"Eh? Samukawa-kun... is actually... dealing drugs?"
After hearing the information provided by Segai, Hare exclaimed in shock.
No wonder... Inori had mentioned something about drug dealing to her before. So that was what it meant. Thinking about it now, it all made sense.
"That's right. But he's not an addict. That day, under the alias 'Sugar,' he went to the sealed-off Roppongi district for a transaction."
"..."
Seeing the silence of the girl behind him, Segai smiled.
"He, you see, is in desperate need of money."
As if he had seen through her thoughts, he spoke bluntly.
"Needs... money..."
Hare murmured softly, her eyes filled with contemplation.
"Mm. As for the reason, you should see it for yourself."
Walking ahead of her, Segai suddenly stopped in front of a glass wall, then turned aside to make space for her to take a look.
"...?"
She lifted her gaze and obediently stepped forward, looking through the transparent glass into the room.
"—!"
What entered her sight was a vast ward filled with hospital beds. Just like the name suggested... it was indeed a hospitalization ward. Nearly every bed held a patient, and their bodies were all being eroded by those crystal-like viral growths. Some were already half-consumed, their arms and legs even decomposed by it. Even with doctors tending to them, the scene was horrifying.
Feeling uncomfortable, she instinctively looked away...
"Do you see the child in the central bed?"
Segai reminded her.
"...?"
She looked again. It was a frail boy, seemingly younger than her.
"He's Yahiro Samukawa's younger brother."
Segai answered.
"...Eh? Younger brother?"
She froze for a moment.
"...Um... the things on his body... what are they? Is it the virus?"
She asked softly.
"Mm. You seem to know a bit. That's someone who has reached the fourth stage of the Apocalypse Virus. Most of the patients in this ward are like that."
"Fourth... stage..."
She repeated under her breath.
"Some were infected accidentally, others fell ill due to incompatibility with the vaccine. This place is the most advanced facility for treating them."
Ten years ago, the outbreak of the Apocalypse Virus led to a massive upheaval—the Lost Christmas incident. The country was thrown into chaos. After that, GHQ developed a vaccine that successfully suppressed the spread of the virus, and the world finally returned to unified order.
—Up to this point, everything was what the man before her had told her.
At this moment, sitting on the sofa in the lounge, Hare stared blankly at the vast ocean outside the floor-to-ceiling window. Golden sunlight streamed into the room, which was designed like a seaside suite. Combined with the coffee on the table and the warmth of the light, it gave her a rare sense of calm.
"So... they are unforgivable, Menjou-kun."
"..."
She raised her eyes to look at Segai beside her.
Click...
In the next moment, Segai displayed several projected photos in front of her. Dozens of images, each showing unfamiliar faces.
"The organization they belong to is called 'Funeral Parlor.' Its members are a group of reckless terrorists."
Segai explained, then picked up a photo of a blond man.
"His name is Gai Tsutsugami. The wanted leader of the terrorists. A very dangerous individual."
Gai Tsutsugami...
Looking at the blond man in the photo, Hare recalled last night. He was the one Inori had spoken to. Though she had been far away, she had still seen his face. It closely resembled the one in the photo. Her palm tightened slightly.
"Funeral Parlor is trying to destroy the order we've fought to maintain. You saw the news from a few days ago, didn't you?"
Segai asked as he sat beside her.
"..."
She nodded silently. That was the news she had seen before going to find them.
"That was the result of Funeral Parlor. Civilians in Roppongi, our soldiers... all died because of their recklessness. Don't they have families? Of course they do! Imagine how heartbroken their loved ones must be! Because of these terrorists' crimes—how many people have died?!"
"..."
She didn't answer, keeping her head lowered as she listened. Her bangs covered her eyes, hiding her expression.
"Menjou-kun... there's no need to force yourself. Just say what you want. There's nothing to be afraid of."
Seeing her like this, Segai narrowed his eyes.
"I know you had your own reasons for entering Roppongi that day. Regardless of whether what you saw was accidental, don't those scenes of slaughter chill you? Those were our soldiers—lives lost one after another. And the culprit is still at large!"
Huff...
Segai leaned closer to her.
"Menjou-kun, you saw his face, didn't you?"
He whispered in a coaxing tone.
"...!"
Hare's heart trembled.
That purple figure appeared in her mind...
"Yet after returning, you didn't report anything. No action at all. Are you close to him? Or... did you go there specifically to find him?"
He pressed her with question after question. She could only press her lips together tightly, saying nothing.
"Menjou-kun, you're a sensible girl. You know what this behavior is called, right? It's called... harboring a suspect. That's a crime."
His voice wrapped around her like a demon's whisper. Her heart raced uncontrollably. Sweat formed on her forehead, her face turned pale, and her fingers clenched until they lost all color.
She knew what being charged meant...
It meant that as a seventeen-year-old high school girl, her future would be spent in prison.
"So, Menjou-kun... Menjou-san~? Miss Menjou~? Tell me. As long as you speak, I'll let you go right now."
Segai looked at her lowered head and spoke in a low voice.
"..."
Yet... the only answer he received was silence.
Beep—!
Seeing this, Segai opened the large screen again, displaying a figure bound in chains within a prison cell. It was unclear whether the person was male or female.
"This one is Kenji Kido. The perpetrator of the Skytree bombing incident. Also a murderer."
"...?"
Hare slowly raised her head to take a look. It was a person wrapped in a brown body bag, and just looking at it made a suffocating feeling rise in her chest.
"This is the one Funeral Parlor claims they will spare no effort to rescue. Unfortunately, they're not here to save you. Perhaps they don't even care that you've been captured, Menjou-kun."
"And yet you still intend to protect them? Tell me—about that person... We will deliver justice upon him!"
Segai shut off the display and looked at her again, then sat down and took another sip of coffee.
"...I'm sorry."
"Hm?"
Hearing the girl's soft apology, he set down his cup and looked at her.
"...I... don't know what you're talking about."
She finally lifted her head to look at him, shaking it gently as she answered.
"...Menjou-kun, do you know what you're doing?"
He frowned.
"Yes, I do... but... I'm not lying. I have nothing to do with them—the terrorists."
She continued.
Thinking of that purple figure in her heart, how could she betray them? She wasn't that kind of person. Even if she ended up suffering for it... it didn't matter. From beginning to end, this was her own doing.
"Oh~? Is that so... then what? Are you saying everything was just a coincidence?"
Segai asked.
"Yes... I did enter Roppongi at that time, but the person I was looking for wasn't there. What I saw was purely by chance. And... I was very scared at the time. I didn't see anything clearly. By the time I came to my senses, I had already run away. That's all."
She answered fluently.
"The reason I didn't report anything is simply... because I had no clues. That's all."
"Mm—so you're saying you know nothing, then~?"
He asked in a low voice. Though his tone was casual, it made her extremely tense. The complexity of the man before her made him impossible to read. She didn't know whether she could deceive him, but for Mio... this was all she could do.
"...Yes."
She nodded.
"..."
He continued to stare at her.
"..."
She also remained silent, meeting his gaze.
Crash—!
In the next instant, the man in front of her suddenly stood up without warning. Then he slammed both hands down onto the sofa on either side of her with a loud bang.
"Ah!"
Startled, she instinctively curled up and let out a small cry. When he made no further movement, she cautiously opened her eyes and looked up. The man was now extremely close, staring at her coldly with his mechanical eye, saying nothing.
Her face was deathly pale at the sight. Her lips trembled, and she didn't dare make a sound. Her eyes shook uncontrollably.