Chapter 181: The Interrogation (Now with Photographic Evidence?)

I stumble home from the arcade bar in a complete daze. My cheek tingles where Izumi kissed me. My brain is replaying every moment of the evening on a loop, searching for clues, analyzing her expressions, trying to reconcile the cool, funny gamer girl with the enigmatic, possibly manipulative Ichigo and the surprisingly vulnerable person I glimpsed tonight. Did she kiss me because she likes me? Or was it just another move in her elaborate game? A way to keep me off balance and confused? My head hurts.

I arrive at my apartment building, bracing myself for the inevitable third degree. I unlock the door slowly, cautiously, like a soldier entering a minefield, praying Rina is asleep.

The living room is dark. Quiet. Too quiet. I flick on the light.

My heart stops.

Rina, Haruka, Aiwa, Miki, Hana, and Kenji are all sitting there. Silently. Waiting. Arranged on the sofa and floor cushions like a tribunal. It is a full-blown intervention. The atmosphere is colder than the ice cave LUNA built at Comicon.

"Uh, hey guys," I say weakly, my voice cracking. "Fancy seeing you all here. Late night… study session? For the history exam I just finished 'studying' for?"

"Cut the crap, Rui," Rina says, her voice dangerously low, holding up her phone. Displayed on the screen is a slightly blurry, zoomed-in photograph. It is unmistakably me. And unmistakably Izumi. Sitting close together at the dimly lit arcade bar, smiling. Izumi is leaning in slightly. It looks… intimate.

My blood runs cold. How did they-? Kenji. It had to be Kenji. He must have followed me. My alibi! He was my alibi! The traitor!

"Kenji was conducting essential reconnaissance," Miki explains calmly, adjusting her glasses, though her eyes look tired. "His alibi for you was so flimsy, it immediately raised suspicion. He reported suspicious 'friendly interaction' levels at Target Location Alpha (the arcade bar). We initiated Phase Two surveillance." (Which apparently involved Rina and Haruka hiding across the street in a cafe with telephoto lenses. Of course it did).

"So," Haruka says coolly, taking the phone from Rina and zooming in further on my face. "Explain this, Rui-kun. Explain your 'history research.' It seems to involve a lot of 'Galaga' and 'flirtatious smiling'."

I am so, so screwed.

"We were just talking!" I insist desperately. "Playing games! Eating takoyaki! It was completely innocent! We are just friends!"

"Innocent?" Rina repeats, her voice trembling slightly. "Does this look innocent?" She snatches the phone back and swipes to another picture. This one captures the moment Izumi leaned in to whisper in my ear. From this angle, it looks far more intimate than it actually was (she was probably just making a joke about my terrible 'Street Fighter' skills).

"And this?" Haruka adds, producing her own phone (of course she has her own photos) and showing a picture of Izumi laughing, her hand resting casually on my arm for a split second. (I do not even remember that happening! She is a ninja!).

"He looks happy," Aiwa whispers sadly, staring at the photos, her earlier confidence from the presentation completely gone, replaced by her default state of heartbreak. "Happier than he looks with… us." Her words are like little, poison-tipped daggers to my already guilt-ridden heart.

"Okay, look!" I say, throwing my hands up in surrender, my panic rising. "Yes, I went to meet Izumi! Yes, we played games and ate takoyaki! Yes, maybe it looked like a date! But it was not! Not really! She is just a friend! A gaming buddy! And maybe she is Ichigo, maybe she is not, I do not know! She is confusing! And she trolls me constantly! But it was NOT romantic!" My voice is rising hysterically.

They all just stare at me, their expressions ranging from Rina's furious disbelief to Haruka's cold skepticism to Aiwa's quiet heartbreak to Kenji's confused betrayal ("But… the bromance? And the takoyaki? You did not bring me any?") to Miki's weary resignation and Hana's tearful sympathy (Hana is always on the verge of tears).

"He is lying," Rina states flatly. "I can smell the takoyaki sauce on him. It smells like betrayal."

"His denial is… unconvincing," Haruka agrees. "And his physiological responses – flushing, elevated heart rate, avoidance of eye contact – all indicate deception."

"Rui-kun…" Aiwa whispers, looking like she is about to cry. "You… you kissed her, did you not?"

My brain short-circuits. How did she-? "No!" I yell. "She kissed me! On the cheek! It was a friendly, good-bye peck! It meant nothing!"

"SHE KISSED YOU?!" Rina, Haruka, and Aiwa all shriek in perfect, terrifying unison.

This is a disaster. My attempt at finding normalcy has just created a category five relationship hurricane. They think I am secretly dating Izumi/Ichigo behind their backs, and now I have just confirmed unauthorized physical affection.

"Fine!" I snap, pushed beyond my absolute limit, my brain finally cracking. "You want the truth?! The whole truth?! Izumi is probably Ichigo! Yes, she dropped major hints! Yes, she is messing with my head! Yes, she might be using me to get information or just for her own amusement! And yes, maybe I had a halfway decent time because it was nice talking to someone who is not constantly analyzing me, or trying to suffocate me with affection, or looking at me like I am her long-lost hero! Is that what you wanted to hear?!"

The words pour out in a torrent of frustration, anger, and pure exhaustion.

Silence. Shocked, stunned silence.

Then, Rina speaks, her voice dangerously, terrifyingly quiet. "So," she says slowly. "You admit it. You like her."

"I did not say that!" I protest. "I just said it was… nice! Different! A change of pace!"

"Nice enough to lie to us?" Haruka presses coolly.

"Nice enough to prioritize her over your team?" Rina adds, her voice trembling slightly.

"Nice enough to forget… your promise?" Aiwa whispers, her eyes glistening.

I am trapped. Utterly, completely trapped. Every word I say makes it worse. My attempt at honesty has somehow confirmed all their worst fears.

"This requires," Miki says, breaking the tense silence, her voice sounding utterly defeated. "A formal reassessment of the Rui Hinamata Co-Management Treaty. And possibly therapy. Lots and lots of therapy. For all of us. Especially Kenji."

Kenji just shakes his head sadly. "The harem route… it is fraught with peril," he mutters wisely. "So much drama."

I just sink onto the nearest floor cushion, burying my face in my hands. My life is officially unsalvageable. I am going to die alone, smothered by cosplay materials, misunderstood intentions, and the ghosts of a thousand awkward conversations.