A/N: This is set after the final episode of the anime. So this will contain spoilers if you haven't watched it yet. You've been warned!
DOUBLE MURDER!
This morning, a 17 year old female was found dead on the rooftop of Sakakino Academy. The cause of death is not yet known but it is known that the body was mutilated. Police also responded to a call to the residence of a male 17 year old student who also attended the same Academy. Police say that the boy was likely stabbed to death, but was also decapitated soon after-
I threw the paper away without finishing reading, disgusted by the what I just read. I couldn't believe it.
Two students from our school dead in one night. What in the world happened?! I rose from the table that I was sitting at in order to get ready for school. I felt a sense of dread creep into my mind for some reason, but I didn't know that was a sign of what awaited me…
-School-
No one in my class dared mentioning the names of either of them, but Saionji Sekai and Itou Makoto. Everyone attended school that day, only to hear the grisly news. When I heard Itou and Sekai's names, my heart sank. They were both in my class.
I looked over at Sawanaga Taisuke. The poor guy was really out of it. I heard he was shot down by Katsura Kotonoha from the next class multiple times, and now he lost his best friend. I just hope he doesn't kill himself over this. Then again, he's not the only one.
This class went through a lot this term… Class Rep moving without saying anything. Itou getting Saionji pregnant and had the nerve to cheat on her with many girls, and now this... Man it's almost like being in this class was cursed. I wonder how Class Rep would respond if she heard that her best friend was murdered as well as her boyfriend.
I sat down at my seat that was close to the open door and sighed. I knew that classes were going to be canceled because of Sekai's death, but why were we supposed to come still? It was then I overheard something from two people walking past that caught my interest.
"Strange that Katsura-san didn't come today, it's like she's responsible for what happened." one of the two said.
"That timid little girl? Impossible, she isn't capable of doing something like that." the other said before both began to laugh.
Hearing this made my entire body stiffen and make my mind blank. I heard that Itou once was going out with Katsura, but then he went to Saionji. Plus hearing Sawanaga claiming that Itou and Katsura were still together, despite the fact that I myself personally witnessed just how romantically close he and Saionji were seemed to validate what I had begun to expect before the whole "Makoto's Harem" incident.
Itou Makoto cheated on Katsura with Saionji and then betrayed her with many others. Girls say that men think only about sex all the time. To be honest, I have an theory of how the whole incident occurred related about that saying...
Makoto wasn't satisfied enough sexually and began to have sex with as many girls who were willing. I regretfully knew this from first hand experience. During my last two terms in middle school, I became sexually active with my ex-girlfriend. At first I was content with only her, but then I done it with her sister, who also fell in love with me. After that, things just went out of control afterwards. I stopped what I was doing after my girlfriend committed suicide by jumping from the top of the school in the middle of class. After that, I had to move to the next prefecture as everyone, in or out of school, saw me as an animal. I was lucky that no one that I was with gotten pregnant, otherwise I might've ended up just like Itou. I might sound selfish, but I acknowledge that what I've done is unforgivable.
I also heard rumors about Katsura being "weird" recently. She'd just stare at my classroom when she was outside during Gym class. Denying that nothing has happened. Things that made her seem like she was not all there.
If that's true, then she was possibly emotionally deranged because of Itou cheating on her with Saionji and she found out the hard way, and then the whole child incident. That can bring someone over the edge if you don't do anything to help her. It could lead her to kill the one she love as well as the one who he was with out of being possessive or jealous.
The bell that signaled the start of class began. Our homeroom sensei came in with three police officers.
Everyone fell silent and stared with anxiety.
Sensei sighed before he spoke.
"First off, I'm deeply sorry to say that both Saionji Sekai and Itou Makoto are no longer with us." he began, "As such, not attending school for the rest of this week because of this will not result in consequences, as long as it's to grieve and you can prove that it is the cause. Those who try to capitalize on this will be punished severely."
Everyone in the class remained silent.
"Anyway, these three good men that are with us today are from the police that are investigating the incidents, and are here to question you about both Saionji-san and Itou-san. As such, all classes today and tomorrow will be cancelled so that you can focus on helping out the officers finding out who or what was the cause for the deaths of two bright minds who met an untimely end."
I shifted nervously. I felt that feeling of dread reappear. I got up and ran out the door, ignoring the cries of the officers and Sensei telling me to stop. My mind was telling me to do something about this.
I had to find her. She needed my help badly. She needed someone to be with her. Someone to help her cope. Every fiber of my body was screaming to do something, anything to help her out.
