"Lavender..." On the other end of the corridor, Natsuki Koshi leaned against the wooden wall behind her, carrying the fishy scent of the sea breeze. Watching Jun'ya Tokitsu's retreating figure, she murmured softly.
Though she had arranged all of this herself, after Akechi Goro's "overcorrection," the cottage no longer resembled what she had seen when scouting it before. Her memories, too, inevitably returned to the day not long ago when she received a call from her friend.
Her friend Kaoru was a girl like her, with weak ties to her family.
In Japan, without family support, it was extremely difficult for a minor to complete their education and live independently. Even finding part-time work was difficult; lacking a birth certificate for various documents, a fixed address, or a landline number were all reasons to be rejected.
Her friend was more delicate by nature, and her circumstances were even harsher. It had taken considerable effort for her just to barely finish high school. Otherwise, at the same age, one would not have entered university while the other worked as a servant in someone else's home.
She had visited Kaoru there before. She heard that the wealthy family Kaoru served had a garden villa on Shikoku Island, and out of curiosity, she had followed Kaoru to observe the place from afar.
—Until half a year ago, when the young mistress of the household died and she accepted Kaoru's request to investigate the truth, she learned that the garden almost drowned in lavender was a cage the wealthy man had prepared for his drug-addicted, mentally ill daughter.
In the pungent scent of lavender, Natsuki Koshi closed her eyes, concealing the pair that had begun to glow gold.
"Hey, Tokitsu!" Startled by the shocking sight before them, the detectives who had snapped back to