Senji sat alone in his room contemplating what to do. He thought about what Kaito was saying. How he wanted to conduct his own investigation based on his theory that somebody at their own school was behind the murders. It seemed a stretch at first but the more he thought about it, the more plausible it seemed. So he decided to stick by his best friend's decision and lend his aid to the investigation. Starting tomorrow he would stick with Kaito while he conducted his research into this theory. It did have him worried though. The possibility that, should he find the culprit without even realizing it, would he then be targeted to prevent the truth from potentially getting out? But that would break the streak of victims as Kaito is definitely not a girl. He decided to shove that thought aside for now to focus on his homework.
Nearly an hour later the doorbell rang. Hinaka was out with her friends so Senji was all alone at the house. He went to answer the door. Kaito, Aoi and Daiki were all standing there. Senji was surprised by this sudden visit.
"Hey man. Mind if we come in?" Kaito asked.
"Uh yeah sure." Senji replied.
The group had collectively gathered in Senji's room. Kaito explained what he had told Senji before about his theory and desiring to conduct his own investigation. Of course Daiki and Aoi were both stunned by his bold idea and commended him for it.
"So... I am wanting each of you, my dear friends, to assist me in this process. You all have classes with different people that not all of us are in contact with. Start there. Weed out the innocent or unknowing ones. Or... You all can simply follow my lead. I'm sure most of the students, at least the girls, would gladly give me the time of day to answer some simple questions. I've seen enough crime dramas to know how to find a killer. It won't be obvious so we just need to look for signs. Hesitation. Tells. Anxiety. Things like that. Make sense?" Kaito explained.
Senji, Aoi and Daiki all nodded their heads.
"I see I see. If the killer truly is within our school among us students then surely if feeling any kind of minute pressure, they may show a sign or two that seems suspicious. Makes sense. I think?" Aoi said.
"I'm with you buddy!" Daiki added giving a thumbs up.
Daiki had no clue how he would go about any of this so would actually just be trailing behind Kaito like a lapdog. Aoi would be doing the same. Investigating was out of his forte.
"Y-yeah. You're the leader of this so we'll follow along." Senji stated.
"Thanks guys. Surely with our small but close-knit group taking the lead here... We must come up with something. Once again if my theory is proven wrong then it's whatever. Bring out the confetti and celebrate. Should the police and that detective find them. But I think my theory is solid enough."
The group was in agreement. With that settled they decided since they all were together that it was time to break out the video games to kill the remainder of their evening and enjoy some competitive cart racing. Aoi would come out on top by the end of the tournament.
The next day at school the investigation was on. The earliest and best place to start was before classes would start. Kaito and crew approached a group of girls chatting away in the cafeteria. He made sure to keep his usual demeanor. The girls flocked to him right away.
"Alright. So I gotta' ask each of you a few questions. What do you all like to do outside of school in your free time? Are you all involved in any extra-curricular activities? And... Is there anyone at school that you vehemently dislike?" Kaito asked.
The girls all had to think for a moment. They clearly seemed like very close friends and didn't evoke anything strange to Kaito.
"I just lounge around at home."
"I'm in poetry I guess?"
"I practice cutting hair since I wanna' be a hairdresser after I graduate."
"Um I ride my bike to stay in shape so I don't get fat."
"Not really."
"Nah. They're my only friends anyway so I don't talk to anyone else."
"A few of the boys in gym class can be creepers but they know I'd like, totally knock their teeth out if they tried anything. I'm not interested in them."
All normal answers. Nothing out of the ordinary noted by Kaito and the boys. Keeping a mental notebook of their responses, Kaito nods and waves a hand to them.
"Cool. Thanks for your time ladies."
They all waved as Kaito and the crew left them alone after his little interrogation. With a few more students in the cafeteria, Kaito went to speak to them individually but turned out no results. It was time to venture out in the hallways. By the time the first bell rang, Kaito had spoken to just over a dozen students in the hallways with no progress made. Nobody showed any signs or tells of suspicion.
"Well shit. We got nothin' this time. Let us regroup after lunch and continue. One step at a time guys." Kaito stated.
"Not a bad first start I'd say. Your natural charisma is really paying off here Kaito. Still a shame we didn't get anything so far." Senji chuckled shrugging his shoulders.
"Just need to be patient is all. Alright let's split."
Kaito and the gang with their heads low but spirits held high, headed off to their classes.
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
Senji needed to start taking his extracurricular seriously now that he had been in for some time. And that was the art club. His first project being a new member was to simply paint a portrait of something he admired or loved. Days had gone by where he meticulously applied paint to brush then brush to canvas. He sat in the far corner to keep his work a secret from the other members. While he was adding the finishing touches, Akashi and Nanami approached him quietly.
"Heya there pal. How's the portrait coming along?" Akashi blurted out.
Nanami jabbed him in the side.
"Hush. He's clearly in the zone you idiot. Never. Ever. Break an artists concentration. You know this." She jeered.
"S-sorry. He's been at it since his first day and I was just wondering. That's all."
"Well I am too but I'm patiently waiting for him to let me or Miss Fujiwaka know."
"By the way where is she anyway? I know Machi had some homework to do so she couldn't show."
"Fujiwaka went to go eat out with Koyami remember? She told us on Friday."
"For real??"
"Don't get any ideas now. They're just friends you weirdo. Nothing more."
"Oh bullshit and you know it. She constantly brings up Koyami whenever the opportunity arises. They're totally dating."
"I- Ugh. It's your fault that rumor spread around the club and school."
"It's juicy! And people love to gossip."
