Chapter 3.2

Cinderella before midnight

After I'd parted ways with Charlie and her incomprehensible question, I met up with Natsunagi and Saikawa, who'd returned from the pool.

After that, the three of us explored the vast ship together, searching for "Siesta's legacy"…but we had no idea what we were even trying to find. Naturally, our search didn't go well.

While we were busy, the sun went down, so we decided to have dinner in the restaurant. The tour's guest of honor, Saikawa, was busy making the rounds and greeting everyone, so Natsunagi and I were the only ones who got to eat.

"This feels kind of weird." Natsunagi was using her knife and fork to cut up her salmon meunière in the ship's French restaurant.

"What does?"

"Sitting across from you and eating dinner together like this." "You don't want to?"

"You know I didn't say that."

Even filled with reproach, her eyes were remarkably cute. How nice it would be if her personality got just a little cuter, too.

"Then what?" I said. "Are you saying that having dinner alone together is almost like a date?"

"…It takes real guts to say that when you're flat broke." "I have no excuses to give there."

If it hadn't been for Saikawa's kindness, I wouldn't even have been able to pay for our meals here, and I'd probably have spent the rest of my life on this boat working off my debt. Gambling is a terrifying thing.

Speaking of gambling, should I fill her in on what happened with Charlie earlier? This morning, the two of them ended up goading each other into a fight, but I should probably tell her Charlie isn't really all that bad.

"Natsunagi, do you have time after this?"

"Huh? Um, I don't have anything planned. I'm just gonna shower, then go to bed."

"I see. In that case, there's a little something I'd like to talk about." "Talk? We could just do that here…"

"Uh, the subject's a little hard to discuss in a place like this." SPES would come up as well, and we'd be touching on some sensitive stuff. I'd rather do that away from so many eyes. "There was a bar across the way, wasn't there? Can I ask you to meet me there in an hour?"

"Ummm… Me, by myself? Alone with you?" "Yeah."

This was really something I should fill Saikawa in on, too, but she was busy being the guest of honor right now, so it would keep.

"I—I see. So you want to talk, alone with me, at a bar…and tell me something you don't want other people to hear…" Natsunagi's lips were moving; she was mumbling. She was looking down and, for some reason, blushing. "W-well, all right… Okay, so I'll see you in an hour."

She speared her remaining meunière with her fork, crammed it into her

mouth all at once, got up, and trotted away. What the hell was that about? "The main course isn't even here yet," I called after her.

I'd really rather have given the extra food to Charlie, but she was probably relaxing in my cabin by now. She couldn't actually have found a way off the ship.

"Well, if we'd had dinner alone together, we'd have nothing to talk about." Over the course of an hour, I somehow managed to finish a multicourse meal for two by myself. Then I headed for the bar where we'd promised to

meet.

"…Sorry to keep you waiting."

When I'd been sitting at the table for a little while, Natsunagi came in, right on time. To avoid being noticed, I'd chosen a spot away from the counter; we were in one of the booths in the back, facing each other across the table.

…Even so.

"You changed clothes for this?"

"Huh? Oh, no, it just, um, happened? After I took a shower, this was all I had to wear."

Natsunagi's outfit was a dramatic change from the casual clothes she'd been in before. She was wearing a low-cut dress, with a thin shawl around her shoulders.

I mean, yeah, it was an appropriate way to dress for this place… But she'd taken more care with her makeup than usual, and I caught the scent of perfume. Was this why she'd hurried back to her room like that? So she could get ready?

"Haaah, well, you can wear whatever you want."

"Whatever…?" Natsunagi pouted, looking a little cross. Had I said something wrong? "And? Um, the talk…"

"Oh, right. Well, let's drink while we talk."

The drinks I'd ordered before Natsunagi got here had just arrived. "Is it alcoholic?" she asked.

"No, Cinderella." "Me?"

"The drink."

I'd ordered her a nonalcoholic cocktail by that name. For myself, I'd gotten a Shirley Temple, another famous virgin cocktail. I was sick of alcohol- fueled mistakes.

"All right, just listen for a little while."

After we drank a toast, I began to tell her about Charlie as a person, including how I'd met her.

"This was not what I thought it was going to be." Once I'd finished my story, Natsunagi seemed to wilt a little. "…Well, I mean, this isn't that… It's just the influence of the heart's owner, that's all…"

"What are you muttering about?"

"—! …Huh? What?" she said, suddenly irritated. "Huh? Why did you just snap out of nowhere?" "I didn't snap."

"No, you totally did."

"I'm telling you, I didn't!" The toe of her high heel connected with my shin. "I'll double-kill you!"

"That's not fair!"

—Getting back on topic.

"Anyway. I see what you mean. She's not as awful as I thought she was." As Natsunagi spoke, she took a sip of her cocktail. "Siesta was always on her mind, and she still is, even now. She's so genuine it's a little inspiring."

"Yeah. She's genuinely dumb. Sometimes what she says and does is out there, but that might be one of the best things about her." Although I'd die before I told her that.

