Case Two: blood runs colder

  Chapter Seven: interrogation and sleep-over

  The police arrived at the Maruyama residence though unlike what Orion’s expectations were, Himura and his team were on the case. Orion led Amane to meet Inspector Himura, who had a soured expression on his face upon seeing the ‘kid detective’ in the victim’s household and his subordinate Hisao Inoue. Orion slowly walked up to Himura. “I believe the culprit died from a wound in the chest and it was instantane—”

  “No more,” Himura said strictly. “That’s for the coroner to decide.”

  “I’m sorry,” Orion hung his head low.

  “Come along now,” Inspector Himura told Orion.

  Orion quickly chased after Himura, gesturing to Amane to follow along.

  The group arrived at the living room where most of the women were situated. They approached the women, glancing around to see who was where. Kaguya Maruyama and Hiyori Maruyama were sitting together with each a cup of tea on the table. Ayane stood to the corner by the curtains, almost as though she was trying to camouflage with them. Yosuke Watanabe stood by his wife but kept a safe distance just to be cautious. Kaede Ito and Takeshi Maruyama were shaking in place, disbelieving what they just witnessed. The rest of the family were absent from the living room.

  Himura led the group past the living room and up the stairs to the second floor. The family in the living room stared at the police force in their family house walking all over the place with their shoeprints. Kaede looked nervous beside her husband, always looking over her shoulder in case an officer wanted to speak to her. As they reached the second floor, the group turned to the study entrance.

  “I will speak with everyone after we’ve gathered more information,” Himura told Yamada. “Let the others know.”

  “Will do, officer,” Yamada nodded and left the study with Yosuke. The two went down the stairs to the living room where the rest of the family were sitting.

  “Go look in the drawers and closets for any evidence, Inoue,” Himura directed his subordinate, Hisao Inoue. Himura looked around the room from his position as if memorising the room.

  “Yes, sir!” Hisao saluted before going off to the desk. He avoided touching the body as much as he could while he searched the drawers. He opened and closed the drawers as he went through them.

  Orion simply stood in place, staring at the body at the desk, the glass window behind the body, the cabinet on the left, and a bookshelf on the other wall. It looked like an ordinary bookshelf, but Orion figured something was being hidden here. Either that or removed.

  Orion turned to Kana. “What can you tell me about your grandfather and his disposition? What about your family?” Orion had a sharp aura to him right now.

  “Ahhh…” Kana said, feeling a bit dazed with the questions. She put a hand on her forehead.

  “Slow down, Orion,” Amane said, putting an arm around Kana.

  “O-oh, thanks, Amane,” Kana nodded. “Umm… well, Grandpa was pretty stingy with money even if he has a lot. But he still supports all of us when we need it. Yet, as you know, he announced after dinner that none of us were going to inherit anything and everyone kind of went crazy over that. Grandfather left the dinner table first – well, I left first technically but he left after making such an announcement. I was able to overhear the adults talking about the disinheritance from the living room. But they don’t know I overheard them.”

  “Hmm…” Orion contemplated. He turned around and left the study to the room with a closed door across. “Whose room is this?”

  Kana turned around to face what had Orion’s attention. “That? Oh, it’s Grandfather’s room. Why? Is something wrong with it?” She glanced curiously at Orion.

  Orion walked forward to it before he stopped himself. Something was wrong with the door. There was a mechanism in the doorknob, possibly a slight electrocution when someone touched the knob. What Orion didn’t understand was why there was a mechanism on the bedroom door and not the study where the scene of the crime was.

  That was when Kana walked over to the bedroom door with an outstretched hand in the direction of the doorknob... when Orion pulled Kana over to him, resulting in holding her close before letting her go within a few seconds. Kana’s face was flushed due to what Orion suddenly did. Amane was watching from the entranceway of the study. A slight pained expression was on her face briefly before she looked away.

  “Someone put a mechanism in the doorknob. You’d have been electrocuted if you touched it,” Orion warned.

  “T-thanks, Orion,” Kana shook with anticipation. Her heart was still pounding while her stomach filled with butterflies.

  “I’ll have to report this to Himura,” Orion said as he turned back to the study.

  As Orion walked off to Himura again, Kana pondered why her Grandfather had a trap mechanism in his doorknob. ‘Or is it someone else…? Did someone set up a trap in Grandfather’s room? Is there something there that we shouldn’t know about?’ Kana said internally.

