Disclaimer: I own nothing of importance.

Notes: Nuero's POV. I couldn't wait to post the ending...oh well. Hope you like!

"Thank you all for coming." Yako's voice cut through the chatter of the room.

All turned to stare at her.

She was still talking as I eyed Todoroki.

.

There were two options here.

One, I could have told Yako the how [I didn't even need to bother with the who anymore, and rarely the why.] and let her announce it. It would definitely cast the glory light on her, and maybe cast doubt on some of Todoroki's suspicions.

Or, two, I could just act normal. But this may draw Todoroki's attention to the fact I am the one who always explains the mystery. But the first option may very well do that too.

The best option was definitely the second, if I acted out of the ordinary Todoroki would probably notice that I was being extra careful. Best to feign innocence.

.

"-here. The culprit is YOU!"

Oh. We were already at that bit.

I watched boredly as her finger pointed to the owner, Juro Katsu.

.

All the humans stared in shock either at the owner or Yako.

The owner seemed frozen for a second, until finally he belted out a bit too explosive laugh.

.

I could already smell the puzzle leaking out of his brain as it fought to.

.

"How could it possibly be me? I was such good friends with Daisuki-san! I had no reason to kill him!"

Yako swallowed hard. She always had an issue with being the center of attention.

"He was blackmailing you." Yako's voice was strong and clear as it rang out above the whispered din.

"You were selling exotic reptile meat in dishes for high paying clients-an illegal act. The police can check the freezer as proof."

Two officers left the room as Yako continued.

" Daisuki-san found out and blackmailed you. You had no issue paying him off though-it was worth more than it cost. But then you started selling endangered snake meat. Daisuki-san loved snakes above almost all else. He threatened you to stop, and that's when you decided to kill him."

The owner shook silently with laughter that seemed a bit off.

"As if anyone would believe your story. Daisuki-blackmail? Please. Ask anyone, he wasn't the type to do something like that."

Yako turned towards the chef and the frog expert.

"You two knew the true Daisuki-san. You both asked me to bring the murder to justice, but I can't do it without your help. Would you please testify about Daisuki-san's true nature?"

The frog expert eyed the chef. She hesitated a second before nodding at him.

"We will." The frog expert spoke up. He turned to the owner. "And he would have blackmailed you without blinking an eye. I even have some videos of Daisuki being himself, if so needed."

The owner squirmed. I smiled as the smell of a puzzle, oozing out of his brain, thickened.

"B-but how could I possibly murder Daisuki? I was at charity giving a speech twenty minutes before he died to a half hour after. And the charity was fifteen minutes away. How could I possibly have murdered him?"

He was getting almost smug now, but a hint of desperation remained in his voice.

Yako glanced at me.

I smiled and stepped up.

"Sensei already knows all about your speech. She says that Daisuki-san was already bitten and thrown into the tank before you left."

The owner blinked twice.

"Im-impossible! The snake's venom would have killed him within minutes!"

I grabbed Yako's head with my claws and squeezed.

"Normally, yes. But not if his heartbeat had been drastically slowed."

The owner paled.

"First you hit Daisuki-san on the back of the head with an iron bar about the size of the tank's you soaked him in water and left him in the freezer for forty minutes. The cold slowed his heart down as well as left two ice marks on the ground where the water dripped off of him as you carried him to the back.

After the forty minutes you captured the snake and had to antagonize it to bite. Belcher's Sea Snakes are, while very poisonous, also very docile. It even bit Daisuki-san once without injecting any venom.

After it released it's venom, you threw the snake back in the tank, tied a tourniquet above the wound, and cleaned up your mess.

Then right before you left for the charity, you took the tourniquet off and dropped Daisuki-san face up in the water, left to thaw an circulate the poison. At least that's what Sensei said~!"

All was quiet as the owner shook in his boots. The puzzle in his brain just managing not to burst out.

He looked around as if for a way out.

"P-proof! You have no proof!" He yelled nervously.

I smiled again.

"Belcher's Sea Snakes are far too kind. It not only bit Daisuki-san once without injecting any poison, it also did the same for you-did it not? Why doesn't one of the officers look under your left sleeve? "

Finally cracked and backing away from the approaching police officers, the owner started to scream:

"WE ARE AT THE TOP OF THE FOOD CHAIN! ALL ANIMALS ARE OUR FOOD! SO WHAT IF THERE'S ONLY A FEW OF THAT SPECIES LEFT? THEY WERE WEAK! JUST LIKE DASUKI WAS WEAK! THE STRONG KILL THE WEAK! IT'S AS SIMPLE AS THAT! YOU ALL CALL IT MURDER, I CALL IT SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST!"

The owner reached for one of the poisonous frog habitats, still screaming things I no longer bothered to process.

This puzzle was ripe for eating.

Freezing the time in the minds of all those around me but Yako, I stepped towards the owner.

"You say you're at the top of the food chain?"

The owner reeled in horror as I turned into my true form.

"Then you obviously have never seen a true predator. If life was just a survival of the fittest you'd be long dead by now."

Falling to his knees, the owner kneeled, mesmerized with terror.

"I'll take your head now if you don't mind. Though how fortunate for you that I only want what's inside it. Itadakimasu."

.

Yako was oddly silent as we left the crime scene.

"Something the matter you gluttonous insect?" I kindly asked.

"I could very well ask you the same question. You've been acting weird ever since you ate. Quiet. Or lost in thought maybe."

Perceptive worm.

"Yes. The puzzle…it tasted…odd. Not fake, but more…imitation. As if it was never the owners puzzle to begin with, he just executed it."

Yako looked thoughtful. "Maybe he read a similar idea in a book?"

"Perhaps."

But I still felt uneasy.

.

.

.

_.

Tap-

Tap-

Tap-

"Can I help you?"

"Yes, I'm Juro Katsu's lawyer."

"Ah! Right this way!"

Tap-

Tap-

Tap-

Tap-

Tap-

Creeak"`"

"Here he is."

"Thank you."

Click=

"Y-you are!"

"My, my, Mr. Katsu. You seem to have stolen something of mine."

"Pl-please! I'll pay you! I have-"

"If I wanted you menial pocket money, I would have taken it. What you took was worth far more than any worldly possession; you stole my very thoughts-how rude."

"Pl-please! Forgi-"

"I'm afraid that's just not possible. What kind of example would that set? I truly am sorry, but you really need to pay the appropriate price."

*sobSob* "Please."

*sigh*

"How weak. I'll tell you what, since you are such a coward that is not even worth my time, I'll give you a deal. I'll beat the crap out of you here, and when you get out of jail, you'll get your full punishment then."

*So-sob*

"And if I were you, Mr. Katsu, I'd stay in jail as long as I could."

*Sob*

"Now, shall we begin?"

.

Tap-

Tap-

Tap-

"Thank you officer. You can take him back to his cell now."

"Thank you. Have a nice day."

"You too."

Tap-

Tap-

Tap-

*scream*

"GET A PARAMEDIC IN HERE!"

Tap-

Tap-

Tap-

*AHahaha*

"Worthless creep. Well, at least I found something interesting~. Yako Katsuragi, huh?"

Notes: My first deliberate cliff hanger. Yay!