What to do? - Dead Logic

It was noon. Shuhi was inside a white painted room with close to no furniture. She was sitting on the floor.

"Sorry to keep you waiting," Rina came from the other room, holding a cup of tea.

"So this is your apartment? This is were you three passed the night for the last week," Shuhi said, looking everywhere.

"Yeah, we will return anyway so we don't have much of a furniture. Just our bags." Rina sat down in front of Shuhi.

"Sure. That much…is expected."

Shuhi took a sip of the tea, "Just as always. You are always the best in these kind of soft works," Shuhi was referring to the skills of making tea.

"I like these kind of works. Music, painting, designing, cooking. It's so relaxing. Exactly my thing."

"So can we discuss about the problem in our hand?" Shuhi said, face straight.

"Let the others come." Rina reminded her that there were still two people who will get affected by the decision they were about to make.

"Rina san, I was thinking, you never told me which country you from. I mean, clearly the organization collected kids from all around the world." Shuhi pressed a question.

"Guess," Rina said, "And kindly drink your tea. It's getting cold."

"Oh…right,"

Shuhi took another sip, "People from around the world have notable difference in their facial structure. Judging from your looks, I would say…USA?"

"No."

"Then UK?"

"Correct."

"So I had another question. Aren't you willing to meet your parents as you have gone out from the organization?"

"My parents?" Rina frowned.

"Right. When I got out, my first action was to contact my family. They helped me grow and forget about the horrors of that blue place."

"Horrors…of the…blue place," Rina seemed to be spaced up.

Shuhi shook her by holding her right shoulder, "Rina san! You doing well?"

"Oh…Ya. I passed out. Thoughts filled my mind." Rina said.

"Have you ever thought of going back?"

"To be honest, no. I was so stuck with the organization that I…I feel no traction towards my homeland. My family. My parents."

"It is expected, almost all your life there. What else will happen?" Shuhi thought.

"I don't know. Lowell family is so large. My parents must have forgotten about me. Yeah, that would be it. So I feel nervous if I suddenly go in front of them."

"No, that's not true. What should I say?" Shuhi thought.

"Of course, I, Delta don't understand…I have to say what would Shuhi say."

"Never say that again!" Shuhi got up, tone changed.

"Your parents will always love you. No matter the time or place."

"Shuhi san…why are you…"

The door bell rang. Rina had to go open the door. It was The other two boys.

"We are back!" Haruto had a bag of shopping items. Akari bought another jar that contained spider.

"Geez, I guess I shouldn't even be freaked out at this point," Rina commented, seeing the new spider.

The entire gang was sitting in a same room. On 4 sides. The organization made sure that every kid competed with each other. Back then, every tiny move was a striking point. Now after a long year, they could sit together and have a chat like siblings.

"How much could we even talk at that classroom, right?" Akari said. He referred to the arts club room.

"Yeah. Now we have the entire world's time," Haruto said.

"I am afraid we don't" Shuhi interrupted, "I hate to break it to you guys but remember that we are basically in a cease fire. I don't wanna go back to the place and you can't go back empty handed. So, we have to do something,"

Akari and Rina sighed. They already faced Shuhi and didn't want to go in more trouble.

"Come on, don't make that sad face. We will figure something out!" Shuhi tried to cheer them.

"Figure what?" Akari cried, "There is no way. Either you go with us or we say goodbye."

"I go with you or you leave empty handed, whichever is gonna happen, we got things to take care of," Shuhi said.

"Take care of what?" Rina asked.

"Taking care of all the changes we made, right?" Haruto read Shuhi's mind and discovered this answer.

"You heard him," Shuhi confirmed.

"What do you mean by "take care"?" Akari asked.

"Hiroshi senpai from our school. His entire life basically got ruined because of me. The once respected student is now known as a violent delinquent who harasses underclassmen. I made him look that way because I couldn't find any other way," Shuhi said with a broken voice.

"So what do you want us to do?" Haruto asked.

"I want the help of all you people to prove his innocence."

"Oh wait, you made me remember…I know another person. Shinichi!" Haruto said.

"Who's Shinichi?" Akari asked.

"Um…he is…"

"He is a friend of mine. I agree he seemed to be acting strange. You have some connection with that?" Shuhi clarified.

Haruto started explaining to all of them about how he first discovered Shinichi as a drug addict and decided to clear his debt by earning money through gambling. It was all because Haruto wanted to help Shinichi and make good use of his abilities.

"But he should have no problem now as I earned him enough money to clear his debt. So why is he upset now?" Haruto asked.

It was Shuhi's turn. Shuhi explained the tiny psychological experiment she did with Shinichi to deduce what happened with Shinichi and shared her observations.

They decided to start with Shinichi as they thought if Shinichi was still on drugs, then it would hamper his health day by day. The faster, the better.

It was evening. The sun was setting on the West. Shuhi and Shinichi were sitting on a stack of large construction pipes. Both of their eyes were fixed on the red sun. In front of them, the large playing field was still alive with kids playing baseball. Their laughter occasionally drifting toward the two of them.

"You can tell me everything," Shuhi said with a soft voice.

"I told you at first. You won't believe me but someone like Haruto exists. He actually won every single gamble somehow…"

"No, not that. About your kidnapping."

"I told you all in one go! The police is handling my kidnapping case. I…I don't wanna talk about it any more." Shinichi cried.

Shinichi's fingers tightened around the edge of the pipe. His gaze remained fixed on the setting sun, but his shoulders had stiffened.

Without getting up, Shuhi dragged herself a little closer to Shinichi. Then he turned her head to match Shinichi's eyes that were staring at the red horizon.

"you are hiding something, right?"

"No, you are overthinking it!"

"Maybe."

She didn't argue nor accuse him. Instead, she simply nodded.

"I probably am."

That answer caught him off guard. She wasn't trying to prove him wrong.

Another silence settled between them.

This time...Shinichi was the first to break it.

"...It wasn't just a kidnapping."

Shuhi didn't immediately respond.

She simply listened.

"I told the police almost everything."

Another pause.

"...Almost."

Shuhi finally asked,

"What couldn't you tell them?"

Shinichi stared at the field.

"...Would you believe me if I said..." Shinichi took a small breath to prepare himself

"...they wanted me to stay addicted?"

Children cheered after someone hit a home run.

The sound strangely contrasted with Shinichi's trembling voice.

"They kept forcing drugs into me."

"I wanted to quit."

"I really did."

His breathing became uneven.

"But they dragged me back."

Shuhi lowered her gaze. She didn't interrupt. She let him continue.

"I was scared." Shinichi remembered his horrifying experience in the underground basement.

"...Not of dying."

He swallowed.

"...Like…how do I put it to words? Something far worse."

Shuhi quietly spoke.

"Something far worse than death?"

Shinichi laughed bitterly.

"...Yeah."

"I didn't say this part to the police. When I was tied up, a man entered in that room and talked some kind of debt."

"Some kind of debt?"

"Yeah. They refused to give him money. I don't remember much of their conversation. I just remember that after that, a shoot took place and all of the criminals were lying dead. Oh…I wanna forget that horror,"

"Shinichi! Calm yourself. You have talked this much, this is enough." Shuhi pressed her hand over Shinichi's.

"Someone came and then all of them died? They were a gang so they must have co operation. Or else they wouldn't be able to expand their customers. Someone who had enough power to annihilate the entire gang in one night. Wait, could it be,"

"Shinichi san, please try to remember how that man looked like. His face, hair color, eyes anything!"

"Eyes, yeah! His eyes! It was red. Glowing in the dim light."

"I knew it! It's Utaro."

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Chapter 53 - What to do?