image [https://i.imgur.com/5j6lTY9.jpg]
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When Deshya returns home, she tells both her parents about what she did after her father left. She explains everything in detail with an air of pride and Gatito frowns at the end of her story. He thinks about it while his mother claps softly.
- I wouldn't have thought of it," admits Pera, Deshya's mother.
- ... Hmmm…
Her father, however, does not seem convinced. Deshya pouts after swallowing a piece of baguette.
- Mooooh, you don't believe me?!" she asks.
- ... I don't know. It's far-fetched, but I guess it's not
impossible.
He dips his bread in the pumpkin soup that Pera has cooked and crunches the piece of baguette noisily. Deshya's mother imitates her daughter in her expression and stares at her husband
- You have to believe your daughter!" she said.
- A-Ah, you're not going to start!
- You see, Mom knows who to trust.
Gatito swallows the piece of bread and sighs heavily. He waves the baguette in his hand in front of Deshya.
- And tell me, how are you going to prove that it's this person and that they did it this way, huh?" he asks.
He puts his meal on the table, along with an elbow.
- If your theory is correct, tomorrow, when we go with the police, there will be no evidence and we won't be able to confirm that it was her," he admits.
Deshya answers nothing, having stopped pouting. Gatito squints.
- Even if another officer was with you and his judgment can be trusted, there is no evidence that it was her, or that it had anything to do with the effort, no matter how strange.
- H-Honey...
Gatito turns to his wife, Pera.
- I don't want to sound mean or harsh with Deshya, she just needs to understand that we are dealing with a real crime! Even if Mary, the number one suspect, continues to say it wasn't her, we've had criminals continue to say it wasn't them for weeks, even months, and yet we had plenty of evidence and even witnesses!!!
- I know, but…
Pera looks down, but Deshya chuckles. Her two parents look at her and Gatito frowns.
- Is it really that funny?" he asks, beginning to feel the
anger pounding in his heart.
Deshya shakes her head and bites into her chopstick, not even dipping it into the soup waiting in the beautiful bowl right in front of her.
- It's not fun and I'm sure I can't do half your work…
Deshya chews and chews silently, without finishing her sentence, but when she swallows the fresh piece of bread, she smiles and her gaze is set straight into her father's.
- But I am Deshya Oveja, a genius.
CHAPTER 4
⎾Fox-Eared Detective⏌
August 31, 2022: the last day of August of this year. The bells announcing the start of classes ring out, but on this beautiful Wednesday, the second day of school for this new school year, there are no actual classes: they will receive information about the upcoming ones, their final schedules, and will be able to choose which extra — or elective — classes the students will take. At least one of them is mandatory, which makes the term 'elective' a bit strange for some, but Deshya finds it totally normal. She looks at the sheet of paper where she is to write down what she wants to choose, and Amora, her best friend for years, approaches her with a big smile.
- Are you going to choose like last year?!" she asks.
Deshya scratches her hair and turns her face towards Amora.
- I took 'Psychology' and 'Spanish' last year... However, if I take 'Psychology' this year, it means that on Wednesdays, I have to come back to school between 2:35 and 3:25 pm..." says Deshya.
- Plus, you won't have two hours of lunch time on Wednesdays and Fridays!" drops Amora with a big smile.
Deshya sighs and places the sheet on her table.
- Raaah, I want to take 'Psychology' too, but the schedules aren't amazing, raaah!" laments Deshya.
- Spanish 2, will you take?
A dark-haired boy approaches the two friends and smiles.
- Sorry, sorry, my name is 'Raiji Harmony', I couldn't help overhearing your discussion, ahah…
He scratches the back of his head with a shy smile and Amora greets him with both hands, waving them with great energy.
- Hi, Raiji!
- Hey, Amora!
He greets her in the same way and this makes Deshya giggle: they seem to hold a rather similar energy. She ends up agreeing.
- ‘Spanish 4' means that I have to come back to school at 5:05 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays I stay an hour longer than planned..." she explains.
Raiji crosses his arms and nods.
- I do want to take 'Math 6', but then I finish a little later on Wednesday and come back at 5:05 on Thursday... Ew.
Raiji sighs heavily and sits on the bench behind him; his own. Deshya shakes his head and sighs in turn.
- I'll see what I'm going to do... What about you, Amora?" she asks.
- I'll just take 'Psychology'!" she admits.
- Even if it's annoying that we have to come back to school a little later on Wednesdays, it's 'Rinno' who presents the classes and from what I hear, he's a great teacher!
- Eeeh, is that right, Raiji?
He nods energetically. Deshya looks at her paper and finally decides.
- I'll just take 'Psycho' then, I'll study Spanish on my own…
- Raaah, take 'Spanish' too!!!
Another girl comes along and screams suddenly, which makes Deshya and Amora startled. The latter trips over her own bag and falls to the floor, knocking over Raiji's desk — as well as Raiji himself. Deshya looks at the long white-haired girl who has a darker look on their end and blinks, shaking from the pain in her ears.
- Don't yell like that, Shell!" yells a girl on the other side of the classroom.
- But I want to be in the 'Spanish' option with Deshyaaaa!!!
When she shouts these words, the whole class turns to the fox-eared girl and she blinks again, one eye having a spasm,
- E-Eh?
And now all the students are running around her desk.
- Are you going to the Spanish option?! Me too!
- Now that you mention it, I would love to speak Spanish!
- Mi habla el espania very bueno!!!
Deshya sighs heavily and bangs her head gently against the bench, but when she notes on her paper that she is also going to the 'Spanish 2' option, everyone starts writing in turn.
