“It’s a technique used in a sleight of hand trick. It means ‘to shift the focus of the audience.’ By getting the audience’s attention with an exaggerated gesture or something, you conceal from them the most important part of the trick…But I think it’s not just for sleight of hand tricks, don’t you think? It happens all the time in reality. People miss the most important thing because there’s something flashy right in front of them.”
✦ ✦ ✦
I shared the conversation Reina and I had in the evening light of the high school classroom.
“What was the flashy thing that served as a misdirection in this case? The gruesome corpse without a face and foot? The father getting involved with his daughter and being accused of her murder? Reina’s insane suicide? There were too many for me to pick just one.” My hands were damp with sweat. “But I did figure out what she was hiding.”
The one thing I’d uncovered was what Miss Direction herself was hiding.
“It’s just one simple fact,” I said. “Reina Myoko is still alive.”
The woman was silenced.
Assuming my crazy theory was correct, I had thought this would throw off even “Otoha.” Unless she was so good at lying she was able to maintain her cool facade.
However, she didn’t react in either way I had expected. She stared at me, her girlish eyes flashing, playfully waiting for what I was going to say next.
So this was how she behaved in this kind of situation.
It was frightening.
I desperately tried to conceal my emotions and continued.
“The Bumblebees were her devotees, and even after they graduated she held sway over them. Reina had an idea. She suggested that they all become Reina Myoko. Otoha Tamachi, Miyuki Yata, Sena Hagawa, Asami Ino, and Ryoko Omura all disappeared themselves and lived their lives entirely as Reina Myoko. They overwrote their personalities, mannerisms, and even values with those of Reina so they could become her. It’s already clear from what Shota told us that they would be able to do this. They probably had cosmetic surgery and body reconstruction so people wouldn’t recognize them in close proximity. I think they even produced paperwork so they could go to the dentist as Reina.
“Reina and the Bumblebees then set about on her plan for revenge—revenge against Koichiro who had targeted her with his desire. Reina and the Bumblebees divided up the responsibilities and took them on. We were only able to investigate you and the woman who was the corpse, but the others must’ve contributed as well. I’m sure there were many men you all seduced in addition to Ken and Shota who just didn’t come up during the investigation. However, based on what I can tell from the situation so far, you operated behind the scenes with Shota at the casinos and in the secret club. The woman responsible for Ken and Koichiro might’ve been the one who lived in the apartment and ended up playing the corpse.”
The woman looked straight at me.
“But this is where I get stuck. It’s hard to imagine Reina would go to such lengths just to take revenge on Koichiro. If Reina was only after revenge, she was clever enough to pull it off on her own without the Bumblebees.”
“I wonder,” the woman said, like she was talking about someone else. “If so, then why do you think Reina did all this?”
“Here’s what I think,” I said, and told her what I’d told Dr. Higano. “It was just her nature. It was just like her to resort to indecent choices to create a misdirection.”
“Her nature…” She opened her eyes wide and repeated the word, as though surprised by it. “That makes sense, her nature. Ha, what an interesting expression.”
I raised an eyebrow, not sure why she seemed so happy.
“Hey, maybe you know this already, but Reina had a real name.”
“A…real name?” I dug through my memories before replying. “The name her biological parents gave her before she was adopted by Koichiro?”
“Yes. So you did know. That was the real Reina’s true name.”
I tilted my head. Could you really call the name given to her on a whim by parents who gave her up her true name?
“But no one will ever know the name she was given previously. No one at the hospital or the adoption agency remembers it. Even her biological parents, who abandoned her and gave her that name so carelessly, don’t remember it.”
Reina must’ve tracked down her actual parents and met them.
“When you think about that,” the woman said and smiled, “Doesn’t it start to feel like Reina never even existed?”
I was silent, unsure of what she meant.
“Reina had to try and become herself ever since the moment she was born and her name was given up. She had to play the role of a character called Reina Myoko. Given this, the word ‘nature’ may be incredibly appropriate. But I’d use a different word.” She looked down. “It was Reina’s ‘fate.’”
I tried to stop my hand from shaking and think calmly.
Earlier the woman had said Reina had almost completed her plan for revenge.
She also said Reina was immortal.
Whether this case was a murder or a suicide, Reina had clearly died when it came to the letter of the law.
No one would ever be called Reina Myoko again.
However, what if—
What if that was exactly what Reina had wanted?
What if what she wanted to accomplish was to destroy that very name?
Then this case had to be—
—a nameless woman’s revenge against Reina Myoko.
✦ ✦ ✦
“I’m about to head out.” The woman stood up and looked down at me. “I’ll tell you what…Your theory was pretty interesting. But unfortunately for you, it’s all just a hysterical delusion.”
She left me with that and turned to go.
“Please wait,” I said. “My theory was a little overbearing. I’m sure I made mistakes. But you’re suspected of a crime. You convinced Shota to kill himself. Before you met with us at the hotel, you met with Shota. That’s where you gave him the energy drink—you opened the lid and put the cyanide in it. I know I’m not just dreaming this up. And I know I’m going to arrest you!”
“I have no idea how you’re going to prove that, but good luck. I have no plans to run or hide.”
I only realized it much later, but this was a lie. She ran, she hid. I wouldn’t ever see her again.
“Are we done here?” she said, with her back still toward me.
“Let me ask one last thing,” I said, working up the mental courage. “Who are you?”
She answered quickly: “I’m Otoha Tamachi. I’m Miyuki Yata. I’m Sena Hagawa. I’m Asami Ino. I’m Ryoko Omura.”
As I was shaking my head, she added, “I’m Reina Myoko.”
I balled up my fists. “Yes!” I yelled. “You’re Reina Myoko!” Tears began to well up in my eyes, but I kept on yelling. “And you’ll never escape that fact, even if you’re legally dead!”
Reina turned around, lowered her gaze, and stared at my clenched right hand.
“Your hand is beautiful,” she whispered and looked me in the eyes. She smiled gently. “It’s strange. I’m still pleased that you called me Reina.”
Then she looked away and didn’t turn back.