No Regrets

"...all.. I-I, ever w-wan...ted to be...was..."

"To be a mother."

Thud...

Mai fell down, as her head bled making a puddle of blood onto the floor

"Haah...haah ..."

Pant

He panted.

.

.

.

"...what?" Aimi gasped.

As she turned around,

She had a moment of realisation of who it was,

STANDING RIGHT BEHIND HER.

"Eh...R-ryou?"

"Yes." Ryou said.

"W-what...? How are you-"

"That's not the main concern here, let's untie you first." Ryou said as he leaned over Aimi to untie her tied body

Touch...

But as he touched her,

Another voice came.

"...eh? What?"

"What do you think are you doing, Ryou Aikawa?" Harold said.

Chapter 50: No Regrets

Factory worker noises...

"He's taking a long time for an interrogation isn't he?" Lee said

"I know right..." Aiko added.

"Hey, was adding this whole lot of people into this factory a good decision?" Taxi driver added

"Yeah, ofcourse it was!" Aiko shrugged off.

Lee said

"Harold wanted it himself. We are entrusting this whole operation to Harold, isn't it?"

"Ah, and Mai too, right?" The driver said

"Yeah, her ofcourse. How can we forget her." Lee added.

"I wonder, what made her go into this?"

"Into what?"

"This, with Aimi and all." Taxi driver added.

"Ah, that? She claims she wishes to be a mother. And Aimi has added a hindrance to her path of opening an oprhanage." Aiko added.

Lee stayed silent. He listened to what Aiko had to say.

"Is that what she has told you?' Lee added.

"Why, is there any other reason?"

"Nevermind, there isn't." Lee stayed silent.

Lee only knew a little, for Mai had worked for Michael.

And Michael and Harold were alone in that room with Aimi, would this operation be successful?

Sfx: shout

"Did you guys hear that?" Lee added.

"Hear what? That noise? Must be a worker." Aiko said.

"No way, a worker would never whine like a dog." The Taxi driver added.

"A dog? You're a pervert with Mai, you're no less than a dog either!" Aiko exclImee.

"Calm down guys, let's approach them, it'll clear our suspicions." Lee said with a calm tone.

"Fine..." they both had agreed onto something.

Walk...

And so, they began walking towards the niss.

But turns out, the noise was coming towards them instead!

"Wait, who are these weirdos?" Lee saw something in the corner of his eyes.

"Wear your glasses old man." Aiko laughed off.

"Yeah yeah..." Lee put on his glasses,

And from what he saw, he gasped in shock

"Eh?" Lee was in shocks.

"What happened? Saw Harold's wife?" Aiko laughed.

"No, something worse." Lee said with a jaw dropped.

"What happened?" The taxi driver panicked.

"Them... It's them. The police. They are here." Lee said with a shocked tone.

"Wait... What WHAT?!" Aiko and The driver were confused as hell, they could not fathom what Lee had just said.

Why was the police here? Even so, who gave the police the location and why are the police here?

"Whatever, we need to confront them now." Lee prepared himself.

"Gentlemen get ready to take your guns out and be up for an action of the time comes for it." Lee added.

"You're making it seem so intense! It's only four people!"

"There's even a woman!"

"No, two woman!"

"Do you observe girls so properly?!"

.

.

.

"What the hell are you guys doing?"

"Are these factory workers on crack? Why are they holding guns against us?" Aoi said.

"Wait... You are..." Lee had recognised

Who these people were.

"You're Minoru, Alice isn't it?" Lee had recognised them from the time he tried to barge in to Ryou's mansion and into Aimi's room.

Weren't these people who were stopping Lee and Harold from doing so?

Why are they here?

"Why are you here? What are you doing?" Aoi asked.

"We have the same question."

"Crackheads, and illegal gun owners, that's who you guys are, isn't it?" Takashi added.

"Eh..?" Aiko got confused

Was he really holding an illegally bought gun?

"Huh?! Cheeky brat! Don't get cocky!" Lee was pissed off.

"Cocky?! I'm an adult!" Takashi said

"We agree, Takashi is pretty cocky, I won't lie." Minoru laughed.

