I hanged the phone up, and rose to open the door. But before I had even fully swung for it, that previously just used phone rang out again. Didn’t Kaede just refuse to continue that topic? Had she finally changed her mind? By bearing that opinion, I turned back, and reached my hand out for the answer. But, the call had ended just before I touched its handle. I waited for a while at first but it was still as quiet as usual. Thus, I decided to take a leave from the room for now, and locked it for good.

I went to the front of Elena’s room, and knocked her door. But, the entrance had automatically opened by itself. Not because of magic or any unscientific logic, but just because the door wasn’t even properly closed onto its hook. What was this woman thinking about? It is very dangerous when a murderer is still sneaking around us. Wasn’t she herself the one who said that she would be on her very guard for any incoming threats? She didn’t even realize that her door had been opened, and she was being watched by me at the moment. She sat in front of the table, and was scribbling something on a book. I half-eagerly called her.

“Elena, you didn’t notice me standing here?”

She was terribly startled before stopped her writing, closed her book, and saved it inside her drawer immediately.

“Yoru, why didn’t you knock first? It is an invasion against of my privacy, you know?”

I had had even more to complain to her. But, something most important took the first priority.

“Kaede-chan asked for a meet right now. Just you and me.”

“You serious? What about Chika-chan?”

I shook my head. Elena immediately knew my meaning. She rose, and said.

“All right. Then, let’s go and get the key from Kaigo and Ringo!”

“Yes, Kaede-chan was also very concerned about who only that could be allowed to know about this secret meet. She said okay if it is just you, I, Kaigo-kun, and Ringo-chan. The one who blackmailed her, really isn’t from the four of us. You are right, Elena.”

But the black-haired detective didn’t reply to my statement anymore, and we just hurriedly went to the twins’ place, the drawing-room. We stopped barely at its entrance.

From here, we could see that they were still holding the conference about the murders. Since I don’t know who should I ask out, and worried that if I were to call one of them, the other one would get jealous, I had to call for them both.

“Kaigo-kun, Ringo-chan, could you please come over here for a moment? I have something to ask.”

They pretended as though had been very shocked, and opened their eyes wide. But, they were still willing to come out of the room to meet with us. But before that, I could see … our foreign friend gazed at us coldly for a second.

At the other nearby corner, we made sure no one sees the four of us.

Kaigo ask in anxiety.

“What … what is that to … to ask us!?”

Ringo ask in anxiety.

“Is … is that a super … super hard question!?”

“Um …, in truth, it is nothing. We just want to borrow one of the keys that the two of you have gotten in possession. The master key or the storage room key to get into Kaede-chan’s place.”

Ringo asked normally now.

“You want to meet with the suspect?”

Kaigo asked normally now.

“The suspect wants to meet with you?”

Elena said a little angrily.

“Whatever it is! Please … just lend us the key!”

But, the twins looked even more excited.

“Okay, okay, then. This is just because our cutie Elena had said like that with that cutie face. Please don’t be so angry, our most precious little princess,” the twins persuaded in a very hospitable way.

Suddenly, the two of them looked to each other grinningly while their body was still facing at us.

“It seems that it is finally the time for us to use that only ultimate move, eh, Rin?” Kaigo said to his twin sister who was on his left.

“Let us decide the fate of us in this reunion when finally have to be split up by using that only fair move, eh, Kai?” Ringo said to her twin brother who was on her right.

That is way too exaggerated indeed.

“Shall we!!?”

The man used his left hand, while the woman used her right to fish something inside their own trouser and skirt pocket. They, then, came out with their previous hand closed together before clapping it swiftly over to each other. After a few moments of anticipation, they revealed it exaggeratedly with some pretty decent opening sound effects custom made by them in front of our face, despite it was just a common gold coin with a blue male gender sign on one side and a red female version one on the other side.

Ringo exclaimed, doubtfully.

“It is your turn to toss it now, Kai-go-go!”

Kaigo exclaimed, doubtfully.

“It is your turn to catch it now, Rin-go-go!”

“Okay!!!” the two of them cried together excitedly.

We could really enjoy the show if we are in a better situation.

Kaigo, then, really tossed it exaggeratedly with his right thumb up to the midair, and Ringo, too, really caught it exaggeratedly with her left hand when it fell at around the same height as the first had tossed it just now. She showed us the result. It is a red girl’s side.

“No, you cheated, Kai! It really is my fate,” Ringo said unwillingly.

“Yes, I am not, Rin! It really is your fate,” Kaigo said proudly.

The somehow lost one grudgingly fished for another thing inside her pocket, and gave it to us

“Nah, here is the key!”

The somehow won one further explained to us.

“Yah, it is just a room key for the basement!”

I took it quickly from them before they changed their quick mind.

“Okay, thanks.”

Elena and I were leaving them swiftly to meet our still being confined underground gang member. But, they suddenly called for us. Thus, we turned back for them again.

“Make sure that … the key is always with you, okay?” Kaigo bowed hospitably as though a servant.

“Make sure that … the key doesn’t need to be returned to me anymore, okay?” Ringo bowed hospitably as though a maid.

“Um, okay.”

I still didn’t really understand what they meant by that. But, I also didn’t want to think much about it right now. Even though I happened to remember that the key which Ringo should have had is the master key while Kaigo had the storage room key. And even though again, if they had somehow changed their possessions between the two of them eccentrically from our view point. It isn’t even that unusual from their perspective. That was why I say, thinking logically against the twins really is a waste of very much time.

