Taiga frowns as he walks at the hallways of the campus, looking for the President’s Office. His meeting is in ten minutes, and although he had gone his way to arrive at the campus earlier so he wouldn’t ideally get lost, unfortunately, that’s what he is right now.
He had asked the nearby security officer and the first student he saw, but right now he feels like he’s running in circles in this maze of a campus.
And he had to come during the weekend, when there are barely any students in sight. Fantastic.
Maybe I should have taken up Shin’s offer to come with me.
He pulls out his phone and unlocks it, revealing his wallpaper — a photo of himself, Yugo, Juri, and Shintaro. They’re standing outside their newly opened office, and he smiles at the thought. This is their first official case as a legit team, and he can’t afford to mess it up by being lost.
He’s supposed to figure it out, anyway. So he stops in the middle of the hallway and observes his surroundings, wondering if there’s any sign or piece of information that could help him. Why doesn’t this university have signage anyway?
Just as Taiga rounds a corner, he collides with someone. The impact sends him falling backward, but a hand grabs his wrist and pulls him up.
So he’s upright again, a little too close to his bumper-slash-savior’s face. But safe.
“Watch where you’re going,” a soft and smooth voice tells him.
He stares up and into dark eyes and dark, wavy curls and a soft smile. Taiga blinks, finding the man handsome, like the world suddenly turned into this romcom anime world with sparkles bursting out of this fine fellow.
Then he realizes —
“Oh my god, I’m so sorry.” Taiga steps back, still feeling the man’s grip on his wrist linger. “You okay?”
“I should be asking you the same.” The man chuckles. “My fault, though. I wasn’t looking either.”
Handsome and kind. “I’m lost.” Taiga scratches the back of his head. “I was looking for the President’s Office, and there isn’t a single signage in this campus, so I’ve been in circles for a while now.”
“President’s Office?” The man blinks. “Well, it just so happens I’m on my way there, too. We should go together.”
Taiga smiles at that. “Sounds good.”
The man holds out his hand. “I’m Hokuto. Hokuto Matsumura. Fine Arts.”
“Taiga Kyomoto, but Taiga’s fine.” Taiga shakes Hokuto’s hand and feels its softness. Totally not what he expected. “Just transferred here, but I’m in Fine Arts, too.”
So far, so good. At least he didn’t blurt out “I know” when Hokuto introduced himself.
President Yoshihiko Inohara is seated on his chair, reading a stack of papers when Taiga enters. The secretary calls his attention, and he looks up and smiles at Taiga’s presence.
“Taiga.” He stands up and extends his hand. “Look at you, all grown up.”
Taiga shrugs as he shakes his hand. “And you, Uncle Inocchi, haven’t aged a bit.”
“I hope that’s a compliment because these past few days have aged me.” Inohara laughs as he runs a hand through his hair. He gestures for Taiga to sit down before sitting himself.
“Why doesn’t this campus have signange? I spent half an hour looking for this office because I can’t find anyone to ask for directions. It took me bumping into Hokuto Matsumura to get here.”
Inohara looks up from his paperwork. “Y-You ran into Matsumura?”
“On his way here. He’s waiting outside, by the way.”
“Anyone with him?”
“Just him.”
“That means Toma would come over in a few minutes.” He sets aside his paper and puts his hands together. “So let’s make this quick. I’m sure you’ve already read the case file?”
Taiga nods.
“The last thing I want is for you to be involved, but if it’s your line of work, then I can’t stop you. Your father can’t either.” Inohara sighs. “But if anything happens to you —“
“Nothing will happen to me.” Taiga balls his hand into a fist against the fabric of his pants. “I’ve solved hundreds of cases now, Uncle. I can handle this.”
“Well, I am president of this university, and I still have the final say into how much police or detective involvement I want in this case. But I want this case solved as soon as possible. I’m giving you as much leeway into breaking some of the school rules because you’re technically not a student, but any grave offenses, and I’m pulling you out.”
Taiga nods. “How many people know about me and my friends going undercover?”
“Just me and the Secretary. Not even the Athletics Office know. At this point, I have to treat everyone else as a suspect.”
“Okay.” Taiga relaxes. “I will get to the bottom of this.”
“I know.” Inohara smiles. “Your father always complains about it, but I’m sure he’s proud of you, too.” He presses a button on his desk. “Ami, send Matsumura and Ikuta in.”
