Chapter LXXI.

Ayame Tsuge became lost in his thoughts as he walked his way back home, pondering over Katsuya Hattori.

After their conversation during the treasure hunt on the island of Nagashima, the blond male had been pretty anxious about Katsuya.

And today, the ginger-haired boy's behavior had only fomented Ayame's anxieties.

*Flashback*

This morning…

A knock came down onto the front door of the house and Ayame, who was taking his breakfast in the kitchen, went to answer it immediately.

Opening the door, he was surprised to see Katsuya standing there under the porch.

The ginger-haired boy only rarely visited him, especially at this hour of the day.

'Aren't you going to say something?' Katsuya asked the younger boy, who was staring at him, dumb-founded.

Ayame flushed up in embarrassment.

'Oh, sorry! Please, come in!'

Katsuya didn't make a move to enter and suggested, instead, 'Why don't you come out, take a ride with me?'

He held out the second helmet he had in his hands at the blond.

The latter glanced at Katsuya's motorcycle which was parked on the street in front of the house. 

He flushed up again. 

His idol was proposing him a ride on his bike!

It wasn't like it was the first time but, never before had Katsuya Hattori showed up at his door to ask him to go on a ride with him.

'Okay!' he accepted gladly, but he couldn't help but feel a bit restless, even if he couldn't quite place the said-feeling.

Locking the front door of his house, Ayame followed after Katsuya up to his motorcycle, and putting on their helmets, the two jumped onto the bike. They took a ride around town, before they made a stop by the river in Kuribayashi.

'There!' said Katsuya, holding out a canned drink at the blond who was sitting on the grass, gazing at the water.

'Thanks!' Ayame murmured, with a shy smile, as he accepted the drink.

Gosh! Why am I behaving like a girl with him? The younger male scolded himself in his mind.

Katsuya sat down by his side, his eyes fixed on the flowing water. 

There was a long silence between the two males before the ginger-haired boy shattered it, by saying, 'Ayame, I wanted to tell you...'

The blond looked at the older male instantly.

'Yes? What is it?'

'I know that you've always looked up to me as your older brother. I haven't always been available for you and I'm sure that you must have felt extremely lonely during those moments. I truly regret it. It's also true that I don't always tell you everything, but I want you to know that, I also consider you like my brother.'

Ayame stared at the ginger-haired boy, too moved to speak. 

But then, came again that same restless feeling of before. 

Ayame should have been on cloud nine at this moment, but instead, he was worrying why Katsuya was telling all of this to him.

***

That feeling of restlessness had stayed with Ayame Tsuge during the whole day, only fomenting with every hour.

Why did Katsuya's words sounded like a goodbye? Why did he have the impression that he'd never see the ginger-haired boy ever again after today?

Ayame had the feeling that something terrible was going to happen. 

"But I don't know if I'll be able to refrain myself this time."

Digging his hand into the back pocket of his jeans, the blond took out the small piece of paper onto which the whereabouts of Shizuka Noriasu was written. The latter was actually lodged in a small inn in Shiratori neighborhood.

Ayame had searched for an address of hers immediately after his return in town from the seaside trip. Why? He didn't even dare to think about it.

But what if what he feared became real? What if Katsuya…

His heart fluttering in his chest, Ayame made a run for the inn.

'Excuse me, has Shizuka Noriasu checked out of her room yet?' he demanded at the receptionist guy in-between pants, and the latter replied no.

His panic accentuating, Ayame dashed for the girl's room, barging in.

The latter, who was sitting at a desk reading something, jumped to her feet, startled by the sudden intrusion.

Ayame's eyes traveled across of the room, but found no one else other than the brown-haired girl.

'Did Katsuya come to meet you?' he demanded at her and she shook her head in reply, her expression frightened.

'Calm down! I'm not here to hurt you! I only want to know if Katsuya has tried to contact you.'

'No. I came across of him by chance the other day in town, but that's all. Why? What happened?' 