"You're right… To be honest, I knew it, too." "That Charlie wasn't a bad person, you mean?"

"That, too, but…the fact that I was in the wrong." With a troubled smile, Natsunagi went on. "The things she said were right on the mark."

She must have been talking about their argument that morning. Charlie had told Natsunagi to quit playing detective. And Natsunagi had just admitted that she was doing just that.

"I didn't spend a long time with Siesta the way Charlie did, and I don't have any strengths I'm really proud of. All I have is this heart…and the belief that I've inherited her last wish." Her voice dropped to a self-deprecating

murmur in the quiet bar. "I do know that much."

She was right. As Natsunagi herself admitted, she and Siesta were different in many ways.

The color of their hair, of course. The way they spoke, their personalities, their principles, and even the way they carried themselves.

Natsunagi could never become a Siesta doll. And yet— "What made you decide you'd accept Siesta's role?"

That day—the day when we'd learned that Natsunagi's transplanted heart had belonged to Siesta—Natsunagi had decided to become an ace detective. Even when I'd told her she didn't have to replace anyone, she'd chosen to take that path.

But I still hadn't really heard her thoughts on the matter. I'd decided her silence was something I should respect, and I'd looked the other way. But it was probably time to wake up. For both of us.

"The thing is—I've had poor health ever since I was little." Natsunagi narrowed her eyes, remembering the distant past. "While everyone around me was going to school, I was stuck in bed, all alone. My only friends were some picture books and a little teddy bear. When I saw idols singing and dancing on TV, I was so, so jealous of them."

In my mind's eye, I saw a white hospital room, filled with the smell of chemicals, and a young girl with an IV drip in her thin arm.

"I used to think, I'll never go anywhere. I'll never get to leave this room. I couldn't study, couldn't exercise. I was sure I'd never be anyone." Natsunagi smiled, but I could see a hint of tears in her eyes. "It was really scary. But time passed, and then I flew out of my cage. I was given a new life; after that, I had no choice but to test out my wings. Only…I didn't know how to fly."

"How to fly?"

"Yeah… How to live. So I think I wanted an axis." An axis, to help her live her life.

When Natsunagi said that word, I realized it was probably the core of our entire conversation.

"I wasn't anybody, and then all of a sudden, I had to be. So I relied on this heart… I decided to model my approach to life on hers."

These were the true feelings she'd kept hidden inside.

This was why she'd listened to the voice of that heart. She'd pursued the person the heart was looking for, "X"—me—and had taken up the role of ace

detective.

It had happened during the Saikawa incident as well. At first, I'd been planning on turning down the request, but Natsunagi had given a random reason to make us take it. Now I could understand the logic behind her unnatural proactiveness.

Natsunagi could only find her way in life by using the ace detective— Siesta—as her axis. And that was just as true of me.

"So it's exactly as Charlie said. I've been playing detective this whole time. I know this is only make-believe."

"Natsunagi…" I tried to say something to her, but the words wouldn't come out right.

…Because we were the same.

I had the same complex she did, and I didn't know what I should do from here on out. Which meant that right now, I had no answers to give her.

"I'm sorry. I'm going to call it a night." Draining the rest of her cocktail in one gulp, Natsunagi stood up.

"Natsunagi, I…"

"Good night. See you tomorrow, okay?" As Natsunagi waved at me, her expression was no different from usual. That was how I knew this conversation was over.

"Yeah, see you tomorrow." All I could do was watch her small back get farther and farther away. " 'See you tomorrow,' huh…?"

That's right—this isn't over yet.

I'd have to get my thoughts together and watch for a chance to talk about it again. For now, I decided to head back to my cabin…except Charlie took it over, didn't she? If I tried quietly slipping into the bed with her, I'd probably wake up dead tomorrow.

Well, that left only one option. I took out my phone. "Uh, hello, Saikawa?"

"Yes, speaking… What is it? It's kinda late, isn't it?"

"Are you in your cabin already? Sorry, but could you let me stay there tonight?"

While I was there, I'd tell her about Charlie and what I'd just discussed with Natsunagi.

"…I'll put on some cute undies while I'm waiting."

"What is wrong with you?"

The worst happens

The next morning, the commotion outside the cabin woke me up. "Urk, ngh… What's going on…?"

"Nnnnngh, be quiet…Kimizuka…" "…Nn. Hey, stop. Let go of me, Saikawa."

Untangling myself from Saikawa, who was hugging my arm, I sluggishly sat up.

"What the heck is all the noise about…?" Joints cracking and popping, I stepped into the corridor, and…

"What the hell was that announcement?! Whose voice was that?!"

"I don't know! I don't see any signs that someone got into the radio room, but…"

For some reason, there were crew members running around in a panic. "Kimizukaaaa…?"

"Hey, Saikawa, look alive. Something's wrong."

Saikawa came over to me, rubbing sleep-dazed eyes. I was urging her to go wash her face, when—

"Attention all passengers."

—an announcement in a creepy, synthesized voice echoed through the ship's corridors.

