Chapter 42
Ichika paced around her cell, somewhat nervous about her incoming trial. She knew Shiho wasn't dangerous at all, that she would never do anything to hurt anyone, but something about her didn't sit right. She was different from how she was back in their shared childhood. Of course, it might've been the memory problem, but Ichika wasn't entirely certain.
She'd seen it in her eyes, the absolute fear they held when Yuzuriha suddenly appeared in the prison. So, after everything they'd been through as children, their distance, and now, their reunion, Ichika had to make sure both Shiho and Honami got out of the hell they found themselves in.
Even if Honami and her weren't in good terms, she wouldn't wish for her to hypothetically die by the hands of a former prisoner or by any other circumstances she couldn't bring herself to think about.
She'd grown quite tired after the end of the first trial, dozing off pretty often until either Shizuku or Asahina woke her up. Her legs felt heavy every time she walked, and she heard this familiar voice in the back of her head. The concerned robotic voice brought memories into her mind that she couldn't fully remember. It told her to run and get as far away as humanly possible every time she came close to the interrogation room door or walked past Yuzuriha.
Aside from that, she'd sometimes have the same reoccurring dream of being on a rooftop similar to Miyajou's, with the starry night sky shining bright upon her. The same robotic voice would call out to her, and she'd chase for it endlessly only to wake up not long after.
Ichika knew her trial wouldn't be wholesome at all and she'd been mentally preparing herself for it ever since the aftermath of Shinonome's interrogation, Asahina going to the ginger's cell several times since then to run checks on his damaged throat. She could hear the third prisoner whisper some,,,,,,, choice words under his breath sometimes too.
She'd been expecting some kind of announcement on Shiho's part, for her to ominously announce that Ichika's time had come to once again sing her sins. However, that wasn't the case. Instead, the young guard appeared outside her cell.
"Hi, 004." Es scratched the back of her neck, holding some paperwork in her arms. "Your trial has come, follow me."
She offered Ichika a hand, she accepted it hesitantly before they both walked out of the fourth cell in the hallway.
Right away, that voice started up again. Getting louder than ever.
"Ichika... Get them out of there, run while you can! It's not safe for you three to be there!"
She stopped in her tracks, pulling Es to stop walking unintentionally. She couldn't get it to stop even if she tried, it was making her head throb endlessly.
"Find an exit, okay?"
"004?"
Ichika snapped out of it, shaking her head to signal Es not to worry without uttering a single word.
After that, they finally walked into the interrogation room.
Ichika closed the door, looking at her childhood friend. "So... Hey... Es." Ichika mumbled, admittedly almost calling her by her real name again. She needed to stop doing that.
"Let's begin." Es said. "Do you... Hear anything? Voices, perhaps?"
"Hm? Oh, I guess. They're not that frequent, though." Ichika told her, wondering how the question even came to be.
"What do they say?" Es asked. "001 and 002 hear them too."
"It's... Hard to explain. It sounds awfully familiar, like, I've definitely heard that same exact voice somewhere before. It tells me to run away to safety everytime I'm near Yuzuriha or this room."
Es nodded as if thinking it through. "How does it sound exactly?"
"It's fairly high pitched, uhm... Robotic, definitely."
"Like... Miku?" Es thought out loud, recalling the two or three times she'd interacted with Miku in that weird empty school. She realized a bit too late that she shouldn't have said that aloud.
"...yeah, actually. How didn't I think about it? It's Miku." Ichika resisted her incoming rant about the virtual singer. "But that couldn't be, she's not here in any way."
"She... Could it be that... The school... Nevermind. We'll get to that later. How are your injuries?"
Ichika looked at the scratches on her hands and legs. "Uhh... They're doing pretty good, I'd say. Compared to Hanasato or Shinonome, I pretty much had the long end of the stick. Aside from the drowsiness and exhaustion."
Es nodded. "I see. That's good. You haven't had any nightmares either, have you?"
Ichika shook her head. "I wouldn't say it counts as a nightmare, I... don't really wake up in a cold sweat because of it, but I have been having this dream a lot recently where I'm on a rooftop and somebody calls out to me. And- no matter how much I chase after them the dream always ends before I can reach them. No nightmares though."
Es thought for a bit. A rooftop? Miku? Could it be that 004 somehow knows of the empty school? How though, when Es had only discovered it a bit after her duty as a guard started?
"Alright." Es could feel the awkward silence between them coming. "How's your relationship with Sa- ... With that blonde haired girl I saw in your MV alongside this Shiho and 007?"
Ichika sighed. "Eh... I mean, she's probably out there looking for us, but there's no way she still thinks of me in a good light — Not pun intended — after what I did."
"So she was with you when the murder happened, is that what you're saying?" Es asked, pulling out a notebook.
"Yeah, she was. I don't think anyone ever told her that drummer died. I was going to... Eventually."
Ichika recalled that horrid scene back when they'd first started playing as a duo, as Leo/need. Only Saki and her and some others who had tagged along the two for that specific event.
That night, no one in the audience knew them at all. Tsukasa wasn't there that night to cheer them on, Ichika's parents were busy too, they were strangers to everybody there.
And Ichika should've never tried to fix a lose screw or work the lights. That should've been obvious from the start.
Saki was so excited for their gig, only for the tragic ending of night to end it all off with a bang as a flash of electricity fell upon an unsuspecting musician right beside her.
Half an hour later, they'd been ushered out of the building, and Saki had asked the medics if the person was ok. There was still no answer, but it was getting late, so they ran back home.
"A drummer, huh?" Es asked, having seen news about a dead musician online not long after Ichika's first trial.
"Yeah. Not exactly the prettiest sight." She said with complete embarrassment.
"It's murder, they're dead. Of course it wouldn't be."
"Hm... I guess you're right." Ichika stopped in her tracks for a bit. "Hey, Es."
"Hm?"
"Don't you ever wonder who you were? If everybody calling you Shiho is actually correct?" She uttered out, trying her best to continue. "You don't remember your past, and you're the exact same as her. She went missing, you're here and were probably here before everyone else even committed their crimes."
Shiho was caught off guard. "Uhm. Where are you going with this, 004?"
"I've been thinking of... Doing something. I'm not sure if I'm gonna follow up with it, but I need you to trust me with it, okay? As much as that doesn't sound too promising coming from somebody who is in prison for murder..." She didn't turn her gaze to Es, but she could imagine a confused expression on her face.
"What are you going to do, 004? You're not planning to do anything stupid, are you?" Es looked at her with a serious look on her face. "If it's anything that can interfere with my duty, rest assured I will do my best to stop you."
Ichika chuckled. "Haha... I wasn't expecting anything else from you, Shiho... Es... Ah- sorry, my bad."
Es scratched the back of her neck. "Don't worry about it. What I said was true though, don't even think of doing something dumb, alright?"
"Yeah."
They both heard machine whirring sounds, Es jumped a little, grabbing onto her right shoulder by instinct, as if anybody was going to grab it from behind her. She sighed in relief when it wasn't anything.
"That sound again... Ever since Yuzuriha's arrival it's been freaking me out..."
Ichika nodded awkwardly. "Yeah, makes sense... I guess that means time's up, huh?"
"Hm. It does. I'll keep an eye on you though.
But for now, Prisoner 004, Ichika,
Come now, sing your sins!"