A Destructive Prank (An Oumeno story)

Chapter 11 - Limbo

The firefighters, with great difficulty, eventually extinguished the fire. News channels devoted their whole air-time, with, to Himiko's disgust, great enthusiasm, making reports on latest revelations, where even the smallest debris was used for an hour long theorising on the part of the broadcaster about the possible connections that piece of brick or wood could have had to the true cause of the fire. Almost all students received frantic calls or messages from their guardians, Kaito having been in the minority who did not receive such calls, as his grandparents must've thought that their grandson studies elsewhere. Some parents also demanded that the students return home and be relocated to a different school, however, through multiple persuasive speeches and reassurances, the headmaster managed to convince the parents that a commodious recompensation for the suffering and distress of all the people involved will be brought forth very soon. Although satisfied with the headmaster's promises, the parents continued to shout in disgruntlement about the lack of explanations given for what had happened. They could not believe that an ordinary accident could've started a fire of such a magnitude. 

Himiko observed these events while languishing in her dorm. She was regularly visited by Tenko who reminded her that the school would likely be rebuilt quickly, or that they would go on vacation to a nice place, thinking that this was the cause of her sadness. Kaede and Chiaki also visited her and she appreciated their care, during a time when each student had to deal with their own problems, but did not know how to reciprocate it nor what to do when they came to visit. She heard from them that Kyoko and Shuichi were allowed onto the site, the permit not extending much beyond the ground floor and the first floor, and that they were investigating the fire's possible cause. The investigation was, apparently, making quick progress in terms of understanding how the fire had spread and what caused the explosions, but the identity of the perpetrator, since all the evidence lead towards one, was not a matter upon which they were willing to speculate yet. To Himiko's surprise, the detectives did not give her a visit concerning Kokichi. She surmised that his disappearance must've been either ignored or not apparent to the students, but it wasn't something that could've escaped the detectives' notice. 

One day, she was woken up from her sleep by hasty knocks on the door. Himiko told them to come in. It was Maki. Himiko would've felt much less uneasy if it was Kyoko and Shuichi instead of Maki. Her presence did not portend anything good.

''Yes, Maki? What do you-'' 

''Do you know where is Kokichi?'' Maki interrupted her, looking intensely. Himiko knew that she had to be extremely careful about her expressions, words, and movements. Any inconsistency among these would cause suspicion. 

''He was in the classroom before-'' Himiko struggled to utter the next words.

''Before? When was that?'' Maki asked, her gaze having softened. She was not fond of Kokichi, but didn't want the displeasure she felt at him to fall onto Himiko - even if those two were close together.

''-I left.'' Himiko added, guilt preventing her from speaking further.

Maki mused and looked out of the window. She now understood the cause of Himiko's sudden reclusiveness and did not want to dwell upon a matter that was due to be investigated by someone more professional shortly. She bid Himiko farewell and left. 

*

After Maki's visit Himiko wanted to be completely alone for a while, however, the next day she was woken up by knocking again. This time the person introduced themselves as Kyoko Kirigiri. Himiko opened the door herself. 

''Good morning, Himiko. While I'm aware that each one of you feels themselves to be under a considerable strain after the recent events, I reckon that it would be beneficial and fair if the resolution of the case were to be undertaken by all of us. With everyone present, we might gather sufficient evidence to solve all quandaries. I and Shuichi could've decided to interrogate you individually, but we did not think that such a course would have been fair. So, I've come here to ask you if you woud like to join us in the main hall, where we intend to exact this.''

Himiko hesitated, but agreed to come anyway. Kyoko nodded and walked away. Himiko sat down on her bed, rethinking her decision to join the rest of the students. She did not think it necessary for her to come, nor to participate, because she knew the truth already. Therefore, she feared that the evidence will end up pointing at her or Kokichi. The truth could not be concealed for long from two Ultimate Detectives. She resolved to stay quiet, as she expected most students to do and to only speak to ask simple questions; then she resolved that she wouldn't come at all and explain away her absence with some sickness, but remembering that both Maki and Kyoko saw her, she resolved not to follow through with that. The choice was frustrating to make as Kyoko's invitation sounded to her like a command, or a very strong recommendation, for her to come. When she recalled Kokichi's confident statement that the detectives would find out the culprit eventually, she considered confessing the truth to end this nightmare, yet she would accuse herself of betrayal if that were to happen. 

Himiko followed through with her morning routine and left her dorm. 

Whenever the hall on the school grounds underwent maintenance, the hall attached to the dorms was used as a substitute, and so it was normally silent. That former silence was no more when Himiko approached its doors and instead heard confused shouting and arguing intermixed with faint calls for silence likely made by Shuichi. Before entering the hall, Himiko took off her hat and looked at the spot where Kokichi made a tear. The memory seemed more distant than it really was. She felt that whatever happens next might prove her initial conviction wrong.

Now was the time to find out.