Vol 6 Chapter 5 (2/2)

“No, we're just here to deliver the ice cream”

Xiao Ling-san widened her eyes, and I too couldn't help but turn my head towards alice

“But not to you, Huang Xiao Ling It's for Hanada Masaru”

Xiao Ling-san again narrowed her eyes

“What do you mean?”

“I'm a NEET detective, a speaker of the dead A person who strives to dig up the truths hidden under the graves, and reclai”

“What are you trying to get at?”

“In other words, I'm here to see Hanada Masaru”

“What did you say?”

Xiao Ling-san was tre in on this too, was rattled as well?

“Didn't he fly to Hong Kong? I don't knohether that's true, but he can't possible be,:”

“He's right here”

Alice slowly raised the hand under the black sleeve and pointed at Xiao Ling-san's chest

“Hanada Masaru is in your pocket, the cellphone in your pocket Am I correct?”

What felt like the pain of all the glass s in the world shattering descended upon the at-san's eyes too showed a frozen skepticis behind Alice's words, and I turned to stare at her sidelong face again

“Whatdo you mean?” I couldn't help but ask, unable to hide my rattled emotions in my words The detective's sullen face turned towards me

“Naruht? Think about it A those tho looked injured?”

The black veil swayed according to Alice's question I held -san's contact, Yondaime, Min-san and I went to the Zodiac e lots, met the duo who intended to elope

“Injuredwellthey didn't look really injured there”

“Right, that's the answer There were gunshots heard on that night, and there were blood stains in the roo Yu and Umeda Kouji were completely unscathed—in that case, there's only one possibility, that the one as shot was Hanada Masaru”

I heldup -san's face paled, and she bit her lips hard Alice continued,

“That's the reason why the co-passenger seat had blood traces on it Hanada Masaru hiive instructions on the co-passenger seat, and had Umeda Kouji drive him towards the clinic in Ookubo And then, he died there”

Died

Hanada Masaru was dead

Did he really die?

No, wait Alicethis is weird This outcome's really weird

“I can only deduce the truth that happened on that night The one who fired at Hanada Masaru was Huang Xiang Yu, right? Since Hanada Masaru's a mercenary, there was no way he could have let Uht have uard, and in her haste, shot Hanada Masaru from behind”

“Wait!”

I interrupted Alice's words without hesitation

“No, wait, this reasoning's too weird I-I,”

I did feel my cellphone vibrate in my hand, and I did personally hear his voice

“I did receive calls fro Lei did!”

Right, even Xiao Ling-san seated there did receive calls

Alice's eyes reloomy, and shook her head

“Think back about it Wasn't the ti almost too perfect when Hanada Masaru called?”

Ti

It's true that whenever we got new inforh he atching over us by the side or so

But that was not the case

The one watching over us the entire time wasn't Hanada Masaru

I lifted -san was seated in front of me

Xiao Ling-san was always around When Hanada Masaru first called the office, it was through her phone When the call was made toLei in front of the ra-san was present

“So Hanada Masaru was there”

Again, Alice pointed at Xiao Ling-san's chest The latter curled her lips, reaching her hand out, and touched the protruding thing at her chest

“That night, Hanada Masaru knew that he likely would not survive frounshot wounds, and had the doctor try to extend his life for a little longer, using his final , you His aiht of the possibilities thathis best to ensure that Huang Xiang Yu could continue on the run, and leave a'Hana, it's because of your careful editing and voice ed to completely hide the fact that Hanada Masaru was dead”

Xiao Ling-san remained silent, and would not make any reply, a stoic look remained on her face

Thus, I instinctively realized that whatever Alice said was the truth Despite this, I could not help but be skeptical, for I was unwilling to believe this truth

“Why? Why did he have to do that much? Isn't that too weird?”

“Is there any other reason to it?”

At that h firmly The pain in her heart entered my heart directly

“There's only one reason to pretend that he's still alive He didn't wish for anyone to know about this, and more importantly, didn't one a certain person to be sad about this He felt that , rather have that person cry for hiht as well have her hate him forever”

Because,

He didn't want Min-san to know

He hoped that Min-san would continue to think that he re-san kept using random phones to revive in front of Min-san, to have her hear his voice

But I could only continue to shake ic No e it

“This is just”

My sta voice slipped out from my throat

“It's just your own deduction, right? Alice? Like what you said, it's an unconfirht?”

I really wished Alice would tell ree with h harder, looking at the floor as she shook her head

“Think about it carefully, that s, where was it sent from?”

16 million yen

That money could clear all the debts 'Hanaift from Hanada Masaru

“Wasn't it fro? It proves that he's there, and still alive, right?”