When their holder comes to pick up their papers, he reads them on his desk and frowns. He starts reading them in a hurry one after the other and smashes them against the desk with violence.
- Why did everyone in the class choose 'Spanish 2'?!" he exclaims.
Deshya sighs again and lays her head against the table, already exhausted.
The rest of the day continues with more tranquility and Deshya is allowed to breathe when she sets foot outside the school. Amora will meet a friend this afternoon, so she does not return to Deshya's side — In short, she won't have to put up with his endless energy. Of course, she loves Amora and they get along very well, but sometimes even Deshya needs some peace and quiet.
Nevertheless, this 31st of August is going to end on a rather... exciting evening.
- ... He.
She thinks about what will happen tonight and shows her teeth to the sun that still shines in the sky.
She can't wait to see how it goes... Especially since she was able to talk with the gym teacher. She puts her hands in her pockets and smiles.
- You won't be able to escape me from now on.
When she gets home, Deshya notices a piece of chocolate cake waiting for her in front of her chair, on a beautiful plate. She looks over to her mother who is sitting on the sofa, also eating a piece of the same cake.
- Did you make a snack, mom?" asks Deshya as she goes to sit down.
Pera swallows what she has in her mouth and turns her head a little towards her daughter, without stopping to watch the police series that is on television.
- No, your dad went to buy a cake !
- Dad...?
- He said you'd get a second slice if you were right, tonight!!!
Deshya stands in awe and admires the piece of cake in front of her. She finally smiles and grabs the fork waiting for her next to the plate.
- Can't wait to eat a second slice when we get home, then~ !
She puts the fork in her mouth and smiles, the taste of this cake even sweeter than usual.
And time passes.
It is now 7:55 pm and a policeman rings the doorbell. He moves back a step. It takes only three short seconds before a young woman comes to open the door.
- Oh, there you are.
A towel on the hair, Koinu, the big sister of Kyria, welcomes the 'guests'. The policeman named Gatito approves politely.
- We are here about your father's case.
- Your daughter told us about it last night. Kyria just went to the shower, but it will be quick. Is that okay?
Gatito nods again and Koinu stands to the side, letting the policemen pass. She notices that Sammy, as well as the one who had stayed with Kyria and herself in the dining room, are all there. Two other policemen accompany them and last, the one who shows up is—
- Hi!" said Deshya with a small smile.
- Hey.
The girl with the fox sweater. She is still dressed in the same clothes and the same fluffy tail hanging from her back. Koinu closes the door and dries her hair.
- Does she plan to remove her fox tail one day or what...?" she wonders.
Deshya walks into the kitchen and notices that everything has already been put away and cleaned up. Even though the destroyed blender is still on the worktop, next to the microwave badly damaged, Deshya would not have believed that an explosion had sounded here if it had only come today. One of the police officers opens the door to the dining room and Sammy looks back at Koinu.
- Is it okay if we interview you here?" he asks.
- Sure. I'll go upstairs and come with Kyria when she's done showering.
- Thank you very much.
Koinu closes the kitchen door slightly and climbs the stairs. Deshya looks at her father and asks him when she will arrive. Gatito puts his coat on the chair where he is going to sit and answers his daughter.
- The police car she's in is a little late, but they should be here any minute. You can just go and open them already and wait for them.
- All right!
Gatito sits and watches his daughter run around the kitchen in a good mood. This makes Sammy smile as he lands right next to Gatito.
- She's excited about solving her first case, it seems..." he notes.
Gatito turns his face towards him and crosses his arms, putting them on his belly.
- Hmph. We don't know if she's right yet.
- She told me that she will have proof for sure and her theory is not stupid, especially with what she saw…
A policeman walks up to them and shows a camera he has in his hand.
- I took pictures of what we both observed on the walls, so even though they were removed..." he tells them.
Gatito doesn't answer anything, not wanting to get ahead too quickly on the truth of this case. In any case, they will soon find out if Deshya is right or if these are just coincidences, fantasies created in the head of a young girl who thinks she is a detective. Even though he fully understands the theory she proposed and everything seems to be intersecting well, he can't just blindly believe it.
Koinu waits patiently at the top of the stairs, in front of the bathroom. Kyria finally comes out, her hair now dry.
- Sorry, here I am!" she said with a smile that looked just like her.
Koinu gets up and explains to her that the police are already waiting downstairs. Kyria seems bothered, but she just nods and follows her older sister silently. Their father's death is still on their minds: it happened only a day ago, after all... How can they not think about it? Their mother, Mary, is the culprit in the case and has been taken to the police station — probably in jail by now. Kyria has just come back to school after a great summer vacation, so she still can't believe that this just happened... Koinu is also shocked by the situation. While a few days ago, the house was full of life with their two parents, now, they are only two, including their uncle who should come to take care of them from tomorrow. They both arrive at the bottom of the stairs and Koinu opens the kitchen door. She looks at the destroyed oven, unable to help herself, and looks down. Such a drama here... Kyria doesn't observe her, fleeing from her gaze, and Koinu puts her hand on the door handle. She opens it and the two girls see all the policemen — including Deshya — waiting for them, but another person is in the dining room.
This person—
- You?!" shouts Koinu.
Kyria sees her and takes a step back, shocked.
- M-Mom?!
Mary sits right next to Deshya, looking at her daughters with a saddened look on her face.
Koinu enters the room and frowns, turning his face to all the policemen.
- What does that mean?!" she asks furiously.
- Come on, come on, sit down~!" says Deshya with an almost amused smile.
Koinu lets out an annoyed 'Tsk' and Kyria closes the door behind her, starting to sweat.
