Chapter 5

Mallory was told to go to Remon’s place for an update on her boyfriend’s murder case.

She sat down, crossing her arms. “Soo… what’s new?”

Remon sighed. “I still can’t find the culprit.”

Mallory blinked. “...And why am I here, then?”

Remon slowly turned to look at her. That’s when Mallory noticed, dark circles under her eyes, hair messier than usual. She looked exhausted.

“Oh…”

“Yeah,” Remon muttered. “We’re going to Rein’s house. You okay with that?”

Mallory hesitated. “Oh. Huh?”

“I can’t find out who did it. At this point, I’m guessing it’s either some complete stranger or someone close to Rein.”

Mallory swallowed. “Oh… uh, okay…”

-Rein’s House-

Knock knock.

The door opened, revealing Rein’s mom. “Oh! Mallory! And… who is this?”

“Ah, this is Remon! She’s my friend, we’re here to, uh…” Mallory trailed off, glancing at Remon.

Remon stepped forward. “Pardon us, ma’am. We’d like to look at Rein’s room, if that’s okay.”

Mallory’s eyes widened. “Did she really just say that straight-up?”

Rein’s mom hesitated, then nodded. “...Yeah, go ahead, girls. We haven’t gone in there ourselves yet, anyway… But may I ask why you want to see his room?”

Mallory opened her mouth to answer, but before she could get a word out, Remon cut in.

“We want to check if his storybook is here,” she said smoothly. “I remember he was writing a story and planned to submit it when he finished. We’d like to get it published.”

Mallory stared at her, stunned. “Where did that come from?!”

Rein’s mom gave them a sad smile. “I see… Go on, then.”

The room was quiet, a little dusty but neatly arranged. It was clear Rein had been a tidy person. A faint scent of medicine lingered in the air.

As Mallory stepped inside, a wave of sadness hit her. This was her first time entering Rein’s room… and it was only now, when he was no longer here.

Remon, noticing her hesitation, spoke up. “You can wait outside if you want. I’ll be quick.”

Mallory shook her head. “Remon… were you lying to his mom?”

“What?”

“You’re not actually looking for his storybook, are you?”

Remon gave her a look. “Did he never tell you? Why would I lie? He does have a storybook somewhere.”

Mallory blinked. “Wait… what do you mean?”

Remon pulled out a book, dusted it off, and handed it to her.

“What is this?”

“His storybook, of course.”

Mallory hesitated before finally opening it. As her eyes scanned the pages, her breath caught in her throat. She suddenly felt like she might collapse.

Before she could react, Remon snatched the book from her and skimmed through it. “Yup. This is the one.”

“...Are we done?” Mallory asked, her voice unsteady.

“No. But if you want to wait outside, that’s fine.”

“...? What exactly are you looking for?”

Remon didn’t answer. She was already flipping through more books, scanning their contents before carefully putting everything back in place.

“Let’s go.”

Mallory frowned, confused.

They bid farewell to Rein’s mom and stepped outside. As they walked, Mallory’s thoughts swirled, and she couldn’t hold back her questions any longer.

“Why did you take the book from me like that?” she blurted out. “And why did you just open it, then leave like nothing happened?”

Remon hummed in response.

“…What do you mean hm?” Mallory pressed, irritation creeping into her voice.

“Let’s talk later,” Remon said casually. “For now, let’s go buy something to eat.”

The door creaked open.

They finally arrived at Remon’s house. Mallory barely had time to sit before she asked, “So? What happened?”

“I found it,” Remon said.

Mallory’s breath hitched. “The culprit?”

“No.”

“Then what?”

“Rein’s email account.”

Mallory blinked. “...What?”

“I figured there might be some clues about the culprit in his social media.”

Mallory hesitated. “But… Rein doesn’t even use social media.”

Remon’s fingers froze on her keyboard. Slowly, she turned her head, disbelief written all over her face. “...What.”

Mallory shifted uncomfortably. “...Wh-what do you mean what?”

Remon stared at her screen, realization sinking in. “…Crap.”

“You didn’t know?”

“...So that’s why I’ve never seen his account anywhere…” Remon muttered, dragging a hand down her face.

“Ah…” Silence filled the room, broken only by the sound of heavy sighs.

Even so, Remon kept typing, determined to find something—anything—hidden in Rein’s emails. But no results came up.

Mallory watched as frustration flickered across Remon’s face, but she didn’t give up. After a while, she finally exhaled and leaned back in her chair. “Go home and rest,” she told Mallory. “I’ll let you know if I find anything.”