As Makima's head bloomed into a red rose of blood, Higuruma rose from the bathtub.
His eyes slowly turned toward the headless body. But the moment he looked closer, the missing head was somehow still there.
Higuruma nodded to himself.
"You smell like one of them," Higuruma said.
"Hm? Smell, huh? What do the 'them' you're referring to smell like?" Makima replied.
"Like blood."
"Hm, that's strange. I don't seem to smell any blood on myself. I'm quite confident in my sense of smell too. Maybe you're mistaken, Hiromi-kun," Makima said with a small smile.
Higuruma's eyes narrowed.
"I'm sure I told you never to call me that again. I do not know you, nor do I plan to, so don't call me by my first name."
"Could it be that Hiromi-kun is shy?"
Makima's POV — Minutes Earlier
When I walked into the courtroom, I saw blood flowing freely across the floor.
And when I looked toward the judge's seat, I saw him.
Basking in crystal clear water in a bathtub were the judge's seat was supposed to be.
Somehow, he felt like both a devil and a human.
A fiend?
No. That didn't feel right.
"You must be the contractor. Or should I call you Hiromi-kun?" I asked.
The instant the words left my mouth, I felt a powerful force flying toward me.
I didn't move.
The force tore straight through my head. As it exited, my skull burst apart into a firework of blood.
"Don't ever call me by my first name."
By the time those words were spoken, I had already returned to my original state.
His eyes turned toward me, and he slowly nodded to himself before saying something that intrigued me.
"You smell like one of them."
Smell, huh?
Is he like me? Does he use smell the same way I do?
My interest in this strange existence known as Higuruma Hiromi grew slightly.
Present POV
As Makima asked whether Higuruma was shy, his eyebrows visibly furrowed.
"You don't seem human."
"Ah, Hiromi-kun, that's only because of a devil contract I have," Makima said with a polite smile.
"That's a lie."
"Oh? You could tell?" Makima asked, her mouth forming an exaggerated "O."
"You're probably a devil. Maybe a fiend."
Makima didn't answer. She simply stood there, her polite smile returning as though her expression had never changed at all.
"Why are you here?" Higuruma asked, his eyes locked onto Makima.
"Ah, you see, what you've done, along with the suspicion of forming a contract with a devil and the mass murder of thirty-six people, including a well known politician and a very famous judge is actually illegal."
Makima paused briefly before continuing.
"So under those circumstances, I'm afraid to say, Hiromi-kun, but I've been ordered to bring you in for interrogation."
She raised her hand into the shape of a gun.
"So please cooperate."