CHAPTER 53: IT SEEMED LIKE ANY OTHER MORNING...

«A-Aoshi... why the hell are you walking around with a purse now? Don’t tell me living with a girl was supposed to make you more of a man but ended up turning you into a woman instead?!» Takuma exclaims, dramatically shocked.

«Yeah, why don’t you explain to your friend why you came home last night with this beautiful purse?» Eliss grumbles, puffing her cheeks out and glaring at Aoshi with fiery eyes.

«I-I already told you! Miori gave it to me as a gift to make up for me kinda losing my job because of her!» Aoshi snaps. «Like I told you a hundred times already, I’m not keeping it! She should be here any minute, and I’ll give it back to her! Ayane, back me up here!»

«Yeah, this time Aoshi is actually telling the truth — I can confirm that,» Ayane says, making sure to stress the "actually". «I mean, last night Miori even saved us from that guy who was harassing you at the water park. I honestly didn’t expect that... it was really nice of her.»

«Oh, so that story’s actually true? And here I thought it was just some lie Aoshi made up...» Eliss mutters, her stern expression softening. «Well, given the situation, I’ll have to thank her personally for that heroic gesture,» she adds, reaching for the purse. «...and if you don’t mind, I’ll be the one to give this back to her!»

«N-No way I’m letting you talk to her by yourself!» Aoshi shoots back, gripping the purse tightly as Eliss tries to yank it away.

«Why don’t you want me to talk to her? Or maybe you’re the one dying for an excuse to talk to her! I’m right, aren’t I? Admit it — you only want to give it back so you can talk to her again! You damn womanizer!» she accuses, burning with jealousy.

«E-Eliss, cut it out — you’re gonna break it!»

But their childish squabble is cut short by the usual pre-recorded announcement echoing through the university courtyard, calling everyone to class. With a frustrated sigh, Eliss is forced to give up, bidding farewell to Aoshi with the same over-the-top dramatics she pulls every morning — the kind of farewell a desperate wife gives her husband before he goes off to war.

«Weird that Miori’s late... that’s not like her,» Ayane mutters, looking around.

«Yeah, after the way she took down those two guys last night, she looked perfectly fine — did she suddenly get sick overnight? Also, when Eliss dumped the entire purse on the ground last night thinking there was some kind of explosive inside, I noticed Miori didn’t even take her documents out of the wallet before giving it to me,» Aoshi says, just as puzzled by Miori’s absence — she’s always one of the first to walk through the gate in the morning.

«Seriously?» Ayane mutters, worry creeping in. «So if someone stops us with this purse, the ’gift’ excuse wouldn’t even make sense — who the hell gives someone a purse without removing their documents first?! Aoshi... what if she’s not here because she went straight to the police to file a report?!»

«Ayane, you’re seriously making me worry now...»

«You said it yourself — with Miori, anything’s possible!»

Still wrapped up in their growing paranoia, the group finally reaches the huge lecture hall with its semicircular rows of tiered seats facing the professor’s desk. They take their usual spot in the middle — that limbo between the ones who pay attention and the ones who treat university like a dorm.

Right on time, Professor Shigeharu Inokai — a stern, uncompromising algebra instructor nearing retirement — enters through the faculty door beside the lectern. Composed and methodical, he boots up the computer and turns on the projector, ready to begin.

But before he can start, a staff member rushes in from the administrative office, a rolled-up newspaper clenched in his fist. He steps beside the professor and whispers something in his ear.

A wave of murmurs spreads through the seats as students notice the professor’s reaction — he looks completely shaken by whatever he heard. The staff member steps back, stiff as a tin soldier, and even the students in the back rows can tell he’s rattled, which only fuels the buzz in the hall.

«Be quiet!» the professor shouts, furious — and despite his age, his voice rings loud and clear, killing the murmuring in an instant. «The colleague from the administrative office is here bringing news of unprecedented gravity. I don’t want to hear a single sound!» he adds, trying to sound stern, even though it’s obvious to many that his voice could crack at any moment.

