The House in Which Nightmares Dwell 11.6

[touchturnfly]

6

Hirota dragged Saki outside the house. He took her under the cover of the entranceway. There were no other places that weren't monitored by the equipment. It wasn't suitable for secret talk.

"-- Just what are you doing?"

Saki looked unable to clear away her chagrin. She was probably venting her anger, so he didn't care.

"Don't mind him that much. If you do something, you'll only stroke the surface of his eternally thick skin."

"Back off."

"Leaving that aside, there's something I want you to investigate."

"And what's that?"

"These people claim that something happened at this house in the past. They say that a family of five was killed here."

Forgetting her anger, Saki dropped her jaw.

"... ... Who said that?"

Hirota summarized the situation. Saki's face expressed a steadily growing interest.

"-- Huh? Hirota-kun, do you believe that? Isn't that rare."

"It's not like I believe it. I want to know whether that stuff was true or not. Can you return and investigate it for me?"

"Why?"

Saki looked amused.

"-- What's with the 'Why'?"

"But what if there were five people killed at this house in the past? Then what? Isn't that particularly good."

"It shouldn't be good. If something truly happened in the past, then it means that Midori-san and her mother are living in an outrageous house."

Saki expressed a mile on her whole face and peered at Hirota's face.

"What do you mean by outrageous house? Hirota-kun doesn't believe in ghosts, right? If that's the case, it shouldn't matter if something happened or how many people died here?"

Hirota was taken aback.

-- That was certainly true.

"Are you worried about converting?"

When she asked that with a broad grin, Hirota frowned.

"It's not like that."

"Then what’s your reason?"

Hirota couldn't help but feel embarrassed to reply. In his mind, he thought 'this is bad', and shook his head.

-- Am I not getting poisoned by those people?

Because of that, Saki looked even more amused.

"If that kind of incident really happened, will Hirota-kun believe it?"

"Who's saying that." Hirota was astonished. "The possibility exists that they knew of this incident beforehand. -- At any rate, I want to know whether they randomly said that or whether it's the truth. It's merely that."

"And what if they didn't know about the incident beforehand?"

"Impossible."

"What if it happened. -- This is a hypothesis. A star will also vanish, right?"

"What's with that?"

"If he knows something he couldn't possibly know, wouldn't that be considered a psychic ability? I'm saying because finding his older brother's body on his own suggests the ability of psychometry. Hirota-kun doesn't believe in things like a psychic ability, that's why you suspect him of having killed and throwing away his own brother, right? Wouldn't that call off everything?"

Hirota glared at Saki.

"If by any chance, even if that guy has a psychic ability or something, whether he searched for the body using that or was able to search without using it, is something I don't know. It's not like the likelihood of that guy being the criminal has disappeared. Understand?"

Saki whistled briefly.

"You're a hopeless bonehead, Hirota-kun."

"Shut up. -- At any rate, check it up for me. I'll say it in advance, it's not because I believe in strange things. I only want to verify it."

"Yes yes," Saki laughed. "Very well. I'll do that for you. -- But, even if that incident didn't occur, don't accuse those people using that as a shield."

Hirota inclined his head.

"Why?"

"Idiot. Where do you think that information will be fetched? To think that you're someone of the public prosecutor's office --"

"Aah," Hirota grimaced.

"If that's the case, I got exposed."

Saki widened her eyes.

"Exposed? -- I kept it a secret from Midori. Why that?"

"Well... ... I lost my cool by mistake... ..."

Hirota shrugged his shoulders. Dumbfounded, Saki looked at Hirota.

"You lost your temper against that boy and carelessly talked on and on about the charges by mistake. Brandishing your badge of relentlessness."

She hit the nail on the head. Hirota grew even smaller.

"Are you still acting as a spy? Didn't you violate your duty of confidentiality?"

"... ... It's not funny."

Saki let out an exaggerated sigh so that he could hear it.

"Well, it can't be helped to finish it up. Because you really are an instant water boiler. For the time being, I'll keep quiet about this to prosecutor Kurahashi. -- But on the other hand," Saki said and complacently smiled. "If that incident really turns up, you have to change your negative attitude. Okay?"

Discouraged, Hirota looked at Saki.

"... ... I'll consider it."

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