As I walked away from Hina, I felt the weight of her gaze on my back, lingering long after we parted.
Maybe all my fears were coming from something real.
It seemed like Hina was showing her true self to me with each passing day.
I felt so many mixed emotions.
I held lots of feelings of love for Hina, but at the same time, i was starting to be scared from her, and a small voice in my head was constantly telling me not to leave her.
"Ah... this sucks..." i said to myself while walking home.
During my walk, i decided not to turn my head back for all the time.
I thought about lots of things... too many things.
I thought about Hana, about my friends, about what i had to do in order to maintain everyone safe.
Hina's behaviour of today made me realize that she wasn't the sweet girl that i fell in love with.
I was in love with a mask , a personality, someone who doesn't exist.
Or maybe Hina was trying her best to be her true self... who knows...
We were also about to make love...
"Ahhh! What am i thinking?!" I said with a sigh while slapping my own cheek.
The only thing i needed to do was to gather evidence and uncover the truth about Hina, and I had to do it fast.
With every step that i took while walking home, i felt watched, like someone was following me.
But the "funniest" thing was that i was walking trough a lot of people and despite that, the feeling of unease was still haunting my heart.
I speeded up my steps and walked faster.
My heart was beating fast, maybe from anxiety or maybe from the fatigue.
When i returned home, i felt the walls closing in around me.
I locked the door behind me and leaned against it, trying to steady my racing heart.
The tension from the encounter with Hina still clung to me like a second skin.
I knew I couldn't continue like this—living in constant fear, unsure of what she might have done next.
I decided to call Detective Saito, hoping he could help.
He answered after a few rings, his voice calm and professional.
"Detective Saito, it's Kai," I said, trying to keep my voice steady.
"Kai, what can I do for you?" he replied.
"I need your help. It's about Hina. We've seen each other today and her behaviour was strange." I said while my voice was trembling.
"Calm down, Kai. Tell me everything," Detective Saito instructed.
I recounted the day's events, from the unsettling conversation to Hina's aggressive behavior.
Detective Saito listened intently, and when I finished, he was silent for a moment.
"This is serious, Kai. You need to be very careful. Maybe that was only a glimpse of her madness, but we can't do anything before being completely sure of who Hina really is." he finally said.
I clenched my fists.
I was also feeling guilty.
Not trusting my girlfriend, the girl whom i promised to love.
A part of me wanted to genuinely trust her despite all of her strange behaviors, but my other part (The logic one) wanted to know the truth and protect my friends.
I had to play the double part.
I couldn't keep talking with the police for two reasons:
1) If Hina was really a psychopath, she would've already found a way to spy me and my calls.
2) I had to find my answers and resolve the situation alone.
For these two reasons , i made a request to Detective Saito.
"Understood... i have a request, Detective Saito." I said, with a firm tone.
"Yes? What is it?" He replied.
"Can this situation be kept as a secret? I want to resolve all of this alone without involving the police." I said, with a cold voice.
"Mmmh... Can i ask you why you're requesting this?" The detective said with a curious tone of voice.
"I know that i may sound crazy since i'm the one who called you, but i want to be completely sure about Hina because a part of me still loves her and wants to believe her genuine side." I said to him. "That's why i'm asking if you could share with me the places where i can find other informations about Hina's past. And more imporantly, no one will get hurt." I added, with a firm tone.
"Oh... That's very brave of you. Then it's okay. I'll tell you where all these cases happened." The detective said.
He seemed very collaborative.
"If Hina is the killer you're searching for, i swear that i'll give her to justice." I said, still with a determined tone of voice.
"That's the spirit , Kai Suzuki." He said with a proud tone of voice.
Then, he started to talk about various locations.
Most of them were easily reachable by train or by taxi, another one was in a remote village outiside the town that you could only reach with car.
"Kai Suzuki, visit one locations a week to be sure that Hina won't suspect anything. And more importantly, bring a weapon with you." He said , like a father was speaking with his son.
"Yeah, i promise to be careful." I said to him.
"Oh, i forgot to mention the Hoshizoru Village near the Yukka river. Some relatives of Hina should still live there, so be careful when gathering information there. Don't reveal your identity, okay?" The detective said.
