Chapter 36: The Hasebe Household
Returning to the villa, Kagehara Tetsuya’s first stop was the garage. The car sat quietly under the dim light, its sleek frame gleaming faintly. The keys, he knew, were inside the house. He fetched them, slid into the driver’s seat, and turned the ignition. The engine purred to life without hesitation. Good. The car was in working order. His eyes flicked to the windows, tinted with one-way film—perfect. From the outside, no one could see in. A small but crucial advantage. He also noted the built-in wireless network, a convenience that spared him the hassle of acquiring another phone card.
Hasebe Koichi, that man was desperate, cornered. Tetsuya had just confirmed that even if Hasebe had prepared some kind of bargaining chip to negotiate with senpai, he wouldn’t have entrusted it to ĹŚshima Mana. That left only one option: Hasebe’s parents. Tetsuya needed to keep a close eye on the Hasebe household in the coming days.
Getting the address was almost laughably easy. The police had already issued a bounty for Hasebe Koichi. Tetsuya picked up his phone, dialed the number on the bounty notice, and activated a voice changer. His voice, now distorted and unrecognizable, asked the operator if the wanted Hasebe Koichi was the man who lived at a random address he fabricated on the spot.
“No,” the operator replied, almost reflexively. “Hasebe Koichi’s home address is: Takao NichĹŤme 110-072. Please verify Hasebe Koichi’s appearance before reporting.”
With the address in hand, Tetsuya began preparing his surveillance equipment. He wasn’t a expert in this field. He didn’t know how to assemble or operate specialized cameras, and there was no time to learn. But he had two phones. One was the phone he used daily—senpai’s phone. The other was his own, retrieved from the inn and kept powered off, its SIM card removed. Modern smartphones, he mused, were marvels of versatility. With a video chat app, he could turn one into a makeshift surveillance device.
Back in his bedroom, he booted up senpai’s computer and downloaded a video chat app that worked across both mobile and desktop platforms. He registered two accounts, logged in on both devices, and initiated a video call. The computer’s camera remained inactive, so the phone displayed a “no signal” message, but the computer received the feed from the phone’s camera.
Of course, he couldn’t sit glued to the computer screen 24/7. He needed a way to record the feed. Screen recording software solved that problem. After a quick test to ensure everything worked, he connected the phone to the car’s Wi-Fi and power source, started the video chat, and adjusted the phone’s angle using a stand. With that, the setup was complete, crude but effective.
The sky had deepened into a dusky twilight, the sun slipping below the horizon like a silent retreat. Tetsuya guided the car toward the Hasebe residence, his hands steady on the wheel despite the absence of a driver’s license. Luck, it seemed, was on his side—no police patrols crossed his path, and the journey remained uneventful.
Takao Ward lay on the fringes of the city, a quiet, unassuming neighborhood where buildings taller than five stories were a rarity. Even three-story structures were uncommon here. The area was a patchwork of aging houses, their facades weathered by time, inhabited mostly by middle-aged and elderly residents, interspersed with low-income families.
In terms of size, many of these homes were more spacious than the Yomikawa villa, complete with modest yards. They could, in a sense, be called villas—though their value and prestige were worlds apart from the Yomikawa estate.
Tetsuya parked the car a short distance from the Hasebe house, careful to remain inconspicuous. He adjusted the angle of his phone, positioning it to capture the front of the residence. His reasoning was sound: Hasebe Koichi likely no longer possessed a key to his own home. Before ĹŚshima Masaki’s death, Hasebe and ĹŚshima had exchanged voices and hair—that suggested the key to the Hasebe house had passed into ĹŚshima’s hands. And after ĹŚshima’s demise, it would have fallen to senpai.
This meant Hasebe couldn’t simply return home or contact his parents directly. As long as Tetsuya maintained his surveillance, he would notice if Hasebe attempted to pass anything to them. Whether Tetsuya intercepted the item beforehand or devised a way to retrieve it from Hasebe’s parents later, the situation remained within his control.
The next few days would require him to skip school, though he doubted the surveillance would last long. Senpai would undoubtedly act soon. Tatsuya had a growing certainty that senpai would find Hasebe Koichi—it was only a matter of time.
Hasebe, too, would be forced to make his move. He had already tried and failed to kidnap senpai’s accomplice, and his attempt to follow Tetsuya had ended in failure as well. With those options exhausted, Hasebe would have to prepare for the inevitable: the moment senpai tracked him down. Once that happened, his fate would be sealed.
All Tetsuya needed to do now was confirm one final detail.
The street was quiet, the kind of stillness that made the air feel heavy. Tetsuya stepped out of the car, his shoes crunching faintly against the gravel as he approached the Hasebe residence. He glanced around once more, ensuring no one was watching, before pressing the doorbell. The chime echoed faintly from within.
A moment passed, then the door creaked open just a crack. An elderly man peered out, his clouded eyes narrowing with suspicion. Behind him, the dim interior of the house hinted at a life worn down by worry.
"Hello," Tetsuya began, his voice calm "My name is Yomikawa Tsuko. I’d like to discuss something regarding Hasebe Koichi."
The man’s expression hardened. "Yomikawa Tsuko? Another reporter? We don’t know anything!"
Tetsuya didn’t flinch. Seems like Hasebe’s parents didn’t know Yomikawa, he thought, which is good, even though he had expected this. "I’m not a reporter," he said evenly. "I know Hasebe-san has been wrongfully accused. Someone has hired me to prove his innocence. I just have a few questions."
There was a pause, a flicker of hesitation in the old man’s eyes. Then, with a reluctant sigh, the door opened wider. Mr. Hasebe stood before him, his frail frame leaning slightly on the doorframe. His thinning gray hair and deeply lined face spoke of years weighed down by hardship. "You... who are you, really?" he asked, his voice trembling with a mix of hope and distrust.
Tetsuya offered a polite bow, his demeanor respectful but firm. "As I said, someone has hired me to prove your son’s innocence. You can think of me as a private investigator."
Mr. Hasebe’s brow furrowed. "Hired? By whom? My kid Koichi doesn’t have any friends like that."
Tetsuya allowed a faint smile to touch his lips. "If the enemy of your enemy is your friend, then my employer can be considered a friend of Hasebe-san.” He paused, letting the weight of his words settle. "You must know that another person disappeared along with your son—a boy named Kagehara Tetsuya."
The old man’s eyes flickered with recognition. "I’ve heard the police mention that. What does it have to do with anything?"
Tetsuya’s smile deepened, though it didn’t reach his eyes. "A year ago, Kagehara Tetsuya murdered a middle school girl named Tanaka Erika, but the police couldn’t arrest him due to lack of evidence. My employer is Tanaka Erika’s father. He wishes for Kagehara Tetsuya to face justice every single day. Now you understand my position, don’t you?"
Mr. Hasebe’s face shifted, his agitation palpable. "So you’re saying it was Kagehara Tetsuya who killed that ĹŚshima boy, not my son?"
"Not only that," Tetsuya continued, his tone growing more serious. He could see the old man was hooked, his defenses crumbling. "According to the information I’ve gathered, Hasebe-san may currently be in danger. He’s likely being threatened by Kagehara Tetsuya and forced to stay with him."
The color drained from Mr. Hasebe’s face. "W-what? Koichi is in danger? Can you save him?"
Tetsuya’s expression softened, though his eyes remained sharp. "Of course. That’s exactly why I’m here. But, may I come inside to talk?"
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