(I want to thank you guys for all the encouraging reviews once again, glad you're enjoying this and hope I don't disappoint.)

Every day after class, Pippi Osu and Ryuto Ippongo would make their way to the school's computer lab to spend a couple of hours unwinding with some computer games. They would usually be discussing strategies or bragging to each other about which high score they've beaten. This time however, the mood was bleak as they instead discussed recent events.

"Class just isn't the same anymore," Pippi began. "It's ridiculous, we now have four vacant desks, and there are flowers on two of them."

"I know right?" Ryuto agreed. "Oka jumping was a real shock too. She even left a note before that. The girls who usually hang out on the roof were the first to find it beside her shoes when they went up there yesterday."

"Well, few people even knew what was going on in that girl's head anyway," said Pippi, before diverting into the ladies' room as they passed it. "You go ahead to the lab first, I need the restroom."

Ryuto nodded and continued straight ahead. However, he had barely taken two steps when he heard Pippi's scream coming from the restroom. He spun on his heel to see her dashing out of there towards him. She grabbed onto him, burying her face in his shoulder. He immediately put a comforting arm around her.

"Ryuto! The- there's a dead girl in there! I think sh- she's from our club…"

"What?!"

At an angle, Ryuto could see part of a stiff corpse covered in burn marks lying on the ground through the restroom's entrance. He held on tighter to Pippi, rather traumatized by the sight himself.

"Was it… an accident?"

"I- I don't know!" Replied Pippi, clearly still very upset. "Why do these things keep happening?!"

Ryuto took a deep breath. "L- Let's get out of here…"

The police were soon called after a teacher discovered the charred body in the restroom. It appeared as if the dead student, identified as Midori Gurin, had attempted to operate the light switch of the restroom after its wall plate had been removed, resulting in her electrocution. Unable to find the one responsible and conclude if it was deliberate murder, the police ended the investigation and the students were released from school.

As Shima left with her club members, the morning's events that took place in her class played in her head.

"I'm telling you guys! I was the first one on the roof yesterday, and I saw her coming from the corner where we found Oka's shoes and running towards the opposite stairway," Midori's classmates gave her and one another weary looks as she babbled on. "I don't know her name, but I'm sure she was the same girl I saw being weird around Osana on Monday."

"Seriously, Midori? You shouldn't be stirring stuff up by saying these things," said Haruto Yuto.

"Yeah, and besides, it's already been confirmed that Kokona was the one who murdered Osana," Yui Rio added.

"I know, I know…" Midori groaned. "I forgot all about that girl after Kokona's arrest, but I just found it strange after I saw her again on the roof."

From past experiences, Midori's classmates have known her to be someone who loved to just talk, regardless of whether she made any sense or not, so it was no surprise that they didn't take her seriously and just assumed that she just wanted to be part of the recent happenings.

"Oh come on, you believe me, right Shima?"

Shima sighed. "Midori, I- I don't know…"

"Why her, of all people?" Shima asked herself with a troubled expression.

"Hey, I know Midori was your classmate. I'm sorry," Juku said to her.

Shima looked around at her team. "Midori wouldn't shut up this morning about how she suspected that there's another girl involved in the recent deaths in our school. Isn't it strange that she died right after school today?"

The rest of them glanced at one another, wide-eyed.

"So, does that mean she was actually killed after all?" Sho asked.

Shima nodded, a look of remorse crossing her face. "It's very likely. I wish we had believed her."

"Whoever it was would have murdered her either way, Shima," Mina said to ease her guilt. "But yes, this is definitely strange. Who is this person and what is her motive?"

Juku looked confused. "Hang on, so Oka Ruto didn't jump? But it really did seem like it."

"Would anyone even know why she would jump in the first place?" Sho enquired. "I heard that the note she left was well-written, but very vague."