"Huh?! You're taking his side?!" Takashi felt betrayed

"Oh no, Lee is an officer. Aiko and the other guy are his accomplices." Alice added.

"Ahh, I see!" Aoi recognised them.

Lee put up a proud face, he was about to say something but suddenly,

"...y-youre Takashi?" The Taxi driver said with doubt

"Huh? Y-..yeah??" Takashi said with hesitation.

Why did he hesitate?

"Really? Are you sure?" The taxi driver added.

"Yeah... he IS Takashi, why are you so paranoid?" Aoi added.

"Sure, there can't be just one Takashi in this entire world."

.

.

.

"So, why are you guys here for?" Lee began his questioning

"Shhh, they aren't your suspects!" Aiko whispered.

Lee couldn't help but ignore whatever Aiko said,

Countinuing

"We will ask you the same. Answer is first." Minoru defended.

Sfx: pull

"We are the police." Lee put up his ID at the face of Minoru.

"Huh? We are the police too!" Minoru replied back, putting his ID back too.

"Grrr..."

"Ughhh...."

"Ahah, sorry Minoru is just-" Alice bowed down furiously

"Okay okay, I understand, Lee is just kinda old now, ehehe" Aiko flustered

"Fine. We are here because of solving the Aimi case." Aiko answered.

"Huh?!" Taxi driver was furious, why did he reveal it?

"Chill, Minoru and Alice already know about this, they are in charge of Ryou's mansion for now." Lee defended Aiko.

"Ofcourse."

"Ah." Taxi driver was calmed.

"Well, to tell you the truth. We are here for the same reason, but a different purpose." Minoru added.

"Is it okay to tell him?!" Alice panicked.

"It's going to be better if we tell him beforehand, if he knows this without us telling him, he can use it as an excuse to get us behind the jail." Minoru added.

Aoi and Takashi didn't comment, rather, they listened.

"We are... Working for M-"

"Mai! Mai!" Aoi suddenly sprang.

"Yeah, that's better. We are working for Mai, she's a school nurse who wishes to capture the same Aimi you're looking for. We are here for our paychecks for what we have done." Minoru explained.

"Oh, I see." Lee nodded.

"Damn, she hired people just like me to capture Aimi? She's a well-planned lady!" Aiko was impressed.

"You're not the highlight here are you..." The taxi driver said calmly.

"Shut up!" Aiko squeaked

"Yeah ofcourse... She hired us." Takashi said.

"Well, could you tell us what you guys have done for her?" The Taxi driver asked.

"Well, I've been to the same orphanage as Aimi-" Takashi said

"Huh?" The taxi driver interrupted.

"Me too, I was there aswell." Aoi added.

"Then?" Lee asked.

"We used this to our advantage, to get her into a re-union meeting, and then, we gave Mai all the information she needed from the conversation." Aoi explained.

"Huh? Did something else happen?" Aiko asked.

"Ah, now that you ask me, like usual, Aimi took Ryou with her wherever she went like a dog, and this time too. But suddenly, a gloomy lady came in and took Ryou away from her. After that, all we could see was a panicking Aimi rushing towards the taxi." Takashi explained further.

"I see. I connect the dots now. The lady, you say, she's Naomi, or Miko, and she helped us record Ryou's situation which has led to us here today." Lee said.

"Yeah, she's one of the most useful people of our plan." Aiko added.

"...and a pervert, just like me, too." Taxi driver blushed, thohh he was probably having perverted thoughts again.

"Eh..." He waited.

No smack?

"Where is the smack?" He pouted.

"Ah, so that's what it was, huh? Mai is basically helping both the sides then." Takashi and Aoi added.

"Both sides? What do you mean?" Lee was confused.

"Basically, she's not serving one person, she's actually having two sides serve her, it clearly indicates: she's doing this for a goal, not a purpose similar to ours..." Minoru added.

"Wait, serving one person?" Aiko was suspicious.

"Ah, leave that." Minoru shrugged it off.

This didn't clear Minoru's suspicions.

"Well, could I ask how are you Takashi when-" Taxi Driver was about to say something

But Lee interrupted him as he stepped forward, reaching his hand for...