Taiga looks over his shoulder as the door opens. Hokuto steps in, as well as a man with brown, wavy hair. Taiga recognizes him as Toma Ikuta, the coach of the archery club.
“Good, you two are here.” Inohara stands up. “Matsumura, I’ve heard from Taiga you helped him find his way here?”
Hokuto nods, eyeing Taiga curiously. “Yes, sir.”
“Okay, I’ll keep this short because I’m sure you’re busy with practice.” Inohara puts his hands together. “Toma, I’d like you to meet my nephew, Taiga Kyomoto. He just transferred here, and he’ll be assistant manager to your club.”
Toma blinks in surprise as he shakes Taiga’s hand. “Didn’t know we need an assistant manager.”
“Well, I’m sure your manager needs it, given all that’s happened,” Inohara comments. “And since he’s a Fine Arts major, I thought Matsumura could give him a hand. You know, show him around the campus and in the club.”
Hokuto’s brows furrow at him, and Taiga manages a smile. “Surprise?”
Their office looks more like a vacation retreat, with wooden walls and wide windows giving those inside a view of the trees. Though those outside would not be able to see in.
No one would suspect that it is actually a private investigation office.
Taiga sighs as he slumps down the white, plush chair and plops his bag on the glass coffee table. He hadn’t done much apart from being introduced by his uncle to Matsumura and Ikuta, but getting lost in campus has already drained him. It’s only the first day, but he’s exhausted and excited at the same time.
The chimes ring, and Taiga looks at the direction of the door. His best friend Yugo Kochi had just entered with a plastic bag bearing the logo of their favorite restaurant.
“Oh, hey, you’re back,” Yugo greets with a smile as he shrugs off his shoes. “How did your first day of school go?”
Taiga laughs. “You sound like a mom,” he remarks, standing up to help Yugo unpack the delivery in the office pantry. “I got lost, Hokuto Matsumura came to help me get to Uncle Inocchi’s office, but so far so good. Uncle laid out some ground rules for the investigation and introduced me to Matsumura and the coach, and that’s it. At most, they were surprised to be having an assistant manager come along given everything that’s happened.”
“I hope they didn’t suspect anything.”
“As far as I can tell, they didn’t.” Taiga shakes his head. “This undercover thing is fun, though. And I get to experience what it’s actually like to go to a school after all these years.”
He had always wanted to experience college life. Having been homeschooled all his life and having taken online courses after high school, Taiga had always envied Yugo, Juri, and Shintaro whenever they walk to school then come over to talk about their classmates, their teachers, their school trips …
At least Taiga will get a bit of the experience, if only for a few months.
It had to take a long talk with his father, but he’s of age now, and he can make his own decisions just fine.
Soon, Juri and Shintaro arrive, and they gather at the office pantry to toast at the beginning of Detail One, a private investigation office that the four of dream dreamed to run since they were kids.
Well, mostly it was Taiga’s dream. Yugo was initially reluctant to be roped into Taiga’s case-solving schemes in high school, but someone had to make sure Taiga doesn’t land into trouble. And Juri, being Yugo’s close friend in high school, has to make sure Yugo doesn’t get into hot water. And Shintaro is Taiga’s cousin who had promised to protect him since they were kids.
It had taken Taiga years of building connections, being an armrest detective for the police’s unsolved crimes, a lot of saving up to set up a company, and a lot convincing Taiga’s father, but here it is. It finally happened.
“So, what have we got so far?”
After dinner, they move back to the office lounge. Shintaro has pulled out the whiteboard they’ll be using during the entire investigation. It’s already full of information, with the photo of the victim on the crime scene at the dead center. Taiga has drawn arrows connecting the victim and the possible suspects.
Hokuto Matsumura’s photo is huge, his photo next to the victim’s. It’s his ID photo, as generously provided by his Uncle Inocchi. Just like in person, Hokuto Matsumura bears a soft expression, and Taiga remembers the smile given to him when they ran into each other at campus that day.
But below his photo are bullet points that Taiga has taken from the case file his other uncle (no, not Uncle Inocchi, the uncle that’s Shintaro’s dad). In red letters, Taiga had written “PRIMARY SUSPECT.”
Taiga had solved countless cases in the past few years, and he always wonders how someone seemingly so kind could commit such horrendous acts.
