I glanced at Liana out of the corner of my eye. “I can’t seriously be the only one of us that finds something weird about all this.”

She kept her eyes on the road. “Get used to it.”

I sighed. “Liana-”

“This isn’t about the train, it’s about his parents and what you think happened. Why did you flip out about that in the first place? Is it so hard to believe his parents were bad people?”

I shot her a glare. “Yes, Liana, it is. Our parents are the only reason that we’re here, they might be hard on us at times but that’s just tough love. Aren’t you even a little suspicious about his story on the train? He didn’t tell the cops about how he got marched to the cabin at one point, and that gun was linked to Ninetail! None of the ghouls knew jack shit about it-”

“Oh, so now you’re taking the word of a ghoul? When it fits your little conspiracy theory? For all we know Ninetail dropped it on the train to dispose of it, or send us on a wild goose chase, or maybe one of the ghouls picked it up somewhere else and didn’t know it was Ninetails. And as for the cabin, he probably just didn’t want to talk about it because he nearly got eaten!”

I scowled. “We would know for sure if you didn’t shut me down earlier. If you don’t want me doing the interview then just get Koku or someone else to do it.”

We stopped at a red light and she looked me dead in the eye. “Say it to my face. Tell me that you’re taking the word of a bunch of ghouls, who hijacked a train and were going to kill everyone on board, over the word of a boy who watched a man get eaten alive knowing he couldn’t do anything to save him even with a weapon in his hand.”

I tried my best to hold her gaze, but after a few moments I cursed under my breath and turned away. The light changed and she didn’t turn to look at me again. “We’re going to go to the lab to run the monthly tests and tunings, get some groceries from Denny’s, and go back home. I don’t want to hear you bring Kou up again."

Damnit. “Fine.”

After about twenty minutes we reached the 1st Ward’s Laboratory, which was composed of several different buildings. Liana parked the car and I grabbed my quinque, and we walked up to the Quinque lab. After two layers of security we arrived to find Dr Chigyou already waiting, smiling at us as we set our Quinques down on the table. “Welcome back. How have they been performing?”

I patted the case affectionately. “Neptune’s been working perfectly. Spot on every time, and razor sharp.”

Liana rolled her eyes. “Should I call Kyoko to let her know she has competition, or do you want to let Mother break it to her? Doc, how are repairs coming on Nettle?”

“All done, you can take her home today after we finish re-tuning her gimmick.”

One of his assistants took the katana quinque Liana had been using as a replacement while I deployed Neptune, handing it off to Dr Chigyou so he could clip the sensors on and start running tests. “Alright, all three prongs have retained their edge. Shaft integrity is a little bit lower than it should be, but it’s nothing we can’t fix today. Length has varied, but also minor. Could you trigger the gimmick?”

I picked up my quinque and aimed it at the target wall, twisting a section of the shaft and pressing on the red circle that appeared. The three prongs shot out to a metre in length before retracting, and Dr Chigyou frowned.

My eyes widened. “You’re frowning. What’s wrong?”

Dr Chigyou sighed. “Nothing is ‘wrong’, the gimmick is just degrading at the expected rate. Try not to use it any more than you have to.”

I slumped. “Oh…”

Liana rolled her eyes and patted me on the shoulder. “Alright you big baby, calm down. All that means is you need to be more careful. ”

We headed home, talking about the Academy and the new students from last year when we’d hosted a lecture as I drove. I parked the car out front, glancing at my watch as I locked up. He’s probably finishing work by now…

Liana raised an eyebrow from the front door. “Something wrong?”

“Uh…I think I’ll take a walk. Still gotta find a present for Kyoko, our anniversary’s coming up.”

She sighed, putting a hand on her hip. “You still haven’t got anything? Loren, we drove by five markets between here and the 1st; you could have said something sooner.”

I scowled. “I forgot, what do you want me to say? I’ll see you later." 

She went inside, and once the door was closed I rubbed my thumb over the cross at my neck. I wasn’t completely lying; I still want to get Kyoko a pack of her favourite sweets to go with the necklace. But I can stop by the café on my way there, or the way back… I looked up, wishing I could ask my dad for advice. He’s hiding something. Not just with his parents; he didn’t mention the cabin, and the way he handled that gun…

My sister and I received basic handgun training to get our badges, the way Teru had handled that pistol wasn’t perfect but it definitely wasn’t his first time. ……Lord in Heaven, please give me the wisdom to see through his lies and the strength to see this through.

