REPLICA-GAME

<2> Paranoia

"It began back in middle school. A few of us were just messing around, occasionally giving a scare or two to each other. Then, my friend Marisol presented us with tarot cards and insisted I give it a try. As a joke, I decided to try and do a reading."

"Never, in a million years would I have thought they'd really happen. It had to be just a fluke, right? Total coincidence? No. Nine out of ten times, my predictions and fortune readings really did happen."

"My name is Katsumi Aikawa, and by some strange event, I became quite the fortune teller. Even to this day, I don't know why or how, was it a gift given to me by some god or demon? Or was it just something that came naturally. I only assumed it to be coincidence, but more than three times, that's far more than a coincidence."

"When High School began, Marisol and I, as well as a few others, decided to make a channel where I would give people their fortunes. With the names of the people and my tarot cards, I could get glimpses into the future. They're vague and only serve as a path that can be taken. But being influenced by fortune telling, I think they unknowingly follow the path I've just laid out for them."

"When I started this, I made it a personal rule never to try my own, but today was different. I tried reading my own fortune, there, I saw a young man, someone in his early twenties. He knows something, like how I did. If I were to stick by him, both our futures would open up."

"But as to how that would happen, I'm not entirely sure. That's really all I could gather for myself. As well as him."

"His name, Reika Cruz."

[11.15.2021]

Not long after opening the package to find a woman's severed fingers, Aria called the police. Among them was Drake Grayson, a detective, a man in his late thirties.

"Grayson!" 

Looking back, Grayson saw another police officer coming towards him. Like Grayson, he too wore a large coat, Stephen Belle, "What have we got?" Belle asked. Grayson looked back at the scene as Belle walked to his side, the package still on the ground and all the fingers were already picked up.

"Not sure yet. Apparently this girl named Aria Freeman received a package and its contents were a woman's severed fingers." Grayson explained, "Two index fingers, two middle fingers, one ring finger, and two little fingers."

"One ring finger? Which one? Was there an address? A letter maybe?"

"None. The package has no address, no return address, someone took the time to deliver it to her. When I asked, Aria told me that was all there was, that there was no letter either. She seemed a little sketchy, but I guess I'd act a little odd too if someone sent me body parts."

"What about the victim? Anything on that?"

Grayson shook his head, "Nothing yet, all we can do for that is wait for the prints on the fingers. But there was something I did notice about the fingers,"

"They were cut perfectly, no accidents or anything. Like a perfect cut. Even the bones inside weren't damaged beyond being cut, no cracks or anything."

"So why send them here? Did this Aria do something to someone?"

"Unknown. She claims to see the future and to be a medium, someone who sees ghosts. But I doubt that. People really do seem to believe her though. People frequent this place all the time, I pressured her for names, maybe a client she had was unhappy with something, but she refused to give any information, and she also doesn't ask for names."

"I would've pressured her more, but a few others forced me out as I was allegedly making it more difficult."

"That's right!" Grayson yelled, causing Belle to jump a bit, "Something interesting about the fingers,they were still fresh, so that obviously means they were cut recently, maybe while the victim was still alive." Belle said nothing as he looked up to the building, seeing a few officers inside, few even talking with Aria.