He mentally shakes his head. He has always treated suspects as innocent until proven guilty, and Hokuto should be treated the same way.
Taiga stands up and heads to the whiteboard. “I was introduced to Matsumura and Coach Ikuta today,” he tells them. “Nothing suspicious from them at the moment, but Uncle Inocchi gave me a duplicate of the keys to the archery range, so I should be visiting there before everyone else arrives.”
“I’ve done background checks on the archery club,” Shintaro announces, sipping his second can of beer. “Everyone’s squeaky clean. No criminal background.”
“Even Matsumura?” Juri asks, squeezing beside Yugo on the couch.
Shintaro shakes his head. “He’s the ideal student. Good grades, one of the top athletes in the archery club, has only a few friends but is likeable among other students. Girls and guys practically worship him.”
“Even after the murder?” Yugo asks.
Shintaro shrugs.
“That’s for me to find out, I guess,” Taiga says with a nod. “So, tomorrow I’m checking the archery range. Uncle Inocchi got me into the same classes as Matsumura, so I’ll be tailing him.”
“Just be careful.” Yugo frowns.
“I know, I know, you sound like my dad.” Taiga waves a hand. “It’s our first big case as an agency. I’m not gonna screw this up.”
They continue discussing what else they can do when Taiga’s phone vibrates. It’s a message from Matsumura, who had asked for his number, given that Taiga’s supposedly a transfer student and in the same major as him. Not to mention their new assistant manager at the archery club.
The message is pretty long, too perfectly constructed.
“Hi, Kyomoto! We should give you a proper tour of the campus before you start with your first class. Are you a morning person? We could start after breakfast. :)”
Taiga figures he could check the archery range by six in the morning, at most. (He gives himself a reminder to remind Yugo to wake him up just in time.) He types up a reply.
“Not that of a morning person, but I’m willing to be one if breakfast is free. How does 8 am sound?”
Matsumura’s reply comes in seconds.
“Sounds great. Breakfast’s on me. See you at the campus gates at 8! :)”
For some reason, the smiley emoji at the end puts a smile on Taiga’s face.
Taiga groans, waking up to the soft impact of a pillow on his head. He squints his eyes open and blinks when the loudness of the alarm clock finally registers in his brain. He thought it was part of his dreams, when he was somehow underground and calling for someone’s help —
“Jesus Christ, Taiga, you told me to wake you up, and you gotta keep your part of the bargain.”
It’s not a dream. “Okay, okay, I’m up.” Taiga sits up and blinks the sleep away. Yugo is standing by his bedside, arms crossed as one hand holds a pillow. He’s already dressed. “What time did you wake up?”
“Four o’clock on the dot.” Yugo looks at his watch. “Get dressed. I’m gonna make you something quick.”
“Matsumura and I are having breakfast, though?” Taiga points out, yawning as he finally gets off to make his bed.
Yugo scoffs. “You can’t think on an empty stomach.”
Taiga opens his wardrobe and tries to decide what to wear. Normally, he would automatically pull out an oversized white shirt and baggy jeans, and he would be done with it. But it’s technically his first day in university, so he would at least like to dress up.
Besides, if Hokuto Matsumura is the killer in this case, he would at least have him remember that Taiga Kyomoto, the detective that put him behind bars, looks good.
He settles on a striped shirt that Shintaro’s mother had bought him and some jeans before heading to their office’s lobby, where Yugo has already prepared him sandwich and a cup of tea. He sits down and sips his own tea.
“Thanks.” He smiles as he sits down. “For breakfast and for coming with me.”
Yugo shrugs. “Gotta make sure you don’t get in trouble.”
“Excuse me, why are you doubting me?”
“I’m not.” Yugo laughs and pokes Taiga’s leg with his foot. “Everyone’s just making sure we get this right.”
Taiga understands. There’s a lot at stake with the success of this case. Aside from making sure that justice is served and the right person goes to jail, there’s also the funding of this agency. Taiga’s father had reluctantly agreed to help get the agency started, provided that they are successful on their first case and that Taiga comes out unscathed.
So it’s all up to him, and that means he can’t get into trouble. At least, the trouble that would reach his father. Because Taiga has long prepared that when he steps out of the in-room consultations with the police and investigates in the actual field, he’s bound to make some fuck-ups. But he’ll make sure those are kept to a minimum.