A handshake?

"What are you..."

"It's best for us to team up, when we having a common enemy yet different people to serve for. Because we are here FOR OUR INTERESTS, and not their loyalty, isn't it?" Lee said firmly.

"Hmph..." Minoru smirked.

Sfx: handshake

Handshake

"Alright then, Mr. Lee Inoue, let's team up, and put an end to Aimi together." Minoru said.

"For my Foreign Vacation~" Alice said

"For becoming wealthy and opening a business!!" Takashi and Aoi exclaimed

"For a better life...for my sister!" Aiko was determined.

"For avenging...EDRICK!" Lee said

"...and you, Minoru?"

"Whatever Alice does, I guess..."

The taxi driver didn't say anything.

***

"We will part ways from here." Minoru said.

"Right, if I recall, Minoru, me, Aoi and Takashi. Then there's you, this guy and Aiko" Alice said.

"So you four will go that way, while the four of us the other way?" Aiko asked.

"Four?" Minoru was confused.

Weren't there only three?

"Huh?!" Aiko looked around.

"Anyways, then, I suggest you guys to also divide into two. This will help us coordinate better. We will call each other, ofcourse. You have my contacts." Takashi added.

"Ofcourse." Lee and Aiko nodded.

And so, they took off.

It was until the Taxi driver and Takashi were alone, that Takashi approached him and said

"Seems like I have stumbled into a real problem, haven't I?" He said.

"Huh?" The driver was confused.

"Why, can't there be two Takashis?"

"Ah, I get it. That's what I thought..." He laughed it off,

Until

"How can there be two Takashi, when I'm the one who knows Ray?" The driver said.

"Ah, could it be, I'm copying someone else for money, and it happens to be, unfortunately... YOU?"

"TSK. I KNEW IT!"

Sfx: grab

Pat!

"Calm down little boy... Let's not make this a big fuss shall we? You make a bag and so do I..." Takashi said before walking off.

"Hey, Driver! Why are you waiting, c'mon, let's move!" Lee waved from a distance.

"Right, I'm coming." The driver went.

***

"Lee, run as soon as possible...!"

RUN!

"WAIT HAAH..HAAH.. WHY ARE WE RUNNING?" The Taxi driver asked in a panic!

"A-ARE WE IN DANGER LEE?" Aiko asked concernly

"Huh? No..." Lee said while running.

Stop...

"Why are we running then?!"

At a distance

"Bunch of weirdos..." Minoru said.

Shiver...shiver...

"T-they... THEY HAVE A HOLD OF AIMI" Aoi said while she shaked.

It was easy for this to be guessed, why wouldn't it? They, Lee and Aiko wouldn't be walking so casually if it weren't for Aimi to be captured.

"Huh?! That's not possible!" Alice shrugged off.

"It is, it highly is. And if that's true, we are in some deep shit then." Minoru said.

But why, why would they be in trouble?

"Judging from Aimi's past methods of escaping Edrick and Harold, it's easy to estimate that..." Minoru said while using his deduction skills

"THEY SPENT TOO MUCH TIME ON 'WHY' AIMI KILLS, THAT THEY NEVER SPENT TIME ON 'HOW' SHE DID IT." Minoru said as his eyes widened in fear, with his pupils engaged with a look of pure horror

"Why are you acting so scared..e-ehhh this isn't like you Minoru-" Alice said as she hesitated

"This means... They have no idea how Aimi kills and hides the bodies, or how she proves her innocence each time... Do they know it? And if they don't, how the hell are they entrusting themselves with Aimi in a room with Michael in it?" Minoru countinued

"And what does this l-lead to?" Aoi asked.

"Don't you get it? If Aimi kills Michael... WHO'S GOING TO PAY US?"

Minoru was TERRIFIED.

More than him, was another person shaking...

Shake... Shake...

"What happened?" Alice asked.

"N-nothing..." Takashi said.

.

.

.

At the distance, where Lee and others were

"You didn't realise this...? They aren't working for Mai! Never! It's...it's..." Lee shaked as he said this

But he couldn't get this out of his mouth very properly,

He was so nervous but yet, he made some words as he said

"THEY ARE WORKING FOR MICHAEL!"

