Snow had covered the outdoors, causing everyone to dress in layers for the cold weather. Taylor was organizing his papers in the office in the morning when Chifuyu walked in, yawning and sat down on the sofa across the room from Taylor's table. He showed up in a dark brown fur-hooded duffle coat worn over a black long sleeve turtleneck shirt, paired with the same trousers and foot wear as his casual clothing, dressed for the weather.
"You came right on time, Chifuyu, the results of the autopsy have come out." Taylor took a folder of documents he left separated from the else at the edge of his table, "The body was identified as none other than Markus Crystal, the man who went missing a few days ago." He told Chifuyu.
"So, he was murdered and cut to pieces." Chifuyu averted his eyes for a few moments, "Have your men check other trash bins in Paris?" he asked.
"They did, but they didn't find anything. Even already checked the disposal centre, and we found nothing." Taylor replied.
"It's been a few days, but the head, left arm, and right leg aren't found yet..." Chifuyu touched his chin as he thinks, "What about the suspects? Anyone so far?" he asked again.
"We have 35-year-old Cesar Cristopher, who was Markus Crystal's golf friend. Then there's Julie May, who is Markus Crystal's significant other." Taylor replied, "We already brought them in for questioning; Ms. May was too devastated to speak properly and she said she was with her friends. Then Mr. Cristopher explained that he was golfing on the day of Markus Crystal's disappearance," He explained.
"Do they have an alibies?" Chifuyu raised a brow.
"Ms. May does have an air-tight alibi, but Mr. Christopher isn't totally clear."
"Does he have relatives or a family?"
"He lives with his wife, Megan Cristopher."
"Can you give me the address? I want to ask her a few questions about her husband," Chifuyu asked.
"I'm going with you," Taylor glared at Chifuyu.
"Fine..." Chifuyu looked away with his chin lifted, reluctant and too lazy to argue.
"Taylor Anderson, Senior Investigator of Paris Police Investigation Department." Taylor showed his ID to the woman who opened the door, to the house owned by the Cristopher couple. "This is my assistant, Tsuguha Chifuyu." He introduced Chifuyu, and the 17-year-old bowed politely.
"Oh, welcome." Megan welcomed them.
"Is your husband home?" Chifuyu asked her.
"No, he's currently out for work."
"Understood. Well, we would like to have a chat with you and ask you a few conversations about your husband." Taylor smiled friendlily.
"Of course, please come in." Megan welcomed them into the house and they sat down in the living room together. "Cesar wasn't home during the time, and he went golfing." She answered Taylor's question.
"Did he go alone?"
"I'm not sure, he didn't tell me."
"It's really cold in here, why is that?" Chifuyu glanced up to the air conditioner and saw it was set to a quite low temperature.
"Oh, Cesar said it's getting hot since a few days ago. But we might light up the warmer since winter has started," Megan replied.
"That by itself is already suspicious..." Chifuyu thought as he averted his eyes, "Do you mind if we take a look around?" he asked the woman, and Taylor paused for a few seconds since he doesn't remember arranging a house search when they decided to come here.
"Please, feel free to." Megan approved his request.
"Thank you," Chifuyu stood up from his chair as soon as she did, and Taylor just went along with it.
Taylor and Chifuyu took a look around the house, observing every inch while Megan watched them in curiosity, thinking what if something unexpected will be discovered.
"Maybe there is nothing-" Chifuyu mumbled but froze when he opened the freezer in the kitchen, his motionless reaction with his eyes wide open in shock caught Taylor's attention.
"What's wrong?" he approached Chifuyu and looked into the freezer, he had the same reaction as the 17-year-old. In the freezer, were the remaining undiscovered body parts of Markus Crystal wrapped in clear wrap, his head facing the front and his dead eyes stared into Chifuyu's soul when Chifuyu opened the freezer door.
"Did you find something?" Megan was curious.
"No, please don't come here!" Taylor stopped her just after she took one step towards them, "I'll call my men, please wait outside, Mrs. Christopher." He said when Chifuyu turned his head to the front door, opened by Cesar who had paused from the unexpected guests.
"Hey!" Chifuyu quickly sprinted after the man when he started running away, catching up to him in mere seconds and knocked him down to the ground with his arms secured behind his back. Taylor threw handcuffs for Chifuyu to catch and secure the man's wrists with, "You're caught red handed, it's pointless to run." Chifuyu's voice was cold as he sat on the man, keeping him against the ground.
"He's eating the victim's flesh? Is he into cannibalism or something?" Jeffrey had arrived on the scene along with Taylor's men, taking Cesar away along with the remaining body parts of Markus Crystal.
"There is proof that some flesh from Markus Crystal's leg were cut off cleanly as if taken a portion to consume," Chifuyu replied, "That's just revolting... He needs some help..." he rolled his eyes.
