Can a human remain safe after bathing in cold water for three hours? Itās been said that even lying in a puddle can lead to drowning, butā¦ Seeing Kyouko-san stretched across the shower flor, my first action was to leap in and cease the spout from the shower head.
When turning the faucet, my back was also momentarily bathed in cold water, and even that instant held the sort of cold to freeze my body overāso Kyouko-sanās entire body was continually bathed in this temperature for a while three hours?
āKyouko-san! Get a grip on yourself!ā
I tried calling out again, but there was no answer after allā¦ rather than white, her sopping wet follicles looked closer to silver. I couldnāt feel any sighs of life. Thinking the worst, I gently tried touching Kyouko-sanās neckā¦ thank G.o.d, there was a pulse.
Listening carefully, I could also hear a sleeperās breath. It seems she simply ran out of strength and fell asleep. Perhaps four nights far surpa.s.sed Kyouko-sanās limitā¦ she was sound asleep.
I felt some reliefā¦ but as there was no way I had any medical knowledge, I had no way of telling whether the pulse I felt from my fingertip was strong or weak, or arrhythmicāall I could tell was that I shouldnāt carelessly move her; while that may sound contradictory, I couldnāt leave her like this, and there was something I could only do here.
I had to wipe off her body and warm her.
āAhā¦ā
It was there that I finally- late as it may be- realized that Kyouko-san was completely stark nakedā¦ I hurriedly averted my eyes from the radiance. She was taking a shower, so yeah, it was only natural she was naked, but if Kyouko-san happened to open her eyes in this situation, it would make for a huge ruckus. Even with the present state as hectic as it is, if Kyouko-san woke up nowā¦ if a Kyouko-san who had forgotten yesterday, rather, all her memory from the past four days woke up now.
From her perspective, she would suddenly be alone in a bathroom with an unfamiliar man (giant), nakedā¦ outrageous. It was a situation that might kill the weak of heart from the shock.
Then rather than forcibly regaining Kyouko-sanās consciousness, letting her sleep would surely make it easier to nurse herā¦ additionally, if she had collapsed at her physical limit after four waking nights, she shouldnāt wake up that easilyā¦
Whatās more, if only once, for a moment, she fell asleep, all the reading up to nowā¦ there was no changing the fact that her detective work to that point had been ruined. There was already no regaining what was lost.
In that case, Iād like to let her have some sound sleepā¦ honestly, I personally couldnāt stand to look at such a grumpy, snappy Kyouko-san any longer.
Going back to the basics, there was something unreasonable about her plot to read one hundred books at once without a wink of sleepā¦ I had thought that with Kyouko-sanās reading pace, it wouldnāt take that much time, but I was naĆÆve. We could think about what we would do henceforth to a later date, now was the time for rest.
That being the case, I couldnāt leave Kyouko-san naked like that; I momentarily left to the changing from to search for a bath towel and a change of clothing. I found the towel swiftly enough, but I couldnāt find a changeā¦ come to think of it, when she went off to the shower, Kyouko-san was empty-handed. Perhaps her drowsiness had it slip her mindā¦ it was an oversight unbefitting of Kyouko-san, or rather, she really must have been at her limit.
But, even if that was the case, the ragged clothes and underwear she had been wearing for over a day should have been somewhere around, butā¦ looking about, I spotted then twisted up in the drum of a laundry machine set at the side of the dressing room.
Ah, so thatās how it isā¦
Even if Kyouko-san didnāt fall asleep during her shower, that would be quite a dilemma in itself, I thought, as I momentarily wrapped a large bath-towel around her. In the first place, I had to wipe off her body soaked in cold water, and in that instance, not touching Kyouko-sanās body at all would be impossibleā¦ so while I was somewhat enveloped in a sense of guilt for a.s.saulting Kyouko-san in her sleep, this was surely not the right situation to fight against the weakness in my heart. My highest priority should be to preserve Kyouko-sanās vital signs.
Yeah, thatās right. What happens to me and the like doesnāt matterā¦ now isnāt the time to put on airs and talk about my qualifications as Kyouko-sanās a.s.sistant or anything like that.
Whatever the case, I had to save Kyouko-san.
I considered filling the bathtub with hot water and submerging Kyouko-sansā body in it, but I heard taking a bath was something that consumed stamina in itselfā¦ It would be better to let her rest at ease in her bed.
A single bath towel wasnāt enough to wipe her entire body I took up another, a hand towel to wrap up her hear. While I had no medical knowledge, but in the past- of course, for a very short time before I was fired- I managed to find a job related to nursing, and it looked like that was proving of some useā¦ I thought of myself as a hopeless guy who couldnāt help but be thrown from job to job, but seeing that knowledge prove useful like this, it kinda felt like some reward.
āMnā¦?ā
When it came to wiping down Kyouko-san, I tried my best directing my attention so as not to look at her body, but if I wanted to nurse her, it would be impossible for it to never enter my vision at allā¦ my head had cooled down considerably to boot, and enough wisdom was circulating for me to take off my cold, soaked jacked, but it was there that I nodded.
Here and there on her bare-naked body, there were words written in with permanent magic markerā¦ as expected of permanent marker, even with five days since they were written, and a three hour shower, they werenāt washed away.
My contract written on her right arm, the contents of this timeās job on her leftā¦ on her stomach was her āgood ideaā, and right above that idea was a line I had seen before, āI am Okitegami Kyouko. 25 years old. Head of Okitegami Detective Agency. White hair, wear gla.s.ses. Memory resets every day.ā Her self-description.
I already knew Kyouko-san left records over her own bodyā¦ but the problem was the sentence written on her left, inner thigh. āWhen was the release date for The Cob of the Corn?ā
ā¦?
Comparing it to the other pa.s.sages, it was undoubtedly Kyouko-sanās handwriting, but it was a sentence I completely failed to grasp the intent ofā¦ when did Kyouko-san even have the time to write on herself? āThe Cob of the Cornā was the name Kyouko-san gave to Sunaga-senseiās posthumous ma.n.u.scriptā¦ it was a tentative t.i.tle she thought up on the spot when I asked, so Kyouko-san would have to have written it on her own left leg sometime after that.
I recalled when she told me to pinch her cheeks. By that time, I was already considerably sleepy, so I wasnāt thinking properly, but while it was definitely bad for me to pinch her arm or leg as it might get in the way of her reading, before pinching her face, wouldnāt her leg come to mind first?
But that wasnāt now it went, Kyouko-san put her best foot forward by the letter and told me to pinch her cheeksā¦ was that to open writing s.p.a.ce on her legs if the time came?
Meaning this sentenceā¦ āWhen was the release date for The Cob of the Cornā was most likely something Kyouko-san who doesnāt take memos wrote in the midst of the case, a hint towards resolving the incidentā¦? Sensing her own drowsiness was reaching its limit, even if she adhered to her officeās strict duty of confidentiality and didnāt write anything direct, she still left a message behind for her tomorrowās selfā¦
That would beā¦ much too tragic.
