There was once a question: when Giant G bullies Nobita, you can choose to help Nobita, help Giant G, or do nothing. Which action does not make you a perpetrator? The only answer is: help Nobita. Being a bystander makes you a perpetrator.
Later, there was another question: when Nobita fights back against Giant G, you can similarly choose to help Nobita, help Giant G, or do nothing. Which action does not make you a perpetrator? There are two answers: help Nobita or be a bystander. Because it is a "counterattack" by the victim against the bully. Being a bystander is the same stance, yet in a different event, the identity undergoes an earth-shattering change.
Then there is one question left. When Nobita prepares to kill Giant G, what is the identity of the bystander? The answer is also very simple. An accomplice. Because this isn't a bullying problem; it's a problem of a human killing a human. The nature of murder is much simpler than bullying.
...
While waiting for Chiaki to open the door after knocking, Lin imagined what her expression would be. Micro-expression analysis is widely used in interrogations; while it can't be used as decisive evidence, it can provide a direction for a breakthrough. Was he expecting Chiaki to show even a tiny bit of panic? If so, would he be able to use her as a clue to catch the true culprit?
Unfortunately—or fortunately—the moment her dull expression appeared behind the door, all of Lin sordid calculations fell through. She was abnormal, just not the kind of abnormal he expected.
"Someone died."
"Oh."
Their dialogue was as dull as drinking plain water. Lin asked Chiaki some questions peacefully, and Chiaki answered with a face where the skin and flesh felt separated. She had only exchanged two sentences with Erwin last night. Erwin asked if she knew where Lin was, and they didn't meet again after she said no.
This matched what Elysia said. Erwin wanted to see him; one of the two people Elysia mentioned last night who wanted to see him was Erwin. Perhaps Chiaki's abnormality was unrelated to Erwin's death, but Lin didn't want to miss any detail now. Facing Chiaki's numb expression, he sat upright and asked: "What happened to you today?"
"..." A silence so long it was suffocating. If a singer's high note can be as long as ten breaths, even ten top-tier high notes couldn't fill this blank space now.
Using silence to respond to an investigator's questioning is impossible. Chiaki had realized this too. She had integrated into Fire Moth quickly; even a newcomer understood that members of Fire Moth have no right to remain "silent." If necessary, Fire Moth would use truth serum, though almost no one actually did so; it was impossible to drag everyone into an interrogation room for an injection.
Of course, there are exceptions to every rule. Lin glanced at Chiaki's covered right arm. She had originally been wearing a short-sleeved jacket, but now she had changed into a long-sleeved shirt. This morning, he hadn't seen her right hand either; she had hidden it in a blind spot where he couldn't see. Likely because there were needle marks on it.
Preemptive suspicion is foolish, even for the elite of Headquarters.
"You were injected with truth serum?"
"...Asking the obvious."
So that's why she looked like this this morning and now? Lin wasn't familiar with Fire Moth's interrogation methods. There were no scars on Chiaki, but there must be many cracks in her spirit. Since Chiaki was still here and not executed or sent to the Deep End, it meant the interrogation result was that she had no issues.
"They are a bunch of lunatics." Chiaki's gaze was as cold as an icicle. "You are just like them. No different."
Two different incidents occurred on the same day, and Chiaki was involved in both simultaneously, resulting in her being treated in a way that didn't feel like a newcomer at all.
"I still have to check Prometheus system. If there's nothing else, just go." Chiaki stared at him coldly, like an enemy.
...
The investigation hit a bottleneck. Almost everyone who should be questioned had been questioned, yet there was still no progress. Except for one person—the other of the two people Elysia said wanted to see him.
To be honest, Lin was inevitably surprised to see Pardo's name, but he soon understood. She likely joined Fire Moth by following the person he arranged to regularly deliver supplies to her, right? However, when Lin went to find Pardo, he discovered something else.
Pardo was missing.
Lin investigated the surveillance and found that Pardo hadn't come out since entering her room last night. Afterward, the surveillance of the entire Headquarters was interfered with—specifically during the time when the archive theft and Erwin's murder occurred. The surveillance equipment malfunctioned for a full five hours.
At this moment, there was likely a second victim. Pardo left no trace, as if she had evaporated from Headquarters. Even with Lin monitoring the entire Headquarters in real time now, he couldn't find her.
Lin suddenly felt as if he were in a mist. Everything around him was unknown. Something was happening very close to him, yet he couldn't see it. He could hear some minor sounds, but he couldn't see the full picture of the events.
He had missed his "chance."
If he had agreed last night when Elysia suggested Erwin and Pardo meet him, would Erwin not have died? Would Pardo not be missing? Would Lin have found some clues? If he had chased after Chiaki this morning and asked her what exactly happened, would he have been able to sense something abnormal?
Mistakes had occurred, irreversible ones. When exactly did it start? The moment he refused Elysia? The moment he left the archives? No... it should be...
"Lin, do you need to rest for a bit?" Prometheus voice was close at hand. Lin shook his head silently, then quickly nodded. He couldn't judge if he was tired, but he had been running around all day; logically, he should be tired.
Sit down and organize my thoughts.
Lin returned to his room and listed all the information on the panel inside his helmet. Elysia, Chiaki, Erwin, Pardo... Too little. All of it was meaningless. So, had he missed something?
"..." A flash of inspiration hit Lin.
Vil-V. Last night, while performing her magic, Vil-V had also seen Lin entire itinerary, meaning she had actually been paying attention to the entire ball. Moreover, Vil-V specifically asked him to investigate this matter today. Does she know something?
Lin didn't overthink it, nor did he consider if his body had received sufficient rest. He got up and went to the Spiral Workshop. However, he soon realized he had been too naive.
Vil-V was also missing.