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[ His hand on her arm makes her feel so much better, and that she's actually the strong person she wants to be. Although she can't smile, not now, she feels like maybe she can eventually.

She nods. ]

We have to be. We... need to keep going.

[ Kaede pauses now, knowing that in order to do what she says they need to do, she needs to tell him everything. ]

I... I know who killed him.

[That comment definitely alarms him. She already knows the culprit?! That's a good thing, right? That means they can get started on apprehending the killer in some way! There's still a couple of police right? That's connected to Retrospec... so it should be fine!

So, why does he feel almost afraid to ask? He has to push forward though...]

W-who's responsible?!

Promise me you'll listen to everything I have to say first, okay?

[ There's a lot more to everything than meets the eye, at least in Kaede's opinion. If she didn't stay and listen to Mio... Kaede wouldn't know what to do when she eventually found out who killed Leon. ]

Huh...?

[He looks confused, is there more to this murder than he initially thought? It should be as simple as bringing the culprit to justice. But if Kaede is asking this, Ishida is willing to go along with it.]

Okay, I promise!

[ She nods, feeling a sense of relief. It's hard to explain everything but he needs to know the whole story. ]

This morning, I went to go look for Mio because she made a post on Retrospec last night that was kinda worrying. She... told me a lot of things when we met up.

[ Kaede takes a breath, and it's a little shaky. ]

She's sick. The illness she has... it makes her hallucinate and feel paranoid, sometimes to the point of violence. Because of this illness she...

[ She's sure Ishida already knows where this is going, even if he doesn't want to accept it. Kaede had a hard time coming to terms with it herself. ]

She killed Leon.

[For a long time, Ishida doesn't say anything, just stunned and appalled to hear this from Kaede. It's the last thing he was expecting to hear.

Even though he knew what she was about to say, he can't help but flinch when Kaede says 'She killed Leon.' It just feels unreal, especially given how close they are. But despite all that, she still murdered him.

Sure, it's not entirely her fault and Ishida knows that she's sick, inflicted by a disease that makes her feel paranoid, a wave of anger passes through him as he glares at the ground. He almost wants to hate her, for doing something so terrible, but he can't. If he's this upset, he can only imagine how much she's suffering now.

Still, it's hard to just accept any of this.]

...Where is she now.

[ Kaede looks down at the ground while Ishida processes all of that, willing her tears to stop. But, no matter what she does, they just keep coming. Maybe she should stop trying to wipe them away.

She looks up when he finally speaks. ]

...I think she's in custody now. She told me she was going to turn herself in.

[ Kaede can't help but wonder if Ishida will ask her why she didn't turn Mio in herself. She still wonders if maybe forgiving Mio right then was a good idea, but Kaede couldn't find it in her to hate Mio. Not when she knew that Leon would forgive her for everything too. ]

[Well, he can't find fault in this result. She should still face some sort of consequence for what happened-- and at the very least, get help. He hopes that there's some sort of person that can help Mio.

Ishida suddenly frowns, however, as if he just realized something.]

Wait, did you talk to Mio in person?

[He also wonders why she didn't turn Mio in herself, but he's more alarmed by his first thought.]

Edited 2018-07-15 21:59 (UTC)

[ Kaede hesitates just a moment before nodding. ]

Yeah. I know it was dangerous to go see her but... I needed to make sure she was okay.

[ And she doesn't regret it either. ]

I probably should've turned her in too, but I couldn't do that. It didn't feel right.

But you could've gotten hurt!

[That's the only thing he's going to focus on now. His voice is louder than before and a mixture of emotions pass through his face, a combination of anger, concern, and relief.]

What if she hurt you too, Kaede?! [Tears begin to form in his eyes again, but he makes no movement to hide them.] Y-you could've been killed!

[ The concern in his voice has her eyes welling up with tears again. She only thought about how she would feel, not about anyone else. Looking back, it was selfish of her. ]

I know. I just thought that... if something happened, if Mio got hurt or something happened to her... I wouldn't be able to live with that. So I took a risk, even though she told me not to.

I wouldn't be able to live if something happened to you!

[Perhaps he's being melodramatic, maybe even selfish, but all he can think about is Kaede's lifeless body staring at him. Any energy or warmth from her eyes just gone as blood escapes her.

Just like his friend, just like Junko.]

She's the one that killed Leon! You should've stayed away!

[ That leaves Kaede stunned, frozen in place. Is she really that important to him? They've talked about being important to one another before, but hearing it like this is different. It's a momentary shock to her system, and Kaede doesn't know what to say.

She moves forward, taking a few steps until she can wrap her arms around his middle, squeezing tight. ]

I'm sorry. I was only thinking about myself. [ She was so worried that she couldn't sit back and do nothing, but at the same time she failed to really think about anyone else too. How others would have been affected if she got hurt. ]

[He's still upset and angry and he probably will be for a while, but Ishida returns the hug, holding her tightly in return. It's a reminder that she truly is okay, that she isn't injured or dead, but alive in his arms. He doesn't want this to ever disappear and he's willing to do almost anything to make sure that doesn't happen.]

That... that isn't true.

[And even though his emotions haven't died down, he doesn't want Kaede to think she's a bad person for worrying about someone. S-she wasn't only thinking about herself because she was concerned about Mio... it was just dangerous and reckless.]

You always think about others first...

[ She leans her head against his shoulder. She'll probably get his shirt a little wet from her tears, and while that's something Kaede would normally think about, it's one of the last things on her mind now. ]

I was so worried, when I heard that Leon was missing too, and that no one had heard from Mio. [ All that combined with that ominous post made it hard for her to think about anything else. ]

I thought that I could help Mio out all on my own, but I didn't even know what was wrong.

[If he was in her shoes, would he have done the same thing? Maybe... but there's no point thinking about that.]

Just promise me next time that you won't go alone. ...You'll tell me-- or at least someone what you're doing.

[Ishida still doesn't let her go, even as he speaks. But it's clear by the choked up tone in his voice that he's starting to cry again.]

W-We don't have to face things alone.

[ She feels safe in his arms, and she lets her head relax against his shoulder. ]

I promise. I'll tell you. [ And she smiles, hopeful that maybe things can get better from here. ]

You're right. We have each other.

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