- D-Deshya, what does that mean...?" she asks, uncomfortable.
- About what?
- M-Mom is—
- We'll explain. Please take a seat.
It is Sammy who answers her. Kyria complies, not having much choice, and sits down right next to Koinu, close to Gatito and the policeman who had stayed with them yesterday. Noticing that everyone is there, Deshya's father clears his throat and puts both hands on the table.
- As you know, yesterday, August 30, 2022, at 4:32 p.m., an explosion sounded in your kitchen and killed Miro Blushark, husband of Mary Office and father of Koinu and Kyria Blushark.
He turns to the woman.
- The conclusion we have deduced is that it was his wife who killed him by placing a bomb in the oven after using the kitchen and then when her husband came back and prepared a special homemade cake for Kyria's first day of school.
- The whole family knew it..." let go of Kyria, not hiding her worries on the expression on her face.
- We know that," Sammy replied. Mary explained the situation.
- I see…
Gatito continues.
- We were sure of ourselves... but that is no longer the case.
- !!!
- ?!
- H-Huh?
Kyria blinks, surprised, while Koinu frowns. Even Mary opens her eyes wide in surprise.
- I-I'm not a suspect anymore...?" she asks.
Koinu turns to her mother, shocked.
- Even mom doesn't know...?!
The eldest Blushark daughter notices Deshya's smirk and frowns. Is this all about her...? She clenches her fists and quickly turns to Gatito.
- Is it because of your daughter?!" she shouts.
- From Deshya...?" asks Kyria, looking at her sister.
- Yeah, you know, yesterday she stayed longer with the two cops! What's the story?!
It is clear that Koinu is upset, but she is also upset and shows some confusion. Kyria holds both hands, feeling the same emotions.
- But she told us—
- I lied.
Before Kyria can finish her sentence, Deshya speaks. The three remaining Blushark family members turn to the girl in the fox sweater and she crosses her legs
- Yesterday I found out how the murder was really committed. Also who is the real culprit.
- !!!!
- ?!!!
- ??!
All three do not hide their great surprise. Gatito clears his throat and sighs.
- It's like my daughter said.
- S... She's not a policewoman, though?!" shouts Mary, shocked.
- She's right!" said Koinu.
- …
Kyria remains silent, sending sharp glances towards the 'leader' of the Fox Incorporated at her school. The red-haired policeman listens silently to the complaints of the two women. The policemen around do not reply; even Sammy does not speak. Noticing the lack of reaction from the men, Mary is silent and Koinu imitates her. The silence reigning again in the dining room, Gatito breaks it with a low voice.
- You're absolutely right, but we can't ignore her testimony, her judgment and her theory," he replies curtly.
- Her theory ?
Kyria and Koinu turn their gaze to Deshya who nods, still sitting on her chair, next to the so-called 'culprit'.
- Am I allowed to say it myself or do you want to, Dad?" she asks.
Gatito looks at his daughter for a long time and can't help noticing that her smile is no longer on her face. She was so amused when she explained everything to him in front of her mother and so happy to be able to offer the truth to everyone... He knows that his daughter is very intelligent — even more than him — and that she deserves her title of 'genius' at school, but that she is involved in police matters…
- …
Of course, it is not as if he himself invited her there: it is by coincidence that the murder was committed when she was passing by. If the circumstances had been a little different, Deshya would never have been invited to the Blushark house. Never. Gatito closes his eyes and crosses his arms.
- …
His daughter has changed a lot over the years. He still remembers the way she used to jump in the grass when she was 10 years old or how cute she was when she was playing in the snow... Well, she's still the same, but what has changed in her is one thing in particular.
Her innocence.
She couldn't look at a dead body without wanting to throw up. She was traumatized by murders, and even though she was always smart, much smarter than the kids her age around her, she didn't like criminal cases. She might read Agatha Christie, Mary Higgins Clark or even Arthur Conan Doyle, but seeing a dead person in person? She just couldn't.
And now she is almost amused to solve a real murder.
Even though she is still Deshya, his daughter with the big smile, he can't help but notice the change in her. Sure, she's growing up and has a lot more experience with time, but he knows something that only his wife, who is therefore Deshya's mother, knows.
Her change was sudden, right after her 5 month disappearance.
- ... You can.
Gatito crosses his arms and nods, letting her speak. Deshya thanks him inwardly and turns to the two daughters of Mary and Miro.
- So let me tell you the truth behind the murder of Miro Blushark, your father who died because of a bomb.
- We already know that!" shouts Koinu.
She stands up suddenly and one of the policemen grabs both her shoulders, trying to calm her down.
- You're just a girl my sister's age, what are you—
- I'm not just a girl.
- ... Huh?
Deshya stands up in turn, more calmly, and frowns at Koinu.
However, she does not answer anything else.
She walks behind Mary and puts both hands on her chair.
- Your mother is not the culprit. It was not her who killed her husband, the man she loves so much," Deshya says.
Koinu grinds his teeth.
- So who is it?! Did you find a man or a woman who could have done it?! I thought it was impossible!
- This is impossible if the bomb that exploded really came from the oven.
- !!!
Koinu is forced to sit down by one of the policemen and Kyria grabs her sister's hand. Koinu is speechless, while Kyria clenches her teeth, worried.
- What do you mean...?" asks Kyria.
Deshya stares intently at them, a not very happy expression on her face.
- What if the bomb was in your blender?
- ?!!!
- !!!!
Kyria and Koinu open their eyes wide, while some of the policemen, who are not aware of Deshya's theory, turn to her, shocked. Gatito closes her eyes and lets out a short sigh while Mary turns her head, looking at the girl who is just behind her.
