Chapter 55: Are They Really Lovers?

Saturday, June 16th, 4:15 PM.

The café was a quiet refuge from the bustling streets of Tokyo, its warm lighting and the faint aroma of roasted coffee beans creating an atmosphere of calm. Ōgami Yōsuke pushed open the glass door, the soft chime of the bell above announcing his arrival. His eyes scanned the room and quickly landed on the familiar figure in the corner. Kishida Masayoshi sat with his back to the wall, his silver hair catching the light as he bent over a notebook, his pen moving in quick, deliberate strokes.

Kishida’s invitation had come as a surprise, but not an unwelcome one. Ōgami had been consumed by the case at the inn since the beginning, and the discovery of Hasebe Kōichi’s body the day before had only deepened his fascination. When Kishida reached out, Ōgami hadn’t hesitated. This was his chance to get closer to the truth.

They were scheduled to meet at 4:30, but Ōgami’s eagerness had brought him here early. He hadn’t expected Kishida to already be seated, engrossed in his notes. For a moment, Ōgami hesitated, unsure whether to interrupt. Then, taking a breath, he approached the table.

“Officer Kishida,” he said, offering a polite smile. “I apologize if I’ve kept you waiting.”

Kishida looked up, his sharp eyes softening as he recognized Ōgami. He closed the notebook with a faint sigh, as if reluctantly pulling himself away from his thoughts. “Not at all, Ōgami-kun. I only just arrived myself. Please, sit.”

Ōgami slid into the chair across from him, his hands resting lightly on the table. Kishida gestured to the waiter, ordering two coffees before turning his attention back to Ōgami. His expression was calm, but there was a weight to his gaze that made Ōgami feel as though he were being measured.

“You’re a bright young man, Ōgami-kun,” Kishida began, his tone polite but direct. “I must admit, I was impressed by your analysis yesterday. Those ten possibilities of decapitation you presented—it was quite the display of insight.”

Ōgami’s cheeks flushed slightly at the praise. He scratched the back of his head, a nervous habit he couldn’t quite shake. “Ah, well… it was mostly research. I’m just glad if it was helpful.”

Kishida nodded, his expression growing more serious. “Given your intelligence, I’d like to speak frankly. What are your thoughts on Yomikawa Tsuko?”

Ōgami’s brow furrowed. “Senpai?” He paused, considering the question. “She’s the club president, my senior. Reliable, capable… but I haven’t known her long enough to say much more than that. She strikes me as an exceptional person, though.”

It was the kind of answer Kishida had expected, but he pressed further. “Has Yomikawa-san done anything unusual since June 9th? Yesterday, when I asked you a similar question, you seemed hesitant. Was there something you didn’t say?”

Ōgami’s discomfort was palpable. He shifted in his seat, his fingers tapping lightly against the edge of the table. The same dilemma he’d been wrestling with since that day resurfaced. Should he speak up? It might cause trouble for his senpai, but staying silent felt equally wrong.

“Ōgami-kun,” Kishida said, his voice low and earnest, “I asked to meet with you specifically because I believe you have a keen eye for detail. This isn’t just some story or legend we’re dealing with. Two people are dead. There could even be a third victim. If you’ve noticed anything—anything at all—I need you to tell me.”

Ōgami exhaled slowly, his shoulders slumping as if the weight of the decision had finally settled. “Alright,” he said at last. “I’ll tell you. But it’s just my personal observation. It’s not evidence.”

Kishida leaned forward slightly, his gaze intent. “Go on.”

“Well…” Ōgami hesitated, then continued. “I saw Senpai twice on Monday, and both times, she seemed… off.”

Kishida’s eyes narrowed. “Off how?”

“You might not know this, but it was Senpai who encouraged Kagehara-kun to join the Folklore Club. She didn’t believe the rumors about him killing Tanaka Erika, and she thought it was unfair that no one had invited him to join any clubs after he enrolled. So, she brought him in.”

Ōgami paused, his fingers tightening around the edge of the table. “In the club, Senpai was always considerate of everyone’s feelings, especially Kagehara-kun’s. But then, after canceling club activities that Monday, she suddenly warned Takada and me to be careful when going to and from school. She didn’t say it outright, but given what we’d talked about before, it felt like she was warning us about Kagehara-kun. Like she thought he might attack us.”

He looked up, meeting Kishida’s gaze. “That’s what struck me as strange. Her attitude changed so suddenly. She’d been so sympathetic toward Kagehara-kun before, but now it was like she’d completely dismissed the idea that he might be a victim himself, even though he’d disappeared.”

Kishida’s pen moved steadily across the page of his notebook, the faint scratch of ink on paper the only sound at the table. Yet, as he wrote, a strange sensation prickled at the back of his neck, like the faintest brush of a spider’s web. Something about Yomikawa Tsuko’s behavior didn’t sit right with him.

When he thought about it, she had never once defended Kagehara Tetsuya. Not truly.

