The Color of Farewell is Moss Green - Chapter 4

We waited in the apartment’s parking lot for the police to arrive.

The air had grown chilly, and Okuda-kun went to buy me a warm drink.

But I couldn’t bring myself to take a sip.

Even when he peered at me with concern, I forced out a “I’m fine.”

I was clearly not fine.

Before long, a police car arrived with its siren flashing.

A stern-looking detective stepped out.

Okuda-kun walked toward him, and I hesitantly followed behind.

“You’re the one who called, Tomo Okuda? And you’re Hinako Sato?”

We nodded.

The detective pulled a badge from his inner pocket.

“Detective Inoue, from the XX precinct. Can you take me to the apartment?”

The thought of returning to my apartment, where a corpse lay waiting, filled me with dread.

But I had the only key.

Sticking close to Okuda-kun, I reluctantly led the way back to the crime scene.

Perhaps out of consideration, I was asked to wait at the entrance with a uniformed officer while Inoue and Okuda-kun entered the apartment.

From inside, I could hear their voices, likely discussing the state of the scene.

Before long, Okuda-kun returned, and a different officer escorted us back to the parking lot.

Meanwhile, several other officers began working inside.

Sitting in the back of a police car, I could feel the weight of people’s stares.

Other apartment residents and neighbors peeked at us with curiosity.

I sighed deeply, watching them with a heavy heart.

“This has turned into a nightmare, hasn’t it?”

“Yeah.”

I barely processed the words.

“Sorry for dragging you into all this.”

“Don’t apologize.”

“Thanks… I’m really glad you were here, Okuda-kun.”

A brief silence followed.

“Um… Miss?”

“That sounds like you’re hitting on me. Just call me Sato.”

“…Sato-san.”

He hesitated before speaking again.

“Why do you think your boyfriend… was in your apartment’s bathroom when he died?”

“Why?”

I pondered the question.

I should be the one asking that.

Why had he ended up in my home, of all places?

Why the bathroom, a place that was supposed to be a sanctuary?

“You only had one key, right?”

“Yeah. And the other one…”

“Was with your ex.”

Okuda-kun nodded slowly.

“You argued with your boyfriend on the bridge at sunset.”

“You saw that, huh?”

His choice of words amused me.

(Arguing? It was more like me cursing him out and punching him.)

“After he ran off, you stayed on the bridge, staring at the river.”

“Yeah. You were watching me the whole time?”

“That means, after fleeing the bridge, he must have come straight here.”

“Used his spare key.”

“And let himself in.”

That made sense.

“That also means he locked the door from the inside.”

I froze.

A locked door mystery.

“Wait—are you saying he… killed himself?”

Okuda-kun shook his head.

“I don’t know. It could have been an accident.”

“That guy? No way.”

I scoffed.

“He’d never take his own life. Probably.”

Okuda-kun hesitated.

Then, carefully, he said,

“Just a theory, but… what if his affair partner found out about the cheating, too?”

Then—he quickly apologized.

“I’m sorry! That was insensitive of me—”

“No, it’s fine. You don’t have to tiptoe around me.”

I took a deep breath.

“So… he got dumped by both of us in one day?”

Would he really kill himself over that?

“He wasn’t the type to fall apart over something so trivial.”

I said that with certainty.

“Then what if—”

Okuda-kun continued, his voice steady.

“After getting rejected by you, he returned to the apartment.”

“Yeah.”

“But not to kill himself. He wanted to talk to you.”

“So he used his key to sneak in, thinking you’d ignore him otherwise.”

“And waited in the bathroom.”

I paused.

That… did sound like something he would do.

(Lurking like a coward, hoping to ambush me.)

Okuda-kun continued,

“Then, some kind of accident happened. He slipped, fell—”

“A slip-and-fall accident?”

“For example, he tripped at the bathroom entrance, lost his balance, and—bam.”

I frowned.

“But if that were the case, wouldn’t he have hit his forehead? His injury was on the back of his head.”

“Maybe he fell backward first, then struggled, rolling over onto his stomach. That’s how his hand ended up on the shower lever.”