  After reporting, he returned to Kana and Amane who were still waiting at the entrance. “Kana, tell me how the family members left the kitchen. In order if you can.”

  “Umm… so I left the kitchen first and sat in the living room watching anime. Then after a few moments, Grandfather came out with Hiyono and went upstairs. After Grandfather left the kitchen, mom and dad left, but I’m not sure where they went. Then it was Auntie Kaede and Uncle Takeshi. Then it was Auntie Kaguya and Uncle Yosuke. And then… that’s it. Auntie Hiyori and Uncle Hiro never left the kitchen until they were gathering the men to kick down the door.”

  “Interesting…” Orion said in a distant tone. His eyes were unfocused on the scene in front of him. “The glass window in the study could be opened and someone could use it to gain access. But what I don’t know is if it’s locked from the inside or outside. I’d figure inside.”

  Orion hurried inside the study where Himura was. As Orion reached Himura, he noticed Himura was busy staring at the contents in the drawer. Himura picked up the contents and laid them bare on the desk. It contained a few receipts, blank notepaper and one letter. Picking up the letter and perusing the letter, he let out a cry.

  “Aha!” Himura exclaimed. “Got you now.” He was holding up a white, ruler-lined paper with a few words in his hands. At a first glance, Orion guessed it was the will.

  “What did you get?” Orion asked, peering at the paper in Himura’s hand. He reached for it, but Himura pulled it away. Orion resigned himself from looking at the paper and glanced around the study.

  “This letter,” Himura explained, turning to face Orion. “It’s his will draft. But what are you doing here?”

  “I’d like to inquire about the glass window. Is it locked from the inside or outside?” Orion inquired, putting his arms down as he was not allowed to see the will draft yet. He tilted his head at the inspector after asking the request.

  “Definitely the inside,” Himura answered, visibly annoyed. “It’s not a locked room murder for nothing.”

  “Please check,” Orion insisted.

  “Ugh, fine. Hang onto the letter and don’t let the family see it if any of them decides to come by for whatever reason,” Himura muttered. He had been told to invite Orion onto the case by Erika Fujioka, but Orion had already arrived at the crime scene on his own. He didn’t know who invited him, but it must have been a family member, probably the Kana kid following around Orion. Himura checked the window and found the lock was fastened on the inside. He unfastened it and pushed the window in the opposite direction. Stepping outside, he checked thoroughly for any locks on the outside. There was nothing. Himura reported as much to Orion when he returned inside.

  Orion stared at the letter in his hand. It wasn’t a very long letter, but it was discriminating. It read:

  I, Gombei Maruyama, hereby leave 1,00,000 yen to my valet Daisuke Moriyama.

  I, Gombei Maruyama, hereby leave 100,000 yen to each of the servants.

  I, Gombei Maruyama, hereby leave everything remaining and the estate to my faithful manservant Hiyono Kurosaki.

  There were no mentions of the family in the will draft.

  “Kana,” Orion called to her attention. He waved his arm over to gesture to Kana, who was a little away from him.

  “Yes?” Kana turned her head to face Orion as she walked over to Orion’s side, with Amane following along.

  “Is everyone struggling financially?” Orion asked, looking intently into Kana’s eyes, causing her to feel slightly nervous.

  “Umm… All except Auntie Kaguya and her husband. They’re pretty successful, so I imagine they don’t even need Grandfather’s money,” Kana answered nervously. “I-Is something wrong?”

  “What’s going on, Orion?” Amane inquired curiously, peering over to Orion.

  “I’m getting the feeling we’re still missing something,” Orion said as he turned away from Kana. He clenched his fists. “I don’t like this at all. There may be another victim…”

  “What?!” Kana exclaimed, staring at Orion. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”

  “I’m not,” Orion said seriously with a straight face. He looked around the study where Himura and Inoue were dismantling the room. Then Orion looked at the bedroom door. Something was missing. A common link. It was no good.

  “Oh, I heard Hiyori saying more than once that she felt something wrong was going to happen. I wonder if she meant this…” Kana said slowly.

  “She’s not psychic,” Orion replied. “But nonetheless, this is disturbing. Do you think you can arrange for us to stay the night?”

  “Me too?” Amane asked incredulously, gripping her skirt tightly with her hands. She was staring at Orion, but he took no notice as he was lost in his thoughts.

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  “Preferably,” Orion nodded. “Uh, I’ll sleep on the couch.”

  “Mmm… I think so,” Kana said hesitantly. “I’ll talk with Hiyono.”