"How's Mrs. Cristopher?" Jeffrey asked Taylor when the senior detective came back.
"She's starting to calm down, mostly exhausted because how much she threw up just now. Apparently, Mr. Cristopher is the cook among the couple and he made meat soup with the victim's flesh last night." Taylor explained with a heavy sigh.
"Ew..." Jeffrey slumped.
"By the way, what made you decide to search the house?" Taylor seemed curious by Chifuyu's intuition yet again.
"When we came in, I can tell that the house is cold and cooling is a method to prevent flesh from rotting. Cesar said it's getting hot, but it's literally almost winter." Chifuyu began to explain, "I don't have other reasons, it's mainly my guts telling me to look around." He added lazily.
"You have unexplainable reasons, huh?" Jeffrey grunted lightly.
"Excuse me," an African American middle-aged woman happened to be passing by and approached the three investigators, Chifuyu paused when he saw her. "I'm Hannah Williams, do you remember me, boy?" she smiled to Chifuyu, her curly black hair blown by the mild wind.
"P-Pardon?" Chifuyu appeared doubtful.
"It's been three years, boy, do you not remember me?" Hannah seemed to be slightly disappointed.
"I'm sorry, maybe you mistook me for someone else." Chifuyu smiled coolly.
"It's very unlikely, not many Japanese are here and your striking face is hard to mistake." Hannah said, "But, maybe I am wrong... I'm sorry..." she sighed and bowed.
"Ah, it's alright. Don't worry about it,"
"Are you looking for someone?" Taylor asked the woman.
"Oh, I never actually knew his name... he disappeared not long after I found him three years ago," Hannah replied, "He was a young Japanese around 14 years old at the time," she added.
"The Reaper still not caught yet, he might already have been murdered..." Taylor said, "But, I would love to help if you want to write a report." He added.
"That will be wonderful," Hannah agreed.
"Alright, I'm going to head home then, there's something I have to do." Chifuyu bowed, before he jumped onto a roof and disappeared out of sight, the snow and weather doesn't seem to affect his speed and agility.
"I remember that day like it was yesterday... I met him three years ago in a winter night, he was sleeping outside in the cold weather only wearing a dress shirt and pants in a pale blue colour. I took him in and he seemed to recognize me and my daughter, Sara right away as soon as he gathered his full awareness and he started to cry. He kept apologizing about my husband, Adam Williams, saying that he failed to save him." Hannah came to Taylor's office in the Anderson residence.
"What happened to your husband?" Taylor asked.
"He went to volunteer in a facility 4 years ago and he never came back, the boy just cried and told me that he couldn't safe my husband." Hannah looked down, trying not to tear up. "I never knew what happened to my husband, that boy disappeared before I can ask anything..." she added.
"I understand," Taylor nodded.
"But I also want to tell you, that I'm a hundred percent sure the young Japanese earlier is that boy I met 3 years ago." Hannah was certain, "Not only that his face is unmistakable, his earring is also distinctive. I don't know if he actually doesn't remember me or he doesn't want to admit it, but I'm really sure it's him." She continued strongly.
"I see..."
"Please, I want answers... I have the right to know what happened to my husband," Hannah begged.
"I understand, Mrs. Williams. I will start my investigation," Taylor decided to agree, "He has immunity to sleeping drugs and now there's this woman's story... What exactly happened to Chifuyu after his family's death?" he was curious himself; it had never left his mind how mysterious Chifuyu's past is.
"Hey, Lucas."
"Fuyuchi?" Lucas heard a voice when he was walking back to his orphanage, and looked up to see Chifuyu on the roof above him.
"You busy? I need your help with something," Chifuyu was squatting down while Lucas looked up to him from the sidewalk bellow.
"What's up?" Lucas was confused.
"Come with me, then." Chifuyu helped Lucas up to higher ground and followed him to his home, where Chifuyu opened the door to his house and a little 4-year-old Japanese boy walked out.
"Huh?" Lucas was confused.
"Hold on," Chifuyu went into his small home on the rooftop, the little Japanese boy standing still doubtfully as he waited for Chifuyu to come back out. "Take this little one too," Chifuyu walked out with a 5-month-old baby in his arms.
"What's going on...?" Lucas was bewildered.
"There's no racism and discrimination in your orphanage, right? Can you take them in? I won't be able to look after them," Chifuyu asked him as he approached Lucas with the baby in his arms, and the little boy hesitantly following behind him. "This is Takeo, and the little one I'm holding is Yume." He introduced the children to Lucas.
"W-Were their parents killed by The Reaper?" Lucas asked Chifuyu.
