Chapter 4 (i)

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Erika: "So, is that what you usually do here? Playing games?"

The two boys look at each other with puzzled and slightly concerned expressions.

Sunglasses Guy: "You're not going to rat us out, right?"

Bleached Guy: "Hey, it's not like we just play games anyway."

Normal Girl: "Right, sometimes some of us do their job, unlike you."

Bleached Guy: "Yeah, but it's not like I do absolutely nothing, I give you all my moral support."

Sunglasses Guy: "Ha ha ha! Damn right! But let's keep it between us, okay?"

Glamorous Girl: "Don't worry, she's no friend of Nagaoka, I doubt she's on the teachers' side. And even if she was, we'll just deny everything as usual."

Sunglasses Guy: "What about the cop?"

Satsukawa: "I can't really say I approve your slacking off, but I guess I can turn a blind eye on your crimes."

Erika: "I've no interest in exposing your petty misdeeds. Such trifles aren't worth my time."

Bleached Guy: "There you go, you're safe."

Sunglasses Guy: "All right!"

Erika: "To be honest, I was about to ask you what did you think about Kubota's blatant negligence of his duties, but I guess you don't really care."

Bleached Guy: "Not at all."

Sunglasses Guy: "The way he manages to always be the boss without doing anything productive is what I respect the most in him. He's the supreme lazy genius!"

Normal Girl: "I think he should be a little more serious though..."

Sunglasses Guy: "There she goes again."

Normal Girl: "Why don't you understand?! If he messes up, we're going to pay the price as well!"

Sunglasses Guy: "Stop worrying about the future! Live the present!"

Bleached Guy: "That's our philosophy!"

Glamorous Girl: "Idiots..."

Erika: "I see... I think I understand now..."

Bleached Guy: "By the way, how come you're so interested in our boss? You don't think he's the culprit, do you?"

Sunglasses Guy: "Ha ha ha, no way!"

Glamorous Girl: "I think she's got her eyes on Teramoto."

Normal Girl: "Right! Right! I was there in the cafeteria earlier! I've seen how you challenged her! That was cool!"

Erika: "I'm glad you liked my little show."

Normal Girl: "I'm so curious now! I want to see how it goes!"

Glamorous Girl: "Forget it. Unless Teramoto herself asks you to go, you'd better stay out of it."

Normal Girl: "I know... but still..."

Erika: "Why are you that afraid of Teramoto?"

Glamorous: "I'm not particularly afraid or anything, I just think it's unwise to crash her parties. It's like respecting unwritten rules, nothing major will actually happen if you don't, but you might get disliked by everyone if you do."

Normal Girl: "Right! Right! Even if you don't believe in deities, it's rude to disrespect their temples. You won't get smitten by a god, but you'll still be hated by the faithfuls."

Glamorous Girl: "This school has its myths and legends, and Teramoto is the priestess. That's just how it is."

Satsukawa: "Is that how you see it? When you put it like that, it doesn't look like something bad."

Erika: "That comparison doesn't work. We aren't talking about a religion, or traditions. Teramoto just made everything up out of thin air."

Glamorous Girl: "So? Isn't it the same thing? It's all made up either way, the only difference is when it was made up."

Normal Girl: "Waaah! You're such a nihilist!"

I thought that girl was just a bimbo, but it looks like she has some brains. I would probably like her style, if I wasn't so annoyed by her air of superiority and her lack of respect. She still hasn't moved her eyes from those nails.

Erika: "Then, what do you think about what I'm doing? I've already challenged Teramoto, and I plan to expose all of her lies."

Glamorous Girl: "You're not a student of this school, you don't have anything to lose."

Normal Girl: "I don't think you'll win, there's definitely something strange inside that shed. But I'm still fired up at the thought of your challenge!"

Erika: "And what if I completely destroy her?"

Normal Girl: "No way! Ha ha ha."

Glamorous Girl: "That'd be bad."

Erika: "How so?"

Glamorous Girl: "You might question Teramoto's ways, but she always kept things under control. I've heard stories; there was a lot more bullying and delinquency before. The principal will say that it's all thanks to her, but I disagree. There was no way for us girls to fight against troublesome guys like Baba or Oda before, but Teramoto created an united front. She keeps the scum in check through one of the few things that they can understand: fear. I shudder at the idea of what would happen, if she were to suddenly lose her influence. It'd throw the whole school into chaos."

Throwing the whole school into chaos, that doesn't sound half bad!

Sunglasses Guy: "Girls are scary..."

Bleached Guy: "Indeed."

Glamorous Girl: "You're wasting your time. Teramoto has nothing to do with what happened."

Now, that was quite a bold statement. What is even more interesting, is that she talks about this delicate subject as if it didn't concern her, half boringly.

