Prey and Predator [Ranpo x Reader] + Bonus ✓

23. In the dark

We had made our way to the store promptly, to my surprise this having its shutters up and display showing like it had never gone down in the first place; I was too focused on details such as its postcode that the memo where it said the store was currently open completely slipped out of my sight when I searched for it online to show to the detectives.

I was standing from afar watching brother arrange some shelves inside, the door wide open to allow fresh air in on that hot summer's day, along with Kenji's offer at helping brother set up the store; the plan was getting upstairs without catching his attention, and striking a conversation with a friendly boy seemed to be the best way in doing so - we established that (in case someone from outside was watching the CCTV) we needed to have someone who wouldn't recognise an A.D.A. agent and immediately figure something was going on. It was all discussed in a spontaneous meeting we held before execution.

I remember being taken inside a dimly-lit room with a large group of tables put together in a line to form a long column. At the end of the room was a large monitor which was used to bring about a simpler and visual depiction of the plan we were to discuss.

'We called the hospital in and they informed us Chie Ki has been discharged and was to return home with minor muscle cramps,' Kunikida announced while standing in front of the white lit background behind him. '[L/N] may have just arrived in time to meet her outside, and offered to take her home.' He paused momentarily and pressed on a small remote which made a projected image of a house with a plate labelled Ki appear behind him; he informed us the house had been placed under investigation itself to look for any evidence which may help the authorities to find out the reason as to why that same household had been filled with criminals. 'They haven't found anything, as expected. With the investigation put on hold, the house is closed and therefore off-bounds, making this a place to which Chie Ki cannot return to.'

Speculating on my brother's character, I figured he wouldn't leave family members to their own devices, especially if they were still injured; I learnt such when uncles and aunts living abroad came to visit when we were younger, him being the oldest amongst all cousins running around with a first aid kit and wailing like ambulance sirens whenever one of us fell and injured ourselves. Chie was his cousin, after all, and the act of being buried alive by her own father may be a trauma my brother felt the urge to heal about her - it wasn't his fault, but the tone of his voice changed when he mentioned he had meant to visit her; he was worried, and probably blamed himself for the crime which was utterly out of his control.

Kunikida greeted my train of thought by stating that the possibility of my brother having brought her home for some time was worth bringing to the table.

'He said we shouldn't return home for some time,' I interrupted, raising my hand slightly as though I was back at school in one of my classes. 'He offered to rent a room.'

'Shouldn't does not mean can't,' he replied, adjusting his glasses and clearing his throat. 'He considered your wellbeing and thought best that you should stay away from home for the meantime. It may spark bad memories.' - I suppose it made sense, and he stated that the only reason I was being allowed to return was because I had insisted on doing so, to retrieve Ranpo, but also because I claimed to hold both the store and house above as mere playground.

Putting the pieces together without further discussion I figured the female voice which had answered the phone at home was hers: Chie's. She claimed to have taken both my brother and Ranpo as hostages. Which meant that in some way she may have been working for my mum, and wasn't just another name on the list of potential killers for each case I read about. Did mother have to change her initial plan because she herself messed up? She killed Father after Chie was buried, though, so where did the plan really go wrong?