- The bender?! But it doesn't work!
- That's not all, is it?
- Not… all?
Deshya begins to turn slowly around the table, her hands again in her pockets.
- The blender didn't work, so there was no risk of you using it, Mary. If someone was trying to murder your husband, they wouldn't be afraid that you would activate it and detonate the real bomb inside.
- But then, o-our father wouldn't activate it either?! That's stupid!" shouts Koinu.
- No need to activate it.
- H-Huh?
Deshya continued walking and reached her father's level.
- Your mixer was right above the oven and although it was close enough to your wall, if the bomb was powerful enough, it would kill your father. Also, even though he was far enough away from the work surface, the glass fragments would still hurt him.
- But he wouldn't be dead...?
Deshya nods.
- The culprit... was counting on luck.
- Luck?!
- ... R-Ridicule…
Koinu crosses her arms, unconvinced. Kyria is shocked to hear all this, while Mary walks slowly towards the table.
- But why the blender?" she asks.
Deshya continues to walk around the table, hands in her pockets and fox tail trailing behind her.
- When I looked at the blender, I noticed something on the glasses.
- What is it?" asks one of the policemen.
- Well, how dirty was the mixer.
- !!
- Y-You mean...!
Deshya nods.
- I'm surprised no one pointed this out to me, but if a bomb was put in the blender, wouldn't it show up right away? Even if it was Mary who put it in there after cooking, her husband had been there for a while, hadn't he?
- Dad didn't expect this, so—
- I'd be okay if he wasn't paying attention for a minute or two, but even that seems implausible.
Kyria is cut off by Deshya who continues to give her explanations. She stops next to the chair where she was sitting before and looks at Mary, the victim's wife.
- Can you confirm that the mixer was really dirty?
- It hasn't been washed in a long time and we were going to throw it away after we got another one..." confirms Mary.
- In short, the bomb could not have been visible behind the filthy glass.
- But why the blender?" asks again Koinu.
The policemen are asking the same question. Deshya sits down again and gently shakes her hair.
- After Mary was arrested, I took one last look at the corpse because I thought it was sad to be killed by your own wife and that's when I realized what was bothering me so much.
Deshya crosses her legs.
- From the moment I observed the kitchen, a certain detail — no, two details — stuck in my throat. It was while observing Miro Blushark's face that I realized.
Koinu frowns.
- What's that...?
Deshya takes her hands out of her pockets and puts two things on the table. Everyone — except Gatito — bends down to see, and there—
- ... I-It’s!!!
Deshya nods as she sees the surprised look on the faces of almost everyone in the room.
- Exactly.
She grabs one of the two pieces and shows it to everyone.
- There were many more pieces of glass from the mixer than from the oven.
The policemen look at each other, while Kyria and Koinu start to tremble. Mary's mouth is wide open: she is confused.
- W-What does that mean...?" she asks, incomprehension in her eyes.
Deshya puts the piece of glass on the table and puts her hands back in the pockets of her sweater.
- If our theory was right, then he was crouching in front of the oven, opened it and it blew up in his face. However, in the face of the deceased, it was mostly pieces from the blender that were in his face and some in his body.
- Most of the glass from the furnace was mostly on the floor and didn't really penetrate his skin," Sammy adds.
- This is illogical if the bomb that exploded was really in the oven. Briefly—
- B-But... does this really mean that the blender exploded?" asks Kyria.
Deshya turns her face towards the girl with blond hair.
- The mixer was in a terrible state, blown up in all directions. Moreover, the wall behind and next to it was in a bad state and showed signs of explosion.
- How could you not have noticed it before?" asks Koinu, her eyes squinting.
- The fire spread throughout the room and it wasn't that noticeable, although I admit I was silly. I had noticed that the microwave next door had taken a lot of damage and the blender was unnaturally destroyed.
- What was the other detail that stuck in your throat, madam?" asks one of the police officers.
- To be called "madam" by policemen is strange, but pleasant!" thinks Deshya with an internal smile.
She rests her back comfortably against the back of her chair and calmly answers:
- The oven door.
- The oven door...?" repeats Mary, confused.
- Two things: first, the oven door was not lowered enough. In short, if the explosion really came from the oven itself, it would have been in a different position, or even torn out of the oven. However, what really disturbed me was to see that there were still pieces of the glass on the bottom of the oven door.
She shakes her head.
- If the explosion really came from the oven, I don't accept that the glass would not be completely destroyed. Even if the explosion wasn't as violent as that, I just don't accept it.
- This is not evidence!" shouts Koinu.
She points at her mother through gritted teeth.
- Nothing proves that the blender exploded! And then, how, even ?
As she yells at Deshya, music begins to sound. Koinu and Kyria turn their heads to find out where it is coming from.
- A music...?" asks Kyria, disturbed.
Deshya smiles and takes something out of her pocket: her phone. Koinu frowns.
- Are you playing with us?
- You can think whatever you want about me, I'm not looking for fun at a crime scene, especially when the criminal killed her own father and made her mother look guilty.
Koinu feels a chill. Deshya's gaze has suddenly changed and anger — even rage — is now present. Her fist crushes the phone in her hand while her gritted teeth prove that the words she said are to be taken literally.
serious. Mary blinks and, with tremors, turns her gaze to Deshya.
- W-Wait…
Deshya doesn't move, her eyes still fixed on Mary's two daughters.
- W-What did you just say...?
Deshya sighs and, with a saddened look, replies:
- The real culprit of your husband's death... is one of your two daughters.
- W-What?!
- …
- !!