Ayame had been sure that Katsuya was preparing something.

If he didn't come here… If he's not after her… Then, who…

Ayame's eyes went wide in shock as he realized that he had been completely mistaken since the beginning. 

Katsuya's target wasn't Shizuka Noriasu but…

***

'Oh, now that I think about it,' said Katsuya, abruptly as we reached Shiratori neighborhood. 'Tsunan told me that he has ran out of the anti-monster concoction that I prepare for him to soak his needles. Do you mind if we make a small jump at my place to fetch it?'

'No,' I replied. 

If it's for Tsunan.

'Do you live far away from here?'

'No. Just around the corner.' 

I tagged along with the ginger-haired boy and we arrived in front of a two-storied apartment building. There were around ten rooms on each floor, with the proprietor living in one of the apartments on the ground floor.

'Please, come in!' said Katsuya, inviting me in.

Contrarily to what could have been expected of him, his apartment was all but neat. There were papers lying everywhere, with laboratory equipments sitting on every flat surface and plants growing under artificial lights.

'Sorry for the mess! I don't have the time to clean up very often!'

He lifted the pile of papers on one of the sofas in the living room to put it away, asking me to take a seat, while he'd make some tea.

'No. It's okay,' I refused, politely.

'It's the first time that you're visiting my apartment. Allow me to offer you some juice at least!' he insisted.

'Uh, okay,' I murmured, taking a seat. 

He disappeared into the kitchen and returned a minute later with a mug of juice and two glasses full of them. 

Clearing the low table of the living room, he placed the tray onto the furniture and handed me one of the glasses of juice, before he made himself a small place onto the sofa across of me and sat down to have a drink too.

I had almost finished my glass when I realized that Katsuya had stopped drinking to fixate me.

'You're really one good comedian, aren't you?'

My eyes widened at him in a mixture of surprise and confusion. 'Hn?'

'Does it amuse you to deceive people?! Don't look so stunned! You have very well calculated your every single move, and one by one, you've succeeded to get onto the good side of almost all the members of the organization. But your little comedy doesn't work on me. I can clearly see through your twisted game. I see you the way you are; a sadistic killer who has massacred all the people of her village and who wants to put the blame onto demonic possession.'

'Katsuya...' I whispered, my heart accelerating in my chest.

'The master must have fell on his head when he decided to recruit you into the organization. The others have reacted dumbly. But I knew exactly what to do: play it nice with you and then, get rid of you at the right occasion.'

My brain was going at a thousand miles per seconds now.

I remembered my first day at the organization when the master had presented me to the other members.

'Do you remember the food prank, Shun? I didn't hand the drug directly to Cho, Agasa and Yanagi, but let's just say that, I ensured myself that they don't have too much difficulty to get their hands onto it.'

'If I warned Master Kagami about the fake mission, it wasn't to come to your help; it was to prevent the others from being expelled because of their stupid plan. I tried to warn you that it was a suicide mission, but you didn't listen. I didn't have another option than to tell the master about it.' 

'And the day I left you all alone in the park while your eyes were bandaged, there hadn't been any emergency; I did it deliberately. But you were far from being stupid to try to get back home on your own.'

'And the hiking during the beach trip, you were never supposed to return alive from it. I was about to push you off the cliff when Tsunan had arrived in the nick of time.'

'But then, I began asking myself why I'm taking so much pain as to stay out of blame. You don't deserve to be a member of the organization. You're a monster, Shun Shutsuki. You shouldn't be free. You shouldn't be allowed to live after what you have done. This apartment is going to be your tomb. Never mind if I have to leave the organization and flee the authorities for the rest of my life! But finally, my little goody-goody comedy has served in a way. You're here, right? Admit it that I've fooled you well!'

I stared at him frantically, then at my drink, my heart going insane as I realized what he must have done.

The glass slipped my hands and broke into pieces on the floor.

As I jerked upright to attempt an escape, my legs gave up under me and I fell on my side on the floor. 

