Sasaki and Kuroma sat down in the mortuary's dark, dismal chamber after recovering each of Megumi's limbs from the river, with a little burn scar on her head from the blast's heat.
A woman was removing Megumi's organs while Sasaki sat down with a towel over his head, pressing his palms together, and his leg restless. While he stares deeply into the dusty floor of the mortuary.
"She's a friend of yours?"
The woman inquired, attempting to break the melancholy silence as she dissected the parts of Megumi's deceased body.
"Jeez Suzu, can't you see the kid's trying to get over it?"
"She was kind of a friend, although we've only talked to each other for two days."
Suzuya had finished dissecting Megumi's corpse and removed her mask, revealing her appearance (she has a pale face with large eyebags and short blonde hair with a small portion of black in the top), sighing heavily and looking fatigued as she puts the organs in a paper bag.
"Kuroma, can cremate this for me?"
Kuroma, unable to move his frigid hands, gives a dismayed expression.
"No can do; I've already used half of my blood."
"Is that so?"
Suzuya walked out of the room, clutching the sack, while flames screamed from the other room, where Megumi's organs were being incinerated.
"We got more information about the man who killed your friend here."
Sasaki cast a short glance at Kuroma as he leaned against the wooden chair, resting the towel on his lap and sighing.
"What is it?"
"Well, we got Ayato to scan the shattered alabaster mask from the crime scene, and we found a trace of the man's DNA in his blood."
"Can we identify who he is now?"
"Not really; we'd have to wait from two to three weeks for a test result and maybe four to five for an even more accurate one."
"Do we have another idea to identify him quicker?"
"We don't have another idea, sadly, so we'll have to wait for weeks until we finally get the results."
Sasaki groaned and placed the towel on top of his head, fatigued from the day's events.
' I had my first date today, and I lost a decent girl tonight. When I see that son of a bitch, I'll tear him limb for limb. '
"You shouldn't stress yourself by what happened tonight, and you shouldn't worry about reporting this to Yozo; I already did it for you."
Sasaki sat there inert, and Kuroma gazed at him with concern, worried about what may happen if he kept this up.
"You have good taste, Sasaki."
After the cremation, Sasaki removed the towel from his head and looked at Kuroma with conflicting emotions.
"I don't know if I should be happy or sad today. I had my first date today, and tonight I lost the girl I loved."
"You love her?"
"I... maybe I do; I'm not sure, but when I was with her, my chest felt very warm."
Kuroma retrieved a cigarette from his pocket and placed it on Sasaki's lip, keeping a straight look.
"You should try this; it will heal you from the pain."
"Won't that kill me instead?"
"Just inhale it when I light it up."
Kuroma placed his finger on the tip of the cigarette, sparking a little flame to light it. Sasaki drew too much smoke into his lungs and pushed it all through his nose before removing the cigarette from his mouth and exhaling the rest in his mouth.
Kuroma laughed at Sasaki, seeing that it was his first time smoking.
"That's not how you do it; you should sip a small sip first, then let it stay there for a while, and after you should let it out gently from your mouth."
Sasaki took a minute to look at the cigarette and did what Kuroma had instructed: he softly inhaled it and allowed it to sit in his lungs for a while before exhaling it gently.
Kuroma pats Sasaki in the back with a slight grin on his face.
"Now that's how you do it! So, how did it feel?"
"To be honest, I want another one."
"Jeez, addicted already?"
The two left the mortuary, with Sasaki riding in the passenger's seat of Kuroma's car.
dropping him off at Ryuji's apartment. After a few minutes, they arrived, and Kuroma knocked on Ryuji's door.
Ryuji yawned and stretched his arm as he opened the door.
"Hey Ryuji, I just dropped your kid off. I'll get going now."
"Right. Thanks, geezer."
Kuroma sank back down while Ryuji looked at Sasaki, who was holding a cigarette in his lips. Ryuji had a little mournful expression on his face as the two stared at each other for a moment while Ryuji was holding the door.
"You want to come in or will you sleep outside?"
Sasaki went inside, carefully exhaling the cigarette as he walked to the balcony and threw it on the sidewalk beneath him.
"Where's Miyuki?"
"In her room."
Sasaki sighed and headed to Miyuki's room, where Ryuji stood staring at him with a mournful expression.
"I'll go sleep."
"Wait."
Sasaki glanced to Ryuji for a brief moment as he stood in front of Miyuki's chamber, his expression blank.
"Sasaki, I'm sorry about what happened to you today."
The two stared blankly at each other for a time, Ryuji sweating as he felt his chest tremble.
"Right."
"Yeah, goodnight."
"Goodnight."
"Also, we'll be going to the Mizumaki residence tomorrow for Megumi's funeral; just informing you, goodnight again."
"Goodnight."
Sasaki entered Miyuki's room and saw her with a mound of work on her desk. Miyuki looked at his brother with a blank expression for a minute before returning her attention to her study.
"Can I sleep here tonight?"
"There's only one mattress."
Sasaki sat down on the bed and leaned a little bit forward.
"What? It's not like we haven't slept beside each other before."
"Fine, but I'll ask you, why are you sleeping in my room tonight?"
