Chapter Five - Part Two
It was already dark, but the silver camping trailer still stood out.
It was designed as a simple box, with a single wheeled protrusion from the front. That was probably where it attached to the towing vehicle.
As Kamo checked the jack and the hitch for any abnormalities, Amamiya and Genji, who had gone in ahead of him to check the inside, peeked out. Kamo asked to check Genji's watch. It showed 8:48.
Feeling the wind growing stronger, Kamo called over Ayaka and Tsukie, who were taking shelter from the rain in the bicycle shed. The two of them, holding umbrellas, ran into the trailer, screaming all the way. Genji, perhaps out of concern for the smoke-hating Ayaka, announced he was taking a smoke break and stepped outside.
When Kamo stepped in, he saw Amamiya touching the lantern hanging above the bed.
The lantern spread a soft ersatz sunlight throughout the car. The objects sparkling in that light were a series of bottles brought from the storage room. The once empty bottles of juice and wine now held humble tap water. Each person had washed and filled their own water bottles. That would be their drinking water for the time being.
To put on a finishing touch, Amamiya drew the thick gray curtains and opened a single window. The breeze that came in was so cool it was impossible to believe it was still August.
The trailer was larger than Kamo had pictured from the outside, measuring about 2 meters wide, 4.5 meters long, and 2 meters high. It even had a toilet and kitchen. Kamo could tell it was a foreign-made trailer, because he wasn't sure if it could even fit on a narrow Japanese road.
After ceding the bed to the women, Kamo leaned against the wall near the entrance.
Ayaka took out her pocket watch and wound it before placing it on the bedside table. Next to her, Tsukie began to fix her hair, which was soaking wet. Seeing this, Amamiya took the initiative and opened the cupboard, taking out a towel and handing it to her.
In the meantime, Kamo decided to double check the car's safety. He searched everyone's personal belongings, drawers, and shelves, even checking between the mattress and the bed frame, but he didn't find a single bullet, let alone the gun.
By the time he was finished his investigation, Genji had returned, soaking wet. He'd been gone about five minutes. Kamo searched him, just to be sure. Around then, the wind and rain appeared to be getting stronger, and the trailer occasionally shook.
As Kamo wiped the raindrops off the hourglass with a towel, Amamiya seemed to remember something.
“Ah, I left the umbrellas outside.”
He went out to retrieve them because it would be dangerous if one was blown away by a strong wind.
Less than 30 seconds later, lightning struck close by. The deafening roar made Ayaka jump and scream. Kamo became worried about Amamiya and decided to go outside and check on him.
When he opened the door, Amamiya was standing there, soaking wet and holding five umbrellas. Kamo was relieved to see him, but Amamiya stammered in a weak voice.
“I'm not good with thunder...”
When he ran back into the trailer (after being subjected to a body search), Kamo stepped outside and looked up into the sky. Lighting flashed across clouds so dark they were nearly purple, illuminating the fields and road. The light it gave off was so intense he feared for his safety, so he decided to go back in the trailer.
Inside, Amamiya was taking off the leather band of his wristwatch and placing it in the kitchen. Kamo couldn't see the dial, but seeing as how the band was dripping wet, he was probably leaving it to dry.
Kamo tied the trailer's door shut with a rope he'd borrowed from the warehouse to make sure nobody could get out. He then took up position on the steps near the door so he could see any comings and goings. Finally having a chance to catch his breath, he pulled the cork from the wine bottle he had and took a sip. It was only tap water, but... it smelled of wine. It was an unpleasant drink.
As he was about to run out of water, Tsukie suddenly said something.
“What are we going to do until morning? There's no way any of us can sleep.”
Genji, who was sitting at the folding table next to the bed, had an idea.
“Why don't we talk about who we suspect? ...You didn't find anything new in today's investigation, did you?”
Those last words were aimed at Kamo. Even though he knew that, he didn't dare answer Genji's question. Instead, he placed the wine bottle at his feet and held the hourglass pendant at his chest.
“I'm sorry, but I'm going to tell them everything... If you have a problem with that, quit sneaking around and show yourself, Hora.”
No one but Ayaka knew what he was talking about. In fact, Amamiya looked at him from the kitchen as though he'd lost his mind, and Tsukie gave him a contemptuous glare. On the other hand, Genji, who seemed to have interpreted it as a joke in bad taste, laughed, even though he looked disappointed.
That said, Kamo hadn't been expecting a response from Hora. Rather than asking for a reply, he was just giving an advance notice in case he was eavesdropping from somewhere.
Kamo didn't know where Hora was. In truth, his smartphone had already run out of battery, so even if he wanted to contact Kamo, he couldn't anymore.
Kamo let go of the hourglass and turned to face Genji.
“Come to think of it, I haven't thanked you get, Genji.”
“Thanked me?”
A cautious look flashed across Genji's eyes. Kamo continued with a small nod.