It didn’t take long for me to get to the café, and I slipped up the stairs when none of the staff were looking. I took a moment at the top of the stairs to straighten my coat, standing up as tall and straight as possible before knocking on the door. 

I was met with dead silence, and I knocked again. “Hey, Teru? It’s me, Loren.” I glanced down the stairs, painfully aware that my mom was only a flight of stairs from busting me. Come on kid, open the fucking door. “It’s work, nothing personal this time; I’m here on CCG business. I just have a few questions about the train incident.”

No answer, and I could hear my mom’s voice getting louder. Come on, open up…!

I was about to cut my losses and run when the lock clicked. I disguised my sigh of relief with a scowl, crossing my arms as part his face appeared in the half-open door. “So you were just gonna leave me out here if it wasn’t business?”

He didn’t bat an eye. “Can we do this downstairs? I really don’t want to make the trip to the Office.”

I cleared my throat. “It’s a bit crowded in the café, the recording’s no good if they can’t hear us. Can I come in?”

I thought I might have caught a flash of panic behind those dead eyes, but after a few moments he turned around – leaving the door ajar.

By the time I pushed it the rest of the way open he’d already bagged whatever he was working on, closing his bedroom door and gesturing at the table. “Have a seat there, if you like. Would you like something to drink?”

I moved to push the door closed but hesitated, leaving the doorjamb just touching the frame instead. “No, thanks." I took a quick look around. "Looks just like it did last month. Didn’t get a chance to unpack?”

He shrugged. “I don’t have much in the way of décor. I move around a lot, that stuff just adds more weight.”

He didn’t sit until I did, and I set my phone on the table with the voice recorder on. Alright, business first. “Train Hijacking case investigation, code GA-7344. Civilian interview conducted by Kito Loren, badge 06-377. Please state your name for the record.”

“Teru Kouto.”

“Can you describe what happened on the train that night?”

It was kinda hard to tell, but it seemed like he wasn’t looking directly at me. More like...just next to me. “I got on the train about…eight? Nothing seemed out of the ordinary until…five minutes in. The ghouls broadcast using the PA, they wanted all humans to move to the back of the train and invited the ghouls to the front. One of them left their bag, and I saw a gun inside. I stole it while they weren’t looking and went to the back of the train.”

I let the silence stretch a few moments, and when he didn’t say anything I narrowed my eyes slightly. “According to one of the other survivors, you were singled out at one point and brought all the way up to the driver’s cabin. You didn’t mention that to the police when you were interviewed; why?”

He tensed slightly, but his poker face was solid. “I………didn’t want to attract attention. The officer was an asshole, if I said anything I was worried he might have just tried to arrest me or something.”

I had to strangle the bit of pity that appeared before it took root. He’s not wrong, but it’s still suspicious. “Well, it’s just you and me now. I know we didn’t start off on the right foot, but believe me; I step a toe out of line and my sister will make me wish she’d gotten to eat me in the womb. So what’s the story? Why were you called to the cabin, and how did you walk out in one piece?”

He was silent for a bit, and I could see the wheels turning in his head. Weighing the risk, or cooking a lie? After a few moments he cleared his throat, still not looking at me. “I…it sounds bad, but it’s not really. It’s not even useful. I just….knew her.”

I sat up straighter. “Their leader? You met her before?!”

He shifted in his seat. “She…….hung out near a place I stayed at a while ago. We never exchanged names, but we passed each other in the halls and waved hello every so often. We got caught in the rain at the same time at one point and I let her share my umbrella. On the train she basically just said hi, and told me she’d order her men to leave me alone for the time being.”

I narrowed my eyes, but he didn't say anything else. Odd story, but not impossible. “Do you have the address where she was loitering?”

He looked off to the side again. “It…was a long time ago.”

Looks like he’s not so good at lying when he’s caught off guard. “How long?”

“A year, maybe a little less.”

“You don’t remember where you were staying a year ago?”

“I move around a lot. Rent can rise quickly, I have to bounce if things get tight.”

I considered what he’d said so far. It’s possible, but all very vague and mostly useless. I can’t accuse him of lying without proof through. “Alright, let’s circle back to the train. Witnesses say a man approached you to propose that you fight back, and you threatened him before letting the ghouls kill him?”