I never even told my best friend about this… But I'm like Sawanaga, I was also in love with Katsura Kotonoha.
I knew about Katsura ever since my freshman year in high school. Of course, the trauma over my girlfriend's suicide was what prevented me from even approaching her, especially when Saionji and Itou began to look like an item.
I was running as fast as I could towards the Katsura residence after riding the train. I stood at the front door and rang the doorbell.
A young girl that looked like Katsura opened the door, showing signs that she was crying.
"May I help you?" she asked in a depressed tone.
I nodded. "Is Katsura Kotonoha home?" I asked politely.
The girl's eyes widen before closing the door on me. I could her crying loudly as she ran away. I rang the door bell again. Several moments went by before it opened again, this time a man who had Katsura's hair color and ice blue eyes. This man was obviously Mr. Katsura, Kotonoha's father.
"What do you want? You've came at a terrible time." he said with a hint of anger. His eyes showed that he was mentally fatigued, obviously worried over something greatly.
"I'm looking for Katsura Kotonoha-san, she didn't come to school and I was worried about her." I lied slightly, not wanting to give him the real reason for why I came.
Mr. Katsura was taken back by this.
"You are looking for Kotonoha?" he asked skeptically.
I only nodded in response. The man's face saddened as he looked down slightly.
"She never returned home from visiting Makoto-san last night." he admitted in a worried tone.
"Umm… sir, have you heard about what happened last night?" I questioned cautiously, knowing that I was going to tread onto thin ice now.
"About the two murders at Sakakino Academy? Yes, I am aware of it, but I am really hoping that Kotonoha isn't the girl who was murdered. She had so much to live for. Hearing just a snippet of news was too much for me to find out further" he said, fearing the worst.
"Relax, Katsura-san, She's likely to be alive… the girl who died at the school was Saionji Sekai. As for the boy…" I fell silent.
The old man relaxed for a moment before tensing again.
"Is the decapitated boy Itou Makoto?" he asked, his tone questioning.
I lowered my head in guilt. The feeling of dread once again gained a foothold in my mind. My silence also served as confirmation of what he asked.
"…I…I see…" Mr. Katsura said softly, looking at me with some sadness. "He was a good boy, even if he made some mistakes, but in the end he came back to my daughter."
It was now my turn to be taken back by what was just said. "Wait… you mean that Itou-san and Katsura-san got back together? Even after all that happened!?"
The old man nodded.
This revelation changed how I thought what happened. If Itou and Katsura were back together before Itou was murdered, then Katsura wouldn't kill him because of that. It would've been someone else he spurned. The list was very, very long of who was responsible.
"Thank you for your time, Katsura-san." I said politely as I bowed to him before leaving.
"Wait. Can I ask you something?" Mr. Katsura called out after I turned around and took a few steps.
"Sure, what is it that you want to say, sir?" I asked, halting my walk.
"If you find Katsura-san, please be with her for moral support, she'll be devastated over the news about Sekai and Makoto's deaths." he asked. "You're a good person to check on Kotonoha."
I stood there in silence, taking in what I just heard.
"Please…" he pleaded.
I waved a hand without turning around.
"I can't promise you that, but I'll try." I said before walking off, leaving the Katsura residence.
"Wait, try the docks. She and Makoto were going to be on the yacht we own," Mr. Katsura said. "Please wait for a moment."
I turned around and walked back to the door after it closed. The old man then reemerged a few minutes later and handed me a piece of paper.
"That has the yacht's name, where it's at, and how to get there from here."
I nodded and studied what was written down. Had a little trouble trying to read the name, as it was in English, but I made sure to memorize it.
"Thank you very much sir. I'll do my best in finding Kotonoha-san." I said, thanking the father of the missing girl.
-The Docks-
It was gone. The yacht that belonged to the Katsura family was missing. I was too late… Katsura might be out at sea now, alone…
I noticed some crimson droplets next to me. It like it was there for only a few hours, but was still damp.
I then looked down and noticed that there was a bloody handprint on a pillar where the boat would be tied to. I placed my hand on the bloody handprint, smearing it slightly and getting some of the blood onto the palm and fingertips of my hand.
Kotonoha was definitely here. This also meant that she was gone. And the bloody handprint gave rise to something that I was starting to fear, but it also confirmed that she was very involved with the murders in some way.
I heard sirens in the distance and looked around. I panicked and went onto a nearby boat. Without thinking, I undid the rope that secured it and started the engine. I was lucky that the owner left the keys in the ignition. I knew how to drive a boat a little, but not a fancy speedboat. I scrapped the boat against another while backing up. I revved up the engine and then sped off from the docks, just as the police arrived, unbelievably failing to notice the boat that was fleeing, the engine roaring loudly as it moved the boat at top speed.