Mary shakes her head with a terrified expression.
- I-It's not true, is it? Are you lying? She turns to the red-haired policeman.
- Your daughter—
- If her theory is right, then she is right.
And then, a crashing noise resounds on the table. The policemen, including Mary and Deshya, turn to the woman who has just violently hit both fists against the table.
Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.
- ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!!
Her scream echoes in the room. She shakes her head furiously, her hair flying in all directions.
- You are policemen and you let this KIDDO talk to us in this tone, you let her say... bullshit and even... and even—
- Be quiet.
She opens her eyes wide and pulls her head back. Gatito frowns, watching Koinu with both arms crossed.
- Sit down and shut up.
- … I-It's a joke, right?
She slams her fist on the table again and turns to Deshya with an angry expression.
- If it's one of us, then tell us how?!!! We weren't even here and what, you're going to tell us we remote-detonated the bomb?!
- Yes and no
- !!! You're f—
- SIT DOWN !
Gatito screams in such a deep voice that Sammy jumps up beside him. Deshya squints one eye because of the pain in her ears, while Koinu starts to shake. Kyria squeezes her sister's hand tightly and shakes her head. Koinu chatters her teeth before sighing and sits back down in her chair. Deshya sighs and looks at the table in front of her.
- I wouldn't have understood the method used if I hadn't looked a little further than my nose, but the kitchen is only part of the puzzle," she begins to explain.
- What do you mean?" asks Mary, trembling.
- I'm sure you didn't notice, but the mechanism to kill your husband was right in front of you. Not only was the bomb in the blender... but in reality, the wire of death was next to you and under your feet.
- !!!
Mary opens her eyes wide, her mouth open and trembling. Sammy gently waves his hands.
- I-it's not your fault, ma'am!" he said.
Noticing that she was a bit too direct, Deshya tries to make up for it by telling her that she could never have seen him. Mary swallows loudly.
- What do you mean?
Deshya crosses her legs and explains herself.
- The can put in the blender is hung with sticky paper or anything that can hold it on its inner surface so that the mechanism can work. Then the person winds a piece of thin, but strong wire and ties it to a certain place.
Everyone listens carefully. She nods and watches as a certain policeman nods back and places something on the table before returning to his seat. Mary and her two daughters look at what has been put on the tablecloth.
Deshya continues her explanation.
- It is thanks to this that the culprit was able to do the method that I will explain.
- This is…
- …
Mary squints.
- A staple?
Deshya says that this is the case.
- With the police officer who just put it on the table, we found some... in some very special places.
- W-Where?" asks Koinu.
- The first one seems to have been... stapled into the kitchen wall, near the door. Then another one in the wall of the main hallway. And yet another one on the floor.
- In the ground…
Deshya rests her head against her own fist, elbow on the table.
- Following this path of staples, we finally arrived at a certain room.
- …
The silence reigns now in the dining room. Everyone is waiting for Deshya to finish her explanation. Although some people understand where the girl is going with this, a question arises in the minds of those who do not yet know the truth: how was the bomb activated?
- If it was Mary who pulled the wire from her room, it would have been understandable, but Gatito's daughter says that it was one of the two daughters of the killer... So how?" wonders one of the policemen.
Deshya notices that everyone is thinking and sees that the culprit seems to be feeling less and less confident. Koinu sweats while gritting her teeth while Kyria is silent for a long time, trembling. She feels bad for the other girl who is going to have to put up with her sister being the killer... Deshya finally says which room she arrived in with the other policeman.
- I'll have to catch you, sorry..." thinks Deshya.
When she had walked down this street, she never thought she would come across a murder, let alone a murderer; one that involves the father of a girl she knows, in the same school as her, in the next class.
Being friends with her... is going to be complicated.
- In Kyria's room.
- ??!!!!
- !!!!!
- K-Kyria?!" shouts her mother.
In the eyes of the blonde-haired girl, sister of Koinu Blushark, terror is visible. No, it is not only visible — it is palpable. Sweating heavily and trembling like a weak leaf, her breathing is irregular and her heart is racing. She shakes her head.
- I-it's not... It's…
She can't speak. Koinu looks at her with shock, but her mother is still confused. She chatters her teeth before turning her face towards Deshya, that with speed.
- M-My daughter couldn't have done it!!! Kyria would never have killed her father!!!
Deshya answered nothing, her gaze straight into the woman's. Her hands in her pockets, she gently squinted her eyes before closing them. Mary shook her head quickly, still trembling.
- T-That's not possible!!! Kyria, even Koinu, they would never have done that !!!!
- ... Madam.
- ... W-What?
Deshya opens her eyes again and looks at Kyria.
- Do you remember what you said to my father, while the police were interrogating you?" said Deshya.
- ... I-I said full... of...!!!
And then she understands. She opens her eyes wide and Kyria moves back in her chair.
- Y-You said... You said what?!" she asks, screaming.
Mary shakes her head and her tongue sticks out for two seconds, licking her far too dry lips. She breathes heavily and looks at her daughter.
- N-Nothing against—
- She said that shortly before the explosion, she thought she heard a certain noise.
- A...?
Deshya closes her eyes and opens her mouth.
- Music. The one... of your alarm clock, Kyria.
- !!!!!!!
And then Mary understands. With all that the girl next to her said, she understands. She gets up and grabs Deshya, which surprises her, and Gatito has the reflex to get up, but other policemen come and grab Mary and force her to sit down, as well as to let go of Deshya.
- IT'S NOT HER!!! IT'S NOT HER !!!
Deshya coughs and sighs for a long time before putting her hood back on her head. Koinu turns slowly to Kyria and the latter cries, a big ball in the throat.
