Vol 8 Chapter 4 (1/2)

Chapter 4

Angel Flowers' Workshop was the peculiar name of that flower shop

The roof of a greenhouse could be seen on the wide garden of a single house located near a high-rent district's main street

Greenhouse, I thought It shouldn't be strange for a gardening enthusiast to have a greenhouse in their house, but even so, I gazed at the glass-sided triangular roof basking in the winter sun with a co

The gatepost had a copper plate with a sculpted relief of an angel; a lovely angel spreading his wings and blowing a trumpet

It didn't seem like a coincidence anymore

I res carved on the red pills Aren't they really sis on this doorplate? Did Hakael upon seeing this? I don't know Iinto conclusions

I looked behind the fence In the spacious front garden, I saw a tiered stand full of poinsettias There were several female customers in the verandah that served as the open shop Friendly chatting with the custo this way She had neatly arranged short hair, big earrings, and exotic features that soave the i to colance: Iharagi Junko

I re we had had the former day

“Using the inforht be colanced at me “But it's a potential clue, so we must use it”

After that, Alice's fingers ran over the keyboard The profile of a wo the bed

Iharagi Junko 38 years old Mother of one child, divorced fro researcher, she has appeared on TV a nues a shop nah

Back when the Gardening Club existed, Ayaka relied on that shop to cultivate those unique poppy flowers

“Is it a shop Ayaka knew from before? Or did Hakamizaka shi+rou tell her about it?”

I asked, caught between the feeling of not wanting to touch the subject and wanting to dig up the truth

“It seems like she doesn't remember Almost all the memories related to Fix have vanished inside her”

Hakamizaka shi+rou And Toshi+-san Ayaka'sthose blue poppy flowers

But theyjust like before, taking care of the plants in the greenhouse, so there's a connection with the past somewhere

“However, there's a high possibility that Hakamizaka introduced the shop to her Ayaka apparently purchased quite a few unusual and expensive gardening medicines fro Club had that many medicines They barely use them now, actually”

It would be better to confirmroad on our detective work to avoid that, after all

“So this woht have tracked her last year”

Tetsu-senpai folded his arms

“See if you can find out anything, Tetsu We also need to i Junko in person, we have no time to waste”

“If she's a , then it'sto put my skills to use”

Shtly, Hiro-san raised his thumb and pointed at himself

“No, I'll go” I interjected, and Hiro-san widened his eyes exaggeratedly and looked at me

“Why? I olo skills have far surpassed mine, Narumi-kun, but you're not even 18 yet, are you?”

I had soinstead

“I' club, so I can easily make up an excuse to enter that shop If you approach her as an outsider, even if you get close to her it will take time”

Well, that's true Hiro-san muttered

“So, will I be informed when you enter the 's bedroom at least, Narumi-kun?”

“Hiro, that's enough!” “I' serious now!”

Hiro-san pursed his lips and shrugged Hasn't he learned a lesson after all the times Min-san hit him?

“Okay then, I'll ask the ladies I know if they know soi Junko and all that”

“Alright, let's go”

Tetsu-senpai and Hiro-san turned to the entrance

“By the here's Major?” I asked

“I talked to his and cai Junko's house” Alice nonchalantly answered

“That's, uhm Well, it's too late to say this, but Isn't what Major's doing a crime?”

“Indeed, it's too late to say that, Narumi-kun” “Hiro's existence is a crienuine criminal? You even have a criminal record” “It's not a criuidance history”

They both exited the Agency while arguing I watched the on the bed

Yes, it's too late to think about it now, but we are doing illegal acts The reason I orrying this tii Junko, was our enemy Since our partners are always yakuza/mafia hoodlums, the reluctance to brush with the law is numbed

“Hmph How foolish A crime is a crime, no matter who your partner is It's seriously too late to think about it”

Seeing through hts, Alice looked at me with scornful eyes

“No, I know, but”

I still didn't feel convinced Iharagi Junko seemed like an ordinary person

“Iharagi Junko had a reason to accept roup, at least”

Alice said, staring at the monitor

“If those poppies are being cultivated again now, then shethe fertilizers are so necessary”

“So” I gulped, looking at the neat sraph “Could that woman be Shushuri?”

“There's a possibility that it is indeed that person's nickname”

I folded h my nose, and then exhaled

“If that's the case, then it would explain why the drug was scattered on these streets, right?”

Because Shushuri is in this city Hakaether near Shushuri's flower shop, they created the narcotic factory, then they noticed the greenhouse in the school that was really near, so they got closer to Ayaka's brother, Toshi+-san

“Let's not jump into conclusions so hastily”

Alice glanced ata sip of Dr Pepper

“There are still lots of questions If we don't disentangle the to misread the truth”

But ere indeed pressed for tiaze and Ayaka's uneasy eyes flickered somewhere in my head I licked my lips and asked:

“What are those other questions?”