A few minutes passed before realization came to mind.
I;ve stolen a boat, damaged it and another, ran from authorities, and tampered with evidence, on top of running from class without saying anything. I'm now so screwed…
-Several hours later-
I was mistaken. NOW I'm officially screwed. Land was nowhere in sight, I'm lost at see, and to make things worse, I ran out of fuel and have only half a day's worth of food and water. At least the weather was calm…
I grumbled as I laid down on the deck, staring at the blue sky. I think I messed up big time now. Not only am I lost at sea, I'm still in trouble with the law if anyone finds me out here alive. I laughed bitterly at the thought. The class definitely will have one hell of a term to remember now. I just added on to the list of incidents that happened at the school.
I heard groaning. I sat upright and looked around. I checked almost the entire boat, it was expensive and had a tiny kitchen, small bedroom and even came with a toilet. I didn't check the bedroom as I was too busy looking out for Katsura's yacht.
I saw the door open and my eyes opened to see the familiar face of Kato Otome, a fellow student of Sakakino Academy. She was yawning and didn't seem to have noticed me yet. She was wearing a large white shirt that covered her panties easily. I began to panic before she looked at me with her eyes, which were somewhat drowsy still. A pregnant silence filled the air as Kato rubbed her eyes, as it she was imagining things. I gulped as I realized that I just added one more offense to my list of crimes: Kidnapping.
Kato then screamed as she ran to me.
"WHO ARE YOU?!" she demanded after tackling me to the floor.
"I'm sorry!" I cried out.
"Hold on… I know you, you're from Makoto's class…" she said as she recognized my face.
"Got that right, and you're Kato Otome of Year one of Class Three." I stated.
"What are you doing here?" she demanded.
"Long story…" I said dryly as Kato got off me. "Before we discuss anything more, I'm to blame for getting us stranded at sea…"
Kato blinked momentarily before looking at the ocean. She looked around, seeing that land was nowhere near in sight. Her face went pale after that.
"Oh no… what have you done?!" she cried out.
"A lot of things…" I quipped. Kato slapped me in anger before looking around.
"I hate you so much…" she said furiously. "You've condemned us to death…"
I looked down and fell silent. I've just did something that is almost certain death and I've dragged Kato along without knowing. The guilt was really building up badly. I just wanted to help Katsura out, but instead I made things worse for everyone.
-one day later-
Things were not going smoothly with us. I've gotten a black eye and might've gotten myself a broken rib from Kato beating me up. I didn't resist, knowing that I had deserved all of her anger in the first place.
I had to admit, Kato was lovely in how she looked when she wasn't mad, in fact she was just as lovely as Katsura in my opinion. Right now though wasn't the best of times to flatter the brown haired girl. She was still fuming over me stealing her boat and were at the sea's mercy.
Kato looked at me with a stern look as she sat in a chair in the kitchen area. She was wearing her school uniform as that's the only other outfit she had. I however was sprawled across the floor spread eagle.
"Well, since we're stuck at sea together, why don't you tell me about what made you commandeer my family's boat." she said, making it sound more like an order than a suggestion.
I gulped as I stayed put.
"About that. I freaked out when police came into my class and ran. I then came the docks and when I heard the sirens in the distance, I panicked and took your boat." I said, leaving out details about the true reason.
"Not surprised, I heard about the murders that happened the other day…" Kato said. " But I don't know who was killed…"
"It was Saionji Sekai and Itou Makoto of my class." I said.
Kato's eyes widen as she gasped in horror.
"What's wrong?" I asked, confused at her response.
"Is it true that Makoto was killed?" she asked, her face showing fear and anxiety.
I nodded slowly. I couldn't bring myself to speak as she began to cry.
"Why?! Why him?!" she bawled.
I remained silent as she cried.
"Tell me! Why did Makoto have to die?" Kato pleaded, gripping her skirt tightly as tears streamed down her face.
I realized that Kato's response was like that because she must've been in love with Itou Makoto. I sat upright, ignoring the pain in the side of my chest from the beating earlier. I then saw Kato get off her seat and threw herself into me, crying into my chest. I felt guilty over this and wrapped my arms around her, comforting her. I dragged her into this mess, so I'm responsible for her…
Damn it… why do I have a life filled with so much drama?
