They Acted, and Nobody Said a Word

"?!"

Enveloped in shark-like energy Yuki Takeyano suddenly shuddered, feeling a sharp gaze fixed upon her.

She looked up and saw the detective staring at her with a suspicious expression.

Yuki Takeyano panicked slightly, her hand unconsciously pressing her bag. She smiled gently, but the curve of her lips slightly faded as she turned to Kaoru Kusano, a hint of sadness flashing in her eyes. "But speaking of which, after we disbanded, only Yoko is still singing. But what I didn't expect is that Kaoru is the first among us to get married."

That's exactly what I meant!

Kaoru Kusano nodded. "I thought the first person to get married among our group would be the oldest, Hui-nee."

"Forget about me, I'm just someone I admire. It's hard to say where I am right now."

Terumi Hoshino lit a cigarette, exhaled a thick cloud of smoke, and said with a touch of melancholy, "Rather than stepping into the grave of love in marriage too early, I quite like experiencing the feeling of unrequited love. At least the beautiful dream won't shatter one day."

Kaoru Kusano was taken aback at first, then frowned as she recovered. "Wait, what do you mean by that...?"

"Um, Detective Saburou is about to start, are you guys still going to watch?"

At this moment, a man wearing an apron, a coral-shaped hairstyle, and slightly round-framed glasses walked out from the living room next door, interrupting the conversation and looking at everyone.

"I'm not watching anymore!"

Kaoru Kusano turned her head, seemingly still Terumi Hoshino, her tone carrying a hint of tsundere. "I'm going to take a shower first, call me after the broadcast!"

"But by the time it gets cold, it will be gone."

The man hesitated slightly. "It's rare for everyone to get together again, let's have a good chat..."

"I said I won't watch it, and I mean it!"

Kaoru Kusano raised her voice several octaves. "What right does an eliminated guy have to lecture me!"

As she spoke, she glanced back at the other person.

"Sorry!"

The man averted his gaze, avoiding direct eye contact with the other person.

"So long-winded."

Kaoru Kusano sighed, a hint of disappointment flashing in her eyes, before turning and leaving without looking back.

Fujino watched the other person leave silently, feeling Sunflower Seeds... This buff had been fully charged.

"As expected, she's still the same person."

Yuki Takeyano watched her departing figure and teased, "Every time I have to watch a TV series or movie that I've acted in, I feel so embarrassed that I have to run away from the scene."

"But in that case, the plan can be considered to have proceeded smoothly."

Although Yoko Okino sensed that the atmosphere was a bit awkward, she still spoke meaningfully.

"Wait a moment..."

Terumi Hoshino glanced at Yoko Okino and hesitated before asking, "You're not serious, are you?"

Of course!

Yoko Okino nodded. "That's why I specifically asked you to come over too!"

"So, your plan... never mind."

Terumi Hoshino paused for a moment, bit her cigarette butt, her expression somewhat complicated. After some hesitation, she finally walked towards the living room and said, "Then I'll go to the living room first."

"In that case, Yoko, why don't you go to the bathroom and change your clothes first?"

Yuki Takeyano turned around and led everyone to the living room. "We'll go later, since we haven't prepared for the queue yet."

"Go quickly!"

Yoko Okino smiled and responded, then rummaged through her bag and went into the bathroom next door.

After everyone left, Fujino stood there, lost in thought.

Upon hearing Yoko Okino utter the word "plan," a thought immediately formed in my mind.

The plan, in other words, hides some conspiracy behind it. It's definitely not just a plan to change clothes; there's something else going on...

After thinking for a moment, Fujino suddenly came to a conclusion, and his eyebrow twitched involuntarily.

The case is solved! The Moriguchis were just putting on an act!

While Fujino was pondering, Yoko Okino had already changed into another set of clothes and came out of the bathroom.

White wrist gloves and white boots, with two star-shaped antennae attached to her head, a pink transparent haori and skirt, and underneath, a black tracksuit of varying lengths that resembled a tight fit.

"..."

Fujino glanced at Yoko Okino's alien-like, late-stage chuunibyou (middle school syndrome) outfit, paused for a moment, but didn't say anything more. He then asked, "So, what exactly is your plan?"

"The songs we sang when we first debuted were about love."

Yoko Okino explained, glancing down at her clothes and her hands clasped together, her face flushed. "So the three of us plan to sing their debut song to bless them after she finishes her shower, wearing the clothes we wore when we debuted."

Although I didn't feel particularly embarrassed at first, thinking about it now, I suddenly feel really ashamed.

"Not this one."

Fujino said in a deep voice, "I meant another plan."

Yoko Okino exclaimed in surprise, "You noticed?"

Isn't it obvious?

Fujino crossed his arms. "Although I don't know the specific details, I can see the general idea."

"I knew I couldn't hide it from you..."

Yoko Okino sighed, "This engagement party was fake. The real purpose was to make Kaoru's manager, Mr. Atsushi Makuma, face up to his feelings. Although they both like each other, Makuma doesn't seem to be planning to confess. Kaoru is also too embarrassed to say it herself, so Kaoru asked us to stage a scam."

Fujino: "..."

He said he felt something was off, so he used the engagement as an excuse to put on an act and see how the person he liked would react, right?

It has the feel of a melodramatic soap opera about friendship and ethics; I can practically smell the savagery through the screen!

You're playing with fire!

Keep acting, keep acting, and if the performance falls apart, don't say a word.

Fujino saw right through Mika's reckless behavior, but he still cast a resentful glance at Yoko, the middleman who knew the truth but didn't tell him, as if to say: You didn't tell me beforehand.

The middleman realized that Fujino had seen through the truth, so she tapped her head, stuck out her tongue, and pretended to be confused. "Oh dear... I forgot!"

Fujino: "..."

Can we not change the subject?

You're over twenty, stop acting cute, okay?

This is a one-time exception!

Fujino was speechless for a moment, then pressed on, "So, who are the actors in this play?"

"There's me, Kaoru, Mr. Kenzaki, and Terumi-nee."

Yoko Okino her hands together and pleaded with Fujino, "But please keep this a secret until it's over!"

Fujino: "..."

I don't know if it's a secret or not, but if the show continues, someone will get caught.

So why not tell that Yuki Takeyano?

In a place as beautiful and prosperous as Gemihua, you actually dare to pull this kind of stunt.

I wonder how many murders have been caused by misunderstandings?

Fujino thought about it for a moment, then turned around and agreed.

He couldn't control what these people were doing, but since he was there and the situation was clear, no one could die.

After all, we just accepted the commission and haven't even received the money to buy his life yet. If he gets killed, we're doomed.

He didn't want to become the second Grim Reaper.