Without any exaggeration, under a situation where drowsiness threatened her own life, being in a condition where she couldnāt maintain a decent personality, even so, without losing her vector towards the caseās resolution, she fulfilled her way as a detectiveā¦
Even if she hadnāt fully read through Sunaga-senseiās one hundred works, there must have been āsomethingā she noticed along the wayā¦ come to think of it, before she headed to the shower, she said she had a theory or something (dnyahyaba one, to be more precise). She definitely uttered it in her dream-like state.
But the release dateā¦? What meaning did the release date to an unpublished work hold? I couldnāt see it in the slightestā¦ grounded in her business ethics, she wrote it in a way that no one else could understand, so that went without sayingā¦
The release dateā¦ would Kondou-san know it? No, right now, thatās the least of my troubles. Carrying Kyouko-san out of the bathroom takes first priority. The permanent marker message that endured a three-hour shower, I doubted it would disappear from a bit of hard rubbing as I wiped down Kyouko-sanās body front and back.
I couldnāt fully dry off her hair with a towel, but even so, I at least managed to return it from silver to whiteā¦ there, I embraced her from below and hoisted her up. This freakishly large body I got from my parents stands out, and people always fear it, there was never a good thing about it, but at that moment, I was simply thankful. My body was made big so I could save a precious person at a time like this, I got around to thinking.
Of course, even if that wasnāt the case, Kyouko-sanās body was small and light enough to lift with easeā¦ she was sleeping so feebly in my arms, I couldnāt imagine this was the great detective who had resolved innumerable difficult cases. I had been entrusting my entire bodyās weight and then some onto this small build, I realized it for the first time supporting her up myself.
āā¦ā
There were plenty of things to think and mull about, butā¦ putting them all on the shelf, I carried Kyouko-san out of the bathroomā¦ umm? I get the feeling Iāve definitely heard out where her bedroom was supposed to beā¦ right, in the back of the reception roomā¦
I held close a sound-asleep Kyouko-san, heading for that roomā¦ I only recalled her telling me āyou definitely canāt go thereā once I had turned the doork.n.o.b, opened the door, and stepped into the room.
Nonetheless, even if I remembered it earlier, in an emergency, I donāt think I would honor that warningā¦ and while I didnāt want to say it, the room I stepped into was by all accounts a normal bedroom.
It wasnāt so messy she wouldnāt want anyone to catch sight of it, and there were no bizarre collections she wouldnāt want anyone seeingā¦ it was a cleanly kept private room.
You could also call it a let-downā¦ a king-size bed, and a large flat screen tv embedded in the wall. An audio setup that could play records as well, and the latest model desktop PC. An antique closet, and a frieze carpetā¦ upon closer inspection, her a.s.sortment of fixtures and accessories was scrupulous, in no way as dreary as the reception room. In that sense, it wasnāt normal, it was nonchalantly luxurious, keenly conveying the sense the room was designed with good taste, but that only made it all the more confusing why she emphasized I definitely couldnāt come in.
More so, if she showed me such a wonderful room, my favorability impression of Kyouko-san that had hit rock bottom would have shot up considerablyā¦ or could it be, regardless of whether it was tidy or not, Kyouko-san was the sort of person who didnāt want others to tread into her room? Even if itās natural for a woman to not let a man sheās not very close to into her room so easily, why did she go out of her way to stress and convey such an obvious fact to me?
Was she just so sleepy she said something that went without sayingā¦ whatever the case, if the room was tidy, there was no problem. I lay Kyouko-sanās small body on the bed. From there, I undid the bath towel anew and wiped off her bodyā¦ just to make sure.
A glance back and as her head sank into the thick-plumed pillow, I found her expression considerably softer than when I discovered her in the bathroom. Her complexion had somewhat improved, and it looked as if she was simply sleeping in peace- though a peaceful rest might be the sort of expression to express death, in this case, I meant it word for word.
She was soundly asleep.
Patting my chest in relief, I finally felt at easeā¦ I took what felt like the first breath in a long while. I didnāt know what was going to happen back there, but it was appropriate to say the dilemma had crossed its peak.
No, I guess not?
While Kyouko-sanās life was in no serious danger, this was a huge loss in regards to her memoriesā¦ recognizing that once more, my feelings fell into despair. With this she had completely forgotten the contents of all the Sunaga-sensei books she spent four nights up reading.
Having five daysā worth of work returned to ash, even simply looking at it from the side, it was a truth that made me feel an extraordinary sense of helplessness. Ā This couldnāt be cleaned up with the word reset. And the one in question who had done all the work- Kyouko-san must beā¦ no, Kyouko-san would never be able to feel that emptiness. Because she would even forget the toil of five days reading.
ā¦ Thinking of it that way, how frail could this person be.
An instable detective set up over unreliable footingā¦ thought I.
The fastest detective. The forgetful detective.
On top of that, she was actually proficient, exceedingly a.s.sertive, and fearsomely sharpā¦ but if she was any other of the countless sorts of detectives, no, even if she wasnāt a detective, given the time, anyone could read one hundred books. Whether they could discern any conclusion that would resolve the case asideā¦ if it was just reading, even I could do it. Even if five days was impossible, I could do it in two months.Ā But Kyouko-san could not.
Kyouko-san only has today.
But still, thatās precisely why Kyouko-san has to be a detective over all elseā¦ a job where she can make use of her special characteristic must be hard to come by. Why did she become a detectiveā¦ what an idiotic question. Thereās no way there could be a reasonā¦ I mean, if she wasnāt a detective, how would Okitegami Kyouko live on?
Not strong enough, not kind enough.
Kyouko-san could only be a detective.
I was dragged into difficult cases, with all sorts of allegations draped over me, and each time I relied on Kyouko-sanā¦ and each time my hands were so full of myself I had failed to see a single thing about Kyouko-san.
āā¦ā
While I say I didnāt see, snap. Before I realized it, I was normally looking at the still-naked Kyouko-san as she lay over the bedā¦ it wasnāt the time to gulp, if I was done wiping her down, I needed to dress her up with haste.
There were surely undergarments and pajamas in that closet- and after that, I just had to let her sleep at ease until she naturally awoke. In that timeframe, Iād prepare a proper meal for Kyouko-sanās sakeā¦ I had worked part-time as a line cook before, and it was about time for me to show my true mettle. And after thatā¦
āā¦ā¦ā
After thatā¦ Kyouko-san would get back to her jobā¦ wouldnāt she. Sheād look at the memo on her left hand, remember- no learn- the contents of her job, feel ashamed of herself for carelessly falling asleep, and reread Sunaga-senseiās complete works from book oneā¦ wouldnāt she. She would look at her bright idea, her left hand, and ask me to stand on watch once more. Would it become so awkward and grating for me again? Would she snap harshly at me as she mournfully read her books?
Would she painstakingly read the books of her favorite author?
No, to be more precise, it was difficult to say she was starting from square one. Theyāre that vanishing message that just barely remained from yesterdayās Kyouko-san. Butā¦ even that is nothing more than a theory, and I doubt there would be any change in her means of reading one hundred books in order to verify it.
