#cscy

her saccharine grin mocks him, causing a sigh to escape his lips. this feels like such a waste of time.

when he merely quirks an eyebrow, she giggles, “your s/o, curse-breaker.”

the room goes eerily silent, save for the ringing in kiyoharu’s ears. his eyes go downcast as he blows the smoke out of his mouth, removing the pipe from his lips. oosako, who watches from behind the glass, can’t help but widen his eyes. no one knew much about the curse-breaker’s personal life, other than what he disclosed, so how did they…? unless it’s a bluff?

though trying to keep his composure, a slightly more serious tone tints his irises. kiyoharu looks back up at the girl, a demented smile plastered on his face.

“…what are you going on about?”

she fakes a gasp, “did i strike a cord?”

kiyoharu stands from his seat with a dry laugh, “you wish.”

the curse-breaker and his assistant leave the room, greeted by the two police officers who can’t afford to make eye contact. the tension in the room was stale and smelled of dried blood, leaving all of those around kiyoharu to feel like they must walk on eggshells.

“sae-sensei…?” kanta asks cautiously.

a couple seconds pass, the question lingering in the air. no one dares to move, in fear of some kind of disaster. in all their time working with saeyama, they’ve never seen him react this way to anything.

kiyoharu flicks kanta’s forehead, fixing his pipe in his mouth, “what’s up with the scared face, huh?”

all three of them are too stunned to speak; is it true? if it is, then how can he be so cool about this?

“uhm…saeyama, is it true what she said about…?” oosako trails off, almost scared to finish his sentence.

kiyoharu forces a smile, “she’s sick in the head, alright. either way, i’ll play her game.”

through his unreadable tone, the three men feel as if the curse-breaker was hiding something. oosako and his partner attempt to gather their bearings enough to proceed into the next phase of their investigation, but kanta can’t shake this anxious feeling; it exudes from kiyoharu in light waves, faint enough to be missed by the human eye.

but before he can say anything, kiyoharu is walking towards the exit of the interrogation room.

“excuse me, i have to make a phone call.”