“First of all, why now after a whole year”

“Aah” I also wondered the same before Why did people with saved up fix suddenly started to et ently Now, after the four seasons passed, so set in motion that incident, which should be immersed in the darkness already, for a second time But what?

“And there's so else”

Alice's voice became deeper and more majestic

“I'reenhouse”

“Eh?”

I took a good look at the detective's face

“What do you mean? Isn't that because he needed to cultivate the flowers that served as the raw materials?”

“There were lots of Angel Fix supplies before Ayaka and Toshi+ took part on the e-scale cultivation places The police reenhouse wasn't such an important area Why did he use it?”

“Weren't the raw materials insufficient? Maybe he wanted to increase the production a bit more”

“That reason was satisfying for me last year, but the circumstances are different now There's the fact that Ayaka frequented Angel Flowers' Workshop, and more importantly, Toshi+'s testimony”

Toshi+-san's testimony?

“He said he periodically went to the greenhouse and took a report written by Ayaka along with the flowers that had turned blue”

“Yes, but, wasn't that also because of the rawelse”

“No--”

Alice shut her mouth mid-sentence, and her face clouded

“Let's drop this subject Now is not the time to turn it into words”

The detective forsook my doubts with cool-headed words

“Anyway, Iharagi Junko We should look for her connection with Hakamizaka”

“Alright”

I stood up fro my hands on the wall

“What's the matter?”

“Aah, well I said all those courageous words to Hiro-san, but I have no idea how should I get information out of her”

Alice sighed unnaturally

“You can just ask For example, ′were you an acquaintance of the , Hakamizaka shi+rou?′, and the like”

“Eeeeeh?!” I unintentionally let out a hysterical voice, turning ed

“It's not a situation where you have to do cunning questioning Trick her into telling the truth hatever nature , it will be caught in Major's antennas Right now, that's what should get us the best results

“Ah”

That's right So that's why the bugs were prepared so quickly? Sounds so up an excuse to shake up Iharagi Junko, huh? And even Alice has clearly told nature move

But it can't be helped Because it's indeed the only thing I can do

Standing in front of Angel Flowers' Workshop, after I finished rearden behind the gate once again The leisured ladies were holding potted plants in their hands, asking things to Iharagi Junko To irls inside, wearing light blue aprons with a picture of an angel printed on them They were probably from the staff of the shop

What should I do? There's no atmosphere to ask her if she's acquainted with the , and it doesn't see to leave soon

Aah—No, I don't have to worry so much, I realized I should attack as it is I only have to shake her up

Even though I was reassuring myself in my head, it took me a while to finally take action I took four deep breaths, reloves fro the cold wind on ate

“Excuse me”

“Welcome” “Welcome!”

The two young eaze at me next, and all the ladies looked our way Their facial expressions fell a little It wasn't a place that h school boys in uniforms visited

“Go ahead, feel free to look around as you please”

Iharagi Junko's gentle smile returned as she said that I looked at the other wo to talk:

“Uhirl who bought lots of things and asked advice from you last year, shi+nozaki Ayaka?”

Her face wasn't clouded, just genuinely pensive

“Aah! shi+nozaki-san I remember her, yes However, I haven't seen her lately, could it be that she stopped working with flowers?”

I felt a little disappointed So she ad Ayaka so easily?

“How can I help you today?”

When I was asked that, row thin Isn't this person just an horticulturist? Isn't she just a good citizen unrelated to Haka? But there's no ti cultivated, their juices are being extracted, purified andaround for that place

With those thoughts racing, I squeezed out my words

“Do you know a man called Hakamizaka shi+rou?”

Iharagi Junko's smile cracked I was even more surprised

“Y-you Hakamizaka-san Are you Hakamizaka-san's”

The words in her question vanished into nothing

“Sensei, what's the ?”

The custoi Junko bowed at them, then she turned around to look at the employees on the sides of the verandah

“Please, look after the customers for a minute I need to help this person”

She turned around atat the front door of the house

“Please, let's talk about this inside”

I entered the bright living roo baskets with dry flowers It was an elegant but unsettling roo in the air

“Please have a seat”

Iharagi Junko placed a cup of black tea on the table I sat in front of her, and the silencewith the steam of the black tea

“Sorry for suddenly barging in and saying weird things”

I suddenly flat-out apologized

“No, it's nothing”

Iharagi Junko casted her eyes down I just couldn't see her as so at all Our deductionsindeed

“So Were you an acquaintance of Hakamizaka shi+rou?”

