When the Detective Work is Done, I'll Die

Chapter 17

"Hey—! Hyoga!"

Under the sunset-stained madder-red sky. Miiko is waving her hand. Realizing it's a call to me, I dash toward her.

"Coming right now!"

A completely ordinary residential street. I thought it would take only a few minutes to run to where she is. That was when it happened.

Someone approaches from behind Miiko. That person is unnaturally wrapped in a coat and muffler, their identity hidden. A bad premonition hits. I quicken my pace, but it's already too late.

A cord held by the suspicious person coils around her neck.

"H-Hyoga! Help me! Help me, please! Please help me!"

I ran. Yet no matter how hard I run, I don't move forward. Each time I try to reach her, I'm sent back to where I started.

Her agony-filled face is clearly visible. Her screams echo in my ears.

"You're supposed to be a great detective who can solve any mystery, right? So saving me should be easy! Help... me... right!?"

In a low voice unlike her usual tone, she begs for help. Still, I can do nothing but keep running desperately.

My heart aches. I wish I could take her pain instead. Knowing such a wish can't come true, my heart screams in despair.

While I keep thinking "no, no," the time arrives.

The thread binding Miiko to this world is severed. Her arms and legs go limp and still, life fading from her eyes. The beautiful hue of her skin turns pale blue.

At the moment of my beloved's death. Unable to stay calm, I break down.

"Uwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa! Miiiiikoooooo!?"

Birds chirp. Limbs I can move freely. It seems what I saw while wrapped in the futon was a dream. I lift my head from the soaked pillow and sit up.

Dawn has broken after the nightmare that told me of Miiko's death. Sunlight streams through the window as I shake my head again and again.

If only that too had been a dream. If only the news of Miiko's death were a lie. I try to deny reality by moving my head, but the smartphone beside my bed still holds that strange app.

Melancholy flutters around inside my head. I agonize over what to do next.

Miiko's death. I know more than anyone except the culprit. Should I tell someone? Should I consult the police? No, if someone has already found her body... I check the news on my smartphone.

Nothing. Most likely her body hasn't been discovered. Even if I run to the police now, it'll be pointless. They'll just say "You're in the way" and send me off.

Then, what should I do next?

Telling Miiko's family about her death? That would be unbearably painful as a human being. Would they believe me? Even if they did, they'd surely get angry or grieve. They'd certainly ask, "Why did she die?"

I wanted to keep Miiko's death hidden. Not to escape responsibility.

I simply didn't want to involve others. It's too dangerous. From the situation, whoever killed Miiko is someone she didn't know. In other words, there's a person who can kill without hesitation if it serves their purpose. If someone else tries to investigate Miiko's death and gets silenced... I should be the only one to pay that price.

But it's impossible. If I stay silent, she won't come home. She won't come to school. Her parents will worry and come to ask the last person who saw her—me. I can't coldly say, "I don't know what happened after we parted."

I can't lie.

Then should I just disappear somewhere? If I vanish, people might assume Miiko eloped with me and keep her death vague... No good. If I leave home without money, I'll be picked up by officers tomorrow night for sure.

"......Then, in the end......"

Once her body appears... If from that the culprit who killed her can be arrested, there's no problem. No matter how vicious the murderer, once the police have them, no one else will get hurt.

Do I have any clues? Let me think.

The culprit never even made a sound on the other end of her phone. Yet one thing bothers me. Detective Azuma. Him. That detective attacked me at the exact same time the culprit attacked Miiko. It can't be coincidence.

If not coincidence, then necessity. The culprit may have been working with Detective Azuma. I'll find that detective and make him talk.

Right, right. He said something like "Utopia Detective Agency."

Searching that phrase on my smartphone brings up countless sites. Apparently it's a well-known detective league.

There's no detailed info on Azuma anywhere. Not even a name. What does that mean...?

What connection does "Utopia Detective Agency" have with Azuma...? I try the number listed on the site to ask questions, but an automated message says, "We're too busy with requests to connect you now." I considered storming the "Utopia Detective Agency" HQ, but it's overseas. I could never afford the trip.

Right now it's impossible to learn anything about him. If I act too suspiciously, I could even be sued. Once a detective targets you, I know all too well the demonic methods that follow: total surveillance, cutting off every escape, driving you to false charges or even suicide. Launching a reckless attack and making dozens of enemies isn't smart.

However. Even if he's this shrouded in mystery... if I confront Azuma one-on-one, the truth will come out at once. I can act before he calls his allies.

The best way is to bump into him at the crime scene. But since the police no longer trust him, he probably won't show up publicly.

Then, as I declared before, here's what I'll do.

I'll kill a detective. A detective connected to "Utopia Detective Agency"... At the crime scene I'll kill a detective with my reasoning, using that fame to lure Azuma. If I solve more cases than Azuma, he'll either grow jealous or furious that I'm hindering "Utopia Detective Agency." Fueled by that anger, he'll appear before me again.

Then I can avenge Miiko and catch the culprit. If everything goes perfectly, that is.

"......I thought it through this far. But I'll probably be asked about Miiko first."

Especially by Miiko's older brother, Tatsuya Ishii. The president of the "Vtuber Research Society."

Today is Saturday, basically a day off, but the club has activities. We're supposed to visit another school's club that researches Vtubers. A pointless event for me.

Originally, Miiko, the president, and I were to go together.

Yet if I talk with the president, the topic will inevitably turn to Miiko. Actually, it already has. My smartphone keeps receiving the same messages.

"Hey! Miiko hasn't come home since yesterday—do you know anything?"

The words make my heart jump; I almost drop the phone. Reading the message, it touches on Miiko.

Still... there's a silver lining.

"If you don't know, that's fine. Ah, you didn't forget about today's club, right? Twelve o'clock. Grab an early lunch and meet in front of that school!"

From this tone, he doesn't yet think she's missing. He surely believes she's so caught up in some incident that she's stayed out all night researching. The president once told me she often turns off her phone to focus on investigations.

Should I stay silent and let him keep believing that?

I simply reply, 'Understood. I'll be there and we can talk.' If I don't respond at all, I'll be suspected.

If I skip the club, the president might mistakenly think "I'm hiding Miiko." He could head into danger alone. Miiko's death is my responsibility, but letting others get hurt... I absolutely hate that.