Chapter 15:

The Villain Interviews A Criminal

My Cute Kohai is Actually My Archnemesis?!


Reyna was equal parts terrified and determined. While she was utterly shaken to be in the middle of a police station where she could easily be caught and arrested, the opportunity to really got some information out of these orphanage-burners was too good to pass up.

Admittedly, Reyna was a little embarrassed to think about how she left them so incapacitated in the first place that she couldn’t ask questions then, but now was her opportunity. She would grill the arsonist with everything she had! In a determined show of energy, Reyna pumped a fist and nodded. Hoshi opened the door and they stepped inside.

The room was well-lit. That was the first thing Reyna noticed. The sole occupant of the room was fidgeting nervously, shackled as she was to the bar on the table. Reyna glanced at the peerless window to the side. She gulped as she realized that, behind that glass, there were three people she knew could barge in and take her down the moment she made a mistake.

Deciding not to dwell on the fact that Samson Chihiro of all people stood behind that glass, the door shut behind them and she followed Hoshi to the table.

The speaker grille on the wall fuzzed with static. “Your ten minutes starts now. If you need more time…” Samson’s voice paused. “Well, you’ll have to file for more time.”

“We only need ten minutes,” Hoshi said confidently. His eyes narrowed, and Reyna could have sworn that she saw something flash in his eyes. “Reyna, you got the questions, right?”

Before they had left the building, Hoshi had given Reyna a list of questions he had come up with. While she had been visibly fuming at him at the time, she was actually surprised that most of his questions were identical to the ones she harboured. The strategy he seemed to like using seemed very effective, too. “Yeah,” affirmed Reyna. She held up the notepad and saw him nod. “Got it right here—”

“Are you reporters?” the woman suddenly asked. They both turned to look at her. The woman flinched. “You’re not with the police, are you?”

“No,” said Reyna quickly. “We’re from the Golden Globe.” They both moved to sit down. As Hoshi pulled the seat out for Reyna, the speaker popped again with Samson’s voice.

“Rina, as we’ve said, these are just reporters. If you cooperate with them, we can work to lessen your sentence.”

Reyna glared at Rina now that she knew her name. Beside her, Hoshi introduced them. “We’re Danger Crew Two. Miss…Rina, was it?” The woman, Rina, nodded hesitantly.

“You’re just going to ask questions?” asked Rina. “You won’t hurt me?”

Reyna smiled a little smugly to herself. Having already dealt her punches (the night before, of course), she confidently said, “No. We can’t and won’t hurt you, Miss Rina, but you can help us.”

“That’s right,” Hoshi said. “We’re the first to ask you questions, right?”

“Y-yes,” Rina confirmed. “But I won’t answer anything!”

Reyna tried to smile harmlessly. “Oh, don’t worry. We just wanted to learn more about you.”

That statement appeared to shock Rina as she blinked in confusion. “Learn… more about me? What—?”

“What is your favourite colour?” Reyna asked, cutting her off.

Rina reeled. “Well, it’s orange. Why—“

“What is your favourite coffee shop?”

“I…what?” Apparently realizing that they were honest about their questions, Rina frowned. “I mean, my favourite coffee shop is the Marsbucks across from the modern art museum.”

Reyna saw her begin to relax and grinned inwardly. “Do you go there a lot?” asked Reyna. “I personally like the one on 6th and 16th.”

“Well, yeah! I mean, no. I’m not like that, but the one on 16th makes it a little too dark for my taste.”

Moving down the list, and already halfway through, Reyna nodded, writing it all down. “Speaking of taste, do you like spicy foods?”

“No,” answered Rina. “Even a little heat is enough to make me start sweating.”

Reyna nodded. She glanced at Hoshi who had remained silent the entire time, and he seemed to notice her gaze. He was also smiling, and he nodded at her. Nodding back, and with all of their hooks in place, Reyna began the final assault.

“If you don’t like the heat, why did you burn that orphanage down yesterday?”

Almost without thinking, Rina answered immediately, saying, “The Moon Ravens were paying well and all I did was hold a gun I didn’t even know how to shoot—“ In an instant, Rina realized what she had just said and clapped her hands over her mouth. Her eyes were wide with terror as her eyes flicked between Hoshi and Reyna, a look of hurt crossing her face.

“Look, Rina,” said Hoshi, finally joining in. “We just want to know a little more. We won’t publish your name, and you can help the police, while people who read this will sympathize with you. From that comment alone, I can tell you didn’t mean to be caught up in something like this.”

Setting her notepad down, Reyna nodded. “We’re only here to learn and help, Rina.” And thank you for giving me a name to hunt, Reyna thought.

Suddenly, Samson’s voice popped again on the speaker. “We can protect you, Rina. We’ve heard of the Moon Ravens. We know you’re scared, but I, Samson Chihiro, chief of Nexus Station, will personally guarantee your safety. You have my word.”

A moment played out between the three in the room, where Rina continued to stare in terror at the table. Then, her shoulders sagged, her hands dropped, and she began to cry. “Please…p-please, protect me and my family…”

Reyna stared at the weeping form of Rina in front of her. She felt like a cold bucket of water had just been poured over her head. Every feeling of satisfaction and enjoyment at her nervousness now turned into disgust at herself, and Reyna stared at the final question on her notepad with a frown.

Resolving to finish what she had started, Reyna pursed her lips. “Miss Rina,” she began, “Please tell us more.”

Kulog
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