The Color of Farewell is Moss Green - Chapter 6

I had no recollection of the route I took.

By the time I caught my breath, I was standing on the bridge.

The last place I had seen Shimada alive.

Damn it.

My iPhone was at the bottom of the river.

I should have contacted the police before leaving home.

I should have told them about Yasui.

About the locked room mystery.

But now, with no phone, the only way to reach Inoue was through a public telephone.

I glanced around to find one—

Nothing.

(Of course. It’s the Reiwa era. Who even uses payphones anymore?)

I needed to call Inoue as soon as possible—

But was I really jumping to conclusions?

I leaned on the bridge railing and thought.

The river’s surface shimmered exactly as it had yesterday.

Just twenty-four hours ago, I had been so angry at Shimada that I wanted to kill him myself.

Now, he was dead.

Murdered.

I still couldn’t fully process it.

But if it wasn’t an accident, if it really was murder,

Then Yasui was the only possible suspect.

Shimada had the only spare key.

If someone escaped through the front door, they couldn’t have locked it behind them.

Yet, when we arrived—

The door was locked from the inside.

Which meant—

The only escape route was the balcony.

And the only person who could have used it—was Yasui.

(But why?)

I couldn’t figure out the motive.

But logically—

The more I thought about it, the less plausible it was that anyone else could have done it.

Then, a different thought crossed my mind.

(What would Okuda-kun think about this?)

I found myself genuinely curious.

Flashes of last night played in my head.

The way he moved, the way he spoke—

So rational.

So precise, like a detective from a novel or drama.

Even I, someone who rarely read mystery novels, could tell.

(Maybe he’d think of an escape route I haven’t considered.)

With that thought, I started walking toward Pure Café Bridge.

※

From outside, I couldn’t see much of the café’s interior.

I pushed open the door—

Ding.

A small bell chimed.

A female voice called out from the back.

“Welcome!”

But Okuda-kun didn’t appear.

Instead, a waitress in a white blouse and moss-green apron greeted me.

She guided me to the counter seat, where a tall man—likely the manager—was grinding coffee beans.

(This place really does have a nice atmosphere.)

I had been here a few times before just for the coffee.

And I vaguely remembered another friendly female employee guiding me to my seat.

But…

I couldn’t recall if Okuda-kun had been working back then.

I ordered my usual blend coffee and glanced around.

(He’s not here today, huh…)

After looking around one last time, I hesitated—

Then called out to the manager.

“Excuse me…”

He turned to me.

“Does someone named Okuda work here?”

“Oh, you know Okuda-kun?”

“Yes.”

“Actually, he called in sick today.”

“What?”

“Said he wasn’t feeling well. But it’s strange—he never takes days off. We’re all a bit worried.”

The waitress joined in, balancing an empty tray.

“Yeah! Tomo-kun never misses work! It’s super rare!”

I hesitated.

Should I tell them about last night?

About the incident?

No.

That would only cause trouble for him.

Instead, I forced a smile.

“He’s really responsible, isn’t he?”

“He really is! Kids like him are rare these days.”

The waitress nodded enthusiastically.

“It must be really bad if he’s skipping work! By the way, how do you know him?”

“Ah… we’re friends.”

I couldn’t exactly say, “We just met yesterday.”

“Oh, I see!”

She smiled, stretching her words.

“I worked with him yesterday, too! Even after I left, he stayed late closing up.”

The manager nodded.

“Yeah, I had an errand, so I left early and let him handle closing by himself.”

They both tilted their heads in unison.

(Wait—he was alone?)

He had mentioned it last night—

That he had been finishing up closing duties when he saw me on the bridge.

(If only I could call him now…)

“If you manage to reach him,” the waitress said, “tell him we all hope he gets better soon!”

“I will,” I replied automatically.

But the truth was—

I had no way of contacting him.

(I should’ve asked for his number yesterday…)

I sighed, taking a sip of coffee.

(…It’s good.)

Despite everything, I felt surprisingly calm.

Maybe because I was inside a warm café.

Maybe because I was surrounded by normalcy.

(I can call the police after finishing this coffee.)

I let my thoughts wander.

(The police will figure it out soon anyway.)

I watched the steam curl from my cup.

Everything felt almost unreal.

Yet, this—this was reality.

A sudden pang of regret hit me.

(I wanted to tell Okuda-kun my theory.)

I wanted to hear what he thought.

To hear him analyze it.

(Maybe I’ll run into him on the bridge again.)

I realized—

I didn’t even know where he lived.

Was it somewhere nearby?

Would I see him by chance?

(…By chance?)

A small, nagging feeling surfaced in my mind.

(Wait. What… is this feeling?)

Suddenly, my brain replayed the sounds from last night.

Like an automatic recording.

Shimada’s strained voice.

The river’s murmur.

The sound of passing cars.

The ding of the convenience store entrance.

The click of a lock turning.

The shower running.

Okuda-kun’s worried voice.

The police sirens.

Inoue’s calm explanation.

The landlord’s comforting words.

(What… is wrong with this picture?)

I pressed my hands to my ears.

Trying to focus.

Something was off.

Something wasn’t right.

I had missed something.

Something important.

And then—

I saw it.

Near the café entrance, a small message board displayed the shop’s business hours.

9:30 AM – 5:30 PM

(Last order: 4:30 PM)

My heart went cold.

That couldn’t be right.

Last night, Okuda-kun had said—

“I was finishing up closing duties.”

But if the café closes at 5:30 PM…

Then—

What was he doing there… at night?