- …
She said nothing, her eyes fixed on the girl with the fox sweater. A 'genius' of her school, the one who never stops wearing her fox ears and tail in all circumstances; that even in gymnastics. Kyria wants to scream, to shake her head, but she can't; the muscles in her body don't respond. Deshya crosses her arms.
- Not all of you know this, but—
- THIS IS NOT— MMMH!!! MMMH!!!
One of the policemen puts his hand in front of the woman's mouth, shouting at her to calm down, while the other two hold her back. She starts to cry even more, now stopping to scream. Deshya grinds her teeth and, seeing the situation she is in—
She knocks on the table.
Gatito opens his eyes wide, same gesture as Sammy, and Mary suddenly calms down. Kyria is startled and Koinu turns to Deshya. She has an angry look on her face.
- Your alarm clock!!! Yeah, your alarm clock, Kyria!!! When activated, the ballerina dances on herself, causing the disc underneath to spin!
She clenches her fist on the table and lowers her head weakly.
- You hang the other end of the wire on the base of the record and set the alarm clock at 4:30 on the dot. This kind of alarm clock runs for 5 minutes, unless you set a
reminder; and you can even set three reminders, on this kind of alarm clock. The disc turns slowly and winds the wire and after a while... BOOM!
She slaps her hand on her table again and her father frowns.
- Deshya.
The girl with the long red hair grits her teeth and stares at the woman next to her; she has calmed down, but her expression is such that one can believe she is dead inside. Deshya takes a deep breath of air and sighs heavily before putting her buttocks on the chair below her.
- ... Sorry.
She clears her throat and continues.
- The staples are there to hold the wire to the walls and the floor so that it could pass without being seen. Otherwise, Mary or even Miro could have seen it. Moreover, since the wire has to pass through the kitchen, the hallway, then the stairs, the upstairs hallway and all the way to Kyria's room, the wire would have been stretched over and over again and it is clear that the father would have noticed it. Seeing this, he would have observed the inside of the mixer and would have had plenty of time to run away or simply cut the wire.
- If the wire is hung on the wall and floor by staples, it might already be tight enough and when it is pulled by the disc…
- It could not be seen so easily.
Deshya nods at the policeman's word and turns to Mary.
- It seemed impossible and you would probably have to know in advance to notice that thread; especially since it was put on yesterday, the morning your husband was killed.
- I-It's stupid!
Koinu screams and clenches both fists.
- The bomb exploded at 4:32 pm! This would have required the wire to be wound for about 2 minutes and then there would have been only 3 minutes to rewind it all?
- What do you mean?" asks Mary.
Koinu looks at his mother with a small smile, although he is nervous.
- I guess Deshya is saying that the wire was wrapped around the alarm clock's disc, so it would be almost impossible to notice it unless we went looking for it there precisely, huh? Even the wire would be invisible to our eyes, for the police looking for clues, it would have been visible, huh?!
Koinu throws a kind of challenge to Deshya, but the latter shrugs her shoulders.
- Did I say that? We can set reminders in advance, on the alarm clock.
She crosses her arms again.
- Just put one or two of them on and you're done.
- B-but mom... mom was in her room, she... she would have heard, right?" asks Kyria, still crying.
- Her room is not far from yours, of course, but she was reading peacefully, and with the door closed. And then she heard the sound of faint music in the distance, but how can you believe it's anything other than the radio from your alarm clock?
- …
She snaps her teeth and shakes her head again. Koinu frowns, getting more and more annoyed.
- Go, go, go! Accuse my sister, but do you have... proof? Proof? PROOF?!!!
Koinu takes at first an innocent air, then a mocking one, and finally explodes. Gatito slams his hand against the table and tells him to calm down with an almost scream. Koinu chimes in and sits down on his chair. Deshya lets out a weak smile, which only she can see.
- Finally I am asked for proof…
Before giving it to her, the fox-eared girl moves a little on her chair and crosses her legs the other way.
- Kyria's alarm clock can only set an alarm at 4pm, 4:30pm or 5pm. It was not activated at 4:00 pm because it could have been early, nor at 5:00 pm because Kyria would have been at home; nothing says that she would have died at the same time as her father, but nothing says that she would not have gone to the kitchen at that precise moment and been seriously injured, if not dead.
- So what?
- Well, the wire wasn't fully stretched so that it exploded at about 4:32pm because '4:30pm' is the only time possible to kill Miro without risking missing or killing Kyria at the same time. Also, if the wire was too tight, there was a chance Mary would hear the music and then the explosion afterwards, so she would have pointed it out to the police because of the coincidence, and then…
- We would have looked for the alarm clocks or telephones and would surely have found the wire wrapped around the alarm clock.
Deshya nods. As Mary listens to what the girl is saying, she thinks of something. She remains frozen in place for a few moments, totally immobile. Deshya continues.
- In short, everything was thought out in advance and honestly, without seeing the mixer pieces, I wouldn't have looked for and understood the truth so quickly; maybe never, really. After all—
- W-Wait.
Just as Deshya was about to finish her explanation and show her proof, Mary cut her off. The girl in the fox sweater turns her head towards her.
- What is it?" asks Deshya.
- Y-You said... that Kyria would be greatly injured?
Deshya nods.
- But if it is... her, then…
Mary slowly turns to her two daughters, mouth agape. Deshya smiles as she notices that she has figured out what is wrong with her words and turns on her phone.
- You wanted proof, didn't you, Koinu?" asks Deshya.
Koinu blinks and turns her face towards Deshya.
- Y-Yes. Do you have any proof that Kyria killed my father?