“Well, thanks for looking out for me.” Taiga smiles. “And besides, that archery range is huge. I don’t think I can cover all of it before I meet with Matsumura for breakfast.”
And besides, he knows that Yugo is only looking out for him. He and Juri and Shintaro have always have since they became friends, and Taiga could never be grateful enough for them.
It’s still dark when Yugo and Taiga park outside the soccer field, which is right next to the archery range. The two of them look around for any sign of campus staff before they head out of the car and proceed to the entrance. The duplicate keys his uncle’s secretary had provided him fits into the locks easily, and they slip inside the archery range after throwing a couple of cautious glances over their shoulder.
As expected, the archery range remains untouched by anyone other than the police. The entrance to the range is still surrounded by yellow police tape, warning random passersby to not enter the crime scene. Of course, the body is nowhere to be found, already stored in the morgue. Still, everything else seems to remain untouched.
Taiga had already seen the crime scene from the photographs the police have shown him a couple of days ago. But if there’s anything he learned, it’s still important to see the murder scene himself in case the police miss anything. He and Yugo put on their white gloves and starts getting to work.
The first area Taiga approaches is the range itself. It is a wide, open field surrounded by tall fences made out of chicken wire. Taiga heads to the nearest fence and looks up, wondering if the killer could have been an outsider who could have climbed inside.
He then approaches the row of targets located a few feet away from the indoor area of the range. Four targets are lined up in a row, each already full of arrow marks. Taiga approaches the nearest target and observes the depth of the arrow marks on the target.
Based on the case records, Murakami’s cause of death is an arrow that stabbed his neck. Taiga squints hard at the depth of the arrow marks then turns around to look at the distance of the target and the indoor area, where the archers are supposed to be in position.
“Yugo!” Taiga calls. “How far do you think an archer would shoot from there?”
Yugo looks up, crouched on the ground as he stuffs something in a Ziploc bag. “I think the average distance between an archer and a target is seventy meters?”
Taiga hums contemplatively as he looks at the arrow marks again. He tries to recall the photo from the case file showing the stab wound on Murakami’s neck. The wound isn’t as small as the ones marked on the target.
“I think Murakami was stabbed in close range,” he concludes as he heads to where Yugo is still seemingly collecting evidence. “The marks on the target are too small, and Murakami’s wound is not the same size.”
Yugo hums as he hands the tote bag containing a couple of full Ziploc bags. “That means whoever could have killed him didn’t necessarily have to come from the archery club, then.”
Taiga nods. “But that just widens the suspect pool,” he says.
“Or,” Yugo adds, “Matsumura just didn’t want to make it too obvious that someone from the archery club did it?”
“If he wanted to, he could have murdered Murakami outside the archery range.” He looks at his watch and is surprised at the time. Then again, they must be so engrossed with searching for evidence they didn’t notice that the sun had gone up. “I still have an hour before I’m supposed to meet Matsumura.” He looks around. “You think we’re good here?”
“We could analyze what we found so far in the car,” Yugo suggests. “You want me to come along later?”
Taiga shakes his head. As much as the company would comfort him, having Yugo with him could attract some unwanted attention. Besides, if Yugo is going to snoop around the university while Taiga investigates the main suspect, it might be better if they aren’t seen together. “I’ll be fine. I’ll message the group chat if things go south.”
He and Yugo manage to squeeze in a quick study of the new pieces of evidence, and Taiga manages a quick nap before he’s set to head for the campus gates and meet Hokuto.
He’s still a minute early, but he can already see Hokuto standing outside the campus gates, fiddling with his phone. He’s wearing a white sweater and khakis, giving him this soft aura.
Taiga mentally shakes his head. He approaches and clears his throat. “Matsumura,” he greets.
Hokuto looks up, his face brightening. “Hi,” he greets. “I hope I didn’t take away a few hours of your sleep.”
“Nah, you’re good.” Taiga shakes his head. “So I believe you owe me breakfast.”
The university cafeteria is still quiet when Taiga and Hokuto enter. There are a couple of students occupying a few tables, some of them clearly up against their will. He sees one of the students with a Venti-sized cup of coffee, and though he’s not a coffee drinker, he understands the need to stay awake.
“It’s buffet style, so just pick what you want to eat and then you can pay in cash or with your bus card,” Hokuto instructs, handing him a tray as they fall in line.
