Episode 20: Please Water the Dried Flowers
Excuse me.
What is it?
May I have some water?
Give me a moment.
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Common Exam: Language
Hisaka-kun was
walking with someone
Galbis
So...
You're asking what Hisaka's like?
Yeah.
I'd like a Brilliant Sundae.
Understood.
What's up?
Oh, nothing.
Hisaka is stoic.
He can be awkward, but whenever he's practicing, he has people's respect.
Though, I think he used to smile more back in first year.
He wasn't the talkative type, but he wasn't as quiet, either.
I wonder if something happened.
He's been a little on edge since the end of the fall tournament in second year.
It was the first tournament after the third-years retired.
Maybe he felt like it was up to his year to carry the team.
He's been amazing since then.
He even had a shot at making it to the top in the spring prefecturals.
He was working his ass off, preparing for the summer tournament.
He said it would be his last.
Hisaka-kun said that?
Yeah.
Did Hisaka-kun have any friends?
His third-year teammates, me and, uh, Sano from 3-2.
Anyone else?
Probably a few people from his elementary school.
You must know who else he's close with in our class, right?
Anyone else?
Well, I guess it isn't a secret, so it should be fine...
He's dating Okahashi from the badminton team.
Okahashi Mao. Class 3-4.
And that's not a secret?
What are you trying to say?
Oh, um...
Basically, you want to know what relationships he might be hiding.
Yeah. Here's the thing: I'm pretty sure someone else witnessed the accident.
But Hisaka-kun's hiding that fact.
I'm sure he has a good reason for hiding it, then.
He might.
But we can't figure out who hit Hisaka-kun unless we find out.
And he won't get paid damages. His family will have to pay for his treatment.
And the pain of having to forfeit the tournament, and of losing his sponsors...
No one will make it up to him, even just financially.
Actually, something did happen in spring that struck me as a bit odd.
Here you are. Your Brilliant Sundae.
Well, it might be nothing, but Hisaka had a good luck charm on his club bag.
A good luck charm?
He isn't really the superstitious type.
So it isn't really like him to have a good luck charm.
Maybe his girlfriend, Okahashi-san, gave it to him.
That's what I thought, too.
However, he always leaves his bag in the boys' club room. And he had the charm at the time.
But he took it off when he went to the spring tournament.
Maybe he had a fight with Okahashi-san before the tournament.
Nah. She was walking home with him the day he took the charm off.
And they were cheering for each other at their tournaments the next day.
Did Okahashi-san have a good luck charm on her bag?
No, she didn't.
Sorry, one sec.
Charm from where?
Where was the charm from?
It was an omamori amulet from Ise Shrine.
Okay.
I actually have one more request.
What is it?
If you put in a good word for me,
Fujidera-kun might tell me about the other witness Hisaka-kun's keeping from us.
I see what you're driving at.
Still, Hisaka's going to hate me for this later.
Fine.
I'll tell Fujidera.
Pardon me.
I'd like to switch seats.
Is that all right?
Of course. Go ahead.
Was it good?
I thought I knew what I was getting into,
but it seems I didn't at all.
Who do you think gave him the charm?
It definitely wasn't Okahashi-san.
If she was going to give him one, she would've also bought one for herself.
Is that how it works?
Apparently.
The rest is for tomorrow.
That's it for today.
There hasn't been a single appearance by a Hisaka Shotaro in a tournament in the prefecture
in the past three years.
Excuse me.
I was told by Dr. Miyamuro that I'm allowed to use a wheelchair with a nurse's help.
I'd like to give it a try. May I ask you to assist me?
I'll go confirm it.
All right, here we go.
Rotate your body on your left leg.
Okay.
One, two...
Thank you.
Where shall we go?
To the bathroom, please.
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Um, can I take this wheelchair outdoors?
We can go to the courtyard or the rooftop, but not outside the hospital.
The police asked me to aid in the investigation once I'm able to go outside.
I have other patients to attend to. I can't leave during work hours.
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There hasn't been a single appearance by a Hisaka Shotaro in a tournament in the prefecture
in the past three years.
Osanai-san and Kengo are in communication.
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Why'd you sneak up on me like that?
The girl who nearly got run over?
That's the second time I've been called that, but that isn't my name.
Osanai Yuki. Class 3-4.
You're my senior?
I am.
Were you hurt in any way? I should've helped you out that day.
Don't worry about it.
You went to help Hisaka-kun.
You did the right thing.
I wasn't hurt, after all.
That's a relief.
Oh, um, I'm Fujidera Makoto. Class 2-5.
Thanks for coming out today, Fujidera-kun.
I hate to drag you out on a weekend, but I want to hear what you have to say.
I want to hear the truth.
Now, you know why we called you here, right?
We know you're hiding something.
We want you to accept that we know and tell us the truth.
