Sorry about the long wait (again). College and life sucks.
EDIT: I wasn't aware that my Chapter 9 had accidentally been deleted! i must have done something wrong. I've re-uploaded the chapter.
Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN DETECTIVE SCHOOL Q.
Chapter 9: Who stole what, I wonder
"I see."
Ryu looked at Kyu and Megu, who were sitting unhappily on the couch. "That's quite a theory."
"But it's still a theory," groaned Kyu. "We haven't got any proof."
"That's right," Megumi added. "And we can't just demand that Asano-san undergo medical tests from out of the blue, not without revealing our identities as members of DDS."
The rest of the DDS members looked just as troubled by the new information. Ryu had not even bothered to sit down, preferring to simply stand by the coffee table as he questioned Kyu and Megu further about what the accused stable boy had said. Kinta, while lounging on a cushy armchair, looked visibly agitated, his brows knitting together in an effort to think. Kazuma was recording all the new data into his laptop, his glasses slowly sliding down his nose as he hunched slightly over the keyboard.
Shizuko, who had taken over another armchair, rested her chin in her palm thoughtfully. "For something that happened in an important establishment, I'm surprised the police didn't take all possibilities into account."
"They probably just wanted the case to be over as quickly as possible," muttered Kinta, crossing his arms in annoyance. "Incompetent little…" he continued to say under his breath.
"Do you think we should just wait for something to happen?" Kazuma asked. "The way we're headed, we're still in almost the same boat as the police."
"We're only lucky that nothing seriously life-threatening has happened yet. There's a chance that the missing horse can be recovered. However, I'm hoping that the culprit doesn't try anything drastic," Ryu said, looking at Kyu and Megu. "The way things are going; do you think the owner's life is in danger?"
"No way," Kazuma scoffed. "It looks to me that they want the club closed, not the owner killed. Maybe the culprit knows the owner personally."
"Okay, so they want the club closed, but for what reason?" Megu asked, leaning back on the couch she and Kyu were sitting on.
"That's probably the most important question right now," Kyu agreed. "Why would they even want this place closed down? It seems like a lot of bother to me, after all the hard work put into this."
"Personal vendetta?" Shizuko suggested.
"Jealousy?" Megu proposed.
"Business rivalry?" Kazuma said with a shrug.
"Sick of it all?" Kinta put in.
"That's probably just you, Kinta," Shizuko sighed.
"Maybe we should stick to 'personal vendetta' and 'business rivalry'…" Ryu said.
"Maybe I can get a good start on 'personal vendetta'," Kazuma suddenly said. He began typing furiously on his computer. "I'm sure even a high-class place like this has had a couple of issues in the past. Maybe searching the news and articles could help. There could even be really old issues between business partners that just got carried over, so I'll do more research on the owners."
"Excellent, Kazuma," Shizuko grinned. "What would we do without you?"
"Well, I am a genius, after all," Kazuma said smugly.
"Brat," Kinta said, pulling the younger boy's hat over his eyes.
"KINTA!" The young "genius" screeched, trying to adjust his hat again.
Shizuko proceeded to peek at Kazuma's laptop screen, craning her neck so that her head was hanging upside down in front of the screen. "Hmm, interesting."
"What is it?" Ryu asked.
"I see a bunch of sites dedicated to pet ownership. Hmm, 'How to Teach your Dog to Use a Computer', 'Is Your Dog Technology-compatible?', 'My Dog peed on my Laptop'…"
Class Q erupted into peals of laughter. Ryu simply chuckled behind his fist in an attempt to stay polite.
"That's a lie!" Kazuma protested, finally getting his hat off and glaring at Kinta. "This is all your fault."
"I wasn't the one who said it," Kinta said, raising his hands feebly in a gesture of mock surrender.
"Well, I wasn't lying about the pet ownership sites," Shizuko grinned.
"Glad to see I have such good friends," Kazuma said sarcastically.
"Your little computer genius does have good friends," A sly voice spoke out of the shadows later that evening as Shizuko stepped onto the front porch to relax on the swing. "I'm sure a good thief comes in very handy indeed."
Needless to say, Shizuko stiffened. "Senpai?"
A tuft of white-blond hair appeared mockingly around the corner of the house, followed by a smirking face.
Fujiwara Kenichi had made yet another appearance.
Shizuko glared at him, then looked into the window to check of any of the Class Q members were within earshot. Finding them all preoccupied, she turned to face him again.
"You were listening to us?" She hissed at him, trying to keep her volume as low as possible in order anyone else from overhearing.
"It's difficult not to when you're in the neighborhood," he said innocently.
"Liar. We kept the windows closed. You were spying on us."
"And if I was?"
"You…That's not very polite." Shizuko argued lamely.
"I am far from polite, Shizuko-chan. Politeness and I are about a hundred miles apart."
"So I can see. I wish it were the case with me."
"You hurt me, princess."
"The feeling's mutual."
Kenichi leaned carefully on the opposite end of the porch swing. "What will it take for you to admit the truth to your new friends?"
