Chapter 64

"Hey, you! Do you know where Uchima went?"

Ms. Hasegawa came with me. I figured if she was this frantic she should have gone with Detective Chikage instead.

"Um... I can't really explain, but is that okay?"

"It's fine."

Ms. Hasegawa stuck right behind me. I could plainly see that she'd decided to rely on me completely. Why was the detective-hating me, rather than a real detective, the one she had to count on?

I scratched my head again and again, racing up the nearby stairs while explaining my guess to Ms. Hasegawa. She was desperately trying to follow both the conversation and me.

"Um... Right now Detective Chikage is checking places like the roof—anywhere that seems like a suicide risk. If... he still resents that shop for what happened to his little sister, it wouldn't be odd for him to go attack it... so that's..."

"Wouldn't that make sense? What's wrong? You don't sound very sure."

"Well, I can't stop thinking about the line in Uchima-san's note—'I'm going to end my life now.' It feels off somehow. I mean... but let's hurry!"

Whatever the case, something awful was bound to happen. Whichever theory proved right, it would already be too late to take back.

I ran at top speed, whipping my legs forward, and reached the fifth-floor café. Lunch hour had long since passed, so the place was nearly empty. From outside, Ms. Hasegawa pointed and said, "That one with the hair is Uchima," urging me inside.

The first person to greet us in the café was a waitress whose face looked anything but welcoming. Her name tag read "Haruki."

Unlike the waitress who had apologized to me over and over on the second floor, this one clearly had zero enthusiasm for her job.

"Welcome, two customers, right this—tch."

She actually clicked her tongue. It was obvious she resented having to serve anyone now, during what was basically her break, when the café was almost empty.

But I had no time to get irritated about that.

First I had to check on Uchima-san's condition. If I stood up from the seat they'd given me, I could see him. The café had a drink bar, so I ordered that alone and kept sneaking glances. He looked vaguely listless; I couldn't picture him jumping from here, yet he wasn't humming in high spirits either.

What on earth was he planning to do?

Which moment would he choose for suicide? Could I grasp it clearly and heal his heart?

Think. If anyone could do it, it was me.

I'd already touched death in the antique-dealer murder, the lycanthrope academy killing, and the apartment incident. I should have more tools than most to stop a suicide.

I kept my nerves taut and went to get coffee. Ms. Hasegawa had said she wanted sugar too.

I grabbed sugar as well, returned to Ms. Hasegawa, told her about Uchima-san's state, chugged my coffee, and stood up again.

There I ran into a woman sporting a rather troublesome glare.

Detective Chikage. All I could do was grimace at her angry face.

"Hey... When people are working flat-out, what's the big idea of you two sitting around drinking tea like you're on vacation..."

"Er... could you keep it down... he's right over there. Uchima-san."

I glanced over at him. Luckily he didn't seem to have noticed us. His menu wasn't on the table; looked like he'd already ordered.

Realizing this, Detective Chikage said, "Guess we've no choice but to see what he does next...," and without flinching at the scowling Haruki she'd summoned, she ordered the drink bar and a meat sauce dish.

Right after that, Uchima-san's meat sauce arrived. He stood up and headed for the drink bar.

So far he'd done nothing obviously suspicious.

Still, he wasn't just some café nut eating a meal; something had to happen. I kept watching with that in mind.

"...My meal still hasn't come."

Detective Chikage was putting food before the client?

"Why are you trying to eat?"

"Well, I didn't get a proper lunch during the tail. I'll watch and eat at the same time... okay?"

"Then stock some anpan and milk for stakeouts."

"Oh, right, that's an idea."

I privately thought, "Huh, you didn't know that?" Wasn't anpan and milk the classic tailing food for cops and detectives? Apparently not.

Her lack of focus proved costly. I completely missed Uchima-san's trips to and from the drink bar. He'd gone back and forth a few times... and now he was slowly savoring his meal.

Finally her meat sauce arrived. She took a bite, declared something was missing, and disappeared toward the drink bar.

When she came right back she was holding a can of powdered cheese. Whatever.

"Listen... Detective Chikage, you'd better stay put..."

"Ah... but if we act like normal customers, maybe no one will notice. Ms. Hasegawa hasn't stood up once since we arrived. Who'd guess we're detectives?"

"If you say so... fine. Do whatever you like."

"I will... huh?"

She sprinkled cheese into her meat sauce and spoke. Something seemed off. Ms. Hasegawa asked what was wrong.

"Something weird?"

"No, just... isn't it a little too sweet?"

Crack.

Someone dropped something again. I figured the waitress had just broken another glass.

I was wrong.

I'd missed it.

The table was strewn with sugar packets, and the glass had slipped from Uchima-san's hand as he slumped forward. A groan escaped him.

"Ms. Hasegawa, call an ambulance! Detective Chikage, call the police!"

I rushed over and gave the orders. But Ms. Hasegawa ignored me and ran up herself.

I had no choice; I moved close and asked someone to call an ambulance. That effort, too, was swallowed up by a cruel truth.

Before I could enter, the police had already concluded from the suicide note and Ms. Hasegawa's testimony that it was a suicide attempt. They decided Uchima-san, sick of life, had tried to kill himself.

Two days later Uchima-san died, and the investigation that had labeled it attempted suicide was reclassified as suicide.

That same night Detective Chikage was rushed to hospital after going into shock over Uchima-san's death.

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