Chapter 107: Aftermath of a Tragedy (7)

"Every sub-humans have a spear-shape on their back that gets highlighted when an acid with low concentration is poured upon the back."

"Everyone heard that, right?"

"Start with me, then." Imada pulled out his shirt.

Koshikawa poured a bit of acid into his back.

Nothing happened.

Even though Imada knew that he wasn't a sub-human, he still heaved a sigh of relief.

Koshikawa then turned to Maki who had a normal expression. "Show me your back."

In normal times, Maki would have been embarrassed to show a whole group her back but now, she had no such thoughts. After some hesitation, she said. "See it." Since she was paralyzed, she couldn't really show anything but she could give the "permission".

The acid from the bottle poured into her back as everyone watched the scene intently.

Nothing happened!

Imada let out a laugh. "Who is the suspect now?" 

Koshikawa ignored the taunt and turned to the next person - Asuka.

After some cursing, she ultimately let him see her bareback. 

Nothing happened!

Then, Sakai's turn came.

Nothing happened!

Koyami…

Nothing happened!

Imada was feeling pretty good about the results and smiled. But in the next second, his smile froze.

"A spear mark appeared in Aya's back!" Koyami couldn't help but exclaim. Everyone else's eyes went to Aya's back.

Saying nothing else, Koshikawa slumped down on his chair.

"I-I… I didn't know about this! Imada, you trust me, right?" Aya started crying.

Imada's head went blank for a second.

"Imada, this is not the time to appear hesitant!" Sakai berated him.

"Y-yes, Imada… I know that she's your girlfriend but…" Koyami also couldn't help but persuade him.

Lastly, Maki also had something to say. "Imada, no matter what you do. Be decisive and don't regret it later."

Koshikawa said nothing, he just looked at him amusedly.

A while later, Imada reached his decision. "Aya. No matter how much I trust you, I… have to do what I have to do. Even so, my guts are telling me that something isn't right. Why would Aya shriek and bring the body to her own room? Couldn't she just hide it after killing Oshima?"

"Perhaps, it's a misdirection." Maki made a reasonable guess.

Imada frowned. It's not that he hadn't thought of this but it was too simple. "I don't believe that she is a sub-human."

Hearing his response, Aya cried even more but this time, her tears weren't that of shock and sadness but of joy.

However, the same couldn't be said for the group.

"Imada, this is not the time to think about feelings! Use your head, knucklehead!" Asuka went berserk.

The others similarly looked very disappointed at his decision.

Imada turned to Koshikawa and straightforwardly said. "I don't believe this sh*t." He knew that he wasn't being logical but as someone who thinks he knows Aya very well, he didn't want to believe it.

Unexpectedly, Koshikawa smiled. "I don't believe it either." He got up from the chair.

Others were confused at his declaration. Could it be that this guy is also acting on his feelings?

"Maki!" Koshikawa turned to Maki who had a confused look. "Do you know what Mitsuhara-sensei and I talked about after you left?"

"I don't." 

"Well…" Turning to Aya, Koshikawa brightly smiled. "Briefly speaking, the spear mark you have on yourself is not a sign of being a sub-human."

Sakai: "What?"

Koyami: "Why are you contradicting yourself?"

Asuka: "Say things properly."

"Don't get me wrong. It is indeed true that a sub-human can be identified when a weak acid is poured over his/her back. However, there are some limitations. The said process could only be true in the case of sub-humans who aren't special."

Maki frowned. "Then how is it wrong for us to assume that Aya is a sub-human. You said it yourself that sub-humans who aren't special have this spear mark on their back. Maybe she is a sub-human who isn't special."

"Maki-sensei seems pretty adamant about Aya being the sub-human. Haha! Jokes aside, yes. What you said is damn true. Aya could very well be a sub-human who isn't special. Forget that, I don't even know what's the thing about sub-humans that makes them special…"

"Then-"

"However! I do know what Mitsuhara-sensei told me. Observe closely." Koshikawa walked to Aya and rubbed his thumb against the spot where the spear mark was made. Slowly, the mark vanished.

"This is a temporary mark put out by a sub-human who has touched this place once. I wonder who did that…"

Imada and the others gauged their memory and their gazes turned to Maki. 

Maki had a cold expression on her face. "Are you saying I did this the time when I was supported by her?"

"Yes," Koshikawa admitted with a smile. "But, I'm a reasonable man. How could I blame you without having any actual proof? Mitsuhara-sensei gave me another method through which I can find out who exactly is the sub-human."

"That's not possible. There's only a single method."

"Everything's possible for a man who has seen and experienced countless things. This method is just one of his secret knowledge. Alright, enough chit-chat. Could you face your back towards me?"

Maki had a grim expression on her face. 

"Oh sorry, I forgot you were paralyzed." Koshikawa stepped forward and pulled her shirt up. Her back was clean without any spots. "Now, observe. You might be thinking that sub-humans who aren't special are harder to detect but that's not the case. All you have to do is press your thumb against the spinal cord and press it. Yup, that's all you need to do."

Imada and the others closely looked at her back which was still the same. "Nothing happen-"

Imada's voice was cut short when he saw a small spear mark appear on the spot where he pressed.

"Imada, you might want to check if it's another mark or not," Koshikawa said with a sigh.

Imada moved forward and pressed his thumb against the spot and rubbed it.

The spear mark was still intact.

Everyone fell silent.

Maki gave a hollow laugh but didn't say anything.

"Should I do it or do you want to?" Koshikawa asked Imada. 

Nothing else needed to be proven. 

"I'll do it." With a heavy breath, Imada stepped forward. "Why?" He asked a single question looking at Maki's face.

Maki dryly laughed. "You all are still young… you don't understand how the world is… say 'Hi' to my family for me."

"Will do." Imada nodded, then a one-feet long scythe appeared in Imada's hands and…

A head fell to the ground.

Silence reigned in the entire ship.

***

An hour later, the effect of the paralyzing drug wore off. Maki's body was thrown in the ocean.

"Can I trust you?" Imada suddenly asked the third-year sitting beside him.

"You can try." Koshikawa responded with a carefree smile, then went to his room.

Even in the room, Koshikawa's lips had the same lazy smile. He looked at the mirror and laughed lightly. Moments later, he took off his clothes and went to the bathroom to take a shower. 

If anyone was here, they would have noticed a familiar small spear mark was marked on his back.