As soon as i received the call from Yuki Nakamura, a wave of anxiety and fear assaulted me.
She asked me if I was free.
I didn't know how to respond to her, but at the same time, I couldn't lie.
Being part of the police, she must have spoken with the detective; the timing of the call couldn't have been a coincidence.
I no longer wanted to see or hear the name Yuki Nakamura anywhere.
Now I was under scrutiny from both the police and the criminals.
I was fully aware that a heavy war would break out only because of my selfishness.
"Maybe if I hadn't picked up that book that day... or if I had left Hina sooner... None of this would have happened..." These intrusive thoughts kept running through my mind. But at the same time, I had to face the present, and in this case, also the head of the police.
I took a deep breath and started to speak, trying to sound as natural as possible.
"Hello, Nakamura-San. Yes, I'm free right now, why?" I replied, with a cold and direct voice.
"Great! Let's meet at that famous café where we met last time. I need to talk to you in person," she said, in an almost cheerful tone.
I didn't even have time to respond before the call ended. I didn't have much choice; I had to meet her.
I sighed, followed by a nervous laugh, and started walking towards the café.
Shortly after, I realized I needed a taxi, so I took the first one I found.
I got in and told the driver where to go. Fortunately, in my small town, traffic was almost nonexistent since most people relied on public transport, so it didn't take long to reach my destination.
It's also worth considering the fact that taxis weren't very expensive.
As soon as I arrived, I got out of the taxi, paid the driver, and thanked him.
Then, after taking a deep breath, I gathered my courage and entered the café.
For some strange reason, no waiter greeted me, as if they were expecting me.
I looked around and saw Yuki Nakamura sitting in the same spot as last time. My thoughts raced, and I kept thinking about Hina. I walked towards her, and when I got close enough, I was greeted with a smile from her.
"Hi, Kai Suzuki! Please, have a seat. It's my treat today," she said, inviting me to sit with a very friendly and playful tone.
"Hello, Nakamura-San," I replied with a very formal and distant tone. I accepted her invitation and sat down across from her, in the same spot as last time. Yuki had a smile on her face and a very cheerful expression, as if she was happy to see me. In my heart, I knew that beneath that smile, there was something deeper.
After I sat down, Yuki leaned in closer, looking at my face more closely. I was a bit embarrassed, I must admit.
She took my chin and moved my face from side to side, as if looking for any wounds or bruises.
Her touch on my face didn't provoke positive sensations, especially considering it was only our second meeting and I didn't have a good opinion of her.
After examining my face over and over, Yuki Nakamura moved back to her seat and sighed in relief.
"Thank goodness you're not hurt..." she said.
I was a bit surprised. Was she really worried about me?
"Nakamura-San, what do you mean?" I asked, curious.
"You should know better than me, Kai," she replied with a teasing tone. I remained silent for a few seconds, then sighed.
"Well, yes. I was really lucky," I replied, looking her in the eyes.
"Well... it wasn't easy being kidnapped with your friend, was it?" she asked. My eyes widened, not understanding how she knew about this.
"H-How do you know about this?" I asked. I immediately thought that Detective Saito might have told her or that he was spying on me with a hidden camera... but that wasn't the case.
"Well, the person who alerted the police was your friend, Sakura Ishikawa, the one who saved your life, right?" Yuki Nakamura replied with a formal tone. I was "shocked" by this revelation, not expecting something like that.
"S-Sakura Ishikawa?" I asked, with a trembling voice. I expected the worst.
"Exactly, her. She alerted me personally since we've been friends for years," she said with a small smile. I was even more shocked but also relieved. Sakura hadn't mentioned anything about this to me.
"Friends? What do you mean?" I asked, curious, crossing my arms.
"Well, Sakura was a former spy for our special forces. She infiltrated a gang of criminals to help with investigations until she fell in love with one of the gang's victims and quit the job. But despite that, we've always kept in touch," Yuki Nakamura said, looking me in the eyes.
After her words, a waiter brought two cups of coffee to our table before leaving.
I thanked him and resumed talking with Yuki.
Sakura had never mentioned any of this. All I knew was that she had been forced to marry another man after the one she loved died and that she had a child she couldn't raise properly.
"Nakamura-San, you realize I knew nothing about this and that Sakura is Hina's aunt, right?" I asked, with a very agitated tone.
Yuki Nakamura nodded. "Of course, I know. And I know perfectly well all the lies she told you," she replied.
"EH?!" I exclaimed, standing up and slamming my hands on the table, almost spilling the coffee.