Erika: "You look pretty confident, but then who's the murderer according to you? Who should I investigate about in order to not waste my time?"

Glamorous Girl: "I don't know who did it, but if I'd have to pick one, I'd pick Junko Andou."

Erika: "Junko... Andou?"

I didn't really expect her name to be mentioned, this might be interesting.

Sunglasses Guy: "Who's that again? It rings a bell..."

Normal Girl: "Don't you remember? A few months ago we did a lot of talks about her."

Bleached Guy: "That's the short, unsociable chick."

Sunglasses Guy: "Ah! That one! Quite the oddball."

Erika: "Please explain, why exactly did that girl catch your attention?"

Normal Girl: "It all started one day while we were hanging out..."

Erika: "You guys spend your time together even after school?"

Sunglasses Guy: "Of course! We're all friends here!"

Erika: "Then, what happened?"

Normal Girl: "We were just going to a karaoke and... that area is a bit shady, you know, especially after dusk. Anyway one of us spotted Andou and said: 'Hey, isn't that girl one of our schoolmates?'"

Glamorous Girl: "It was me, I spotted her. I never forget a face."

Sunglasses Guy: "I had absolutely no idea who that was."

Bleached Guy: "Same with me. I remember all the cute girls though."

Normal Girl: "Aaah! That's mean! Ha ha ha!"

Erika: "So what about seeing Andou there? Why did that become a topic for your conversations?"

Glamorous Girl: "It's because of the people she was talking to."

Normal Girl: "Shady people."

Bleached Guy: "Those were yakuza, I tell you."

Glamorous Girl: "At any rate, those men were clearly crooks."

Satsukawa: "Are you really sure about that? Are you certain you didn't get the wrong idea?"

Glamorous Girl: "I'm pretty sure."

Bleached Guy: "Yakuza! Definitely yakuza!"

Sunglasses Guy: "The hell do you know about yakuza?"

Erika: "What do you think those men wanted from Andou?"

Normal Girl: "That's what we've been discussing afterwards."

Bleached Guy: "At first we didn't even know her name, then we did a bit of research. That's when we learned how much of an oddball she is."

Sunglasses Guy: "Pretty much everyone told us that she barely talks to anyone, and she never looks into your eyes. In short, she isn't normal."

Normal Girl: "I think she has some kind of mental disorder."

Erika: "Isn't it possible that she was simply being picked up or picked on by those shady men?"

Normal Girl: "With those baggy clothes she was wearing, I doubt she attracted their attention."

Bleached Guy: "You could mistake her for a boy, not the kind of chick that a yakuza would make his move on."

Glamorous Girl: "It's hard to tell what that girl thinks, but I'm pretty good at reading the body language. I had the impression that those two were familiar enough with her. In other words it wasn't a first encounter."

Erika: "Then, what do you think they were discussing about?"

Glamorous Girl: "I don't know... business, probably."

Erika: "Business... uh?"

Satsukawa: "It seems to me that you're painting her as a murderer way too easily."

Normal Girl: "But she's a wacko! If there's a psycho killer in this school, it must be her!"

Erika: "However, there should be some sort of connection between her and the victim, don't you think?"

Normal Girl: "Maybe she just didn't like Gotsuji for some reason."

Sunglasses Guy: "Wait, are you saying that she might kill again? Scary!"

Normal Girl: "Ah! Now that you mention that, it's quite probable!"

Satsukawa: "Whoa, guys! You're running quite a lot with your imagination!"

Glamorous Girl: "There is a possible connection though..."

Yes, there is one, and it is quite obvious, but I hoped they would tell me something that I didn't know already.

Normal Girl: "Now that you mention it, she's a member of the do-it-yourself club just like Oda, right?"

Bleached Guy: "I've heard that Oda and Gotsuji were childhood friends. Maybe Andou was jealous, so she decided to eliminate a bothersome rival."

Sunglasses Guy: "No way!"

The conversation gets interrupted, as Kubota gives signs of waking up. Honestly, I am amazed he managed to keep sleeping through the loud talks for so long.

He stretches his body and yawns loudly, without any consideration for the rest of us.

Kuon: "My dear friends... I have a dream... I dream of being able to dream without being abruptly woken up!"

I don't think he realized that I and Satsukawa are here, yet.

Kuon: "In other words, because of you I'm not allowed to dream, and what is a man without his dreams?! Hmmm..."

He finally looks at me with his sleepy eyes. I guess his clouded vision needs some time to bring me into focus. He stares at me with both of his eyebrows raised for a few seconds.

Kuon: "Oh... if it isn't my dear lady..."

Erika: "Good morning, Kubota."

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