Chapter 66 Alienation

"Ah..." Wakaba was startled and asked with a blank expression, "What day of the week was that?"
"Thursday."
"Thursday? I should have been working part-time..." Wakaba fell into deep thought.
"What kind of part-time job?"
"Let me think... It seemed to be at a seafood ramen shop called 'Kamisenmaru' in Hirunai-cho, working as a server."
"From what time to what time? What did the boss say to you? How many customers came to the shop that day? How much is your monthly salary..." Shibata Yoshiko asked with a sharp gaze.
"From six to twelve, he said good evening, there weren't many customers... The salary is paid daily, around 65 yuan," Wakaba stammered.
A large amount of data analysis flashed through Shibata Yoshiko's investigative eyes, accompanied by a percentage showing a 1.734% probability that Wakaba was lying, which fell within the normal range.
She furrowed her brow slightly. If the probability calculated by the central mainframe could reach seventy percent, she would be able to arrest the suspect directly and bring them back to the station for detailed interrogation.
With the current 1.734%, it was far from enough.
At that moment, her eyes darted slyly, and she shouted with a cold expression, "Wrong, you're lying! We found out that you weren't there at all at that time, but appeared in Shichichome-cho, more than a dozen kilometers away. Tell me, what were you doing there?"
Shichichome-cho was the address of the high-end apartment where Mizuno Hirosuke lived.
"Ah, I didn't go there," Wakaba argued, stubbornly claiming she knew nothing.
Anyway, her part-time work records had been completely fabricated for her by the company, and she trusted the company's capabilities.
Shibata Yoshiko pressed further with a few more questions, but Wakaba still acted clueless, so she finally stopped.
After the interrogation, she left the school with her cousin, looking deeply resentful and reluctant.
Feeling quite angry inside, she complained to her cousin, Kakuda Hancjiro, on the way.
"My intuition clearly tells me that guy definitely has a problem, but I can't do anything about him. It's so frustrating!"
"Cousin, didn't we investigate at 'Kamisenmaru'? That Shiratori Kiyoshi was indeed working there that night, and when we investigated his neighbors, they also said he is just a diligent, helpful high school student..." Kakuda Hancjiro said with a wry smile.
Hearing this, Shibata Yoshiko immediately looked at her cousin with displeasure: "Then how do you explain that Hanada Toshie and Mizuno Hirosuke both died just days after coming into contact with that guy? And they were both burned to death? Cousin, can't you see such an obvious connection?"
Hearing this, Kakuda Hancjiro desperately wanted to say that you cannot conclude water is poisonous just because everyone who died had drunk water.
"There are indeed some suspicious points," he said.
"It's not just some, it's clearly him who set the fire behind the scenes!" Shibata Yoshiko said, her mind conjuring up Wakaba's clear and pure eyes.
"How could a man possibly have such innocent eyes? It's totally an act. I suspect he's actually a pervert underneath..."
Kakuda Hancjiro was left speechless by this. Aren't all high school boys like that? Simple, gullible, hot-blooded fools.
"Cousin, shall we install surveillance cameras at that guy's house? Be careful, we won't be discovered," Shibata Yoshiko said.
Kakuda Hancjiro initially wanted to refuse, but looking at his cousin's stubborn gaze, he hesitated for a moment and finally nodded: "Well, alright then."
Following that, they drove an unmarked car to the Sakai-cho West residential area and parked a short distance away from Wakaba's house.
At this time of day, the surrounding residents had all gone to work.
The two changed into casual clothes and went to the back garden of Wakaba's house.
"Cousin, I'll keep watch for you, make it quick," Shibata Yoshiko said.
"Mhm," Kakuda Hancjiro replied. He looked at the wall, which was over three meters high, reached out, and easily vaulted over.
That agile and vigorous movement bore no resemblance to his bulky, 1.8-meter-tall frame.
After leaping into the yard, he used investigative tools to open the window of Wakaba's house, slipped inside, and installed micro-surveillance cameras in the entryway, living room, hallway, and bedroom.
These miniature cameras were no larger than flies, stuck to the ceiling, light fixtures, and room corners—making them extremely difficult to detect.
The only drawback was that the battery only lasted for ten days, after which they had to be recharged.
Once he finished installing the cameras, he climbed out of the courtyard and left with his cousin.
Sakai First High School.
After leaving the head teacher's office, Wakaba walked down the hallway back to Class 2-6.
'As expected, the Security Bureau has already set their sights on me, tracking me down so quickly!' she thought with a solemn heart.
'The Security Bureau hasn't made a move yet, probably because there's no evidence, but that won't last long...'
'In the end, my own strength is still lacking.'
She sighed inwardly, a wave of pressure welling up in her heart.
Returning to the classroom shortly after, she acted as if nothing was wrong and attended class.
During this time, someone asked her what the Security Bureau people had said, and she brushed them all off with vague answers.
It wasn't until noon that she noticed Yuki Midori, the study committee member, hadn't brought her a bento box as usual.
Perplexed, she walked over to Yuki Midori and asked, "Yuki-chan, how come there's no bento box today?"
Yuki Midori had originally been sitting in a circle with two friends around their desks, eating lunch.
Hearing Wakaba's words, her expression shifted slightly. She slid sideways, distancing herself slightly from Wakaba: "Shiratori-san, exams are coming up, and I'm very busy. I can't bring you lunch anymore. We can talk about it next semester if there's time."
"But isn't there a box right under your desk?" Wakaba noticed the bulging cloth bag in her desk drawer, its shape clearly that of another bento box.
"This isn't a bento box, Shiratori-kun, you're seeing things," Yuki Midori said, quietly pushing the cloth bag further into the drawer.
"If Shiratori-san has nothing else, please go back. I still have to eat."
Wakaba felt the stiffness and coldness in her tone and walked away with a frown.
She couldn't understand—weren't they friends just before?
Why did things change so suddenly?
Unable to figure it out, she went over to Nishioka Erina instead: "Erina, let's go buy sandwiches together!"
"I'm losing weight recently and don't feel like eating." Dropping these words to Wakaba, she stood up and left the classroom.
In the corner near the podium in the classroom, several boys witnessed this scene and flashed a few mocking smirks.
Wakaba didn't notice this and left the classroom alone to buy a sandwich for lunch.
Stepping out of the teaching building, the scorching summer heat hit her face like a wave. The fierce sunlight baked the earth until it resembled a glowing piece of white-hot iron.
Very few students were outside at this hour, and a few girls who had no choice but to go out were holding parasols.
However, when they saw Wakaba, they began pointing and whispering behind her back. When Wakaba looked over, they quickly averted their gazes and hurried away.
Wakaba walked along the path toward the campus store. On both sides, the piercing cicada chirping continued endlessly, adding a layer of irritation to the already sweltering weather.
After buying her sandwich, she sat down in the shade of a tree near the soccer field.
"Shiratori-kun, Shiratori-kun... Why didn't you answer when I called you so many times?" Fujii Asaka ran up and tapped her on the shoulder.
"It's nothing?" Wakaba glanced at her, appearing somewhat surprised that she hadn't acted like everyone else.
"Did something sad happen?" Fujii Asaka asked, sitting down beside her.
Wakaba recounted what had just happened.
Hearing this, Fujii Asaka looked surprised and said, "Shiratori-kun, you didn't know yet?"