The Detective is Already Dead

Chapter 75 - 3.4

Chapter 75: Chapter 3.4

A letter from the Ace Detective

"Not fair."

Walking down Baker Street at night by myself, I sighed.

At the end of our meeting with Mia Whitlock in the clock tower, she'd said, "I have something important to discuss with my fellow Tuner." As the new candidate for Ace Detective, Natsunagi had stayed, and they'd chased me out.

In the end, Mia hadn't given us a definite answer about whether or not there was a future where Siesta came back to life. At the very least, though, negotiations hadn't broken down.

"I'll have to ask Natsunagi about it when she gets back."

I was sure that was what they were talking about at this very moment. Forcing myself to be content with that idea, I headed home on my own. I wasn't bound for the hotel, though.

I was on my way to achieve the trip's original objective. "—Wow, that takes me back."

I'd walked down this street a year ago, too. Only back then, someone else had been there with me.

We'd looked at the clothes in the shop windows. We'd gone shopping for dinner fixings at the supermarket. We'd had tea at her favorite café. Everywhere I looked, I saw traces of her on this street.

As I walked through those familiar sights, an old mixed-use building came into view on a street corner. Siesta and I had used one of its apartments as our office and living quarters. The building had no elevator, so I took the stairs up to the third floor. A little hesitantly, I pushed the key in and turned the doorknob.

"I'm home."

I knew no one was there.

Even so, out of habit, I told the empty room I was back.

When I opened the curtains, moonlight shone in, illuminating the room. The dining table, the sofa, and all the rest of the furniture was right where we'd left it. Just the way it had been a year ago, when we'd left for SPES's hideout to rescue Natsunagi. When I'd lost Siesta that day, I'd gone straight back to Japan. It was like I was running away.

"This place is really tidy."

I'd thought the room would be dirtier, but there wasn't a speck of dust anywhere. There were no empty pizza boxes, no snack bags scattered around. Our matching teacups had been put away in the dish cupboard, where they belonged. Siesta must have cleaned it thoroughly last year before we left. She'd known we wouldn't be coming back.

I headed for the bedroom. That had been Siesta's room, and there was a bed

and a small study in there. The desk had a little locked drawer. "That's right. This is it."

I remembered the conversation I'd had with Siesta about that drawer, a bit over a year ago.

I'd gone into her study on an errand, and I had seen her sneaking something into that drawer. Then, she'd promptly locked it and tried to make me deduce what was inside—

"If you want to know what's in here so badly, why don't you try making a deduction for once? If you can, that is."

"If you'd go that far to avoid telling me, then it's gotta be you-know-what. I heard rumors your three great drives are stronger than other people's, Siesta, so it's a fairly hard-core porn magazine..."

"Are you stupid, Kimi?" "Man, that's not fair." "I'm not you, all right?"

"Ouch. You didn't have to hit back that hard."

"This isn't like the hidden folders on your computer, okay?" "Hey, how much do you know?!"

"You really shouldn't rename your folders with the titles of complicated- sounding English dissertations. It's really shortsighted."

"Yeah, let's not talk about this. I'd really prefer we stopped talking about this right now."

"It might work with other people, but it won't work on me. I just thought it looked interesting, and I peeked inside."

"So I should have named it something that wouldn't grab your interest...?

Like '100 of the Latest Hot Instagram Spots' or something?" "What I am trying to say is..."

"?"

"...Don't spring those vivid images on me like that.'"

Siesta had murmured the words very fast. Unusually for her, she'd blushed and looked away.

"...Okay, that's not even relevant. I need to stop reminiscing."

Mentally changing gears, I took out the master key I'd inherited from Siesta and turned on the orange fluorescent light. The key was one of Siesta's Seven Tools; I'd heard it would open any lock easily. She'd used it to get into my apartment, back when we'd first met.

"Don't let me down, Siesta," I prayed, then stuck the key into the lock. There was a good possibility that she'd left a hint regarding the fight with SPES here, as her legacy. However, the past Siesta probably hadn't known everything about SPES, either.

Even Mia's clairvoyance, which Siesta had counted on, wasn't perfect. Mia had said as much herself. That was why Siesta had taken that risk. In order to keep me from realizing how it would end, she must have avoided telling me anything important during those three years. Now that I'd finished the homework she'd given me, though, I was sure she'd cooperate. On that thought, I turned the key, opened the drawer, and—

"A letter?"

The drawer held a single letter.

The envelope was sealed with sealing wax. I opened it with a letter opener, then took out the stationery.

It was a letter to me, and it began with "To my assistant."

"Are you stupid, Kimi?"

"...Not fair."

For some unfathomable reason, she'd yelled at me in the very first line. What had I done, huh? Pulling myself together, I let my eyes go to the second line.

"Trying to uncover a girl's secrets? That's a huge turnoff, frankly. Even now, as you're reading this—what sort of methods did you use? Just imagining it is scary."

"What's wrong with you? I was legit about this."

Because you used that maid to give me the key, all right?

"That said, I think the fact that you found this means you wanted to get your hands on 'that information,' even if it meant going this far."

There we go, this is it. Yes, you called it. I want to know the information on SPES that you left behind, and how to defeat Seed.

