Chapter 17: Chapter 16:No Bridge To Connect The Huge Gap

"Anyways," I continue,going back to the topic. "you are probably thinking that we have sex in her house right?."

"Woah!."

He reacted in a suprised manner then continue.

"I didn't expect that you will be so vulgar to your answer,Satoru.But yeah,that's really what I'm trying to say.Did you do it?."

"Of course not.First of all,we are not in a romantic relationship.Second,her parents are in her house and third is...."

I paused for a moment,looked away from him and said my final reason in lower voice.

"I will never do that to her.Never."

He didn't react or say anything.So a dead silence fell between us.Then after some minutes,he spoke up.

"So you and her being late to the school is...." 

He said,in somehow a plain voice.He probably noticed the change on my expression,so he sounds like he is trying to be considerate.

"Just a coincidence."

Aside from the rumors and one's curiosity,coincidence is an another frightening thing to happen.

"Well what we did yesterday is the same the other day.I just consult the cover photo I asked her to do and immediately left her house.Nothing more,nothing less."

Of course,that was a lie.In reality,Mishitsu-san tried to seduce me again yesterday.

"I see."

"But man,you sure do love to force things don't you?."

"Haha.I'm sorry about that,my friend.You probably tired of it,this attitude of mine."

"Tired huh..."

I kinda remember the words I said to Mishitsu-san before I left her house yesteday.

'You probably tired of me talking nonstop,isn't?'

"Don't worry about it." I continue,trying to forget those things happen yesterday "I'm already used to it."

"Is that so?."

Right after that response,the bell rung.The lunch break already ended so we decided to cut our conversation there and went to our classroom.

We didn't talk any futher while walking together in the hallway.We went back to our own seats and continue our school class.

While listening to the class,I often looked athe window besides me.The sun is very bright.It is not cloudy,so there is no sign of rain.

Whenever I did that,I always remember the bad memory.But quickly remove them in my mind afterwards.

I took a glance in Mishitsu-san.She was just carefully listen to the teacher.Izumi said that she was wearing a worried face but I don't think that was the case anymore.

After a long period of time,the class finally ended.While preparing my things to go home,our hometeacher-Samejima-sensei called me.

"Harakiri-kun.Please don't go home yet and come to my office."

He said and immediately left the classroom.Of course,it was already obvious why he called me again.

I followed him right after hearing that.When I arrived,he offered me to seat in the vacant chair.And after arranging some papers in front of him,he faced me and spoke up.

"I thought you are serious now,Harakiri-kun."

"Serious?For what?."

I tried to be innocent,although I already know what he meant about that.

"Did you already forgot?.You said that you will never be late again after tha last I called you hear."

"Is that so?." I looked away from him and continue. "I kinda stayed all night yesterday,I apologize."

"Same reason huh?.Busy writing your next story?."

"Well something like that."

That's a lie.I didn't wrote anything yesterday.I haven't even started.The real reason is because of that damn memory.

But aside from that,I was also a little bit worried on Mishitsu-san.

"By the way,how about Mishitsu-san?.Did you already talk to her?.She was also late right?."

"Huh?."

"Ah."

We both looked and reacted to each other in suprised.I realized I made a mistake of bringing her name.And Samejima-sensei realized that.

"Of course not.I will only talk to students if they already have five lates in the each. semester.And this was only her first time being late.So there's no need to talk to her."

"Yeah,I forgot about that."

"Hmmm." 

He said while scratching his chin,thinking for a while,then continue.I kinda have a bad feeling about this.

"It was rare for Harakiri-kun to bring up another name aside from his friend,Himura-kun."

"Is that so?."

"Come to think of it,well it's not like I'm trying to gossip to my student's affair and privacy,but I kinda heard from Shiraishi-san that you asked her to draw a cover illustration for you work.Is that true?."

"Yeah.That's right.But who is this Shiraishi-san?."

"What the...Are you serious,Harakiri-kun?."

"I never heard that name."

"She is your classmate.How could you forget that?." he said in somehow suprised and disappointed manner.

"Really?."

"Well,whatever.It's up to you to find out who is she."

"Don't worry.Not that I'm interested to people I didn't even know."

Since Samejima-sensei said "she",obviously this classsmate of mine,which I just become aware of up until now,was a girl.

But that aside,this girl at least know what's going on between me and Mishitsu-san.Although that was not really the case.Maybe I should take back the words I said and investigate this girl a little bit.

"Anyways,if the words I heard from Shirashi-san is true,then that's good to hear.Hmmm.Wait..."

After giving me a satisfaction response,he immediately changed his expression into a serious one.As if he realized something.Then after a while,he spoked up.

"I see.I see.So that's the business huh.I should realized this ealier..."

It seems like he already undestood something and ended up muttering words to himself.Then he looked at me with a slight smile in his face.

"What?." I reacted.

"You can go home now,Harakiri-kun."

"Eh?.Is that all?."

"You looked surprised.Aren't you the type of student who wants to go home early?."

"Well that's true."

"And trim your hair."

"Yeah...."

"Also,this might be that last time I called you here in the teacher's office."

"Eh?.You mean even if I got late again?."

