The Lavender Murder
Ch-1 The arrival
Kaminoseki was the kind of town the world forgot. Nestled in the mountains and swaddled in mist, it had no skyline—just cedar trees, tiled rooftops, and roads that twisted like secrets.
Rain fell in a steady rhythm as Ren Ichikawa stepped off the train. He adjusted the strap on his black satchel and scanned the empty platform. No welcoming party. No signs. Only a lone figure leaning against a weathered sedan, cigarette glowing under the brim of a hood.
Yuji Nakamura was exactly what Ren had expected from the file—local detective, emotionally driven, average arrest record, messy handwriting. What the file didn’t say was that he had the kind of tired eyes you didn’t get from lack of sleep. You got them from carrying too much for too long.
YUJI Nakamura(MC)
You are younger than I thought
Yuji said, stepping aside so Ren could climb in.
YUJI Nakamura(MC)
Or maybe Tokyo just sends pretty boys now.
Ren ICHIKAWA(Ml)
I’m not here for decoration
YUJI Nakamura(MC)
Good. We’ve already got wind chimes for that.
The car door slammed shut. Kaminoseki swallowed them whole.
The crime scene was a greenhouse at the edge of town, glass panes beaded with condensation. Police tape sagged in the rain, and the air was thick with the scent of wet earth and something sweeter—lavender.
The victim lay on a wooden bench, dressed neatly in a suit. Hands folded. Mouth slightly smiling. Lavender petals scattered around the body like some kind of ritual.
YUJI Nakamura(MC)
Third one this month,
YUJI Nakamura(MC)
Same setup. Locked from the inside. Zero signs of struggle. All men. All around the same age.
Ren crouched, gaze scanning every inch.
Ren ICHIKAWA(Ml)
There(he said)
Ren ICHIKAWA(Ml)
Ink smudge on the thumb.
YUJI Nakamura(MC)
(Yuji leaned in) Ink?
Ren ICHIKAWA(Ml)
Not blood. It’s dried, but the stain’s specific—fountain pen ink. Same as the other two cases. You didn’t notice?
YUJI Nakamura(MC)
(Yuji’s expression darkened) We’re not all trained to see ghosts in smudges.
Ren ICHIKAWA(Ml)
They’re not ghosts,(said) They’re patterns.
Yuji stared at him a second too long.
YUJI Nakamura(MC)
You always talk like that?
Ren ICHIKAWA(Ml)
Only when I’m being ignored.
author (SS)
this is my 1st story
Ch-2 You know them
Back at the station, Yuji tried to keep his distance. Ren didn’t mind. Distance gave him room to think. But Kaminoseki wasn’t just a place—it was a mood. A silence that pressed in from all sides. And Ren could feel the town watching him, quietly judging.
Later that night, Yuji knocked on his dormitory door.
YUJI Nakamura(MC)
You staying long?
Ren ICHIKAWA(Ml)
(Looked up from his laptops) As long as it takes.
YUJI Nakamura(MC)
(Hesitated in the doorway) The others—Tanimura and Suda—they were classmates. Minazuki Academy. School shut down ten years ago. You know it?
Ren ICHIKAWA(Ml)
(Paused) Yes.
YUJI Nakamura(MC)
You went there.
It wasn’t a question. Ren closed his laptop.
YUJI Nakamura(MC)
(Folded his arms) So you’re not just here to solve this. You’re here because you knew them.
Ren ICHIKAWA(Ml)
I didn’t say that, (Ren replied)
But the silence said everything.
Minazuki Academy was a carcass of stone and ivy. The once-prestigious art school now sat rotting on the edge of a cliff, its windows shattered, halls empty. Only the scent of mildew and dust remained.
Ren and Yuji made their way inside with flashlights and masks. The air was thick with age.
They found a filing cabinet in what had once been the staff lounge. Most folders were mundane—grades, schedules, reprimands. But buried beneath was a slim folder in lavender cardstock.
No school crest. No teacher’s notes.
Just a handwritten title:
The Lavender Room.
author (SS)
That's for today
Ch-3 LAVENDER AND LIES
Just a handwritten title:
Kazuki Hoshino
Riku Tanimura
Eiji Suda
Masaki Arai
Haruto Kurosawa
Three were dead.
One missing.
One alive.
Ren ICHIKAWA(Ml)
Haruto Kurosawa runs a flower shop.
YUJI Nakamura(MC)
Of course he does,(muttered) Let’s go see what he’s been planting.
Haruto’s shop was a bloom of color and calm. The man himself was tall, elegant, with fingers that handled petals like secrets.
Haruto Kurosawa
I was wondering when you’d come,
He said, not looking up from his bouquet.
YUJI Nakamura(MC)
You knew the others were dead?(asked)
Haruto Kurosawa
They were artists. Haunted men. Haunted men don’t live long.
Ren ICHIKAWA(Ml)
What happened to Masaki Arai?
Haruto’s eyes flicked to him.
Haruto Kurosawa
Still asking questions, Ichikawa?
YUJI Nakamura(MC)
(Blinked) You two know each other?
Haruto Kurosawa
We were in the same room once, (Haruto said softly) "The Lavender Room".
He handed Ren a bouquet of lavender. Tucked inside was a folded slip of paper.
Back in the car, Ren unfolded the note. It read:
“𝓐𝓻𝓪𝓲 𝓲𝓼 𝓪𝓵𝓲𝓿𝓮. 𝓑𝓾𝓽 𝔂𝓸𝓾’𝓵𝓵 𝓻𝓮𝓰𝓻𝓮𝓽 𝓯𝓲𝓷𝓭𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝓱𝓲𝓶.”
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