Perhaps, even if one person leaves school while the other stays, their love could still continue like this—until one day.
Under her parents' persuasion, Yoko Uehara realized that even if she took a leave of absence, she couldn't afford to fall behind in her studies. Then she remembered that she had left a few textbooks back at school.
Although she could easily buy new ones from a bookstore in the city, Yoko didn't want to spend the extra money. She wanted to save as much as she could, so that after Masami Kamihisa graduated from Kamihisa High School, they could move to another city and start a new life together.
That day, Yoko Uehara put on her school uniform again and returned to school. The school had strict rules—students who didn't wear uniforms or carry their ID cards would have a hard time entering campus.
This rule was originally meant to protect the students…
After explaining her situation to the teacher in the office, Yoko received permission to go back to her classroom and retrieve her textbooks.
Perhaps out of inner weakness, Yoko couldn't face her classmates' strange looks and whispering gossip as calmly as Masami could. So she deliberately waited until after school before going into the classroom, walking to her desk.
Seeing the obscene words carved into her desktop with a knife, Yoko couldn't help but let out a bitter smile. There was no doubt this was the work of Tsuchiya and her gang.
She glanced at Masami's desk beside hers—the surface was splattered with ink, so stained that it could never be cleaned.
The ink had been there for quite some time, but Masami had never mentioned it to her.
Yoko clenched her fists, her heart filled with anger.
After leaving school, Yoko took the same small path home.
But when she passed through a section of the road with no surveillance cameras, she disappeared—never to be seen again. That night, her parents waited in vain for her to return home.
Until… her body was later found by a fishing boat, floating in the sea.
The coroner determined her time of death was the very same day she went back to school to retrieve her books.
And on the same day Yoko Uehara's body was recovered, Masami Kamihisa went missing.
Her sudden disappearance made the police immediately turn their suspicions toward Masami.
The officer in charge of the case, Assistant Inspector Hidari Okumuro, was assigned her first and most important task: to locate Masami Kamihisa and question her about whether she had met with Yoko that day.
At the same time, Tsuchiya—the girl who had always taken pleasure in bullying Yoko—was also summoned to the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department for questioning.
When she learned of Yoko's death, Tsuchiya burst into tears, wailing so bitterly that the officers present almost felt she had truly lost her dearest friend.
Through sobs, Tsuchiya cried, "It must have been Masami who killed Yoko! Masami's grades were always terrible, while Yoko—if she just tried a little harder—could get into a decent university. But Masami could only get into some technical school. She couldn't accept that her girlfriend was so much better than her, so she must have…"
Tsuchiya's words immediately deepened the police's suspicion toward the missing Masami Kamihisa. After all, the timing of her disappearance was too much of a coincidence.
Throughout the interrogation, Assistant Inspector Hidari Okumuro remained silent, not voicing her opinion once. She felt that things might not be as simple as everyone believed.
A few days later, Yoko Uehara's memorial service was held. Most people had already concluded that the murderer was Masami Kamihisa, whose whereabouts remained unknown.
Tsuchiya attended the service. No adults knew that she had bullied Yoko and Masami—only their classmates did.
In front of Yoko's parents, Tsuchiya cried as though she were Yoko's closest friend, tears streaming down her face. As she wept, she unconsciously grasped the necklace hanging around her neck.
After days of searching, Assistant Inspector Hidari Okumuro finally located Masami Kamihisa in an abandoned warehouse just outside the school—the place she was most likely to hide.
Masami, thinking Hidari would arrest her, sat silently in the back of the police car, ready to accept her fate.
Hidari Okumuro didn't drive straight to the police station. She didn't handcuff Masami Kamihisa either. In fact, when they left the warehouse earlier, Hidari had deliberately averted her eyes, choosing not to look directly at Masami.
Her police car stopped outside the Uehara residence.
Inside, Yoko Uehara's memorial service was being held.
"I went to the spot where Yoko fell into the sea," Hidari said softly. "The waves weren't rough, and the water was about as deep as a two-meter swimming pool.
