The Binding Vow of Lazarus

Chapter 96

"Alright Suzu," Tsukumo said, leaning forward with the tips of her fingers pressed to the polished wooden surface of the main conference table.

Suzu's face stayed even, staring right back into Tsukumo's eyes. Tsukumo could see it though — a slight twitch in their black eyes. Nervous. Suzu never could hide when they were truly nervous.

"I want you to be upfront and honest with us," Tsukumo continued, swirling her fingers back across the table as she stood to her full height. "Tell me," her voice dropped low, "What does Kenjaku want from us?"

Suzu's eyes flicked to each of the rooms occupants. Haibara. Larue. Miguel. Tsukumo saw them pause, considering something before their eyes flicked back up to hers.

"He's trying to win some kind of bet," Suzu explained, though there was a tremble of laughter to it — as if they already knew no one would believe them. "He's got someone else he's working with, or around, or something— I don't understand it at all." Suzu shrugged and grinned, "He both wanted me to break up the cult and keep them fighting. He wanted them to solve their problem through a fight and he insisted it had to be that way or we'd have to start over."

Tsukumo's brows furrowed. "What does any of that mean?"

"Yeah, see that's been where my issue lies," Suzu laughed, "At this point I've got nothing to hide, so I'm literally just going to tell you." Suzu threw their arms up in a useless but dramatic shrug. "Ready?"

Tsukumo blinked, giving a glance to everyone else before nodding.

"Remember back at that old temple you hung out in?" Suzu said, their grin widening as Tsukumo's eyes did as well. "Yeah, I was the one feeding Suguru all that "info" about the school," they said, "He believed it all. For a dude who's so good at talking, he can be really easy to lie to."

"Did Mahito have a hand in his sudden shift?" Tsukumo asked.

"Probably," Suzu shrugged. "He tosses that little freak around when it's convenient for him. I wouldn't be surprised."

Tsukumo's eyes narrowed. Someone had said that once, hadn't they? Or did Kenjaku tell her that himself?

"He said he had to fix something," Suzu sighed, slumping into their chair, "as if he did something wrong and had to make it fair."

Tsukumo back straighted. She stared at them.

"He did said he interfered," Tsukumo murmured, her eyes searching Suzu's face for something.

"Yeah, that's right," Suzu let their eyes slide closed, "I remember that too."

"What did he do?" Tsukumo asked, "Do you know?"

Suzu's eyes opened. "All I know is that, none of us really have any clear memories of those last two years," Suzu said, as if they were just laying it all out on the table.

"Wh-wait what?!" Miguel shouted, "What are you talking about?!"

"No, I think... I think I understand," Larue mumbled, "The years that we all got together and became a family. All of that time does feel strange, doesn't it?"

"It... I hadn't noticed," Haibara mumbled, covering his mouth with his hand. He shook his head, taking a step back. "But you're right. It doesn't feel... like ours."

"It feels like someone told us a list of things that happened and how to feel about it, right?" Suzu chuckled, dragging their hands down their face. "He did something. And then something else got mad at him and he had to fix it."