Tantei wa Mou, Shindeiru - Volume 5 - Chapter 2

The cold memories. 

"Siesta, what's going on?" 

I hastily got out of the bath and asked Siesta who had returned to the living room. 

I wanted to know what she meant when she said, "I will not give up on Nagisa Natsunagi." 

"Dry your hair, you'll catch a cold." 

But Siesta said, tapping a nearby cushion next to her. She probably wanted me to sit down. 

"Here's a towel." 

I sat down on the cushion, and Siesta went up to me from behind, patting my head dry with a towel. I looked at the table and saw a pizza box. Siesta must have ordered it while I was in the bath. 

"A healthy mind comes only from a healthy body." 

So after I cleaned myself up, I had to eat. 

I remembered that I hadn't eaten anything for the past three days, and opened the box. 

"…Is pizza supposed to look like Pac-Man?" 

"…I couldn't wait until you got out of the bath." 

I turned around, stared closely at Siesta's face, and found some traces of cheese on her lips. 

I couldn't help but grimace at that fact. Then, we sat across the table from each other, putting pizza into our mouths. It's been a year since I've shared a meal with Siesta like this. 

"…Delicious." 

The nostalgic junk taste seeped through my tired body. Four years ago, Siesta and I had pizza at my place and then I went on an adventure with her. We spent three years in a dizzying, dazzling, abnormal daily life. 

We battled the?Androids?so many times, encountered many unexpected incidents, and whenever we resolved them safely, we would celebrate with a toast of coke and eat stuff like this. 

…I really enjoyed myself. I could have a bath, eat a meal, and exchange words with someone important to me. But that's a privilege only for the living. For those who weren't living. Natsunagi— 

"Assistant." 

Suddenly, I noticed that Siesta's fingertips were wiping my eyes. 

I don't know if I've ever been such a weak human. 

"…My bad." 

"It's too late." 

Our grimaces overlapped. 

"I know everything about you, even your weaknesses." 

That's why it's okay. She said as though she's my guardian. 

"You don't know about the past year, do you?" 

"Not at all, but," 

Then Siesta's smile turns into a troubled one. 

"All I know is that you've been trying to bring me back to life." 

Yeah, that's right. About ten days ago, right after I fought Fuubi-san, I swore to?Siesta?…It was at dawn when I shouted at her, who was in Natsunagi's heart. 

"You're not going to tell me?" 

I asked Siesta who was across the table. 

"Tell you what?" 

"The usual." 

She could have called me a fool. I thought she would. 

What did she think about my wish back then— 

"I won't tell." 

I couldn't see Siesta's face when she said that. 

"And you're not allowed to tell me." 

I looked up at Siesta, who was staring straight at me, her eyes looking a little moist, or maybe it was just me? 

"…I don't think I have the right to tell you that though." 

But it would be a lie if I didn't tell you that. 

"It's good to see you again." 

With that thought in mind, I told Siesta the words I didn't say for a long time. 

"Yes, I feel the same." 

And Siesta accepted my words with a smile, without making fun of me like she used to. 

However, neither Siesta nor I could truly be happy about this situation. It's true that my wish came true, but it's not isn't the ending we imagined, and certainly not the one we wanted. I couldn't call this a happy ending at all. 

"Hey, Siesta, what do you mean you won't give up on Natsunagi?" 

So I asked her again. 

"I can't say anything for sure yet. But has anyone actually seen Nagisa Natsunagi die?" 

…So that's what Siesta didn't know yet. 

For a brief moment, I thought I saw a glimmer of light, but it quickly faded. 

"—I saw it. I held Natsunagi's hand as it grew colder." 

The scene from three days ago suddenly flashed through my mind, and a sour feeling welled up in the pit of my stomach. 

That day, in my hospital bed, Fuubi-san told me that Natsunagi had died. I was in disbelief, and even if I hadn't been so emotional about it, I still didn't think I should believe it. 

A year ago, I had misunderstood Siesta's death. I had lost part of my memory due to Betelgeuse's?pollen?that time, and although Fuubi-san later informed me of Siesta's death, it turned out to be something different from the truth. 

I decided that I couldn't take Fuubi-san's statement at face value, and hurried out of the wardroom…where I met a doctor. The man said he's the director of this hospital and led me to a certain wardroom. And then, 

"Nagisa Natsunagi's sleeping on a bed with a ventilator attached." 

There were many tubes connected to her body, and it looked like they were trying to save the life of a girl with the power of science. 

"Then Nagisa is still…" 

"I thought she was still alive, too." 

Although the situation was certainly unpredictable, Natsunagi was still alive. There is a possibility that she could be saved, and when I had that glimmer of hope, the doctor said to me, 

"Nagisa Natsunagi is now in a state of brain death." 

Brain death literally means that the human brain has completely stopped functioning, and there's no chance of recovery—zero. The patient will never wake up again, and in many countries around the world, brain death is considered to be legal death. 

The ECG beat quietly thanks to the ventilator and the medication, but it wouldn't last for long… Because Natsunagi has no relatives, nobody could make the decision to take her off the ventilator, and this was the only option left. 

Not long after that, Natsunagi's condition suddenly changed drastically, and no one was allowed to visit her. The last time I held Natsunagi's hand, it was as cold as ice, so unbefitting of her name. 

"That's how it is." 

When Siesta heard what had happened, she lowered her eyes as if she was pondering about something. 

"We can't even check on Nagisa's current situation, huh…" 

Yes. As I stated earlier, I wasn't allowed to meet Natsunagi at this point. In fact, given the definition of no visitors, one could guess to some extent what happened to Natsunagi. After all, Natsunagi is already— 

"I don't know what Natsunagi's condition is now." 

I drowned out the answer that should appear in my head and answered Siesta. 

"However, I do know of a person who might know why Natsunagi's in this state." 

"That would be…." 

Siesta frowned as if she too had thought of that existence. 

"Yeah, that's your junior—Mia Whitlock."