Even amidst the constant chatter between the couple, Senji set his brush down and stood up. He stepped back from the easel. A confident smile on his face. Akashi and Nanami glanced over to him. Nanami was smiling.
"Oooh are you finally done Senji?" Nanami asked.
Senji nodded quietly.
"Y..yeah I think so. Um. See for yourselves. I hope it turned out well." He murmured.
Eager to see the result, Nanami rushed over tugging Akashi's wrist to drag him over as well. Both of their eyes went wide. The painting was a self-portrait of none other then Ayame. Everything from the bangs of her hair to her cold, violet eyes was perfectly detailed down to a tee. She was smiling in the portrait. Nanami immediately turned around and pressed her hands down on Senji's shoulders.
"Senji this is amazing! I-I thought you were just painting the sculpture over there or maybe something simple like a sakura tree. But I wasn't expecting a girl!" Nanami said, delight in her voice.
"Dude I know this chick. She... She looks really beautiful in this. Damn. Nice work!" Akashi said turning to give a thumbs up.
Senji could feel his cheeks getting warm. He scratched the back of his head.
"Heh. Yeah well, I just went off of memory for it. We're uh... Also kind of dating too so..." He murmured.
"Aw this is adorable! You totally need to show her this! Fujiwaka is going to love this too! You're a natural Senji! Looks like you picked the right club after all!" Nanami smiled brightly as she spoke.
"Thanks. Yeah I think I will. I'll bring her by tomorrow after classes to show her."
"That sound great! Fujiwaka will be here too so you can get her opinion and grade on it."
Senji threw a big cloth over the painting to cover it up for now. With his first project complete he grabbed his backpack then left the art room to head home. Kaito was unable to get anything useful out of his investigation so it would have to continue on tomorrow. He hoped that during the week something would come out of this personal quest of his. He was happy but also nervous to see how Ayame would react to his portrait of her. Would she like it? Would it seem too much considering they haven't dated long? These questions would linger all the way into the night by the time he was ready for bed.
Sitting outside of a cafe smoking a cigarette, Katashi was pondering where to take the investigation next. Isamu stepped out of the cafe with a coffee in his hand. He joined Katashi at the table, sipping on the coffee to get that dose of caffeine he needs every morning. Katashi took a puff of his cigarette then looked up at Isamu.
"Hey. Any idea what our next move is detective?" Isamu asked.
"Well... We've already extinguished our resources. The parents of the victims. So I think we need to take a new approach my friend..." Katashi muttered.
"Oh?"
"...The school. The parents all gave us good information that connected a pattern to these murders. All high school girls with relatively healthy social lives and active school lives. Not all of them were sports stars or straight-A students but it's not like any of them were shut-ins. Every victim had friends. So with our notes we've gathered, we have the names of each friend and teacher each of the victims knew. Might be time to take this investigation directly to the school and start talking to these students. They might give us more insight into their social lives then what we got from the parents. Not every parent is gonna' know everything their kid does outside of home and their classes."
"Hmm. I see. That seems like the most logical step forward. You think... And I know this might be a stretch but... You think the killer is someone from the school?"
"It's not that big of a stretch. Maybe some of these girls harassed a poor student and drove them to violence. Maybe one of the teachers or staff has it out for the female students. All possibilities. And frankly I don't know where the hell else we could go for this investigation."
"Eh got me there. This feels above my payroll if I'm to be honest. Without you here we at the department would be at a total loss. So when are we going?"
"Soon. Need my caffeine..."
"And your nicotine?"
"...Shut up."
Isamu chuckled hoping to lift their spirits in these dire times. The two spoke a little more of their personal lives to pass the time before the next step of their journey. Taking this investigation to Nakamura High School.
Senji followed behind his friends during their stroll towards the gymnasium. Leagues of students all marched the same way. A few teachers stood on the sidelines guiding everyone along the way. It was Friday and the principal was holding an assembly addressing the recent events in Nakamura. Upon reaching the gymnasium Senji's attention was caught immediately. Leaning against the wall near the gymnasium was Ayame. Her eyes met his. He broke from the group to approach her.
"Hey there! Were you uh... Were you waiting for me?" Senji asked.
Ayame silently nodded, grabbing his hand tightly. He felt his heart racing but smiled to hide how nervous he felt.. He was still getting adjusted mentally to being in a relationship but also was worried about the assembly considering the subject matter.
"I-I'll take that as a yes. Sit with me?" Senji stammered.
"Yes." Ayame murmured.
Locking hands, Senji and Ayame entered the gymnasium. Inside, the bleachers had been set up facing the middle of the room where a small stage had been setup complete with speakers and a microphone. Locating Kaito and the others, Senji headed up there and grabbed a spot next to him. Ayame sat opposite of him, her grip on his hand tightly. She was beginning to feel anxiety ramping up being surrounded by crowds of students chatting and bickering. She scooted closer until her shoulder rubbed against Senji's. He looked at her. He could see the mental fatigue in her eyes.
"So many people... So much talking... I hate this." Ayame muttered.
"It's okay. I'm here. Just try and focus on the speaker and drown out everyone else." Senji said to reassure her.
"R... Right."
Down on the stage, principal Tanaka joined by the vice principal and the student guidance councilor had stepped up. He tapped the mic gently sending a ringing through the speakers. Every student shut up at this point. All of the teachers had found their spots at the bottoms of the bleachers. All eyes were on Tanaka and the two beside him. He was about to speak, clearing his throat. It was time to address the crisis affecting not only the school itself but the entire town and every resident within it.