The ride to the station in the police car was tense.
Hana clung to my arm, her fingers trembling slightly.
I could feel her anxiety matching my own.
Hana has always been a sensitive girl, way too much, so that situation must've been new for her.
The thing that surprised me was that her parents were totally gone, they didn't even wait for her outside…
During the drive, I felt her gently tugging my shirt and tightening her grip on my arm.
Hana didn't leave me even for a split second.
The officers tried to calm us down by saying that they were only gonna ask some routine questions, but that situation was totally new for me, and even more for Hana.
"It's okay, Hana. I'm here with you." I said, trying to reassure her.
She gently smiled and nodded. "Yes… t-thank you, Kai." She said.
The officer driving didn't say much, but his occasional glances in the rearview mirror spoke volumes.
The drive wasn't long, but I felt every single second of it.
As we arrived at the police station, the officers led us into a small, sterile room with a table and a few chairs.
Hana sat close to me, still visibly shaken.
I tried to keep my composure, but inside, my mind was racing with a thousand questions and fears.
Hana then looked at the officer who accompanied us.
"We are safe here… right?" She asked, with a glimpse of fear in her voice.
The officer only gave us a gentle look and smiled.
Then, an older officer entered the room, his demeanor calm but serious.
He introduced himself as Detective Saito and took a seat across from us.
"Detective Saito…? I think that I've already heard this name…" I said to myself.
He set down a folder and opened it, revealing several photographs and documents.
"Excuse me… what's this…?" I asked in confusion.
The officer didn't answer my question; instead, he thanked me.
"Thank you for coming, Kai Suzuki-Kun. We have some concerns regarding your girlfriend, Hina Ishikawa," Detective Saito began, his eyes scrutinizing my reaction.
I nodded, swallowing hard. "What do you need to know?"
He sighed, glancing at Hana briefly before returning his gaze to me. "We've been investigating a series of incidents, and your girlfriend appears to be linked to them. We need to understand what you know about her and any suspicious activities you've noticed."
I hesitated, recalling Hiro's words and the horrors he described. "Hina... she always seemed normal to me. But recently, my friend Hiro was badly injured, and he mentioned Hina's name. He said she was dangerous and that he discovered something about her past."
Detective Saito's expression grew more intense. "Can you elaborate on what Hiro told you?"
I recounted everything Hiro had told me, from the night of the fire to the horrific scene he witnessed with Hikari.
Hana listened in stunned silence, her grip on my arm tightening with each passing detail.
When I finished, Detective Saito leaned back in his chair, his face a mix of concern and contemplation.
"This corroborates some of the information we've gathered. Hina Ishikawa has a history of mental instability and violent behavior. She's been in and out of psychiatric care since she was a child."
"What? Really? Except for that episode, Hina never did anything to me; instead… she seemed the most normal and caring girl that I've ever met." I said.
I felt Hana tightening her grip on my arm, causing me a little pain.
The detective nodded.
"Yes, Suzuki-Kun. I've been in these cases where Hina was involved from the start of my career, but I never found any proof to accuse her… the only thing that I'm sure is that… all the people victims of those "accidents" were related to her." He said.
I felt a chill run down my spine. "But why hasn't any of this come to light before? How could she hide this from everyone?"
"There are a lot, too many things to say, Suzuki-Kun." He said.
Then, he gave a glance at Hana, who was still clinging to my arm.
"Excuse me, miss, but I have to talk privately with Suzuki. All of what I'm going to say is for your own sake, and knowing these things will put you at risk." He said.
Hana gave him a disappointed look, then looked at me sadly.
She didn't want to be left alone.
"It's okay, Hana. It won't take long, I promise." I said while patting her head.
She gave me a little smile and then walked out of the room.
Luckily, an officer was waiting for her outside to keep her company.
Then, in the room, there were only Detective Saito and me.
His look and appearance were those of a professional, someone who really knows how to do his work.
He had long, black hair and a big mustache.
He surely was super recognisable.
Then, I asked him a question.
"Excuse me… but how is Hina involved in this? Did you never investigate her?" I asked.
"Yes… too many times. But she was too intelligent and manipulative, always knowing the perfect answer to give… and, most of all, she passed all the tests from our special truth machine. I've always been scared of her… and… I know her parents." He said.
My eyes actually widened in surprise, not expecting something like that.
I felt like I was knowing too many things, and that would've put me at risk.
"You knew her parents?" I asked, swallowing some saliva.
The detective nodded his head and then spoke.
"Yeah… they… were gentle people in public, but in private, they abused their daughter due to their severe behaviour, so Hina grew up in a bad environment, and that seemed to have influenced her a lot. But then, one day, her parents died mysteriously… in a car accident." He said, while putting his hands on the table.
He then showed me pictures of the disaster scene, showing the bodies of Hina's parents.
The car had an accident.
More specifically, the car's brakes failed, and it crashed into a wall.
Hina's dad was drunk, and they were on their way home from work.
That's what the detective explained.
"I know for sure that her father was maniacal when it came to his car… so something like this would've never happened. Someone has sabotaged their car by breaking the car's brakes. But his dad also never drank alcohol. He was drugged." The detective explained.
I kept listening carefully to what he was saying.
"After that, Hina's custody passed on to her grandparents… and since then, some accidents happened while she lived with them." He said, while showing me pictures of other crime scenes.
Lots of multiple cases of murder.
All the victim died mysteriously, but all of their bodies had stabs or cuts on them.
"See? All these murders… are too similar. And they were all related to Hina… for example, this one was her teacher…" he said while indicating to me a photo.