N the end, Kyouko-san would try reading one hundred books again, running out of strength around book eightyā¦ sheās collapse, forget, and repeat once over. No, even if the memories were lost, itās not as if her stamina would recover, so next time sheād be able to read ten to twenty books tops.
In that case, it was a completely wasted effort.
In that case, Kyouko-san would be better off withdrawing from this sort of jobā¦ but she wouldnāt give up on a job sheās accepted so easily. Even when pushed to the brink, Kyouko-san never tried to give up on readingā¦ she continued being a detective to the verge of collapse. Whatās more, if sheās going to forget the very pain she went through, then no matter how the likes of me tries to persuade herā¦ wait?
Wait.
I lowered my eyes onto Kyouko-san once more. Itās not that I wanted to see her nudityā¦ I focused my eyes on the letters written all over my body.
Thatās right.
There it is.
There is just one thing.
Inept as I may beā¦ the one thing I can do for Kyouko-san.
2
If I was going to do it, I would be thorough with itā¦ of all else, I was dealing with a detective of seldom-found quality. A great detective. Whatās more, in a sprinting match, you could say she was top in the world, a great detective of fearsome wit. And peculiar dishonesty or schemes on my part would be seen through faster than anything.
If I wanted to deceive a great detective, Iā¦
Would thoroughlyā¦ need to become a culprit.
ā¦ Ironically, starting with Kyouko-san, after being saved by so many detectives and having them clear up my false charges, I was finally challenging a great detective upfront.
But do it I would.
I couldnāt think of any other way.
A skillful or well-composed person might be able to think up a wiser means for Kyouko-sanās sake, but I wasnāt that person. I was awkward, p.r.o.ne to cowering in fearā¦ even so, I wanted to do something for Kyouko-san. I couldnāt wait for some skillful composed person to do it for me.
Without making a sound, I stealthily escaped Kyouko-sanās bedroom and made for the kitchenā¦ of course, it wasnāt for some idyllic story of preparing breakfast for when she awoke. I had already abandoned that idea. The kitchen merely held the tools I needed.
Placed beside the sink, the kitchen detergent. Alongside that, the nearby paper towels; I took the whole roll with me.
Perhaps there was a more appropriate means that would be easier to clean up after, but I wasnāt the sort most abundant in information, and as far as I knew, that was the method that would take the least timeā¦ namely, in order to erase the permanent marker on her skin.
To cleanly erase them without leaving a trace.
ā¦ When writing something, when you carelessly smear ink on your own fingers, it wonāt come off so easily with water or normal soap, but these sorts of kitchen detergent should remove ink in a short amount of timeā¦ probably.
When returning to the room, I naturally didnāt knockā¦ by that point, I was already pretty much a criminal, and waking Kyouko-san with such common courtesy would be putting the cart before the horse. I wouldnāt call her sleeping beauty, but luckily Kyouko-san had pushed herself quite a bit and showed no signs of waking. I admit I must be simple, as looking at her gentle sleeping face caused my disillusionment from her defiance a few hours ago to fade awayā¦ for the sake of this person, I wanted to do as much as I could.
Then now wasnāt time to upset that sleeping face, I promptly got to workā¦ if a careless blunder woke her here and now, in a sense, it would be a greater disaster than if she woke up in the bedroom.
I sat to the side of the bed and started by taking Kyouko-sanās right armā¦ if I wanted to go at it in the proper order, perhaps I should have started with the left instead of the right, but what I was going to do was a clear act of betrayal as Kyouko-sanās a.s.sistant. Then Iād best start off by erasing my handwritten employment contractā¦ I didnāt deserve to be Kyouko-sanās right-hand man anymore.
Pushing some kitchen detergent out onto a paper towel, I used the moistened paper to wipe Kyouko-sanās right armā¦ the detergentās scent was harsher than I expected. It was a scent I wasnāt very conscious of in the kitchen, butā¦ while I doubted she would wake from it, to make sure no evidence remained, it seemed I would have to do another water wipe with a hand towel or something at the end.
When I thought of how many more times I would have to touch Kyouko-sanās body, I grew fed up with how far the future seemed, but surely that was what made a perfect crimeā¦ I never imagined I would learn the troubles of all the culprits who shifted blame onto me in such a fashion.
Luckily, my book knowledge wasnāt mistaken, and the contract on Kyouko-sanās right arm disappeared all too easilyā¦ as if my oath itself had been a cheap transient thing. No, in truth, thatās exactly what it wasā¦ Iāve never heard of an adventure where Watson betrays Holmes this easily.
By revoking the right arm contract, the half-baked portions of my resolve finally hardened upā¦ I understood I had already tread into the realm of no return. I recalled the form of Kyouko-san as she laid bare her rage against the culprit who stole her memory to conceal their crimeā¦ but in this instance, that level of anger wouldnāt cut it.
Then all the more so, with no oversightsā¦ next, I erased the two pa.s.sages on her torso. I hesitated over whether I should erase the one starting, āI am Okitegami Kyoukoā, but seeing how the message was clearly written in a different place than when I saw it at the Sarashina Research Inst.i.tute, I doubted she kept it written from the time she woke up to when she went to bed.
Come to think of it, she had business cards as well, and Kyouko-san was quite a celeb to those in the know, so in the extreme situation where she fell asleep in town without any information, given time, she should be plenty capable of handling it, identifying herself, and returning to her own office.
It was at most a means to know herself the āfastestā.
Then in order to emphasize the fact she was not on a job, I should erase it like all the others.
Even so, erasing the letters of āI am Okitegami Kyoukoā somehow felt like I was erasing the proof of her existence, inviting in a fearsome sense of guilt. Similarly, erasing the, āHave Kakushidate Yakusuke(Giant) wake youā, felt like I was openly betraying her trust, and my heart screamed out all the way.
The man you trusted is betraying you right now, I wanted to shake Kyouko-san awake and tell her- but a coward like me couldnāt take up such sincere action.
Wiping her body with paper towel, unlike drying her off with towels, conveyed the complete sensation of touch to meā¦ Ā through that, I learned that Kyouko-sanās stomach had barely any excess fat. It felt as if I was directly touching her abdominal musclesā¦ but rather than Kyouko-san maintaining model-like proportions, from what I could see from the build of her legs and arms, it seemed more accurate to say she had been pushing herself these past few days.
Erasing letters from her abdomen was similar to tickling her stomach, and I thought Kyouko-san might notice if I didnāt keep up the most prudent of prudence, but luckily, she at most twitched once or twiceā¦ instead of rubbing, strongly scrubbing, gently wiping as if to stroke was most effective. It was the same as washing tableware. To think my experience in a kitchen would prove useful here.
The letters on her abdomen completely gone, without any rest, I circled around the bed and went to erasing the pa.s.sage on her left arm. āA job pertaining Sunaga Hirubee-sensei. Important. Start tomorrow, 9:00AMāā¦ that was the blast from the past I needed her to forget most.
Kyouko-san never accepted this job.
She never started it.