Getting my hopes up, I read the next line.

"Of the two, I prefer strawberry shortcake to Mont Blanc."

When I woke from a world of darkness, I saw a girl's face right next to me. "...What are you doing, Natsunagi?"

I'd only meant to close my eyes for a minute, but apparently, I'd conked out. "Watching you. You were snoozing as peacefully as a baby."

"Don't just get into a bed where a guy's sleeping." "Did it make your heart skip a beat?"

"Well, being in Siesta's bed with you is making me sweat, but not for the reasons you might be thinking."

Siesta would probably belt me one without saying a word. In a dream, for example.

"And? Why are you here, Natsunagi?" Had she and Mia finished their talk? "Actually, how did you get here? Did you take a taxi? It's not safe to walk around by yourself too late at night."

"...Huh! So you're worried about me."

The room was gloomy, but I could tell she was smiling at me. Fine, I get it, just quit smirking.

"Well? Did you find what you were looking for?" she prompted.

"Yeah, Siesta left us a letter with a hint. Starting tomorrow, it looks like we'll be adjusting the plan a little."

That said, our plan still wasn't clear. To be honest, I wanted to get Natsunagi's input, too. However, right now... "How did things go on your end?"

I propped myself up on one elbow. She was lying next to me. While I'd been here, reading the letter, Natsunagi had been discussing the possibility of bringing Siesta back to life with the Oracle.

"Mm-hmm. It's all right."

Natsunagi nodded. Her expression was sincere. "The Oracle said that that future, or the possibility of it, definitely exists."

"—Seriously?! ...Then why did she make me leave by myself back there?" Deep down, I'd been worried that no such route existed, and she'd told me to go because she hadn't had the heart to tell me that.

"Oh, that was, um... She said she had to dress formally and make preparations in order to see the future. I bet she was embarrassed about the idea of you seeing her change."

What's with that girly reason...? Well, it didn't matter, as long as it wasn't the worst-case scenario I'd been imagining.

"That said, it sounds like she still needs some time to think about specifically what needs to be done in order to make that future happen."

"I see... Still, just learning it's possible is an achievement all by itself."

I'd never thought this wish would come true in a day or two. We'd probably have to sit down with Mia and talk things over thoroughly. All that aside... "There's a way to reclaim Siesta, then? Really...?"

In that dawn, I'd screamed it.

I'd sworn at the top of my lungs that I'd bring the detective back to life.

Part of it must have been delirium. I hadn't had one single idea about concrete ways to bring that blasphemous miracle about.

...But there really was a way to reclaim Siesta? Would I get to see her again someday?

"Say, Kimizuka." Natsunagi spoke lightly. "Do you want to bring Siesta back to life?"

"Yeah, of course."

"Then you really did like her?"

"I don't get the connection between those statements." What's that "then" about, huh? Geez... "She wasn't my lover, and we weren't even friends. She was just a business partner."

"I see. So your love was unrequited." "Hey, don't make things up."

"Oh, it's fine. Treat this like the night of a school trip. Wanna talk romance?

C'mon!"

"Why are you so hyper, huh? Knock it off. And I don't think guys and girls talk about this stuff togeth— Okay, I get it. I get it! Quit poking me all over the place!" She's weirdly persistent today. Actually... "Natsunagi, wait... Are you drunk?" I'd thought that scent earlier was perfume, but could it have been

liquor? Sure, the legal drinking age in England was eighteen, but... "Who knows? All girls have secrets."

Oh, is that right? Well, she could be hyper if she wanted, but would she do something she might regret later? Would she be tearing her hair out over this tomorrow? (I sure had back then.)

"And? And? Be honest. What did you really think of Siesta, Kimizuka?

C'mon, c'mon, I'm the only one who's listening." Still, Natsunagi kept getting in my face.

Apparently, she wasn't going to let me go that easily... Man, I guess I've got no choice. "I said she was just a business partner. Let me correct that." I turned my face away from Natsunagi, looking up at the ceiling.

"What was she really...?"

"...A business partner who was just a little bit special." "Yowza!"

"You are making fun of me, aren't you!"

I flipped over and unleashed a ferocious attack on Natsunagi's forehead. "Owwww! Kimizuka, your forehead flicks seriously hurt, all right?!" she

yelled. I could hear the beginnings of tears in her voice.

How's that? Did it sober you up a bit? "What, I thought you liked pain!" "I hate pain with no love behind it!"

"Ever the proper masochist..."

I'm begging you, in the future, don't get stuck with a violent dude or some good-for-nothing guy you need to bankroll.

"...Haaah. Well, as long as I managed to get those words out of you, I guess it's okay." Natsunagi seemed to have calmed down a little after all. Murmuring to herself, she sat up.

"Natsunagi?"

Sitting on the bed, she gazed at me steadily.

"Just leave it to me," she said firmly, there in the moonlight.

"I'll get Siesta back, no matter what I have to do. I swear on the name of the proxy detective."

Natsunagi smiled at me.

Those words seemed so reliable that I thought I wouldn't mind leaving my entire destiny in her hands.

Her smile was so beautiful that I wanted to stay right there, watching it, until the end of the world.