Lies (Part 3)

"I have to go to the bathroom." That's what Yayoi-san had told Maki-san and Shinya-san in the middle of lunch before breaking off from her team and coming here. It was a pretty typical and hackneyed lie, and Maki-san could read minds anyway, and even under-the-weather Shinya-san probably could've seen through it, but one look at Yayoi-san's sickly blue expression and they probably wouldn't have called her a liar if she said a pack of devils were on their way to the island on turtleback.

She sat down on the sofa and said nothing.

She seemed strangely wary of Hikari-san's presence. Maybe she, too, thought Hikari-san was the killer. It wasn't such an unexpected assumption, to be honest.

"Can we assume you came here because you wanted to tell us something, Yayoi-san?" It didn't look like this was going anywhere on its own, so I went ahead and asked.

"Yes," she nodded weakly.

"Um, you two are doing some investigating, right?"

"Well, that's the plan. It's become a personal matter at this point, after all," I said, looking at the computer parts in the corner of the room. "What about it?"

"Well, if you're investigating, I suppose the facts need to be accurate, right?"

"Yeah, well, naturally."

"If you proceeded from here with inaccurate information, there could be a third incident, right?"

"Fourth." Kunagisa protested.

"That's right, Yayoi-san." We ignored Kunagisa's protest. "That's the situation. Um, Yayoi-san, I don't really understand what it is you're trying to say. It looks like you came here to help us, but am I wrong? Did you come here because you don't like being on a team with Shinya-san and Maki-san?"

"No, that's not it," she mumbled. "It's just… I — I told a lie I can't take back."

"A lie?"

"Yes. That night… I really was with Iria-san talking. It was only up until the earthquake, but that much is an honest fact," she said. "But Handa-san… Handa-san wasn't there."

Hikari-san's face went stiff.

Rei-san — Handa Rei.

It was suddenly clear why Yayoi-san seemed so nervous around Hikari-san and why she had seemed so unnaturally detached since the other day, staying holed up in her room all the time.

The ice was melting.

The other morning during the alibi check, Iria-san had said to herself that she, Yayoi-san, and Rei-san were together. Everyone else was questioned one by one, but when Yayoi-san's turn came, Iria-san spoke for her. I had thought this was simply because they had been together, but it seemed that wasn't why after all.

Iria-san…

Akagami Iria was covering for Handa Rei.

Yayoi-san slumped down with her shoulders drooped. It was like she had been relieved of a terrible burden or freed of a curse.

"Why?"

Why had she kept silent about such an important detail up until now? It was a question I was in no position to ask. This was Iria-san's island and Iria-san's mansion, and it was Iria-san who had invited Yayoi-san here, and she was, after all, Akagami Iria. If Iria-san said, "I was with Yayoi-san and Rei-san," who could argue? Who could just call her a liar?

Like anyone could say that.

"I didn't think it was a big deal at the time," Yayoi-san finally said. "I just figured she was looking out for her own. But thanks to that, Akane-san became the only person without an alibi, and she was locked away and… Killed."

She was speaking like a burst dam. I sat and listened in silence. Kunagisa and Hikari-san did likewise.

"And then regarding last night, Iria-san said she was with Rei-san again. All night long. But who could believe that? She said they were discussing what to do from here on, but why would that take all night?"

"Well, it's possible."

"I don't think so. Just because someone lied the first time doesn't mean they lied the second time, but the chances are pretty high, right? And Hikari-san"—Yayoi-san glared over at Hikari-san—"Hikari-san is one of Iria-san's inner circle, too, but Iria-san didn't even try to cover for her, did she? Why is that? Why would she cover for Rei-san but not for Hikari-san? Isn't it because she knew there was no need to cover for Hikari-san? Isn't it, conversely, because she knew who the killer was?"

"Are you saying Rei-san is the killer?"

I was surprised by this. I didn't think the conversation was heading in this direction. But Yayoi-san seemed absolutely serious.

"Certainly her alibi is rather dubious now — that is, if we can believe what you're saying."

