"You're making the situation worse for no reason, Daichi. You're assuming a lot of things to reach that conclusion."
Daichi didn't quite understand Ryuga's reasoning, so his brows creased. His unsettling words were being refuted by Ryuga, and that fact alone ignited a faint spark of hope in everyone else's hearts.
They listened attentively as Ryuga spoke. "Like you said, if someone had been living here for a long time, then—and only then—would the darkness and stench affect them. But there's absolutely no evidence to prove that anyone has lived here long-term. Maybe it was just some burglar who happened to stumble in.
"And let's be frank, if that person was the killer, what were the chances of them leaving Hina alive? There was absolutely no reason for them to scare her by calling her name. The more logical action would've been to kill her right then and there—but they didn't. Which means they aren't the killer.
"Or maybe they're just not someone with enough guts to take on a group as large as ours. My take is… we stay put and stick together. We wait for the police to arrive, and after briefing them, we head home. How's that sound?"
Daichi still had something to say. His lips quivered for a brief moment before he clenched his fists and shook his head. In the end, he kept his thoughts to himself. The others weren't much different. None of them spoke up, and it was silently decided that they would wait for the police to arrive.
And that was exactly what happened. At precisely 4:17, the sirens of police vehicles echoed around the mansion. The group jolted awake from their silent stupor and made their way toward the front door.
Once the police arrived, detective Naoya-san reached the mansion a few minutes later. The officers interviewed each of them one by one, gathering details about their little "adventure." After the questioning ended, the group dispersed.
It was already five o'clock by the time the interviews were over, so it was late enough. Each of them made their way home.
Ryuga lingered a bit longer, chatting with Naoya-san before finally heading back.
At 6:38, he reached his apartment in the Western Akebono Apartment Buildings.
'Haahhh, that was one hectic night. Today's Sunday, right? Aha! At least I get the whole day to slack off and sleep. Hehehehehe…'
Gleefully smiling to himself, he inserted his key and opened the door, careful not to make a single sound.
But alas, his efforts were in vain.
The door slowly creaked open and revealed the figure standing behind it. Arms crossed, brows furrowed, and a foot tapping the floor with barely restrained irritation, stood a small creature waiting for him.
"Oh hello, small creature… Ah! I mean Iuno!!! Iuno! Ahm!"
His momentary lapse of judgment earned him a sharp glare. The small creature, aka Iuno, was his younger sister, Kami Iuno. And contrary to how Ryuga addressed her, she was by no means a 'small creature'.
By age, she was eighteen, in her final year of high school. By height, she stood at a respectable 5'6" (168 cm), considerably taller than most girls.
Ryuga himself was 5'9" (176 cm)—not short, but not particularly tall either. From an objective standpoint, he had absolutely no right to call her a small creature.
But there was one small problem with that. Two, in fact. Ryuga was four years older than Iuno, and on top of that, she had a baby face. Her features didn't match her age, leading many to mistake her for someone much younger.
While that could be considered a blessing in disguise, unfortunately for her, it came with the lifelong curse of constant teasing from her brothers.
Truly, a sad life she lived.
Yet, at this very moment, that same small creature was about to take her revenge. Her brother had been gone for the entire night without informing anyone of his whereabouts. He deserved to be severely punished!
"So, are you going to explain where you were last night, nii-san[1]? You know how worried your little sister was… I couldn't even sleep from worrying about your life."
'Oh, is that so? But I don't see any dark circles, and you look awfully energetic for someone who didn't sleep a wink. Tch. Tch. Such a lying brat.'
Hiding his inner thoughts, Ryuga switched on his acting mode. With tearful, guilt-ridden eyes, he slowly clasped Iuno's hands.
"Iuno… you know[2]… I had a really haunting experience last night. I was coming straight home from university, but along the way, I saw a man wearing tattered rags infested with maggots. Seeing him, I was horrified for his health, and my inner saint awakened. I quickly followed him into an alley, intending to help the man. But…"
"But?"
"But he was gone… he vanished into thin air. There was no way he could have run off either; the alley was a dead end. Yet, he still vanished. Seeing that, I was shocked. I thought maybe he fell into the gutter—the sewer was open at the time. So, I crouched down to look for him, yet… what I saw was…"
Iuno gulped, her fists tightening, eyes filled with anticipation. She looked at Ryuga, urging him to continue.
Which he did.
"Was pure darkness. There was nothing inside besides the dirty water flowing through. If someone had jumped in, they would've drowned. Meaning, that maggot-ridden man probably got himself a one-way ticket to heaven or hell. In the end, I plucked a flower from a nearby shrub and placed it by the sewer as a condolence. Hah! Such a great guy I am!"
But the story didn't please Iuno—in fact, it only made her angrier.
"What nonsense is this!! You're just spouting random garbage! Just tell me where you were last night so I can snitch on you! Father would be very angry to hear about your rendezvous.
"Hehehehehehehe…"
Her very blunt plan of snitching aside, what truly caught Ryuga off guard was the creepy laugh. He couldn't help but burst into laughter himself.
"Ahahahahahahahaha!!! What's wrong with you? Did I bully you that much?! You've already lost your sanity! Ahahahahahahahahaha!"
Of course, Iuno didn't like that one bit. She stomped her feet violently and quietly retreated to her room.
And that was all. That was the extent of her anger. She was all bark and no bite. Heck, sometimes she didn't even bark.
"Okay, that was a breath of fresh air. Now, let's soak in some cold water!"
[1] Older brother
[2] YES! PUN INTENDED!