When the Detective Work is Done, I'll Die

Chapter 36

Detective Chikage was swaying her arm like her soul had left her while looking at her smartphone in the corner of the hallway. She looked so fragile it felt like she might collapse if I touched her.

The girl who had faced the case with unwavering confidence. Sometimes she'd hold her head after I refuted her points, but she'd always bounce right back.

I'd figured this time she'd come back like a zombie, saying, "Even if evidence like that shows up, I'll overturn it!"

But I was wrong. Even when I peeked at her smartphone, she didn't move her eyes. She didn't even try to hide the phone, just frozen in place.

Impossible.

I shouldn't have cared what happened to the detective. Yet because I'd watched her fighting spirit, I couldn't help worrying.

That's why I ended up speaking when I didn't have to.

"What happened?"

The moment I asked, her hand shot out and grabbed my arm. I almost yelped, but swallowed it. If I screamed here, I'd only embarrass myself.

Forcing myself to stay calm, I checked on Detective Chikage. Her brows were lowered, her eyes brimming with tears about to spill over.

"Because the person who just said they were on my side... why, why..."

"You mean your followers when you say 'on your side'?"

"Yes! Yes! But when I talked about the bullying, it turned into 'forgive the murderer'... and they said it was presumptuous to solve the case... told me to think about how relieved the kids killed by that girl must feel, and it blew up..."

"Hold on. Did you leak case info on SNS...?"

Another misunderstanding with the detective. But she seemed to have no composure left to worry about something so trivial. She snapped at me with a "It can't be helped!"

"If it's for information, it can't be helped! I didn't plan to spread much of it... but people I told kept sharing more and more, and it blew up!"

"Blew up!? But if you didn't get any info or deductions out of it, what's the point! What were you doing!?"

If you spread word about the case, slander and abuse will definitely increase. Against Kanbara-senpai. Against the culprit too. Waving a flag of justice, they'll lash out.

I was furious she hadn't thought about that danger, and I told her so. Yet another excuse came back from her.

"There was something: after I posted on SNS, a kouhai who saw it told me, 'This school has a secret counseling form where students can consult teachers. Maybe the bullying is written on it.'"

"Because there's a counseling form? Does that help the deduction? More importantly, do you understand what can happen from here on!?"

"But they said if I check that and tell them, they'll give me info about the culprit..."

"Why would the person who gave you that info know about the culprit!? You're obviously being tricked! They just want you to reveal what's on that counseling form! That way they can get info on people they want to slander and indulge their pathetic sense of justice to the max! Can't you see the detective is being used!?"

"No way...!? Then everything, everything I did—everything was wrong..."

The moment she sank down onto the hallway floor, strength drained from my body too.

At first I didn't know why. I couldn't grasp why my motivation was vanishing. But once I thought about it, it hit me.

It's frustrating. The reason I could keep going this far was thanks to the detective right here. There was a time I'd been slammed with despair.

A student at this school had told me, "Think about how many people were rewarded because Kanbara-senpai was killed," and I'd been unable to move.

Ironically, the detective I hated had saved me.

She'd said, "We have a duty to solve mysteries. Because we're comrades who strive for justice."

And now look at her? Even her comrades claim "the murder was justified," and I've lost all meaning in trying.

Despair?

"Don't screw with me. Don't screw with me. Don't screw with me. Don't screw with me. Don't screw with meeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!"

This time I was the one going insane.

Because she'd tried to save people, I'd been able to stand up too. This betrayal was nothing short of absurd.

That's why I hate detectives.

I regretted ever trusting her even a little. I glared at her as she bit her lip and hid her face in both hands.

That was when an even more hopeless situation blocked my way.

"Hey, Hyoga. Calm down a bit... what are you doing..."

"Ah... no..."

The President and the others had been watching from behind. I tried to explain I hadn't panicked and made her cry on purpose. But to my luck, he understood what I meant.

"I get it. I was listening. About this justice thing, right? Whether it's really right to search for the murderer. Whether it's truly the best action for a detective. You're struggling with that, aren't you?"

A seriousness I'd never seen before from the President.

"Yes."

The President's words in response to mine.

"At a time like this, if Miiko were here she'd give me a good kick. What would that girl say, I wonder..."

It felt like hands were tightening around my throat. Guilt surged up from my stomach.

But I could keep it hidden. There was no proof Miiko had been murdered. I kept telling myself that, wiping the sweat running down my body again and again with my arm.

I planned to let the story end with no one ever knowing.

If only one miscalculation hadn't happened.

"Huh? Miiko? You mean the girl who just became a new Vtuber the day before yesterday?"

The one who spoke was Detective Chikage, who should've been in despair. My heart felt like it had stopped from the shock.

Why does she know?

While I stood frozen, the one who asked the question was the President—Miiko's brother.

"What are you saying!? Vtuber!?"

Detective Chikage, unaware Miiko had been the President's sister, responded to his echo with something outrageous.

"That's right... She said that since she'd been killed herself, she used all the info from her life so far to debut..."

"Eh..."

A heavy reaction from the President. Of course. No one could easily accept their little sister's death being explained away so simply.

"Yes, the story I saw said she was investigating a kid named Kishi who died at this high school for a friend, so she asked to share any info she had..."

Probably, after I cut off my chat with Detective Chikage yesterday, she opened the app. That's how she found out.

About Miiko's existence.

I had no idea how the stream had become watchable for her, either.

Right now, I was frantic trying to figure out how to explain this to the President.

No good. No matter how hard I racked my brain, no answer came.

Even as the President grabbed both my shoulders and glared at me, I couldn't say a thing.

"Hey... to sum up what that detective over there just said, you've known where Miiko was since yesterday. You could've told me even a little... right? Hey, Hyoga...!"

I'd wanted to keep him away from danger. Then I realized this was my big chance.

I could become the villain. Given how easily he trusts people, he'd take my words at face value. That way, no danger would reach him or his family.

"Yeah... I knew! I knew she was dead too! I killed her by accident! President—no, Tatsuya-san... you never want anything to do with me again, right!? I killed your little sister! I caused her death! If you want to punch me, don't hold back—smash my face in!"

This is fine. This is fine.

I was just scared of being punched, so I ran. I sprinted down the hallway and burst out of the building on momentum alone.

I don't understand anything anymore!

I don't even understand why the culprit framed it as a werewolf!

Even if I solve that, should I really solve the case at all!? The murderer is a hero to everyone at school—no, to people all over the world! They saved the ones Kanbara-senpai would've killed in the future, right!

I can't possibly catch them!