Taiga instantly hears the whispers from a couple of students behind him. He knows it’s about them because he hears someone say “Matsumura.” Taiga looks over his shoulder and the two girls behind him mumble their apologies.
Hokuto doesn’t seem to hear. Or maybe he did hear them but pretended not to.
They pay for their meals, and Taiga follows Hokuto to a vacant table by the large windows, where Taiga can see the archery range. Taiga already has a rough image of what the range looks like, at least from the front. From his view in the cafeteria, though, the back of the range leads to what looks like a forest.
The main entrance of the archery range was locked from the inside. Which means the killer could have climbed the chicken wire fence and escaped into the woods. Or there might be an elaborate trick …
“Kyomoto?”
Taiga snaps back to reality, who turns to Hokuto, who is looking at him with curiosity. “Sorry,” he says quickly. “That’s the archery range, isn’t it?”
Hokuto’s face darkens. “Yeah, but we won’t be using that in the meantime,” he says. “Coach Toma told us he rented a nearby archery range for us to practice for Nationals. Which is in the summer, but hopefully we could use the range until then.”
“Is it on maintenance?” Taiga asks. He focuses his attention on Hokuto, determined to catch a whiff of dishonesty in the prime suspect’s face.
“No.” Hokuto gulps then looks at Taiga in the eye. “A murder just happened there a couple of days ago.”
Taiga wasn’t expecting the truth from Hokuto. But then again, being truthful about the murder happening in the archery range isn’t exactly incriminating. “W-What happened?” he asks, feigning shock.
“Nijiro Murakami, one of my teammates, was found dead inside. Got hit by an arrow. Police is still investigating, so we can’t enter the crime scene until the case is solved.” Hokuto closes his eyes and sighs. “You’ve heard those girls behind us whispering about me, right?”
He freezes and nods.
Hokuto opens his eyes, his expression pained. “I was actually the last to see Murakami before he was killed,” he declares.
That much Taiga knows — it’s on the case file. And it’s obvious that even though this information is known only to the police, it seems that the student body has caught on. “Where did you last see him?” he asks, even though he already knows.
“We had an argument outside the archery range after practice. We were rivals in the club, and we were fighting for placements in Sectionals. Things got heated, and I took the higher road and walked away. Mone, our manager, found him dead at the archery range the next day.
“I’m sorry for telling you that.” Hokuto forces a smile. “It’s probably not the thing you want to hear after being appointed assistant manager.”
Taiga shakes his head. It’s exactly what he wants to hear. So far, Hokuto’s narration is consistent with the case file. And he’s telling the truth. “I’m sure you have an alibi,” he points out.
“I was in the guesthouse with my best friend, Jesse,” Hokuto replies, pushing away his tray — the food’s half-eaten. “I was in my room the whole day, and Jesse went out with some friends to go clubbing. No one else was in the guesthouse, and our dorm mother was probably asleep. Not exactly the most solid alibi.”
It isn’t, but Taiga wouldn’t put it past Hokuto to be innocent. He always prided himself on having correct intuition, and right now, his intuition is telling him that Hokuto didn’t kill Nijiro Murakami.
But his intuition isn’t solid evidence. He needs proof that Hokuto wasn’t in the right place and the right time to commit the killing. And because of this, Taiga has to push through with this entire undercover thing. To get to the bottom of this.
Because he knows how those whispers hurt, so in a way, he understands Hokuto Matsumura.
He must have been thinking for too long because Hokuto sputters. “Y-You don’t have to hang out with me after everything I’ve told you. You might be worried about what people would think of you …”
Taiga chuckles at that, and it isn’t part of his cover. “You haven’t been convicted, Matsumura. No one else has the right to judge whether or not you killed the guy.”
Hokuto’s eyes widen, as if Taiga had grown horns.
“And as far as I can tell, I think you’re telling the truth.” Taiga grins, to help gain further trust. “So don’t worry about me not joining you in the cafeteria next time.”
He watches as Hokuto’s shoulders loosen, and he breaks into a smile, one brighter than when they met at the gates earlier that morning.
As Hokuto and Taiga quietly continue their lunch, someone suddenly takes a seat beside Hokuto, and almost instantly, his arm wraps around Hokuto’s shoulders. “There you are!” he exclaims in a jarringly loud voice. “I’ve been messaging you, and you haven’t replied!”
