Case Four: the meaning of farewells

  Chapter 14: intermission

  Orion had returned home with Mari through Amane’s chauffeur, while Mari went back to her own house and Orion to his own. Amane had tagged along with Orion to visit his parrot and wanted to be alone with Orion. He agreed readily enough, which lifted Amane’s spirits.

  “Umm, is there something going on between you and Mari?” Amane asked nervously, trying to calm her nerves by petting Kiyo the parrot that was perched on her shoulder. Amane didn’t want to be jealous, but she couldn’t help it.

  “Huh? Where did that come from?” Orion asked obliviously. He looked over to Amane’s seat with Kiyo chirping happily on her. He was glad his parrot liked Amane; he wasn’t sure what he’d do if Kiyo didn’t like Amane. ‘Wait… Why would that even matter? Do I…like Amane?’ Orion thought in a panic. ‘I’m not sure what I’d do if I really like Amane. I think she reciprocates, but I don’t know for sure.’

  “Umm… you just seemed to have said you had something to do when it was to check on Mari, so…” Amane mumbled under her breath, but still audible enough for Orion to hear. She turned away from Orion and Kiyo flew to perch herself on Amane’s lap.

  “Oh, that,” Orion laughed nervously. “I just noticed she’s been feeling upset, so I was worried about her. I’m sorry for worrying you.” Orion walked over to Amane and patted her on the head, who merely became flustered and tried to shy away.

  “O-Orion!” Amane stuttered, still flushed. Her heart was racing, and butterflies were her stomach, figuratively speaking of course. Amane felt like her heart was going to explode as thoughts flooded her brain about Orion. She flustered even more, suddenly reaching her to grab the edge of Orion’s shirt, who looked at her curiously.

  “What is it, Amane?” Orion looked over to the girl sitting on the settee. His chest felt warm and bubbly inside as he was watching Amane. His arm reached out and patted Amane on the head a few times.

  “Umm… Orion?” Amane asked with a tilted head, looking up at Orion who was patting her head. Her face was even redder than before if that was possible. She was feeling a bit overwhelmed by her feelings and thoughts. Clenching her fists, Amane looked away from Orion because she couldn’t bring herself to look him in the eye.

  “Yes?” Orion responded warmly. He started pulling Amane from the settee and wrapped her up with both his arms, aware of Kiyo flapping up from Amane to avoid being squished. Kiyo returned to her cage.

  Amane’s heart started beating furiously with the sudden embrace from Orion. She got so flustered that she lost track of her train of thought. She finally regained control of her thoughts, but decided it was too early to confess to him. “It’s nothing actually. But you startled Kiyo!”

  “I know, I know,” Orion said apologetically. He released Amane from his embrace and walked back to Kiyo’s cage. He took the parrot outside the cage with the bird perched on his right arm. He returned to Amane and placed the bird on the top of her head.

  “Kiyo!” Amane squealed, her hands going up to her head where the parrot cuddled with her fingers. Amane watched Orion carefully, just in case he may be able to deduce what she wanted to say. Her heart was still racing inside her chest as she played with Kiyo. She wanted to stop her heart from beating rapidly, but her thoughts were full of times with Orion.

  “Amane… Are you okay?” Orion asked out of concern. A worried expression was shown on his face as he watched the girl. He was still concerned for Amane, so he pulled her closer to him, carefully as to not knock off his parrot.

  “Eep!” Amane let out a small gasp, in surprise. She did not expect either of the embraces tonight and she felt a little jealous over Mari, but it seemed there was no nothing to worry about that. “Umm… Yeah, I’m fine, Orion. I’m sorry for worrying you.”

  “Think nothing of it,” Orion said casually. “You’re important to me.” Orion embraced Amane tightly, trying to let her know just how important she was to him now. He wasn’t sure what came over him, but he didn’t mind this. He didn’t mind being with Amane, though in what ways was still unknown to Orion now.

  Amane’s face was flushed deeply in red as she stayed in Orion’s arms. She pulled her hands up and turned around in the embrace to bury her face in his chest. She could smell the slight cologne that Orion used, which smelled really reassuring and calming. She clutched onto Orion’s chest tightly.

