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墨書 Inktalez
"According to the plan, you returned home, but one thing went awry: Junya didn't expect Zekawa to go with you. He must have seen Zekawa when you left, so he immediately decided to change his plans.
Zekawa's appearance was likely more beneficial for him, serving as a witness. In fact, when you went inside, he was completely unharmed; the blood was staged, and the knife—what Zekawa saw—was also fake.
At that time, Zekawa was at a distance from you both, making it hard to discern what was real. Then, during the minute Zekawa went to find Nohara Doctor, he confessed to you and asked for your help in executing the entire plan. So you took the knife, plunged it into his back, pulled it out, and placed it in the predetermined spot. Those paintings were set up on the easel, and real blood was spread across the floor.
Habitually reaching for a cigarette, just as you were about to light it, Matsuue stopped you. He chuckled and said, 'No smoking in the hospital.'
Pouting slightly, Yarou continued, 'Then Zekawa rushed back, and Junya successfully performed the final act. As for Ueno Jun, the body pulled from the water had died of thirst. It seems he had been locked away for too long and was eventually washed out to sea during high tide. That's all I have to say.' Yarou looked at Matsushita Kazuya with a deep gaze.
'Do you think it's fate?'
Matsuue slowly spoke up, 'It must be fate. If I hadn't attended that damned social gathering, if I hadn't met Zekawa, if we hadn't lived across from a doctor, if I hadn't seen that badge...'
Yarou fiddled with his lighter, avoiding Matsuue's gaze.
'Junya did something even more extreme than you can imagine; he had no intention of being honest with me. During Zekawa's absence, he directly threw the knife at me. Before I could react, he stabbed himself and fell to the ground for me to pull it out.
I was completely stunned at that moment; I don't even know why I did what he said—maybe it was some kind of brotherly instinct. I knew that by doing so, I was helping him. When Zekawa returned, he matched Ueno Jun's lip movements; that's when it all clicked for me.
'The painted blood was easy to manage; I simply placed it on the easel. Junya had previously created a series of colorful paintings that were actually prepared for this incident. As for the knife, I hid it inside my laptop; no one noticed.'
'You've kept that damning evidence for quite a while,' Yarou said with a smirk."
"Well, I didn't want to go back for a long time. It was only after a few months that I returned to deal with my things. How did you find out about all this?"
"The paintings were covered in dust, and the signs of having been taken were quite obvious."
"Is that all?"
"One of them depicted the sea, with a house by the shore. I tried to understand his mindset while painting."
Matsuue suddenly laughed. "What did you figure out?"
"...It felt like a sense of liberation."
Stopping his laughter, Matsuue looked seriously into Ueno's eyes. "As of now, you have no evidence at all."
"That's right," Yarou admitted openly. "Everything is just a logical imagination; all the evidence has long since disappeared."
"...Do you want to know the reason? Or rather, the motive?"
Before Yarou could respond, Matsuue continued, "Junya and I grew up together, but I was never kind to him. He loved to paint since he was little, while I was always causing trouble. After he finished a piece, I would scribble over it with colored pens. He never cried or complained; our parents thought he might have autism or something. Then one time we went hiking and got lost in the mountains for four days without food or water. Just when I thought I would die of thirst, I finally drank something—it was Junya's blood.
"He was only eight years old then. I don't know how he had the heart to cut himself with a knife, just to save someone who usually bullied him. I owe him.
"After that, when I got into college, I left my hometown. Junya insisted on coming with me, so I took him along. He wanted to paint, and I always accompanied him. That made him happy. Until I felt like I was tied down by him... My relationship with Xiao Chun wasn't because of love; it was just that I didn't want to live for someone else anymore."
Junya seemed to sense something as well; the person who had never shown anger suddenly began to grow a bit irritable. Xiao Chun also didn't like him.
Once, just once, I tentatively joked that after we got married, I wouldn't live with him. At that moment, Junya was painting; he paused and looked at me. The gaze he gave me still makes me feel so sad that I want to die. But after staring at me for a while, he turned back to his work.
...After that, Junya's attitude changed noticeably. I thought he had accepted reality, but on that day, when he ran headlong into the knife, I realized he had completely retreated into his own world.
Matsushita Kazuya fell into memories as Yarou silently left the hospital room.
"Brother, you are the boat, and I am the person who has fallen into the water. Please take me to shore."
The light in the interrogation room was not very bright, but it was enough to clearly illuminate Matsushita Kazuya's face.
His expression was calm, no longer as ashen as it had been in previous months; there was a sense of tranquility before departure.
"It was me who did it, everything.
"First, I arranged to meet Ueno Jun. On the way, I knocked her out and left her in the car before heading to our agreed-upon place. When I returned, I knew Junya had found out. As I walked through the door, I made up my mind to kill him."
Longjing dropped his pen and leaned forward, gripping Matsushita Kazuya's collar tightly. "I don't have time for your nonsense. What exactly happened?!"
Matsuue closed his mouth and stopped speaking.
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