"Well, it's because it's comfy here."
"Liar."
Miyuki dropped what she was doing and got out of her chair, resting on the bed, while Sasaki sat down and smiled at her.
"You're always like this, you know. I ask you nicely, then you just flat out lie to my face. I'm your sister, so tell me what happened tonight; did she dump you?"
Sasaki chuckled nervously in an attempt to conceal his loneliness.
"Eh, not really."
While staring at Sasaki, Miyuki sensed a familiar smell on his shirt and moved up to sniff his jacket, which reeked of tobacco. She backed off Sasaki and sat next to him.
"Since when did you start smoking?"
"Well, just now."
"I thought you hated smoking because of dad."
Sasaki's pupils dilated; not expecting this response from Miyuki, he groaned awkwardly and tried to keep his grin.
"Well, I kind of understand him now."
"I see... let's get back to the topic: did she dump you?"
Sasaki stayed quiet for a moment as his smile faded, gently reminiscing about what had transpired tonight, and his vision slowly zoomed into Megumi's brain, glaring angrily at him.
"Don't worry about it; I don't care anymore. What's important is I have you!"
Sasaki clutched Miyuki closely as he carried her on his back, a mildly thrilled grin on his face. Sasaki did not want his sister to be concerned about his troubles and trauma, which have been with him since he was a child.
"Hey, put me down!"
She screamed and giggled as Sasaki carefully placed her in a lying-down posture, and he lay down next to her, covering her with her blanket.
"It's getting late; goodnight, Miyuki."
"It's still early..."
Sasaki pinches and presses Miyuki's puffy face as she pouts, not wanting to sleep early.
"Well, you have to sleep to maintain that cute face, am I right?"
With a frustrated expression on her face, Miyuki twirls her tiny legs back and forth, playfully kicking Sasaki away.
"Argh, stop it! Fine, I'll sleep, goodnight."
"Sleep well."
Sasaki kissed Miyuki quickly on the neck before curling up to give her a tight grip around her thighs and arms.
***
In a neatly furnished room, Sasaki was lying down next to Miyuki, reading a book, when all of a sudden a woman with dark hair entered, but her face was blurry. She then took a seat next to the bed and rubbed her hand against Miyuki's hair.
Sasski could hear only Miyuki's voice conversing with the unidentified woman in the room, despite the fact that it was obvious the woman was trying to speak.
After giving Miyuki a kiss on the neck and giving her a firm hug from her pillow, the woman looked to Sasaki and gently stroked his hair while speaking inaudibly once more.
When Sasaki finally placed his bed down gently, the woman kissed the side of his neck and stroked his forehead. Suddenly, the woman's voice could be heard singing a song that he knew well, but it was sang in a different language.
"𝕾𝖎𝖘𝖍𝖍𝖓𝖇𝖋 𝖆𝖔𝖍𝖊𝖛𝖜𝖐𝖆𝖍𝖜𝖇𝖊𝖐 𝖉𝖍𝖆𝖓𝖆𝖐𝖍𝖊𝖇 𝖘𝖐𝖆𝖍 𝖆𝖍𝖜𝖇𝖊 𝖎𝖘𝖍 𝖆𝖇𝖊 𝖎𝖉𝖍."
"𝕶𝖎𝖊𝖎𝖊 𝖇𝖉𝖇𝖏𝖘𝖚 𝖆𝖚𝖗𝖛𝖐 𝖌𝖎𝖘𝖍𝖜𝖇𝖗𝖕𝖌𝖔𝖍𝖇𝖗𝖔𝖎𝖙𝖚𝖘𝖚𝖛𝖘𝖑𝖆𝖎𝖌𝖗 𝖐𝖊𝖍𝖘𝖛𝖆𝖒𝖎𝖍𝖗𝖏𝖎𝖜𝖎𝖊𝖍𝖊 𝖎𝖉𝖍𝖊𝖍𝖔𝖆𝖚𝖊𝖇𝖊𝖔𝖆𝖍𝖆 𝖎𝖋𝖍𝖍𝖞𝖜𝖐𝖗 𝖏𝖊𝖚𝖎𝖜𝖏𝖆𝖓𝖇𝖜."
"𝕺𝖊𝖎𝖊𝖍𝖖𝖎𝖚 𝖎𝖘𝖍𝖍𝖊𝖎 𝖎𝖆𝖏𝖜𝖑𝖗𝖔 𝖋𝖏𝖚𝖞𝖝𝖜 𝖐𝖎𝖍𝖙𝖓𝖔 𝖙𝖚𝖙𝖚𝖔𝖘𝖔 𝖔𝖘𝖎𝖙𝖎 𝖇𝖚𝖐𝖔 𝖘𝖎𝖜𝖍𝖇𝖗𝖔 𝖆𝖔𝖎𝖍𝖇𝖗 𝖐𝖔𝖆𝖎𝖞𝖊 𝖓𝖆𝖕𝖔𝖒𝖆𝖔 𝖆𝖒𝖔𝖚𝖍𝖊𝖐 𝖎𝖊𝖚𝖍𝖆𝖊 𝖔𝖗𝖎𝖍𝖗 𝖔𝖘𝖎𝖏 𝖘𝖆𝖌𝖊𝖗𝖘𝖘𝖝𝖏𝖎."