  “A-Ah… You’re really important to me too, Orion.” She muttered under her breath, her face still beet red.

  “I’m glad to hear that,” Orion smiled, petting Amane on the head a few times. He held Amane even closer as her grip on his chest went tighter. He felt very warm and peaceful with Amane in his arms. He then rested his head on Amane’s head, who shivered a little, probably due to an element of surprise.

  **

  Mari flopped on her bed in a depressed state. She took her pillow and clutched it tightly to her chest. She didn’t want to think about how she had been rejected already, when she hadn’t even created a better confession. But it was obvious. Orion liked Amane way more and he didn’t even have to say a word. Mari teared up as she clutched the throw pillow.

  Biting her lower lip, Mari turned to lay on her back and stared up into the ceiling. Her chest ached as she remembered her rejection. She didn’t feel like doing anything. Her stomach hurt her with her inner turmoil. Mari rolled to the other side of the bed and stared at the white-washed wall. ‘Amane has everything… A happy family, money, looks, smarts, Orion… I’m so jealous,’ Mari thought to herself. She threw the throw pillow to the side in frustration, her tears overflowing.

  Mari suddenly sat up and wiped her tears. She couldn’t let this bring her down and this wasn’t going to break her. She slapped her face with both hands to wake herself up. Mari reached for her phone on her desk and started texting Orion.

  Orion… Are you busy?

  Orion hadn’t responded for a bit. Mari felt disappointed but she wasn’t giving him enough time to respond. Mari sighed regardless, clenching her fists in frustration. Then Mari decided to text Satoru.

  Mari: Hey Satoru

  In a little bit, Satoru responded to the text: Oh, Mari, what’s up?

  Mari hesitated as she thought what she wanted to say. She wasn’t sure why she messaged Satoru either. But she decided to just check on him: Oh, I was just wondering how you’re doing.

  Satoru: I’m good. What about you?

  Mari: Umm…. I’m okay, I guess….

  Satoru: What happened? Call me.

  Mari’s heart skipped a beat. She wasn’t sure why Satoru was suddenly so concerned about her. Staring at her phone, Mari wasn’t sure if she should call Satoru or not. But she decided to call Satoru; he could be a good way to vent about her rejection. Mari dialed Satoru’s number and it took him the first ring to pick up.

  “What happened, Mari?!” Satoru asked in a panic over the phone. His voice was full of concern that was audible enough for Mari.

  “Umm…” Mari hesitated. “The thing is… I tried to confess to Orion, but I couldn’t do it completely, yet he guessed it and… rejected me.” Mari felt the sting in her heart as she recalled the confession and rejection.

  “…I’m sorry, Mari,” Satoru said apologetically. “I wish I could do something for you. Do you need anything?” Satoru hung his head low from outside the phone.

  “Oh no,” Mari said, waving her hand, then realizing Satoru couldn’t see that. “I’m good. I just wanted to chat, really…”

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  “You can always talk to me,” Satoru said. “Orion isn’t your only friend, you know.”

  “I know, sorry, Satoru,” Mari apologized. “Um… would you like to meet up?”

  “That sounds good,” Satoru agreed heartily. It made his heart jump in joy at Mari suggesting meeting up without Orion. “When would you like to meet up?”

  “Umm… right now, if that’s possible,” Mari nodded, and again she forgot Satoru can’t see that.

  “That’s fine. Uh, where would we meet?” Satoru asked.

  “We can go to your place,” Mari said.

  “Sounds good. Just come on over,” Satoru said as the two hung up.

  Mari changed into a yellow blouse and jersey skirt before she headed out. She walked the short distance from her house to Satoru’s. Mari wasn’t completely sure what she was doing, but she was feeling very lonely, and Orion never responded to her text. ‘Probably busy with Amane…’ Mari thought depressingly. As she approached Satoru’s doorstep, Mari rang the bell. Satoru came to the door shortly.

  “Hey, Mari,” Satoru smiled at his childhood friend. “Come on in.” He led her into the kitchen and turned to her. “Do you want anything to drink?” Satoru had a cup out already, for himself first before Mari answered.

