Chapter 88

"Kiriyama......the reason I knew was because her blood was on my clothes. Otherwise, given how short Reira-san is, she couldn't possibly clear the railing just by jumping!"

Kiriyama ground his teeth at the explanation. He must never have imagined his crime would be exposed over something like this. I felt the same; it was this evidence that made me begin to doubt he could have done such a thing.

He fired back immediately.

"Listen, maybe at that moment she jumped with a real 'boom'? An arrow came flying, and in desperation she jumped farther sideways than she expected—"

"That's wrong!"

"Huh?"

I produce more evidence—every piece that Detective Chikage and Detective Akaba found.

"If she'd jumped sideways, the inside of the railing would have scuffs from her shoes, right!?"

"Eh?"

"It makes sense for the tip or heel to hit hard and leave a scuff. But if she tried to dodge a straight-flying arrow on the catwalk...the side of her shoe would inevitably hit the railing. Yet flats don't leave scuffs on the side...meaning she was made to vault over another way, and the scuff just happened to look like she'd jumped off!"

"......That reasoning's flimsy...maybe the scuffs just looked like they came from the heel or toe because of some trash stuck to the shoe...that's a ridiculous reason, a forced excuse! Stop with this unsightly reasoning!"

Unsightly, is it. Well then, let's see which of us that applies to.

To the one accusing a loved one as the culprit? Or to the one trying to escape a murder charge? The answer's obvious.

I declared loudly and denounced him.

"If you still won't admit it, maybe I'd better show you proof that the device was installed, right?"

"Huh?"

"The batten's hanging there...do you see any black or white threads caught on it?"

"......Ah...!"

Everyone's gaze snaps to the batten.

While his mouth is still hanging open, I explain the evidence and the trick.

"What you did is incredibly simple. After Misora set the arrow, you—having seen her plan—went to Reira-san and attached a thread to her costume. Probably piano wire, something extremely strong."

One might think she'd notice piano wire, but—

Just after waking, it's hard to spot a thread on your clothes or body, and if you're wearing an unfamiliar costume, a slight odd feeling seems normal. You'd be more worried about dodging the arrow or getting back on stage.

Detective Chikage joins my explanation.

"So...you tied that piano wire to the batten she was lowered on, attaching it to Reira-chan's body...?"

"Exactly. While Misora was practicing her lines in front of the stage, Kiriyama did it, claiming he had to adjust the batten again. Misora had no idea she'd been knocked out and hidden near the catwalk."

"Then, timing the jump, you raise and lower the batten; the piano wire pulls Reira-chan down...? If you calculate the weight, the wire will eventually snap under Reira-chan's mass...and since her body should have burned, all evidence would be gone..."

Misora puts a hand to her face. "Really...you did all that...? And you were going to let me take the blame..." She stares hard at Kiriyama in disbelief.

I add—

"And then you sent the threat, assuming Misora would be arrested...a threat written deliberately in hiragana so she'd be charged with murder and other crimes and get a heavy sentence."

Professor Shishido, unconvinced by the explanation, asks for more.

"But why use such strange hiragana in the threat...?"

I can explain enough to answer.

"It had to look like a prank. If you'd sent a real threat to frame Misora, what would you do?"

"Well, I'd report it to the police..."

"The play would have been canceled, and Misora would abandon the plan...so you sent a message stuffed with hiragana that, in hindsight, reads as a threat—right, Kiriyama?"

"Ah..."

Professor Shishido nodded. Kiriyama interrupted.

"Hold on, Professor...! I didn't do that! That threat meant something completely different...I'm not the culprit!"

"Stop struggling, Kiriyama!"

"Why am I the culprit? Professor Shishido could've pretended to inspect the stage and set the device!"

"Remember when the fire broke out on stage? You were by the controls saying, 'Drop the curtain!' And right after that Reira-san fell...only you could have moved the batten!"

"......That's no proof I set the piano wire! I just touched the batten in a panic!"

Kiriyama still resists, like a demon. To beat him, I must become one too.

"First question. It's hot today...especially on stage... Professor Shishido says you got a role—chatterbox, right?"

"What does the heat have to do with chatter?"

"What about water? Before the reasoning show I looked for a water station—there wasn't one, right? So you sent me to buy tea..."

"So what!?"

"How else did Kiriyama plan to drink? He bought lots of soda and stuffed it in his bag. If he brought it, he meant to drink it, right?"

"Just because I drank soda...!? Ugh!"

Misora and Professor Shishido seem to get it; their gazes turn hostile. I explain the reason myself.

"If an actor on stage burps...the whole elegant play turns vulgar. Soda carries that risk, so before going on—especially with speaking lines—you'd avoid it."

Misora adds—

"Then why did you bring it...?"

I answer.

"You knew! You knew the play would be a disaster! That your turn would never come!"

Kiriyama doesn't seem cornered by the soda; everyone's staring, but he doesn't flinch.

"......So soda's fine. That's your decisive proof, huh? Who cares what I drank or carried? Why is everyone so angry?"

"Not yet."

"More evidence?"

"Yeah! The batten that just fell—black thread and white thread. Black's the piano wire, what do you think the white is?"

"......? Ah, gloves, right!? Gloves! Come on, everyone's got those. And they were lying around at lunch, maybe someone used them..."

He beat me to it. Detective Chikage, the President, and Detective Akaba worry whether I have anything left.

"You okay?"

"If he talks his way out of this we're stuck, right?"

"Anything else...?"

There has to be. This is the only thing left to gamble on—whether it even exists. It will prove everything.

"......No, the thread's the issue. I personally confirmed that mechanism wasn't there before lunch break."

Kiriyama swallows once.

"So what."

I swallow too.

"During lunch you used piano wire and worked. The wire's so tough...the glove's thread frayed in places. The frayed thread stuck to the piano wire."

"So what!?"

"Which means you definitely carried piano wire onto the stage during lunch break! You couldn't hide it in your bag—too obvious—nor on stage—someone might find it. Best way is to hide it on your body."

"Ah..."

"If we find piano-wire marks on you, it's over!"

At those words Detective Chikage moves. Before Kiriyama can object, he's caught, unable to refuse.

Marks from the piano wire are found on his abdomen.

Even as Detective Chikage holds him, he gives a wry smile and tells us:

"Why did I do it...? I'll tell you. They both turned me down...heh..."

A reason as low as anyone could imagine.

I'm dumbstruck, unable to move. Everyone is overwhelmed and silent.

Then, a single slap echoes across the stage and does not fade.