My Suspects

*Kiyoko Sasaki's POV*

//June 22, 2040//Friday//

I gave a long frustrated sigh and went upstairs to go inside the library, to clear my mind.

While I was walking, I saw Raku waiting for me at the stairs like he knew that I would be going to the library to clear my mind. I just hope that he was not eavesdropping on our conversation earlier with Kei.

"Hey there, Sasaki!"

"What do you want?" I asked.

"Can I talk with you for a second?"

"Sigh… Just make it quick…"

I sat down beside Raku, and when I looked at him, he was smiling at me.

Sigh… Please, Raku. Just make this quick.

"Hey, Sasaki, do you think I'm the culprit?"

"It's kind of stupid that you are asking me if you are the one who did that to Megumin."

"Hahahaha, you have a point."

"..."

I have nothing to say to Raku after what he just asked me, or rather, I am not in the mood to talk with anyone else since I am trying to figure out who did this to Megumin, and all of the things Kei had told me are stirring up my head.

"Do you know who the one is behind all of this?" Raku asked.

"I don't have any idea. Do you know who it was?"

"Not a clue. I am asking you since you are smarter than me."

I am still skeptical that Asahi is really the culprit behind this. But still, Megumin witnessed the one behind it. So why am I still thinking of someone else who can possibly be the one behind this? Maybe I am just stupid, and I am overthinking it.

"Hey, I have a request for you."

"What is it?" I asked.

"If one day you, and Machida can find out who the culprit is behind this. Can you promise me that you will listen to what that person has to say about doing something like that to Megumin?"

"That is a given that we need to know why that person did this."

"I'm just worried you know."

"Worried about what? I asked."

"I'm worried because of Machida. He looks like the guy who will never forgive what the culprit did in every case he handled in the past."

Raku is right. Kei really has a troublesome attitude, and who knows what he will do if we find out who the culprit is.

"Don't worry about it, Raku. I will make sure that Kei will not do something funny when we find the one behind this."

"Thanks, Sasaki. Well then, I'm going to my room to rest. Thanks for taking the time to talk with me."

Raku stood up from where he was sitting and smiled at me. The time that we had while talking with each other somehow made my mind clear.

Kind to think of it, with an attitude like what Kei has. I can assume that he also did something terrible with the culprit he found in his case, and the way he was handling his investigations might have been awful in the past. This is Kei we are talking about after all.

I wonder what happened to him in the past that made him like that.

"The past huh…"

"Did you say something, Sasaki?" Raku asked.

"Nothing… I am just talking to myself."

"That's weird of you talking to yourself, Sasaki. Well then, see you later."

"Sigh… Take a good rest, Raku."

"By the way, I am not the one who did that to Megumin. You can trust me with that, Sasaki! After all, I really don't want to kill anyone here inside. As much as possible, I really wanted all of us to get out of this place alive."

Raku went upstairs to rest in his room.

The past huh? Why am I bothered when Raku opened up about Kei's past? There is also something that Kei told us earlier that keeps on bothering me.

"Hyakuzawa is the least likely to be the culprit."

That is what Kei had told us earlier. How is he so sure that Hyakuzawa is not the culprit?

How he said that to us earlier was like he knew that Hyakuzawa would not do that kind of thing. I get that Hyakuzawa was not the kind of person to use poison if he wants to kill someone.

But from what Kei said, it looks like there is another reason that he knows why Hyakuzawa is not the one behind this. Sigh… as expected from Japan's Greatest Detective.

Wait… Kei is a detective, right? Kei is Japan's Greatest Detective, he might know something, another reason why Hyakuzawa is not the culprit. Wait, does that mean Kei knows about…

"Haha, so that is what keeps on bothering me."

I smirked when I realized what I was thinking inside my head. It really feels great when you have answers to your own problems. I slapped both of my cheeks and shook my head to gain back my composure from all of the things that happened today.

Now I know the answer to the things I kept on thinking about earlier. I stood up from my seat and wore my earphones.

Raku, you told me that you are not the culprit behind this. I really wanted to trust everyone, especially you, and Kanade. But…

"Someone wants to kill us, and all of you are now my suspects."

******** TO BE CONTINUED ********