"No, their single mother wanted me to hide them somewhere else since she feels like their safety is at risk if they stay with her." Chifuyu replied, "Can you take care of them? I really don't know who else I trust but you," he bowed in please.
"Don't bow at me, fancy-pants. I'm the one who's supposed to," Lucas grunted.
"How come?" Chifuyu lifted his head.
"You're much more respectable than I am,"
"Where did that come from?" Chifuyu scoffed lightly, jokingly disgusted with a small smile on his face.
"Come on, you're a precious friend to me." Lucas grinned, "And sure, I'll take these children under the orphanage's care. I'll look after them if it's a way to help you out," he bent down to the little boy.
"Thanks a lot, Lucas, I owe you one." Chifuyu smiled, "It's alright, you and your sister are in good hands now." He convinced the little boy.
"I'm Lucas Peters, I'll look after you from now on, okay?" Lucas smiled to the boy.
Chifuyu was walking on the sidewalk with Lucas and the two children under the cold afternoon sky, Chifuyu was holding the asleep baby in his arms when his eyes caught a sight of a Harvester lurking behind them from the reflection of a car side-view mirror.
"Lucas! Run!" Chifuyu alerted Lucas, just a moment before he dodged the Harvester's ambush.
"W-What about you?!" Lucas took the little boy to carry him in his arms.
"Just shut up and run!" Chifuyu shouted as he dodged another few of the Harvester's attacks, and Lucas just ran to take cover in a distance. "Shit! I still have this baby with me," Chifuyu held the baby in his arms carefully but secure enough to avoid dropping her.
"You're really confident to have the baby with you, you know I won't hesitate to kill it too, right?" the Harvester spoke with a familiar heavy voice, and his figure is also not new to Chifuyu.
"02... This guy might be the very first Harvester I encountered," Chifuyu glanced to the dark-suited assassin's shoulder.
"You got rid of 03 and 04, I acknowledge your abilities Tsuguha Chifuyu." The masked man stood calmly a few metres away from Chifuyu, "On our record, you're the only one capable to erase the Harvesters, you're the spunkiest and most annoying we've ever dealt with so far." Harvester 02's heavy voice dominated the quietness of the empty street.
"Crowning you a similar title, you Harvesters are the most annoying criminals I ever dealt with so far." Chifuyu scoffed in slight annoyance.
"I'm interested to see how much your skills have improved from our last encounter," the Harvester took a stance.
"So, I was right, he is the first one I come across." Chifuyu also took a stance and held Yume in a more secure hold.
"Yume... Tsuguha-Nii-san..." little Takeo was shaking and holding onto Lucas, hiding together behind a wall not far from Chifuyu and his opponent.
"I can help him, but I might get in the way. But he's holding a baby and his injuries from the last battle hasn't fully recovered yet, that's not good! But I don't know what to do to help him!" Lucas was deep in his thoughts, travelling in ideas to help Chifuyu somehow.
The fight continued when the Harvester launched at Chifuyu, attacking him with a dagger. Chifuyu was jumping everywhere, he had been dodging for the entire fight. Unfortunately, his hold on the baby slipped and he took a thoughtless action to catch the child, causing him to slip and become open for an attack. The Harvester took the chance and landed a fierce kick on Chifuyu's side, he was thrown and crashed harshly into a car.
"Fuyuchi!!" Lucas screamed in his head, while the baby was unharmed but crying in Chifuyu's arms.
"You're kidding me... You're using your own body to protect that child? How lame," the Harvester confidently watched Chifuyu slowly stand up, in pain and bleeding from a cut on the side of his forehead. "I never expect you to be so selfless, you're amusing..." the smug can be heard from the assassin's voice.
"It hurts everywhere..." Chifuyu thought, he felt as beaten as he was at the end of the battle against Harvester 04, the gauze dressing on his right arm was undone and it slithered out from his sleeve. Blood was dripping onto the white snow and seeping through his clothes from his injuries reopening and small cuts from the car glass that shattered into a million pieces when he crashed into it.
"Ha-ha, 01 was right after all... Ambushing you before your injuries can fully recover does become an advantage for me," the Harvester snickered, then continued to launch towards Chifuyu. Chifuyu barely dodged his opponent's dagger, but the tip of the blade managed to make a small cut Chifuyu's cheek.
"He's slowing down... He's not going to win this by himself," Lucas mumbled in a panic, "Takeo," he turned to the little boy hiding next to him.
"Y-Yes?" Takeo was so frightened; he was at the verge of tears.
"Swear to me, you won't move a muscle from here." Lucas said to Takeo with a strong voice.
"I swear, I won't." Takeo shook his head rapidly.
"Good, because I'm going to help Fuyuchi. Stay here, okay?" Lucas smiled at the end to calm the little boy down, then he ran out of hiding to stand next to a carriage. Chifuyu was thrown and crashed to a wall, he was struggling to the point he was struggling to breathe and wheezing when gasping for air.
