Murder House (Part Two)

Taro Yamada

"Are you going to order something?" he asked.

"No. Thank you, Mr. Yamada. I ate before getting here." I reply.

His face fell. "Oh."

"Can you tell me about your relationship with your childhood friend Osana Najimi?"

He looked away hesitating for a while. "Well, she was my childhood friend and we were together a lot during middle school."

"You guys were close huh," I ask.

"Yeah. I can recall the number of times we played together and the number of times we visited each other. Our parents knew each other too and often teased us about becoming a couple one day but Osana didn't like that." He gave a boyish smile. "Back then, she get so angry that her face would turn as red like a tomato and it always cracked me up. I remember back in middle school, I annoyed her and ended up apologizing to her in front of everyone in the school hall. They made fun of us for the rest of the year and she called me an idiot swearing to never talk to me again."

"I bet she was talking to you the next day," I say.

He chuckled.

"But what happened during your high school days?"

Sadness clouded his face. "We were still close but she started avoiding me."

"Just like that?" I ask although I knew the story and he nods.

"I tried asking her what was wrong but she refused to speak to me so I asked her friend Raibaru but she didn't give me any solid information either. The next thing I knew, she was dating a guy by the name Kyuji Konagawa so I gave up."

"So soon?"

He shrugged. "At least Amai was there to help me."

"Amai?" I asked cocking an eyebrow.

"Amai Odayaka." Taro was scratching the back of his head again wearing a goofy smile on his face. "She was the leader of the Cooking Club back in Highschool. She was really sweet. Acted like an older sister when Osana started ignoring me and she helped me get over her."

"I see." I take my time to think for his story was the same as Ms. Fumestsu's and remembered what Detective Walsh told me about him. "So what happened to her?"

He sighed drumming his fingers on the table. "She committed suicide and no one knows why."

'That is vague.' I stare into his eyes. 'But he looks sincere to me.'

"It seems like something bad happens to every girl I'd meet back in High school." He gave a deep sigh. "Most of them disappeared for no reason."

I wanted to ask him why he continued to pursue relationships with the girls who disappeared but looking at him, I understood why. He had a boyish charm that some women would find attractive and what added to it was his youthful-looking face. He was still young despite his age.

"Well, look at the bright side; you survived the massacre, the scandal didn't affect your entry into college, you have a good job and you are married to a beautiful wife with four kids. So, it is a win."

Propping his elbow on the table, he rolled his eyes and looked away. "Yeah. It is a win."

'Why do I get the feeling that he is not happy with his marriage?' then a deadpan look appeared on my face. 'Oh wait, he isn't.'

'But that's none of your business is it?'

'No, it isn't.'

With that in mind, I decided to end our conversation. Looking at the time on my phone, I stand up from my seat. "Thank you for your time Mr. Yamada but I have to leave."