I'm sorry for keeping it from you.
Hisaka told you to, didn't he? So I can't blame you.
Can you please not let Hisaka-senpai know that I'm the one telling you this?
Of course.
Our club practice ended at four that day.
I ran into a friend, so we talked for a bit.
I think it was about five minutes after four when I finally left school.
I don't usually take the levee road.
It's too close to the cars. It doesn't feel safe.
But that day, my mom was out of town on business,
so I was heading to my grandmother's for dinner.
A little while after I crossed Togou Bridge and started along the levee road...
I didn't recognize the uniform the girl was wearing.
So I walked a bit slower to keep my distance.
Why?
I thought she might be his sister.
You don't really want to be seen around your family, you know?
And then?
Osanai-senpai came up to the levee, and...
I couldn't decide who to go and help.
Hisaka-senpai!
Fujidera?
They got me.
I can't move my hand.
My phone's in my pocket.
I see. Hisaka-kun injured both hands.
He couldn't have called for an ambulance or the police.
Yeah, that's what I mean.
I've been hit by a car on the levee road.
Emergency Call
Understood. Thank you.
Call Ended
Just go.
To be honest, I was disgusted.
You can go, too.
Uh, but...
Wasn't that your sister or something?
Don't tell anyone about her.
Don't even tell the police.
So I realized I'd seen something I shouldn't have.
How so?
Fujidera-kun knew Hisaka-kun and Okahashi-san were in a relationship.
Didn't you?
Oh! You mean he was cheating on her.
That might not be the best way to put it.
What should we do?
Judging from what we just heard, Hisaka-kun won't tell us about who he was with.
What was the girl like?
What do you mean?
How tall was she? What did she look like?
She was wearing glasses.
And I think her hair was pretty long.
As for her height, I can only describe it as average.
You mentioned she was wearing a uniform.
Um, yes.
Akitsu-ya
The middle school uniforms are up on the second floor.
Am I checking all of these?
We're just looking for the uniform the girl was wearing.
Well, good luck.
Osanai-san.
Yes?
You don't have to answer if you don't want to...
I probably won't, then. What is it?
You took the stairs up to the levee road, right?
Then, you started walking upriver.
Yeah.
Where were you headed? And from where?
We're trying to find the hit-and-runner.
You, for your vain sense of glory.
I, for revenge.
I assure you that my actions that day have nothing to do with the incident.
So it's a secret.
I wish I could trust you.
You just want to solve the case so you can brag to people it was a piece of cake, right?
I thought you were more of a puzzle solver than a nosy prier.
I'm just gaming potential scenarios.
I'm not sure we know for sure the driver meant it as an accident.
You think Hisaka-kun was hit on purpose?
The driver pressed the brakes to avoid hitting him, though.
But he was still hit.
That was merely a consequence.
The driver did indeed hit the brakes in front of Hisaka-kun.
But after that, they drove toward someone without hitting the brakes.
I'll tell you in return for believing what I said.
The moment of the accident, I was afraid I was going to die.
You know, Kobato-kun...
Telling someone who nearly died that it wasn't an accident,
but an intentional act of murderous malice isn't very funny.
I won't say I can't think of any reason I wouldn't be targeted by anyone.
But going up to that levee road that day was an unforeseeable coincidence.
No one could have attacked me deliberately in that situation.
True.
You're right.
I take back my question.
You may not realize it, but I think it's amazing you can admit you were wrong.
Okay, in return for taking back your question, I'll tell you.
I was thinking about something.
I was wandering around aimlessly while contemplating something.
You don't believe me, do you? You have no reason to.
That's why I didn't want to tell you.
It isn't that I don't believe you.
I was just thinking it'd be rude of me to ask what you were thinking about.
That's true. It'd be low-key rude.
Hey, uh, you two.
Takematsu Middle School
Takematsu Middle School? Where's that?
Isn't it to the south?
How far is it to the scene of the accident?
An hour by bike. Maybe even less than that.
What makes you think it's this one?
Well, uh, the sleeves looked like this, with the two lines.
Although I think the chest area was a bit more sailor-style.
Did it have a ribbon?
It wasn't really a ribbon. It was a scarf.
It had a plaid skirt with it, right?
Uh, no. I think it was a plain color.
Wrong one, then.
Yeah.
Could she have been wearing plain clothes that just happened to look like a uniform?
To be honest, I didn't stop to get a good look at her clothes or anything.
But I did see something that looked like a school emblem on her chest.
Akitsu-ya
Do you remember what the emblem looked like?
It was, uh, kind of squiggly, I think.
Maybe a school from another town?
But would a middle schooler come to see Hisaka-kun from another city?
Osanai-san?
Come with me.
Nishimori High School
Now, Fujidera-kun. One more time.
This one. This is the one.
Kiba High School
Dried flowers?
Please water the flowers at night.