【021】Investigation

【Inoue Reina】

The place Nakano Nanaka led me to was truly a tiny park.

A small park with nothing but a seesaw and a bench. It was beyond a narrow road. There was no sign of anyone around. Nakano Nanaka sat down on the bench.

I sat down too, leaving about a person’s width between us.

“So, what did you want to talk about?”

Nakano Nanaka asked me.

Ever since earlier, I’d felt like Nakano Nanaka was holding the reins of this conversation. Was I just feeling this way because I was being too suspicious?

No, that wasn’t it.

Rather, was she making me think that?

“Actually, two months ago, there was an incident at school, right? I want to ask you a few things about that incident.”

As I said this, I watched Nakano Nanaka’s face. No sign of distress. No change in expression. She just listened to what I had to say, looking completely composed.

“At Akigaoka Academy, there’s currently a rumor going around that one of the students is the culprit. Do you know about that?”

“Yes… I know about it.”

When Nakano Nakana answered, she made a sad face. As if lamenting the situation of the rumored student.

“It’s Tamura Misaki-kun, right?”

Oh, she said the name first.

“Do you know Tamura-kun, Nakano-san?”

“Yes… actually, we’re childhood friends.”

…Excuse me?

Huh? Is that the story she’s going with?

At the very least, I didn’t have that information.

“We reunited in high school, and he often came to me for advice.”

…I see. So that’s how it is.

“Before this incident, there was also a time when Tamura-kun was accused of being a groping perpetrator, right?”

“I don’t think he’d do something like that… but it’s true that such rumors were circulating.”

“I heard the rumor started from the school’s underground website. Do you know about that site?”

“…Yes. I don’t like it very much, though.”

“Actually, I don’t think Tamura-kun did it either.”

I decided to close in gradually.

Nakano Nanaka’s answers all flowed smoothly. They could even be taken as template responses. In any case, she was extremely mature.

“I think Tamura-kun is being set up as a villain by someone.”

“A villain?”

“Tamura-kun might have been deliberately put in this situation… that’s my theory.”

I watched Nakano Nanaka’s expression.

No change.

She looked genuinely surprised by my theory.

I pressed a little harder.

“For example. After creating an atmosphere where Tamura-kun is treated as the bad guy in advance, they kill the real target, Tanaka Akio. Maybe it was a preliminary stage to avoid being identified as the culprit themselves.”

“…Isn’t that a bit too elaborate?”

“I think so too. But what if the culprit also had a grudge against Tamura-kun? Nakano-san, have you heard anything like that?”

“…Hmm. We don’t really talk much, so…”

—Got you.

“…Huh? Really?”

I said this as if I was surprised.

“Actually, I heard that you and Tamura-kun were seen walking together looking friendly.”

“Huh?”

There, for the first time, I saw a change in Nakano Nanaka’s expression.

“Are you and Tamura-kun actually dating?”

“Wh-what? No way.”

Wait, something’s off.

For some reason, she started acting bashful.

Just like a girl in love.

I was confused by this unexpected reaction.

“I think that day, I just had him accompany me shopping after a consultation.”

Nakano Nanaka was about to take control of the conversation again.

“Actually, I’ve been independently pursuing the culprit of that incident.”

I locked eyes with Nakano Nanaka.

“In my hypothesis, the person who framed him in the groping incident and the person who killed Tanaka Akio are the same person. So I investigated the bulletin board on the school’s underground website where the false groping accusation originated. …And there, a comment was posted on October 18th at 3:24 PM.”

Without giving Nakano Nanaka any chance to speak.

I kept laying down my cards one after another.

I had no intention of letting Nakano Nanaka take control anymore.

“October 18th… in other words, the day the groping incident occurred. 3:24 PM was precisely right after the incident happened. The scene of the incident was inside a train. There were five Akigaoka students on that train. Tamura Misaki, Satou Akane, Nishida Kouhei, Takahashi Mika. And—Nakano-san.”

“Are you saying you suspect me?”

By that point, I was already certain.

It was intuition.

I stood up and looked down at Nakano Nanaka.

“Nakano-san. Weren’t you the one who created the false groping accusation and killed Tanaka Akio?”

“…No way. That’s impossible. Besides, the time of the post on the underground site could just be a coincidence, right?”

I still had one last trump card.

Saved for this very moment.

“—If we trace the IP address of the person who posted on the bulletin board, we can identify them.”

“…”

“You’re the culprit, aren’t you?”

The silence continued.