"Wasn't she the president of her own club? Maybe we can get some information before we draw any conclusions. We'll probably be able to find some of the ex-members around school though the club has been disbanded," Mina suggested. She then let out a sigh, her eyes downcast. "This makes me fear for our own club. I mean, if they don't find Budo soon…"

The rest of the team echoed her mood.

"As much as I don't want to think about it, I must agree that anything might have happened," Sho grimly added.

Shima nearly began to tear up. "What? No, I don't believe it! Budo can't be… He'll come back… right?"

"I'm sorry, but it's a possibility we need to consider," Mina replied her in a gentle but regretful tone.

Juku pulled Shima into a hug as he spoke up. "I get you, Budo taught us everything we know. I- really have no idea what we'd do without him."

Sho exhaled loudly. "Well then, what would Budo say if he saw us moping like this?"

Mina turned to Sho, a light smile forming on her face. "You're right. There's something more to what's been going on at our school. If he were here, he'd want us to stop moping and find out what that is."

"You seriously need to chill for awhile. People are getting suspicious, and like I said, I CAN'T and WON'T be there to cover for you every time you mess up."

Ayano resisted the urge to fling her phone against the wall. Her hand visibly trembled with rage and anxiety as she clutched it tightly, re-reading the text again before pacing up and down her basement in agitation, in full view of her captives.

"I- I didn't have a choice… I h- had to…" she muttered to herself. "That stupid brat was telling everyone that she saw me! I couldn't let her identify me… I couldn't let her see me again… They mustn't suspect a thing… S- Senpai… mustn't suspect a thing…"

Saki nervously eyed the dagger in Ayano's other hand. Ayano clearly wasn't happy about things not going the way she wanted them too, and she was most certainly going to take it out on them. Saki then tensed up, dreading what was to come as Ayano approached her. Budo was scared for Saki as he observed Ayano silently, knowing that she wasn't all there.

"Find this interesting, don't you?" Ayano's flustered expression changed to a smile as she ran her fingers over the weapon. "We'll have some fun with it…"

*CRUNCH*

Budo couldn't help but cringe at Saki's disturbing, almost heart-breaking scream as Ayano slammed the handle of the dagger into the back of her hand. It was apparent that Saki couldn't take much more of Ayano's torture. At that point, he didn't care what happened to him – he had to divert Ayano's attention away from Saki.

"You're nothing but a coward, Ayano!" He spoke up to provoke her, aware of her current state of mind. "You had a choice, and you make that choice to start what you did. You say you're doing all this for Taro, but he could never love someone like you. You're disgusting!"

Budo immediately found the blade at his throat.

"That mouth of yours, honestly!" Ayano snapped. "You're tired of living already, aren't you?"

Saki let out a gasp. "No… don't… please…"

Budo only shot her a cold glare. "Do you really believe I'm afraid, Ayano?"

Ayano chuckled. "You're right, I'm not letting you off that easily... but don't worry, I would never hurt Senpai…"

"You… little- Argh!"

"Oh, Budo…" Ayano sighed. "Did you think I was just going to let you call me names?"

She watched him squirm as she ran the blade along his forearm all the way down to his wrist, drawing blood that soaked his sleeve where she had cut. In spite of the pain he was in, Budo knew he couldn't let Ayano win. He had to be strong, for himself and for Saki.

Just looking at what Budo was going through made Saki feel as if the dagger was cutting her too, and it was cutting her deep. It was hurting her more than it should, and so much so that it took her attention away from the throbbing pain in her hand. Perhaps she wasn't really thinking straight after enduring Ayano's torture every day, but she even entertained the idea that she'd rather go through more of it herself, instead of having to watch him suffer. It appeared that he had saved her a significant amount of pain this time by taking it himself and she knew she could never thank him enough for it.

Exhaustion was taking over, but she willed herself to stay conscious, afraid of what might happen if she wasn't awake, and so that she could be there for him, especially in his current situation. She needed him to keep her going – that was for certain, and he now needed her too.