Curacao was not afraid of knives or guns. She dared to dodge bullets and could stroll out of an inescapable net with ease... Yet this kind of stage, which seemed to lack much destructive power and only harmed a few specific people at a time, made every hair on her back stand on end, filling her with an indescribable fear.
...It was as though a ghost story that existed only in movies and television had suddenly crossed dimensions and quietly come to life around her.
The others had not thought that much about it. Suzuki Sonoko, for instance, merely remarked, "What a coincidence."
Just then, the villa's front doors swung open, and two people dressed in black suits, as though attending a funeral, walked out.
They were Mrs. Tachibana and Center-Parted Hair Staff, who had rushed over from the law firm to help handle the aftermath.
The two had clearly heard what the female accountant said. Center-Parted Hair Staff frowned solemnly. "I remember you only joined our firm three years ago. How do you know about something that happened five years ago?"
The female accountant chuckled. "Lawyer Tachibana received three Threatening Letters signed 'T.K.,' and he was extremely secretive about that T.K. Of course I got curious and looked into it—so don't accuse me of violating any confidentiality agreement. I didn't hear this from you."
"Besides, speaking of investigations..." The female accountant looked meaningfully at Mrs. Tachibana. "To find out who T.K. was, I first had to learn who Lawyer Tachibana's enemies were. So I also happened to uncover something related to you—wasn't it because of Lawyer Tachibana that your father committed suicide?"
The relaxed expression Mrs. Tachibana had been wearing vanished, replaced by a grave look.
The two high school girls looked from one woman to the other.
Suzuki