Chapter 71

Once again, the flow turns ominous. Whether it's a mystery story I've heard before or something that actually happened—if a girl whose brother was killed meets the man who caused it and shows no remorse... it's easy to imagine what might happen.

"This man has no remorse at all. The police and everyone else let him go free. Then the girl thought: there's only one way to make him regret. Maybe if I kill him and make him suffer the same fate as my brother, he'll finally feel remorse."

"......Is that really true?"

"No... maybe what she really wanted was to erase him. She couldn't forgive the man who killed her brother for laughing. She simply couldn't stand the fact that he was still alive. That may have been her only feeling."

Whatever the motive, is that really okay? That's what I think. While I'm lost in thought, her story keeps advancing.

"The girl took out a knife and stabbed the hateful man to death in a dark street. She thought that was enough. She felt satisfied that she had carried out her revenge herself."

"But..."

I murmured, predicting what she was about to say.

"But that man had a wife and a newborn child. Later, the girl learned that the wife took her own life after her husband's death. The girl who finished her revenge thought: I did nothing wrong. Anyone who could love the man who killed my brother is just as guilty..."

On the screen, Miiko imitated that girl, rolling the dark centers of her eyes.

"But the child... both parents who should have raised him were left in shambles because of her revenge... The child... was innocent. By the time she realized it, it was too late..."

"It was all destroyed..."

"There's still so much more we have to think about when it comes to revenge. We can't stop people who are burning with regret and rage... but... think. Does that revenge drag others into it..."

Click.

The stream cut to black, and Miiko's figure vanished.

Is that it for today? But why did the topic turn to revenge?

What could be the hint?

"......Ah!"

Does it drag others into it? Focusing on that point, a terrible possibility flashed through my mind.

Like lightning illuminating my brain. A dizzying, worst-case truth.

If this is right, the motive makes sense too. I hurried home, stood in the entryway, and thought hard. Night darkness seeped in through the window, and though I could no longer see my surroundings, my thoughts kept racing.

The final riddle I ran into was: why did the culprit have to kill Uchima-san?

I already have a good idea who committed the second Hasegawa-san murder. From the traces the culprit left behind, I can guess what they wanted to do in the second incident and their objective.

I can say I now understand the true meaning of the suicide note Uchima-san left. Almost everything about the case should be clear. And yet, one part remains hazy...

Just when I think I've got it, I lose my train of thought and nearly collapse. That was when, lying beside me, a mechanical pencil flew out of my bag.

"......Ah."

Come to think of it, I remember a classmate dropping a pencil case. It must have ended up in my bag then.

The moment I picked up the mechanical pencil—

I saw it. The culprit's actions, the victim's actions—all of it became clear. A vivid sequence flooded my mind, reconstructing the flow of the incident.

Along the way, a crucial piece of evidence the culprit left behind was fully exposed. The police must have been frantic, or perhaps they'd simply abandoned their duties, not to have noticed it.

But it's a bit dangerous. If I wait too long, the evidence might be destroyed.

Strike while the iron is hot.

I contacted Detective Akaba right away. I asked her to bring a certain piece of evidence from the department store where the incident began. I also asked her to have the fox-eyed detective come. She then told me in rapid-fire:

"You found the real culprit!? The investigation's about to close with Haruki—the waitress—as the culprit. If you're trying to overturn that..."

"What will happen?"

"I think it's gonna get messy, but are you mentally ready? Go to the bathroom first. Also, if she blames you as a detective for not protecting someone, will you be okay with that?"

"No problem. I'm just asking you to listen as a witness, after all."

What I'm about to do is truly detective-like. She warned me properly, even though she knows I hate detectives.

Still, I'll fight for the truth. I'll fight with the truth. Even knowing the whole incident and that the accepted truth is wrong, I can't overlook someone being tormented by an unjust verdict. Even if accepting that unjust verdict itself is the evil.

I shed my school uniform, changed into plain clothes, and dashed out of the house.

By the time I reached the department store on my bike, both the fox-eyed female detective and Detective Akaba were waiting. Somehow it felt like I was doing something wrong. I tried not to dwell on it.

I vowed in my heart that I was doing the right thing, and the moment my eyes met the fox-eyed detective's, I spoke.

"Detective Fox-Eyes... I cannot accept the truth behind the deduction you presented, and I intend to speak here and now."

The fox-eyed detective turned her anger on me.

"What kind of tone are you taking with the police...? Don't let these wannabe detectives butt into our investigation. And you, going along with this nonsense... wait, where the hell did Akaba go!?"

Come to think of it, she's gone. But since I don't think she was kidnapped, I'll just keep talking normally.

"She probably tucked tail and ran."

"Huh?"

"Anyway, since you're here, please listen. More than a deduction, it's that I remembered something helpful to solving the case simply because I was present at both incidents."

If I say this much, they can hardly refuse. If the police ignore this testimony and arrest Haruki as the murderer, the media will slam them with "What do you mean by this?" The fox-eyed female detective won't want a scandal that puts her at a disadvantage.

Conversely, even if she listens and later claims it was a witness's mistake, the fox-eyed female detective can't be blamed.

"Fine... but if I decide your deduction is nonsense, you're banned from ever entering a crime scene again. If you do, I'll arrest you and Akaba for obstruction!"

"......Detective Akaba... I'm sorry, but it'll probably be okay."

That was worse than what I'd worried about. Could they really arrest a detective for obstruction?

I apologized to the absent Detective Akaba, accepted those terms, and spoke clearly.

"Understood. Then, rather than a long speech here, I'll be blunt. These incidents... were complicated by Uchima, Haruki, and the café employees!"