“I was just showing the new assistant manager around.” Hokuto diverts his attention toward the newcomer with a raised eyebrow.
As the newcomer turns to face Taiga, his face lights up. Taiga recognizes him as Jesse Lewis, Hokuto’s best friend and the third best archer in their club prior to Murakami’s passing. Jesse is also the last known person to have seen Matsumura before he returned to the guesthouse.
Jesse’s face brightens with a smile as he stretches out his hand toward Taiga. “So you’re the new assistant manager,” he says. “I'm Jesse Lewis, Hokuto’s best friend. Call me by Jesse or I’m ignoring you.”
Taiga reaches out and firmly grasps Jesse’s hand, returning the smile. “I’m Taiga Kyomoto,” he says. “Matsumura has mentioned you to me quite a bit.”
“Oh really? Just a bit?” Jesse grins mischievously and raises an eyebrow toward Hokuto. “I hope he hasn’t said anything too embarrassing about me.”
“Actually, I was about to tell him about the time in the welcoming party when you —”
“Nooooo!” Jesse covers Hokuto’s mouth. “Pretend you didn’t hear anything!”
Taiga chuckles heartily and nods, enjoying the playful banter between the two friends. As he settles back into his seat, he observes how Hokuto seems to come alive in Jesse’s company, a stark contrast to his introverted demeanor when Taiga first met him. Taiga can relate to this feeling, as he himself only feels comfortable and talkative around his close friends.
Though, the fact that they are inseparable implies several things:
If Hokuto did indeed commit the murder of Murakami, then Jesse would be aware of it and would cover for his best friend. Alternatively, if he didn’t commit the crime, then Jesse would still provide valuable insights into Hokuto’s personality and thought processes.
On the other hand, if Hokuto is not the killer, then Jesse himself could be a potential suspect. He would be privy to the tension between Hokuto and Murakami, and his loyalty to his best friend could have driven him to commit the murder. Alternatively, even if Hokuto did not commit the crime himself, he could have aided Jesse in covering his tracks. Or maybe Hokuto didn’t know, and Jesse worked alone …
“Kyomoto?”
Taiga quickly snaps out of his thoughts as he realizes that hOKUTO is staring at him with concern. “Sorry about that,” he says apologetically. “I guess I was just lost in thought for a moment. Feeling a bit tired, that’s all.”
“You should have told me to schedule our school tour at a later time,” Hokuto says with a light-hearted laugh.
“It’s alright,” Taiga responds with a small smile. “We managed to cover a lot of ground during our tour, didn’t we?”
The sound of the bell echoes through the cafeteria, signaling the end of lunchtime and the start of the next class. Hokuto stands up and stretches. “Looks like it’s time for us to go to class,” he declares.
As they make their way out, Jesse walks alongside them and nudges Taiga with his elbow. “Looks like Hokuto likes you,” he teases with a grin.
Taiga blinks. “I mean, he’s probably just being nice,” he says with a shrug.
Jesse lets out a chuckle and scratches the back of his head. They reach the cleaning area and put their trays away before continuing their conversation. “Okay, maybe not ‘like’ like,” he clarifies. “But you know what I mean. Hokuto doesn’t really warm up to anyone that easily. But I noticed how he seems so comfortable around you.”
Taiga seizes the opportunity to bring up the topic. “Well, before you came,” he says, “Matsumura told me about the murder at the archery range. I told him I believed him.”
Jesse’s eyes widen in wonder. “Really? That means a lot to him. Hokuto wouldn’t hurt a fly. He wasn’t even near the archery range because we went home together at the guesthouse after dinner. Then he stayed there the whole day, and I went to join the club.”
The statements of Hokuto and Jesse about their whereabouts on the day of the murder align with each other, which is a good sign for Hokuto’s innocence.
“I even video called him in the middle of the night to bother him.” Jesse pulls out his phone and shows it to Taiga. “Wanna see?”
Jesse doesn’t even wait for Taiga’s response and quickly opens his messaging app. Taiga notices the timestamps of the messages exchanged between Jesse and Hokuto on the video call. The messages were sent at 11:00 PM, which is before the estimated time of Murakami's death, 11:30 PM.
Jesse puts his phone back in his pocket without waiting for Taiga’s response. “I don't really have a copy of the video call, but I can vouch for him,” he says. “I already told the police that, but you know how people are. They start whispering.”