"It's the truth. Whether you believe me or not, it's the truth," she said. Hikari-san looked like she had something to say, but as if having realized something, she remained silent. She chewed on her lip with a painful expression.

"Let's just hold on a second here."

If Rei-san didn't have an alibi that night, how did that change things? Maybe not all that much, but the fact that Iria-san had lied was unarguably huge.

Rei-san wasn't in Iria-san's room that night. That meant they weren't together after the earthquake, either.

Which meant…

"Mmm. Hey, Yayoi-chan."

"What is it, Kunagisa-san?"

"Why do you think Rei-chan is the killer? She's the head maid. She's the confidante. She's a hotshot. She's even closer to Iria-chan than Hikari-chan and the others are. So maybe Iria-chan just covered for her out of friendship. And we really don't know if she was lying the second time, even if she was lying the first time. And if Rei-chan really was the murderer, then that means Iria-chan knew about it, right? Why would she cover for—"

"What if Iria-san ordered the murder?"

Gulp, someone swallowed audibly. For all I knew, it could have been me.

"I don't think that's the case. Kanami-chan and Akane-chan were both invited here as guests. What's the point in bringing people over and then killing them?"

"What if she invited them here to kill them?" Yayoi-san pressed on. "Iria-san invited people here. And then those people were killed. If you look at it that way, it's not so unthinkable."

Was Iria-san using Rei-san in a plot to kill those two, as well as possibly a third, fourth, and fifth? It seemed like a highly unrealistic notion, but there was no proof against it.

Yeah. And on that note, hadn't I just heard the proof for it from Teruko-san and Hikari-san?

Handa Rei.

The head maid.

As Hikari-san, Akari-san, and Teruko-san's boss, she was in the closest position to Iria-san herself. So how about it? Was that the answer? Was that what it all came down to?

Akagami Iria.

Named for that great ancient Greek classic epic, Homer's Iliad, the work that told of the great war with Troy over Helen. All of the characters in that epic thought they were being manipulated by the gods. Was that it? If that was the answer…

As I thought, Yayoi-san continued on.

"Do you know why I was called here?"

"Because you're a genius, right?"

She grimaced.

"Well, Ibuki-san was a painter — a magnificent artist. Sonoyama-san was a scholar— fine. Maki-san is a fortune-teller — whatever. Kunagisa-san's an engineer, yes? That's wonderful. But I'm a chef. Unless she's some kind of gourmet cuisine nut, why would she call such a person here? I don't think cooking is really that special."

I was silent. Hearing her say that, there was no possible response I could give.

"And do you know why Ibuki-san and Sonoyama-san had their heads cut off?"

"That's a sudden change in topic."

"No, it's not," Yayoi-san said with a stern expression and tone to match. "You are what you eat. It's an idea that exists in Chinese cuisine. If your liver is bad, you should eat liver. If your stomach is bad, eat stomachs. In other words, if part of you isn't working right, you should eat that same thing. I'm sure you've heard of this?"

"Hang on now, Yayoi-san. This is…"

This… This notion…

"Who called Ibuki-san and Sonoyama-san to this island? Who?" Yayoi-san screamed. Her voice reverberated throughout the room. The sound lingered in my ears. But I was so confused at this point I didn't even care.

Hold on… Hold on a minute, here. Did she mean what I thought she meant? Just wait a second. Hold the phone. I'm begging you, just give me a little time.

"I'll say it one more time. No, I'll say it as many times as it takes. Why would the killer cut off their heads? Why would the killer take the heads with her? Where did she take them? And who was it that invited those two women here? Who bought these renowned geniuses here? What was inside those heads the killer carried off?"

If jewels are stolen from a murder scene, it probably means the killer was after the jewels. If cash is missing, he must've been after cash. Such thinking was just plain common sense.

And in this case, it was the victims' heads that were missing.

Yayoi-san continued. "Why was I invited here? Why was I, not an artist or a scholar or a fortune-teller or an engineer but a mere chef, invited to this island? Why have I been given special treatment and allowed to stay here indefinitely?" Her voice sounded like it was being squeezed out.