"And..." Aiko said as he shaked onto his own words

"What is it?"

"Haven't you noticed?" Aiko said

"Ehh ...no?"

"Lisa...where is she?" Aiko said as he trembled in fear.

"Oh holy shit... First we have these four working for Michael, and now Lisa's missing?!" The taxi driver trembled.

"Quick! We have to divide! Taxi driver guyz you will to Miko and inform her about all this, Me and Lee will go to Harold and inform him!" Aiko says as they rush!

"Roger." He nods

RUUUN!

***

[Lisa's Perspective]

I'm sorry... Brother.

"Here... This is the gun."

"Fufu~ you're loyal as ever~"

I didn't think I'd be doing this,

But this is to just, save you.

.

.

.

At the Store Room

"Haah...haah.." the taxi driver panted as he ran inside the room.

[Taxi driver's Perspective]

Sfx: running, Pant

"Huff...haah..."

I haven't ran this much in ages!

"C'mon, Naomi, Miko, whoever you are, where the hell are you?!" I panick as I run to reach the storehouse.

There were tons of workers who interrupted me

"Walk properly!" One said

I ignored them all as I kept running, to find Miko, Naomi or whoever she was.

"Haah.. this is the place where Ryou and Naomi are supposed to be, isn't it?"

Sfx: insert

I insert the key, and try opening the door

"Ugh...it's...its not opening?" I keep furiously fidgeting around the door handle as I try my best to open the door.

"Ughhhhh HAAAAAH" I get violent with my methods...

Sfx: step back

Step back

"It's looks like it won't open this way..." I step back as I crack my knuckles and

Pop!

I pop my shoulders as I brave myself for-

WHAM! WHAM! BANG!

"OPEN THIS FUCKING DOOR!"

Sfx: door open

*Creaaaakk

"Haah...finally-" I open the door and finally get access to the room

"Ugh..."

I embrace myself as I began to open my eyes to see the erest of the room, hoping to find Naomi or Miko, and Ryou at the room.

But to my surprise,

What I saw next

Horrified me. To my deepest extent.

"Oh my...god!" I say with a horrified tone.

What is this?

"Miko...and Ryou..."

"They aren't here." I speak.

All I could see was a bunch of clothes, a belt and...

A puddle of blood

Sfx: turn

"Huh?" I turn back and see

Oh wait.

"The Noor was never kicked to begin with. That's why my key didn't work..." I wonder

"What was stopping that door?"

I see a lying chair next to me.

"Ah, a chair nearby huh?" I think.

As I crouch down to fix the chair, i see

A note...huh?

I pick up the note and-

I. WILL. SAVE. YOU. ALWAYS.

was written on it, with blood, not ink.

Sfx: call

"Hello, got any info?" Lee spoke

"Where are you guys right now?"

"Almost at Harold's front room, why?"

"Did you guys find Ryou yet?"

"No! We didn't!"

"Well, I haven't found Ryou here either!"

"Wait what?! If Ryou isn't there..." Lee spoke

"WHERE IS HE?" He added.

.

.

.

Front Main Room

"E-eh...?" Aimi stuttered.

She was traumatised with what she had experienced so far.

"Ugh..." Mai laid unconscious on the floor,

Constantly losing blood with each second.

"Don't worry, I don't want to be a murderer, you can finish them off yourselves." Ryou speaks.

"Nnh!" She tried to move from her position,

But she was still tied tightly to the chair. So she couldn't move but experience an adrenaline rush to what she has seen just now.

After an intense 'interview' and a discipline session, suddenly she's saved by Ryou?!

"What do you think you're doing...? Ryou Aikawa?" Harold spoke, with a bold and clear voice.

Though it was pretty obvious,

He was in shocks to what he had seen.

"Me? Just saving myself, why?" Ryou spoke a little casually.

"I- I- HAAAAAAAAAAAAAH I'LL KILL YOU!" Harold jumped onto Ryou, AS HE SWING HIS KNIFE AND STABBED RYOU-

"HGAH!"