"And ruin what I've tried so hard not to reveal? Kenichi-senpai, you ask the impossible."
"Am I to assume you haven't stolen a thing from anyone since you broke ties with our little gang?"
"I wasn't the only thief in the gang. So were you, remember?"
"But you could almost literally get into anything."
"You too, senpai."
"Hmm, fine, I'll take that as a compliment. Not that I needed it, I know I am one hell of an incredible being."
"Arrogant ba—"
"You don't want to finish that word," Kenichi grinned.
Shizuko shut her mouth.
"So, my little princess of thieves, I'm here to extend my offer of help yet again. Same price."
"No discount? I'm sure old goods put back on the market are supposed to have discount prices."
"Clever retort, but there won't be any haggling when Fujiwara Kenichi is salesman."
"Any reason why I should buy your product?"
"Reliability, a detailed user manual of inside information and a lifetime warranty?"
"Not when said life is short." Shizuko rolled her eyes.
"I happen to have a very long life line," Kenichi said, opening his palm to her. "You said so yourself years ago."
Shizuko's eyes raked along the crisscross lines on his palm, sighing heavily as she continued to stare all the way to his long, slender fingers. "I do remember that."
"Come on, Shizuko. What can one, little, innocent kiss hurt?"
"My pride and my dignity?"
"You used to kiss me shamelessly before."
"I was young. And stupid," she muttered exasperatedly. "I only kissed you on the cheek, idiot. Besides, if I ever gave you the smallest chance, you'd take advantage of it to a very high level."
"You were a very adorable child, now that I remember," Kenichi chuckled.
"Just because you are two years older than me does not make me a child compared to you. And you acted more childishly than I ever did."
"You didn't have to play the mother."
"Do you think we could have stayed in school that long if I hadn't taken charge?"
"We nearly got exposed in the very end, Shizuko-chan. All because you pulled that alarm."
"Serves you right. You shouldn't have attempted to—"
"Shizuko-san?" Ryu's voice called from inside the house. "Where are you?"
She turned to look briefly through the window. "I'll be right in," she replied, a little tense. "I just…needed some air," she finished lamely.
Looking back at Kenichi, she hissed, "You'd better get out of here before someone sees you. Then I'll be in trouble."
"Is it because of him that you won't kiss me?"
Shizuko looked startled. "What?"
"That boy. I remember that voice. He was the one you tossed the handbag to when you took it from me." Kenichi's frown deepened. "Does he have your heart?"
"Don't talk about such things," Shizuko said, sidestepping the topic.
"Or…do you have his?"
"He's just a classmate."
"Haven't stolen a thing since you left us, eh? You steal things without meaning to."
"What are you talking about?"
He reached out and wrapped his long fingers around her slender wrist. Before she could struggle, he pulled her hand towards him and kissed it.
"It looks like you've been stealing people's hearts wherever you go, princess."
"That is not true," Shizuko muttered irritably as she entered the house. "That arrogant little…"
She made a violent gesture with her hands reminiscent of wringing someone's neck.
"Something wrong?" Ryu met her at the kitchen doorway, locking the back door and about to switch off the lights for the evening.
Shizuko massaged her forehead with her right hand, while forcibly securing their front door with the variety of bolts on it using her left. "Nothing, really."
Her fingers slipped on the dead bolt, and the chain slipped from her grasp. Ryu heard a curse dart past her lips.
"You look very much stressed out."
She sighed, heavily. "Is everyone else upstairs?"
"Yes. They're almost ready for bed. If you want to avoid suspicion perhaps you should go up as well."
Shizuko suddenly let a breath out of her nose, then chuckled weakly, in a way that made her seem as though she was convincing herself of something. "Impossible," she muttered. "How can he come to such a conclusion after seeing us only once in the street?"
"I believe I'm missing a few details here." Ryu said, furrowing his brows at her. "What happened outside? I doubt you were just there for fresh air."
"No, it's nothing," Shizuko replied. "I'm going upstairs, Ryu-kun."
Ryu stared at her back as she ascended the stairs to the second floor. Her footsteps were slightly heavier than usual, making it obvious that something was once again weighing on the girl's mind. He then stared out the window, trying to figure out what had made Shizuko so tense. Going outside for fresh air was an excuse not typical of her.
Something rustled in the bushes outside, and the sound of shifting sand and footsteps followed. On the alert, Ryu unbolted the front door and looked outside. However, in his hurry, he had been a bit too noisy, and whoever was outside quickly picked up his speed.
All Ryu saw outside was a tall figure running away from the beach, white-blond hair glistening in the moonlight.
And if he wasn't mistaken, a familiar flash of a dangling earring glinted in the light of the moon.
Rants: okay, I know it took a long time to update this chapter. Please forgive me, I had exams, and I was doing pretty badly the semester before this one. I hope you understand that I had to focus all my energies into studying.
That being said, PLEASE REVIEW! I'll try to come out with the next chapter more quickly, because I'm on summer vacation.