The administrative staff member clears his throat and steps up to the microphone at the lectern.

«It is with immense sorrow that — as reported in today’s Shinano Mainichi Shimbun — we must inform you of the tragic passing of one of this university’s brightest students: Miori Yukinaga, found dead this morning at the bottom of a ravine in the hilly area just outside Nagano. Her body was discovered at dawn by the search team after her brother reported her missing. The exact cause of death is still unclear, but the investigation currently points to suicide. In light of this tragedy, I kindly ask you to observe one minute of silence in memory of our dear Miori Yukinaga,» he states, struggling to keep it together while staying as formal as possible.

Not a single breath rises from the more than a hundred students — not only out of respect for the minute of silence, but because the shock of that news leaves everyone speechless. Aoshi and Ayane included, staring at each other, wide-eyed and slack-jawed.

T-This... this is insane...! Why? Why would Miori ever do something like that?! Aoshi asks himself, horrified, as his eyes begin to water. She was rich, beautiful, smart — admired by almost everyone here... Why would someone who seemed to have everything choose to end it? I-It makes no sense! No, it must be something else — maybe she was pushed...? Yes, maybe Kaito and that other guy followed her for revenge... With cowards like them... it wouldn’t even be surprising...

Aoshi lowers his gaze to the black rhinestone-studded purse tucked inside a grocery bag.

Of course... now it makes sense... It was hard to believe someone like her would forget something as simple as taking her documents out first. It’s obvious — when someone has thoughts like that, they’re not exactly thinking straight... And here I was, doubting her intentions, thinking it was some kind of trap... when it was actually her way of leaving without feeling like she owed me anything...

I’m such an idiot...

The day drags on in a heavy, suffocating silence. Not even the liveliest students feel like laughing or joking around. And when classes finally end, Aoshi drags himself out through the gates, devastated.

He still can’t believe what Miori did — that extreme, desperate act no one can explain — and he understands even less why it crushes me so much.

O-Of course... losing someone so young, someone I knew... I guess it’s normal to feel this sadness, this emptiness... I was one of the last people to see her alive — I even talked to her, for fuck’s sake! How did I not notice anything? And this is the most extreme act imaginable — even someone as cold and emotionless as Miori couldn’t hide something like that... yet I noticed nothing. How is that possible? I-If only... if only I’d paid a little more attention... maybe Miori would still be alive...

Pff... who would’ve ever imagined I’d end up with tears in my eyes over the death of the person I’ve hated the most in my whole life? Guess I really am weird, huh...?

«H-Hey, you’re Aoshi, right?»

A young, flat voice snaps Aoshi out of his thoughts. He turns toward it immediately. The voice doesn’t ring any bells at first — but the moment he sees who called out to him, he freezes. He’s only seen that boy once before, yet he could never forget that face. Gone are the cocky bravado and the arrogant smirk from that furious fight at the Moonlight Club two nights ago. In their place — a ghostly pallor and two swollen, red eyes, still wet from crying.

«Y-Yeah, and you’re Miori’s brother, right? Shin, I think... My condolences for what happened to your sister. I really mean it...» Aoshi murmurs, calm and melancholic, ignoring their hostile encounter in a moment like this.

«Y-Yeah, that’s me...» Shin sobs. «Miori told me that you and her were great friends, so... well... I’d like to talk with you for a moment, if you don’t mind. A-And I don’t have any hostile intentions toward you, so... if it makes you feel safer, we can stay right here. I won’t take long...» he says, with a politeness that almost stuns Aoshi — he doesn’t seem like the same hot-headed, violent brat from that night, though considering what happened, it’s understandable.

Me and Miori, great friends? Where did that even come from? But this is not the moment to worry about details.

Aoshi slowly steps closer — he places a hand on Shin’s shoulder and gives him a bittersweet but friendly smile. «I don’t think this is the right place to talk — it’s too crowded. Come with me.»