The Loveliest of Lies (Oumota)

Regrets part 2

Author Note: I am crossposting this from AO3. I'll keep the chapters the same length if they're short,  but will publish them in two parts if they are too long. This is really the second part of chapter 2. 

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A few minutes earlier.

Kaito stumbled away from Himiko's lab.

He...he had let his dear sidekick down.

It was all his fault.

Last night, he had abandoned Shuichi and fled. And after that, the detective had been brutally murdered.

Fighting back tears, he angrily wiped his eyes with a sleeve and headed for the stairs.

He had to do something. Talk to somebody.

He couldn't go back to Himiko's lab.

He wasn't ready to face it yet.

It meant that there was only one person he could talk to.

Maki.

He quickened his pace.

A minute later, he reached Maki's lab and knocked desperately on the door.

After a moment's pause, she opened it.

Her expression was neutral. She didn't react to his tears.

"Momota, I don't want to join the investigation. Go and help Saihara." She said blithely.

Kaito took a deep breath, almost choking on the weight of his tears.

She didn't know.

"Harukawa, Shuichi is dead. H-he's been murdered." He blurted out.

Maki gave him a suspicious look.

She thought he was joking.

"I-I'm not kidding. He was just- his corpse was found floating in the water tank in Yumeno's lab." Kaito said slowly.

Maki widened her eyes.

She took a deep breath.

"Right. What do you want me to do? Shouldn't you be with the others? Don't you see me as a suspect?" She said.

"I don't. I-I wanted to ask you about last night- you were in your lab all night. Did you see anything?" He demanded, almost pleading.

"I only saw one person; Hoshi. We talked a bit and then he left. I can't give you any more information." She said.

"What time?" Kaito pressed.

"It was sometime past eleven. I don't know the exact time." She supplied.

Kaito deflated.

He looked at the floor, unable to meet Maki's stony gaze.

"Momota-san, go and join the others. I can't help you." Maki said coldly. She sounded annoyed.

Kaito balled his hands into fists.

He liked Maki, and he knew that she was burying her emotions.

He had wanted to befriend her and Shuichi and get her to come out of her shell.

However, with Shuichi's death, he just didn't see the point anymore.

He had lost all of his spirit.