𝑩𝐋𝐀𝐂𝐊𝐋𝐈𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐃 | 𝑺𝐀𝐈𝐎𝐌𝐀 ✓

- 𝐇𝐀𝐉𝐈𝐌𝐄 𝐇𝐈𝐍𝐀𝐓𝐀 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐀 𝐋𝐈𝐄 -

"A screwdriver," he answered in a soft mutter before he glanced away, and Rantaro quickly got to work.

When the drinks arrived shortly after, Shuichi pushed Hajime's over to him and smiled a bit.

"What brings you here? You don't seem the type to hang around a place like this."

"I'm not... But you don't look like the type of person who would hang around a place like this, either," Hajime answered. He sat up a bit and took a drink, gulping all down in one go and slamming the cup down with a sigh.

"Honestly, the people who end up here, a lot of them aren't the type to hang around here.."

Shuichi furrowed his brows and set his elbows on the counter, leaning on them for support. "What do you mean by that?" He asked curiously.

Hajime leaned back into his bar stool and ran his hand through his hair. "My boyfriend wasn't the type who liked clubbing or drinking that much..." he gripped a handful of his hair. "He never came to these sorts of places alone, either.."

Shuichi decided to pry more into this boyfriend thing. "Has you boyfriend ever come here?"

"Y-yeah... He did before he disappeared."

Shuichi's eyes widened, but he quickly hid his expression of susprise and continued to press into this matter. "Your boyfriend... What was his name?"

Hajime paused. He hit the counter a few times, seeming irritated all of a sudden. "Damn it!" He grabbed at his hair more and more. The guy looked stressed, but Shuichi put a hand on his shoulder, trying to calm him down.

"Are you okay? Here. Drink this," he handed him his water which Hajime accepted a took a drink from, and after a moment, felt a bit more at ease.

"His name.. was Nagito Komaeda..."

Komaeda? Where had Shuichi heard that name before?...

"He and I... we got into a big fight. I said something.. something like.. I wouldn't care if he cheated on me... I didn't love him anymore.." Hajime began to ramble, tears began to form in his eyes.

"He left home and the last place I know he went was here!!" He shouted before his face fell into his folded arms set on the counter.

Wait! The name Komaeda! Shuichi hadn't heard it, he had read it somewhere!

' Oma at 11:37 PM with Komaeda-san..'

It was like someone punched Shuichi in the gut. That book Korekiyo had, the ones with the names of Kokichi's customers, Nagito's was in it. Nagito was also, like all the other men Kokichi slept with (excluding Kaito), was killed and dead.

Shuichi stared at Hajime. This guy... he was waiting for his dead boyfriend to show up, someone who was gone from this world. .

Somehow, Shuichi felt himself relating with Hinata. And even sympathy for him. Though it left Shuichi torn, and somehow, he wasn't so convinced this person was responsible for Kaito's attack. . .

"Wait!" Like a lightbulb turned on, Shuichi just remembered a key factor, something that pointed Hajime to innocent. "Oma said Hinata comes here every Friday night, but Kaito was attacked on a Friday..."

Shuichi gritted his teeth and clenched his fists then...

"Hey," he looked at Hajime with a kind look, and Hajime looked up at him.

"No matter what... Your boyfriend.. Nagito... he still loves you... and I'm sure he really doesn't want to see you suffering like this.." Shuichi told him softly, giving him a kind smile.
"I think... he would want you to just... be yourself... and continue on... until you see him again."

Shuichi put the money for the drinks on the counter and extra cash next to Hajime.

"Use this to get a cab and go home. Don't come back here, okay?" He said before leaving Hajime wide-eyed and confused.

Sometimes dectetives use evidence to catch the culprit. Sometimes they use gut instinct. Shuichi uses both. But this time, it was a gut feeling that told him Hajime was innocent. He knew the feeling he saw in Hajime's eyes. But it was sadder, more lonely. Shuichi almost envied that. When he felt that feeling, it had more anger in it.

"I almost killed someone innocent... I won't blame the innocent ever again.."

Shuichi thought as he passed Kokichi who was still sitting at their previous table.

"Your theory was wrong." Was all Shuichi said to Kokichi as he passed him, headed for the front door, and left the club.

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