I couldn't hold it anymore, so I inquired directly Her shoulders twitched when she heard the name Hakae, she raised her gaze again

“Before that, uhh?”

“Ah, I-I'm sorry My name is Fujishi+ma Narumi” I bowed my head “I'm shi+nozaki-san's class Club with her”

“I see, but, how do you know about Hakamizaka-san?”

“I'm an assistant detective”

Iharagi Junko tilted her head She probably wasn't used to hearing the ter:

“There was a disturbance related to narcotics a year ago I' that”

“WhWhy? Aren't you a high school student? And the police has dealt with that incident a long tio”

“Many co Even a person that was related to the group of cri now”

A part of that wasn't a lie She lowered her gaze at the serious subject

“I see Hakamizaka-san also died because of that”

She won't even feign ignorance about that, I thought

“How did you get to know Hakamizaka?”

I patiently repeated i Junko finally raised her head

“He was a regular custo theraduate from a japanese university, there were many fertilizers he couldn't buy, he used my shop”

“Is that all?”

“Yes”

Iharagi Junko tilted her head with a doubtful expression

“I told all that to the police They also inspectednow? It's been a year, hasn't it?”

So the police also found out about this wo It was obvious if you thought about it If the fertilizers used were so unusual they would obviously leave clues, and the police definitely wouldn't overlook them

If despite that the crime wasn't solved, then this person really isn't Shushuri?

No, I reconsidered There's still one source of the raw material that the police didn't find out Ayaka

“Do you knohat kind of relationshi+p did Hakamizaka and shi+nozaki-san have?”

When I asked that, Iharagi Junko's facial expression didn't change much

“Hakamizaka-san introduced this shop to shi+nozaki-san And they bought almost the same fertilizers”

Iharagi Junko stopped asped

“It couldn't be shi+nozaki-san was involved in that incident? Aah, but, right, was she growing the same flowers? I can't believe it”

I was al now that Ayaka was growing those flowers that served as the narcotics raw ? Should I insist on talking about Ayaka? No, I shouldn't expose myself so fecklessly

“So, Ayaka hasn't coht? Until when did Hakamizaka come? Hasn't any of Hakamizaka's acquaintances come here lately?”

I half rose froi Junko cast her eyes down, shaking her head many times

“No one cao”

When I was about to question further, I heard tapping footsteps behind orously opened

“Maain?”

Iharagi Junko widened her eyes and stood up I gasped and drewa backpack on his back and wearing a ju room When his eyes met mine, he stood still and bowed his head with a “Good afternoon” After that, he shi+fted his focus to Iharagi Junko

“Are you shi+rou-san's friend?”

“Wh—What is this boy saying-?”

Iharagi Junko went around the table and rushed to the little boy, catching hi him to the door

“Go wash your hands and go to your room, okay?”

“He's shi+rou-san's friend, right? The ladies outside were saying he said so about Hakamizaka shi+rou”

“To!? Anyway, just go!”

I approached that boy nai Junko stood in the middle

“P-please leave! I have nothing else to tell you!”

To to say behind her mother

“Tomoki, do as I say!”

With hera satchel disappeared through the door again

When I stepped out of Angel Flowers' Workshop, I stopped the IC recorder in my breast pocket My suspicions had now turned into pitch black clouds, covering hts

That boy—Iharagi Junko's son—said ′A friend of shi+rou-san caain?′ In other words, someone came before

So, is this woel who haunted these streets, scattering words of teh those red pills?

I didn't kno to corner a person that not even the police investigation could catch, but I had the Detective Squad who didn't al activities It wasn't like their purpose was being dragged to the court, but they had to do so by any means

When I went back to the crossroad corner wherea few meters ahead I practically collapsed over the bike, and I put e to support my body

It was Yondaime

His hair that was usually standing on end was down, and he earing a tidy gray jacket, but his sharp gaze wasn't concealed at all Why is Yondaii Junko He et information When Yondaime walked closer, my eyes fell to the asphalt under my feet as I picked up the bicycle

I didn't raise otten separated from him like that, so I didn't knohat face I should y to walk away, either

When Yondaime passed by my side, my whole body stiffened and I held my breath When the footsteps disappeared behindto kick it away, and stepped on the pedals The cold wind cut ap between my scarf and my head

We didn't say anything to each other and our eyes didn't iven because I said he had turned into et twisted off

Needless to say, the one who had broken things to that extent had been me

“The identities of the threebears has been found out Tetsu and the others went to confirm that just now”

When I showed up at the Detective Agency, Alice said that I was surprised and climbed up the bed with my coat and raph and a profile each They were indeed the three young men I had suspected and kept an eye on

“So you found them”

Didn't Alice instruct the NEET Detective Squad to focus on the paid dating incident and give up on chasing after thebears? How did she find them?

