Mizuki felt a jab in her stomach. She stared blankly at Umi, who lay on top of the glazed tiles. Her white underwear showed through her drenched uniform. A tiny pink ribbon was sewn on the bridge of her bra.

The three teenagers were still, looking at the motionless body in front of them. Time seemed to stop as the pool surface glistened. A trail of water gleamed on the freshly scrubbed floor and a ragged mop was propped against the wall.

•

Mizuki stood up. Looking out of the window, she brushed her hair behind her ear, even though there was not a single strand out of place.

•

Everyone was silent until someone asked, ‘Is that blood?’

The water around Umi’s legs had started to turn red. They turned to each other. No one knew what to do. And then, all of a sudden, one of the boys — Umi’s boyfriend — lunged forward and tore her shirt.

‘What are you doing?’ Mizuki shouted.

He glared at her. ‘Can’t you tell? I’m trying to make this look like a robbery.’

She went quiet, dumbfounded.

‘Stop giving me that look. Do you want to be tried for murder?’ He turned to the other boy. ‘Get Umi’s bag and take out her wallet.’

The other boy did as instructed.

‘Mizuki, you keep a look-out in case anyone comes.’

But she was unable to move. She just stood and watched the scene unfolding in front of her. To make the robbery scenario more convincing, the boys slammed Umi’s head on the pool edge a couple of times. All the while, Mizuki remained rooted to the ground. The noises around her grew faint and distant.

For a moment, she felt as if she had been removed to another dimension. She was on her sofa in her living room, watching the gruesome scene on the television. Next to her, Umi was munching a pack of seaweed-flavoured Calbee Potato Chips.

‘What are they doing?’ Umi sneered. ‘Those kids are crazy, aren’t they?’

Mizuki didn’t respond. She was too fixated on the screen.

Umi reached for the remote control. ‘I don’t like this show. Let’s watch something else.’

•

Mizuki turned to Shoji.

‘I was in a daze. They had to pull me out of the building. All of us went to a nearby river. The boys dropped the duplicate key and Umi’s wallet into a black plastic bag. They filled the bag with rocks and threw it into the water.’ She stood and looked out of the window. ‘I don’t remember how I got home. Everything was hazy.’

Shoji kept quiet.

‘Do you know how long it takes to lose consciousness under water?’

He didn’t answer.