She was never crushed, she never ran out of powerā¦ so she doesnāt have to do that unreasonable request anymore. She doesnāt have to spend her nights up readingā¦ she can forget.
Tomorrowās Kyouko-san can.
Wake up as if nothing happened at all.
ā¦ I couldnāt do anything about five daysā worth of exhaustion, I could only pray she woke thinking, āWhatever case I solved yesterday must have been a difficult oneā- compared to erasing the letters on her abdomen, it was easier to control my strength on her arms, and as I had grown accustomed to it, it didnāt take much time to erase.
Even so, the whole process took around an hour. With digital data, it only took a press of the delete b.u.t.ton. This must be the strength of a.n.a.log. I expended more paper napkins than I expectedā¦ they would become evidence, so I would take them with me. Would I be better off replacing it with a new one and refilling her detergent?
Oh, that was dangerous.
I had just about forgottenā¦ that Kyouko-san left a message on her left leg as well. I naturally wanted to avert my eyes from her nether regions, so I almost overlooked it. āWhen was the release date for The Cob of the Corn?ā a cryptic line, but that was precisely why those brush strokes might become the key to the caseā¦ in that sense, it was the most sinful message to rub out. Erasing it would completely render Kyouko-sanās five nights to nothingnessāwhat was I saying so late in the game? Come so far, leaving only that message would be far more cryptic. Thatās why there was no turning backā¦ even if I left just that pa.s.sage, it would only come back to torment Kyouko-san.
Thorough, be thoroughā¦ down to the last detail.
No matter how great of a mystery author Sunaga-sensei might be, no matter how he was involved with Kyouko-sanās offset as a detective, that matter is irrelevant hereā¦ whether Sunaga-senseiās death was suicide or not, that did not matter to the current me.
No matter what punishment awaited me for it.
Rather, at present, I already felt like I was suffering a punishmentā¦ after doing all this, I would never be able to look Kyouko-san straight in the eye again. From here on, no matter what false charges Iām placed under, no matter how people suspect me, Iāll never be able to seek help from Kyouko-san. A traitor like me has eternally lost the qualifications to seek help from her.
Itās fine, if itās detectives, Iāve got more than I can countā¦ but thereās only one Kyouko-san.
Farewell, Kyouko-san.
I rubbed off the message on her left leg.
With that, there were no traces of ink over Kyouko-sanās body. On my side, it felt like various feelings had been slathered over in a thick magic marker.
3
But that wasnāt the endā¦ this was where the perfect crime began. The crime was pretty much complete, and now the work began to conceal it.
In that sense, regardless of whatever else I had to do, I needed to dress Kyouko-sanā¦ just how long was I going to let her be naked?
I opened the closet and searched for some clothes. Finding the underwear and pajamas took no time at all. As I thought, Kyouko-san was the bearer of a considerable wardrobe, and she had an adequate selection of both. I faltered for a moment. At first, I thought Iād choose something that would rouse the least suspicion, a natural coordination, but it was almost as if I was making a dress-up doll of Kyouko-san, unnecessarily increasing the criminality of my deeds. I turned back on myself and purposely chose them at random. It was fundamentally impossible for me to imitate Kyouko-sanās fashion sense, and itās not like she would be wearing them out. But the pajama set aside, I heard that it was actually more natural to have mismatched undergarments, so I decided to leave it that. Come to think of it, among women, there are apparently those who sleep with a bra.s.siere and those who do not, but there were numerous sleep-purposed bras in her drawer, making me conclude Kyouko-san to be the former.
While I thought wearing a blindfold when changing her might be the gentlemanly thing to do, in my case, after perpetrating so much, if I had to say, it just felt hypocritical; rather, in my nursing job, I never had to help a woman change, so there was no way I could fasten a bra.s.siere while blindfolded.
But once I had finished affixing her undergarments, putting on her pajamas was comparatively simple. Because the side the b.u.t.tons are on is opposite for men and women, I think it resultantly made it easier for me to fasten them.
By the time I finished dressing her, Kyouko-sanās hair had fully dried out, but I was the one sweating all over my body. I wanted to fall asleep alreadyā¦ unlike Kyouko-san, even if I was paddling an easier ship, I had gone four nights up as well, and that fatigue wasnāt something that could be shaken off with three hours of rest.
Even then, I was practically moving on willpower. Regardless, I couldnāt collapse there. You can hold yourself up in your house for the next five years, until youāre out of your twenties, so do your best for now, Kakushidate Yakusuke.
I definitely wasnāt going lax, but be that as it may, by putting her clothes on, it was certain I had cleared a single flag point. If hypothetically Kyouko-san woke up here, even if the plan was ruined, the fear of the worst possible misunderstanding was gone.
I had no intentions of getting into a slapstick comedy with Kyouko-san throwing allegations at me, and me calling in another detectiveā¦ I carried the towel and papers I used to wipe Kyouko-sanās body out of her bedroom. I would place the towel in the laundry basket in the laundry room, and carry the paper towels off with meā¦ with that, my work in the bedroom was done.
Next was the kitchen, and then the reception room.
Erasing the traces of my cookingā¦ I couldnāt restock the fridgeās depleted ingredients, but I had to cleanly wash and put away the five-daysā worth of tableware for two. I ended up using the kitchen detergent for its intended purposeā¦ what about the food on the reception room table? My failure still on the plate? ā¦ I couldnāt throw it in the garbage, I had no choice but to eat two-peopleās worth on my own. It was a full course of terror. I reaped what I sowed.
Apart from that, the fact a third partyā¦ no, the traces a detective a.s.sistant had been here needed to be perfectly erased.
While this building was a bundle of security, no matter how hard it was to enter, it wasnāt so hard to leaveā¦ on the other hand, even if I forgot something, I wouldnāt be able to come back to retrieve it, so I would need to exercise the utmost caution.
I left a great many fingerprints around, but I doubted I would have to care about those (apart from on the table and gla.s.s) ā¦ rather, I shouldnāt care about them. I was mainly in the reception room. Then it would be more unnatural for there to be no fingerprints from anyone apart from Kyouko-san.
But what I definitely couldnāt leave behind was the heap of Sunaga Hirubeeās ninety-nine worksā¦ if I left those behind, the rest of my work would all be for nothing. Itās Kyouko-san weāre talking about. She would end up linking the news of Sunaga-senseiās death with the books left behind, and with one thing leading to another, she would arrive at the job she had been tasked withā¦ that deductive prowess, her instinct as a detective was definitely something I couldnāt make light of.
Around two boxes worthā¦ well, itās not an amount I wouldnāt be able to lift in one goā¦ I guess my experience in a moving company proved useful there? Goodness me, I guess thereās a time and place for everything.
