A/N: Yooooo! I just realized that the uniform colours of the six Tojis correspond so well with those of the Four Houses of Hogwarts! Lol! XD

Kanami and Mai: Gryffindor

Ellen and Kaoru: Hufflepuff

Sayaka: Ravenclaw

Hiyori: Slytherin

Now, one would just have to think about what Ayanokouji would be though... Lol, I'm sorry. I'm a big Harry Potter fan.

Chapter 19: A Game Of Coup

Entertainment after lunch was proven to be scarce. It wasn't until a suggestion of cards was recommended that everyone gathered in the lounge. Apparently, there was a game Mary particularly enjoyed that she taught Naomi. Wishing to alleviate Mary's despondency, Naomi forced all the guests to partake in her plan of cheering the English professor up. Not long after, two tables were pushed together and Mary placed a little box before them labelled Coup.

Picking up the game proved to be not too hard for the guests to learn. Within minutes, the whole party was fully into it, forming strategies and occasionally congratulating Naomi for her excellent idea. Even Mary was distracted enough to break into a smile once in a while.

It was proven after just a few rounds, however, that Hiyori had no particular knack for the game of deception. Countless times, the Origami Head was subjected to the frustration of losing her cards over and over again. The way Hiyori's face wrinkled into a tsundere-like pout gave Kanami great amusement at the cute sight of her girlfriend. Trying to keep her cool, Hiyori shifted her burgundy eyes to the musician sitting across from her.

"I choose to assassinate Taniguchi Yayoi."

Yayoi's lips turned up into a coy smile and she shook her head of beautiful dark hair. "Can't. I'm a contessa."

Unwilling to admit defeat, Hiyori countered, with a raised eyebrow, "I choose to challenge that."

Her raised eyebrow then twitched when Yayoi flipped over her card, showing the contessa for all to see. "Darn!"

"You lost both of your lives, Hiyori-sama," Officer Kuroda said.

Not looking up from her own cards, Kanami commented, "Two things about Hiyori-chan: she has always been terrible at lying and is also equally bad at spotting a liar."

With a vein popping on her forehead, Hiyori shot her girlfriend a dirty look. "You're a liar just by saying that about me."

"Interesting, isn't it? A game of deceit where one must conceal one's identity by lying—sounds rather familiar, doesn't it?" Daisuke remarked.

Naomi let out a short cough before jerking her head towards Mary. The English professor's expression was once again one of misery. Having been reminded of thoughts she certainly did not wish to think about, Mary's face coloured and she ducked her head. Realizing how insensitive his words were, Daisuke mumbled an embarrassed apology.

Sensing the danger of the atmosphere becoming gloomy once more, Kenzou turned to Naomi with a jesting look. "It's rather unfair though. You're an actress. Lying and putting on a mask is easy for you."

"I'll take that as a compliment," Naomi said with a simpering smile.

"I admit this is a very interesting game," Officer Kuroda said.

Hiyori murmured, "Where one person may not be who they seem..."

All of a sudden, Mary stood up looking rather hot. "I can't play this anymore. It's too much."

"Oh darling, we can stop if you like. But do stay with us. We can talk things over," Naomi said.

She took the American woman's hand, begging her to remain. The amount of affection and concern Naomi showed for Mary was to Kanami and Hiyori the only redeeming virtue the actress ever displayed so far. She repeated at least four times how much all of them were grieved for George, how shocking it was, and that they would overcome this together. But then, the rest of Naomi's excessive speech diverted to how she once had to deal with her husband's sudden death. Subsequently, she chattered about nothing else but herself—and Kanami and Hiyori were all too happy to restore their original dislike of her.

"Just why did George have to die? Why did Jacklyn Ripper have to kill him? He knew nothing!" Mary vented.

Kenzou sprang up and stood awkwardly beside her, holding her firmly by the shoulders. "Mary, please..."

But already the English professor was on the edge of hysterics. "Jacklyn Ripper has already won! She's taken everything and so many lives—why George's too?! What more does she want?"

Everyone tried their best to soothe Mary, but she was a woman who preferred raising her voice over listening to what she knew to be empty words. And suddenly, without warning, she broke down altogether and ran out of the room. Yayoi and Naomi both got out of their chairs to go after her but slowly sat back down. Something told them that their presence would only make Mary feel worse.

With awkwardness, the card game was repacked and the tables and chairs pushed back to their original places. The whole party dispersed once more, leaving Kanami, Hiyori, and Officer Kuroda alone in the lounge. Kanami sat in a chair close to the fireplace and stared into it, reflecting over Mary's words.

'Indeed, what more does Jacklyn Ripper want? She already has the six pieces of Izanamihime's crown jewels...yet she said in her latest note that this game is far from over. What else is she planning to do?'

The next few hours were spent doing more investigation. Poring over files of information, reviewing notes, discussing possible theories... Efforts were fruitless with no definite answers. For some reason, Kanami had to abruptly excuse herself to make a few phone calls. However, when she returned, her face was as satisfied as a cat's when it catches a mouse. No large amount of curiosity from Hiyori and Officer Kuroda could draw out from Kanami any information. They attacked the Minoseki Toji with questions of all kinds, but she could only reply that the theory she was forming in her head was still not certain enough to be worth telling.

