Chapter 90

Then the President continues the story in a very bright tone.

"But you know, it was your 'doubt everything' line that saved us. Thanks to that, Grandma and everyone else could choose a path where nobody had to grieve."

"President..."

This was supposed to be a sad tale. For him, the malice of a trusted relative should have made him scream "That's a lie!" and condemn it.

Yet his face stayed serene. He even flashes me a peace sign.

"Believing is important, but the moment you sense danger or see someone agonizing... doubt them right away. Not doubt their kindness, but—"

"—doubt the mistakes they might have committed, right?"

"Yeah... Right now you might be about to erase a precious memory because of someone dear's mistake."

"Ugh... True. You hit where it hurts."

"I'm psychic, you know!"

"Psychic... In that case I'd love for you to expose the whole case in a flash... Well, never mind."

"Let's get back to it. Never erase the beautiful memories. Only erase the bad ones—the fact that the person suffered and turned bad, nothing more."

Exactly. Keep the beautiful memories untouched in the deepest corner of the heart. What's gone bad can never be undone. Yet we can use it as fuel to keep from losing those truly dear to us.

For example, the President here, Detective Chikage who fought desperately so a best friend's death wouldn't be in vain, Detective Akaba who works tirelessly to uncover the truth.

I vow in my heart to protect them.

While I'm thinking that, the President starts a phone call beside me.

"Over here, over here!"

Wondering who it is, the very person steps forward, phone to her ear: Detectives Chikage and Akaba.

They arrive with the sunset at their backs, catching their breath.

Detective Akaba speaks to me first.

"He threw up! Kiriyama-kun threw up!"

I figure you don't need to report someone's vomit. I grimace, but Detective Chikage quickly corrects her.

"Detective Akaba... That could be misleading... I mean, no! After that, both Detective Akaba and I questioned Kiriyama, and he confessed his real motive."

"Motive...?"

Then Detective Akaba, back to normal, explains from the beginning.

"You know he has a best friend on leave from school, right?"

"Um, yes. He got dumped by Misora. The shock...?"

"That's part of it. After that, the victim, Reira-chan, started spreading that around, which caused trouble."

"How does that connect to this case?"

"It's a bit complicated... There was trouble, and in the middle of it Reira-chan got attacked on a night road... Then Reira-chan used her fans to strike back at the friend she'd decided was the culprit..."

"Eh?"

"The harassment kept up, the friend's mind and body deteriorated... constant cut scars on his wrists, rope marks on his neck... Kiriyama-kun, unable to bear it, helped him, telling us again and again through tears: if only Misora hadn't dumped him, if only Reira hadn't spread those stories with malice..."

What about the words I'd flung—"just got dumped"? I can't find the answer myself, so Detective Chikage starts speaking.

"Ah, the reason he argued back so coldly with his last words... he wanted everyone to see him as the complete villain. He said he'd planned to turn himself in even without evidence."

"...Senpai wasn't just a bad person who killed someone... he thought of me till the very end... though it backfired..."

"Yes, seems so. I'm still not satisfied... I have to sort these feelings too..."

Detective Akaba gently strokes Detective Chikage's back. The President slaps me hard on the back.

"Hyoga! Your senpai thought of you to the end. No one could hate you for doing what's right! Have confidence!"

"That hurts, President! Be gentle like Detective Akaba!"

"Ah, sorry, sorry!"

"Otherwise I'll spill it. Your kink, I mean."

"Hey! Chikage-senpai and Detective Akaba are right here! Cut it out!"

That was our gentle conversation. If it had ended there, it would've been a truly cozy mystery finale.

That night Ishii Miiko suddenly appeared on my smartphone and spoke—so suddenly I wondered if I'd hit an app button by mistake before bed.

Ignoring my worries, Miiko inside the screen went on.

"Azuma... You know the member expelled from the Utopia Detective Agency, right..."

Azuma—the detective who condemned Miiko to life as a digital ghost.

The Utopia Detective Agency is the group that harbored that lowest-of-the-low detective Azuma. They'll just hide behind "Azuma is unrelated," and since calling might expose my identity, I stay away.

For now I focus on solving cases over and over to lure Azuma and the other detectives here.

So why has that name come up now...?

"Yeah... so what about it..."

"We received information that Azuma himself orchestrated an attack on an idol and falsely accused someone else to boost his own fame, so I'm passing it on..."

"Eh!?"

Idol, attack, case—those words instantly recalled this incident. Why Azuma's name...? No, I know why. Azuma's goal is to learn the truth himself and improve his reputation, and this case just happened to get attached to that...

Even so... If Azuma's selfish, illegal methods led to Senpai Kiriyama's murder...

A complete harassment play against me. Or fate trying to bring him and me together.

No, whichever it is, I don't care.

I will find the one who killed Miiko. With my reasoning, with our power, I will crush the one who hurt every precious person to me!

Absolutely, absolutely!

"I'll become better than you, so come complain then, detective! When that time comes, we'll beat you with our power! Be ready!"

To keep anyone else from getting hurt, I'll grow stronger. Kicking off the futon, I swear it in my heart.