Oh right, Sunaga-senseiās posthumous ma.n.u.scriptā¦ I have to make sure not to forget that. Good grief, while it was something of value, when I thought of how that ma.n.u.script started my fall into that situation, I even felt annoyed at it. Of course, to be honestā¦ to speak my honest, indiscrete thoughts, it was hard to just call it an annoyance. Apart from a sense of fulfillment that I could do something for Kyouko-san, it would be a lie to say I felt absolutely no upliftment that someone like me was battling against the great detective Okitegami Kyouko. As if it was finally time for a side character like me to play out their uncalled-for climaxā¦ no, Iām sure that was just the high I was feeling upon being pushed to the limit. Letās calm down for a moment.
And by calming down, the wood grain of the reception room floor entered my eyesā¦ it wasnāt good to be too neurotic, but would I be better off retrieving the hairs on the floor? I had, per say, been living there for five daysā¦ normally, I wouldnāt care too much about the likes of hair, but Kyouko-san was completely white-haired. If there were too many black strands around, would it be unnatural after all? But then what should I do? It would take time to pick up every last one, but that being the case, that didnāt mean I could use a vacuumā¦ the roar from that thing would wake Kyouko-san.
But with a method that entered my ear when I worked a desk at a cleaning company let me evade that trialā¦Ā by wrapping packing tape around my hands and creeping around the floor, I successfully retrieved them. The fingerprints were the same, and while I thought it would be unnatural for there to be no traces of anyone in a receptions room, on the contrary, precisely because it was a receptions room she would want to keep it tidy, I thought, so I thoroughly cleaned it from corner to corner.
Obviously, that method picked up Kyouko-sanās white hair alongside my ownā¦ and naturally, I would need to take the packing tape back with me, that act felt just a little stalker-ish, sending me into a spiral of self-loathing. Swearing I would discard it in a public dumpster along with the paper napkins on the way back, I finally finished up with the kitchen and reception room.
Finally, I brought the towel to the dressing roomā¦ it was there I went pale. I saw the wet jacket there and went pale. I had completely forgotten how I was bathed in cold water retrieving Kyouko-san and had stripped it off. That was dangerous, how could I call it a perfect crime if I left such clear tracesā¦ I can feel Professor Mās disappointment.
I had just left it on the floor, so the jacket was only half-dry, but, well, I had no problems wearing itā¦ and when I thought of how the charges on me werenāt all wet this time around, I could put up with it.
Just in case, I checked in the back as well, but there didnāt seem to anything that needed cleaning upā¦ the unpleasant feeling of the wet jacket made me feel like taking a shower before I left, but no matter how I searched, I couldnāt find any meaning in going out of my way to do something so stupid that might leave my trace.
Now thenā¦
At that point, there really was nothing left to do. As a culprit, I needed to escape the Okitegami Building without a moment to lose, but before that, I wanted to say farewell to Kyouko-san one more time. While my emotions did come into play, if I didnāt confirm Kyouko-san had yet to awake, I wouldnāt be able to put my mind at ease.
After quietly peeking into her bedroom, returning was the right decision, or so I paid thanks to my unexpected luckā¦ even if I said that, rather than my luck, I should call it a stroke of good luck for Kyouko-san.
Kyouko-san had turned over in her sleep, embracing her large pillow, out like a lightā¦ her sleeping posture wasnāt the best, it seems. Well, that went to show how deeply asleep she was, so it wasnāt something for me to complain about (In the first place, I donāt have any qualifications to say anything about Kyouko-sanās sleeping posture), but what I found to my luck was the roomās temperature.
With the season, the roomās temperature had yet to go as far as cold. But Kyouko-san had been continually submerged in cold water up to a moment ago. Her body temperature had surely fallen considerablyā¦ her sleeping posture that paid no heed to her blanket would usually be a pleasant scene, but on top of her body temperature, I couldnāt overlook it.
In a building so fully outfitted, there was no way her room had no ACā¦ I looked around the entrance door. As I thought, on the wall right next to the light switch, the remote for the AC was embedded.
I doubt she leaves the AC on when she sleeps normallyā¦ but if she sets it to cut off in an hour by timer, then even if she wakes up sometime along the way, she shouldnāt find it strange. Luckily, that AC unit was the sort that didnāt make a sound when it started up, so I didnāt have to worry about Kyouko-san waking up from itā¦ I used my knowledge from working an appliance store as I set the temperature to twenty-six and changed the AC to heat.
Ah, come to think of it, I never checked the location of the AC unit itself. If it blew directly onto Kyouko-san, it might conversely make it difficult for her to sleep, so do I have to alter the vent direcā¦ tion? I didnāt see it anywhere. Ah, thatās wrong, this model was the sort thatās buried in the ceiling, was itā¦ there, I shifted my eyes straight up.
Andā¦ I found myself at a loss for words.
The ceiling.
Thatās right, ever since I entered the room, I had never once looked up at the ceilingā¦ Sure enough, a cutting-edge air conditioning unit was embedded there. None of its air holes were positioned to bother Kyouko-san as she slept on the bedā¦ and in hindsight, thereās no way a bed would be positioned right in the way of an air conditioningās wind.
Thatās whyā¦ I should never have looked at the ceiling. The reason being, the air conditioning wasnāt the only thing on it.
I knew.
The true meaning of her words when Kyouko-san told me I could definitely never enter this room. It was spelled out in thick, black, paint across the ceiling.
āFrom today onwards, you are Okitegami Kyouko.
You will live as a detective.ā
Those rough brush strokesā¦ no matter how I looked at them, they were not done by Kyouko-sanās hand.
4
Once I had finished disposing of everything at the scene, the last bus had already left. I didnāt have enough on hand to take a taxi (There was no way I could receive my salary as an a.s.sistant),Ā so I had no choice but to return carrying two cardboard boxes full of booksā¦ honestly, that might have been the harshest part of the job.
At the end of a few hoursā march, I returned to my apartment and finally slept like a logā¦ but that wasnāt the end either. Even if the crime scene was taken care off, there was someone whose story I had to get straight if I wanted to pull off a perfect crime.
It went without saying I meant the direct client in this case, Kondou-sanā¦ it was already past noon by the time I awoke the next day, but I instantly made aĀ call to Kondou-sanās phone and made an appointment. He had consecutive meetings that day, so if I was fine with a gap in-between them, heād make some timeā¦ was the matter, and I a.s.sented that I was fine with that and prepared to head out.
By that time, I was sure Kyouko-san had opened her eyesā¦ how was she? What thought ran through an awakened Kyouko-sanās head? Would my childish destruction of evidence truly work on a great detective?
ā¦ That was already gone and done with, there was no use mulling over it. It was impossible for me to repent on my failings and redo. So for now, I could only do what I was capable ofā¦ the boxes of Sunaga-senseiās books in tow, I changed onto the bus to Sakusousha.
On that day, for the first time.
I pressed the stop b.u.t.ton on my own.
āā¦ Now this is a surprise.ā
Kondou-san told me after hearing out my story at Sakusoushaās staff canteen. I spoke apologetically.
āYeah, I have to apologize to you, it was my arbitrary decision. Butā¦ā
I started to vindicate myself, but, āNo, thatās not it. What Iām surprised about is how skillfully you were able to carry out a crime,ā Kondou-san lightly laughed.
