Without exchanging words, we reached the third floor and lined up to enter the café we had designated as our meeting place. The interior, primarily white, combined with the view outside, painted a monochrome worldview.
"I didn't expect there'd really be a café here."
Natsuki-san casually admitted her lack of planning. It's hard to tell whether she's naturally like this or joking.
After placing our umbrellas in the stand, we headed to a seat in the back. I followed suit, pulling out a dark brown chair and sitting down. "It's not bad to have days off like this, right? While my classmates are pointlessly arrogant and passionately sweating away at club activities with a hot-blooded captain, I'm on a date with a beautiful woman."
"I beat you, Kaneko. But then again, he was trying to lure freshmen with the promise that they could peek into the changing room when recruiting for the club with Sugawara. If that's true, dating this beautiful older or suspicious lady, even with the perks, might be a shared pain."
"Oh my, if you flatter me like that, Koinobi will get mad."
"The teacher?"
Before our back-and-forth could conclude, a waiter brought us water and a towel. I was impressed by the high level of professionalism as the waiter glanced at the lipstick mark on my cheek, presumably from a work-related encounter, and still managed to maintain a business smile.
"I'll have cocoa. And for Kamijou-san..."
"No, no, you can address me as casually as you do in your thoughts."
"In that case, what would you like to order, Jelónimo-san?"
Jelónimo-san gracefully covered her mouth with her hand.
"I'd like a serving of pork cutlet curry, please."
Wait, when did she swap with the person who was binge-eating at the bakery?
The waiter took our order with a smile and headed to the kitchen.
"By the way, did something happen to the teacher?"
Natsuki-san formed a modest smile.
"Yes, he gets jealous. He's been a big fan of Mii-san since long ago. Koinobi's first love was when he was a high school senior, and his partner was a middle schooler."
"I'm relieved it wasn't a grade schooler."
"But what was amazing was the love triangle with another high school student who liked the same girl. It was a fun school life."
It was more weird than fun.
Natsuki-san drained her glass of water in one go and wiped her mouth with the towel.
"Mii-san and I are both young. So, there's only one thing we should do."
"Exactly."
Although I found it a bit hard to understand the Japanese of a woman in her thirties, I pretended to agree.
"What are your hobbies, Mii-san?"
"Monitoring cameras for love, just a bit."
"Oh my, how modest."
Natsuki-san smiled gracefully.
"And late-night wandering?"
Still smiling, Natsuki-san responded with ease, "You're a small-time gangster from the countryside, aren't you?"
"...You know your stuff, detective."
I raised my hand slightly in a gesture of surrender.
"Then, as a penalty, can you tell me the real reason?"
The real reason, huh?
I picked up the glass of water, took a sip, and glanced at the view outside.
Regardless of whether I tell the truth or a lie, she won't trust me.
After all, she suspects I'm a murderer.
What she wants is not the testimony of the truth but the behavior born from lies.
"I understand. I'll tell only you, Natsuki-san."
"Weren't you calling me Jelónimo?"
She said this as she took out a hookah pipe from her bag and started smoking.
The smell was so unpleasant to me that it gave me goosebumps. "Ah, you don't like menthol, do you?"
"Yes, not at all."
"Then I'll put it away," she says courteously, retracting the item.
Is this her subtle way of hinting that she knows even my insignificant preferences?
I waited for the scent to dissipate before speaking up.
"The reason I wander around late at night is solely to catch a murderer."
"Oh my, are you a champion of justice, Mii-san?"
"Yes, exactly that. I contribute to society by relocating five times a week."
I continue with the pointless banter. I won't make the mistake of taking this kind of conversation with her seriously.
"It's the protagonist's role in a story to clear their own name."
I'm not the protagonist, though.
There was a slight tremor in Natsuki-san's eyelashes.
"Suspicion?"
"The feeling you have towards me, Natsuki-san... or rather, Jelónimo-san."
A wrinkle forms between Natsuki-san's brows, but she still smiles. It seems she only has a smiling facial expression available. Trying to convey all emotions with just a smile would probably make her face sore all year round.
"Me? ...Ah, let's just call it doubt, not dislike."
"Thank you. I also have some feelings of wanting to greet Zero-san."
She continued, "You're overwhelmed with emotion, thank you. But, doubt? I wonder what you mean..."
She muddles her words, placing a hand on her cheek and tilting her head playfully.
It's not doubt, but certainty. I wonder if it's presumptuous to think she's murmuring that to herself. "Shall we just say we don't know?"
I adjust my posture in the chair and lean back. Directly in front of me, Natsuki-san was observing me with a narrow gaze. We locked eyes. I stared back, wishing I could turn to stone.
"Even if Mii-san is just a countryside punk, it's quite bold to stare at your date like that..."
"Ah, sorry. I was just fascinated by the hairline of your bangs..."
She waved it off with, "No worries," and continued, "It's understandable. But about that doubt... I'm well aware you dislike the police. After all, the incident eight years ago ended up being solved by you when the police hit a dead end."
Something stirred within me.
I took a sip of water to quell the turmoil.
Eight years ago, huh?
She's starting from there?
"It was you who called the police back then, wasn't it?"
"Did I? I only remember mistakenly dialing the time signal."
She continued without giving much importance to my words, "Mii-san was brave. Amidst dead bodies and injured people, you calmly fled and reported the incident. Ah, you did mention your memory from that time was fuzzy... Have you managed to sort any of it out?"
"There's no way to sort it out. It seems some of the memory pages have already disappeared, so restoration is impossible."
"Do you recall who committed the murder there?"
"No, not at all. Perhaps it's a beautiful reason, like being overwhelmed with guilt and taking one's own life?"
But that's a lie. I clearly understand they're the kind of people who wouldn't do something so noble.
"I see... It's not good to force someone to remember. Mayu from Goson is a bad precedent."
She emphasized the painful nature of the event while dramatically mentioning a potentially unpleasant term.
However, when I didn't particularly react, Natsuki-san moved on without mentioning Mayu further. "Speaking of which, about the murderer from earlier..."
She instantly switches back to her standard smile.
"The culprit is a high school student."
Not just a student, but specifically a high school student, huh?
"On what basis do you say that?"
"Well... First, the typical timing indicates it's a student."
"That's quite clichéd."
"All nine incidents took place either late on weekdays, early on holidays, during the day, or at night on holidays. The most frequent time for the murders is midday during holidays... It's too obvious."
"What about the possibility of an unemployed person posing as a student?"
She narrows her eyes and gives a slight shrug. Her gesture was doll-like.
"Well, that's also a possibility. But would the criminal be that thoughtful? Posing as a student for so many consecutive incidents, without changing their approach even as the security tightens... If they are pretending, they should be well aware of the disadvantages of continuing in the same manner."
"That's true."
I'm not even sure which side I'm agreeing with.
"Given the frequency of mutilation of the bodies, it's clear that the criminal has a penchant for grotesque killings. However, not all victims were dismembered. Maybe the criminal has a careless nature?"