When the Detective Work is Done, I'll Die

Chapter 38

"No matter how much you destroy, it won't solve anything. Even if you sully your hands with blood in frantic haste, you'll gain nothing!"

Standing feebly on two legs, I kept talking toward the screen, though the other side couldn't hear me.

"Because I committed murder, it became irreparable. And the boy came to hold a terribly sad belief—that evil must be killed or it won't end. But that won't solve anything."

"It won't solve anything... right?"

"In truth, if I hadn't killed the one on top, it could have been stopped. With the topmost person in command, those who were bullying wouldn't have realized what they were doing, and even crimes could have been halted. All the top had to do was bark, 'That's stupid, so stop it.' Even if that person was the worst human, dying was wrong."

"Right...? Kanbara-senpai had the power to pull people together. That's why killing her couldn't have been the way to save anyone. If Kanbara-senpai had lived and started over, even more people might have been saved!"

A way to let Kanbara-senpai start over. There were all sorts of ways without killing. We could have gathered every student in our school and overwhelmed Kanbara-senpai, or resolved the problem in her heart.

Anyone who committed murder without knowing that is truly an idiot. There should have been ways to consult with people from other schools, or with various others!

Ensnared by short-term gain, they even produced victims who were never supposed to exist.

"If anyone thinks like this, please help them. The boy who realized the truth left this behind and took his own life."

"To end that belief, I'll arrest the culprit who killed Kanbara-senpai. To free her from that belief as well!"

I won't hesitate anymore.

Deciding that what I'm doing is right, I dashed out of the house. Yet Miiko's voice still streamed from my smartphone.

"Don't let your heart be swayed by the jeers from outsiders saying the bullies deserved to die, absolutely."

Hearing that left me a little lonely.

Maybe this is an e-mail meant for Detective Chikage. Maybe nothing was ever meant for me, I thought.

Miiko and I were supposed to be childhood friends, right? That's what I'd always believed. But in the first place, she isn't even Miiko. She's a fictional existence.

To harbor romantic feelings for her is as hopeless as the dream of someone who can only idolize idols.

She's a dead person to begin with. What am I expecting now? Don't tell me, marriage?

Come to think of it, there's a custom in foreign countries of marrying the dead. Marrying a dead person?

"Umm...?"

While riding my bicycle, I was seized by a strange sense of unease. For some reason, those words stuck in my head.

Still not understanding why they stuck, I kept pedaling. My destination was Jinrou Academy. The president had probably gone home by now. I'd been agonizing over what to say when I saw him, but there was no need.

When I visited the scene again, almost no one was there, and I couldn't find the president.

The urge to apologize quickly and the uncertainty of what to say. I lost track of everything and felt my head might burst.

"...No help for it. I have to focus on the case for now."

Standing where the body had lain, I mulled it over.

Why was the culprit summoned? What did Kanbara-senpai leave behind after being stabbed? If I think hard, there's something that points the way.

Gravel.

Kanbara-senpai definitely touched it. On the ball and the kitchen knife. Because she touched what the culprit had placed. Why did she need to touch it?

The ball can only express one's own self.

No, wait. I must have made a huge mistake. Was I trapped by the immediate situation and clinging to the wrong truth?

"If that were the case, Kanbara-senpai... could have... but why..."

Muttering to myself, the truth began to appear. The culprit's feelings might have resembled mine—wanting to hide something, feeling they had to keep it hidden from everyone.

That's why they carried out the werewolf setup.

To entrust their feelings to me.

"Is that what this is...? Wait. But—"

If that person is the culprit, one contradiction remains. They should have believed they had to keep hiding something, yet they grew careless only at the very end.

Why?

As I kept thinking, night fell. Behind me, a single presence. Sensing it, I turned around. Fearing it might be the culprit, I thrust out a hand first.

"Wh-wh-who, please don't attack me!"

"What on earth are you doing...?"

"Huh? Detective Chikage...?"

"More importantly—what? Didn't you go home?"

There she was, tilting her head in puzzlement at my actions. Relieved, I answered her question.

"No, I just went home for lunch, rested a bit, and came back."

"...Right. By the way, your senpai was crying, you know... Make sure you talk to her later. I don't know what's going on, so I can't butt in."

"Calling her the president... well, one reason is that you, Detective Chikage, said something awful."

"R-really?"

"Well, but you don't need to worry about it. Let's talk about Miiko later. After the case is over."

"...Ah, that... huh? After the case is over? This case might never end, you know."

No, it'll end once I solve it.

Ignoring her resigned words, I turned my eyes to the crime scene once more.

"Hmm..."

"Hey, react a little!"

"Yes? Are you lonely?"

Dumbfounded by her childish attitude, I turned my back to her.

"...N-no, that's not it! J-just look at the scene! If it's you, you can solve it, right? I've given up, but you're different, right?"

"You sound pushy and contrary—are you a cat, Detective Chikage...!?"

At those words, a violent shock ran through my head. I didn't say it aloud, but I was extremely surprised. I myself had come this far toward the truth.

That I, who hate detectives, had come this far using a detective's hint.

Frustrating as it is, I'll now present my reasoning. Just when I thought that, I ran into a deeper problem.

All I have now is circumstantial evidence. If the culprit claims another person is framing them, I won't be able to arrest them.

I want evidence. But demanding a forced house search is impossible.

"Geez... you're busy being surprised and troubled!"

Having Detective Chikage fussing next to me, I couldn't concentrate. I couldn't tell her yet, either. If she misunderstood and posted this on SNS, it'd be disastrous. If it's a false accusation, an innocent person could be slandered. Not that slandering the real culprit is okay either.

"Are you mad......?"

Right after those words, a scream rang out on the nearby school route.

"Uwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!"

A male voice. I immediately shouted.

"Hey! What! What happened!"

The sound of something running past. I feared someone was being attacked; my heart pounded as I sprinted with everything I had. Detective Chikage ran with me, racing out the school gate toward the scream along the dusk-stained path.

Thanks to our quick response, the culprit escaped, but one life was saved.

Detective Chikage questioned the boy we'd saved.

"Murayama-kun...... what were you doing here? What did they do to you......?"