"Mr. Heiji, I think we need to find Takeshi first," Jouji Hatamoto said, his face serious. "Otherwise, everyone on this ship is in danger."
I thought for a moment, then nodded. "Alright. Let's split into three groups. Mr. Jouji, you take Miss Akie. Mr. Kitaro, you take your wife and son. We'll search the whole ship."
Although the others didn't like the idea, they agreed for their own safety.
Over half an hour later.
Everyone regrouped in the dining hall.
"We didn't find him," Jouji shook his head.
"We didn't find him either," Mariko said, dropping into a chair with an annoyed look.
"Heiji, I bet they didn't even search properly," Sonoko whispered in my ear.
I smiled faintly. "As expected."
In the hall, everyone was lost in their own thoughts. Natsue looked especially weak, barely able to stand, so Sonoko had to hold her up.
The room felt heavy and tense.
"Argh! I can't stand this anymore! I'm going to sleep!" Akie suddenly yelled.
"If you want to sleep, go back to your room! Don't shout here!" Mariko snapped, her voice sharp.
"Aunt Mariko, did losing the inheritance make you lose it? You're snapping at everyone like a crazy dog," Akie shot back coldly.
"Is that so? Maybe I was wrong, and you're not in danger at all. Maybe you're Takeshi's partner. Maybe Takeshi is the man you're seeing! When Tatsuo found out, you got rid of him. Then you and Takeshi could work together and steal what Father left for Natsue!"
The entire hall went silent.
Even I was a little surprised. What she said actually fit too well.
Natsue stared at Akie and Mariko, stunned. She couldn't understand how they could still fight like this, as if nothing had happened.
"Pathetic," Sonoko shook her head and whispered to me. "If the Hatamoto company ends up in the hands of people like this, it's finished."
Natsue's body shook.
"Mom, I need to use the bathroom," Ichiro suddenly said to Mariko.
"But Ichiro, it's dangerous right now. Will you be okay?" Mariko asked, worried.
"It's fine. Everyone is in the hall. If Takeshi shows up, I'll scream."
Ichiro lowered his head and walked past Natsue.
I watched him walk away without showing anything, but my brow tightened. I can't drag this out much longer. There's still no clear proof. This guy is harder to deal with than I expected.
"Miss Natsue, can we talk in private for a moment?"
If I wanted to end this fast, I had to do something extreme.
Natsue blinked, surprised, then nodded.
"Sonoko, you stay here."
Sonoko started to follow, but when she heard my tone, she stopped and sat quietly on a chair.
No one heard what we said in the corner.
At that moment, Ichiro came back from the bathroom. He glanced over, and his face tightened at once.
"Ichiro, are you okay?" Mariko asked.
"Mom, I'm fine."
Ichiro kept his head down, but he was clearly watching me and Natsue. We were standing very close.
"What? No way!"
Suddenly, Natsue's voice rose, loud and sharp.
"Besides me, no one here can catch the murderer. You just need to spend one night with me," I said. I tried to keep my voice low, but the hall was so quiet that everyone could hear it.
At once, everyone stared at me, shocked.
"You're out of your mind! I will never agree to that!"
Natsue turned angrily and tried to leave.
"If you won't agree, then Takeshi can wait for court! Two murders are enough to put him away for life!"
I sounded like I was exploding from anger and shame, my voice getting louder.
This time, no one misunderstood it: Heiji Hattori was threatening Natsue Hatamoto and demanding she sleep with him.
Sonoko stood up all at once and stormed out of the hall without looking back.
"He's completely crazy," Mariko shook her head.
"I think he's stupid. Picking Natsue instead of someone like the Suzuki heiress?" Akie sneered.
Crack!
A small sound rang out. The pencil in Ichiro's hand had snapped in two.
"Takeshi didn't kill anyone!" Natsue shouted.
"That doesn't matter. My father is the Chief of the Osaka Prefectural Police. Framing Takeshi would be easy," I sneered, acting like a rich, spoiled bully.
"So that's it. The police chief's son. No wonder he's so arrogant," Mariko muttered, after her first shock passed.
Natsue froze. Her eyes dropped, full of despair.
When I saw that, my face lit up with excitement. I grabbed her shoulders right away. "Of course, if you spend the night with me, I can make sure you and Takeshi have no problems."
"Mr. Heiji, who do you think you are? The law?" Akie mocked from the side.
"You'd better shut it. If you keep quiet, I might give each of you ten million dollars."
Ten million dollars?
Jouji and the others felt their hearts jump. Greed flashed in their eyes.
"Is Mr. Heiji telling the truth?" Mariko looked at me, excited.
"Only if you trust me. If you don't, you get nothing." My face was full of pride.
"Fine. I agree," Akie clenched her teeth and nodded.
"I agree too," Mariko said quickly, not wanting to miss out.
Jouji thought for a moment, then nodded without a word.
I smiled and turned back to the stunned Natsue. "So, what do you say?"
Natsue's eyes looked empty. She stared at me for a long time, then nodded weakly.
"Good. Meet me on the deck in an hour, wearing a long dress. We'll feel the sea breeze first."
I let go of her shoulders and walked toward the cabins. "I'm going to go calm Sonoko down first. Do whatever you want."
I could feel a look behind me that was full of hate. The corner of my mouth lifted into a cold smile.
The cruise ship fell quiet again.
Inside my room with Sonoko.
"You said you only loved me! Why are you doing this to me?!"
"It's just one night, Sonoko. Just a game."
"A game?! Am I a game to you too?!"
The sound of a fierce argument leaked into the corridor.
A figure appeared in the hallway, listening to the noise inside. They stood there for a moment.
Then—click. The door sound was faint. The arguing stopped at once.
"Who is it?"
My annoyed voice rang out, followed by the sound of the door opening.
"Sonoko, I'm going to check the deck."
"It must be Natsue looking for you! Shameless!"
"I told you, it's just for fun. I'm leaving."
The door slammed shut, followed by footsteps moving away.
The deck was pitch black. All the lights had been turned off.
I smiled in the dark, even though my face stayed calm.
"Natsue? Want to play a little game in the dark? Nice timing."
Suddenly, behind me in the darkness, a cold flash of metal appeared...