"But for someone who couldn't swim, falling in would cause panic. They wouldn't be able to find their footing or maintain balance in the water. As the seawater poured into their mouth and their limbs grew weaker, even if the shore was just a short distance away, fear would drag them down—slowly sinking deeper and deeper.
"I've been with the First Investigation Division for many years. Drowning is one of the most despairing ways to die."
"When I close my eyes now, I can still hear Yoko's cries for help…" Masami Kamihisa stared blankly toward the Uehara house in the distance, her eyes hollow.
"Forgive me for asking this so bluntly," Hidari said, "but Tsuchiya—was she a member of the school's swim team?"
"Yes, she was the vice-captain. Her endurance from swimming practice was far better than most students, which is why so many were afraid to fight back when she bullied them. Wait—don't tell me…"
Masami's eyes widened, staring straight at Hidari, bloodshot and trembling—as if silently begging for confirmation.
Hidari handed her a verified witness statement, then gazed at the car's ceiling as she spoke in a calm, quiet tone:
"In sea rescues, there's something known as the 'golden window.' If someone's pulled out within ten minutes, there's still a chance they can survive. Unfortunately, the one who pushed Yoko into the sea—though she panicked—never once thought of saving her. She didn't even call for help."
"...May I get out of the car?" Masami asked.
Hidari didn't answer. Masami instinctively touched the door handle and realized—it wasn't locked.
Reaching into her coat, Masami took a deep breath and stepped out of the car.
Before closing the door, she bowed deeply toward Hidari.
"Thank you… Officer."
"..."
Hidari remained silent.
Without a moment's hesitation, Masami turned and walked into the Uehara house.
Inside the memorial hall, Tsuchiya was still speaking to Yoko's parents.
"Yoko loved her so much, yet she can't even show up and admit she didn't kill her? Masami was once my friend too—I'm not saying she's hiding because of guilt, but… today's Yoko's memorial. Has she really become so heartless that she won't even come to see her one last time?"
Suddenly, noise erupted from outside.
Tsuchiya stopped mid-sentence and looked toward the door in confusion.
A girl wearing a hooded jacket slowly approached, then quickened her pace, lifting the hood from her head.
Yoko Uehara's parents recognized her first. Seeing the haggard face of Masami Kamihisa, they shouted angrily:
"What are you doing here?! Get out—"
Before they could finish, Masami had already crossed the distance between them. Tsuchiya still wore that same tearful, fake expression she'd put on moments ago, unable to react.
Masami said nothing.
She simply drew the knife hidden in her coat—and drove it straight into Tsuchiya's abdomen.
Blood spilled across the floor.
The guests attending the memorial screamed and scattered in panic.
Tsuchiya clutched her bleeding stomach, staggering toward the door. Behind her, Masami followed at a steady pace, holding the blood-stained knife, her voice hollow and cold:
"How cruel… Wasn't everything you did to me back in school already enough? You pushed her into the sea—just to steal that pink crystal necklace around your neck? Why did you kill her? Why did you kill her?"
"It's all her fault!" Tsuchiya screamed in terror, collapsing to the ground as she pleaded for her life. "I never meant to kill her! I just happened to see her on the way home from school and wanted to tease her a little. I was only jealous—jealous of that pretty necklace she wore so proudly around her neck!"
"That pink crystal necklace…" Masami Kamihisa murmured as she walked closer, blood dripping from the knife in her hand. "I was the one who put it around her neck. She treasured it so much…"
Masami pressed her knee into Tsuchiya's back, pinning her to the floor so she couldn't get up.
"It was an accident! I only wanted to snatch the necklace off her neck. I didn't expect her to be so careless—she lost her balance, flipped over the railing, and fell into the sea!"
"You pushed her! You're a strong swimmer. You were so close to shore that day—you could've saved her!"
"It's her fault for being careless! Her fault for always smiling so happily! Why should someone uglier than me—someone I bullied—be happier than I am? I did nothing wrong! I didn't do anything wrong!" Tsuchiya cried hysterically.
"You killed Yoko… for something so petty?"
"I'm not wrong!"
"Even after killing her, you still believe that?"
"It's all her fault…"
"Unbelievable… you killed Yoko for a childish reason and still claim you're innocent. When you bullied us at school, did you also think you weren't doing anything wrong?!"