He showed me the picture, and I saw a man in his 50s hanging from the ceiling of a class, half naked and with his throat slitted, cuts and stabs all over his body, and a piece of paper close to him where "Pervert" was written with… blood.
I was almost on the verge of vomiting…
I've never seen these kinds of things in real life, and the sight of it actually hurt my mind.
I tried to calm myself down, then speak.
"How… I can't believe it was Hina… and if it was really her, how did she always manage to escape?" I said with a shocked tone.
Detective Saito shook his head. "Her family has been very protective, covering up many of her incidents. They've managed to keep her out of the public eye and away from legal trouble. But now, things have escalated."
I was confused.
"How?" I asked.
"Hina lived in a very small town distant from here with her grandparents… Hina always had an aggressive behavior towards her schoolmates and people about her age… so she always caused problems. Social assistants forced her to a psychiatric hospital due to, and she was taken into care… since then, the cases started… but her family always negated everything about her, saying that she was the perfect girl." Detective said with a sigh.
I was learning too many things… and I noticed that my phone hadn't rung since I last saw Hina.
I was getting scared in some ways.
I then spoke up, my voice was slightly trembling.
"Is she really capable of... killing someone?" I asked with a cold tone of voice.
Detective Saito sighed.
"We're not certain yet, but based on what we've gathered, she poses a significant threat. We need to find her and bring her in for questioning. But knowing her, she would escape again."
I felt a mix of anger and betrayal, mixed with sadness. "Detective, I… always trusted Hina. As I said, she has never hurt me… everything that you're saying, it's too much for me to elaborate."
Detective Saito looked at me with sympathy.
"Sometimes, people can hide their true selves very well. It's not your fault, Kai. But now, we need your help. Anything you can tell us about her recent behavior or whereabouts could be crucial. You can also pretend that nothing of our meeting actually happened." He said.
I thought back to my last interactions with Hina, trying to recall anything that seemed off.
"She mentioned something about going away for a while, but she didn't say where. And she seemed more distant, more secretive. This happened after her last anger crisis." I said, while scratching the back of my head.
Detective Saito nodded. "That might be a lead. We'll start there. In the meantime, I suggest you and Hana stay somewhere safe. If Hina is as dangerous as we suspect, you could be at risk."
I agreed, feeling the weight of the situation bearing down on me.
"But there's a problem, I'm still her boyfriend… what should I do?" I asked.
"You should act normally, as if nothing happened. I think that you're the only person who can control her… but please, take this number." He said, while giving me a small piece of paper.
"This is my contact. My telephone is open 24/7, feel free to call me at anytime," he added with a smile.
I thanked him and then stood up from the chair.
"Can I go now?" I asked with a formal tone.
Detective Saito nodded and showed me his hand for a shake.
I shook his hand and thanked him again for his support and for the information he had given me.
"Take care, Kai Suzuki-Kun." He said, as a father would.
"I will," I replied.
Then, I walked out of the room and got close to Hana.
She was standing next to the vending machine, waiting for me.
As soon as she saw me, she clung to my arm again, not wanting to separate.
Then, Detective Saito came out and asked the officer to take us home.
As we left the police station, Hana and I exchanged worried glances.
After that, we went into the car and were both driven to our own homes.
The officer first left Hana at her home, and me last.
I had no words to say to him.
I couldn't trust anyone in this city except Hana and my friends.
The girl I thought I knew seemed like a stranger, and the revelations about Hina Ishikawa were unraveling into a nightmare.
If she were really the culprit of those crimes, everyone connected to me was at risk.
I had a great responsibility on me…
Lives were in my hands.
When I arrived home, I immediately locked up all the windows and my entrance door.
Despite knowing that Hina was my girlfriend and that I had to behave as if nothing happened, I still felt a great sense of fear in my body.
It was like my body was trembling every moment of the day.
I needed to find answers, and fast.
The safety of everyone around me depended on it.
Then, suddenly, like a storm on a quiet day, my phone rang.
I felt a shiver of fear expanding in my body.
I grabbed my phone, swallowing some saliva, and I saw a message from Hina.
My eyes widened a lot.
It seemed like a coincidence.
I just returned home from the police station, and she wrote me a message when I took a step into my home.
The feeling of being watched was still in my mind.
Hina's text said this:
"Hey, Kai, I'm so-so sorry for what I've done… are you okay? Can we meet up tomorrow? I'm feeling so much better."
Luckily, no signs of aggressive behaviour.
Just a girl who wanted to say sorry.
All I could do was accept her request, so I texted her.
"Yes, sure! It's okay. How are you feeling?" I wrote.
The reply arrived instantly.
"Thank you for asking, Kai. I'm feeling better. So, do you want to meet at the same park tomorrow?"
I felt some sweat falling from my forehead.
It was probably my body's response to my frustration and anxiety.
"Yes, of course! Now I'm going to take a shower, see you later. Ps. I'm glad you're okay." I texted.
Another reply came almost immediately.
"Okay, darling. Send me a message when you're done~."
I didn't reply to her, I wanted to rest my mind for a bit since too many things happened that morning.
I then turned on the TV and saw the news.
Nothing new, but the thing that caught my interest was a case of a murder in another city.
It seemed to be a "love" madness.
A woman killed her lover after finding out that he cheated on her, and now she's in charge of the murder.
On the TV, there were protests of people defending the girl, saying that she was the real victim and that she only did that because she lost her control after finding out such a bad thing during her relationship.
"Oh well… but in the end someone died. She's a culprit too." I said to myself.
"The best revenge for a cheating is a smile." That's what my father always said.
Then, coming from the TV, I heard a familiar voice.
I took another look and saw Detective Saito speaking.
"What the…?" I said to myself.