  Kana left Orion and Amane in search of the butler Hiyono. Amane had worn a casual pink blouse with a white skirt that went down to her knees and white loafers. She twiddled her thumbs waiting for Kana to return. Orion wore a grey jacket over a white dress shirt, a pair of dark blue jeans, and black sneakers. He just stared at the bedroom door with his hands in his pockets as though it would reveal its secrets to him.

  “Well, Hiyono can set you guys up in his room and he’ll take the settee in the living room. Wait. Are you two going to be okay?”

  “There’s a settee or another bed in there, isn’t there?” Orion asked. He looked over to Amane, who was a little bit away.

  “Yes… I think a settee at least,” Kana said slowly, realizing it meant Orion and Amane were sharing the same room in a large house for one night. Pangs of jealousy were felt in Kana’s heart as she thought more about it.

  “Let’s go check with Himura,” Orion changed the topic and headed back in the study. As the three entered the study, Orion walked up to Inspector Himura. “Did you find anything, inspector?”

  “No. The only thing was the will draft,” Himura grunted. “One that you are still holding onto.” Himura reached out a hand and Orion returned the will. Himura folded the paper and tucked it into his police notebook.

  “There’s one family that MAY be exempted from being a suspect,” Orion reported as he stood next to the inspector. He had a thoughtful expression on his face.

  “Who’s that?” Himura peered down slightly at Orion. He realized he was working rather peacefully with the young boy. That Fujioka would be madly pleased if she knew.

  “Kaguya Murayama and her husband. But maybe it doesn’t exempt them,” Orion replied uncertainly. He was twiddling his fingers as he said that. There was no guarantee Kaguya was innocent, just less chances than the rest of the family.

  “Why would you exempt them?” Himura asked. He was interested in hearing the reason from this so-called genius high school detective. Himura never liked the fact Orion joined the heavy cases.

  “Because they’re pretty wealthy themselves,” Orion said plainly. He had his hands outstretched. “They’re independent from the victim.”

  “That doesn’t mean they didn’t kill him,” Himura said. “However, you’re right. They don’t have any motive if we look at the draft.” Himura put a hand on his chin as he contemplated what information they had right now. There was way too little information right now.

  “I’m going to stay here for the night,” Orion reported. “I have a bad feeling. Also, the bedroom doorknob has a mechanism to electrocute the person who tries to open it. Be careful.” Orion pointed to the bedroom across from the study.

  “Got it. Let me know if anything comes up right away,” Himura warned. “Here’s my number.” He took out a piece of paper and wrote down his number, then handed it to Orion who took it and stuffed it in his pocket. “Text or call me if ANYTHING happens. Doesn’t matter what time of day or night it is.”

  “Will do,” Orion nodded.

  “Oh, we’re going to remove the body soon. The forensics and coroner were delayed, but they’re on their way now,” Himura said. “Can you interview the family members and then report back to me? Here’s a list of their names.”

  “Sure thing,” Orion answered eagerly, taking the piece of paper in hand. It was the first time Himura asked for his assistance, so he felt rather good. Orion left the study and waved over Amane and Kana who went with him to the stairs. They descended and two of the families were seated in the living room.

  “We need a room to interview everyone, separately,” Orion announced to his small group in a whisper as they walked to the kitchen by sticking to the wall. “But I’m afraid I cannot allow you in with the interviews, Kana. You’re related to everyone here.”

  “Mmm… how about the kitchen?” Kana suggested as she walked in line with Orion. She felt disappointed that she couldn’t help Orion, but she resigned to her fate.

  “Let’s check the kitchen,” Orion said.

  Orion and the others walked through the house to the kitchen, which was empty. He took the seat usually occupied by Gombei while Amane stood on his right, he nodded in approval.

  “Okay, can you get me Kaguya, Kana?” Orion asked, looking up to the other girl.

  “Got it,” Kana nodded and went off in search of Kaguya. A few minutes later, Kaguya was seated in one of the chairs while Kana exited the kitchen to the living room to wait.

  “Good evening, Kaguya Murayama,” Orion said politely. “I’m Orion Minamoto, here on behalf of Tokyo Metropolitan Police. I’d like to ask you a few questions.

  “Oh? Are you our little Kana’s boyfriend?” Kaguya teased. “You’re rather cute!” She had a devious smile on her face as she teased Orion.

  “No, not at all,” Orion shrugged it off. “I’d like to ask you for your movements this evening.” He had to know her alibi to see if she could be exempted from being a suspect.

