It takes a long moment for Morita Aiko to register Wakana's words.
Beads of sweat form on her forehead, rolling into her eyes. She blinks as the drops of sweat sting her eyes. As if waking up from a horrific dream, she gasps and looks around herself. She's in the flower shop and there are two officers.
Minami Sei gets closer to them, trying to listen. He furrows his brows. He couldn't hear what Wakana said to Ms. Morita. What did Wakana say to her earlier? Why is she acting like this? Does Wakana know something that he doesn't or is this a tactic to make Morita Aiko speak about the past openly? Did the 12th victim do something to the phantom artist?
He can't see Wakana's face because she has her back to him. He observes Morita Aiko keenly. What is she hiding?
Wakana squeezes her trembling hand. "Please, Morita San. I know it's difficult for you, but I need to know."
Morita Aiko composes herself "I want to talk to you alone."
Wakana gives her a nod. She looks back at Minami Sei. Her voice is low and commanding. "Leave."
Minami Sei narrows his eyes on them once. Curious about what Wakana whispered to the woman earlier, he is reluctant to leave. When she gives him a sharp look, he sighs and walks out of the flower shop. He closes the door behind and leans against it with a grave look on his face.
Wakana helps Morita Aiko stand up. They sit near the pots of Camellia flowers. The flower shop is small, but it's neatly arranged with a relaxing atmosphere. It feels like she's in a small garden from a fairytale. Wakana doesn't shoot any question impatiently. It's not easy to talk about a traumatic past. She waits quietly for Morita Aiko to speak first.
Morita Aiko caresses the pink Camellia flower with a complicated gaze. "Officer, did you see him for real?
"Yes," Wakana replies with a small voice.
"In that apartment?" Morita Aiko narrows her eyes slightly at her. "If you lie, I will know."
Suddenly, the relaxing ambiance of the flower shop is replaced by severe pressure. A cold shiver runs down Wakana's back when she meets her penetrating gaze. Feeling like a child who has just met a strict headmistress, Wakana licks her dried lips. Morita Aiko is not normal, just like her.
"I am not lying," Wakana tells her calmly, but her heart feels otherwise. She's always been like this. In front of anyone else other than her family, she doesn't want to show her insecurities.
Morita Aiko exhales before she looks away. "I never expected to meet anyone else who could see that evil creature."
"Why do you see that thing?" Wakana asks her quietly.
Morita Aiko hesitates before saying. "I have witch's blood in my veins. I didn't know about it until I met that creature. I was awakened by him."
"Awakened?" Wakana blinks at her. "Please tell me the details."
"18 years ago..." Morita Aiko shuts her eyes, recalling painfully. "I heard about the phantom artist. I didn't care. That's what you do when you see the news on the TV channel or the newspapers. You think that those horrible things won't happen to you. You are carefree and living in your happy bubble."
She pauses for a moment before continuing.
"It takes only a touch of a needle's tip to burst open that bubble. You see it all falling apart, but you can't stop it. Before you know it, you are living in a dreadful nightmare. You want to get out, but you can't. You are stuck in the bottom of the pond. You can see the light. You struggle and fight with all your might. The vines are fastened your ankles, keeping you back from reaching the light that you can always see. That's how I lived after I met the phantom artist."
Wakana sucks the cold air. Judging from those words, Morita Aiko must have lived for the phantom artist for a while. She has read the reports, but she didn't say this to the cops. All the 12 crimes were described in the same way.
According to the report, all the women lived alone and they were all single at that time. They were all from different backgrounds. The youngest one was only 18 at that time and she was a college student. The oldest one was around 50 years old and she was a widow who lived alone. She was a high school staff.
The cops couldn't find a single link between the victims other than the fact that they all lived alone.
Morita Aiko is silent, staring at the crushed petals of Camilla flower in her hand. After being violated by that evil inhuman thing repetitively for days, she wanted to die once; but she was a coward. She couldn't do it in the end. After 18 years, when she is finally starting to find peace in her flower shop, the phantom artist is back to haunt her.
"How did you meet him?" Wakana breaks the silence between them with a question. "Morita San."
"At first, he came to my dreams," Morita Aiko forces herself to speak. "In dreams, he seduced me as the man I liked at my work. I didn't think of it much. Suddenly, strange things started to happen around the house. I felt like someone was always standing behind me. I saw shadows moving around in the corner of my eyes. I thought... it was my imagination. Then, it stopped. Everything turned back to normal."
She takes a deep breath. " After a few days, the man I liked at my workplace started to pay attention to me. I thought that I was finally seen by the man I liked from afar. What did I know? It was the beginning of my cruel fate."