𝐑𝐞𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐝 | wild police story

011.

011: gathering and discussing.

[His fury, unbeknownst to anyone, lies hidden deep inside him.]

-

"I understand." Hiro finally said. "I'll tell you..."

"About that night from 15 years ago, enshrouded in that stench of steel... A night of dismay which made my inner clock's hands... freeze in place."

"Someone came at around 7 pm when I was having dinner with my father and mother, accompanied by a loud bell... The visitor was apparently an acquaintance of my father's. At first, they conversed quietly by the entryway, which I could hear despite being in the kitchen..."

"But before long, the man started raising his voice, and as soon as my mom went to the entryway to check on them... I could hear my father groaning and my mother came back with a radically changed expression and told me..."

"Stay hidden here for a while!" The mother whispered to her child, ushering him into a cabinet. "Don't come out at any cost, till I tell you it's okay to!"

"As my mother said that, she put me inside a Japanese cupboard. Then, in turn, she went and quarreled with that man... But soon after I couldn't hear her voice anymore either. And what's more, a stench of steel started enshrouding the room to the point that I could even smell it, despite being inside the cupboard." Hiro said, his expression solemn.

"What's this 'steel' you've been talking about since earlier?" Hagiwara asked him.

"It's the smell of blood," Ari spoke. "The hemoglobin inside the blood cells is mainly composed of iron, so. But it's also can be derived from the skin's fatty chemicals, which creates the 'coppery' or the 'steel' odor, as Hiro said."

"I see..."

"So, what happened afterward?" Matsuda asked.

"I could hear him humming..." Hiro said, hesitantly.

"What? Humming?!" Date exclaimed in disbelieve.

"Yeah..." Hiro nodded. "It wasn't dad's voice, nor mom's. It was a coaxing voice, twisted to sound more high-pitched... He was repeating the same phrase in rhythm. T-Therefore, I cautiously peeked out of the cupboard."

A man held a blood-stained knife, humming a chilling tune. "It's fine now! Come out, pleeease~!"

"What about the face?! Didn't you see the dude's mug?" Matsuda asked.

"No, I didn't..." Hiro said. "I was too scared."

"How come the man was looking for you, though?" Furuya asked.

"Nah, he wasn't looking for me. I know that because he called out a girl." Hiro said. "That's right..."

"It was Yuri." He said, making Ari widen her eyes, which went unnoticed by the rest. "The name of the girl I used to play with, a girl that looked just like the kid who was reported missing last night."

"Why was he looking for her at your house?" Date wondered while Furuya asked Hiro. "What was her surname?"

"I don't know..." Hiro shook his head. "I always called her by her first name."

"After she died of illness, I did attend her funeral. But I was just a first-year elementary school pupil..."

"If you don't know her surname... Then, can you tell me the illness the girl died from if you knew?" Ari asked him.