Chapter Text
Shuichi Saihara was no stranger to a mystery. As far back as he could remember, he had been reading mystery novels; instead of Dr. Seuss, his uncle would read him Agatha Christie (though this didn’t make for a great bedtime story, he would often find himself trapped in his own thoughts for hours trying to solve the mystery before falling asleep). Shuichi loved discussing mystery novels with his uncle, who was a tenured detective of 28 years, but Shuichi had always felt some amount of pressure lingering in the air during these conversations. It was as though his uncle was expecting Shuichi to solve the case, even when the boy could barely read himself and relied solely on his uncle’s narration. He longed for something lighter, someone he could talk to about mysteries without feeling like he was taking an exam.
When Shuichi turned 16 his uncle gifted him his own computer. His uncle recognized that they were beginning to live in a digital age and he didn’t want Shuichi to fall behind his peers. One might ask, what is the first thing a 16-year-old boy would do with his own private and unlimited internet access? Find a forum to discuss mystery novels with other fans, of course. Shuichi was elated. For the first time in his life he was able to share his passion with someone other than his uncle.
When Shuichi was 17, his uncle’s workload picked up due to a certain gang of petty thieves who recently emerged. Though they weren’t directly harming anyone, they often made large and controversial political statements which led to the government insisting that the police put their best detective on the case. Shuichi had laughed quietly when his Uncle spoke of the gang’s deeds, which included hacking the American President’s twitter account and posting the entire script of the Bee movie in Japanese over the course of 24 hours. His uncle didn’t think it was quite so funny. It was around this time that a new user who piqued his interest popped up on his favorite forum. Their username was FishyAroma – Shuichi wasn’t a huge fan of the username; He worried that this person had joined the forum to stir up trouble. It had happened a few times in the past, someone would join to ruin the ending of a new novel. Although they would promptly get banned, Shuichi had mistakenly ruined a few mystery novels for himself this way. He made a mental note not to read any of that person’s posts for a week to avoid spoilers, and began creating a new post about his current novel.
Exactly 1 week later Shuichi logged on to his computer after classes to a private message. He received private messages rather frequently; though he would never admit it, he was pretty good at solving mysteries and people often came to him to bounce ideas off of. He opened his inbox and was immediately surprised by the sender: FishyAroma. He bit his lip as he mulled the idea of opening the message over in his head. It had been one week without them being banned, so surely they weren’t going to spoil something for him. He opened the message, letting out a breath he didn’t realize he was holding.
FishyAroma: Saihara-chan, are you ignoring me?
Shuichi was immediately taken aback. How did this person know his name? And of all the users on the forum, why would FishyAroma message him?
S2aihara: What? How do you know my name?
The reply from FishyAroma came before Shuichi had a second collect his thoughts.
FishyAroma: Huuuuh? Your username is your name! S.Saihara. Saihara-chan, this is a forum about solving mysteries, did you think I couldn’t solve something so simple? Or maybe that’s a lie and I’ve been secretly investigating you for weeks!
Shuichi felt annoyance creeping in.
S2aihara: You have only been a member of this forum for a week, you couldn’t have possibly been stalking me for weeks.
FishyAroma: So Saihara-chan does pay attention to me? How did you know I’ve only been a member for a week? Silly Saihara-chan, I’ve been reading this forum for years! I only decided to make an account last week. Or maybe that’s a lie too.
FishyAroma was right. Although the user info page did tell how long the user had been a member of the forum, it only listed it in month increments, so FishyAroma was listed as a member for “<1 Month.”
S2aihara: I noticed when you created your account because of your name. I had a feeling you would be one of those people who likes to spoil the end of a novel for everyone.
FishyAroma: Have you considered that I may just looooove the smell of fish?
He paused before answering, knowing that this person was messing with him. He didn’t like getting angry, but for some reason they seemed to know how to push his buttons. Before he thought of an adequate response, FishyAroma had sent another message.
FishyAroma: The reason I joined this forum is because with mystery novels, reading’s only half the fun. My theory is that you can only really enjoy it when you talk with other people who’ve read it too.