  “No, no thanks,” Mari shook her head. She wasn’t sure why she reached out to Satoru. He had tried to hurt her yesterday by bringing Amane to Orion. In fact, Mari felt resentful with Satoru. Mari stared into the back of Satoru as the boy poured out orange juice into his cup. She didn’t want to feel this way to her friends, but Satoru had to bring up Amane with Orion at Satoru’s house. As if to say he knew those two were likely to be together.

  “Satoru,” Mari said bluntly. She couldn’t stand being here anymore, even though she invited him to meet up. But now that she was here, Mari couldn’t stand being in the same vicinity as Satoru. Clenching her fists, she backstepped a few as Satoru turned toward Mari.

  “Yes?” Satoru looked innocent. He picked up his cup and drank from it a bit before settling on the table again. He looked baffled at what Mari said so apathetically. He was concerned for her that his heart felt wrenched.

  Mari felt guilty for what she was going to say as she looked at her childhood friend. Mari breathed in deeply and focused her thoughts. She wanted to be honest with Satoru or else they wouldn’t be true friends.

  “Satoru,” Mari started, breathing deeply. “I’m sorry, Satoru, but you, frankly, are pissing me off. You knew about Amane and Orion’s closeness, and you still brought her up in front of me yesterday! You KNEW! But you still did it to me! What is the meaning of this, Satoru?! Why do you want to hurt me?!” Mari had started to breathe heavily, tears streaming down her face. “Why…”

  Satoru stared at Mari after her outburst. He wasn’t sure what to say, considering he just wanted to see Mari’s response to Orion and Amane’s closeness. Mari was right; Satoru wanted to hurt her. Not directly, but he wanted her to know Orion seemed to be taken. ‘Yet how can I just tell her that?’ Satoru thought.

  “I…I’m sorry, Mari…” Satoru said slowly, looking down at the ground. “I don’t have any words for you. You’re right, I’m cruel. But I truly am sorry for what I did to you, Mari. I really am sorry, Mari.” Satoru felt an immeasurable amount of guilt after Mari’s outburst. He wasn’t sure what he could do to make up to Mari. “What can I do…?”

  “Nothing!” Mari shouted, still crying. “You’re just like Orion… treating people kindly and then you just drop them.” Mari tried wiping her eyes, but the tears wouldn’t stop. She still clenched her fists shakily, not out of anger but frustration.

  That triggered Satoru. He didn’t want to be compared to Orion, but worse was that she was assuming he dropped her. “I didn’t drop you! I’ve always been supporting you!” Satoru shouted. “In fact, even as you were going all over Orion, I still stuck with you regardless of my own feelings for you!” Satoru moved closer to Mari and held her in his arms.

  Startled, Mari froze in place as she was in Satoru’s arms. She couldn’t comprehend his actions. He was hurting her and then now he says he has feelings for her. Mari shook her head as tears continued to stream down her face. “Wh-What are you saying?”

  “I’m just saying I never dropped you,” Satoru said as he released Mari from his grip. He realized Mari wasn’t going to reciprocate his feelings. His chest tightened as his mood plummeted. Satoru clenched his fists out of Mari’s sight and avoided her look. “Anyway, please leave.”

  “Wh-What?” Mari stuttered. She was confused at Satoru’s sudden change. He first hugged her and basically confessed now he’s telling her to leave. But that was fine with her. She wasn’t in a mood to deal with Satoru’s mood changes either. Mari turned away and walked briskly to the door. “That’s fine with me. Goodbye.”

  Mari walked back to her house, biting her lip in frustration. She wasn’t sure what was up with Satoru, suddenly confessing his feelings and then hugging her then kicking her out of his house. ‘What is with that jerk?!’ Mari thought to herself, clenching her fists as she walked home. As soon as she arrived home, she wanted to check on Orion but wasn’t sure if Amane was still there. Hesitating at her front door, Mari stood in place for a while before deciding to go visit Orion. She walked a few more steps to his house and rang the doorbell.

  It took a while for Orion to respond and when he opened the door, Amane was standing behind him. Mari was instantly suspicious of the two and what they had been doing. Her heart ached as she watched Amane hide shyly behind Orion. ‘What is she doing there…?’ Mari thought. She bit her lip.

