Crime Games | ✓

28. I Know Who It Is

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'Letter writing is the only device for combining solitude with good company'
— Lord Byron

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"So... What are you doing here?"

Kazuma Kurosaki stood before the two teens, his gaze scrutinizing. Tadashi Matsumoto swallowed hard at his stare while Ayame kept her cold and unwavering expression as always.

"Give us the letters," said the poker-faced teen, crossing her arms firmly.

Kazuma immediately glared. "How do you know about them?"

Ayame didn't relent to Kazuma's look, and only let out a haughty breath, "You, Kazuma Kurosaki, have a great say in the school faculty due to your president status and diligent personality. So it's only natural that I would piece together that you would get involved in this alphabet case and find a way to collect them."

Tadashi watched the intense stare-down of the two seniors. They honestly appeared to hate the other as if they were rivals fighting for the same prize. Compared to Izumi Shinzo and Ayame Kobayashi, the connection of these two was far worse.

And yet they were still here...

Tadashi bit his lip apprehensively. Why did Kobayashi take me here?

Kazuma evoked a reluctant sigh, snapping Tadashi's attention back to him. He held open his door, gesturing for the two to come in. "Help yourselves."

Without a second to spare, Ayame strolled into the household. "Excuse the intrusion."

After stepping in after, Tadashi was once again in awe to how huge his household was. His eyes trailed onto a stoic Kazuma. He wondered what exactly his parents worked as since they lived in such an extravagant house.

Not only with Ayame, but Kazuma was surrounded in his own cloud of mystery as well.

Ayame came to a halt at the center of the hallway before turning back towards the black-haired teen who was still leaning against the doorway. Ayame furrowed her eyebrows. "So? Aren't you going to take us to them?"

Kazuma scoffed from where he was standing. "Are you sure you'd want to? There's police officers still roaming around this house... and in the room which I placed them in."

His violet hues locked with Ayame's, studying her reaction.

Tadashi blinked at his words. "Police officers...?"

All of a sudden, Kazuma's gaze fell onto him, as if taking his presence into consideration for once. "Tadashi," he said, causing the teen to flinch, "take Ayame out of here."

Tadashi's eyelids shot up in astonishment. "Why...?"

His gaze shifted onto Ayame who had gone as white as her hair. Tadashi's eyes grew as wide as saucers as a result. It was the first time in his life that he'd ever seen her appear so... terrified.

Ayame Kobayashi— the cold-hearted senior who never cracked under anything, who was always so emotionless and calm— was scared.

"Kurosaki, is someone there?"

The echo of large footsteps stomping down the wooden floor jolted the shaken up Ayame. Kazuma immediately hurried in front of the two, squaring his shoulders.

While passing by Tadashi, he leaned in to his ear and whispered, "Just leave for the day. I'll tell you all my discoveries on a later date."

Tadashi's heart skipped a beat at his words but before he could open his mouth to question it, Kazuma already disappeared down the hallway where the police officers were coming from.