"This is the moment, Tsuguha Chifuyu, now is your end." The Harvester slowly stepped closer to Chifuyu with a dagger, while Chifuyu was tightly protecting the baby in his arms.
"Not now!!" Chifuyu was so frustrated when he started wheezing, feebly fumbling into his coat to search for his inhaler. Lucas saw the perfect time and used all of his strength to lift up a compact 2000-pound wooden carriage near him above his head, Takeo's jaw dropped when he witnessed that.
"I'm not letting you continue messing with my friend," Lucas mumbled in annoyance, "Eat this!!" he threw the carriage and sent it flying towards the Harvester.
"What?!" the Harvester was caught completely off guard; he didn't dodge in time and he ended up thrown to the ground a distance away from Chifuyu. Chifuyu was shocked, but he rapidly took his inhaler and inhaled a dosage of the medicine to relieve himself before quickly hiding it back in his coat.
"Fuyuchi, are you okay?!" Lucas ran to his friend in concern.
"Hold her for a moment, it's not over yet." Chifuyu just handed the unharmed baby for Lucas to hold as he stood up.
"Huh??" Lucas was bewildered as he watched Chifuyu stagger towards the Harvester, pulling out his pocket knife and unfolding it with a flick of his wrist. He falls onto his knees next to the injured Harvester, shocking the Harvester awake with a stab to each of the Harvester's legs.
"AAARRGHH! My legs!! My legs!!" Lucas froze in surprise from Chifuyu's action as the Harvester screamed in agony, then Chifuyu fell into a sitting position three metres away from the Harvester from exhaustion and pain.
"Serves you right..." Chifuyu grunted before falling on his back to lay down on the ground.
"Fuyuchi!" Lucas ran to him.
"Call the police!" Chifuyu stopped him, "Don't worry about me, contact the police first! We're not letting this guy get away!" he was laying down and shouting with the strength he has left.
"O-Okay!" Lucas just decided to obey since he doesn't know what else to do.
Chifuyu was sitting in the ambulance that arrived to the scene together with Taylor, Jeffrey, and their men to secure the Harvester in an armour vehicle. Lucas was holding Yume while sitting with Chifuyu in the back of the ambulance, while Takeo was sitting close to them.
"Thanks for your help, Lucas." Chifuyu broke the silence as he leaned his back, "I didn't know you're so strong, I was really surprised." He chuckled.
"Ha-ha, I guess the adrenalin kicked in..." Lucas laughed it off too, "You're my pal, Fuyuchi, I won't hesitate to help you next time either." He grinned.
"Thanks," Chifuyu grinned to join his friend.
"You protected Yume, Tsuguha-Nii-san. You used your body to do that... It must've really hurt," Takeo was still scared, "Thank you for protecting her, I don't know how to repay you..." he bowed as he sobbed.
"No need to repay me, Takeo-kun. I did it because I have to, and I want to." Chifuyu patted the boy's back, "I used to have a little sister too, I know how it feels to lose a sibling. It's not great, so I don't want you to experience what I did." He smiled gently to Takeo to calm him down.
"Why... Why is Paris so cruel? I want to go home... I want to go back to Japan, with my mother..." Takeo sobbed on Chifuyu's arm, his words silenced Chifuyu and made a solemn expression surface on his face.
***
Taylor was organizing his papers when Chifuyu arrived in his office and threw himself onto the sofa in the office, the detective waited for Chifuyu to grunt in pain for throwing himself onto the sofa before his wounds recovered.
"Urgh..." he eventually did, "Old man, is your son ready for questioning yet?" Chifuyu raised his body to sit down instead.
"I was about to say that Roland has been deemed sane enough and qualified for questioning, but you asked before I can tell you that." Taylor responded in a rather complaint tone.
"What are we waiting for then?" Chifuyu asked him.
"Geez, my marriage is soon, huh...?" Eve was in her room, looking down and touching her engagement ring gloomily as she mumbled to herself. "But I love someone else..." Eve laid down on the carpet in front of her fireplace.
"Eve," Chifuyu's voice made her jump up as he knocked the door.
"Y-Yes?!"
"I'm heading out with your old man," Chifuyu opened the door and paused as he furrowed a brow, "Are you okay?" he noticed Eve was quitter than usual.
"Huh? O-Oh, I'm alright." Eve stuttered and forced a smile, but Chifuyu approached her and squatted in front of her to face her in equal level.
"You sure? You look like you were crying just now," Chifuyu tilted his head.
"N-No, I wasn't. D-Don't worry about me, really!" Eve shook her head and hands in front of Chifuyu.
"Don't get the wrong idea, I'm not worried about you." Chifuyu scoffed as he looked away.
