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[We both reached for the gun] - [Christine Baranski]

In the dimly lit interrogation room, the atmosphere was suffocating. Vienna sat across from the officers, her eyes reflecting a mix of defiance and weariness. The silence between them lingered, thick and heavy, as if both sides were waiting for the other to break first.

Shotaro studied her carefully. The strain on her face was palpable, and despite her attempts to appear calm, there was a tension in her body that gave her away. She was always like this—guarded, stubbornly refusing to let anyone in.

The lawyer seated next to her shuffled some papers, glancing between the officers and Vienna. It wasn't the first time they had her here, and it certainly wasn't the first time she had stonewalled them.

She had refused to give contact details for any family members, recoiled at the mention of her teachers, and made it clear she trusted no one from school.

Shotaro had made sure not to inform anyone from the school about this second interrogation, knowing it would only make her more closed off.

The only person present besides the officers was the same female lawyer who had been there during the first round of questioning, offering a faint semblance of familiarity.

Breaking the silence, Shotaro leaned forward, his voice calm but direct. "Do you know why we brought you in today, Vienna?"

Vienna shook her head firmly, her ponytail swaying slightly. The ends brushed against the collar of her uniform, a small, almost insignificant movement amidst the tension.

"I don't know," she said, her tone unyielding.

"We've recently uncovered a video," Senior Yang began, his voice steady but heavy with implication. "It shows everything that Hana and her friends did to you the day before she went missing." His gaze remained locked on Vienna, waiting for any flicker of reaction. "I'm going to ask you again—did you really forget what they put you through?"

Vienna's eyes, sharp and unwavering, cut straight to Senior Yang. Her voice, calm but laced with something far deeper, replied, "Do you wish for me to remember?"

For a brief moment, Senior Yang faltered, the weight of her words silencing him. He quickly recovered, though not without a hint of discomfort.

"Why did you hide it from us?"

"Do you really want me to recount it all? Every blow, every word? How weak or strong they were? The exact order in which they tormented me?"

The room fell into an uncomfortable silence, as heavy as the truth that lingered unsaid. Vienna's pale skin seemed to glow under the harsh lights, her eyes dark and unreadable. Her uniform was immaculate, pristine, and yet she seemed cold, detached, like something inside her had already been stripped away.

Shotaro knew the girl before him was no longer the Vienna of the past. She had changed, hardened by what she had endured.

"The people in that video—whether male or female—each of them will be arrested and punished."

But his words, though intended as reassurance, fell flat. Vienna's expression remained unreadable, unmoved by the promise of justice. The officers stared back at her, and the weight of their silence only added to the futility of it all.

"Why didn't you report it?" Shotaro asked, his voice softer now, though the question carried just as much weight.

Vienna exhaled, not with frustration but with a resignation that chilled the room. "Maybe I didn't want those videos to become evidence. To be picked apart, frame by frame, by people like you." Her eyes flickered over the officers, daring them to meet her gaze. "Or maybe..." She looked each of them in the eye, unwavering. "I didn't want to see the pity in your faces, the same looks you're giving me right now."

A female officer, unable to hold Vienna's gaze any longer, lowered her eyes to the floor.

Vienna wasn't done. "Or maybe," she continued, her voice colder now, "I knew that even if I had gone to the police, it wouldn't have made a difference. Nothing you could've done would've protected me."

"Having gone through such horrible pain and suffering, do you harbor any hatred for Hana?" Senior Yang's voice was steady, probing.

Vienna paused, her gaze distant. "I don't know."

He raised an eyebrow, not entirely expecting the response. "Why would you say that you don't know?"

"It seems pointless to hate someone who's already dead."

Her answer was eerily similar to what she had said before. It was hard to tell if Vienna's calm exterior was a result of her repressing the trauma, or if Hana's death had truly freed her from the bitterness she once held.

"Do you know Riki?" Shotaro asked, shifting the conversation.

"No."

"Then why did he choose to protect you?"

"I don't know," Vienna replied, her voice clipped and cold, as if she had rehearsed this indifference.

"In order to give you time to finish your exams, he provided us with key information that we hadn't uncovered yet. What do you think is a reasonable explanation for that?"

"I don't know."

Her answers were the same, delivered without emotion, each "I don't know" more detached than the last. The officers exchanged uneasy glances, realizing that Vienna's walls were impenetrable. She refused to give them anything more.

When questioned about Ni-ki's possible romantic feelings for her, Vienna's response was consistently indifferent.

"I don't know."

Senior Yang's patience wore thin. "You claim ignorance, but this is difficult to believe."

Vienna's tone remained unyielding. "Why would I have insight into Riki's personal thoughts? How could I possibly understand his motivations?"

Meanwhile, in Ni-ki's interrogation room, the officers struggled to make headway.

"Do you have any romantic feelings for Vienna?" they asked.

"I don't have any romantic feelings for her."

"You provided us with crucial evidence—evidence that was previously undiscovered—to ensure Vienna could take her graduation exams. What was your motivation for this?"

Ni-ki's reply was blunt. "I was bored. The idea popped into my head, so I acted on it."

The back-and-forth questioning produced no new insights, leaving the officers grappling with unanswered questions and growing frustration.

Aside from Shotaro, the rest of the police officers were inclined to accept both Vienna's and Ni-ki's accounts as truth.

The female officer tried to convince Shotaro, "But Riki knows the location of a victim's body that hasn't been reported yet. He even killed his friend to conceal his own identity!"

"I understand," Shotaro replied, his gaze locked on the two figures behind the transparent glass walls of their interrogation rooms. "But consider this—what if he killed his friend precisely to establish his own identity as the Raincoat Man?"

Shotaro's finger pointed sharply towards Ni-ki's room, his face etched with a mix of frustration and determination. The implication of his words hung heavily in the air, casting a shadow of doubt over the straightforward testimonies of both suspects.

Shotaro stormed into Vienna's interrogation room as she was about to leave, having just signed the transcript of her interrogation.

Without a word, he snatched the transcript and the ballpoint pen from her hands, yanking her up from her seat with surprising force, as though she were a delicate, helpless bird. He dragged Vienna swiftly out of the room, determination etched on his face.

Then he stormed into Ni-ki's interrogation room, the door crashing open with a jarring bang.

He shoved Vienna inside with such force that she collided with the wall, her hair falling into disarray.

Their eyes met briefly, a silent and intense exchange that spoke volumes.

Without allowing any time for words or reactions, Shotaro dragged Vienna out of the room and slammed the door shut behind them, the sound echoing sharply through the hallway.

The sudden, jarring separation cut off any further connection between Vienna and Ni-ki.

In that fleeting moment of unspoken communication, it was clear: Love, no matter how carefully guarded, always reveals itself. Even the tightest-lipped silence cannot hide the truth that lingers in the gaze.

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do u guys think shotaro is onto smth or hes just bluffing