Was that possible?

If Okuda-kun said it, it almost sounded plausible.

So…

Was it just a tragic accident?

Had my ex been waiting to confront me—

Only to slip, hit his head, and die?

It felt unreal.

But a corpse was there.

So, it had to be real.

If it wasn’t an accident—

A shiver ran down my spine.

“Hey, Okuda-kun—”

Just as I was about to speak, the backseat door opened.

Detective Inoue had returned.

“Sorry to keep you waiting. We need to transport the body, and it’s getting late. Could you both come down to the station for questioning? Will that be alright?”

Both Okuda-kun and I nodded in unison.

※

Of course, I had never been questioned by the police before.

We were called in separately, each of us spending about thirty minutes answering a series of questions.

I had been nervous, but to my surprise, I was able to speak clearly.

Maybe it was because Inoue, despite his intimidating face, had a gentle demeanor, making it easy to talk to him.

I explained everything—how I met my ex, how I found out he was cheating, the fight on the bridge, meeting Okuda-kun, and ultimately, the discovery of the body.

At first glance, Inoue seemed scary.

But in reality, he was soft-spoken and polite, nothing like the harsh detectives in crime dramas.

I was grateful for that.

By the time the questioning was over, it was already past 1 AM.

Since it was so late, the police offered to drive me to a nearby business hotel in an unmarked police car.

I had briefly considered going home—but quickly dismissed the idea.

The police worked fast.

By now, my ex’s body had already been removed, and potential evidence had been collected from the apartment.

But the thought of going back there still gave me chills.

I wasn’t ready.

So, I decided I would stay at the hotel for the night.

I would figure out what to do next tomorrow.

Okuda-kun had already been driven home in another car.

I felt a little disappointed—but at least I knew where he worked.

Tomorrow, I would go to Pure Café Bridge again.

That way, I could see him.

Suddenly, I remembered something and turned to Inoue.

“Did Shimada… still have my apartment’s spare key on him?”

Shimada. That was my ex’s name.

Without taking his eyes off the road, Inoue nodded.

“Yes. We’ll return it to you after the investigation is complete.”

He hesitated slightly before adding,

“It might take some time. Sorry for the inconvenience.”

I nodded.

It was better this way—at least the police were keeping the key safe.

So Shimada had unlocked the door himself, entered my apartment, and locked it from the inside before hiding in the bathroom.

And there, he had died in an accident.

The phrase “karma” crossed my mind.

Did he deserve this for what he did?

Or…

Was this too cruel of a punishment?

Conflicted emotions clashed within me.

I forced myself to think rationally.

Though exhausted, my mind was finally clear enough to process everything.

No one else had been in the apartment.

If this was murder, then the killer would have still been inside.

But when we searched, no one was there.

That meant it had to be suicide or an accident.

An accident.

That was the only logical explanation.

For the first time that night, I felt a sense of relief.

I still had complicated feelings about Shimada.

But at least now—

I wouldn’t have to deal with him anymore.

No harassment, no stalking, no fear of a murderer lurking in my home.

I pictured Okuda-kun’s furrowed eyebrows, his signature worried expression.

For some reason, I really wanted to see him.

I wanted to talk to him.

To share this relief with him.

Somewhere along the way, I had completely let my guard down around that younger café worker.

(I should’ve asked for his contact information.)

Then, I remembered—

My phone was at the bottom of the river.

Right. I couldn’t contact anyone even if I wanted to.

Before stepping out of the car, I gave Inoue my hotel room number and my home phone number.

“If there are any updates or anything you need to ask, please don’t hesitate to contact me.”

I bowed deeply.

When I finally checked into my hotel room, I didn’t even bother removing my makeup.

I collapsed onto the bed.

It had only been a few hours, but it felt like the longest day of my life.

Tomorrow, I would take the day off.

After all—

A dead body had been found in my home.

Surely, my boss would understand.

As sleep overtook me, a hazy image of Okuda-kun’s shy smile flickered in my mind—

And then slowly faded into darkness.