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VOLUME 2 - THAT WHICH CONNECTS SOULS epilogue ()
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One week later –
Haruka headed for the prefabricated building in the back of Building B
She had really wanted to show her face sooner, but she hadn’t been able to She had been hospitalised
Though she was only hospitalised for three days, her mother had rushed over from home and shut Haruka in her roo, her mother finally returned home
Haruka had talked a lot with hertime
More than half of what they talked about was stories from when her older sister was alive The ti it
Laughing, crying and getting angry from the bottom of my heart I haven’t done that in a while
I feel like I always live while holdingfro myself for my sister’s death has tied her down –
But even if I know that, I can’t stop blaret my sister’s death, but I think I can look forward, little by little
I’ll try to live more as myself
Well, it’s easier said than done –
She stood in front of the door with the plate <Movie Research Circle> on it
Still, Yakumo didn’t coh she had kind of been hoping for it
Though it ht have just become troublesome since he would have suddenly run into herhim worry
Ah, but maybe she could just make one co the door
He was here His hair looked h it was the first time they had seen each other in a while, he replied half-heartedly, ’Oh, it’s you?’ Honestly, this person
’Hey, are you going out?’
Yakuoing too?’ asked Yaku –
’Where to?’
’To check on Ishii-san’
’When you say Ishii-san, do you mean that Ishii-san?’
’Yes That Ishii-san’
’Is he injured?’
When she was saved, Ishii had been collapsed faced down and wasn’t , as if he had died
’It’s not at the level of "injured" His upper left arht clavicle and three ribs on top of that are fractured He is seriously wounded fro’
’Is it that awful?’
I didn’t know –
’At the time, Ishii-san was the one who held us up with the chain ere on, in Gotou-san’s stead, since he was attacked Ishii-san didn’t let go even when Doctor Kinoshita was hitting hih they had only uely weak impression
That Ishii did –
’In a , Ishii-san saved our lives’
Haruka nodded She hadn’t known that hat happened at all He had protected theo sooner as well, but there were a variety of things I needed to look into’
Though Haruka had just arrived, she left the rooether with Yakumo
Hata fled from his room to the autopsy room
Nobody would come here He couldn’t stand the noise
It was the saation who couldn’t wrap up the case, but even though it was a week since the case ended, the press was only growingdown
Doctor Kinoshita’sa fuss about it, but how rasp?
Hata understood the idea behind Kinoshita’s actions well He h Kinoshita chose the wrong ht he had been composed
Hata sat on the chair by the wall
In any case, a long trial was going to start
It would probably be torture for Kinoshita He would have to calmly look at what he had done It was too harsh a reality to su it an infraction of the law
Will he be able to bear it in the end –
No, he would have to That was the only path left for him
He would have to atone for his crimes for the rest of his life It seemed that there were soht commit suicide, but Hata wasn’t concerned
Naturally, for somebody who believed the soul existed, the death of the body wouldn’t bring respite or an end
Death wasn’t a place to escape to
Humans, who existed to live and to die, had to think about so wasn’t the end
Still, I’lasses –
In this case as well, it was like the oal? Yakumo had said it was an experi o to the hospital where Ishii-san is, there’s soo first
The place they arrived at after Yakuement office
’It’s you two What is it?’
Just as they reached the parking lot, Uchiyae rapped around his head – an injury from the case
Haruka had heard from Yakumo on the way here that Uchiyama had been hit in the head by Kinoshita with a block
Uchiyairl he had loved as a daughter and the incident that girl’s father – his friend, Doctor Kinoshita – caused
Haruka thought that his heart ht be more hurt than his head was
’Uchiyama-san, I have a little business with you,’ Yakumo said, his expression blank
Haruka felt the atly then Uchiyama also felt it The friendly smile quickly disappeared froeh Haruka didn’t understand, she followed after hied Yaku’
With his hands in his pockets, Yakumo stood in front of Uchiyae atmosphere, stopped a step behind the two of them
’So, what is it?’ Uchiyama asked
’I will say this first What I say after this is all h Yakumo said it was conjecture, he spoke with clear purpose
’What is it?’
Uchiyaht to the point Uchiyama-san, I think that you killed Andou-san’
Wait – what’s he saying all of a sudden?
Haruka could only be shocked by Yakuht that Uchiya –
Rather than looking perturbed, there was a s? I don’t understand what you mean’
’I mean exactly what I said Even after Doctor Kinoshita was arrested, there were still s in ation anew’
’What did you find out?’
Uchiyaarette fro the fool That hat Haruka felt
’One: Andou’s accidental death According to the eyewitness’ testi with a red light He had not been drunk He had not been chased by anyone Then ould Andou have rushed out into the intersection?’
’Who knows? I don’t understand either’
Uchiyaerated manner
’I found your name in the list of eyewitnesses Don’t you think that is too much of a coincidence?’
’Well, I was there It’s an a coincidence But hoould that make me Andou’s killer?’
Uchiyaht what Yakuood time to push Andou-san fro like that? There’s no reason for ht It was just as Uchiyama-san said
There was no reason for hi with no basis for it?
’No, you do have a reason Andou-san was thethat I knew the murderer?’
’I am’
Yakue in his expression
’You have a lot of confidence about so you said was just conjecture’
’I have looked at the materials froate upstreaate Why do you think that is the case?’
’Isn’t that… because she was carried here by the current?’
Uchiya and answered after a bit of thinking
His voice sounded like it was treht If she had been carried by the current, Ayaka-chan’s corpse should have had numerous injuries on it However, there weren’t any Ayaka-chan was killed at the old water gate and then disposed of here in order to hide Andou’s hideaway’
’I see; so that’s how it is… But how is that connected tothe arette
’It is connected When Ayaka-chan was disposed of here, she was subht attached to her ankle’
’And what about it?’
’She was sub disposed of, you wouldn’t have been able to find her corpse so quickly’
’You have an aination’
Uchiyaht it admirable
However, it just looked like an act to Haruka
’Fro in the river by chance When you went to look, Ayaka-chan’s corpse was there At that time, you saw the murderer’s face, or perhaps you looked for Andou by care Naturally, you didn’t say any of this to the police, so that you could find the e…’
Uchiya aloud
’That is quite theDetective Columbo[1] would be white as a sheet That said, the world would be a e when their friends’ children were killed’
’Yes That is, if she was just the daughter of a friend to you…’
Yakumo took a pause there
The two of the The first to look aas Uchiya to you today’
Like he had been waiting for this moment, Yakumo took a black notebook from his pocket and handed it to Uchiyaed co you dropped at the river e met you before’
There had been two photos inside One of them had been of Ayaka-chan The other had been of Uchiyaation The woman in this photo with you is Doctor Kinoshita’s dead wife Ayaka-chan’s htly, Uchiya
’Before she married Doctor Kinoshita, it see happened between the two of you, and I have no plans on investigating that far However, I believe that carrying such an old photo with you even now is evidence that your feelings towards Ayaka-chan are greater than those one would have towards a friend’s daughter’
Uchiyama made no reply
However, the silence was the sa Yakumo’s theory
’Why did you think I was suspicious?’
After a silence, Uchiyama spoke