"Huh?!" Eve was somewhat offended, but embarrassed.
"But if there is something bothering you, I'm willing to listen. I'm a private investigator, I can help you solve anything if you want." Chifuyu shrugged as he spoke with a straight face, but smirked at the end.
"Aren't you busy with Dad right now?"
"The old man takes some time to get ready when it's this early in the morning, I have time." Chifuyu sat down on the same spot he was squatting at.
"Okay, I guess I'll tell you..." Eve blushed as she looked down to her lap, "You see, my marriage with Victor is in a few days-"
"What?" Chifuyu interrupted her, "You're still 17, right? Isn't that too soon??" he wasn't expecting her declaration.
"I know... but I have no choice, additionally, I don't even love Victor that way..." Eve sighed.
"Why? He is creepy because he smiles 24/7, but he's a good guy." Chifuyu mocked and praised Victor at the same time, he was started to get along with Victor from a few weeks ago.
"I... I'm in love with someone else..." Eve shyly admitted, but she stopped herself from saying who she loves.
"Oh, I see..." Chifuyu nodded his head as he started to think, "Well, I guess that can't be helped, people can't be forced to love someone. Besides, your engagement was really random in the first place." He added.
"What should I do, Chifuyu-kun?"
"First of all, did your old man have your approval for this engagement?" Chifuyu began questioning her, in order to find the best solution.
"I did approve the engagement,"
"Okay, now that's your fault." Chifuyu's expression changed to his indolent one abruptly, with a hint of protest.
"I wasn't finished yet!" Eve complained, "I approved all because Dad and Mom are close with Victor's parents and Mom really liked Victor, so I just agreed because I think that will make my mother happy. But in the end, I'm just making myself unhappy and I just couldn't love Victor..." she continued.
"And that's just stupid..." Chifuyu's protest expression just got further scornful.
"You're not helping me here..." Eve deflated in shame.
"Why would you do that to yourself? Thinking that your mother will be happy because of that is senseless, and your mother is not a heartless and selfish parent. A parent is happy when their child is happy, that's what I believe applies to senseful parents. Or at least, that what I learned from my parents." Chifuyu told her in a lecturing tone but gloomy at the end when he mentioned his family, "So, you should tell your old man how you really feel. I'm sure your mother is really sad to hear you admit that you're unhappy with the engagement, she surely wants you to free yourself from your unhappiness." He continued.
"I should end the engagement...?" Eve seemed surprised.
"Just have a discussion with your old man and your soon-to-be-ex-fiancé, they're both good people, I'm sure they'll understand and want the best for you too." Chifuyu explained, "Then just get together with whoever you said you're in love with," he added nonchalantly with a shrug.
"But, what if the one I'm in love with doesn't love me back?" Eve was hesitant.
"Do you want me to investigate or something?"
"Ack! No, no, don't do that!" Eve quickly denied.
"Well, at least it's better than being in an unloving engagement, correct? I'm sure you'll find the one for you sometime soon," Chifuyu assured her, "Just gather your courage and have a talk with them, you can do it." He ruffled Eve's hair to comfort her.
"You think, they'll approve the person I'm in love with too?" Eve asked shyly.
"I don't even know who it is, why are you asking me?" Chifuyu rolled his eyes, "Alright, old man must be almost done getting ready by now, I have to go now." He stood up and fixed his sleeve.
"Oh, okay..."
"I can listen more later when I come back if you want," Chifuyu smiled to her, "Au revoir," he playfully bowed to her and grinned to cheer her up before walking out of sight to meet Taylor downstairs.
"Seems like, he's a little dense when it comes to romance..." Eve thought as she fidgeted with her fingers, "But he's right, I should admit my true feelings... I want to fight for my love," she had made up her mind.
"You're here, Mr. Anderson." Emma welcomed Taylor and Chifuyu when they arrived to the police station, "Roland Anderson is ready in room number 5, he's waiting for you." She told them.
"Thanks, Emma." Taylor thanked her and walked to the room with Chifuyu and Emma following behind him, but Emma stopped to stay outside instead of coming in with Taylor and Chifuyu.
"Hello, Roland. It's been a while," Taylor sat down on the chair in front of Roland, across the small table while Chifuyu stood at the corner of the room and leaned against the wall with his arms folded in front of his chest.
"Yes, it's been quite some time, Dad." Roland is so much calmer despite still slightly pale, but his face showed doubt when his eyes met Chifuyu's. "Y-You're..." Roland was at a loss for words when he's up against Chifuyu.
"You seem in better condition, Roland-san." Chifuyu smiled slightly.
"I'm sorry for what I tried to do to you," Roland bowed in apology.
"It's no big deal," Chifuyu shrugged.
