The tension in the room was high a heavy, silent pressure. No hands were raised and no voices were shouted, yet the unspoken words carried immense weight inside everyone's minds.
As soon as Ren answered the principal's question, the angry woman glanced at Principal Daigo as if telling him his role is over. Principal Daigo paused for a second before giving a small nod.
Satisfied, the woman looked away from the principal and landed her gaze straight on Ren. The disgust in her eyes was unmistakable, and though she forced herself to contain it, she was failing miserably.
"My name is Eiko. I'm a detective from the XPD, and this is my partner, Akihiko."
"Ugh... ahem. Nice to meet you, Ren," Akihiko mumbled.
Eiko introduced herself and her partner in a sharp, professional tone, but her partner failed miserably to hide his annoyance. His careless delivery earned him an irritated glare from Eiko.
Skipping past giving Ren a chance to greet them, Eiko jumped straight into action, continuing her statement without pause.
"Ren, we are here investigating a fraud case and a serious blackmail-related crime. We need your full cooperation so we can uncover the truth. And trust me no one is smart enough to win against the justice system."
'Wow, straight to the point. No sugarcoating it, telling me there's no point in hiding anything. It's obvious she's already decided I'm guilty which is technically correct, though wrong on a few key points.'
Ren adjusted his posture, adopting a worried, serious expression. He acted shocked by the presence of the police, but kept it subtle since Principal Daigo had already warned him this was a serious matter, overreacting would look fake. He stayed silent, letting her continue and officially begin the interrogation.
"Ren, I'll ask you a series of questions, and I want you to answer them as clearly and truthfully as you can. If there's something you don't know or don't remember, say so. Don't guess, and don't feel like you need to tell us what you think we want to hear."
Eiko leaned back slightly, though her sharp gaze never left him.
"Our job is to establish the facts, not to decide who's guilty before we've heard the evidence."
Internally, Ren wanted to laugh at the contradiction between her words and the hostile thoughts he had just read in her head.
"Principal Daigo is present because this matter also concerns the school. We'll proceed with the questions relevant to our investigation."
Eiko leaned forward, pulled a notebook and pen from her jacket pocket, and wrote something down. Akihiko lazily did the same.
'Here it comes.' Ren was only half listening to Eiko's speech, as his mind had been entirely focused on preparing for the questions he was about to face and figuring out how to escape with minimal losses.
'Bring it on.'
Though his internal dialogue was defiant, what he spoke aloud was entirely different "Yes, I understand."
And so it began.
"Ren, were you aware that money allocated to the school's student council events has gone missing?"
"No."
Just that—nothing more, nothing less. This was how Ren intended to answer. His plan was to build the impression that he was a straightforward person by being honest about non-sensitive matters while completely lying about what they couldn't prove.
"Oh? So you're saying this is your first time hearing about it?"
"Yes."
Eiko made a note in her pad, and at the same time, the bored Akihiko leaned forward, flashing Ren a brief smile before speaking.
"Hey, Ren, I heard that you're good friends with a group of students from the student council, right?"
'At last, he decided to speak.'
"Yes," Ren answered shortly again, causing Eiko's eyes to narrow slightly as she glanced at him.
"I see. So did any of them discuss the missing funds with you before yesterday? For example, Takeshi—you're good friends with him, right? I believe he's the treasurer. Did he tell you anything?"
'Ah, I see where you're going with this.' Ren caught onto Akihiko's approach. It was clear they wouldn't accept brief answers and wanted him to elaborate.
'So that's why they switched positions. Seems like my original plan won't work.' If Ren kept giving short yes-or-no answers, things might get even more complicated.
'Time to change plans.'
"No. Takeshi and I are friends, but he never talks about his work on the student council. But... Officer, can I ask a question?"
Akihiko looked up from the note he was writing and glanced at Eiko, tacitly asking if she wanted to take back the lead. When she remained silent, he turned to Ren.
"What is it, Ren?"
"Why do you keep asking about the money? The principal asked me, and Miss Eiko did too. It seems like you believe I have some connection to it."
Akihiko didn't say a word. He looked at Eiko again, this time with a sharper, expectant expression. But Eiko didn't intervene. Annoyed, Akihiko looked down at the table, exhaled, and shot her a frustrated look.
"All right, Ren. Let's stop going around in circles."
Akihiko set his pen down and leaned back in his chair.
"We received a complaint yesterday concerning the missing student council funds. According to the person who came forward, you used your knowledge of the incident to pressure them into doing something against their will."
Ren's expression stiffened.
"Pressure them into doing what?" he asked, keeping his voice steady.
Akihiko glanced at Eiko before answering.
"That's what we're here to establish."
Eiko's expression hardened slightly.
"Ren, the person who made the complaint was Aoi. She has accused you of blackmail."
'Wow. Just like that no more games.'
Eiko looked at Akihiko with wide eyes, completely shocked for a split second, before quickly recovering her professional composure. She turned to Ren and spoke up.
"Ahem... yes, Ren. You've been accused of these crimes by Aoi, the person you allegedly blackmailed. So we need you to answer our questions regarding that topic."
"What?! That's insane! I didn't do any of that! What... what kind of nonsensical story are you talking about? Blackmail? Stealing money? Why... how could I even do that? I'm not even part of the student council! Even if they're my friends... and blackmailing Aoi? That's insane!"
Ren's outburst was deliberate messy and agitated, but carrying a clear official denial of the core accusation. He avoided sensitive details like whether he stayed late at school or met with Aoi, focusing entirely on rejecting the blackmail claim.
"Calm down, Ren. It's not like anything is confirmed yet; these are just allegations. That's why we need your cooperation, and that's why we're here today."
'Hah... maybe you, but not her.'
"Sorry, I didn't mean to lash out like that. It's just crazy..."
"It's okay. So, will you cooperate with us, Ren?"
"Yes, of course. I'll do whatever I can."
Eiko watched the exchange, while Principal Daigo and Vice Principal Daichi observed in silence as the tension in the room spiked higher.