"Yes, Detective Saito. Thank you for your help" I said while hanging up the call.
Then, i put my phone on the table and took a very deep breath.
My life was about to change, and i had to stop being the silly, good boy who believes everyone and everything.
I spent the rest of the evening in a daze, replaying my conversation with Detective Saito in my mind.
His words echoed in my ears, mixing with my own doubts and fears. My apartment felt like a prison, the walls closing in, suffocating me.
I had to act fast, but I couldn't let my emotions get the better of me.
I needed a plan.
First, I had to gather information without raising suspicion.
I decided to start with the most accessible location: the train station where the first incident occurred.
According to Detective Saito, it happened late at night, under the dim glow of the streetlights. Witnesses reported seeing a shadowy figure, but no one could positively identify Hina.
I needed to find something—anything—that could link her to the crime.
But i forgot a very important detail: Hina's messages and school.
I had some problems.
I had to fake a disease to skip school for a few days, but that wasn't the problem, i never had a fever in two years, so taking some days would't have been a problem.
Then, i had to lie to my friends and... also to Hina.
She could visit me at every moment of the day since she knew where i lived, and the fact that i was skipping school because of a fever would've looked strange in her eyes.
"What can i do for this...?" I started to think, until i had a great idea.
I picked up my phone, deleted the calls with Detective Saito and started to write some messages to Hina, saying that i wasn't feeling well and that i was going to my grandparents' house outside the town.
Her replycame instantly.
"Oh! I'm so sorry for that! Is there something i can do? I can bring you home some medicine or give you medical assistance if you want, darling." She wrote.
"No, there's no need, my love. I'm okay, i just have some fever. I'm also gonna send some messages to the doctor so i can avoid school for a few days." I wrote.
Then , Hina wrote something strange.
"Mmmh... Which grandparents?" She asked.
I never mentioned them to her, but the parents of my mother died a few years ago while the others lived in a completely different city.
Hina's reply seemed diffident, like she found out i was telling an excuse.
"Mmm, my paternal grandparents. They are coming to pick me up." I wrote, hoping she had believed me.
"Oh, okay, okay. But i think that staying home would be better... I could make you company, you know. I'm your girlfriend after all." She wrote.
"Thank you , darling, but i don't want to bother you. You already do so much for me." I replied back.
"Oh? What do i do to make you say these sweet things?" Hina texted.
"Well, you... you love me , and that makes me happy." I texte back.
I must admit that i really felt what i was writing, despite i was lying about my fever only to stalk her past.
"Oh... you're so sweet... like a piece of honey... I love you." She texted.
Her words melted my heart but still, i had to be careful.
"Haha... me too... now i think i'm going to sleep since i'm feeling a little bit tired... Goodnight, darling" I texted, while scratching the back of my head.
"Take a good rest, darling. Send me a picture when you're with your grandparents tomorrow, i want to see them." She texted.
I felt like an idiot, i didn't consider this possible outcome of events.
"How can i send her a picture now...? I'm so stupid." I said to myself with a sigh.
"Yes, i will." I texted back.
"Thank you , love. Goodnight" Hina texted back.
After that, i put my phone away and started to prepare my things for tomorrow.
My destination was where the first case of murder happened: An abandoned house near the train station of the Harunaga district.
It was 30 minutes by train.
Luckily, the Harunaga district is a crowded place, so the risk of something bad happening was actually minor than the other places that the Detective told to me.
I went into my room and grabbed the bag that i once used for picnics.
inside of it, i put a powerbank recharger for my phone, a flashlight, some snacks to eat and more importantly, i grabbed a knife i had in my closet.
It was a military knife, given to me by my father.
He gave it to me for exposition, but i didn't want my friends to see it so i always hid it where nobody could see.
I took it out from its sheath and saw if it was in good shape.
I rotated it a little in my hands to see it from various angles.
"Perfect, it looks like it's new" I said, with a proud tone, before putting it back in its sheath and then inside the bag.
Everything was ready for my expedition.
My first mission.
Then , i set the alarm for 8:30 and went to sleep.
I was really anxious but... i had to do everything i could to resolve this situation.