Taiga nods, noticing Hokuto looking back at them as if to check if they're still following. He takes it as a sign to walk next to him.
Taiga still knows that this is not definitive proof, but it’s a lead that he can work with for now. He takes out his phone and messages Shintaro to coordinate with the police to obtain phone records that would confirm Jesse’s statement.
After class, they leave the campus and head to the archery range that the university has rented for the club during the investigation. The facility is almost identical to the university’s archery range, except for the fact that it’s indoors. Therefore, the open field separating the archer and the targets is covered by a roof.
“Hello!” A girl approaches the three of them as they remove their shoes. Her gaze lands on Taiga. “You must be Kyomoto?”
Taiga smiles and responds, “I am. You must be Mone Kamishiraishi?”
“Please, call me Mone,” she says as she smiles back. “Let's head over to Coach Ikuta first before I show you around.”
“See you later?” Hokuto asks him.
Taiga nods and waves before trailing after Mone.
As they make their way to the pantry, they spot Ikuta already perched on a chair, leisurely sipping on a drink from a Styrofoam cup. Catching sight of them, he waves and signals for them to join him. With a friendly demeanor, he welcomes them to sit beside him.
Without preamble, Toma speaks up. “Let me get straight to the point, because Kyomoto will eventually find out anyway. The truth is, we’re not at the actual archery range because a member of our club has been murdered.”
Taiga nods in agreement. “Matsumura and Jesse already informed me about the incident during lunch.”
Toma glances over at the closed door before turning back to Taiga. “Did they also mention that they are currently the top two suspects in the case?” he asks, his expression serious.
“Matsumura told me he was the last person who saw Murakami. Jesse said the same thing.”
“I see.” He lets out a deep sigh. “The atmosphere in the club has been quite strained since the incident,” he reveals. “I understand the fear of training with possible suspects, but it’s a difficult situation because Matsumura and Jesse are two of our best athletes, and we're training for Nationals. Mone has been trying her best to diffuse the tension, but it’s not an easy task.”
As Ikuta speaks, Taiga notices Mone’s shoulders tensing up from the corner of his eye.
“So it looks like Mone could use some assistance,” Ikuta remarks with a grin, extending his arm to pat Mone on the head. “Today, we’ll introduce you to the club, and then you’ll spend the entire day shadowing her, alright?”
“Sounds good,” Taiga says with a nod.
As Toma had warned, the atmosphere in the club is palpably tense. Hokuto and Jesse stand off to one side while Toma gathers everyone together to introduce Taiga. Meanwhile, the rest of the group stands a few feet away, keeping a cautious distance. Jesse seems unfazed by the situation, but Hokuto covertly glances in the direction of the group, as if feeling uneasy about the arrangement.
Following the introductions, Taiga shadows Mone as she goes about her daily tasks. This arrangement proves beneficial for Taiga, as he gains a deeper understanding of the intricacies of archery training. It also provides him with the perfect opportunity to observe the club members and Ikuta in action as they strive to improve their technique and form.
As he watches the members take their turns on the range, Taiga’s attention is drawn to Hokuto. It’s easy to see why he's one of the top athletes in the club. Hokuto’s posture is flawless, and he draws the bow at such a precise angle that it’s clear he’s been practicing for years.
As Hokuto releases the bowstring, the arrow hurtles towards the target, striking the bull's eye with pinpoint accuracy within a matter of seconds.
“Perfect, as always!” Toma exclaims, beaming with pride as he pats Hokuto on the shoulder.
“He could use that as a perfect weapon to kill someone,” one of the members of the club mutters under their breath, their voice loud enough for everyone to hear.
Taiga notices Hokuto wince at the comment, but he quickly regains his composure and hands over the range to Jesse without any visible change in his expression.
Jesse steps up to the range, and like Hokuto, his form is impeccable. The arrow is released with ease, flying towards the target and hitting the bull’s eye with precision. Toma praises him for his excellent performance, and Jesse appears to ignore any negative comments that may have been directed his way.
“They’re so strong, aren’t they?” Mone remarks at the end of the day, as cleaning duty is left to them.
Taiga reaches down to pick up a stray arrow that had caught his eye, intrigued by its unique make. It’s vastly different from the arrow that had fatally struck Murakami. According to Mone, the arrows used at the archery range belong to a different brand than the one found here. But this makes it all the more challenging to trace the owner of the fatal arrow. Taiga knows that it’s important to double-check later.