  “Ah, straight to business, are we?” Kaguya giggled. “Well, when I first arrived, I first saw Father and we spoke about my business. I’m a fashion designer for a major brand. He also discussed my husband’s practice with him, expressing interest in helping him out. But we refused the assistance. I couldn’t let my brothers and sister know we’d received help when our businesses are booming.”

  “I see,” Orion acknowledged. “What about dinner time?” Everything was going smoothly for Kaguya’s innocence. He liked her despite her playfulness; it reminded him slightly of Amane.

  “Hiyono rang the gong and all of us came downstairs,” Kaguya said, a hand under her chin as she recalled the events. “Father was the last one to come.”

  “What did you do before dinnertime?” Orion leaned forward, both hands on his chin. “And after, too.” This was getting to the crucial part of the evening.

  “Before dinner, let’s see…” Kaguya said thoughtfully. “I was in my room with my husband. I was fixing up my makeup before dinner. My husband was with me the entire time, I assure you. As for after dinner… I’m sure Kana told you what happened during dinner, but I left second to last, and I was speaking to Kana in the living room until Hiyono came in all panicking about Father being locked in his study.”

  “All right. I get the image now,” Orion commented. “You may leave now. Please ask Ayane Yoshida in.”

  “Got it,” Kaguya smiled. She got up and waved while she walked out of the kitchen.

  Ayane stepped into the kitchen to see Orion seated with Amane standing on one side. Ayane had on a red kimono with her jet-black hair tied in a bun as she walked over to a seat. Sitting down, she looked elegant. But in reality, her mind was spinning around Gombei’s death and how the inheritance should be split between the four siblings now. She was in delight right now, but she couldn’t show it to anyone doing police work.

  “Yes? How may I help you?” Ayane asked sweetly.

  “I’m Orion Minamoto and I’m here on behalf of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police. Can you please give me your whereabouts around dinner time and after?”

  “Certainly,” Ayane smiled again. “Well, I was in my own room before dinner to fix up on my makeup. I expect you’ll be hearing that a lot from my sisters. I don’t know where my husband was. As for dinnertime, Kana decided to leave the dinner table before we were done eating, which is quite rude, but you saw that,” Ayane smiled. “But Father let her leave so that’s that. After Father’s announcement, all of us were uneasy and troubled. Especially Hiyori. I kindly helped calm her down. Then I returned to my room, by myself. I didn’t stop anywhere but straight to my room until the servant started freaking out about Father being locked in. Do you understand?”

  “Crystal clear,” Orion simply said. “You may go now. Please ask your husband to come in.”

  Once Yamada Maruyama entered, he staggered toward Orion as he stumbled into a chair. He sat submissively at the other end of the table with his head drooped.

  “Welcome, Yamada. I’m Orion Minamoto, interviewing on behalf of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police. Please give us your whereabouts before and after dinner.”

  “I understand. Before dinner, I was talking to my brother Takeshi in the dining hall. After dinner, I was… where was I?” He pondered for a while. “I think I was in the living room.”

  “Are you sure? I believe your daughter was in the living room at the time,” Orion said calmly.

  “Oh right, that’s right,” Yamada said uncertainly. “I really can’t remember where I was after dinner. I’m really sorry.” He looked uneasy and unfit; his hands clenched into fists.

  “It was just a few hours ago,” Orion insisted, leaning forward in his seat. Yamada was definitely acting suspicious. He knows something and Orion is intent on learning what that is.

  “Oh, maybe I was talking with Hiro! You know, Hiyori’s husband. That’s probably it, heh heh.” Yamada quickly said, putting on a feigned relief expression on his face. He wasn’t about to let go of his moment to shine with the inspector. Even if this kid said he was doing the interrogation on behalf of the police, he can’t trust the kid.

  “Is that really it?” Orion questioned him, still leaning forward in his seat. He had to get the tidbit from Yamada. It may prove to be essential.

  “Yes, I’m pretty sure it is,” Yamada insisted, shrugging his shoulders. Yamada was intent on not letting anyone know what he knew, except the inspector.

  “Very well, you may go. Please ask Hiyori in,” Orion directed, resigning, feeling frustrated.

  A young frail woman stepped into the kitchen looking around and took a seat by the end of the table, sitting neatly in a light pink dress, her hair flowing freely behind her.

  “Welcome, Hiyori,” Orion bowed his head briefly. “I’m interrogating on behalf of Tokyo Metropolitan Police. Would you please give me your whereabouts before and after dinner?”