āI always found it a mystery why everyone unanimously directs the eyes of suspicion at a good-natured man like you, but good gracious, the mistaken one might have been me. Donāt you think you might have a criminal nature rivaling that of a great detective?ā
āD-donāt even joke about something like that, Kondou-san. Even recalling it now, I was trembling with fear last nightā¦ I havenāt the slightest idea why I was able to take such bold action.ā
That wasnāt to say I had told Kondou-san every little detail about my offense. If I told him everything, Kondou-san would become an accompliceā¦ of course, there was that practical reason to it as well, but I had an extraordinary resistance to telling him how I retrieved a naked Kyouko-san from the bathroom. For the sake of Kyouko-sanās honor, thatās something I should keep under especially tight wraps.
To the end, I only roughly explained that I nursed Kyouko-san who had collapsed after four nights without sleep, and erased all traces of the job from the sceneā¦ and naturally, I didnāt say a word about that message on her bedroom ceiling.
āAnywayā¦ Kondou-san. I want you to make it so this request never happened. For Kyouko-san who only ever has today, it was an impossible request from the start. If you need it done at all costs, Iāll take responsibility and introduce you to a different detective.ā
āNo, thereās no need, Yakusuke. I withdraw the requestā¦ now that itās come to this, that might actually be for the best.ā
ā? What do you mean itās for the best?ā
āTo tell you the truthā¦ while you were working with Okitegami-san, there was a movement on our side. Itās the will of Sunaga-senseiās bereaved family, so to speakā¦ theyāre pressing us to see if we can make Sunaga Hirubeeās death out as a suicide.ā
āā¦?ā
I couldnāt understand what he meantā¦ no, perhaps I just didnāt want to understand, but as I was slow on the uptake, Kondou-san offered further explanation.
āMeaning, not just publish Sunaga-senseiās final ma.n.u.script as his final work, they want to send it into the world in that formā¦ if itās the āPosthumous work of an author who committed suicideā, it will advertise itself, and it will certainly have an effect as a sales pitch.ā
āā¦ His bereaved family didnāt have the best relationship with him. That Sunaga-sensei.ā
Giving a blunt response was the most I could do.
āI wonder. I told you before, but to an author, suicide isnāt necessarily a dishonorable endā¦ if you want me to speak removing my emotions and public stance, if we announce it under that representation, I guarantee Sunaga-senseiās name will rise.ā
āā¦ But.ā
I grasped for wordsā¦ I recalled what Kyouko-san told me. His new work, his posthumous ma.n.u.script āThe Cob of the Cornā was just the usual Sunaga Hirubeeā¦ the usual sort of piece you could enjoy while piquing your interest about what he would put out next, so making that the end-all of his writing career was definitely not doing good to Sunaga-sensei.
But I couldnāt put that opinion on the chopping block hereā¦ Kyouko-san had already stepped down from this job. No, I dragged her down from itā¦ as a detective and as Sunaga-senseiās fan, Kyouko-sanās opinion no longer held any weight over the present situation.
I couldnāt tell what extent of my thoughts he could read, but Kondou-san went on.
āThatās why, if Okitegami-san or another detective poorlyāor skillfully investigates and reaches the conclusion āit was not a suicideā, then that verdict and the bereaved family will have us between a rock and a hard place, only bringing us more troubleā¦ if Okitegami-stepped down at this stage, you could say that way would be to our benefit.ā
He saidā¦ there was no way Kyouko-san would step down herself but, well, from Kondou-sanās perspective, it was much the same. Her a.s.sistant had raised a rebellion, after allā¦ if evaluated as an organization, that was the responsibility of the chief of the office, Kyouko-san.
āā¦ For the sake of Kyouko-sanās name, Iāll say it as persistently as I have to, Kondou-san. This job was unsuited to Kyouko-san from the start. I wouldnāt want you forgetting this was a request neglecting various regulations of the Okitegami Detective Agency. It was a job taking advantage of Kyouko-sanās fan mindsetāā
āI get it, I get it, donāt be so angry. Iāll make sure this doesnāt lower Okitegami-sanās evaluationā¦ if youāll let me make an excuse, even I never thought Okitegami-san would carry out such a heated investigation of reading all one hundred books.ā
As if to soothe me, Kondou-san vindicated himselfā¦ but he did have a point. As she devoted herself to the point of collapse, it was Kyouko-sanās failure of self-management that invited in the present state of affairs.
Not doing what youāre unable to is the minimum required credence of a working adultā¦ and this time, Kyouko lacked that. Turning it around, that was simply how great of a Sunaga-sensei fan she was, butā¦
āā¦ Kondou-san. Could you go into some more detail on what you told me before? Kyouko-san set out to become a detective because she read Sunaga-senseiās worksāthatās what you said. What exactly did you mean by that.ā
āAhā¦ that was a slip of the tongue on my part, but now that itās come to this, I guess I canāt uphold my silenceā¦ during Satoi-senseiās case, do you remember how I asked you if Kyouko-san had ever worked overseas before?ā
āYeah, I do. You told me to forget it, but it left quite an impression.ā
Kondou-san had once met a person who resembled Kyouko-san while working at a branch overseas, it was that sort of talk.
āIāll be frank, that woman was a die-hard fan of Sunaga-senseiā¦ in the first place, the reason we got into contact was because I was an acquaintance of Sunaga-sensei. It involves the internal affairs of Sakusousha, so I canāt tell you everything now that youāve taken leave, butā¦ back then, she helped me out quite a bit. You could say that the current me is only here thanks to her.ā
āHmmā¦ā
For a man of Kondou-sanās caliber to say so muchā¦ if the current Kondou-san is here thanks to that person, then indirectly, the current me is also here thanks to her, but was that individual and Kyouko-san really one and the same?
āNo, I donāt know. I donāt think it adds up if I calculate out her age either, Iāve just said some unreasonable things. I might just be chasing some memories from the pastā¦ rude as it may be, perhaps I just saw Okitegami-san overlapping with that person. A part of me requested this job to Okitegami-san in the hopes of confirming that, truth be told.ā
āI-is that so?ā
I thought he was strangely fixated on Kyouko-sanā¦ so that was his angle. Perhaps having me invite Kyouko-san out for a date, and choosing Sunaga-senseiās villa as the destination also had that hidden ulterior motiveā¦ or perhaps to Kondou-san, that was the main goal, and the rest was secondary.
āT-then in the end, have you found your proof?ā
āNo, honestly, Iām even more confused than when I started outā¦ that person was definitely a zealous fan of Sunaga-sensei, so when Okitegami-san went as far as breaking her fundamental rule to take on the job, I thought that might be it. I was practically certain that woman looked on her love of Sunaga-senseiās work and decided to become a detectiveā¦ but she wasnāt the sort of rash person who would work herself to collapse, even by mistakeā¦ā
And in the first place, that person didnāt have a special characteristic of having her memories reset every dayā¦ or so Kondou-san wrapped up his explanation. Whittling it down that much, they definitely seemed like different peopleā¦ but it was possible her memories got around to resetting after Kondou-san returned. In that case, it was even possible she lost her memories of meeting Kondou-san along with the rest.
