Chaos Mate ~Revenge In This Chaotic Academy~ - Chapter 40: The Hedgehog's Memory

Chapter 40: The Hedgehog’s Memory

Riding the elevator alone with Mogami, she sighs and looks at me.

Her eyes carry a mix of reassessment and disappointment, making it hard to respond.

“Noticing the body was moved was good, but that makes the investigation even harder, doesn’t it?”

“Yeah, I think it’s probably Kikuchi’s room. …I was wondering, with your vision ability, if something or someone you’ve never seen—like a place, object, or person—appears in the vision, would it show up as is?”

“…I’ve never tested it. But your question makes sense. I thought I could see people’s pasts, but… things or scenes I’ve never seen in reality might not appear… maybe. I’ve only used this ability on the island…”

“…Island?”

I repeat it out of curiosity, and Mogami suddenly looks away, clamming up.

Not gonna answer, huh?

This girl’s got way too many secrets… Well, if she’s like this, she won’t answer anything, so I say nothing.

Clearing my throat to change the subject, Mogami, still looking away, mumbles something.

“Didn’t have anything to say… sorry.”

“…Huh?”

I didn’t catch it, so I ask again, but she goes silent.

She’s such a hard-to-read girl.

When the elevator reaches the basement, we head straight to the apartment and stand in front of Kikuchi’s room.

Sadly, we have no way to get in. The manager’s out, so I cross my arms, thinking, in front of the door.

The phone acts as a key. Friends who’ve registered each other can use their phones as spare keys to open the door by tapping the panel, but if one unregisters the other, the key won’t work.

Someone’s lockpicking skills are completely useless here.

But as we face the reality of this security system blocking us, I see Mogami about to press the intercom of the next-door room.

“Hey, what’re you doing?”

“Going through the neighbor’s balcony, breaking the window from outside to get in.”

“No way! No one’s gonna let you through their room just because you say, ‘Please let me pass to the balcony!’”

“Then I’ll threaten them to let me in. At this point, I don’t care about the means.”

“Don’t say such reckless stuff… Guess we have no choice but to wait for the manager.”

I’m starting to wonder if I need to teach Mogami some common sense, but I push that aside and head toward the manager’s office when someone comes up the stairs.

Seeing them, I try to do something about Mogami, but in this straight hallway with nowhere to hide, I can’t stop the encounter.

“Huh? Tsubaki-kun… and Mogami-san?”

“Oh, uh… been a bit, huh… Reine.”

When Mogami locks eyes with Reine, she narrows hers, visibly annoyed.

“What happened to that funeral talk? The one who suggested it bailing already?”

She’s blatantly throwing shade.

Reine, in her model-student mode, smiles and responds.

“No, it’s not like that. We can’t do it today, so we were just picking a date. Everyone’s busy with clubs and stuff, so we want to coordinate… Since she was our friend, we all want to say goodbye together.”

“I see. Then I’m not involved. I had no connection with Kikuchi, and I have zero interest in hanging out with anyone but Madoka, at the bare minimum.”

Me, huh? True, since she started coming to school, she’s only interacted with me.

Looking at Reine’s face, her model-student mask seems to slip, her expression twitching.

“Tsu… Tsubaki-kun and no one else… so you want to be with Tsubaki-kun?”

“I didn’t say that. But if I have to deal with anyone, Madoka’s a million steps better, that’s all.”

Ouch, a million steps? That stings.

Reine clears her throat pointedly, rebuilds her smile, and turns to me.

“By the way, what are you and Mogami-san doing here? Your rooms are on the floor above, right?”

“Yeah… We wanted to get into Kikuchi’s room. After saying all that to everyone, I don’t know anything, so I thought there might be clues here.”

“I see… If it’s okay, I can help you two. After what you and Mogami-san said, I thought about it, and I can’t forgive whoever killed Kikuchi-san. So, is it alright?”

“Huh!? Uh, yeah… I mean…”

Honestly, I can’t trust Reine right now. But saying that outright might make her an enemy.

I’m thinking how to turn her down when Mogami grabs my hand, pulls me behind her, and glares at Reine.

“Everything you do feels fake. I can’t trust someone like that. And I hate girls who throw around the word ‘friend’—it sounds so shallow. I seriously doubt you actually thought of Kikuchi as a friend.”

That’s Mogami’s strength and flaw: saying exactly what she thinks, straight to the point.

Now that I think about it, a girl who keeps saying “friend” does feel… shallow. I get Mogami’s point.