Shuichi gasped, feeling his heart start to beat faster. What was this feeling? He had interacted with plenty of people online over the past year, but he often found himself feeling like he was the one leading the conversation. He felt like his passion was overwhelming for most people; while some people did try to theorize along with him, most people were only interested in finding out the Whodunit of the case and spent no time delving into the Whydunit. He always felt a disconnect from everyone he’d spoken to online, not so dissimilar to what he felt with his uncle. “But the Whydunit is the heart of the mystery! How can you say you’ve truly understood who the culprit is without exploring the Whydunit?” Shuichi had posted, nearly a year ago when he first entered the forum. This post had not earned him high praise from the forum members, much to Shuichi’s dismay. Over time he learned to accept that most people only wanted to find the culprit, and he did still find some amount of fun in that type of solution, so he let it go.
S2aihara: What do you think about the people who post here?
He pulled his knees to his chest after sending the message. Would FishyAroma be different?
FishyAroma: The only one I care about is my beloved Saihara-chan! Everyone else is sooo boring. That’s why I messaged you!
Shuichi blushed and hid his face in his knees. Why was this person saying such embarrassing things to someone they didn’t know?
S2aihara: You don’t even know me… Maybe I’m just as boring as everyone else on here.
Minutes felt like hours as he waited for FishyAroma to respond. They were usually so quick to respond, why were they taking their time on this message?
FishyAroma: You’re right, you are pretty boring. I’m actually just scouting contestants for my future killing game and thought you could be the detective! Just kidding, that’s a lie! I would never kill my beloved Saihara-chan.
Shuichi felt like his head was spinning in circles. Was it even possible to get a serious response out of this person? Despite his growing headache, he felt like he wanted to know more about this person.
S2aihara: Can I ask for your name? You know mine so it’s only fair. I still don’t like your username.
FishyAroma: Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah! Saihara-chan is so mean!
Was that the entire message? Shuichi didn’t know whether he should send a response apologizing, but the throbbing behind his eyes told him it wasn’t necessary.
FishyAroma: If I told you my name, I’d have to kill you. I’m going to become a famous mystery novel writer after all! And then you would sell these chat messages on eBay saying you knew me before I was cool!
He scoffed, his face still drawn to his knees. He had serious doubts that this person could write a good mystery novel. It didn’t seem like they could be serious for more than 2 seconds.
S2aihara: A nickname then?
FishyAroma: You can call me Uma! Because I’m a horse girl!
Ah, so FishyAroma is a girl then? Wait, is that really what I took from that message?? Shuichi thought to himself, putting his hand to his face.
S2aihara: Ok, Uma-san then. It’s nice to meet you. I look forward to reading your mystery novel in the future.
FishyAroma: If anyone can figure out the heart of my mystery it will be Saihara-chan!
Shuichi found himself smiling without realizing it. Maybe he was looking forward to Uma-san’s mystery novel… just a little bit.
When Shuichi turned 18, he left his uncle’s house for University. He had been talking to Uma-san nearly every day for the past year. Initially, Shuichi found them annoying but incredibly intriguing. This was the first person Shuichi had ever met who was interested in tearing out the guts of each novel they read. They had spent countless hours speaking of the endless possibilities of each book, solving the crimes and looking at the motives. Shuichi had also learned that Uma-san was actually a boy, and had a bit of a penchant for telling lies. That only made him all the more interesting to Shuichi, though. It was like the existence of Uma-san was its own mystery for him to solve. He wished he could meet Uma-san in person, but any time he had brought up the subject Uma-san would always insist they couldn’t meet before he released his mystery novel.
Shuichi sighed as he unloaded his boxes from his uncle’s car, heading up the steps to his new dorm room. He was nervous about starting University, but he knew that no matter how bad he did academically or how little he could relate to the others in his classes, he would always be able to come back to his novels and discuss them with Uma-san. That small circle was enough for Shuichi to be happy, and he felt he didn’t need anything else. He set the last of his boxes down and waved goodbye to his uncle, insisting that he didn’t need any help unpacking. His uncle was still very busy at work with the group of “clowns” (as he called them), and Shuichi didn’t want to trouble him any more than he already had. The dorm room was small, but bigger than his room at his uncle’s house. His uncle adopted Shuichi out of the goodness of his heart when his parents moved to America without him, but he had always been a bachelor and his small living space definitely showed it. Shuichi found the dorm room rather homey, and he was happy to have a space that was entirely his own for the first time in his life. His Uncle wasn't home most of the time, but the place was undoubtedly his, and Shuichi never felt fully at home there. He smiled and took off the hat he wore anytime he left the house. "This will be a fresh start," he said to himself, feeling positive.