"Anyway, Roland, I'm going to start asking you a few questions about The Reaper now." Taylor took out a notebook and pen to write down notes, and he also noticed Chifuyu's mood and expression changed. "He's in his investigator state, he seems to be really interested in Roland's answers." Taylor was marvelled why Chifuyu's focused switch turned on so soon.
"Let's hear it, this could be the moment I can be a hundred percent sure of my suspect." Chifuyu's eyes sharpened, locked onto Roland and he's all ears.
"Roland, did you meet with The Reaper himself? Face to face?" Taylor started questioning his son and Roland paused for a few moments, Taylor and Chifuyu can see that Roland still has fear of The Reaper.
"I... I did," Roland's voice turned hoarse.
"Okay, do you remember what he looked like?" Taylor continued.
"I don't remember it clearly, but I remember he was a short middle-aged man wearing a lab coat."
"A short, middle-aged man wearing a lab coat... that already sounds just like him," Roland's response made Chifuyu clench his sleeve.
"I wasn't seeing clearly that time and my mind was all over the place, but he was really terrifying... He had these four people in dark suits with him, I don't know what it was... but the scariest thing is that I don't know what made me so scared of him," Roland continued.
"That's clearly the effect of the U067 drug..." Taylor thought as he wrote down Roland's statements on the notebook, "Where did you meet him?" he asked.
"I was kidnapped, but I remember waking up and walking out of an abandoned building at the outskirts of Paris after The Reaper threatened me." Roland replied.
"Do you remember the exact location?"
"I went home on foot from that building, and I vaguely remember it's somewhere south from here."
"South?! There's no mistake!" Chifuyu clenched his sleeves as his teeth gritted slightly.
"Chifuyu? Is something wrong?" Taylor noticed Chifuyu's reaction.
"Huh? Oh, nothing." Chifuyu relaxed slightly and looked away.
"I'm sorry, Dad. That's all I remember..." Roland seemed to be unable to continue, "I'll let you know as soon as I remember more details," he finally smiled, despite it appearing frail.
"I see, it's alright, Roland. I understand," Taylor nodded as he smiled back, "You're a big help, thanks again." He stood up from his chair.
"Good luck, Dad." Roland was supportive, then he was taken back to his room for further mental treatment.
"Chifuyu," Taylor turned to Chifuyu when they were left alone outside the interrogation room.
"What?"
"Do you know something I don't?" Taylor's question made Chifuyu pause, "You do, don't you?" he was suspicious when Chifuyu looked away.
"I can't tell you about it yet," Chifuyu replied, "The results of the interrogation just now did assure me, but I'm still not entirely sure, there's still a small chance I could be wrong." He explained.
"You can tell be about it, then I can know what to investigate next." Taylor told him.
"I can't..." Chifuyu refused gently.
"Why not? You have a suspect in mind, right? I might be able to identify this person and we can find ways to track him down," Taylor tried to convince him.
"I know that..."
"Then tell me, you don't need to be a hundred percent sure to tell me. We can figure it out together," Taylor continued, "Is there another reason why you can't tell me?" he asked again when Chifuyu remained silent.
"Yeah,"
"Does it involve your past or something?"
"Stop asking me already," Chifuyu's voice turned cold in an instant, and Taylor was hushed in a pause. "I'll let you know when I'm certain, don't ask me ever again." Chifuyu walked away and left out of sight.
"So, it does involve his past... He's been so secretive about his life when he arrived to Paris, did he go through a rough time? Were there other traumatic events that took place in the past 5 years he's been here?" Taylor was in deep thought, "There's just something that's not right... Chifuyu has been really invested in this big case ever since we discovered the U067 drug, and he's probably been doing his own investigations without me knowing. Could he possibly have a connection with The Reaper himself?" he was thinking really hard when Jeffrey arrived.
"Mr. Anderson? Did something happen?" he asked his senior.
"Oh, it's you, Jeffrey." Taylor broke from his daze, "Do you need something Jeffrey?" he asked back.
"Did you have a fight with Tsuguha or something?" Jeffrey seemed to be marvelled and confused, "I saw him leave sulking," he just saw Chifuyu with a sullen face and somewhat stomping his way out of the building.
"He was just thinking about the interrogation results just now," Taylor lied, "He's unpredictable and hard to read, it's not a surprise, right?" he shrugged.
"I agree, I never know what he's thinking..." Jeffrey groaned, "Anyway, I just received a report of drug discovery in a barber shop nearby. Do you want me to take care of it myself?" he changed the topic.
"Yeah, I'll leave it to you. I have business I have to attend to," Taylor patted Jeffrey's shoulder before walking away.
"Good afternoon, Mr. Anderson." Victor was in the living room with Eve.
