"...Do you really find it that easy to suspect your friend?"
"If a relationship could grant immunity from suspicion, the truth would never be unearthed."
As Lin and Chiaki went back and forth, Chiaki seemed unable to grasp his logic. He looked so cold, yet often gave warmth; he clearly valued others, yet could easily suspect his friend.
This guy is lying.
Chiaki was certain of it. Because Lin was bad at lying, his words and actions seemed laughable to her.
"I'm sorry."
Lin apology confused Chiaki further. She squinted in confusion: "Why are you apologizing?"
"This is dangerous. If Kevin is the killer, the probability of him attacking you is very high. That's why I'm asking you to test him," Lin said calmly. "If you're unwilling, forget it."
"You already sound like you've branded him the culprit. Why? Does he have a motive? Or does his girlfriend have a motive?"
"...I don't know."
"You—" Chiaki almost laughed in frustration. "Even the most third-rate detective novel would explain the killer's motive, Student Lin."
"But I... cannot ignore the possibility."
"..."
Lin stood there, but Chiaki suddenly felt he was very far away.
So far that it felt like he was standing in another world.
"I don't know what reason Kevin and MEI would have to commit a massacre. Maybe it's consciousness pollution, or maybe a reason even more incomprehensible. But I cannot ignore the possibility just because 'he is my friend'..."
He's struggling.
Chiaki suddenly understood.
He was hesitating. He wanted to believe Kevin wasn't the killer; he was even trying to find a reason for Kevin.
Because he didn't know the motive, Lin was lost.
Vil-V told him to suspect everyone, and he had done so, but for him, suspecting people he should trust was terrifying.
He was unsure if his methods were correct. Would he make a mistake? Would he... lose something else?
"..."
How annoying.
Chiaki genuinely hated this side of Lin.
She saw shadows of herself in him—the ideal self she had always played, the one she had painted in her past.
A "correct" person.
Why did such a person exist, and why... did she have to meet him?
"Then just be a villain."
Chiaki's voice turned cold, interrupting Lin fragmented murmurs in a domineering, unreasonable way.
The air seemed to solidify.
The floor beneath them felt transparent; the world went "quiet."
The lights, like stars flickering in the night sky, were not bright, merely hanging anxiously in the heavens, causing a restless unease.
Lin helmet was lifted by a pair of hands. He was forced to look up and lock eyes with the girl. This girl, who called herself "Chiaki" and a "hacker," had lost all the panic she showed when Lin was wounded. The mental instability in his memories seemed like a joke compared to the cold, sharp aura she emitted now.
"Since you can't find a reason to suspect your friend, then just play the villain. You don't need a psychological burden. Just decide that you're 'bad' to begin with, so it's natural to suspect everything around you."
Chiaki folded her arms, looking like a delinquent. She spoke the "truth" to Lin with a sneer.
"As long as you believe you're a villain, you won't hesitate. Villains do anything. You won't have to force yourself to be a 'good person' while suffering like this."
"I... suspect..."
"Because you're a villain."
"We're investigating privately..."
"Because you're a villain."
"I'm putting you in danger."
"Because you're a villain."
Chiaki burst out laughing, a beautiful, sunset-like smile appearing on her face. "See? As long as you treat yourself as a villain, everything becomes logical."
At this moment, it was as if she had peeled off her mask, becoming a complete stranger.
"I'm a villain. I hack into the networks of various countries, turn the internet upside down, and don't care at all about human lives. I've played you like a fiddle; until just now, not even three sentences I've said to you were true," Chiaki made a finger-gun gesture at Lin, her lips curling into a subtle arc. "How about it? Interested in playing the villain with me?"
...
Lin considered how Chiaki should approach Kevin without looking intentional, but he seemed to have underestimated her acting skills.
She could play a cold hacker or a frail girl. Playing a specific persona wasn't hard for her at all.
"Hello, do you have a moment?" When she walked up to Kevin with a solemn expression, Lin couldn't tell if she was acting.
Even someone like him, who lacked emotional fluctuation, couldn't sense anything wrong with her.
"...What is it?" Kevin, having finished his investigation and heading to the R&D department, scanned her coldly.
From Kevin's perspective, Chiaki was just a hacker Lin had caught. MEI simply happened to need that kind of talent; there was no need to pay her much attention.
"Lin is hurt."
Squatting nearby, Lin monitored Kevin's every move through a device on Chiaki. Upon hearing those words, Kevin clearly frowned, though the expression vanished quickly.
No obvious abnormality. If this was acting, Kevin's skills were on par with Chiaki's.
Kevin should have asked: "What happened?"
"He and I investigated the monitoring hub privately. We were attacked."
"You two? Investigated privately?" This time, Kevin didn't hide his stern gaze. Chiaki seemed intimidated by the pressure, shrinking back slightly. "Unauthorized investigations are forbidden. Don't you know that? No, Lin must know. So, did you instigate him?"
"N-No! I was the one forced to help!"
Her voice was full of helplessness and complaint, as if she were truly dissatisfied with being coerced by Lin.
"...Sigh... Fine. Do you have any intelligence?"
If Kevin were the killer, then this question was a very obvious probe.
Lin prepared himself to charge out.
"Not yet."
"..."
Chiaki's answer was met with silence from Kevin. But soon, she threw out the bait.
"But that's just because I haven't found anything yet. Lin has already confirmed who the killer is. He's searching for evidence now. He said he won't reveal the name until he has the proof."
...
It was over.
Chiaki returned safely.
Lin met her grinning gaze.
"He didn't seem to care about your injury at all, did he?"