It was a voice seeking rescue.

She had probably been brooding over this. From the moment she had given her false testimony. From before Sonoyama-san was killed, and indeed the half-day following her death as well, Yayoi-san had probably been thinking about it nonstop.

Yayoi-san turned toward Hikari-san and began her hopeless screaming once again.

"What… Just what are they going to make me do?"

Gulp — someone swallowed again.

This time it was definitely me.

Was it possible? Such a notion… Wasn't the acceptance of such a notion itself unforgivable?

If that was really what was going on, why now? It wasn't like this whole "salon" thing had just started. If that was Iria-san's little game, she would've done this in the past.

No, the five geniuses on this island right now were all world-class, top specialists in their respective fields. Had Iria-san been waiting for this exact timing?

"That's impossible!" Hikari-san shrieked. It was like she had exploded after holding it in until now. "The idea that my mistress would do such an inhuman thing, such a cruel thing now…"

"Now"?

I'm so tired of this.

The past.

Various things. So tired. Now. Why now? I'm so tired of this. Please don't make waves. I'm so tired. Tired, so tired. Even though I'm so tired.

But Yayoi-san didn't relent.

"I've been keeping an eye on Handa-san since yesterday morning," she said. "You know how the longer you watch someone, the more you start to notice their similarities to you, or you start to feel their humanity? Their humanness? Some kind of closeness. You know? It's like 'Oh, this person is just like me.' I felt that way with Iria-san. She's human, just like me. She lied, but she's still a human being. But Handa-san… That woman frightens me. How could I not be afraid of a woman like that whose whole life is an act?"

"That's—" Hikari-san interrupted with her head hung. "That's… That's… That's…"

But it seemed there was no end to that sentence. Even so, Hikari-san tried desperately to defend her mistress. In accordance with her duties. It was too heartbreaking — to the point that it was laughable.

"I see. Yayoi-san, I basically understand what you're trying to say. You're trying to say this, right?"

I tried my best to force my way into their conversation, but it was hopeless. Yayoi-san continued her relentless questioning.

"Akari-san and Teruko-san were on the mainland calling on a detective? Who can prove that? Who's the one who won't contact the police? Who's the one who won't let us leave this island? Maybe you were left out of the plans, Hikari-san, but where's the proof of that? They called you the prime suspect, didn't they? Where's the proof saying you aren't just a scapegoat here to shake things up? No, maybe you're in cahoots with Iria-san, here to make trouble for Kunagisa-san and—"

"Please stop this. Yayoi-san, that's enough," I said quietly. "Please stop insulting our friend. Kunagisa and I both dislike getting angry. But we're not afraid to do what we must."

My gaze was probably fairly cold, and she shivered for a moment at the sight of it. She had the same look of uneasiness that she had when she entered the room.

"I'm scared. I'm scared. I'm scared. I'm just scared."

"Yes, I understand that."

"This is a deserted island. There's nowhere to run. If this is all what I think it is, maybe I won't be killed. You weren't invited here as a genius, so you might not be killed, either. But your dear friend Kunagisa-san is in danger. Not even God can guarantee that she won't be the next one to have her shoulders flattened, if you know what I mean. The time for leisurely investigations has already… I mean, I think we need to do something fast. I didn't come here to hiss at Hikari-san. I came here because Kunagisa-san is an engineer. Can you operate a boat, by any chance? If so, let's get out of here on that cruiser and—"

"Hold on." I held up my right hand. She looked up at me with a confused expression. Hikari-san eyed me curiously as well. Only Kunagisa remained staring off into space, a somewhat irritated expression on her face. I was probably making the same face.

Um, where was I? Why did I interrupt Yayoi-san?

Oh, right.

"Please say that again."

"Huh?"

"That thing you said. Say it again."

Yayoi-san tilted her head at me a bit.

"If so, let's get out of here on that cruiser—"

"Not that."

"Can you operate a boat, by any chance?"

"No, not that, either."

"Uh, I didn't come here to… Yada yada yada?"