"We have a girl with us in the lounge."

Was this about a lost kid? Under most normal circumstances, that would have been the case. But from the way the crew members were reacting, this wasn't an official broadcast.

That meant—

"The girl's name is—Nagisa Natsunagi."

""...!""

Saikawa and I looked at each other. I had an awful feeling about this, and I knew it wasn't just a feeling.

"If this rings a bell with anyone, please hurry to the fifth-floor lounge."

"Saikawa… This is what I think it is, isn't it?" "…Yes. I think the worst is happening."

"We have a girl with us."

If this wasn't about a lost child, I could think of only one possibility. That girl, Nagisa Natsunagi, had been kidnapped.

"See you tomorrow": The words she'd said when we parted last night played in my ears, over and over.

First, Saikawa and I went to Natsunagi's cabin and confirmed that it was empty, then headed for the lounge mentioned in the announcement, the one on the fifth-floor deck.

When we got to the entrance, it had already been closed off by ship security, and an inspection was underway inside.

"Was Miss Natsunagi there?" Saikawa asked a security guard. As the owner of this ship, she had the right to know everything.

"No. Crew members came running immediately after the announcement, but they found nothing."

The guard shot a glance at me, because I looked like an outsider, but Saikawa gave a small nod to indicate that I belonged.

"…That being the case, we haven't found anyone who appears to be the

criminal yet, either."

"I see…" Saikawa looked down, apparently thinking hard.

…Dammit, what's going on?

We'd followed instructions and come here, but we couldn't even find Natsunagi, much less her kidnapper.

"For now, go over the passenger list carefully. Then check all the cabins and compare the faces and names."

"Understood, miss."

Saikawa issued instructions to the security guard, searching for a clue that could get us somewhere.

She was right. This was a cruise ship, out on the ocean. Even if there was a criminal, he couldn't possibly have gone anywhere else. Natsunagi had to be on the ship somewhere.

…Hmm? A way to get off this ship…?

"Hey, Saikawa." I waited until the security guard had left his post, then asked my host, "Is there any way to get off this boat in the middle of the cruise?" Excluding regularly scheduled ports of call, of course.

"Huh? Charlie asked me that same question yesterday."

"Yesterday? You talked with Charlie before I went to your cabin last night?"

"Yes, in the evening. She came to see me."

What? When did that happen…? "And? Did you tell her?" "Yes, well. I mentioned the lifeboats."

I see. Of course the ship would have those. So had Charlie really left the ship? If so, don't tell me… Did she take Natsunagi along?

No, I had to be overthinking it. Charlie had absolutely no motive for grabbing Natsunagi and jumping ship.

"…Actually, Saikawa, why did you help Charlie?" Speaking of motives, I couldn't think of a single reason for Saikawa to side with her…

"Heh-heh. Didn't you know, Kimizuka? Looking through solid objects isn't the only thing this eye can do." Saikawa touched the patch covering her left eye with her fingertips. At first glance, that didn't seem to have anything to do with this situation, but…this definitely wasn't idle rambling. "For one thing, it can also see whether someone is telling a lie or saying what they really feel."

"It can…?"

"Yes. And last night, when Charlie came to see me, she didn't tell a single lie. She said there was something she had to do, which was why she had to get off this ship immediately."

That did sound like the sort of thing Charlie would say.

"I'm planning to do it my way."

It probably meant Charlie had an idea, and she had made a move before I had.

"So I decided to help her just a little. After all, when a girl's in trouble, I can't just leave her there."

I suspected this story might be a white lie on Saikawa's part. I really couldn't believe that her sapphire eye had the ability to read minds. But Saikawa was probably doing the job she believed was right, in her own way.

"…Still, why didn't you tell me about it? I don't mind if you helped Charlie out, but you could have mentioned it to me, couldn't you?" I even stayed in your room last night because I thought Charlie had taken mine.

"What? Well, I mean, if I'd told you, you wouldn't have spent the night in my room, would you, Kimizuka?"

"That was the goal there?!" No, seriously, what was she after…? "Heh-heh! Just kidding. Did I make your heart skip a beat?" Then she gave an exaggerated wink with her right eye.

…I swear. Unlike you, I don't have the ability to detect lies. Gimme a break.

But the tension had softened a bit. The next thing I knew, both my nervous sweat and the crease between my eyebrows had vanished. Maybe that was one of Yui Saikawa's idol skills.

"Miss Saikawa!" Just then, a security guard came running toward us from the lounge. "This was discovered on one of the counter seats inside."

He was holding a book. The title was—

"The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes," Saikawa murmured softly.

I knew that book. It was a collection of short stories by Arthur Conan Doyle, detailing the exploits of the legendary detective.

I took the book from the security guard and flipped through the pages…and a bookmark fell out. The page it had been marking was in the short story "The Adventure of the Gloria Scott," a tale of the event that had led Holmes to become a detective. A ship had also sunk in that story.

The bookmark had a message on it:

At 8:00 PM, come to the main deck with the ace detective's legacy.