Interrogation

“Let’s start with you.”

Investigator Haruko began the interrogation. As I was the prime suspect in the crime, I was the first one to be interrogated. My heart felt under immense pressure. The pressure turned into fear as it washed over my body from his fierce gaze.

“Let’s start with an easy question. Are you Takumi Hitaro?”

“Yes.”

The investigator observed the piece of paper for a while, waiting for any subtle change. However, the line remained still.

“Alright, next question. Are you claiming to be Mr. Satori Zanta?”

I didn’t know how to respond to that. I wanted to tell the truth, but I imagined that doing so would confuse him even more. Then again, his lie detector looked sketchy. I wanted to test if his lie detector worked. So, I replied with a “Yes”, lying right under my breath.

…No subtle movement on the paper yet. I was surprised it failed to detect my lie. So far, so good.

“So, are you saying you’re claiming to be both Mr. Takumi and Mr. Satori?”

“…Yes.”

The line remained still.

“If you really are Mr. Satori, then how are you alive?”

“What do you mean? I never died.” I replied without a second thought.

Alive? I don’t think I ever died. I definitely felt alive… some days sore, but still kicking. I later realized he was referring to Mr. Satori. I accidentally answered as Takumi instead of Mr. Satori. I knew I was in trouble… or so I thought.

Haruko cautiously examined the paper. “Mhmm… Interesting. It appears there’s something wrong with the paper. Alright, let’s try this with someone else.” He ignored my presence and locked eyes with Amada. “Ms. Amada, how do you know Takumi?”

“I don’t know him.”

We observed the paper again. It spiked up, like a heart pulsing faster on a monitor. Investigator Haruko immediately made the call and splashed Amada with water.

Investigator Haruko reiterated, “Takumi claimed you were his accomplice. He said, and I quote, she’s the culprit! So, I’ll ask again, are you his accomplice?”

“We know each other. But we haven’t committed anything.”

Splash.

“Hey, I wasn’t lying!” Amada clarified, tightening her jaw as her eyebrows creased.

Despite her claim, the paper indicated she was lying. Amada was hit with another splash of water.

“We need you to cooperate.” Haruko calmly explained as she coughed up water. Amada clenched her fist, desperately trying to keep her calm.

“Why are you splashing us with water? We have been awake this whole time!” I curiously asked.

“Water is the best way to hydrate someone.” He responded, sipping from his glass of water. “And it’s also the perfect way of punishing someone, don’t you think?”

Great, another weirdo in this world.

“It’s torture! Throwing cold water at us. I'm freezing-” Before I could finish my sentence, Haruko sensed my bickering and called the officer to splash me again.

While Amada recovered, Haruko turned his attention back to me with more questions. I assumed he wanted to go back and forth with us.

“Takumi. Your T-shirt has a picture of the fourth captain of the demon king’s army, Astra. Witnesses say you are a huge fan of hers. Are you in cahoots with her to destroy this city?”

“No!”

“Then, are you a fan of her work?”

“No!”

The scribble finally spiked up, revealing my lie. Haruko put up two fingers and shot them at me, signaling the water. Splash.

But I wasn’t lying! I’m not a fan of Captain Astra. I did love her original version, Astra from the Cutesy Twins.

Then, Haruko switched back to Amada, who lowered her head in defeat while soaked in water.

“Ms. Amada. Many years ago, after defeating the demon king, Satavio, Satori Zanta died from a terrible disease that ended his life at a young age. Only a few knew the truth. The public was told Mr. Satori vanished during a journey and never returned.”

Woah. That was the first time I heard about it. I recalled everyone seeing me. After recognizing me, they had no sadness in their faces. They did not react to seeing someone returning from the dead. They had expressions of reuniting with someone.

Investigator Haruko ended his explanation with a question. “I am curious about how he’s alive, but I assume Mr. Satori lost some of his memory. So, my question for you is, did you bring him back?”

“No, I did not bring him back,” responded Amada.

The lie detector spiked up once again. After the officer splashed water on Amada, Haruko followed up with another question.

“The detector showed you lied on that one. Using forbidden spells to resurrect someone is illegal, Ms. Amada. Did you plot on reviving Satori Zanta?”

Amada hesitated for a moment. I noticed her vibe shifting. Nervous sweat glands dripped from her face. She was guilty of trying to resurrect Mr. Satori. I only brought her along with me because she brought me into this world. I had no idea she was committing an actual crime!

Investigator Haruko noticed her stalling and poured water on her. “Answer the question, Ms. Amada. Did you resurrect the hero, Satori Zanta?”

My body drowned in guilt as I looked at her. She glanced at me for a split second. Her eyes exposed the deep regret she felt. She had to know it was illegal, but chose to do it anyway. Would she really do something so stupid to be on a team? Talk about depressing.

She slowly opened her mouth. Before she spurted out anything, I decided to speak up for her. “Ms. Amada did not revive me. But she did bring me here.”

I blurted out, “And since I’m here, I plan on taking down the demon king, Satavio, once and for all.”

Everyone in the room looked at the piece of paper, awaiting its response. I panicked and needed to say something. Obviously, I can’t defeat Satavio now, but that’s the reason why Amada brought me here.

After a minute had passed, there was no change on the paper. It detected that I told the truth.

“I see…” Haruko could not comprehend anything I said. Though he had his doubts, he had no choice but to believe his magic. As there was no subtle change, Haruko deactivated his spell. “Looks like time is up. I’m low on magic at the moment, so the interrogation is officially over.”

As Haruko packed his belongings on the table, Amada and I both let out a massive sigh of relief. We were glad it was over quickly. I thought it would have been worse.

“You’re welcome, by the way,” I noted to Amada.

“…T-Thanks,” Amada replied softly. Her soft-spoken, nervous voice creeped me out. So, I immediately asked the officer to splash some water on Amada. The officer obliged and tossed water at her.

The woman officer probably developed a habit of splashing water at people, often almost as if it were a natural tic.

Amada's skin turned red, reverting to her usual self.

The officer left the room to finish up some paperwork. We were still tied up and shouting for anyone to untie us. “Don’t forget about us!”

Soon after filing the vast amount of paperwork, they returned and untied us. We were escorted outside the station.

What felt like an eternity was only an hour trapped inside the station.

“Alright, you’re free to go. I still have questions that need answers. But… for the time being…” he looked in my direction. “Mr. Satori, or Takumi if you want, welcome back, sir.” He bowed his head towards me, showing me respect. The sudden change in his behavior creeped me out.

I waved my hands excessively, clarifying, “You don’t have to do that. It’s alright.”

Amada and I bowed our heads, showing our thanks for letting us out earlier than we planned. The officers appreciated our gestures and sent us off.

What a great way to start a day… arrested in a police station! Just my luck! …Hopefully, something good will happen to us soon.

…