“You mean Matsumura and Jesse?” he asks.
Mone response with a low hum as they both made their way toward the storage room to stow away the archery equipment. “If I were in their shoes,” Mone muses, “I would have resigned from the club at the first whisper.”
“You don’t think they did it, do you?”
Mone’s eyes widen in shock. “Of course not!” she exclaims. “Matsumura and Murakami didn’t get along, but I don’t believe Matsumura would hate him enough to kill him. And if Jesse had any involvement in this, it would be obvious from his behavior.”
Taiga finishes storing the remaining equipment inside the storage room before turning to Mone. “Were you there when they argued?” he asks.
Mone lets out a sigh before responding, her tone heavy with emotion. “Yes, I was there,” she confirmed. “Matsumura was actually defending me,” she adds, her voice growing softer.
That seems to be consistent with the statement she gave to the police. He waits patiently for Mone to continue.
Mone finishes stacking the last of the equipment, and Taiga followed her out of the storage room. “I made a mistake with the orders for the replacement arrows,” she admits. “Murakami was very particular about the type of arrows he used, and they didn’t arrive on time for training that day.” Mone’s expression is pained. “Matsumura tried to defuse the situation, but things escalated quickly, and the argument grew heated,” she adds. “I’m guessing that Murakami’s resentment toward Matsumura winning the inter-club tournament a week ago also played a part in the argument.”
Taiga’s expression remains neutral as he listens, but he can’t help but raise an eyebrow at one particular detail. “I heard you found the body,” Taiga continues innocuously.
Mone’s nervous laughter fills the air. “Yeah, it sounds like something out of a crime movie,” she chuckles. She shivers. “I was just doing my regular cleaning and maintenance routine when I stumbled upon Murakami lying face down,” she recounts, her voice growing softer. “My scream must have startled the janitor who was passing by, and that’s how it all started.”
“Must be hard.”
“Yeah, Coach Ikuta told me to take the whole week off so I could cooperate with the investigation and to take it easy. But I was back in three days.” She smiles. “I can’t leave the club this chaotic.”
Taiga’s mind wanders, recalling the first time they had seen a corpse, and the memory was etched vividly in his mind. Taiga had thought that reading about death would prepare them for the real thing. But when Shintaro’s dad had brought them to the morgue to investigate a victim, Taiga was overwhelmed with a sense of nausea and had rushed out to vomit.
Mone’s strong.
At least, seemingly.
Taiga considers all the information he had gathered so far and concludes that there’s much to sift through. He decides to call it a day, knowing he can pick up where he left off tomorrow.
When he arrives at Detail One, Yugo and Juri are hunched over Yugo’s laptop. He clears his throat, pretending not to see Juri’s arm slung around Yugo. “How was your first day of school?” Juri teases, moving away.
Taiga strides toward the whiteboard. He scans the board with intent, searching for a particular photo that he needs to examine. After a moment of careful examination, a triumphant smile spreads across his face as he exclaims, “Aha!”
“What?” Yugo asks eagerly. He’s next to Taiga within seconds. “What did you see?”
“Mone Kamishiraishi told me that when she saw Murakami at the archery range, he was lying face down.” He points to the photo of the crime scene. “Murakami’s lying on his back when the police found him.”
Yugo’s eyes widen with realization as he intently scans the whiteboard in search of another photo. Finally, he locates a close-up shot of the victim’s body. “There’s dirt on his face,” he notes, his finger hovering over the photo. “The arrow is lodged in his neck. If he was shot from a distance, he would have fallen backward.”
Taiga strokes his chin thoughtfully. “This boosts our theory that someone stabbed him at close range,” he declares. “The killer could have had access to the body after it was found and moved it without being noticed.”
“Or maybe Kamishiraishi did it?” Yugo suggests.
Mone seems sweet, but Taiga can’t rule her out just yet either. “Yeah. This doesn’t narrow down the suspects considerably, though. Because she and Coach Ikuta are the only ones with keys to the archery range.”
“Well, that’s still something,” Yugo nods, whipping out his phone. “I’ll ask Shin if he can do a background check on them.”
“Good. And Yugo? I think we have to dig deep about the brands of arrows.”