I looked into Kato's eyes after pushing her back a little so that she could speak. She looked up into mine, seeking comfort. I wanted to comfort her, make her feel at ease. I was responsible for making her feel that way. I leaned forward slowly as Kato closed her eyes, waiting. My lips closing in on hers.
THUD!
I backed away and we both blinked. We heard the sound of a soft collision. We scrambled to our feet and went outside. We both saw a yacht right in front of us. I looked at the side and recognized the name. Against all luck, we bumped into the yacht Kotonoha was in.
"Kato-san… we've just might been saved…" I said.
The brunette jumped in rejoice, which was unusual for her. She laughed happily as she swung her arms around my neck, prompting me to blush slightly. I broke away from Kato and began to move. I knew that the current will separate us if we don't hurry.
"Kato-san, get yourself ready." I instructed.
She simply nodded in response, but I knew she was confused by what I said.
I crawled onto the front end of the boat, holding onto a rope I plan on using to tie the boats together. I reached out and grabbed the railing of the yacht and began to tie a knot.
My dad was a bit of a nut about efficiency involving everything, so he drilled me on tying proper knots one day. I used to hate him for that. For once, I'm now grateful for what my old man did.
I crawled back and tied the other end of the rope to the railing of Kato's boat securely.
"There, now we're not going to drift away now." I stated to Kato. "I'm going to board the other boat, so you stay here."
"Got it, and be careful, I need someone to yell at." she remarked with a sly grin.
I chuckled before boarding the yacht.
When I came onto the deck, I felt the blood drain from my face while my stomach churned at the sight I saw. I was staring into the lifeless eyes of Itou Makoto's decapitated head what was affectionately held in the arms of Katsura Kotonoha, who was asleep. Not far from her was a bloodied saw next to a blue bag.
I froze in place when Katsura's eyes opened.
I finally realized that the girl I loved was more unstable and dangerous than I thought. The pieces then came into place, my suspicions confirmed. Saionji must've been killed by Katsura, who also decapitated Itou. That's the only thing I can think of that explains why she had Itou's head is in her arms and the bloodied saw.
"Who are you?" Katsura asked, confused as she sat upright, still holding the head in her arms.
"I'm a student from Itou's class." I said weakly, my eyes shifting between the girl, the severed head, and the saw. "I was worried about you."
"I see. Makoto-kun and I are doing just fine." she replied with a grin. "Thank you for checking up on us though."
"Your family is worried about you, Katsura-san." I added. "You should head home so that they know you're alright."
The black haired girl went silent after I said that. Fear began to creep into my mind as my body tensed up in anticipation. Did I step on a landmine there?! I began to fear the worst in the back of my mind.
"I see…" she said softly before turning the head she held around and looked to it. "What do you think Makoto-kun?"
I shivered and became really uneasy when Katsura kissed the severed head passionately after a few minutes of complete silence. Oh god… She was way more deranged than it even looked like.
"So… what did he say?" I asked, playing along.
" Makoto-kun said that he doesn't want to go back." she replied as she gently set the head down beside her and rose to her feet. "I want to stay with him as well."
I glanced at the saw and felt the adrenaline kick in. I watched the deranged girl step towards the saw. I knewinstinctively that she was going to kill me with that. Her eyes showed no emotion of any kind and were devoid of any life.
I had four options.
1: Let her kill me and then Kato when she finds out.
2: Run back to the boat and try to flee, but also risking Kato's life if Katsura comes on board Kato's boat.
3: Fight Katsura over the saw, which could lead to either of us dying or seriously injured.
4: Get the saw first and throw it overboard to remove the threat entirely.
Not wanting to have bloodshed, I chose the fourth choice. I lunged for the saw, succeeding in getting it before Katsura could. I then threw it overboard, hearing the splash as it went into the water. I might've gotten rid of a key piece of evidence for the murders of Itou and Saionji, but right now, I didn't care about that one bit.
Katsura blinked before looking at the head, as if wanting to know what to do now. My body became tense, fearing that she was going to do something else to kill me. I do not want to die. After a few moments, I saw her nod and turned to me with a grin.
"Makoto-kun said that he wants you to stay with us now." she said happily.
I almost did a face fault from this. She definitely isn't sane anymore for certain. Still, at least my life wasn't at risk right now. Still, I should follow along to avoid provoking her again.
"To let you know, I'm not alone." I said to Katsura.
"Who is with you?" she asked.
"Kato Otome." I said.
"Okay." Katsura replied automatically. "As long as she stays away from Makoto-kun."
I sighed in relief.