  “Certainly,” Hiyori nodded. “Um, well, before dinner, I was in my room by myself to refresh my makeup. My husband came in when the gong rang though. Then after dinner, my husband and I were still in the kitchen. Both of us were still in shock when Father told us he wasn’t going to include any of us in his Will…”

  “I understand, and were you still in the kitchen when your butler came by?” Orion asked. He leaned forward to listen better to the frail woman but also in case she had something important to reveal.

  “Yes,” Hiyori tilted her head, making her look like a lifelike glass doll. The boy seemed to be important, considering he was doing the interrogations. Hiyori only hoped they didn’t know what transpired in the kitchen when she had a breakdown.

  “Thank you, Hiyori. Can you please have your husband come in now?” Orion instructed, extending his arm out to gesture departure.

  “Understood,” Hiyori nodded and got up to leave.

  Hiro Inoue entered the kitchen looking ragged. He wasn’t very masculine or muscular so the effort to break down the study door must have taken a lot out of him. In addition, it was about 11:25 PM. Hiro sat down at the opposite end of the table with a blank expression on his face.

  “My wife told me you wanted to talk to me,” Hiro said mechanically, staring straight ahead but not at anyone.

  “Yes, I’m here on behalf of the Tokyo Metro—” Orion started to say when he was interrupted.

  “I get it. I know you’re here for the police, though it is beyond me why they’d set up a high school kid to interrogate us for our alibis,” Hiro scoffed. He finally looked Orion in the eye. He distrusted the police, and anyone associated with the police.

  “Will you cooperate or not?” Orion asked unprovoked.

  “No,” Hiro stated plainly. “I will not.” He got up and left the kitchen immediately.

  “Can you get Kaede for me, Kana?” Orion called out to the hallway where Kana was waiting.

  “That’s fine,” Kana said as they heard footsteps from outside. Kana came back in the kitchen with a young woman in tow.

  “I was told you’d like to speak with me,” Kaede said shyly. She had dark brown shoulder length hair with clips on the top right side. She wore a white vest over a yellow blouse with a matching orange skirt that went below her knees.

  “Yes, I’m interrogating on behalf of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police. Can you give me your whereabouts post dinner?” Orion inquired the young woman.

  “Ah, after dinner… I was feeling tired after eating such a meal and then with Father’s announcement… It really tired me out. So, I was resting in bed. By myself,” Kaede said, emphasising on the last bit.

  “Who do you think committed the murder?” Orion suddenly threw the question out, shocking Amane. He wanted to see if he could bait one of the suspects into revealing something with that question. There was also the sheer curiosity of what the family thought about the case.

  “Orion—” Amane reached out to the boy.

  “Huh?” Kaede looked confused but alerted this time. “Um… Probably Ayane. She seems the most likely one. I mean, she slapped poor Hiyori when she was hysterical.”

  “Thank you, Kaede. Please ask your husband to come in,” Orion bowed his head.

  Takeshi Maruyama walked in, and there was an air of dignity as he entered. He sat on one of the chairs closer to the door. “Yes?” Even his voice was dignified.

  “Hello, this is Orion Minamoto interrogating on behalf of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police. I’d like to know your whereabouts after dinner,” Orion tilted his head briefly. Takeshi may look dignified, but he must have one or two secrets with him.

  “Well, I was in the garden outside when it happened. Then the butler came for me, saying something about needing men to break open the study. Boy, was I confused.” Takeshi laughed lightly as if a murder hadn’t happened just a few hours ago.

  “Were you with anyone else?” Orion inquired.

  Takeshi shook his head. “I was alone. Sorry.”

  “Ah, another thing. Were you with Yamada before dinner?” Orion threw in the question to validate Yamada’s alibi, or at least partially.

  “Yamada? Yeah, we were talking in the dining room before dinner was ready,” Takeshi nodded. He tilted his head to the side curiously. “Why? Is Yamada under suspicion?”

  “No,” Orion replied plainly without giving away any vital information. “Now, final question. Who do you think killed your father?” He tossed the bonus question squarely into Takeshi’s face that his composure suddenly disappeared.

  It was obvious Takeshi was taken aback, but he regained his composure quickly. “Hm… If I were to wager a guess, I’d put it on Yamada…”

  “Thank you for your time,” Orion bowed his head.