Sfx: dodge

Ryou dodged it, though he nearly got stabbed by Harold!

"Haah..." Harold echaled, as he stood at a distance, preparing for his next move

"You're pretty dangerous and unexpected for man, I'm not lying..." Ryou said as he echaled too.

"I mean it, Edrick should have suspeced you first! You're a killer too!"

"You're the one who's jumping to conclusions!"

SWING! JUMP!

Harold raised his leg, as he said

"Do you like jeans?"

"Huh?" Ryou got confused.

"HYAAAA!" Harold used this confusion as an advantage to lower Ryou's guard, so that he can swing his knife into Ryou's stomach, ending it for once and all!

"Missed again, huh?" But luckily, Ryou was able to resist this move and stepped back as he said this.

"It's not about missing, you know..." Harold said calmly.

"It's not? I thought when you kill, you need precision, isn't it? Aimi?" Ryou looked at Aimi hinting at how she had killed Rosa.

"E-ehhh..." Aimi could not believe what was happening right infront of her eyes.

She just watched it lal unfold into her eyes, as she turned this memory into her brains, for forever...

"Exactly, you don't need precision, you need..."

"POSITION!"

"HYAA!"

Harold had strategically missed every shot in order to get close to the seat Aiminwas sitting on, near Mai's head which was feeling in the puddle of blood she had created.

"I knew that in chess you need to not kill he pawn, but rather the queen, the important piece." He said as he held a knife at Aimi's throat.

"W-wai...t you dont-"

"If I kill you right herez it'll be a checkmate for her. But if I kill HER RIGHT NOW, THERE WOULD BE NO GAME!" Harold had lost himself at this point,

And as he was about to slit Aimics throat

Poke! Sta...

"NOOOOOOO!" Ryou screamed as he leaped

"..." Where Aimi almost accepted her date and...

SHOOT! BANG!

"Eh-ehhh...?"

"I-i...calculated all of it...how?" Harold fell down.

Thud!

"Haah...haah..." Lisa panted

"Well execution, Lisa!" Ryou clapped hi hands together.

"You didn't fully kill him either, did you?" Ryou didn't want Lisa to be a murderer either.

"No...haah... I haah...don't think...so.." Lisa panted as hse trembled with the gun she had held in her hands

She was dirty with blood now, wasn't she?

"Well, you still did a great job..." Ryou went closer to Lisa as he

Hug!

Sfx: cry

"HUFF..HUFFF... I KILLED PERSON!!!"

Lisa began crying

"Heh...I'll..." Harold whispered as he arched on his back

"Look, bastard's still alive." Ryou said as he hugged onto Lisa.

Pat..pat...

"I-...wha-" Aimi had actually no words to say at this point.

She was no longer that composed maid that was perfect at everything, was she?

She had failed to be the perfect girl for Ryou, she was humiliated and beaten around by Mai and her accomplices, she was in crippling debt, she had become a failure! A dead weight!

Just when she thought, she had lost all hope, there's Ryou who had came to save her.

"Wel-l... Untie me, that's all I can say..." Aimi's eyes were in tears, as she was trembling and could not decide what to speak.

"Ofcourse, sure sure." Ryou began untying her.

Sfx: untie

"..." She stood up, yet she looked down at Mai, at the puddle of blood.

She didn't say anything, she just couldn't stare into Ryou's eyes it seems.

"Hmmm.."Ryou read the room and didn't react much.

Sfx: pant

"Haah...Heheh...Hahahahah..." Harold laughed with the little of breath he had gotten after being shot.

"What a petty... You shit holes..." He said.

"Shit who? The guy who just got shot?" Ryou said.

"Well... I'll let you know something... Even in the end, EDRICK WON! AHAHAHAH!" Harold spoke through a broken vocie, yet he still managed to give a laugh at the situation.

"Huh?"

"Well, did you really think Edrick would arrest some shit hole low-life poor maid like Aimi? To my ass! Hahahah...!" Harold spoke..

"There is, another reason..." He added.

"What is it?"

And so, with a broken voice and bleeding chest, Harold spoke tembling,

"Well, the thing is..."