I undid the rope that tied the yacht to Kato's boat, letting it drift away. I figure it'd be pointless to have two boats. If we had a storm, we risked losing both boats if they collided with each other in the turbulent weather.
Kato was cowering behind me, horrified at the sight of Makoto's head. It took me a lot of persuading to keep the brunette from staying behind on her own boat. I can understand her feelings, but we had little choice, its either a yacht that had a lot of food that can last two weeks for four people, or a boat with no supplies and no fuel for the engine.
Also Katsura seems to be docile enough if there's nothing sharp nearby and she has the severed head in her arms. Speaking of which, she was telling stories to the head happily, ignoring both me and Kato completely.
"Why must we let her do stuff like that?" Kato asked me, sickened by the sight of Itou's head.
"As disturbed as I am with Katsura-san talking to a head, it's for our safety that we let her do that." I explained in a whisper. " She had a saw covered in blood when I first came on board."
Kato tensed as her face went pale. "You mean that she…" she began, but couldn't finish.
"Most likely, she's extremely dangerous, but if we play along with her illusion, we'll be fine." I answered.
She nodded before gulping.
"Hey, are you two lovers?" Katsura asked us.
We both blushed and panicked.
"Why do you ask that?" Kato asked without thinking.
My face went pale. That was a horrible mistake… one that could get her killed. We were not in a safe predicament right now.
"I don't want you to steal Makoto-kun away from me." she warned.
"Oh… don't worry, I'm with him." Kato replied, grabbing onto my arm and kissing my cheek.
I blushed slightly more and gulped.
"Is that true?" the deranged girl questioned.
I nodded furiously in response. Any feelings I had were not in my head, instead wanting to ensure that I survived.
"Good, I don't have to worry about you then." Katsura said, sighing in relief.
Kato and I looked at each other, both of us wondering what we're going to do now.
I'm lost at sea with a possible deranged killer, an innocent bystander that I got involved, and a severed head of a former classmate. Worst of all, we could die at any moment.
Man, I sure messed up big time.
Few Weeks Later
The news spread across the academy like wildfire. The Katsura family's yacht was found floating adrift. Police arrested the deranged Kotonoha. The news reports didn't reveal her identity, but everyone at the school knew who it was.
In addition to finding Makoto's decomposing head, two more bodies were found on the yacht, one that was Kato Otome, who had her throat slit open. The other, a boy who was only identified by his wallet. His body was dismembered, the head chopped off cumbersomely and was missing.
Those who personally knew about any of the victims or the killer were mortified by the truth once they learned it. The lively Kuroda Hikari became depressed, her attitude becoming cold and distant. Sawanaga Taisuke commited suicide by hanging himself. And it was later learned several other women had wound up pregnant after they revealed they slept with Itou Makoto.
The fallout of all this was greater than anyone expected. Due to the scandals of multiple students becoming pregnant and the fact that a serial murderer had attended there, the academy faced lawsuits and criticism, its reputation ruined completely. Due to a drastically decreased amount of students applying to attend due to rising fears and mistrust, and the backers walking out due to fear of the stigma reaching them, the academy had to close.
There we go, I just wanted to do this ever since I finished watching "School Days". This series definitely deserves way more attention than it gets. I loved that series for the drama it had, and for me, it's rare for me to cry because of an anime, but School Days is definitely one of those that make me do just that. I feel sorry for those three so badly that I actually wanted to be in there to help set things straight. However, I got the dating sim to turn to for that.
For the record, the narrator is NOT me, as I wanted to write it in a way that was different than my other stories.
I hope you enjoyed reading this. Please write a review, I want to know what I need to do in order to become better at writing. Constructive criticism is encouraged as well.
Update Notes: For any returning fans from the original Searching, welcome back after so long. To everyone new, thank you for checking me out. Hope you're enjoying things. For those readers who are from my Misplaced Hero series, I'm not going to be silly here. With this story, I will be more professional here.
At first I couldn't find the muse to work on this story again, but I decided to after I had a few requests I added a bit more to the story, tweaked a few things, as well as added a new ending to fit the dating sim origins of School Days, and more are coming with the other chapters. But it's been mostly preserved for the most part. Partly to give a window to newer readers a look into the past with how I wrote my stories.
Like in the original note, I hope you take the time to leave a review. The feedback I do get is still invaluable, and even after all these years, I strive to improve myself further today. Keep in mind how I write now is different than how this story is. Searching was originally my first attempt at being more professional with my writing, as well as doing a fan continuation type of story.
Hope you enjoyed, and hope to see you next chapter.