Entertaining a Small Thought

1st Arc Part 10: Kaede Akamatsu

"Kaede, are you ready?" Shuichi asked Kaede.

Kaede nodded fervently as she looked at Shuichi. The two of them had just finished setting up the cameras and sensor and were heading back to the classroom next to the basement stairs. Kaede didn't want to show it, but a wave of anxiety suddenly started to overwhelm her as they entered the classroom. It felt like her heart would beat out of her chest at any moment.

"Let's keep the door open a little. So we can see anyone going to the basement." Shuichi said.

"Yeah..."

"Ah...Kaede? About the security sensor receiver..." Shuichi said, taking out the receiver from his pocket. It was what they were going to use to find out when the mastermind made their move. When they open the hidden door, the sensor will cause the receiver to go off, altering them when they need to act. Shuichi then handed the receiver to Kaede. "Could you hold on to it, please? I just feel like...you'd be better suited for that than me. Ah, there's a power switch on it. Make sure you don't turn it off by accident."

"No... you hold on to it, Shuichi." Kaede said, handing the receiver back to him. "You're the one who came up with the plan... And... I trust you. Also, Shuichi... You just said I'm better than you at something. Why do you say things like that, anyway?"

"...What?"

"I guess it's good that we have some time left because I wanted to talk to you about that."

"Talk to me...?"

"It's probably none of my business, but... I think you should be more confident. Especially since the Ultimate Initiative selected you as the Ultimate Detective."

"No, really, I... shouldn't be the Ultimate Detective. I'm not...even a real detective."

"What do you mean?"

"...I didn't even really want to be a detective. My uncle runs a detective business... I would sometimes help out, as an apprentice. It was usually just... cheating couples... background checks... But one day, I came across a murder case, completely by chance... I solved it before the police did. They called me the 'boy detective'. That's when I got scouted by the Ultimate Initiative... Though I only solved one case..."

"Even so, it's still amazing that you solved a murder case. Most people can't do that."

"...I wonder. I wonder if, ah... it was really a good thing I solved that case." Shuichi's hands began to shake as he took a seat, averting his gaze from Kaede's. "The look on his face when we caught him... I can still see it, even now. He stared at me...like he hated me more than anything else in the world. Later, I heard that...he murdered the victim to get revenge for his family. The victim was abusive... They drove the culprit's relative to suicide. People told me...the culprit was right to do what he did. The victim deserved it. But I led the police right to him... Of course he hated me..."

"It's not like you took sides... You uncovered the truth. That's what detectives do, right?"

"Yeah... I uncovered the truth. Which makes it my fault. And I'm still suffering the consequences. Ever since that one...stupid case... I've been so afraid of uncovering the truth." Shuichi then closed his eyes with a grimace. "...I'll never forget those eyes. The hatred... The way they... stared into me..." Shuichi then sighed and turned back to look at Kaede.

"Ah, anyway...that's why I have trouble looking people in the eyes sometimes..." So that's why he wears that hat. "...I'm not a real detective, Kaede. What kind of stupid detective is afraid of finding the truth?" Kaede took a seat at the desk in front of Shuichi and gently reached out and held his hand. Shuichi looked at her hands in confusion. "Kaede...?"