I was shocked, but I began to think. If this was the case, then maybe it wasn’t that strange that she was dating Shota while engaged to Ken. Maybe Reina was the type to date anyone.
Dr. Higano listened attentively, his eyes settled on Otoha. He spun his puzzle between his fingers and said, “Let’s assume that Reina dated obsessively. And that she stole your ex. Why would you want to apologize to someone who did something so awful to you?”
“First, let me clarify one thing,” Otoha said. “I don’t think Reina was slutty or obsessive or anything. I just think she never turned down anyone who hit on her.”
“Interesting. She was beautiful, so there was probably no shortage of men who flirted with her. What you’re suggesting, then, is that she wasn’t being led astray by her emotions, correct?”
“Yes. But I still don’t know why she went out with that many guys.”
Dr. Higano nodded slightly. “Yes, why didn’t she reject them?”
“I don’t know,” Otoha said. “I think it might’ve been something Reina just had to do.”
The doctor put a hand to his chin thoughtfully, and nodded. “I see. I think I know why you wanted to apologize. You realized that Reina stealing your boyfriend was something ‘she had to do.’”
Otoha opened her eyes wide. “Impressive…You’re right. I think Reina cheated with him because she had to. In order to help me, she had to take my boyfriend from me.”
I was unable to follow. “What do you mean? How would Reina cheating with your boyfriend help you?”
“If I hadn’t broken up with him, it might have destroyed my life.” Otoha bit her lip and then slowly continued her explanation. “He was worthless. But I’d just graduated from Junseiwa—I was incredibly naive. A guy telling me he liked me was enough to make me giddy. I was convinced that it was fate, that it was love. I was totally blind. The Bumblebees were all so happy, seeing how infatuated I was. But Reina knew he was worthless, and she warned me a number of times I should break up with him. But I was so beside myself and head over heels in love that what she was trying to say never reached me.”
“So basically, Reina couldn’t convince you to break up with him, so she cheated with him to rip him away from you?”
“Yes.”
Dr. Higano began to fiddle with his puzzle again. “Ms. Tamachi,” he said. “Can you tell us what specifically was the issue with this man?”
“He loved to gamble. And he played fast and loose with women. Not to mention that he was always trying to get money for one thing or another once he found out my family was wealthy. If that had been it, he’d have been like any other shitty guy, but there was something…more decisive in his case. Not long after we split up, he was arrested for fraud! He was part of some group that was doing bank transfer scams. If not for Reina, I might’ve been naive enough to be tricked into being part of a crime. When I think about it now…it’s really scary.”
“You didn’t try to get in touch with Reina again after you realized that she might have been acting in your best interests?” Dr. Higano asked.
“I wanted to. But she dropped out of school right after that and everyone deleted her contact information when we cut her out…” Otoha took out her handkerchief again. “But if I really wanted to get in touch with her, I’m sure there were ways. I’m sure if I hired a detective like you, they would’ve been able to track her down easily enough. But I didn’t. I guess in the end I felt so bad, I just left things as they were. And it took—all this—to force me to get serious, but now it’s too late. It’s too late for me to apologize to Reina. No matter how many regrets I have, it doesn’t change the fact that she…she’s…”
Otoha began to cry, so I rubbed her back. Unlike me, she’d been close to Reina all through high school. She must have been suffering much more than I was.
“I’m not going to let the killer get away,” I said. “That’s the least I can do.”
“Thank you,” she said faintly.
My determination redoubled, I turned to look at Dr. Higano. “Doctor, should we look into this guy? What do you think? He’ll have a previous case file, and we’ll be able to investigate as soon as we know his name.”
“Interesting. I think it would likely be in the best interest to look into him…”
However, his response was a little passive. He let his gaze fall to the puzzle in his hands.
I was a little put off, but he hadn’t outright rejected my suggestion.
“Otoha.” I turned to her. “Could you tell us what you know about this man? Even just his name?”
She thought for a moment. “His name was…Shota Akiyama. Yeah, that’s it.”
I was floored.
What the hell was going on?
Reina hadn’t ever ended things with Shota, even now. So had she really cheated with him just to help Otoha? Or did she just like him enough to take him from her?
No, Otoha said that Reina dated men because she “had to.” It didn’t make sense that Reina would feel the need to date someone who was committing fraud.
Or perhaps it was the other way around?
What if Reina kept dating him precisely because she found the fact that he was a criminal appealing?
And the results were clearly visible: both Reina and Shota had amassed more than 100 million yen.
“Dr. Higano,” I huffed. “What the hell…”
I could sense we’d be closer to the truth if we got to the heart of this!
“Just a moment, Yuri,” Dr. Higano said. “I don’t have my thoughts together. There’s still something I have to ask Tamachi-san here.”
He had taken his eyes off the puzzle and turned his gaze to Otoha, who was sitting on the couch.
“Ask me? And what would that be?” She tilted her head endearingly.
“Just something rather…fundamental,” Dr. Higano said. “Are you actually Otoha Tamachi?”
I had no idea what he was asking.
My heart was pounding and I felt hot. My thinking was completely short-circuited.
I opened my eyes widely and looked at Otoha—no, I looked at the woman who called herself Otoha Tamachi.
“You don’t think I’m…me?” she asked incredulously.