"Oh, perfect timing, Dad." Eve stood up from her seat, "There's something I want to discuss with you and Victor about..." she clenched her fists doubtfully, but she gathered her courage.
"Geez, why did my pocket knife have to drop here?" Chifuyu entered the residence from Taylor's office window to retrieve his pocket knife under the sofa in the office, but the conversation taking place in the living room caught his attention. The door wasn't fully closed, so he can see into the room from the small gap and listen into the conversation without being noticed.
"Dad, I..." Eve clenched her dress in nervousness.
"Did something happen? Please tell me, Eve." Taylor was concerned.
"Are you nervous about our marriage perhaps?" Victor asked her, and Eve jolted.
"A-About that..." Eve was struggling to gather her courage.
"Just gather your courage and have a talk with them, you can do it." Chifuyu's words of encouragement replayed in her head, and she calmed down in seconds.
"Dad, Victor, I have a confession and can you two to listen to me?" Eve said calmly, despite her heart racing. "I... I don't want to get married to Victor," she finally got her words out of her mouth.
"What??" Taylor was surprised, and Victor's eyes simply widened slightly.
"I did approve with this engagement, and that's because I believe that will make Mom happy. But I now realize that I've been unhappy and overlooking my own feelings," Eve clenched her dress, "I've been learning to love Victor, but I just can't..." she pursed her lips.
"You aren't happy?" Victor's smile turned into a frozen one, still surprised.
"Why didn't you tell me sooner, Eve? You should've told me that you don't like this engagement," Taylor was sad to know his daughter has been unhappy all this time.
"I'm sorry..." Eve felt guilty.
"Evening, is there a reason why you decided to speak up now?" Victor was curious.
"T-That's because... someone opened my eyes, and that mom would want me to make decisions that makes me happy. I realized I was being silly for overlooking my own happiness just to make my mother happy, without realizing that she wouldn't like me unhappy." Eve replied, "And... I'm in love with somebody else..." she clenched her fists resting on her lap.
"I see..." Victor had a gentle and understanding smile on his face.
"Who is it? I would like to know," Taylor is curious of his daughter's perception for men.
"I-I-It's..." Eve's face turned red and she looked down to her lap, "D-Do I have to tell you??" she was embarrassed.
"I want to know who you're interested in, and I would like to meet him if possible." Taylor told her.
"I..." Eve took a few moments to gather her courage to say a name, "I'm in love with Chifuyu-kun," she finally admitted, and her declaration made Chifuyu freeze in front of the living room door.
"Huh...?"
"Tsuguha?" Victor tilted his head while Taylor's eyes widen in shock.
"Y-Yeah..." Eve nodded embarrassedly.
"Chifuyu, huh? I'm not against it, he's a good kid." Taylor folded his arms, "He is mischievous and irritating most of the time, and he does demean others a lot, but he's caring and kind deep down. If he's with you, I don't need to worry, I doubt he won't protect you when there's danger. I can say for sure; he gave a deep impression on me." He continued.
"No..." Chifuyu was inanimate in front of the door.
"Does that mean you approve with the person I love?" Eve wanted to be assured.
"Chifuyu is family," Taylor smiled.
"I understand what you mean, Tsuguha is a kind-hearted person, despite how he is on the surface." Victor smiled as he nodded, "I'm happy to know your true thoughts, Evening. For your sake, I will cancel our wedding and end our engagement." He added to Eve.
"W-What? Really??" Eve was surprised, "Thank you so much for understanding, Victor, you've always been so kind to me." She smiled.
"No..."
"Fuyuchi?" Lucas's voice made Chifuyu jolt and he turned to Lucas, "Are you okay? You've been standing here so still..." Lucas was confused and concerned.
"Oh, it's nothing." Chifuyu shook his head.
"Tsuguha?" Victor opened the door to the living room, "Is something wrong? You're a little pale," Chifuyu doesn't appear consent in the slightest.
"A-Am I?" he looked away to avoid eye contact.
"Did something happen?" Taylor approached him, "Or were you listening in?" he threw the question at Chifuyu, and the 17-year-old shook his head to return his unfazed expression.
"I just got here; I was going to tell you something but turns out you were busy at the moment." He told them calmly, convincing enough to make them forget his pale expression just now.
"Oh, is it something crucial?"
"Not really," Chifuyu shrugged.
"Then, I think Eve wants to talk to you for a little." Taylor patted his shoulder, then left the room with Victor.
"What is it?" Chifuyu smiled as he closed the door behind him, but not entirely shut.
"O-Oh, um..." Eve was shy and hesitant.
"Did you finally admit to the old man and Victor?" Chifuyu approached her with a smile, yet it was another variation of his smiles. This time, his eyes were dull and empty while his slight smile that's obviously forced, a smile that showed a masked discontentment.