"There are too many unanswered questions I have myself," Kanami had told them. "The puzzle needs to have every piece in place to be pronounced complete."

The dinner hour was approaching. Kanami and Hiyori returned to their room early to prepare, mainly because the Minoseki Toji wished to take a shower.

"And you definitely need one," Hiyori said, not in the least hesitant to be frank with her girlfriend.

A dark blush crossed Kanami's face. After receiving Jacklyn's letter last night, she had forgotten to take her regular evening bath.

Choosing a green kimono from her large collection of clothes, Hiyori then opened her vanity drawer to take out her cosmetics. She stared at the envelope addressed to her, along with the small vial taped to it... Her widening burgundy eyes drifted to the bathroom, where behind the closed door came the sounds of running water. With building panic, Hiyori ripped open the envelope reading the few words that had been written on the piece of paper inside. It was as she feared.

Taking a few deep breaths, Hiyori looked at her own frightened face in the mirror. What was she to do now? The Origami Head tried to remain calm. It wasn't as if she hadn't been in these sorts of situations before. She was a strong Toji; she could get out of this...right? There was only one thing she knew for certain.

'Kanami can never know about this.'

Mary never showed up for dinner that night. A quick explanation from Naomi informed them that the American woman had ordered room service instead. The actress didn't have to say more for everyone else to understand. Mary clearly wanted to be alone in her own quarters to continue mourning over George's death. Nothing surprising about that.

The only moment that raised eyebrows happened after dinner. When Hinata invited them all to the lounge for post-dinner drinks, Hiyori stepped between him and the crystal decanter set. She pressed her lips together with a faint blush, before smiling cheerfully.

"No, I'll do it."

The hotel proprietor was taken aback slightly. "Hiyori-sama?"

Still giving everyone a bright smile, Hiyori said, "As the Head of the Origami Family, it's my duty to serve others, right? Now, what would everybody like?"

Her offer was taken with a grain of salt. As confused as they were, the guests still gave their drink preferences. Almost everybody requested brandy, except for Daisuke and Kanami who asked for water.

Pushing her purple hair back to whisper in Kanami's ear, Naomi said, "If there's one thing I know, it's bad acting. You don't suppose...Hiyori-sama could be Jacklyn Ripper?"

Insulted that anyone would think so low of her girlfriend, Kanami whispered back, "No, Shinbo-san. Hiyori-chan is anything but a murderer."

"If I recall, Hiyori-sama once tried to kill the late Origami Yukari," Naomi said.

Kanami's complexion became as pale as Hiyori's, only out of anger. Every feature of her face showed how disturbed she was that Naomi would outright mention such a sensitive topic.

"Hiyori-chan isn't a killer," the Minoseki Toji fiercely said.

Her eyes then watched Hiyori continue to pour drinks for everyone. Kanami immediately frowned at her observation.

"Here you go, Kanami," Hiyori said, handing the Minoseki Toji her water.

Glancing at Hiyori and then at the glass, Kanami forced her fingers to slowly take her drink. She stared at her water, before sitting down and placing it on the table beside her.

Bending down slightly, Officer Kuroda asked, "What was that whole scene about?"

"We shall find out tonight I am sure, sir..."

Snug in the arms of Kanami, Hiyori turned over slightly to look at the sleeping face of her girlfriend. She let her eyes properly take in the face of the girl she fell in love with. With a loving smile, Hiyori softly stroked the Minoseki Toji's brown hair, repeating the same motions Kanami would often do for her. Kissing Kanami for what she feared to be the last time, Hiyori pulled herself away from her girlfriend's arms. Grabbing Kogarasumaru, she unlocked the door before silently making her way through the darkened hallways towards her destination.

When Hiyori was in front of the hotel library's closed door, she unsheathed Kogarasumaru and entered with caution. The room was empty and dark, save for the moonlight coming through the tall French-windows.

Trying to hide the wavering in her voice, Hiyori called out, "H-Hello?"

There was no sign of any disturbance. Nothing moved, save for herself as she walked to the center of the library. She kept a sharp lookout, turning her head in all directions lest someone try to attack her. Just when she was beginning to think everything was a hoax, someone grabbed her from behind. A curse escaped Hiyori's mouth and her fast reflexes made her instinctively raise her okatana. However, her assailant managed to knock it out of her hand, before pressing a wet rag against her nose and mouth.

"Mmmm! Mmmm!"

Hiyori struggled frantically, as her vision began to dim. She let out a muffled cry of pain when her attacker slammed her against the ground, pushing her head down. It couldn't end here! Kanami...needed her... Letting out a moan, the last thing Hiyori's blurred sight could make out was the moonlight gleaming on the teeth of her attacker's grinning face.

Then everything went black.

A/N: Yes, Coup is one of my favourite games...lol. Who do you think is Jacklyn Ripper? The next chapter will reveal all... See you then!