Chapter 37
“Asahina! Hi!”
Shizuku yawned, a small smile on her face.
Mafuyu was playing her synthesizer again.
“Good morning, Hinomori.”
Mafuyu looked to Shizuku. There was someone next to her.
Mafuyu thought she looked familiar.
She had dark blue hair, blue eyes that looked dead.
Dry blood running across her face, although she didn't seem particularly bothered by it.
“Who's that?”
Shizuku looked at where the now very startled person stood.
“Huh?”
Mafuyu shook her head.
“Nothing. Forget about it. What are you doing this early?”
She put her synth aside.
“Ah, I'm just taking a walk! What about you? Did you just wake up?”
Shizuku asked cheerfully and full of energy, even though it was around 8 am on a Sunday. (probably)
Mafuyu hummed, quietly muttering.
“I didn't go to sleep.”
Shizuku didn't hear that.
“What are you going to do now?”
Mafuyu stood up, brushing dust off her clothes.
“Nothing much. I'll go check up on Shinonome, Hanasato and Tenma, then Hoshino. Good thing is she only has a few scratches.”
She grabbed a first aid kit from the back of her cell.
“On the other hand… they're clearly in a lot of pain…”
Shizuku nodded, a sad expression in her face.
“That's right… Last time I talked with Tsukasa… he didn't seem good at all.”
Mafuyu stepped out of her cell, Shizuku following close behind her.
“No one is doing well here… not even the warden.”
Shizuku looked to the side.
“Ah, I guess that's true…”
Shizuku recalled her interrogation. Shiho genuinely seemed like she didn't know her. And she had no way of knowing what happened in the months she was missing or what led to her being a prison guard.
She wanted her sister back and she had gotten that but… was that really over? Was it really solved?
Shiho wasn't truly back, was she?
“Ok, so to recap,” Ena sat down beside Airi. “What do we know so far?”
“We don't know anything about where this prison is. Not even Kayano or Fuuta know.”
Airi said as she looked through her notes.
“I swear I wrote it down somewhere… I must've written it down.”
Fuuta planted his face into the table in defeat.
“Moving on, then…”
Toya quickly skimmed through his own writing.
“We don't know much about most of their crimes aside from Tsukasa, Kamishiro and Shiraishi’s but…”
He looked at Ena.
“You did have a suspicion about Asahina’s right?”
Ena smirked.
“Oh, not a suspicion exactly… more like a wish.”
Fuuta swore under his breath.
“I have a very bad feeling about this.”
He was instantly told to shut up by his sister.
“I really hope Mafuyu killed her mom.”
“Ena!”
Airi yelled at her.
“What?! That woman is a threat!”
“Still!”
Toya quickly interrupted the situation.
“Okay, uhm. Let's calm down. I don't know how we can find out more in this situation, Azusawa did say no one actually knew anything about it.”
Ena had a sudden idea.
“Wait! I know where to look! I'll be right back!”
Ena left the room to enter the Empty Sekai
When she did, she started running, yelling the Virtual Singers’ names.
“Miku! Rin! Len!”
The Sekai was… well, empty.
“Luka! MEIKO! KAITO! Anyone here- Oh!”
Ena was perplexed. Dumbfounded.
She had found two of the Virtual Singers. Rin and KAITO.
Although she thought the two didn't get along at all, there they were, Rin, with her common deadpan expression but a slight, almost unnoticeable smile on her face and a very angry-looking KAITO.
Rin was braiding his hair.
Ena burst out laughing.
“I hate it here.”
KAITO muttered angrily.
“Hello, Ena.”
Ena was still laughing.
“Pfft- Hey, Rin, KAITO. I see you two are having fun.”
Rin nodded.
KAITO shook his head.
“Is it just me or is someone in a good mood?”
KAITO glanced at her in disgust before nodding.
“She got rid of that parasite, of course I'm in a better mood than usual.”
Ena's eyes widened.
“So I was right? Mafuyu did kill her mother, didn't she?!”
Rin continued to braid his hair.
“You seem happier than she did.”
KAITO didn't seem to mind.
“Well, of course she's happy. That woman was a threat to her friend.”
“Exactly my point. Well, I'll be back in a bit, you two.”
Ena turned to leave the Sekai, although she planned to go back later.
“Ena, wait.”
Rin called out to her.
“They'll be back, right? Mizuki and Mafuyu.”
Ena nodded, grabbing her phone, pressing Untitled again.
“Yeah, don't worry about it, Rin.”
“Where did you even
go?”
Fuuta asked Ena as she sat back down.
“None of your business. But I confirmed my suspicions.”
Airi chuckled.
“I thought it was a wish and not a suspicion?”
“Both. It was both.”