But Reine can’t back down after offering help, and Mogami’s rejecting her outright.

I step between them, sighing.

“Alright, let’s find a compromise. Reine, if you really want to help, let me ask one question. Your answer will decide what we do.”

“O-Okay… If it’s something I can answer.”

“Can you open Kikuchi’s room with your phone?”

“Oh, right! Since we’re registered as friends, my phone can work as a spare key. Got it, leave it to me. My phone’s a spare key for everyone in the class’s rooms.”

Reine taps her phone on the door panel, and the lock clicks open. She pushes the door.

“Come on, let’s go in.”

“Uh, yeah… sure.”

She’s fully on board now.

Mogami puffs out her cheeks and pinches my side, clearly pissed.

“Why do we need her help?”

“No choice, we couldn’t get in otherwise. Just bear with it for now.”

“…You owe me strawberry milk later. Or I won’t forgive you.”

“One bottle…”

“Ten.”

“…Five.”

“Ten!!”

“…Fine.”

Entering Kikuchi’s room, it feels slightly chilly.

The floor has a red carpet, no bloodstains in sight.

The furniture is neatly arranged, keeping the room pristine.

Did the culprit clean up all the blood? They must’ve anticipated someone checking here.

I look in the bathroom and toilet, but nothing stands out.

In the bedroom, I spot a hedgehog in a cage.

A hedgehog… Damn, even if we could talk to an animal, it wouldn’t know anything… Wait, animal?

An idea hits me. I grab Mogami’s hand from the kitchen and drag her to the hedgehog.

“W-What’s with you!? Don’t tell me you’re planning something weird!”

“Save the jokes for later. You can talk to animals, right? Can you get anything from the hedgehog?”

“…I’m bad with small animals. Their voices are tiny, like their bodies.”

“Can you try anyway? You’re the only one I can rely on here.”

Grabbing her shoulders, I plead. Mogami hesitates, blushes, looks away, and glances between me and the hedgehog.

“…If you’re that insistent, I guess I don’t mind.”

She turns her back, puts on her headphones, and faces the hedgehog.

To avoid disturbing her, I leave the bedroom and return to the living room, where Reine’s looking at something.

She’s holding a digital camera.

“That Kikuchi’s camera?”

“Yeah, she was in the photography club. …She took pictures of everyone in the class, all sorts of stuff. Where’s Mogami-san?”

“Checking the bedroom, wanted to be alone. So, Kikuchi was in the photography club, huh… I wish she’d taken a picture of me as a memory.”

Looking at the camera together, Reine suddenly grabs the sleeve of my Y-shirt.

“…What’s up?”

“Since Mogami-san joined E-Class, you’ve been with her all the time, Madoka-kun… I’m kinda jealous, you know? …Just kidding.”

Her upward glance catches me off guard, and I look away.

Then she presses her forehead to my chest.

She’s being awfully touchy… It’s stifling.

“Jealous, huh? …What, you like me or something?”

“…Maybe. I don’t even know myself. What do you think of me, Madoka-kun?”

“Nothing really… But you’re one of the girls I want to trust. That’s not a lie.”

“Madoka-kun…”

Reine lifts her forehead from my chest and brings her face closer.

The bedroom door slams open, and Mogami, taking off her headphones, looks at us.

“Alright, alright, save the flirting for later.”

She yanks my left ear, shooting Reine a “don’t follow us” glare, and drags me back to the bedroom with the hedgehog.

“While I’m busting my ass talking to a small animal, you’re cozying up with the class idol? Popular guys sure are busy.”

“Ow, ow, ow!! Stop pinching my cheek!!”

“I’m not pinching. I’m pulling and pinching.”

“That’s even worse!!”

I force her hand off and rub my cheek. Mogami crosses her arms, pouting.

“Sorry, I’ll make sure it doesn’t happen again. …So, did you find anything?”

Shifting to the case, Mogami puts her index finger under her lip, looking serious.

“I did. But… it’s made things even more complicated.”

“…What do you mean? The scene wasn’t here?”

She raises her index finger and starts explaining.

“First, some good news. The murder happened here. Kiri-chan, the hedgehog, said she heard Kikuchi’s scream.”

“So my theory was right.”

“Yeah, but… Kiri-chan also said after the scream, she heard two people talking.”

“…Wait, what!?”

Seeing my shocked face, Mogami nods and raises her middle finger too.

“There were two culprits… They had an accomplice.”