Trapped

Without proper evidences, the detective, Erly, who had investigated and interrogated Ronin and other people in the hall, couldn't get anyone to arrested or mark any specific person as suspect.

But Erly wasn't someone going upset for the case. Every case he had ever touched has never gone unsolved. That's the type of detective he is !

But does that mean none's smarter than him ??

Does that mean he can't be deceived ??

These types of question often occurs in the mind of the police and the one who were getting interrogated.

The detective had ordered none to leave the city before the case was solved.

After a lot of hassling, Ronin and Monika finally reached home. They live in the same house. Their house was neither big nor small. There was a front gate before entering the house area. This was like a single house with a backward perfect for a family to live. There were fences made of wood , a bit taller than average human heigh surrounding the whole house. There were two doors. One in the front, other in backward. There were garden and grass field inside the space of fences and outside the house area. And there was a big tree too. The structure was similar to average Japanese house with little more changes. There were four windows and it had only ground floor. The windows were also fenced.

Inside the house , there were a kitchen room, a dining room, a washroom , a bathroom, one sleeping room with two separate beds and finally a gaming room for Ronin.

Ronin had many restrictions to follow before marriage and not sleeping together was one them. Although Monika had enough trust in Ronin not losing his control but she would just keep it normal untill they get married.

Ronin being a boy tried to argue using fallacious reasoning to persuade Monika that they should sleep together. But one shouting of Monika was enough to keep his weapon in his pant.

Not long after those incidents, they had reached home, Ronin was seeing Monika and tried to talk with her.

" Miko ! How unfortunately things had turned out ."

Monika instantly cried out hugging Ronin ,

" I never ever in my life thought that I'll have to see something like this. Jessica was just talking with me a few hours ago. Literally !!!"

Monika cried.

—Tears were falling down from her cheeks

—Seems like an angel's crying and every tear was making holes in my heart such as the spears of demons were piercing the heaven

—Every tear that was flowing was making me think that the heaven was being destroyed slowly

—The home of the everlasting angel was drowned in tears of sadness.

Ronin couldn't help saying anything except hugging her. She was crying at the same time exclaiming her own feelings. She didn't even change her dress and wearing the same saree .

Ronin didn't say anything because he wasn't someone who would act differently with Monika.

If it was someone else, Ronin would have said sympathetic and empathetic words. But most people would use these words to comfort others only but the words wouldn't be coming out of their heart. This sympathy would be used as a tool to comfort and manipulate. Only a few would express their sympathy from their heart and most other people would fake their emotions and express sympathy without even feeling it..

Ronin knew this !

He won't fake his emotions to Monika just to get her good.

Monika won't like Ronin faking his emotions Infront of her either.

Ronin would never lie to Monika. Lying to Monika would result him losing his HUMANITY .

" Miko calm down ! Everything will be just FINE ."

Monika knew these words were from his heart. Ronin wouldn't fake his emotions. Which can be interpreted as he won't say anything sympathetic without feeling those emotions . Which means, when he was saying things to comfort her, he really wanted to comfort her from his own heart and this came from his own emotions.

He was TRUTHFUL .

One of the qualities he had for which Monika would chose him over anyone.

" Miko !"

While hugging Ronin, she looked at Ronin. She was short so she had to look up to get a eye contact with Ronin.

" Calm down my LITTLE CRIMSON . I'm here right ?? As long as I exist, all of your problems will be resolved. They'll be vaporised just like water ."

Monika smiled hearing this. She was looking way cute even while she was crying .

—Does her cuteness increase day by day ?

A thought had flashed in Ronin's mind .

" Miko ! Let's rest for a while. Then we'll go out for a walk. After we'll have to talk with Jessica's father and attend the funeral as well. "

" Yess !"

Monika left the room and went to her room.

Ronin did the same.

/////// //////// ///////

Flowers were being put besides the grave. Jessica's father was the first standing in front of everyone. At his right side, Leon was standing while keeping his head down.

All the other attending there were standing silently and watching the scenario.

Monika was beside Ronin. Everyone was wearing black as usual.

After about tens of minutes,...

Ronin and Monika were walking in a footpath. The road was empty. It was afternoon but everything seemed like morning.

The footpath was long enough for them to walk. There were trees after every 10 meters. There were lampposts after every 10 meters but they were placed in between the distance of the tree. The road was entirely white and clean.

Monika was beside Ronin and Ronin was walking on the side where he could get on the main road by turning left.

Monika would see Ronin if she turned left. That's how they were walking.

Ronin did that while subconsciously over thinking about a possibility of a car getting out of control and occuring accidents in the footpath by crushing them from behind. As the road was divided into two portions. The footpath and direction Ronin and Monika were walking was on that portion of the road where Ronin's overthinking would bear the possibility of a real incident of a car crushing them from behind by accident. So that Monika stays safe, Ronin does that always.

That's why he always chose to walk on that specific side where he could see the road and if by chance any car comes, he'd be the first one to die.