- …
Deshya does not answer anything for a few moments, but then—
She laughs.
The policemen look at Deshya with surprise and shock. Koinu squints with a confused expression, while Kyria shakes even more. Mary continues to watch her two daughters, while Sammy approaches Gatito's right ear.
- Your daughter is a bit scary..." admits the detective.
Gatito sighs.
- I know.
- That's your girl!" thinks Sammy with an urge to smile.
Deshya finally stops laughing and, after calming down, stares Koinu straight in the eye.
- You ask me... do I have any proof that Kyria is the culprit?
She shakes her head, as if she can't believe it.
- You think I'd say all that... without having proof?!
- T-Then show it, your proof!
Koinu smiled in turn, though it was mostly nervous and a sign of defiance to Deshya.
- What, pictures taken of the wire?! Staples?!!! Will this be enough, ahah?!
- Yes.
- Y-Yes?
Koinu blinks and turns his head towards Gatito, the male police officer who has just answered him.
- Even if you have cleaned everything and the staples are no longer in the walls, the photos taken and the glasses that are stuck in the body of your father or especially those of the mixer are sufficient evidence.
- ... Is that your proof ? That's not enough!
- I agree.
- W-What?!
Koinu grinds her teeth and stares straight at Deshya. Is she saying that...?!
- Proof that Kyria is the killer, right?!
Deshya puts the phone down on the table and smiles broadly. Kyria starts to cry even more intensely while the policemen sweat and Deshya shouts—
- I have absolutely none!!!
And then, silence. A total silence. Kirya's eyes are wide open, her mouth wide open, and it's as if time has stopped around her. Mary looks at the girl with the fox sweater with the same expression, while Koinu is stunned.
- N-Non—
But before Koinu could even speak, Deshya cuts her off. While the girl who plays the detective was showing an amused look just before, this time…
An enraged and victorious expression shows on her facial features.
- BUT I HAVE ONE THAT IS YOU, KOINU !!!!
And at his words, she takes her phone back and holds it out to show everyone—
- !!!!
- WHAT?!!!
- Wha-What?!!!!!
- !!!!
And the screen shows—
A video of Koinu taking up the thread in the awakening of Kyria.
- !!!!!!!
- K-Koinu?!
- B-Big... sis’?
The video continues and Koinu correctly puts the alarm clock back in its place before leaving. Deshya pauses the video and smiles as she puts her phone in her pocket after turning it off.
- Come and tell me that Kyria told you the truth and that you decided to take over the thread yourself.
Deshya cracks her neck.
- Say that this evidence is not evidence because you just saw the staples and had the same conclusion as I did and to protect your little sister, you decided to remove the evidence from the alarm clock disk, as well as remove the staples.
Deshya chuckles before looking at Koinu with an almost terrifying look.
- And go ahead and explain why you called the gym teacher to watch your sister for a few more minutes!!!
- W-What?!" shouts Gatito, unaware of this.
- What did you just say...?" asks Sammy.
Deshya nods.
- The gym teacher is a good friend of Koinu and he told me everything without hesitation. Koinu asked him to keep Kyria for a few more minutes so that they could surprise her when she came home. Even though Koinu asked him not to tell anyone about it, he said he didn't see the problem in telling me since the surprise should have already passed.
Koinu shakes, mouth wide open, eyes wide open. Deshya shakes her bangs and smiles again.
- Go ahead and explain why you protected your little sister like that?
All the policemen have their eyes turned towards her. Mary is in tears, watching her first daughter, while Kyria shakes her head in denial. Koinu clenches her fists and goes to scream—
— but she ended up crying in turn.
- Fuck, a hidden camera in the room...?
The policeman who accompanied Deshya turns to Gatito and bows politely.
- If you want to yell at someone for doing such a thing, you can—
- You knew about it and you helped her, that's right ?
The policeman does not deny it and nods. Gatito sighs.
- ... Deshya.
The girl sends her phone to him by sliding it on the tablecloth. She puts her hands in her pockets and crosses her legs.
- You can check it out, but she ran over to look for the wire just minutes after I put the phone up. I didn't look at anything after that and Kyria's bed isn't really visible on the video. I didn't look at anything and you can delete it any time you want, I don't care.
Gatito's eyes crinkle, but he eventually puts the phone in his pants pocket and turns to Koinu, who is still crying.
- Do you confess to having committed the crime?" asks Gatito.
- ... Yes.
- Wh-Why...?
Koinu opens her eyes wide and looks at her little sister — who is also crying. Koinu grinds her teeth and calmly sits down on her chair.
- Dad... He was sexually harassing me.
- He would never do that!" screams Mary.
- HE WOULD!!! He hadn't done anything to me yet, but more and more, he wanted to do me... it disgusts me... At first, I just ignored him, but…
- But...?" asks Kyria, still crying.
- ... But—
- Did he threaten to do things to your little sister?
Deshya cuts her off by asking her that and Gatito yells at her, but Koinu smiles and chuckles.
- You really see through everything... fox-eared detective.
Deshya closes her eyes and sighs, hands in her pockets. Mary trembles.
- Y-You are lying…
- Dad used to tell me how he and you... you didn't do much anymore because you didn't want to and…
- …
- ... I couldn't take it anymore. I didn't want Kyria to... I... Raaah…
She scratches the back of her head.
- I thought my plan was perfect…
- What were you going to do about the evidence left behind?" asks Sammy.
- I was just going to remove the staples and make sure that the traces were no longer visible, while for the wire, I just threw it away... I was convinced that the police would not find the truth directly, so I thought I would have time to do it after you arrested my mother...