"Hahaha! You look so cute when you're angry!" Yuki Nakamura responded.
"I'm not-" I said, sighing and sitting back down.
"Well, let's say Sakura did all this to test you. She promised to tell you the truth next time. You passed the test with flying colors," she added.
"... I don't know who to believe anymore. I feel very deceived," I said with a slightly annoyed tone.
"I understand you way too much. Liars are the worst. And I've seen thousands of them over the years. People who would throw even their closest family into the abyss to save their own lives," Yuki said, sipping her coffee.
"Well... I agree," I said, not knowing what else to say.
"There are many things to discuss, Kai.
But I know very well that whatever I tell you to do, you won't listen, because your love for that girl is too strong. But you have to learn to accept reality," Yuki spoke with an almost maternal tone.
"..." I didn't respond, simply listening, lowering my gaze to the floor.
"This is why Sakura and I have been clashing for years despite our friendship... It hurts not to be friends like we used to, but we still help each other," Yuki said with a sad sigh.
"What do you mean?" I asked, looking up.
"I want Hina and all the criminals to go to prison to serve their sentences for all the people who have died, while Sakura wants to use you and Hina to start a war to eliminate the gang. Similar goals but different methods... Before yesterday, the last time I heard from Sakura was years ago," she replied, with a cold and sad tone.
"Nakamura-San, I have a question," I said.
"Yes? What is it?" she asked curiously.
"Did you happen to lose someone important?" I asked, directly.
Yuki's eyes widened. She didn't expect such a question and seemed caught off guard.
"Yes, Kai. How do you know?" she asked, with a very sad tone, as if she had remembered something she didn't want to.
It seemed like I had hit the nail on the head.
"I sense a lot of resentment towards Hina in particular. What happened to make you hate her so much?" I asked, directly.
At that moment, the police leader became the most vulnerable person in the world.
She seemed like a completely different person.
The veil of superiority and authority had completely disappeared. I noticed her body was slightly trembling.
"She... She... killed... my ex-husband. I saw it with my own eyes, but I never found enough evidence to accuse her," Yuki Nakamura replied.
We had a lot to talk about...
Her revelation made my mind race with a lot of question and thoughts.
That would've explained why she hated Hina so much, but at the same time I still didn't know what to say.
I had to think about the correct words , so that i could make Yuki Nakamura a good ally of mine.
"Are you certain that the killer was Hina?" I asked, with a curious tone, trying to be as professional as i could.
"Yes, Kai. I'm 100% Sure. That's why i became a police leader. I worked my entire life on sending criminals to jail, but she... she is too smart... and that's why i'm begging you to help me. You're a kind and gentle person , a monster like her... will end up killing you one day." Yuki Nakamura said.
Her words bothered me, but I knew that she was saying all of this stuff due to an old feeling of repressed anger.
She could arrest me and force me to spill out the truth, but she didn't do that.
I wondered why.
"Nakamura-San... I now understand. But at the same time, I assure you that Hina has never done anything to me or to people around me... Everything that happened until now is because of gangsters... they even assaulted me in my home... Hina saved me but she didn't kill the men." I said, with a cold voice.
I was being so manipulative... but I had to do it.
Yuki's eyes widened.
"What? So the two men who were brutally murdered weren't killed by Hina?" She asked, confused.
I shook my head.
"No... Hina was with me the whole night and she was at school." I said, reassuring her.
"Oh... So..." Yuki started to think.
"The only big suspect right now is my friend Haruto... I heard gangsters mumbling his name a few times while I was with Naomi." I said, trying to sound convincing.
"Haruto? I'll send a special police force to his house." Yuki said.
"Yes, Nakamura-San. I promise that I'll assist you in every way I can. I made up my mind." I said to her with a direct tone.
Yuki then looked into my eyes for a few seconds and then looked away, blushing.
I was surprised by her reaction.
"Are you okay, Nakamura-San?" I asked.
She nodded her head and smiled.
"Yes... It's just that... you resemble him so much... The same determination... the same energy... Sorry. I spaced out a little, Haha-" Yuki then giggled a little and then stood up.
She seemed like a totally different person.
But deep down, I still had the feeling that she was faking something to make me lower my guard.
"Thank you , Kai." She said with a big smile. "I'm gonna go investigate, I gently ask you to stay safe for now." She added.
I stood up and thanked her.
After that, we walked out from the cafè together and split our ways.
I had a very bad feeling that something was about to happen...