Shuichi knew that there would probably be some sort of social gathering in the dorm later that evening, so he decided to unpack his computer first to let Uma-san know he would be away that night. He would much rather spend the night discussing their most recent reading, but Shuichi felt some amount of social obligation to at least try to assimilate. He typed a lengthy explanation to Uma-san so he knew that Shuichi would much rather be talking to him. Shuichi was already one to ramble about things he was passionate about, but it seemed to be especially bad around Uma-san.
Just as he pressed send, he heard a knock on his door. He put his hat back on and opened the door to a girl who seemed to radiate sunshine. She was so bright that if he wasn’t wearing his hat Shuichi would have had to cover his eyes. “Hi! I’m Kaede Akamatsu! I’m trying to get the whole floor together to do some icebreakers, could you meet us in the common area in 10 minutes?”
She spoke so quickly that Shuichi struggled to process what he was being asked. “A-Ah. Sure, I’ll be there.”
Kaede beamed, an expression that felt like it belonged on her face. “Awesome! What’s your name?”
Shuichi smiled slightly, her happiness rubbing off on him “O-oh I’m sorry, it’s Shuichi Saihara. Nice to meet you, Akamatsu-san.” Kaede grabbed his hand in both of hers “Nice to meet you Shuichi! See you in there!” and ran off as quickly as she had appeared. Shuichi blushed at the usage of his given name - no one had ever referred to him as Shuichi other than his Uncle and his parents. As he watched her run from door to door he wondered how someone could be so friendly.
The dorm Shuichi stayed in was for honors students – unlike the normal dorms each room was a single room. There were only about 30 people on each floor, rather than the 60 or so that the other dorms housed. Nonetheless, 30 people felt like a mob to Shuichi when he entered the common area. Everyone loosely stood in a circle, with Kaede at the center of the circle. He looked down at his feet taking care not to make eye contact with anyone, but he could feel Kaede’s energy radiating off of her in the center of the group. “All right everyone!” she yelled. “Let’s go around the circle and introduce ourselves! Start off by telling us your name, your major, and then tell us two truths and a lie! We’ll all guess which one is the lie!” Shuichi fumbled with his hands in front of him. What should I lie about? he thought, and his mind drifted to Uma-san who seemed to lie so casually.
Expectedly, Kaede went first. “I’ve met all of you already,” she started, her face still beaming “but my name is Kaede Akamatsu! I’m a music major. For my facts… I hate bicycles, I have a twin sister, and I play the piano! So what’s my lie?” Shuichi put his hand to his mouth in thought. She was a music major, so listing the wrong instrument felt like too easy of a lie. He turned the other two options over in his head before landing on one of them.
“You hate bicycles!” Someone else yelled out before Shuichi could speak. He lifted his eyes slightly to see a strikingly attractive boy with wavy green hair. Kaede clapped her hands and jumped up and down. “Great job Rantaro! You go next!”
Rantaro smirked and ran his hand through his hair. “My name is Rantaro Amami. I’m a geography major. I have 12 sisters, I work in a nail salon, and I dye my hair this color.” Shuichi scoffed quietly. He had only spent a few minutes with Rantaro, but he knew immediately what the lie was.
A small boy with purple hair spoke up. “Come on Amami-chan, we all know you just want to brag about your hair being natural! That’s ooooobviously your natural hair color!” Rantaro crossed his arms and smirked. “That’s correct.” The purple haired boy put his hand over his mouth “Nishishi, of course it is, you’re not a very good liar.” Shuichi looked up at Kaede who was staring at the boy, a slight discomfort showing behind her smile. “Ok Ouma-kun, your turn!”
Shuichi took note of the use of the boy's family name. Had this boy done something to make Kaede dislike him already? The boy held his hand up to his mouth as if he was calling out to the room. “Yaho! The name’s Kokichi Ouma!” He put his hands behind his head and looked up towards the ceiling. “My major is political science! My life goal is to be a future dictator! Just kidding, that’s a lie.”