  Orion stood up and faced Amane. He sighed and stretched before gesturing to her to follow him out of the kitchen. On their way, they bumped into Kana, and she followed the two into the study. Taking the stairs, Orion reached the crime scene. The body was taken away by now, and only Himura and Hisao were left in the study.

  “Are you finished now?” Himura asked as Orion approached him.

  “Yes. I still standby that Kaguya and her husband are most likely innocent. Hiyori seems a bit frail, but you never know what can happen when you push someone to their limit. Her husband was uncooperative and would not give us his whereabouts. Kaede seems airheaded and Takeshi is a hard nut to crack. Ayane and Yamada both seem suspicious to me,” Orion explained himself, in a slightly lowered voice.

  “Dad…” Kana started to say and turned away from Orion and the inspector.

  “Sorry, Kana,” Orion apologized, lowering his head.

  “Hm… there’s not enough material. The murder happened around 7:00 – 9:00 PM, according to our coroner. It was instantaneous; the aorta was severed,” Himura reported in a whisper.

  “This is going to be dangerous,” Orion whispered back. “I’ll let you know if there are any improvements overnight. I don’t plan on sleeping tonight.”

  “Don’t overdo it,” Himura muttered. Then he straightened up. “Come on, Inoue, it’s time to leave for the day. We may return tomorrow or when the autopsy results come in.”

  “Got it,” Orion nodded.

  Himura had Hisao Inoue put police tape lines across the study’s entrance as an attempt to blockade any entry. Himura waved goodbye to Orion and left the house with his subordinate. Once the two departed the house, Orion pulled Kana and Amane by the sleeves to the garden, where it was empty.

  “Okay, so I told Himura but I’m planning on not sleeping. I would like the two of you to sleep in the butler’s room. I’ll be there too, just watching guard.”

  “You’ll be tired tomorrow!” Amane protested, grabbing a hold of Orion’s sleeve. She was worried about Orion’s health if he was going to jeopardize it for a case.

  “Yeah, come on, I can sleep in my parents’ room no problem,” Kana resisted. “Just please…” She looked like she was about to cry so she dropped her head down, wringing her hands together.

  “I’m just worried about the case and future victims,” Orion sighed. “All right then. But you MUST text or call me if ANYTHING happens, okay?” He wrote down his number on a paper earlier and handed it to Kana.

  Kana nodded, looking chipper again, taking the piece of paper deliberately. “I promise.” She placed a hand on Orion’s, which was visible to Amane, but he jerked away immediately. Looking a bit disappointed, Kana turned her head to the other side.

  With that, Orion, Kana and Amane returned to the house where most of the household went to bed. The only ones still awake were Kaguya with her husband and Takeshi who were chatting in the living room. The kids waved goodnight to them and headed upstairs when Orion stopped in front of Gombei’s bedroom door.

  “This door still bugs me… Why is it boobytrapped when no one is even trying to open the door?” Orion pondered to no one in particular. “Ugh, no good. Let’s get to bed.” He led the small group further and further away from the boobytrapped door.

  “Yeah, I agree,” Amane nodded as they walked toward the end where the butler Hiyono’s bedroom was located until Kana stopped midway. She wrung her hands together, looking melancholic and hesitating.

  “Um… this is where I’ll go,” Kana said softly. “This is my parents’ assigned room. So… good night, Orion, Amane.”

  “Good night!” Amane said as she followed Orion to the butler’s room.

  Inside the butler’s room was a majestic large king-sized bed but there was a regular white sheet under a folded red blanket. The room was loftier than a usual servant’s room, so this speaks volumes as to Gombei’s reverence to this butler.

  “Umm…” Amane said, staring at the darkened room as the lights weren’t turned on.

  “What’s wrong, Amane?” Orion asked, looking in her direction. Her silhouette was familiar enough for him to tell it was Amane and not someone else. Walking over to the girl, Orion placed a hand on her arm. “Hey, what’s wrong?”

  At the sudden touch and being lost in her thoughts, Amane jumped up before looking around to see Orion beside her.

  “O-Oh, no, nothing,” Amane muttered, face flushed. “I guess…we…I mean I? should sleep.”

  “That’d be a good idea,” Orion nodded.

  “Um… I can keep watch too,” Amane offered hesitantly.

  “How can I ask a girl to keep watch at night? Especially with a dangerous murderer about,” Orion said, quickly dismissing Amane’s offer. “I can’t do that.”

  “Ah… Alright then, Orion, I trust you,” Amane said as she climbed into the bed. “Well, good night, Orion.”

  “Good night, Amane.”