“Thanked you for lying that my name sounded familiar. It's thanks to you that I didn't get thrown out of the villa.”
Genji looked at Ayaka in confusion. She seemed to understand Kamo's intentions, but she didn't say anything. Genji stiffened.
“...May we interpret that as a confession that you're the murderer?”
“No. I'm not a private investigator, but I'm not a murderer, the one behind this incident or otherwise.”
“Then why are you saying all this?”
“I'm just tired of all the lies. Now that I've played my hand, I want to ask you, Genji. Why did you cover for me?”
Kamo had no idea what his words made Genji feel, but his expression softened a bit. Finally, he gave a sigh.
“You're right. I noticed at once that Ayaka was lying.”
“Of course you did, her lie was absurd.”
“If Ayaka was the sort of girl who told malicious lies, I would have had you detained at once. But she isn't. I understand that better than anyone.”
He heard Ayaka murmur “I'm sorry.” Just as she was about to continue, Genji interrupted her with a gesture, then spoke in a gentle voice.
“If this girl told a lie, it could only be to make someone happy, or to protect them. That's why I was so confused to see her sticking to her story so stubbornly... At first, I suspected that you had just deceived her. However, you looked like you were as surprised by her story as anyone.”
Kamo couldn't help but smile.
“I was suddenly declared a Great Detective. I didn't know what to do... But didn't you ever suspect that I could be the murderer?”
“Not once. There was no way you could have killed my brother or Koki because you were outside the villa, and I didn't think you were an accomplice to anyone on the inside... It was pure coincidence that people had been in the rec room all night, so I didn't think the culprit could have arranged an accomplice to deal with them.”
Genji's analysis was astute, but Kamo was unimpressed.
“I see.”
“That's not all. You also didn't have any signs of mosquito bites.”
That took him by surprise.
“...What do mosquitoes have to do with any of this?”
“As you know, Shino is located at the foot of a mountain. If you spent the night outside at this time of year, you'd have mosquito bites from head to toe.”
“I see, I hadn't thought of that.”
“That's how I knew you were neither the killer nor an accomplice. That's why I didn't want to see you, an innocent, detained.”
Genji let out a huff, and his grin turned mischievous.
“Also, I have a bit of a bad habit. When I get curious about something, I just can't help myself... what Ayaka said was so interesting, I couldn't help but want to see where it would go.”
Kamo relaxed. Now he'd seen Genji's true feelings. Genji wiped the metal band of his watch with a towel before continuing.
“However, I wouldn't have shown any mercy if you did anything even slightly suspicious. But I could tell right away that you were serious about solving the case.”
Ayaka was giving Genji a silent, pleading stare. He looked straight back at her and continued.
“So, I started thinking like this. I don't know if she had evidence or it was just intuition, but Ayaka had some reason to believe an incident would occur in the villa. But people don't take the words of children seriously, so she couldn't just tell someone. She couldn't just sit back and do nothing, so she decided to invite you to the villa.”
“Come to think of it, Ayaka once told me she invited a magician without permission.”
When Kamo said that, Genji also gave a small nod.
“Yes, that's why I thought she might have called a private investigator the same way. That's why, until just now, I thought you were a real detective. So, who exactly are you?”
“I'm just a magazine writer. I'm not any sort of professional criminal investigator. But it is true that I came here to prevent incidents that would happen in Shino.”
Kamo could feel everyone waiting for his next words. But what he had to say next was something even he thought was too absurd to believe. Kamo could barely be heard as he delivered his next words.
“I knew in advance that a tragedy would happen here. Because I come from the future.”
“Yes, Mr. Kamo is from the year 2018.”
Hearing Ayaka firmly declare that, the three others exchanged looks. Amamiya's eyes were swimming with agitation, but Genji and Tsukie reacted far less dramatically than he'd expected. If they'd just demanded he stop lying, that would have been much easier.
The first to speak was Amamiya.
“...So you really were.”
“Wait, you knew?”
Tsukie giggled.
“We suspected. The way you talk, your glasses, everything about you is different from us, and we were all curious about it.”
As Kamo stood speechless, Genji placed his watch, wrapped in a towel, on the bedside table and opened his mouth.
“Your shoes have an interesting design that I've never seen before, not even in science fiction TV shows. I have to admit, it was half as a joke, but I did think you might be from the future.”
Kamo felt funny.
“What do you mean, you suspected already? If that's the case, what was the point of us lying all this time?”
Kamo smiled at Ayaka, then explained everything from the beginning. The landslide, the curse of the Ryuuzen clan, Fumino and her descendants, his encounter with Meister Hora, time travel... eventually, he caught up to his arrival in 1960, where Ayaka helped him explain everything they'd done to try and prevent the incidents.
The three of them immediately started asking him about time travel. Kamo was about to explain the four constraints when he was interrupted by a familiar voice.
“It would be for the better if I were to give the explanations, so that there shall be no misunderstandings.”
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