beneath the sakura ᝰ ranpo

⠀⠀02⠀⠀

IT WAS HARD to forget about the morning's events when it was all that played in Y/N's mind, like a tape stuck on repeat.

The ivory paint on the walls of the hospital ward should've calmed her down, but it only served as a blank canvas on which her mind painted the same gruesome image of her mother's corpse in harsh strokes of red, over and over, on every wall, until the sickening illusion was all she could see—until it was easier to just look down at her hands instead.

It was even harder to forget when she was questioned by every police officer that walked in. She felt like it was a little insensitive, when she was just repeating the same information anyway, which they could so easily attain with a little communication with each other.

"I was eating breakfast when I heard the doorbell ring," Y/N repeated. This was perhaps the third officer that had asked for her statement. "And when I went outside a minute later, she was..." She trailed off. "She was..." Her bottom lip trembled as she shook her head, unable to finish once again. "I can't say it, I'm sorry."

The story never got easier to tell. Not when she knew the ending.

The officer—Kimura—finished writing down her statement in his notepad. "No need, Ms." His expression was hard—rightfully so, considering this wasn't just a typical pickpocket or run-in case, but a cold, brutal murder—but there was sympathy in his voice. "I know what happened from that point on. Did you see anyone suspicious?"

"No, I couldn't think straight," she admitted guiltily, as though it was her duty to take in her surroundings—even in such a terrible situation—and she'd failed. "I just remember all the neighbours and vendors rushing in after they heard me scream."

He noted her words down and was tight-lipped for a moment, thinking back to the horrifying state of her mother's corpse. To see that in front of you... He couldn't imagine how she was feeling right now, or what was going through her head. "My condolences once again, Ms L/N."

She wiped the tears that had begun to form in her eyes. "No need. I know I can't go back in time and change anything..." She looked up then, with a changed expression of firmness. "But Officer Kimura, I... I'm not sure if I can assist you, but I really want to help with the investigation. I want to help catch the sick, twisted person that did this." Y/N was resolute. "I don't want to sit here and do nothing but wait idly. My mother deserves justice."

Officer Kimura considered her words for a minute, then sighed. "I'll be honest with you. Many of the homicide cases we get take a long time to be solved... a few turn into cold cases. One major reason is the protocols we have to follow before hiring private detectives or investigators. By the time we're allowed to turn to external help, the crime scene is usually useless. The body has also decayed too much from its original state. There's never enough evidence, as a result."

Y/N's eyebrows drew together in worry, her resolute demeanour wavering slightly. "So, you're saying you'll never be able to catch my mother's murderer?"

He shook his head. "I'm saying, you should rush to find a detective who can help you solve this case, because it will be too late by the time we're allowed to do that. We don't deal with murders too often—thankfully—but when we do, this is the general advice I give to the victims' families."

She nodded slowly, catching on to what he was insinuating.

"There are some great agencies in Yokohama," the officer continued, "but the best is definitely the Armed Detective Agency. I've never heard of a case they've taken up, and not managed to solve."

"Maybe the culprits were just sloppy?" Y/N suggested.

Officer Kimura laughed as though she'd made a hilarious joke. "Some of Japan's most complicated cases have been solved by them. Even a couple cold cases. You can trust them to get to the bottom of this. I recommend you pay them a visit."