Shuichi saw annoyance cross Kaede’s face “Ouma-kun, you haven’t started your 2 truths and a lie yet, please don’t start lying early.”
This comment seemed to only spur Kokichi on, as his face twisted into something evil and unrecognizable. “Sorry Akamatsu-chan! Ok, time for my turn! My favorite color is pink, I’m in love with Kaede Akamatsu-chan, and my ex-boyfriend is Kaito Momota-chan to the left of me here!” He said, pointing to the tall boy standing beside him. Kaito gritted his teeth, getting ready to say something, when Shuichi burst out laughing.
The entire room turned to face him. This was Shuichi’s worst nightmare. He immediately stopped laughing and felt a blush crawling up his neck. Kaede was the first to speak. “Did you figure it out?” Shuichi looked at the purple haired boy and nodded meekly. “Yes, all 3 of those were lies.” He said quietly.
Kokichi looked at him and grinned before his face shifted and tears started spilling out of his eyes “I can’t believe you would accuse me of lying! I just confessed my love for Akamatsu-chan!” Kaede put her hand to her forehead, rubbing it slightly. Shuichi chuckled, as it reminded him of an interaction he had when he first started talking to Uma-san. Ignoring Kokichi completely, she walked over towards Shuichi, grabbing him by the shoulders. She looked so serious he couldn’t help but blush. “Your turn.” She said, signaling for Kokichi to shut up.
Shuichi fiddled with the brim of his hat before speaking. “Ah, ok, hello everyone. My name’s Shuichi Saihara.”
He looked up slightly to see Kokichi spit out what he had been drinking upon hearing his introduction. Kaito slapped him on the back, thinking he was trying to toy with Shuichi for calling out his lies. “O-Ouma-kun, are you okay?” Shuichi asked, drawing his hands up in surprise.
Kokichi’s face flashed with shock for only an instant before returning to the same shit eating grin he had before. “I’m great Saihara-chan! Thanks for asking!”
Shuichi blushed and looked back down. Ah, he really was trying to mess up my introduction I guess. “Well, anyways, my major is forensic science. For my two truths and a lie.. Ah.. I hope I don’t mess this up.” He smiled slightly, a light blush crossing his cheeks. “My Uncle is a detective, my parents are famous actors, and I’m planning on writing a mystery novel.”
Kokichi spit out his drink again. The whole room turned to face Kokichi this time, glaring at him for interrupting the game again. Shuichi caught his look of shock this time before his face changed. “Nishishi, sorry Saihara-chan, I just thought your lie was suuuuuuuper easy. But I’ve already gone so I’ll let someone else figure it out!”
Kaede rubbed her temple again, and Kaito piped up. “This is easy! There’s no way your parents are famous actors!”
Shuichi rubbed the back of his head, running the hair at the nape of his neck through his fingertips. “Ah, sorry Momota-kun, but that was the truth.” Kaito fell to the floor, his face filled with dejection. Kaede raised her hands and walked over to comfort him. “It’s ok Kaito! That’s what I thought it was too. Shuichi, since there’s only two left, why don’t you tell us which was the lie and then Kaito can have his turn?” Shuichi smiled, wondering if Kokichi had truly guessed correctly. “The lie was that I’m writing a mystery novel. I only enjoy reading them.”
The rest of the room took their turns, and Shuichi made a mental note that although he did make many rude and sarcastic comments, Kokichi never interrupted anyone’s turn after his own. He would have to ask him about that later. For now, though, Shuichi’s social engagement meter was drained and he felt the pull to return to his room and go to sleep. He excused himself quietly, waving goodbye to Kaede and Kaito, who he seemed to hit it off with slightly, and returned to his room. While getting ready for bed, he checked his messages. He was happy to see an unread message from Uma-san.
FishyAroma: You worry too much Saihara-chan! Go out and have fun! I have to focus on my novel tonight anyways.
Shuichi smiled to himself, wondering how much progress Uma-san had made on his novel and when he would be able to finally read it. He wondered if it would live up to the expectations- he had been waiting for it for over a year after all. He settled on trying to guess the setting of Uma-san’s novel, and swiftly fell asleep as the ideas danced around in his head.