But even if that was true, the one thing I was certain of was the fact Kyouko-san didnāt become a detective out of her love of Sunaga-senseiā¦ the reason Kyouko-san was a detective.
It was written on the ceiling of her room.
āFrom today onwards, you are Okitegami Kyouko.
You will live as a detective.ā
ā¦ Waking up every morning, losing the memories of yesterday, she was simply following the first thing that entered her eyes, those orders written by who knows whoā¦ but ironically, if she wasnāt a detective, the current her wouldnāt be able to live on.
āWhatever the case, it looks like I should stop trying to test Okitegami-sanā¦ itās way too dangerous. Iām sorry, Yakusuke. Until the day h.e.l.l freezes over, I wonāt try digging into that personās past again.ā
āY-yeahā¦ just leave it at that.ā
āIf you werenāt there, I might have done something I could never take back. From here on, like in this case, youāve got to continue supporting Okitegami-san. Iām sure she needs an a.s.sistant, right?ā
āā¦ Kondou-san.ā
No, I was the one who did something there was no taking back. I had no intentions of meeting Kyouko-san againā¦ we were never that close to begin with, and if Kondou-san didnāt instigate me, I wouldnāt have invited her on a date either. Now that I had betrayed Kyouko-san, I could never make another job request to her, let alone help her in her workā¦ the moment I was about to say that, I recalled the form of Kyouko-san collapsed in the bedroom.
If she continued to be showered in that cold water, she would have suffered from hypothermia, and might have actually diedā¦ whatās more, Kyouko-san would forget that mistake. She was unable to ālearn by experienceā.
Someone had to save her.
ā¦ Then would I twiddle my fingers as I continued waiting for that someone to save Kyouk-sanā¦ when that prince on a white horse never arrived, did I intend to say it was a pity and call it a day? āSomeone had to do itā was the same as declaring āI wonāt do it myselfāā¦ would I make such a declaration to Kyouko-san?
But I couldnāt figure it out. Was what I did this time around really for Kyouko-sanās sakeā¦ was my betrayal really for her sake?
āā¦ Thatās right. Kondou-san. Thereās one thing I wanted to ask youā¦ if āThe Cob of the Cornā was submitted normally, around when was its planned release?ā
ā? āThe Cob of the Cornā?ā
āAh, sorry. Iām talking about Sunaga-senseiās posthumous ma.n.u.script.ā
āHmmā¦ did Okitegami-san name it? Itās definitely a fitting t.i.tle. By the schedule, it was before the spring of next yearā¦ it would be released around February. Of course, now that Sunaga-senseiās pa.s.sed, I think it will be pushed ahead someā¦ his familyās will and all.ā
The will of his bereaved family againā¦ no, an irrelevant outsider like me shouldnāt stick in his mouth. Iām sure theyāre going through a lot with dividing his belongings and inheritance taxes. But even if I believed Kondou-san when he said suicide wasnāt necessarily a dishonor to an author, wrongly announcing what wasnāt a suicide as one really would be mendacious after allā¦ not as an author but a human being.
āI didnāt want to say it, but itās true that the timing was simply perfect for a suicide. Putting a close on his numerous series, his āThe Cob of the Cornā wasnāt a new series, it was a standalone. Meaning, he left without leaving any novels incompleteā¦ I canāt help but sense some intent.ā
What happens twice will happen thriceā¦ but third timeās the charm, eh?
āThatās why, Yakusuke, I think this matter is going to be brought to a close with thatā¦ for Sakusousha, of course itās better if the book sells. Iām in a different department and I wasnāt directly in charge of him, Iām not in a position where I can open my mouth. In the first place, it was a vague situation that could go either way. As long as no definite evidence comes out to prove Sunaga-senseiās death was not a suicideāā
āSunaga-senseiās death was not a suicide.ā
She said.
Thereā¦ at the table Kondou-san and I sat across one another, brazenly without any objection, someone had taken a seat. She had pulled back the chair without a sound, elegantly lowering herself into it.
A woman of small build. She wore gla.s.sesā¦ a woman of white hair.
She wore a stately pair of pants, her shirt was done up to the very top b.u.t.ton.
āItās a pleasure to meet you, Iām Okitegami Kyouko.ā
The head of the Okitegami Detective Agency, Okitegami Kyouko.
As she unreservedly named herself, sheā¦ the detective held a paper cup filled to the brim with black coffee in her hands, giving a vibrant declaration.
āNow letās get to proving itā
5
At Kyouko-sanās sudden appearance, Kondou-san look at me in surpriseā¦ as if to say this isnāt what we talked about, but the one more surprised at her entrance than anyone was me. I even thought it was one of Kondou-sanās set-ups yet againā¦ but from what I could see of his reaction, that wasnāt the case.
Calm and collected all on her own, āMy apologies, I stopped by the editorial department so I was late to arrive,ā Kyouko-san saidā¦ and she placed the envelope she held under her arm on the table.
āI received this from Konoka-san, and by the time I finished reading it, the clock had already struckā¦ Iāve kept you waiting.ā
āThis isā¦ā
Kondou-san examined the contents of the envelope, but there was no such needā¦ it went without saying it contained a printout of Sunaga Hirubeeās posthumous ma.n.u.script, āThe Cob of the Cornā. The one I collected might have been a different copy but from its thickness and the situationā¦
āIt was a wonderful ma.n.u.script. For now, letās refer to it as āHome Sweet Cornā.ā
Kyouko-san spoke clearlyā¦ her provisional t.i.tle and impression were different. For the impression, it may be because she was putting on airs before Kondou-san, a person of the publishing company, butā¦ was the reason her tentative t.i.tle changed was because this was āTodayās Kyouko-sanā?
If memory serves, Konaka-san was affiliated with the literature department, directly in charge of Sunaga-senseiā¦ I see because he was Kondou-sanās colleague, she was able to hear the details. And by editorial department, she meant that oneā¦ I didnāt make it in time to silence themā¦ c.r.a.p, if I had the time to listen to Kyouko-sanās supposed past from Kondou-san, I shouldāve had Kondou-san start the cleanup work within the company.
No, in the first place, why was Kyouko-san in the company buildingā¦ if she brought up her name to Konaka-san who knew the circ.u.mstances, she would be able to receive a copy, but before that, sheād have to pa.s.s through the reception to enter orā¦
āThatās because Iām a detective. Covert operations are right in my ballparkā¦ If you look like youāre supposed to be there, they let you right in. I actually meant to pay Kondou-san a visit, but he was absent for a meeting, so I went to Sunaga-senseiās direct editor Konaka-san. After that, he told me I could find Kondou-san in the staff canteen after heās finished a meeting.ā
Kyouko-san explainedā¦ but while that sounded like an explanation, it really explained nothing. Well, for Kyouko-san, I guess breaching a publisherās firm security wasnāt too difficultā¦ rather, was that why she was wearing pants? With a young woman, it was hard to keep wary, and if she pa.s.sed through unconcerned, they might just let her through, but what we were worried about was why Kyouko-san was here in the first place.