  “Oh, Mari, what brings you here at this time?” Orion asked curiously. They just met a few hours ago so he was curious why Mari was back here already. He scratched the back of his head as he wondered Mari’s reason for returning.

  “Umm… I was just going to check on how you are,” Mari said hesitantly, trying to make up a good reason for seeing Orion. She didn’t have a reason other than to see him. Even if he rejected her. Mari sighed. “I just wanted to see you.”

  “Oh,” Orion said plainly. He blinked but did not allow entry to Mari despite knowing the implications of doing this. He didn’t want to hurt Mari any more than he had and letting her inside would only introduce more pain and jealousy for the girl. “Anyway, I have to get Amane back home.”

  “Right,” Mari nodded as she turned around and returned to her home. Her chest hurt more after the scene that unfolded with Orion and Amane. They were alone together for hours while Mari barely stayed much time with Orion. She never got to spend long periods of time with Orion or Satoru. Then there’s Satoru; he confessed his feelings for her, but Mari didn’t feel the same for Satoru. Mari returned to her room and locked the door before flopping on her bed. Her tears started streaming down her face again.

  **

  “Was that okay, Orion?” Amane asked quietly. She looked up at the black-haired boy she was standing behind as he closed the door. She gripped his arm nervously. Amane hoped she didn’t make things weird between the two childhood friends. Her head drooped guiltily as she stared down on the ground.

  “It’s fine,” Orion shrugged. “She tried to confess but I told her it wouldn’t work out. It wouldn’t matter if she saw you or not. Are you worried?” Orion looked at Amane who was still looking down. He lifted up her head with his right hand, then patted her on the head. “It’ll be fine.”

  “If…you say so,” Amane said unsteadily.

  “I do say so,” Orion said, still lifting her face up with his hand. That’s what he loved about Amane; always caring about others and worrying about them. ‘Wait… love? Do I love Amane? No, that’s impossible,’ Orion debated with his own mind. He shook his head as he watched the girl stare at the ground. “It’ll be fine, Amane.”

  “I’m sorry, Orion,” Amane said as she finally lifted her head up and looked Orion in the eye. She was done feeling guilty when she had done nothing wrong. She reached up for Orion’s face who leaned a bit downwards so Amane could reach his face. She touched Orion’s cheek lightly and smiled at him. He smiled right back at her. “I didn’t mean to doubt you.”

  “It’s fine,” Orion smiled, ruffling Amane’s hair a bit. “That’s just how you are, always worrying about other people.” He definitely like that about Amane, but it made him concerned about her possibly being taken taking advantage of or manipulated. Orion wanted to hug Amane again but wasn’t certain what she’d think of him getting so touchy.

  Amane leaned forward to Orion and peered into his eyes intently. She was curious what those grey eyes saw each day. Amane reached out her hand and touched Orion’s cheek. She leaned forward onto Orion and clutched his shirt. “Orion… Sorry…”

  Orion wrapped his arms around Amane as she leaned against him. He could feel Amane’s warmth emanating from her small body. A bubbly feeling surged inside Orion as he held Amane. He wasn’t sure what it was, but he felt very comfortable being with Amane. ‘Am I…in love?’ Orion thought internally. He shook his head rapidly. ‘Too early to tell.’

  **

  Eiji Narukawa stood in front of an apartment complex in Shibuya with his duffel bag in hand. He stared at the building where his next target lived. Mitsuko Tachikawa aged thirty-four. She lived alone in a small apartment with no pets or boyfriend. Eiji gripped his duffel bag tighter as he entered the building.

  Mitusko was cleaning the kitchen when she heard the bell peal. She wondered who that could be, considering she doesn’t normally receive visitors so she was curious who that could be. Thinking it must be a salesperson trying to con her into buying something she didn’t need, Mitsuko put her kitchen rag on the counter and went to the door.

  It was a stranger at the door. He had messy black hair with black-rimmed glasses, sporting a blue tee shirt and black jeans. Mitsuko didn’t know this guy. She was about to close the door on the guy when his arm suddenly outstretched and kept the door open. He stepped through the door and locked the door behind him.