He remembered his first visit to the villa, the way he had openly voiced his suspicions about Kagehara. Yomikawa hadn’t reacted with anger or denial, nor had she shown any visible distress. Instead, she had listened calmly, almost dispassionately, before smoothly steering the conversation toward the case itself. She had offered reasons for Kagehara’s involvement with Hasebe Kōichi, even suggesting they meet Ōshima Masaki together. At the time, her composure had struck him as admirable. Now, it felt… calculated.

Was she really Kagehara’s lover? Kishida frowned, his pen pausing mid-sentence. If she was, where was the concern, the protectiveness one would expect from someone in love? He couldn’t detect even a trace of it.

His suspicions deepening, Kishida turned back to Ōgami. “Ōgami-kun,” he began, his tone measured but probing, “what would you say was the nature of Kagehara Tetsuya and Yomikawa Tsuko’s relationship? Could they have been lovers? Or perhaps it was a one-sided affection?”

“L-lovers?!” Ōgami’s voice cracked, and he nearly bit his tongue in his surprise. “Officer Kishida, you can’t be serious! I never saw anything like that between them.”

Kishida raised an eyebrow. “Could it be that you simply didn’t notice? Perhaps they were keeping it secret from the rest of the club.”

Ōgami shook his head vigorously, his cheeks flushing slightly. “I mean, I’m no expert on romance, but there are usually signs, aren’t there? The way people look at each other, the little things they do… I didn’t see any of that. Honestly, if I had to guess, I’d say Takada had more of a thing for Senpai than Kagehara ever did.” He paused, then added, “At least Takada’s crush was obvious.”

“I see,” Kishida murmured, his expression thoughtful. This revelation cast serious doubt on Yomikawa’s motives. If she wasn’t Kagehara’s lover, then what had driven her to meet with Ōshima and visit the Hasebe residence? What was she after?

Just as Kishida was about to press further, a sudden commotion erupted near the café’s register. A man had snatched a woman’s handbag and was bolting for the door, shoving chairs and customers out of his way. He was heading straight for Kishida’s table.

Instinct took over. Kishida shot to his feet, his chair scraping loudly against the floor. “Stop! I’m a police officer!” he barked, his voice cutting through the chaos. “Damn it, halt!”

The thief didn’t even slow down. Kishida cursed under his breath and took off after him, his coat flapping behind him as he sprinted out of the café.

Ōgami sat frozen for a moment, stunned by the sudden turn of events. His eyes drifted to the table, where Kishida’s investigation notebook lay open, its pages filled with neat, precise handwriting. The detective’s pen had rolled to the edge, teetering precariously.

Ōgami’s hand twitched. He glanced toward the door, then back at the notebook. Slowly, almost unconsciously, he reached out, his fingers hovering above the pages. He pulled his hand back, then reached out again, torn between curiosity and propriety.

Finally, with a quiet sigh, he gave in to temptation. Leaning forward, he began to read..

When Kishida returned to the café some ten minutes later, slightly out of breath, he found Ōgami hunched over the table, his brow furrowed in concentration as he scribbled something in the margins of the investigation notebook.

A cold knot of dread tightened in Kishida’s chest.

In his haste to chase down the thief, he’d completely forgotten to close the notebook. Now, Ōgami was poring over its contents, his pen moving rapidly across the page.

“O—Officer Kishida, you’re back.” Ōgami looked up, caught red-handed, and immediately scratched the back of his head in a gesture of sheepish apology. “I-I’m really sorry. I just… I wanted to understand the details of the case better, so I took the liberty of looking at your notes. But I swear, Officer Kishida, I won’t tell anyone. Especially not Senpai.”

He hadn’t realized, until he’d started reading, just how deeply Kishida’s suspicions ran. The detective had even deduced how Kagehara had vanished from the locked room—a feat that left Ōgami both awestruck and slightly unnerved.

Kishida exhaled sharply, running a hand through his hair. “What’s done is done. But this isn’t a game, Ōgami-kun.” His voice was stern, though there was a hint of resignation in it. He only had himself to blame for leaving the notebook open. “You absolutely cannot tell anyone about what you’ve read. Leaking this information could have serious consequences.”

Ōgami nodded vigorously, his expression earnest. “I understand, I understand. You’re worried about a repeat of what happened a year ago, right? Please, rest assured. I’ll keep it a secret.”

After a moment of awkward silence, Ōgami’s demeanor shifted. He leaned forward slightly, his eyes bright with curiosity. “Well, since I’ve already read it, maybe I could offer my own analysis of the case? I’d be happy to help in any way I can.”

Kishida studied him for a moment, weighing his options. He had originally planned to speak with Yomikawa Tsuko after this meeting, but the sudden turn of events had forced him to adjust his plans. Besides, Ōgami’s sharp mind might offer a fresh perspective.

“Very well,” Kishida said at last, sitting back down and gesturing for Ōgami to continue. “Tell me what you’re thinking.”