Indeed, he had put something into my drink!

My whole body had become weak, and I clenched at my stomach as I was suddenly hit by a violent pain there, which added to my anguish.

'You'll die in hardly a few minutes. It's too gentle of a death for you. But well, the world will be rid of a monster like you; it's all that matters.'

Out of the blue, the door of the apartment flung open and entered Ayame.

The latter stood frozen for a minute, taking in the scene playing in front of his eyes, before he rushed up to where I was lying on the floor and he got down on his knees by my side.

I was sweating cold, my heart palpitating, my breathing coming out rapid and shallow. 

I was dying.

'Katsuya, what did you do to her?!' Ayame shouted, in hysterical panic. His eyes fell onto the broken glass on the floor. 'What did you give her?'

Katsuya, who was stupefied to see Ayame, broke out of his trance-like state to demand at the younger boy, 'Ayame, what are you doing here?!'

'I've been observing you for years; I guessed what you had in mind! Katsuya, give her the antidote immediately!'

'What?! No! This girl is a murderer! How can you wish to save her, Ayame?!'

'Katsuya, give her the antidote, now! Else, I swear that I'll kill myself on the spot!'

My heart jumped to my throat. Ayame was serious, I could tell it. 

No, I tried to say but my lips wouldn't move.

Shocked, Katsuya took an involuntary step backward. He stared at the blond boy in the eyes for a few seconds, before he rushed for the shelves of books on the back wall and took out a small phial that had been carefully dissimulated in one of the books there. 

He brought it to Ayame. 

Opening the phial, the latter lifted me off the ground to place the upper part of my body onto his lap, and slipping my mouth opened with his thumb, he made me drink the potion in the small container.

It burned my throat, but at this point, it didn't matter.

'Ayame...' Katsuya mumbled, staring at the younger male, an array of emotions defiling on his face, mainly shame, before he took to his heels and ran out of the apartment.

I couldn't keep my eyes open anymore and I felt my consciousness slipping away. 

The last thing that I heard was Tsunan's voice in the room.

***

The thing that Katsuya Hattori probably feared the most in life was that Ayame Tsuge- above anyone else- discovers his manipulative personality and hate him for it. 

After he had told the younger boy about what happened with Shizuka Noriasu, Katsuya had thought that Ayame would never see him the same way ever again. It hadn't been the case, though. 

But after what he had intended to do, this was going to change forever.

He had planned everything. 

He was going to kill Shun Shutsuki and disappear out of the lives of the members of the organization. 

Ayame would never have to see him again. 

He wouldn't have to read the disappointment, even hatred for him, in the blond male's eyes, because he had become a murderer. He had even said his goodbye to the younger boy.

But in an unexpected turn of events, Ayame had had to walk in on him at the worst possible moment, when he had put down his goody-goody facade and showed the worst of himself.

Utterly floored, Katsuya ran out of the apartment door and bumped head-on into someone in the corridor. 

He looked up and saw Tsunan Hitachiin. 

He didn't even wait for a minute before he made past of the doctor and scooted away.

***

After having received a text message from Hatsu Sho- telling him that Katsuya Hattori was accompanying Shun Shutsuki home- that had sent him alarmed, Tsunan Hitachiin had immediately rushed to the ginger-haired boy's apartment, having a terrible feeling.

He had almost reached the younger male's apartment when, out of the blue, the latter dashed out of the open door and collided into him.

Their eyes met for a brief instant before the ginger-haired boy scooted away. 

The doctor stared after the latter in puzzlement.

Shun!

His stomach twisting with dread, Tsunan barged in the apartment and what greeted his sight was Ayame Tsuge holding Shun Shutsuki up in his lap, the latter's eyes closed, her face as pallid as death.

His darkest nightmare seemed to have come to life.

'Ayame, what did Katsuya do to her?!'

'He poured a powerful poison in a drink for her! I've given her the antidote but she's not responding anymore!' 

Thank you for reading!