“Actually, the Bengya association always had a bounty on Hanada Masaru, who used to work as a bodyguard for the Huang Coalition”

My throat was stuffed by a scorching breath

“That doctor called Choi went to Hong Kong alone, probably bringing a part of Hanada Masaru's body hi that could be used as prove That money was”

“That's enough, Alice, I understand now”

I couldn't listen on anyh the black veil, I couldn't look at the detective's face again, and I couldn't look at Xiao Ling-san's face, while she continued to remain quiet

What kind of feeling was that? I couldn't help but wonder

When the scorching bullet was in his heart, when he could practically hear death sneaking up on hi of the wohter he bore with the wife he so loved? He departed for the afterlife, breaking away frohter when they did not understand each other, and he never was able to speak to her again Yet he saved his own voice as data, i thehis voice, yet his daughter's reply would never reach his ears again Are you really—

Are you really satisfied with just this?

I sat back dejectedly, but I could feel Alice besideup

“Thus, I' of ice cream That's the last promise made between the Hanadas”

Hearing those words, my consciousness nearly melted It was that moment, back when Hanada Masaru came back to visit 'Hanae under the cardboard box

Next time, when I come back, I'll try some of your ice cream—

In the end, in such a cold place?

Xiao Ling-san never did respond to any of Alice's claiht ere about to leave the roo

“Thanks I'll definitely deliver it to Masaru-san”

We exited the building, and the night air was colder than before The exhaust noises of the cars pricked hts, I held the bicycle saddle, and stood there for a long tirabbed the belt of my duffle coat, and like me, stared silently deep into the dark forest of shi+njuku garden

The headlights and taillights of the cars passed by in front of us ht in the dark horizon A scar vanished, and another would appear, and this continued on over and over again I didn't have the strength to kick the stand of the bicycle

“Narumi”

Alice's feeble h it would be crushed by the car noises

“It's cold”

Feeling disbelief, I lowered my head to look at Alice's face

“This is the first ti you say those words from your mouth, Alice”

I always thought her body functions ht have lacked some sensors to feel cold

“It feels like, there's a large eht in the middle of uess this feeling too can only be described as cold?”

Thinking hard about it, wouldn't running around in fluttery etting colds immediately? I ree eyes under the veil looked skeptical

“U-u? I-I didn't ask you to do this! I' that it's cold”

No, I don't understand what you mean Just wear it

“And this clothing has so!”

“What's bad about that! It proves that people are alive”

“What nonsense are you saying?”

After chatting soet up on the bicycle I kicked the stand off, and Alice continued gruot up onto the back seat, her arms wrapped around my waist

The pedals of the bicycle were as heavy as frozen concrete, so we continued forward little by little The night breezeus from the front wiped ret

“Oh yeah, Alice”

“What?”

Alice's voice was right by htly relieved

“So as the significance of that anyway?”

“What?”

“Everything Hanada Masaru did”

“For self-satisfaction So that he'll be able to die happy I guess he's satisfied now”

Alice conveyed those words, and truly, those were the worst words from the dead

“If it's just to protect those still alive, there are other better , and had everyone be a little hurt

”Yeah”

“And Master definitely figured it out a long tio”

I felt the hands holding the handlebar freezing, and that they would shatter on first contact I barelydown the brakes as we slowly passed a dark downslope

“She knew?”

“Probably”

“Hohy—”

“That ice cream cake is called Dolci del Morti The rape juice represents the blood of Jesus Christ, while the poranates and walnuts represent life and death It's a pastry the Italians offer to the dead during funerals”

I gulped

A pastry for the dead

Min-san already knew, she knew that the thing Alice requested her to do was for Hanada Masaru, as no longer on this world

But even so, she showed a usual expression, like it was a favor, and she handed the cake over to ain What was that? Really? Why's everyone like this

“Speaking of which”

Likely, I was pedaling on the bicycle, and Alice wouldn't be able to hear

“Actually, whatever Hanada Masaru did was for nothing, right? He died like an idiot, and never left, left anything behind”

“That may be the case”

But as we passed by the train tracks, around the park, and into the fa

A few figures could be seen through the light in the night shi+ning past the red curtains

Nothing was left behind, no, that was a lie Even this stupid, dull-witted ured it out

I heard Ayaka's voice as she repeated the custohter of the drunk custo out froap in the curtain, I could see the gray tank top, the beautiful, bare shoulders, and hear that fa! It's your soy sauce ramen! We have only matcha ice cream today Anyone ants it, please raise your hands! You drank too yoza's done! Thank you very ain

“it's strange For some reason, today,”

I could hear Alice mutter,

“I suddenly thought of having so ramen”

“Yeah, me too”

And just like that, the story of the man called 'Bear Knuckles' came to an end I only have a little story about him to tell everyone

This is a little story born because of hi as discreetly as possible

During the time Christmas was about to arrive, there was so Zodiac's portal site Once Sagittarius was over, the logo on the site changed It was supposed to be ti Dipper, and this caused many internet users to discuss the reasons behind it on the neebsites, and e boards

It seemed however that nobody knew the reason behind it

The Big Dipper, the 'Ursa Major'[1], was holding a Christranates and walnuts toppings Those that realized that was even fewer

Every year end, if you're to head to a certain little ramen shop in Tokyo, you'll be able to try this Christmas cake that differs from the usual If anyone who finishes this story is interested, I do hope that you'll make a trip there Even till now, the real name of 'Bear Knuckles' remain on the shops' curtains