His hands clenched slightly. “I….I just told him to back off. I didn’t want to be their next target, he was dead as soon as he said he wanted to fight within hearing range. I wasn’t stupid enough to try and take on five ghouls with a pistol.”

I laced my fingers. “Right. You’re a crack shot though; once you were in the clear you started picking them off. Where’d you learn to handle a gun like that?”

“I…played a lot of carnival games; BB gun pistols are about the same weight. The recoil was a surprise the first time I fired, but the ghoul had lunged right at me; at that distance it didn’t matter that my aim was a bit off.”

…he’s not wrong, but that still seems suspicious. “Uh-huh. Is there anything else you’d like to tell me? Anything you remember about the hijacking, or the ghouls?”

He shook his head. “Not really.”

I don’t think I’ll get any more this way. “Alright, thanks. End of interview."

I picked up my phone and stopped the recording, but before putting it face-down in front of me I hit record on a new entry. Now then… “So…….you’ve been running for a while huh? At least a year?” 

If his guard hadn’t been up before it certainly was now, any semblance of discomfort or guilt gone under a shell of black ice. “Thank you for…your service. Please leave.”

I put my hands up. “Geez, sorry. I didn’t mean-”

I cleared my throat as his eyes narrowed, looking away. Yeesh. “I mean…that came out more aggressive than I was trying for. I want to talk, honest; mom and Liana say I’m being insensitive, I just……want to understand. How can it be that bad, that you left at….what, fifteen?”

“I left at sixteen, and its none of your business. I’ve answered your questions, now please leave.”

I narrowed my eyes. “Come on, my sister isn’t here; there’s no need to act all innocent. I’m sure you’ve got some strong feelings about your parents, why don’t you voice them?”

He stood. “Do I need to treat you like a preschooler and call your mother?”

I stood as well, drawing up to my full height and glaring down at him. “Cool it kid, I’m not above hitting a foul-mouthed brat.”

He didn’t even flinch as I loomed over him, phone in hand. “Shall I report you to the CCG for abuse of power instead then? Gaining entry under the pretence of official business and then interrogating me for a personal vendetta?”

I narrowed my eyes. “Go ahead. Do it.”

I definitely saw him tense that time, and I smiled. “You won’t, will you? You don’t want that attention, not from any sort of authorities. So why don’t you answer my questions, and I’ll get out of your hair?”

His gaze darted to the kitchen for a moment and I laughed, turning to look at the knife roll lying by the sink. “You really think that’ll help you? I could snap your-”

His hand shot forward and I swiped for his wrist, barely missing, but as I lurched over the table he kicked it into my knees. FUCK-! 

I barely stumbled back in time to block his exit, the kid staying well out of reach - with my phone in his hand, still recording. His eyes narrowed. “ ‘Business, not personal’?”

I grit my teeth, cracking my knuckles. “It’s both this time. Your story is full of holes, and you’re pretty fucking suspicious. You’re bad news on both fronts, I’m not about to let someone as suspicious as you go running around near my family. It’s up to you how this goes; you tell me the truth, and I’ll leave.”

“And if I don't?"

He raised his chin slightly, as if he could sense the panic creeping up my spine. "Between you and your sister I know you didn’t get the brains in the family, but surely even you aren’t dumb enough to commit violence against a minor in their own home. This thing is still recording by the way, and with so many customers and your mother downstairs? I would tread carefully; all I have to do is scream, and it won’t matter how many bruises you put on me.”

……shit. He’s right. And I can’t leave without my phone. I tried to puff up my chest with confidence. “How about this; you give me back my phone, and I’ll leave without starting a full-fledged investigation into you, the gun, and your parents.”

He watched behind that ice-cold mask, and for a moment I thought he was gonna scream. Then he glanced at the phone in his hands for a moment, looking back at me before I could move an inch. “If that’s your offer, I need insurance. One step towards me and I scream, so don’t get twitchy.”

He started tapping on the screen, and I had to swallow my panic. What the hell is he doing? After a moment there was a vibration in his pocket, and I cursed under my breath as he finally turned my phone off and tossed it at me. “I’m sure you’ve worked out exactly how well things will go if I send that to your mother - or the cops. Now get out of my apartment, or I’ll be the least of your-”

The door swung open behind me. “Kou? Is everything…..?”

My mother’s gaze swept across the room in a heartbeat, going from the crooked table and fallen chairs to Kou’s defensive stance to me – standing between him and the door. …oh. Ohhhhhhhhh FUCK-