you enjoyed the chapter!