Chapter 46: Night of The Thick Fog (Part 3)
“Splendid. I never imagined, Kagehara-kun, you were so perceptive. To deduce so much from such a small detail, it’s truly astonishing,” Senpai applauded, the momentary flash of hostility from before vanished without a trace. “With a mind like yours, it would be a waste not to utilize it. How about joining forces with us, Kagehara-kun? I know the constant identity swapping is a bit of a hassle, but wouldn’t you like to achieve immortality?”
“Immortality? I’m afraid I have no interest,” Kagehara Tetsuya replied, shaking his head. He didn’t believe senpai’s invitation was sincere; otherwise, why wait until now? He offered a casual refusal. “The experience of exchanging identities with someone is quite unpleasant. Once was more than enough.”
“Is that so? That’s truly a shame.” Undeterred by the rejection, senpai simply gazed at Kagehara, a genuine air of regret in her expression.
In truth, Kagehara possessed other clues that supported his theory that Lord Mask-Taker wasn’t senpai. His direct questioning earlier had also been a test, one that unexpectedly yielded the correct answer.
The corroborating evidence came from Hasebe’s father’s testimony.
Hasebe Koichi had come into contact with Lord Mask-Taker’s power four years ago. During that time, senpai would have been only thirteen, just entering her second year of middle school.
Even if she had somehow obtained Lord Mask-Taker’s power at that age, could a girl that young have sustained Hasebe Koichi’s lavish spending? From designer clothes to motorcycles, senpai’s thirteen-year-old allowance couldn’t possibly have covered it.
Moreover, what kind of experiences would a thirteen-year-old girl have to connect her with a man in his thirties with a criminal record?
According to Hasebe’s father, Hasebe Koichi had just been released from prison a year prior. He’d spent that entire year at home, and before that, he’d been incarcerated, making contact with senpai even more improbable.
Therefore, the moment he heard this information, Kagehara suspected senpai was the assistant.
However, after careful consideration, one exception couldn’t be ruled out: senpai might have already undergone a face swap.
For instance, Hasebe Koichi could have found Lord Mask-Taker a year after his release, extorting money. Then, a year or two, or perhaps three, later, Lord Mask-Taker could have swapped faces with senpai.
This line of reasoning was logically sound. Before today, Kagehara couldn’t eliminate this possibility. But with the real Lord Mask-Taker now before him, the possibility became irrelevant.
Of course, Kagehara kept these thoughts and this piece of evidence to himself. There was no need to reveal all his information to senpai and the archer.
At that moment, the archer spoke, “Kagehara Tetsuya, this ends here. I admit you’re intelligent and courageous, but if you continue to delve into matters concerning me, misfortune will inevitably befall you.”
A threat?
“Is that so? I thought you’d make a move right now,” Kagehara replied, his expression unchanged. He stared at the “Lord Mask-Taker,” trying to glean more useful information.
“Well, everyone has curiosity, but to this extent, we can tolerate it. After all, we’re not murderers,” senpai responded, speaking for the “Lord Mask-Taker.”
The implication was clear: if they maintained the status quo, they could coexist peacefully.
“Then why involve me in the first place? In other words, why did you swap faces with me? Whether you wanted to kill ĹŚshima Masaki or Hasebe Koichi, there seemed no need to drag me into it,” Kagehara suddenly asked.
He couldn’t understand the reason, the motive. From any perspective, Kagehara’s identity wasn’t ideal. To outsiders, he was a suspected murderer, a dangerous individual. Even for safety reasons, swapping faces with him seemed an illogical choice.
“Kagehara-kun wants to know that?” Senpai flashed another radiant smile. “I simply felt that if it were you, Kagehara-kun, you would adapt well to a new identity, that’s why I chose you.”
She lied without batting an eye. Kagehara wasn’t foolish enough to believe her. If she was pursuing this “immortality” dream, she would avoid any complications.
Swapping faces with him was a complication, a serious one.
Therefore, he concluded that something must have driven senpai and the archer to do this. And that reason must be crucial.
“Since you’re unwilling to tell me, then so be it. As long as we don’t interfere with each other, whatever you do is none of my concern.”
In the end, Kagehara chose not to delve further for the time being. He maintained his previous stance: until Hanako’s sixth wish was fulfilled, he wouldn’t take any drastic action.
If he was still interested afterward, he could investigate then. There was more than one lead, such as the reasons for ĹŚshima Masaki and Hasebe Koichi’s murders.
A moment’s thought revealed that of the two, the one senpai and “Lord Mask-Taker” truly wanted to eliminate was likely Hasebe Koichi, who had been in contact with “Lord Mask-Taker” for four years. This revealed a great deal of information. He could use this as a starting point to investigate Lord Mask-Taker’s true identity in the future.
“It’s best if we don’t interfere with each other,” the archer said, clearly satisfied with this attitude. She glanced at senpai, then retreated, adding a warning, “Then, Kagehara Tetsuya, I hope this is our last meeting.”
Senpai also turned and waved, saying, “Goodbye, Kagehara-kun.”
Then she suddenly smiled. “No, I should call you Yomikawa Tsuko. Live well with that identity.”
Watching their figures disappear into the mist, Kagehara returned to his car, closed the door, and toyed with the white box senpai had given him.
The box, about the size of an adult’s palm, looked like a phone case. He wondered where Hasebe Koichi had gotten it.
The letter that had been inside had been burned by senpai, leaving the box empty.
However, he felt that the empty box itself might have some value.
“It must have Hasebe Koichi’s fingerprints on it.”
“If I give it to the police, they’ll definitely be able to detect them.”
With this thought, Kagehara suddenly had an interesting idea. Carefully considering the details and feasibility, his eyes gradually brightened.
“Hasebe Koichi will die tonight. If the police are lucky, they’ll find his headless body at the Kagehara residence tomorrow. If they don’t, I can provide a little assistance.”
“Then, the forensic examiner will determine Hasebe Koichi’s precise time of death.”
“I remind Hasebe’s father every day, so he'll probably checks his mailbox tomorrow too. The police can also deduce that this box was placed in the Hasebe family mailbox tonight.”
“Because the box has fingerprints, the police probably won’t suspect the contents were fabricated.”
“They’ll treat it as a lead and begin an investigation. So, what should I put inside that would be most advantageous to me right now?”
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