Monika knows this but she couldn't do anything. They'd did that many times and Ronin would be the one to take the initiative to walk on that side.

They were walking pretty slowly. Yet the time felt rushed.

It's because they were spending time with their favourite person.

—Time feels rushed with her

Yet the desire to stop the time won't ever go !

" Miko "

" Yes ?"

" How're you feeling right now ?"

" I'm a bit sad . That's it ."

" You know why I choose this road today ?"

" I know. You think I'm sad and whenever I'm said, I used to eat my favourite street food from a store this road."

" Good !"

Monika was right. Nobody can defeat her in a particular skills such as

"Seeing through people"

Well that would apply for Monika and Ronin only.

As they walked more, they'd found the shop.

" 2 plate please !"

They were eating Pani Puri. It's a snack type of food. A food that looks like spherical shell . It's fried deeply and there is a hollow space in the middle where baked potatoes, onions, chillies, masalas are added. To increase the taste, there are waters of different flavours. Water is the key of different flavours as it's made with muiltiple masalas, sweets , chillies adding extra taste to the Pani Puri. Ronin was a type of guy who couldn't eat chillies or anything spicy. On the other hand, Monika was different. She would eat spicy over sweets.

As they ordered, Ronin had specified that he would eat with sweet mixed water along with little spice.

And Monika had ordered with the highest difficulties of spice one could ever ask.

___that's the secret of your short temper

Ronin thought this while smiling.

They took their plates. There were five in one plate.

" Hey, we'll exchange two pieces okay ??"

" Hell no ! I can't eat that spice ."

" You'll have to . Hehe..."

" Noo !!"

As Ronin declined Monika didn't stop. She insisted and exchanged pieces.

"Aaagghhhhhhhhhhhhh"

Upon eating that spiced piece of Puri, Ronin shouted.

" I need water.... You.....!!!!"

Ronin was looking at Monika who was laughing crazily after seeing Ronin's face. It's as if she had forgotten the death of her friend. No ! It's rather like Ronin had forced her to smile again through indirect means.

—Woman are simple to be honest. You just have to make things simpler for them. Pain is for man.

A line Ronin read a long ago in a book had flashed inside his head.

As Ronin saw her eating and smiling, he calmed himself down.

Soon after they began to walk on the same road.

" Ronin ."

" Yes ??"

" Don't you feel hot ??"

Ronin blushed as he replied,

" Of course why won't I ?? After all an existence of celestial level beauty is walking by my side "

" If you want to give oil, I'll get the bottle. Get some ice-creams idiot !!! "

Ronin was dumbfounded .

He had noticed the ice cream shop nearby. Although Ronin felt that it was unnatural for an ice-cream shop to be put as a stall in such a place where most part of the footpath was empty. But who cares ? Ronin was supposed to cross the road and get the ice-cream.It was on the other side of the road. So he had to cross it to get to the shop. In order to cross the road, He looked both side of the road. There were two portions of the road where cars from different directions would run . There were a few cars coming in the opposite direction from Ronin's earlier direction of him walking with Monika. And there was a van coming in the same direction from Ronin's earlier direction of him walking with Monika. They were not that far but enough for crossing the road. So, Ronin didn't think about anything and started to cross the road.

A small ice-cream shop made on a truck. A street ice-cream shop. It's colour was pink and a small corn Ice cream looking sign board was hanged over the truck resembling itself as a ice-cream shop.

" How much is the chocolate flavour one ??"

" 20 for all flavours."

" One vanilla and one chocolate. Add some extra chocolate on the later one. And use Dairy Milk add-on too. "

" I'll prepare it. Thank you for coming."

" You're welcome."

Ronin laughed as he looked at the ice-cream maker and then took out his wallet to pay for the ice-cream.

After paying he then turned around to see Monika.

His pupils had widened.

" Miko ???"

He looked at the area and didn't see anyone.

Without caring about the ice-cream he went for the other side of the road.

" Miko . Don't pull of any prank ."

He said it calmly while smiling as if he had experienced this many other times as well. It's often when Monika would hide from Ronin and then surprise him.

" Miko !!!????!!!!"

This time, it didn't feel like a prank to Ronin. Because Ronin had found Monika's phone in ground.

Ronin was an over-thinker. He would overthink a lot. While considering the previous incidents where Jessica was murdered, Ronin started to think,

" What if something happened to Miko ?"

He quickly analysed the area. Then suddenly remember something.

" While ordering ice-creams I'd clearly heard the sound of three cars passing behind me from the opposite direction where I was walking earlier with Miko. From the sound and my observation before I crossed the road I could tell that there were three cars and they went out without stopping. Moreover those cars were on the other portion of the road far from the footpath we were walking.

But there was one van on that portion of the road which was close to the footpath and coming at the same direction where me and Miko were walking. Could it be ??"

As Ronin thought, his heartbeat had skipped a beat.

Ronin also remembered seeing that van while eating Pani Puri. But he didn't put his thoughts onto that.

But right now, all he was seeing was that same van but far from his position and way ahead of him . He could see the van but not Monika.