  “Wh-Who are you?!” Mitsuko stammered, falling backwards and landing on her behind. She shook her head rapidly, feeling in disbelief at what was happening to her. This normally happened to other people. Mitsuko tried to get back up, but her legs felt like jelly. As the intruder walked closer to Mitsuko, she flailed her legs at the intruder.

  Eiji noticed the kick or attempted kick, so he sidestepped from the victim. He put his duffel bag on the table and took out a washcloth as well as a small bottle. He sprayed the cloth with the bottle and placed the bottle back inside his bag. Then Eiji walked back to Mitsuko and pushed the washcloth against her mouth and nose.

  Mitsuko struggled against Eiji, flailing her arms and legs desperately. She didn’t know what was going but she was terrified for her life. She felt her consciousness fading but Mitsuko continued to struggle against the assailant to the best of her ability. “Wh-What are you doing to me? S-Stop… Please s-stop…” Mitsuko cried out softly as her strength was being sapped.

  “Shut up,” Eiji said harshly to the victim as he pressed the cloth against her nose and mouth even harder. “It’s your own fault. Your last day is here.” Eiji watched Mitsuko lose consciousness and then dropped her onto the floor.

  Eiji then went to the table and took out a white negligee and changed Mitsuko into it. He placed her regular clothing into the bathroom before he went to the duffel bag for his knife. Eiji sliced Mitsuko’s neck and quickly stepped back with his knife. Before leaving, Eiji went to the bathroom to wash the knife and then replaced the knife in his duffel bag. Picking up the bag, Eiji closed the door and left the apartment complex.

  In an apartment complex in Shinjuku, a teenage girl named Nina Otonashi was walking around her parents’ apartment floor. She was curious how many apartments there were and possibly who was where, since she recognized most of her neighbors. That was when she passed Satoko Mishima’s apartment and noticed the door was slightly ajar.

  Nina pushed the door open a little and peered inside. Everything looked normal to her from where she was. The lights were still on, the table looked clean, and the apartment didn’t look too messy. She wasn’t sure exactly what kind of person Satoko Mishima was, but she seemed tidy. Then Nina took a sniff of the air, and it smelled like… iron? Blood?

  Nina pushed the door open even further and stepped inside the apartment. There was a body at the center of the living room with a pool of blood around the body. The blood was coagulated at this time. Nina guessed it was Satoko Mishima lying in the apartment. But the moment she saw the body, she screamed and ran out of the apartment, leaving the door wide open.

  Nina returned to her parents’ flat out of breath, then realized both her parents were still at work. She wasn’t sure what to do so she decided to just call the police. She dialed 110 for the police and tried to calm down to explain to the operator what she had just witnessed.

  **

  Orion was sitting with Amane on his settee when he received a text message from Inspector Himura. The text message mentioned the latest case, the one Kana discovered, and how there was a new body discovered that matched the modus operandi. Lastly, Orion’s presence was requested at the new body location and an address was posted.

  At the moment, it was in the evening, so Orion was hesitant to bring Amane along. Especially when the case could take a while and then it’ll be too late for a young girl to be out and about. Orion looked at Amane and patted her.

  “You should head home,” Orion said quietly, knowing she wouldn’t like to hear that. “The case may get late.”

  “No,” Amane said plainly but stubbornly. “I’m going with you!” Amane liked sticking around Orion for cases or casual outings. She didn’t want to be shooed away. “Please, Orion…” She looked at Orion pleadingly, hoping she could somehow pull off puppy eyes with Orion.

  Orion sighed. “All right, all right. Can your chauffeur drive us over there then?” He patted Amane on the head again. Orion couldn’t just refuse Amane, and it would be helpful to have her chauffeur around. Being with Amane put him at ease though he couldn’t afford too much of that in a case.

  “Of course!” Amane answered cheerfully. “Shall we go?” Amane looked eagerly at Orion. She loved investigating cases with Orion. Her heart started beating rapidly as this was one of their first incidents that they’re investigating with just the two of them.

  “Let’s,” Orion nodded. He stood up from the settee while Amane had done the same. They departed Orion’s house and headed to Amane’s private car.