"No. Not that. Something grabbed me, but that wasn't it. Before that."

"I don't remember."

"Well remember. What did you say before that?"

"We need to do something fast… The time for leisurely investigations has—"

"No. We already understand that. We need to do something fast? That's practically a catchphrase. I don't care about the stuff we already know. I think it was a little before you said that."

"That's all I got. That's as far as I can recall."

"Tomo!" I looked over at Kunagisa. "You remember, right?"

"Yup," she nodded.

She slashed her hand across the front of her neck.

"I'm gonna get my shoulders flattened."

"Bingo."

Yes. That. It had grabbed me. Was that because it suggested something I'd rather not imagine? Nope. It wasn't nearly something that trite. It was something totally, completely different.

Now this, this was the key. The Rosetta Stone.

"Um…"

"Silence, please. I'm thinking. I think I'm on the right track. Definitely. It's simpler than the geography of Kyoto or Sapporo. We have a hypothesis and conclusion now, so all that's left to do is prove it."

I thought.

Kunagisa thought, too.

All the ingredients were probably there. I could sense it. Or we already had all the ingredients a while ago. They were all lined up in front of my face, to the point that it wouldn't have been strange if I had realized the truth as soon as Kunagisa's computers were smashed. The smashed computers weren't the key, after all, they were another ingredient.

And now I had the key. This time, I had it.

And just as any door will open once you've obtained the key, so, too, would I soon arrive at a solution. It was like a zero-sum game. Like a simple maze with a watertight winning strategy. Kunagisa probably had it, too. The mountain of sand was almost complete.

"Now this really is nonsense."

And after a while…

"Is this it?" I muttered.

But this was…

"No way… This can't be right."

This couldn't be right. Like, could this possibly be it? What logic was this?

But there were no contradictions; it was all consistent; it all made sense — it was complete. There was no other possibility left. It didn't look like there was any more sand to pile up, either.

Something felt uneasy. Something was strange. No matter how many mental checks I did, I couldn't feel satisfied with it, like the final question on an exam. I definitely wasn't wrong, but something felt off nonetheless. It was that kind of feeling. I couldn't shake it.

What was it… This vague, sickly feeling?

"What do you think, Tomo?"

"Mmm," she moaned.

"There's no 'what do you think' about it. There's only one possible train of thought. So that's why the fingers seemed strange, huh? But this means…"

It seemed Kunagisa had the same sense of anxiety. Yayoi-san and Hikari-san stared at the two of us like we were from Mars. Venus, maybe. I guess that's a trivial matter, either way.

"I guess that's the only possibility, huh?" Kunagisa was the first to fall before the reality of the situation. "I can't think of anything else. It must be the only possibility."

"Yeah. If there's only one possibility, it's got to be the right one, no matter how unbelievable it seems."

It looked as if we had to rely on selective thinking in the end. If Akane-san heard about it, she surely would have gotten angry, but we no longer had to worry about that. At least insofar as this was in fact a case of serial murder committed by a person, there was only this one possibility. One possibility with one hundred percent odds.

Okay.

Time to just accept it.

I didn't like it at all, but this was reality, this was the truth. And those were just my nonsense-ridden sentiments anyway.

"Looks like we've reached an agreement, Ii-chan," Kunagisa said. "So what now?"

"What now, indeed. Hmm, this place is a little too big." I continued my pondering. I was more cut out for something like this than Kunagisa was. I may not have been any good at actual shogi, but if this, too, was a sort of a shogi problem, I had it down.

"Now then, Yayoi-san, Hikari-san, could I ask for a little bit of your cooperation?"

"Huh?" The lovely duo let out a collective question mark.

I rose to my feet.

"The top of the inning is finally over. We're down by a lot of points, but it's not a called game yet. This is where we get that third out and launch our attack at the bottom of the inning."

"Yayoi-chan on first. Hikari-chan in the center field. Yours truly as catcher and Ii-chan as a pitcher."

Boing, Kunagisa jumped up off the bed and flashed a smile bright as the blue sky.

"Launching counterattack."