"Even you got late again.Although I think that will not happen again."

"What did you mean?."

"Anyways,just like I said everytime I called you here,if you need help,you can always consult me.As long as it was not related to money.Hahaha."

He didn't answer.Instead,he dodged it by giving me a helpful advice.Which was actually a good thing to hear from a teacher.

Then after that,he turned his face from me and started doing something to the papers he arranged earlier.Maybe he was going back to write again some lessons plans.

Even though I couldn't find the exact reason on the change on his mood,I kinda have a hunch what is it.But compared to Izumi,I felt tha it was a good one,based on his expressions he made just now.So I didn't asked him any further and decided to leave the teacher's room.

"Well then,Samejima-sensei."

"Ah lastly,well this is not about to your tardiness issue anymore.Instead just take it as an another advice,from a teacher and from an adult."

He wrote first a couple of words from the lesson plan notebook and spoke the final words without looking at me.

"Take care of the most important person to you right now and you will become the happiest man in the world."

I opened my eyes a little bit,smiled slightly and finally left the place.

I walked on the hallways and when I'm preparing my bicycle,I saw someone familiar,again.

It was Mishitsu-san.Surely going home.I'm a bit surprised of this coincidence.But she was not alone.She was together with a girl.When I looked carefully,it was the same girl when Mishitsu-san went to the canteen.

Specifically,the time when Izumi asked me for an explanation about me and Mishitsu-san went go home the other day.

Anyways,our eyes met.She looked away immediately.I didn't mind it and rode my bike and went left the school.

I passed them.Nothing special happen.I didn't looked to her.And she probably didn't looked to me either.

Upon arriving at my apartment,I changed my clothes,ate bread with a peanut butter on it spend my time watcing some good stuffs in the internet.When the night comes,I eat my dinner then took a smoke outside.After taking one cigarette,I went back inside and get the small notebook where I wrote the details about the request of Mishitsu-san.

I sat on the small chair and analyzed them.At first,the details she gave me is not enough for me to tell if there's a way for the culprit to enter or escape the crime scene.But after entering her little sister's bedroom and checked the door and window,I immediately confirm that it was definitely a locked-room murder case.There's no way the culprit could enter the her room unless the culprit is a ghost.What's more,she was stabbed.

Meaning,the culprit needs a closer distance to commit the crime.And it just makes things more difficult.If she was just shot by a gun,or a long distance weapon,then I could made some exceptions.

Another thing is that she said all the possible culprit have solid alibi.All the members of the house are not there when the murder happened.An outsider committing the crime is also out of question.There's even no one in her university who could do it.

Anyways,I think more carefully.I analyzed it in a different angle and scenario.And after some time,I finally realized something.

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"This is not good..."

There's no way I could solve or prove that her little sister didn't commit suicide with these small pieces of information.

First of all,did the murder really happen in her bedroom?.What if the culprit killed her in other place,let's say in the living room,to make some  illusion in the murder?

Who is the owner of murder weapon?.I mean the knife?.Is it owned by the culprit or did he/she just get that from the kitchen in the house?.

Did the victim really died in stabbing?.What if the culprit killed her by poisoning and just stabbed her to make some confusion in her cause of death?.

Did the members of her family really have a solid alibi?.Did her bestfriend is really telling the truth?.

There's so many things I need to know.And the way to do that is to asked Mishitsu-san herself,as she better know what happen than me.

But that's the problem.She is avoiding me now.And because of that,I don't think she will talk to me if I approach her.

Anyways,to calm my mind,I decided to smoke again.I put back the smalll notebook in my bag,get the box of cigarette on the top of refrigerator and went outside.

I put one cigar on my mouth,lit it and after taking two to three sips,I remember the words of Izumi:

'I'm just thinking that maybe Mishitsu-san will end up choosing you as her boyfriend.'

Boyfriend heh.Not in a million chance.And I'm not hoping for that to happen

Then I also remember Samejima-sensei words:

'Take care of the most important girl to you right now and you will become the happiest man in the world.'

He was probably pertaining to Mishitsu-san by that.

"But those two sure do love to ship me to her,isn't?."

But that's impossible.I came to believe that both of us have similarities to each other but after that incident happen yesterday,I realized I'm wrong.

She was a talented artist.I'm a failure writer who haven't win any single award.

She was popular in school.I'm not.

She was a beautiful and cute lady.I'm a pathetic smoker and alcoholic young adult.

She also rich.I'm just renting an apartment.

She have a family.I don't have.

She have a bright future.I don't have.Unless I truly become a mystery author someday. Although I think that was unlikely to happen.

The gap between us is very big.And there's no bridge to connect that huge gap.And our encounter was probably just a trap set up by a God.

There's no way I will like her.And there's even no way she will like me.That's all there is to it.Nothing more,nothing less.

After consuming the cigaretter,I stamped it in the ashtry besides me and put it there.Then I went inside the apartment,brushed my teeth and decided to take an early sleep.

I laid in my bed and close my eyes.Fortunately,the bad memory didn't hunt me anymore.However,it was replaced by a strange feeling.

The feeling of wanting to talk to her,for one more time.After a while,I eventually fell asleep.

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