Elena and I had unlocked the basement door, and was going through the dark passage again. She turned on the light from behind of me who had already gone too far ahead impatiently, and completely forgotten about the existence of a radiance again. But still, we arrived at the front of the storage room together, and I unlocked my other gang member’s prison door.

“We are coming in, Kaede-chan,” I said.

The light of the chamber was already on from the last time, and we were just straightly entering into the hot and damp room. How could we lock a person inside here for such a long time, and it was even going to be for another 2 days to come? Even I couldn’t withstand for its heat right now. It really was too cruel to Kaede. I must solve the mystery as fast as I could so that she could be freed from this torture as soon as possible.

We walked to the back of the room where the prisoner rested solely last time, and found that she really was still sitting over there silently. She weakly faced to us with a pair of still blank eyes before starting to smile forcefully for our arrival. She really was looking very down at the moment. The lunch that had been delivered by the twins as we had agreed before, still hadn’t been touched even for a bit.

“Kaede-chan …,” Elena softly called her, and crouched down to touch her red cheek compassionately.

“Kaede-chan, you are all right, aren’t you? What do you want to tell us?” I asked as normally as possible for not agitating her again, while also crouched down beside Elena to look at her face from the same height.

So poor of her, she was already sweating and breathing rather heavily. I blamed myself harshly inside.

The feeble woman just shook her head slowly, and gave us a peaceful smile this time. As though it was us who were being calm down by her. Her sound was hoarse.

“Um, um, nothing, really. I just wanted to see you both.”

Another deep silence had gone for a while before she spoke again.

“Do you … still believe … in me?”

I immediately answered with the voice from the bottom of my heart in a convincing tone.

“Absolutely and of course, Kaede-chan!! If I can’t trust in you, then, who else can I, right!? Elena?” I moved my right ankle to touch her left. She was startled for a second before nodded, and stated in a supreme countenance as well.

“Yes, that is true. I … I also definitely believe in you too!”

At last Kaede wasn’t faking her smile to us anymore, and it really was the one without any burden from the deepest of her heart. But, it was also the moment for her to finally can break up her pride into an unrestrainable feeling to cry as hard as possible for what she had been suppressing ever since the sudden shocking morning.

“Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, both of you!! I am just … really … couldn’t prevent it to happen. I also don’t want … to end it like this. I am … I truly regretted it! Kazuki-kun, please … please forgive me!!”

I never could withstand this kind of earnest cry.

“Who threatened you!?” Elena asked in a serious manner.

The innocent prisoner just continued her deepest cry of remorse, even worse than before.

“What were you discussing with Kazuki-kun at the first night? That made you … changed. Is that somehow connected with …,” our fellow gang member was still not stopping at all in full painful curiosity.

I patted that inquirer’s back, then she looked at me. I shook my head for not forcing her to talk about the things that she was still traumatizing over anymore.

“I am sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, really sorry!!! I can’t tell you anything! I don’t know anything! Really! Forgive me!! It is me who had … who had caused Kazuki-kun’s death. There is nothing anymore I could do to redeem all my death sins!!”

“No. it isn’t your fault! We promise you! We will find that murderer out who had blackmailed and forced all these evil doings to you. And then, free you from this false accusation and quarantine!” I said absolutely.

“I am really useless for causing so many troubles for every each of you! Maybe … maybe it really is for your own good to … to still know nothing about it. … some truths really are the best to be left unknown before ….”

Elena quickly cut in to stop our closest friend’s uncertainty.

“I won’t regret any truth I have learned! The truth is a fact to be known. Nothing will change what had already happened just by realizing that. No matter … how painful it might be.”

Kaede was shocked for a while, then, she smiled blankly at her.

“Elena-chan, you know? I have always been admiring your traits since middle school. Your confidence and certainty are just as amazing as back then. Only those people who are on their highest dignity and leadership could have done that. I couldn’t even be compared at all to you. Though it was me who was praised for all those qualities back then. I am just ….”

The woman looked down tearfully.

“… a coward and weak woman.”

Elena both-handedly grabbed the other young female’s shoulder, and kneeled straightly to shook her hard, to make her looked up to who is her friend again. Kaede really was shocked at the sudden great encouragement aura. I also never expected that.

“No, Kaede-chan! It is you … it is you who had inspired me back then. You are the one who had taught all of those to me!”

Kaede looked at the floor blankly again.

“Maybe … that is true. Maybe … I am the one who really had changed.”

“Kaede-chan …,” I murmured subconsciously.

After yet another moment for the peace of mind, Elena said soothingly.

“I think … something should have been resolved for now. Don’t worry, Kaede-chan. Please bear it for just a little while longer. We will definitely save you from here.”

“Kaede-chan, you should also eat something in to gain your energy, and readying yourself to be released anytime from now. After that, please protect us again like you have always been doing since the middle school period, okay?” I gave an exaggerated and excited expression to cheer her up. And, she never made my effort went wasted.

“Okay, Okay, I promise you,” Kaede was laughing in tears as she tried to wipe it off with her left hand, and showed a circle by using her right thumb and index finger. I was so relieved that she was already looking much better for now.

Though at the end, we still learned nothing. But this sudden meet really is invaluable.

Not long after that, we unwillingly left, and locked her up again in that humid and secluded prison. But different from the last time, now, Elena and I had gotten the most certain idea that Kaede had really been blackmailed by someone to be the scapegoat of our own best friend’s murder. And just what would I do if that someone really is … one of us?