Saihara's POV:

"The problem is I believe you more than your Uncle"

Those words still rang clear in my head even days later as I carried on my school work, I didn't think this work was that important. I mean, the case needed my attention much more than any math assignment but since my father was also homeschooling me there was no getting around those assignments.

At least he was doing his own research on school budgets, so far he found twelve other schools with similar traits to Ouma's. Something told me there was much more, the rabbit hole was opening up...and I was ready to jump in.

But those words that father had said, his doubts about my Uncle...it dwelled in my heart as well. My Uncle, who didn't seem to care about the case enough to fight my father on letting me stay at that town, a man who didn't investigate his own daughter's death when he had several living witnesses to tell him the truth, what had stopped him from the search?

Why wasn't he helping me? He wanted me to be there, he wanted me to discover the truth on my own terms. That I can understand, but for what reasons? How was my cooperation in this case necessary? And if it was, why did he wait so long?

There was also the matter of Ouma and his lack of protection, he should be in some sort of witness protection program or should have been interrogated surrounding the case. I could understand why they didn't when he was still unresponsive but it seems at least from what he told me he was able to communicate through sign language for at least half of that time post the incident.

My uncle knows sign language, and if he thought it would interfere with casework or show bias he could have just hired an interpreter to help then. He had the resources, time, and credibility yet he used none of that. Instead, he gave that case to me.

It hurt thinking of him in this way if the man I had looked up to almost my entire life turned out to not be the person I thought he was...what do I do though?

Ouma's district was still in his jurisdiction, and it's not like I would magically become a hired detective and take control of the area. I haven't even graduated yet, or gone to college to get my necessary degrees or training to become a detective, and I certainly didn't have that much time to wait. Who knows how long I even had till the statute of secrecy ran out on this case, so even if it was brought to life it wouldn't matter. Along with the pressure of each passing day, even more, evidence is being lost to the forces of nature and cover up.

Instead, I needed to convince my Uncle that enough is enough, he can't just stick to the sidelines anymore and he needs to work with me on this case. That's what my father would say, he wouldn't have even waited nearly as long as I have yet...I can't say that to him...no I just don't want to do this.

Maybe I'm a coward as well, for not being able to confront him, knowing I would be shaking and panicking as I did.

I gave up on my assignment as a migraine came on again, I quickly grabbed my phone and checked to see if I had received a response from my Uncle when I asked when I could come back, framing it as a check-up with Ouma...

Unanswered.

Ouma hasn't talked to me since the day I left either...I paused and checked my contacts, Kiibo had stopped talking to me altogether, he usually at least sent one message a day asking if I was fine or talking about Ouma but he too had fallen silent despite my frequent messages.

Maybe...I brushed away the thought, Kiibo was still in the dark, whoever was responsible shouldn't have a reason to hurt him. But there was the brick at my house, someone clearly wanted to stop the knowledge of that day from spreading...someone is in that town who knows. They've been waiting all this time for Ouma to say something, and to silence him. But why just watch from the sidelines...?

They already tried to kill him once, so what's stopping them this time? Especially when the cover-up of suicide was sadly more believable this time than the last. None of this makes sense the more I put it together, and I was fearing my own mind would be brought down by the insanity.

But...I pulled up Harukawa's contact, she also hadn't been responding but that was more typical for her but...I need to know at least someone is still out there for him.

1625

Hows is Ouma and everyone back at school? I'm going to try and visit as soon as I can, I'm sorry I left abruptly but is something wrong?

1625

Kiibo hasn't been responding, and I'm starting to get worried. If I'm overreacting and you're just busy I'm sorry, but I just want to know you are all safe.

1626

Message back when you can, or call, doesn't matter the time I'll be there

That should hopefully help...I sighed as I turned back to my work trying to be productive, but a nagging feeling pulled me to keep looking at my phone. Maybe I'm just being needy, and everything is perfectly fine. Kiibo has a life as well, so he might just be busy or maybe he has animosity towards me for leaving as well...that doesn't sound like him though.

A silent ding noise quickly snapped me out of my thoughts as I quickly opened my phone.

1637

Harukawa: Ouma is fine, something serious came up recently but he's doing ok. I think he misses you though.

I sighed in relief, but a tiny bit curious as to what happened...well if Harukawa didn't think it was big enough to tell me...

But everyone else didn't tell you about the supposed incident for months, even when you were tasked to look after Ouma.

I bit my tongue.

1639

What happened?

1640

Kiibo died.

My heart stopped as I read that message again. And again. And again.

But no matter how many times I read that message the horror didn't stop, the slow-burning realization...Kiibo was the only one who ever told me the truth, even if that truth was a lie, the person who held so much pain and regret in his heart, and the one who believed that the deaths of his classmates were a sign he was never meant to be happy...

Fate had taken his life.

He was innocent, a good person from our brief encounters, he might have been blind on how to deal with Ouma's trauma but he never deserved something like this...

My mind recalled the day Ouma told me the truth and when my window had been broken...when someone attempted to kill me...

My blood ran ice cold as I quickly began typing.

1642

How?

He hoped the desperation came out, it was clearly read as Harukawa seemed to be typing a reply. Yet even after ten minutes, only a simple response came through.

1656

He drowned, Kiibo drowned himself at the bridge. It's been hard on Ouma. His Aunt and Uncle died too, hit and run that night, Ouma is staying with Akamatsu so he's fine for now, he hasn't done anything bad he's just quiet according to Akamatsu. He hasn't cried that much though, I think we're all in shock.

I froze. Kiibo...my mind replayed the memory of when he confessed to me he wanted to forget about Otome. His crippling guilt and despair of being the cause of her death, or believing she despised him so much she would tease him with a confession of feelings the same day she killed herself.

I hadn't had time to think about those feelings, I was preoccupied with finding out the real truth...but now...had that been a cry for help? Did I see the signs and chose to ignore him? What if...

Maybe I could have saved him. I should have saved him, yet instead...I was as blind as everyone else in that class. Blind to the feelings of others for self-preservation or prioritizing those I feared losing more.

I glanced over to the corner of my room till the shine from the object caught my attention. On my dresser was a family photo taken from before this all began, taken a year before Chiasa died. It was in a local park on a bench, Chiasa and I were sitting side by side. She was making a peace sign in that photo while also making a goofy expression, Aunt Jin used to curse how she couldn't find one photo without that for her shrine. I was sitting meanwhile nervous and trying to look presentable for the photo, my mother was sitting next to me her frail body had a shawl on and her shaven head was covered with a knitted hat, one of her last creations before she couldn't knit anymore, she had a peaceful expression. My aunt meanwhile was behind the photo, behind my mother who the photographer caught scolding when she finally noticed Chiasa's expression. My father was next to her with a look of annoyance and exhaustion as he looked to the camera looking ready to have the day be over and done with meanwhile my Uncle...

My Uncle was smiling in that photo, right behind Chiasa.

And I wondered what expression did he wear when Kiibo died, and he had to tell Ouma the person he swore to me he would help in his place that his family was gone.