- So you planned for your mother to be seen as the culprit? I must confess I don't understand why you would let your mother be arrested.
Just like Sammy, Gatito and Deshya do not understand such a thing. Her reason for killing Miro is understandable — although no one in the dining room can accept such an act — but for the mother... Koinu looks at Mary with a sigh.
- Because when I told her I was going to be raped by Daddy, she just told me I was lying.
Deshya frowns and looks at Mary. The latter begins to tremble and Koinu stands up, looking at Deshya.
- She didn't want to believe me because she trusted her husband too much, and I'm sure she didn't even mention it during the interrogations. Eh, ridiculous.
- You will tell us everything at the police station.
- I don't have a choice, right.
She allows herself to be handcuffed and two policemen accompany her out of the room. Mary puts both hands in front of her face, crying even harder and Deshya looks sad-
- Waaaa!!!
However, Kyria jumps on her crying even harder.
- W-Why......!
Deshya doesn't even try to get agitated and takes her in his arms while caressing her hair, not finding a single word to comfort her. Gatito calmly stands up and orders the policemen to follow him.
Later that evening, the video is checked again and the short part where Koinu is seen picking up the thread is kept, used as evidence for the investigation, along with
the photos taken by Deshya and the policeman. Afterwards, the video is deleted from Deshya's phone and her father returns it to her.
- Thank you!" she said.
Gatito brings his daughter home in his police car and both of them say nothing to each other. A few minutes pass silently, but finally the man speaks.
- ... Well done.
- Eh?
He sighs.
- Don't make me repeat myself.
- Please!!! Say it again!!!
He grumbles, but he concedes.
- ... Well done. I wouldn't have thought of it.
- Hihi, I told you, I am a genius!
- But no more hidden videos like that! It's illegal!
- Sorry, I didn't know how to get a proof…
- Rahlala.
The father looks at the road, not showing his smile to his daughter. Deshya puts both hands behind her head.
- As a result, the bomb in the oven was really just pieces cut up in advance and used to lure us... I wonder how she got the real bomb, though.
- She told us at the station that she had put two in the blender to be sure of the damage and had simply cut off pieces of the one that was not attached by the wire, which she then put in the oven being careful that her mother did not notice. For the bombs themselves, she bought them in an illegal market.
Deshya looks out the window, her cheeks puffed out.
- Hmmm…
- When exactly did you know it was Koinu?" he asks.
- Time.
- The time?
Deshya nods.
- Kyria is the kind of girl who takes hours to wake up and always ends up getting up five minutes before she leaves. Although it was possible that this time she would not make the same mistake, I thought that she would not be able to change such a habit…
Deshya smiles.
- Even though, in reality, I must admit that I didn't want to believe that a girl like her could commit any crime.
Gatito doesn't answer anything, but eventually looks in the rearview mirror and lets out a small smile in turn.
- Let your feelings affect your judgment; I didn't think a genius would do such a thing, Deshya.
She giggles.
- I still have work to do, don't I?
It's raining softly in the streets of Tetazo, while Gatito brings his daughter home. The real criminal is arrested and Kyria is sleeping at home, after an abominable day, while Mary cries in the living room, apologizing to her other daughter who can't hear her that she should have believed her.
If Mary had listened to Koinu, none of this would have happened.
As Gatito's car makes its way to their house, a man in a long jacket walks outside in the soft rain. He is in the town of Tetazo, but much further away than Deshya's house. He places his phone next to his ear after dialing a certain number and three seconds of waiting later, a voice echoes from the other side.
- Yes?
The voice is not clear: is it a man? A woman ? It is impossible to say. The man walking in the rain pays attention to his surroundings so that no one can hear or observe him, and when he is convinced that no one is in the street, he speaks.
- It's me.
- What's up?
- It's about you know who.
- Worrying news?
The man shakes his head.
- Nothing to worry about. Everything is going well.
- Is she well monitored?
- For the moment, nobody seems to know the truth about her, except her parents, as we already knew.
- Does she know nothing about her?
- She still has amnesia, yes.
- ... Why do you call me, then? Do you want someone else to watch over her? Isn't our little cute ‘Hari’ on watch with you?
- It was her who told me to tell you this: our beloved fox has just solved an investigation of her own…
- Oh?
- A policeman was close to her, but he didn't seem to suspect that her fox tail was real. However, even if nothing is worrying for the moment, Deshya seems to be more and more sociable.
- ... Are you afraid that someone will come and find out the truth?
The man nods. The rain begins to fall a little more violently, a storm comes to sound in the distance.
- That's our fear, to 'Hari' and myself.
- ... I see. You know what to do if anyone finds out, don't you?
- I know very well.
- Perfect. Thank you for the news. Knowing that our little beloved fox seems active, healthy and even manages to solve an investigation makes me happy...! Very happy!
Even with her voice changed by an application, her laughter and the way she talks prove one thing: she is a woman. The man smiles and approves.
- Very good news, yes.
- Keep watching her, you and ‘Hari’. Don't hesitate to call me to tell me anything about her.
- Of course.
- Good. Talk to you later, my little ‘Dem’.
The woman hangs up and the man puts his phone in his coat pocket. He stops and looks at the sky before smiling.
- ... Our beloved little fox, eh…
He closes his eyes and takes a deep breath. He exhales everything, and takes a deep breath again. Exhale, inhale. Exhale, inhale, exhale, inhale.
- It is clear that we all love you…
He opens his mouth and speaks words that only God himself can hear.
And with that, he continues on his way before disappearing in the heavy rain, the sky tearing with multitudes of lightning.