Turning to me in the height of my confusion, Kyouko-san gave a pleasant smile, āSo which one of you is Kondou-san?ā she asked. Kondou-san hurriedly raised his hand like a student whose name was called by the teacher. That humorous conduct unbefitting a dandy man contrarily cleared my head.
Her memories were goneā¦ she didnāt remember Kondou-sanās face or mine. But Kyouko-san knew she had taken up a Sakusousha request that involved Sunaga-senseiās deathā¦ she heard it from Konaka-sanā¦ that wasnāt it. I mean, if she didnāt know that, she wouldnāt have come around to Sakusousha in the first place. Then in the end, was there an oversight in my treatment of the crime scene?
When she opened her eyes, Kyouko-san sensed something off with her office and made for Sakusoushaā¦ no, in that case, that much was fine. I couldnāt determine what part of my coverup I had made a mistake in, but now that the situation had come to this, I could only accept it.
Howeverā¦ what I couldnāt understand was the air Kyouko-san put on, her bearing as if she had already pinned down the truth of Sunaga-senseiās death. Whatever the case, Kyouko-san ran out of power. That much alone was certain, and by the time she awoke, her memoriesā¦ five days worth of memory were supposed to have reset. And yet, how did she ascertain the truth?
In a generous estimate of half a day since she opened her eyes, all of Sunaga-senseiās worksā¦ you mean to tell me she read one hundred books? Thatās impossible. If she could do that, sheād have done it from the start. If she read anything it would have to be ten volumes or lessā¦ and thereās no way she could understand something from that. In the first place, I had carried all of Sunaga-senseiās works off from the Okitegami buildingā¦ there were supposed to be a number of volumes considerably difficult to obtain among them.
ā¦ Was she bluffing?
Even if it didnāt go so far as a bluff, just as with the culprit at the Sarashina Research Inst.i.tute, was Kyouko-san putting on a faƧade before me and Kondou-san when she was in a state of zeroā¦?
āā¦ You say that Sunaga-senseiās death wasnāt a suicide. Of course, you must be saying that with some evidence to back you up, right Okitegami-san?ā
āYes, I never say anything without evidenceā¦ Iām a detective, after all.ā
At Kondou-sanās question, Kyouko-san gave a vibrant, brazen answerā¦ I couldnāt sense any signs of fatigue, this was the usual Kyouko-san under normal operation.
āBut before that, thereās one thing Iād like to confirmā¦ Are you Kakushidate Yakusuke?ā
āEh? Ah, y-yesā¦ā
I stuttered as I answeredā¦ with my guilt from betraying her, I couldnāt look her in the eye. I must have looked considerably suspiciousā¦ if she identified me as the culprit who killed Sunaga-sensei, I might even end up accepting it.
āIs that so. No, I heard from Konaka-sanā¦ it seems you were helping me out in my work. Thank you.ā
Konaka-sanās lips are way too loose. No, blaming him wonāt get me anywhereā¦ she used her skills as a detective to obtain information, and his lips werenāt even sealed on the matter.
āAhā¦ n-no, I was never useful enough for you to call it helping outā¦ā
āSo Iām sure. More than that, you tried to get in my way.ā
Kyouko continued on, her smile unchanging.
ā¦ As I thought, she saw through me.
But Kyouko-san repeated her, āThank you.ā
āBecause you got in my wayā¦ the truth became easier to understand.ā
āā¦ Eh? What do you meanā¦ā
āBefore we get into that,ā
Kondou-san b.u.t.ted in.
āHow were you able to tell, Okitegami-sanā¦ that we requested an investigation into Sunaga-senseiās death from you?ā
āMn, um, is that important?ā
āItās importantā¦ because our company brought forth the request while appraising you as the forgetful detective. If you are able to maintain your memories without resetting across days, then we would have hired you under false pretenses.ā
That was the Kondou-san-style rhetoric. He considered my dismay of having my crime seen through and asked in my place.
āIs that so? Come to think of it, you have a point thereā¦ well, whatever the case, if I ever hope to explain the truth, itās something Iāll have to say. Kakushidate-san.ā
Kyouko-san placed a single sheet of paper on the table.
āIām quite thankful that you cleaned my room for me, but you really shouldnāt leave something this important behindā¦ itās important evidence.ā
A folded piece of paperā¦ as I thought, it was the list of Sunaga Hirubeeās works Kondou-san drafted up. It even courteously spelled out the words āSakusousha Kondou Fumifusaā. That made the reason Kyouko-san dropped by Sakusousha clearā¦ however.
āT-that canāt beā¦ where did you find that?ā
āIn the dressing room. When I woke up and went to take a shower, I happened to spot itā¦ though I couldnāt tell you why it was lying in a place like that. Do you have any ideas?ā
On the contrary, being asked like that, I thoughtā¦ the dressing room? Sure enough, it was the place that got me into the greatest fl.u.s.ter, butā¦ was it when I took off my drenched jacket? In the end, I reclaimed the jacket itself, but did it fall out of my pocket at the timeā¦ I would never make such an oversight, Iād like to think, but as truth would have it, the paper was in Kyouko-sanās hands.
āI rescind my previous statement, Yakusuke. Youāre incapable of doing wrong.ā
Kondou-san said with a bitter smileā¦ I had no words, I could only feel ashamed.
āOkitegami-san. Please understandā¦ Yakusuke only did something like that because he worried for your wellbeing. He was by no means attempting to get in your way.ā
Kondou-san stuck up for meā¦ he really has it together. Though I donāt know if heād still cover for me like that if he knew I recovered a naked Kyouko-san.
āYes, Iām awareā¦ it seems I pushed myself considerably, and for that matter, you have nothing more than my grat.i.tude.ā
Or so Kyouko-san said as wellā¦ from what I could see of her behavior, her words of grat.i.tude were no fabrication. Judging by her previous statement, she wasnāt under the impression she had collapsed in the shower roomā¦ in that case, in order to not bring her any unnecessary shame, at the very least, Iād conceal that matter to the end.
āBut what did you mean when you said that made it easier to understand? Even when I made off with all of Sunaga Senseiās works.ā
So I brought the talk towards the case itself. As the greatest outsider, that impatience may have seemed unnatural, but, āThere was no need to read the complete works of Sunaga-sensei to begin with,ā Kyouko-san said.
āTo be blunt, just looking at that list was just about enough to resolve the caseā¦ itās Occamās Razor. I surmise that because she was Sunaga-senseiās fan, āYesterdayās Meās desire to read all of his works was so strong she used work as an excuse.ā
āB-butā¦ say what? Just with this list? And how do you figure?ā
I had looked through it a number of times, to the end it was nothing more than a list of Sunaga Hirubeeās worksā¦ as it was written up by Kondou-san, it had some extra details, but a list was a list. I couldnāt think that alone was enough to understand the truth behind Sunaga-senseiās death.
āItās actually possible, see. When I saw this list in the dressing room, it took me a second to notice.ā