Tsuchiya tried to break free, but Masami pinned her down with all her strength. She didn't know where this power came from—only that her grip tightened around the blood-slick handle of the knife.
She raised the blade high. In that instant, she suddenly felt something—like invisible hands gently holding her wrist.
So warm… just like Yoko's hands used to feel whenever they held each other.
Yoko's hands had always been warm.
But now, that warm girl had become a cold corpse.
Masami's hand froze midair—as though Yoko's spirit, with the same tender hands, was holding her back.
If she stopped now, maybe… it wasn't too late.
"Yoko, are you trying to tell me… if I stop now, it's still not too late?" Masami whispered hesitantly.
But that hesitation soon faded.
Yoko Uehara had been the one ray of light that shone into Masami Kamihisa's suffering heart—the only light.
And now, that light had been extinguished for the most ridiculous reason.
For an equally ridiculous reason, the only light in Masami's heart had been taken away.
"Too late… Yoko's already gone."
Masami's trembling hand came down. The cold blade pierced straight through Tsuchiya's throat.
Blood gushed in a crimson spray.
In a daze, Masami carefully reached toward the pink crystal necklace—once stolen from Yoko—and removed it from Tsuchiya's neck.
"I'm sorry, Yoko… I dirtied the necklace you cherished so much. I'll… I'll try to wipe it clean for you…"
Clutching the pink crystal tightly in her hand, Masami felt her strength drain away. She collapsed beside Tsuchiya's body.
Outside in the yard, Hidari Okumuro leaned back in the driver's seat, rubbing her eyes wearily. Her superior burst out from the Uehara house moments later, storming toward the police car. He yanked the door open, his face twisted in fury.
Seeing Hidari's calm expression, he immediately understood—and roared in disbelief:
"Hidari… you let her kill someone."
"The one who kills," Hidari said quietly, "must also be prepared to be killed. The fear a victim feels before death will one day return to the murderer."
"I'm talking about a girl's life! She's only seventeen—what's going to happen to her now? You've turned her into a murderer!"
"I gave her a choice," Hidari Okumuro replied calmly. "To stay in the car and let me take her away—or to step out and take revenge with her own hands. She chose the second option. It seems she fulfilled her wish."
"Hidari… I'm very disappointed in you."
"Boss, thank you for taking care of me all these years."
As she spoke, Hidari handed him the resignation letter she had written long ago.
...
At the meeting yesterday, Hidari Okumuro was officially dismissed from her position as Assistant Inspector. Her police badge and sidearm—items she had carried every single day—were taken back.
In that brief moment, she felt a strange emptiness, as though two of her most important possessions had been taken away… yet at the same time, two heavy burdens had finally been lifted from her shoulders.
"Haa…" Hidari exhaled deeply.
"So that's the real reason you resigned, Aunt Hidari," Kotomi Izumi said softly. "It's surprising, but… not unexpected. I didn't think you'd do something like that, but looking at your personality, it makes sense.
"Well, not that I really understand your personality, but still.
"In short, I get why you did it. It doesn't feel strange to me."
After listening quietly to Hidari's story, Kotomi spoke in a calm, steady voice.
"Thank you for listening patiently. It's getting late—you should head home," Hidari said.
"Alright. Good night~ When your detective agency in Shinjuku is finished, don't forget to invite me for a cup of coffee."
"Kids shouldn't drink coffee. When you come, I'll treat you to juice," Hidari replied seriously.
Kotomi smiled, then grabbed her two cats—Dragon and Phoenix—by the scruffs of their necks, lifting the two squirming "little gas tanks" who had been itching to bolt outside.
As Kotomi carried the cats and started walking home, Hidari suddenly called out to her.
"Kotomi."
"Mm?" Kotomi turned around.
Pointing at the two cats in her hands, Hidari said with a faint smile:
"When you showed up earlier, I really wanted to say—you don't look like someone carrying cats. You look more like you're holding two little rabbits."
"Rabbits? These two are gas tanks! By the way, are private citizens even allowed to keep rabbits?"
"Hmm… I think… probably not?"
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