Saihara's POV:

Three weeks.

That was how long I gave my Uncle to respond to my messages, how long it took till I finally disregarded all notions of hospitality and manners and boarded a train heading directly to the district.

Three weeks since I heard the news of Kiibo's death.

I didn't care anymore, my research and investigation kept leading me back to the same conclusion. How this information could lead even someone with no prior detective training to what truly happened that day to question the order and matter behind that day.

It was low-hanging fruit, and my Uncle chose to ignore it.

He chose to instead hide, hide away from whatever the truth was. The truth may be even Ouma didn't know the entirety of it. That brought me my slight hesitation, that the answers I seek might be so horrifying or cruel I would pray and beg for a lie to take shelter under.

But as tempting as hiding from that truth may be...Ouma had faced the truth. Ouma, who was rumored to be a master of lies didn't tell me a lie of how his friends fell to despair and plunged their hearts to the ocean in seek of an escape.

He didn't shy away from the grim reality that a town hated him for long past actions, he didn't hide his despair, but showed it to anyone who would spare a passing glance.

If he could take a direct hit from such a cruel world, then I would bear that burden with him.

My Father didn't even object when I asked him for a flight back to the city, instead, he just passed me already purchased tickets for a roundabout trip. He already knew what I was planning, and he didn't object only advising which public transportation services to take till I got back to the district along with some money in case things went wrong.

His rare amount of kindness and understanding wasn't even enough to distract me from the case anymore.

I walked down the street trying not to get any attention, occasionally I spotted a glance of a former classmate and would hide in alleys or cover my face with the same black hat I used in my childhood as I approached my Uncle and Aunt home.

The home was once so welcoming, it promised me a sanctuary from the destruction and wrath of a father who was never satisfied, a chance to finally escape the constant pressures of being the heir to the agency.

Now the house was cold and imposing as all its once pristine features became muddled. The plants outside the house looked dead and decayed, and the paint dull and lifeless. The very things I wished for long ago might have been my undoing had I stayed.

Maybe I too would have hidden away even longer from the truth.

Instead, I knocked on the door and waited.

The door opened, and behind it was my aunt. Her long dark red hair was messy and she was wearing her bathrobe with a coffee in hand as she looked at me surprised.

"Shuichi? What the hell are you doing here this early?" She asked, "it's twelve" I corrected, "yeah too fucking early, looking for your Uncle?" She asked. I was surprised she didn't question how or why I even flew here but I guess she had decided to just run with the flow of life now.

"Yeah, is he here?" I asked deciding, wisely, not to question my aunt's sleeping patterns. "Yeah lazy son of a bitch is upstairs...he got a bit worked up when your father took you away" she admitted.

"He's not treating you bad still is he?" She asked with genuine concern, "no, thankfully, he and I have been getting along actually" I told her with slight excitement.

"Huh, well I'm happy for you then," she told me as she allowed me inside, as she pointed me in the direction of my Uncle's home office upstairs.

I headed up the stairs as I opened the door to his office, I didn't care what he was doing I needed answers NOW.

He was slumped over at his desk, he barely registered my arrival as...he held a picture in his hand of Chiasa. She looked about seven in the photo and she was smiling with a toothy grin of pride at a piano, my Uncle had her on his lap as she seemed to try and play in vain.

I wish I could hear those strained notes again.

"Uncle" I greeted calmly. "What are you doing here?" He accused. "You know why, answers," I told him as I maintained a calm voice but neutral expression.

"Your father is already demanding answers,  you should know I already gave you all I knew, so just leave," he said dismissively with a short flick of his hand.

I took another step forward.

"I won't, I can't and I shouldn't," I told him, causing visible annoyance in my Uncle's eyes, that tore into my soul daring me to take another step or utter another word. "How long? How long did you know Uncle? About the truth. Why bring me here at all if you didn't want the truth to be revealed? Why?" I asked frustrated.

"I was naive, I never should have brought you here. This place wasn't meant for you, go home and forget about this" he said simply, "Uncle, tell me! I'm not a child, I have the right to know about this!" I insisted, but my Uncle only looked down his grip on his desk tighter.

"No Shuichi, I won't jeopardize you any further, leave and forget all of this. You can still have a normal life, trust me when I say some things are better left forgotten. You won't be helping anyone by digging into this, instead, you'll only get yourself and others in danger" he ordered but I held firm.

"You want me to forget? Do you want me to forget how my cousin was murdered? And how despite her family belonging to world-renowned detectives her killer is still free? How could I? How could you ask that of me?! How could you do that to her?!" I accused finally letting out my frustrations, as his face came to my mind.

"How could you do that to Ouma? Where were you all those years? What did you do when he was beaten and harassed by people? How could you just stand there and do nothing! Why is it only now that you agreed to give him therapy, why is it that I had to find out his cousin died from his friend and not YOU? When you had promised me you would look after him? Why? Tell me!" I demanded once, a surge of fury in my voice as I balled my fists to contain my anger.

My Uncle didn't seem fazed, as he sighed.

"I did it so I would have a nephew still at the end of the day. Even if you hated me for it, I couldn't let myself cope with the idea of losing you Shuichi. You're not blameless as well, the broken window? The sudden change in your Aunt's demeanor? Have you considered what dangers the two of you are in now that you know?

"I've already lost two of the people I loved that day Shuichi, don't make me lose another" My Uncle reasoned, his tone growing softer as I took deep breaths trying to calm down. "So you would rather the two of us live a lie? And that you suffer alone with the truth till the end?" I asked trying not to sound spiteful.

"Yes, yes I would. In time you will come to understand the choices I made Shuichi, Ouma will as well I imagine. He's safe now" he assured me. His words sent ice down my spine.

"What do you mean?" I quickly asked panic rising within me, my Uncle had a brief look of conflict, "Ouma doesn't live in this district anymore, did his friend not tell you?" He asked. "What do you mean he doesn't...where is he then?" I asked as I felt stupid.

Ouma lost all of his guardians, I should have considered what that would have meant for him as a minor. I was naive thinking Ouma would just be waiting here for me to return all this time, a stupid naive little fool.

"I let him go, I let him go home" my Uncle answered, his vagueness only led to my spite. "What do you mean you let him go?" I asked concerned, my Uncle's eyes met mine.

"Ouma is safe now," he said simply, "what do you mean? Where is he?" I quickly questioned, fear lacing through my body, "he's fine, he's in the custody of his grandmother" he assured me as I paused. "He didn't even mention he had a grandmother" I blurted out loud.

"I don't think he knew he had one either" My uncle admitted some slight hesitance in his response, "...and you still let him go? Did you ever run a background check on her? Uncle...Uncle, you promised me you would protect him...that you would help him when I was gone...did you even bother?" I asked.

My Uncle didn't meet my eye, he instead shifted his focus down to the floor. That was enough of an answer for me. He didn't do anything, maybe in his eyes, this was all he could do to avoid suspicion as I laughed bitterly.

"You're a coward," I told him as I finally turned around and left him there in the room.

"It was better this way" my uncle insisted, I froze in my tracks, "better for you?" I countered as I left the house without another word, there weren't any calls to stay as my heart screamed at me for being too late, because...

Now I didn't have a chance to see him at all.

It's better this way...I clung to my chest as I recalled those words, as I realized my own uselessness.