“I'ed “Yondaime sent me an email”

I was dumbfounded

“WWhy?”

Weren't we enemies now?

“Even if Hinaressed with our investigation based on this inforain”

I looked up at the roof and sighed

“Youwounds everywhere because of ht?”

“Don't go assu on your own” You're basically right, though

Alice pursed her lips and continued:

“But, you're not the only stubborn one I am your employer, and an eneer obtain all of Yondaime's information, and I can't ask him to fix my stuffed toys anymore, either”

“Why--”

I sed my words I felt a creaky pain on my throat This was the consequence of our decision Alice left the decision to me, and I chose to oppose Yondaime I severed the mutual trust and affection between Yondaime and Alice with my own hands

Stop, don't think about that, I told nitude of the wounds, but I had the feeling that the blood flowing fro I bit my lips and sed an my report as an assistant detective:

“I i Junko She's quite suspicious”

Alice nodded, hiding her loneliness behind her long eyelashes

“Well done Speak”

I described in detail what happened at Angel Flowers' Workshop About how Iharagi Junko said she knew Hakamizaka shi+rou and Ayaka and didn't deny it, and how she said she had told everything to the police and even let thereenhouse And then her son had revealed that an acquaintance of Hakamizaka shi+rou had come before

“I see Then we can focus on various questions, if she's Shushuri”

Alice stared at the empty Dr Pepper can in her hand

“But there's still not enough infor fertilizers online, we could find out her background right away, but it would be good to knohat kind of fertilizers Hakamizaka used”

She hesitated, and I also lowered aze to the sheets Ayaka would know about that More precisely, Ayaka before leaping from the rooftop would know As of yet, that infor Ayaka's ht with Yondaime to not let him do that

The phone rang Alice bent her body and pushed the talk button, switching to hands-free

′The three ′

Tetsu-senpai's voice resounded inside the bedroom

“Missing? Since when?” Alice inquired in a tense voice

Missing? Again?

′Dunno Hiro is now looking for the last people who saw the for a while′

As soon as she finished talking with Tetsu-senpai, Alice called Major

“Did any of the els' Workshop?”

′Not presently However, the surveillance started yesterday, so we can't know if they went there before′

“H? I want to calculate the labor costs”

Since we couldn't ask Hirasaka-guame partners had been asked to rotate in order to keep watch 24 hours a day Of course, that should be quite expensive

′Eight people Is Tetsu-san's h?′

“That'swatch”

Alice took a deep breath and started her next can of Dr Pepper

First the survivor of the Fix's asawa Teruhiko, and now the three people who used Fix to earnparlors, had disappeared Where did they all vanish to? And where is all the athered?

“Do we kno those three are connected to Hakamizaka?”

Alice shook her head

“Not yet We don't know the link between Oshi+ma and Hakaet the drugs I could investigate everything, but since the people who took Angel Fix had that surreal network”

I had come in contact with that surrealis of Alice's words Those red angels' pills enhanced your senses and let you experience great happiness, giving you a dreadful hts and noises, one could discern Bob Dylan's song co the dealers There was no need to use the internet or cellphones

Maybe Haka when they met, a way to ather money and set off on a trip?

“Why now? What made them do it?”

Alice muttered I looked into her eyes, then I picked up the eot up As I had been her assistant for some tihts, she won't come to the surface for a while

When I was throwing the empty cans into the du “Fujishi+ma-kun!” When I raisedsteps She had just arrived, judging by the coat she earing over her uniform

“I went to Yondai her eyebrows, and I was taken aback

“Eh- hy-!?”

“Because you won't tell , Fujishi+ma-kun”

Ayaka pushed both her gloved hands against my chest

“Yondai told s!”

My head started to hurt Why did she do that? I took back the sake ritual just so Ayaka wouldn't be involved with Hirasaka-guation

“I couldn't understand most of what they said, but I understood when they said Fujishi+ma-kun severed his bonds with Yondaime Hey, is that true?”

Ayaka looked like she was about to cry I gave up on trying to think, so I forced a smile

“No, you see, that's That brotherhood sake ritual was just a game of make-believe Kinda like turf wars between delinquents and all that You shouldn't worry about that, Ayaka”

“I a, Fujishi+ma-kun He was an inore that gloomy face of yours Hey, is it ated me?”

“It's not that!”

I suddenly pushed back Ayaka's shoulders The e a metallic sound

“It's not your fault, Ayaka It's so to do with you”

Being unable to explain anything felt irritating Because , and she didn't re