***
As soon as Sasaki woke up, he started to perspire profusely and felt his heart accelerate. Miyuki, who had been sleeping, had given him a firm hug and rested her head on his shoulder.
' Nothing will happen to me... Huh? I better go back to sleep before I wake Miyuki up. '
Sasaki returned to his bed and gave his sister a strong hug, their bodies pressed close to one another, their breaths mingling, and Sasaki's head lifted above Miyuki's so he could smell the cherry conditioner she uses in the shower.
When morning eventually arrived, Sasaki was still thinking about his dream last night as they were eating breakfast. Miyuki was staring at the three of them in confusion, while Nara and Ryuji gave him a somber look.
Whispering to one another, Ryuji and Nara exchanged looks with Miyuki and Sasaki.
With an expression of grief, Sasaki had caught onto this and dropped his spoon to clarify at them.
"Look, it's not what you think it is, you two!"
"Jeez Sasaki, I know it's hard to stomach, but it will end soon; you can apologize."
When Nara gave Ryuji an elbow to the abdomen while he was eating, Ryuji moaned in agony and had a perplexed expression on his face since he hadn't expected an elbow to come out of nowhere.
Nara pretends to clear her throat and eats a portion of her meal before speaking.
"Hey Ryuji, Yozo told us to go to this restaurant today."
"Cough cough... Restraurant? Oh, the one newly built fancy restaurant?"
"Yeah, that restaurant, and also we'll be bringing Sasaki with us, so you better contact Ayato or Kuroma to babysit Miyuki."
Miyuki glared at them with confusion as she was eating her steak.
"Can't you bring me along?"
Ryuji ate a tiny bit of his breakfast and then spoke, managing to hide his uneasiness.
"Well, it's CAU only, plus it's team building; the higher-ups wouldn't allow you inside the restaurant, so it's best we leave you here with someone."
"Ah, is that so?"
After taking a sip of water from her glass, Miyuki cast a suspicious glance in Sasaki's direction.
Sasaki, who was drinking some water, looked at his sister with a puzzled eye.
"What are you looking at me for? I can't sneak you in; I'll lose my job."
"It's nothing."
Sasaki and the four of them finished their meal as Ryuji, Nara, and Sasaki dressed extremely formal for the occasion in all black.
Sasaki looked at Nara in shock because, despite having several gowns in her wardrobe, she hadn't dressed for the occasion—she wore a dark long-sleeve and some dark slacks.
"Don't you have a gown?"
"What do you care? It's my shirt."
"You guys better hurry up; Kuroma is waiting outside with his car."
"Who's going to watch over Miyuki?"
Sasaki asked.
As Ryuji was tying his hair, the door opened unexpectedly and nearly hit him. They then saw a woman with short blonde hair, wearing round shades, pass by Ryuji.
"Suzuya, you're here; take care of the kid while we're gone, alright?"
"You owe me ten thousand for this Ryuji."
"Sigh, whatever, let's go."
The trio left the apartment and strolled up to Kuroma's vehicle. While Sasaki and Nara were seated next to each other in the passenger's seat, Ryuji occupied the front seat.
After starting the car, Kuroma left the apartment and went to the Mizumaki residence, where their daughter, Megumi's, burial was being held, as they drove in a quiet atmosphere.
Upon arriving at the Mizumaki residence, the four took a minute to park their car and proceeded through the wooden gate. A large crowd of people had assembled to express their grief at Megumi's passing.
Megumi's parents were sitting in front of her, quietly weeping, when Sasaki and Kuroma noticed them. They approached them, looking uncomfortable and ashamed of what had transpired the night before.
Sasaki went to Megumi's parents and bowed deeply, fighting back tears since he felt like a massive force was slowly crushing his chest.
"Mrs. Mizumaki, I deeply apologize for your daughter's death. You may do anything to me step on me, spit on me, or even kick me. You can even beat me up ot kill me in front of the crowd if you desire, even if I kill myself it won't be enough to atone for my sins."
The old woman pats Sasaki on the back of his head while he was bowing deeply at Megumi's parents.
"Raise your head, child."
Raising himself up, ashamed of what he did the previous evening, Sasaki avoided making eye contact with Megumi's parents.
The old woman placed both palms on Sasaki's cheeks and shifted his eyes onto them.
Sasaki saw the two with a hint of tears in their eyes, and at that very moment he was unable to control his tears as a few droplets trickled into his own.
"The mortician found something while our daughter's organs were being cremated; I suppose this belongs to you."
The elderly man takes something from his kimono and hands Sasaki a partially broken bone card with the words "CALL ME" etched on it.
With both parents sitting there staring at him, Sasaki grabbed the card, tucked it into his breast pocket, and said nothing more.
"Child, promise me this. The next time you meet the man who killed our daughter, you better come back with his head on a pike. I believe you can accomplish that."
"Yes, I will, ma'am. I promise that I'll rip that bastard to pieces in our next encounter, and I'll make sure he'll suffer the same way Megumi did."
TO BE CONTINUED——————————