【029】Suspicion

【Satou Akane】

—Hey, isn’t it Takahashi who killed him…?

Someone said it.

Because of those words, all eyes turned to Takahashi-san.

“W-wait a minute…! Why would Takahashi-san be the killer!?”

I found myself saying that. There’s no way Takahashi-san killed him. She was talking with me just moments ago.

“You all! Get back to your rooms…!! Don’t step outside today!!”

Kumai-sensei’s voice echoed. He’s also shaken. But his position as a teacher won’t allow that.

We students returned to our rooms for now.

There’s no way Taniyama-kun would suddenly be killed.

There must be a reason.

Taniyama-kun was originally among my suspects. Could the culprit have killed him? For what purpose?

Assuming Nakano Nanaka is the culprit.

I can’t figure out why she’d kill Taniyama-kun.

The anxiety is endless.

The camp will probably be cancelled too.

I should at least contact Misaki, I thought, and when I tried to look for my phone, I remembered.

Come to think of it, Kumai-sensei collected them before the camp. I can’t use my phone.

Can’t be helped, I’ll do it early tomorrow morning.

That’s what I thought as I spent time in my room.

I was probably being optimistic somewhere. That was wrong. At that time, I should have done something, anything. It’s too late for regrets now.

The next day, the atmosphere that Takahashi-san was the culprit had completely formed.

Just like with the groping incident before.

◇

“You’re the one who killed him…!?”

In the morning, I woke up to voices from the hallway. I rushed out in my loungewear to find Mebuki-san, Taniyama-kun’s girlfriend, grabbing Takahashi-san by the collar.

The onlookers were watching how things would unfold.

“I didn’t kill him…”

“Don’t lie! Riko saw you leave your room last night!?”

“That’s because I had business to attend to—”

“Then what was that business!?”

“That’s…”

I gasped.

Takahashi-san is being suspected. She was with me last night. Because she’s hiding that fact, the suspicion is deepening even more.

“Mebuki-san, wait a minute…!!”

I pushed my way into the center. I forcibly separated Takahashi-san and Mebuki-san.

“Takahashi-san was with me last night.”

“…Why are you butting in?”

“I can’t overlook a false accusation.”

“You’re not even friends with Takahashi, right? Why are you covering for her?”

“I’m not covering—”

“Oi, what’s going on this early in the morning!?”

Kumai-sensei appeared. He must have heard our commotion. He had bags under his eyes. Kumai-sensei probably hasn’t slept since yesterday either. He looked extremely fatigued.

“Sensei, did you call the police!?”

Kobayashi-san, standing next to Mebuki-san, asked.

Kumai-sensei made a troubled expression.

“Actually, when I tried to call the police, the phone line was cut…”

“What!?”

The phone line is cut?

That can’t be. It was cut intentionally.

“Then we can just use our phones.”

Mebuki-san said to Kumai-sensei informally.

About this, Kumai-sensei looked even more troubled.

“Your phones. They were all broken.”

“Huh?”

“…No, this is no time to beat around the bush. All the phones were destroyed. So we can’t contact the outside.”

Silence fell over the entire class.

I felt a chill down my back too.

Akigaoka Lodge is built deep in the mountains. It would take several hours to walk to civilization. Two days until the return bus arrives.

There’s naturally the option of someone going for help. But that person might be the killer. So we can’t.

Having Kumai-sensei go is also rejected.

Kumai-sensei being the killer is possible, but the probability is extremely low. Losing the guide who can keep things together in this situation would be very bad.

The killer is among us.

Nothing stirs more anxiety than that.

“You’re the one who did it after all—!!”

Mebuki-san tried to grab Takahashi-san’s collar again. I instinctively got between them and brushed her hand away.

“I said it’s not her!! Why do you suspect Takahashi-san so much!?”

I was shouting, unlike myself.

Mebuki-san shot back without backing down.

“Takahashi confessed to Yuuya before and got rejected! Harshly! She killed him out of spite, didn’t she!?”

“That’s such an unreasonable—”

“Are you Takahashi’s accomplice too!?”

I was speechless.

◇

“Nana realized that I’d figured it out.”

Through Kumai-sensei’s arrangements, we each stayed in our rooms. Takahashi-san and I are in the same room.

Takahashi-san said with a sigh.

“Framing me as a murderer… Just like with Tamura…”

“But killing someone for that…”

“How would I know…”

Takahashi-san might be the most shocked. It’s not my place to say anything.

“Everything’s just like that time…”

I muttered. Takahashi-san looked at me.

“That time?”

“During the groping incident. …The rumor, or rather, the atmosphere formed too quickly—”

My words cut off mid-sentence. Because I’d arrived at that conclusion. Takahashi-san seemed the same, holding her head.

“Is Nana guiding the atmosphere to become like that…?”

【Mebuki Juri】

Why, how.

Yuuya died. He’s dead.

It was definitely Takahashi who killed him.

No doubt. It has to be her.

“Are you okay, Juri?”

A voice came from behind. I was startled for a moment, but it was a familiar voice, so I felt relieved. When Yuuya died, she quietly told me Takahashi was suspicious. She’s the most trustworthy person right now.

“…Yeah, I’m fine, Nanaka.”

I said turning around.

“Good, I’m glad.”

Nanaka said that and smiled.