Tantei wa Mou, Shindeiru - Volume 7 - Chapter 3.3

 Accomplices in peace

“Mia. Here.”

After that, while Siesta and Nagisa were chatting with Rill, I took a certain object from my bag.

“…So you brought the origin text.” Mia reached out with a hint of relief to take what I was holding.

“Why did you give this to me?” Before I handed it to her, though, I had some questions.

When Olivia had given me the origin text on the plane, she hadn’t said much about their reasons. Why had Mia entrusted it to me, when it was something ordinary people weren’t even allowed to touch?

“If I said I’d seen it in a dream, would you be angry?” Mia looked up at me, forcing a smile. She wasn’t joking around, though, and she didn’t seem to be trying to dodge the question.

“I can’t see the future or predict global crises now, but for some reason, I was sure I had to give that book to you. I woke up one morning and thought, ‘If nothing else, I have to protect that future.’”

Had it been a prophetic dream, or the Oracle’s sixth sense, or some inevitability based more in fact than either of those things? If Mia herself didn’t know, I couldn’t press the issue.

However, I’d have to know the truth someday. This wasn’t a hunch; the thought was founded on a kind of certainty.

“Mia, I’m sorry.” I didn’t even know whether apologizing was the right thing to do.

Mia looked puzzled, and I just handed her the book.

“—This is…” The moment she took it, she gave me a startled look.

She’d realized that it was a fake.

I had to keep my eyes on her, at least. I waited for the Oracle’s verdict.

“I see. So this is your answer, Kimihiko.”

Mia was the first to look away. She drew a deep breath, then hugged the false origin text to her chest and returned her gaze to me. “All right. If this is your choice, I’ll accept it.”

As Stephen had said, Mia had picked up on my plot, and chosen to ignore it.

She wasn’t agreeing or disagreeing. She only seemed to be praying that this would be the correct future.

“Have you mentioned anything to Boss?”

“…No, not yet.”

I hadn’t intended to tell the detective about this wish, this secret, myself.

“You should talk it over. Most trouble between a couple is due to insufficient communication.”

“Since when are you a romance guru?” I retorted.

Mia gave me a little smile. “Either way, I’ll respect your decision. Let’s make sure this ceremony succeeds.” She held out her hand for a handshake.

As I reached for it, I realized that something was off.

Make sure this ceremony succeeds. Since the origin text was a fake, “success” in the truest sense of the word wouldn’t be possible. Mia had to know that, so why…?

“I’m like you. I prefer stories with happy endings.” There was a hint of melancholy in Mia’s smile.

“—I see. You too.”

Did she know where the real origin text had gone?

Stephen already made contact with Mia… Actually, he’d probably met with her before he’d seen me, and he’d tried to negotiate the transfer of the origin text at that time. Had Mia hesitated, then entrusted the origin text to me instead?

The Oracle had weighed the options, too. Flawless justice that didn’t balk at waging war or making sacrifices, or peace based in a compromise that allowed evil to exist: Which should the world choose?

“Yeah, Mia. Let’s do this together.”

Mia and I shook hands.

Why hadn’t I talked this over with the Ace Detectives? Because for all of us, it was something that went without saying.

In this moment, we were accomplices.

Soon after that, Olivia came to pick up Mia, and the two of them and Rill went off to see another group of acquaintances. The former Tuner who’d traveled the world might not be a good communicator, but she seemed to know a lot of people anyway.

Then Nagisa, Siesta, and I were the only ones there.

When one of us seemed about to make eye contact with another, both would look away. We all knew we’d argued and failed to find common ground; that was why the mood was so awkward. We also understood that this fight had been on a different level from our usual arguments.

“Haaah. There’s just no helping us, is there? Geez.” Nagisa cracked first. Sighing, she turned to me. “Kimihiko, what are you going to do about you-know-what?” Just in case, she lowered her voice, very conscious of the people around us.

“You-know-what” was a maneuver the three of us had been setting up in secret ever since we’d arrived in France. After hesitating, I told her, “Let’s cancel it.”

Nagisa’s eyes widened a little. “If I asked you why, could you tell me here?”

“…I don’t think so. I have an idea, though.”

She pressed her lips together, watching me steadily. It was as if she suspected I was trying to cover something up… No, I think she was worried by that possibility.

“All right. That’s fine.” Surprisingly, Siesta was next to speak. “Remember what I said at the hotel yesterday afternoon? We’re letting Kimi give the orders this time.”

“I thought the fight last night had reset all of that.”

“I’m not a child, you know. I don’t let my emotions control me. Are you stupid, Kimi?” Siesta pouted.

“Huh? Am I remembering yesterday wrong? When we got back to the hotel from the bar, all the way until we went to bed, you kept fixating on the fact that you’d fought with Kimihiko and getting mad, then depressed, like a little kid.”

“Nagisa, that wasn’t necessary.” Siesta gave Nagisa a long, even look, then turned back to me. “Let’s assume this conversation has evaporated from your memories, Assistant.”

“Yeah, it’s gone. I don’t remember a thing, so don’t worry,” I joked.

Siesta smiled. “I want to see the answer you’ve found for this story.”

She held out her left hand to me. Was this a “Let’s make up” handshake? If so, that really was way too childish. Ignoring her hand, I gave her a wry smile instead.

“The ball’s about to start,” Nagisa said, looking around. The tables had been cleared of their drinks and refreshments, and couples were standing here and there in the open space, chatting.

“And? Which of us will you dance with, Kimihiko?” Nagisa asked, pressing me to choose.

Would I dance with Siesta, or with Nagisa?

“It’s not like I can’t dance with both of you, is it?”

“But it matters whose hand you’ll take first.”

Geez, this was a tough one. As I was stressing out over the world’s hardest question…

“Sorry. I have a previous engagement,” Siesta said. She turned away, gown flaring. As she did, she glanced at me, and the corners of her lips rose very slightly. Maybe this was payback for last night.

“She really is a kid.” I shrugged, turning my back on Siesta. “…Oh, she’s dancing with Mia, huh?”

“Lame. Don’t immediately check to see who she’s dancing with.” Nagisa retorted, dragging my eyes back to her. “Were you worried her partner might be another guy?”

“Not even possible. I’m not in middle school. I’m not even in high school anymore.”

“Hmm. Well, as long as you understand that.”

Yeah, we were all adults. When I looked at Nagisa, dressed to the nines, there was no way I could think otherwise.

Then the music started, and the ball began.

Nagisa and I gazed at each other. I gently took her hand. “We’re the only ones left. Want to dance?”

“Hmm. By process of elimination?”

“…Sorry; that was the wrong approach. May I have this dance, Nagisa?”

Nagisa smiled, then leaned in toward me. “The other way’s fine, too.” She was wearing heels, so her face was right in front of mine. Her beautiful red eyes watched me steadily. “As long as you’ll look at me. Even if it’s only for now, or when you’re not sure what to do.”