"Yeah, I told them how I feel." Eve was looking down, "But just like you said, they understood me, Chifuyu-kun." Chifuyu's expression was relaxed when she looked up, missing the face expressing how Chifuyu really felt at the moment.
"I'm glad," Chifuyu's slight smile widened subtly, "She was kidding, right? There's no way," was the thought in his head.
"Um, I actually have something to tell you... It's about the person I'm in love with," Eve clenched her dress before taking a deep breath, Taylor and Lucas were peeking into the room through the gap of the unclosed door. "I'm in love with you, Chifuyu-kun." Eve confessed her feelings, and Chifuyu froze in surprise with his eyes widened.
"You can't..."
"S-She actually did it..." Taylor facepalmed in marvel, he didn't expect Eve to confess that soon.
"I-I'm not sure if you feel the same way about me... Do you, Chifuyu-kun?" Eve was too embarrassed to look up.
"You can't..."
"Huh?" Chifuyu's mumble made Eve look up, and she paused when she saw the expression on Chifuyu's face. "C-Chifuyu-kun?" she was confused.
"I'm sorry, Eve." Chifuyu deflated and puts on a sorrowful expression, "I'm happy to know how you feel about me, but I don't like you that way." His words struck Eve.
"I-Is that so...?" she trembled slightly as she spoke with a hoarse voice.
"To be honest, you're like a sibling to me, because you remind me so much of my younger sister." Chifuyu admitted with a calm voice, a tone that surfaces when he is comforting someone. "I'm so sorry, Eve. I never intended to break your heart like this," he added and turned to walk away. Lucas quickly ran away before Chifuyu left the room, while Taylor stood beside the door and stepped aside for Chifuyu to walk away.
"He's so calm and collected about it..." Taylor thought in marvel.
"Where's Victor?" Chifuyu asked him back.
"He already went home, he had something to take care of in his family company." Taylor responded, "You're the one who told Eve to be honest, right?" he added.
"Yeah, why?" Chifuyu's expression turned lazy.
"Thanks," Taylor patted Chifuyu's shoulder.
"Whatever, old man." Chifuyu rolled his eyes, "Go comfort your daughter, she might cry any second now." He nudged the detective before he walked into the backyard where he found Lucas, while Taylor went to see how Eve was doing.
"H-Hey, Fuyuchi." Lucas grinned awkwardly to his friend.
"It's pointless to hide it, Lucas, just tell me what you want to say." Chifuyu leaned against the wall.
"I... I thought you love Ms. Eve...?" Lucas said what's on his mind hesitantly.
"You assume so? Well, you're not far off..." Chifuyu shrugged at the end, "If I were to love her in lovers' way, it won't work out. I'll be leaving to go home to Japan soon, remember?" he looked away a he folded his arms in front of his chest.
"Uh..." Lucas has never been so confused.
"Whatever, I'm going home now." Chifuyu turned away and jumped onto the roof effortlessly, "See you, Lucas." He waved slightly before disappearing out of sight.
"Geez, Fuyuchi is really good in hiding his true thoughts. I know when he is, but I never could guess the truth because he's that good..." Lucas thought as he continued his job at the moment of tidying the firewood, "Still, I don't understand his reasons for that habit of his..." he was thinking of his friend.
***
"This is the picture he left behind," Hannah placed a picture of her and Sara from 5 years ago on Taylor's desk.
"And you're telling me your husband had this?" Taylor took a closer look of the polaroid picture.
"Yes, this picture is in my husband's possession when he left home. And Tsuguha left this on the bed he slept on in my house, this is how I understood the one he failed to safe was my husband, I understood that my husband was dead." Hannah nodded, just when they heard the door open behind her. Chifuyu entered Taylor's office, and he froze in shock when he saw Hannah talking with the detective. Hannah and Taylor stopped their conversation to meet eyes with Chifuyu, and the woman stood up from her seat.
"Sorry for my interruption," Chifuyu looked away and was awkwardly about to leave.
"Wait!" Hannah grabbed the door to stop Chifuyu from closing it, "Why are you avoiding me? You know who I am," she told him, but Chifuyu didn't look back and remained silent.
"Chifuyu," Taylor stood up as he called out calmly, "It's about time you tell us your story, it's the time to give answers." He told Chifuyu.
"Please, I want to know what happened to my husband. And I've finally found you after three years," Hannah begged, "I don't want to lie to Sara anymore, we want to know the truth." She tried to convince Chifuyu, there was a long moment of tense silence before Chifuyu finally relaxed.
"Fine, I'll tell you everything that happened." Chifuyu said in a reluctant tone, "But I assure you, that you won't want to see my face ever again after you hear the truth." His eyes were cold, which made Taylor slightly nervous.