A/N: I AM SO HAPPY THAT DOA6 HAS BEEN ANNOUNCED. My tumblr followers were going crazy lol, but not as crazy as me.

Disclaimer: All characters belong to Tecmo and Team Ninja. Please don't sue me.

BREAKING CHAINS

Chapter 18

As Hitomi fluttered her eyes open the next morning and observed her surroundings, she jolted upwards. This was because she found herself on the floor of her own living room. She had no idea how she ended down there. Why was she not in her bed instead? She had no recollection of anything.

When Hitomi looked up at the couch, she instantly found the source of the problem and rolled her eyes. Leifang was sleeping peacefully on her back. As it turned out, she had pushed the karateka off the couch during her slumber. At least it explained why Hitomi's tailbone hurt so much. She must have landed on it.

After a long yawn, Hitomi's eyes averted over to the clock on the wall. She almost shrieked when she realised it was 9:44am. The karateka felt strange as she finally got up from the floor. She normally woke up at six in the morning. She was astonished to find out that she ended up sleeping an extra three hours… almost four, actually.

At the same time, Hitomi realised she had to wake the waitress from her slumber. The karateka always hated waking Leifang up whenever they had sleepovers back in high school because she was always in a grouchy mood. However, she had a good reason to wake her friend this time because it was possible that she had a shift at the diner today. Ever since Kokoro was murdered, Leifang's shifts had been all over the place. It would probably remain that way for a while since no normal person would even think about pursuing a job where someone was murdered.

"Leifang?... Leifang?..." Hitomi called, nudging her friend's shoulder.

"Mnnngh… Go away…" she replied in a sleepy voice.

Hitomi rolled her eyes and decided to cut to the chase. "Are you working today or not?"

"No…" she whined, now changing her sleeping position. "I have the day… off… today…"

"Oh… I'm so sorry for waking you, then, Leif-"

"Shhhhh!"

Hitomi apologised to Leifang once more for waking her up. She decided to do something else as she let her irritated friend fall back to sleep again. The karateka felt bad for waking her up, but she couldn't take the risk and allow for Leifang to possibly lose her job.

Normally, Hitomi would practice her karate moves on most mornings, but this time she decided not to since the noise would wake Leifang up once more. It was funny, though, because speaking of noise, Rig wasn't home. His music would usually be blaring around this time in the morning. Nevertheless, Hitomi shrugged and thought of something else to do.

With nothing else to do, other than battling her hungry stomach, Hitomi ended up cooking some pancakes for herself. Just as the karateka sat down at the dining table and almost took her first bite, Leifang, who finally decided to wake up, suddenly appeared and asked where her pancakes were. With an irritated sigh, Hitomi shoved her plate over to Leifang and decided to make a new batch of pancakes for herself. She didn't mind giving her pancakes to Leifang. She just wished she knew how much to make beforehand.

While they ate their breakfast, Leifang randomly mentioned that she wouldn't mind visiting Hayate at the hospital. The karateka almost choked on her pancake as her friend uttered those words. Hitomi hadn't been at the hospital in a few days. The last time she was there, her mood turned sour when she witnessed Hayate acting lovestruck around Lisa. She shuddered at the memory.

"I don't know…"

"Aw, why not?" Leifang asked with a sad pout. "I haven't even seen Hayate since the party. You know how much I hate hospitals…"

Hitomi arched a brow. "You hate hospitals?"

"Well, I don't, but I think you should visit him again."

It didn't take much of an effort for Leifang to convince Hitomi to visit Hayate at the hospital. The female detective only agreed because she assumed it would be a good way to spend her day with Leifang. Deep inside, Hitomi admitted that she missed having her two closest friends in the same room. She also hoped that Hayate might recognise Leifang as a familiar face from his past.

Hitomi frowned as soon as she and Leifang entered Hayate's room at the hospital. She was upset to find him with Lisa once more. He smiled at the doctor, admirably, as she examined his wounds for the day. He didn't seem to notice that they had entered the room.

Once when she had finished her daily examination, Lisa politely smiled at the two women and headed outside in order to give them some alone time with Hayate.

"I haven't seen you in a few days," Hayate noted. His voice didn't sound as weak as it did a few days ago. Hitomi was glad he was getting better.

"I'm sorry. I've been so busy and another murder case has come up," the karateka explained. "But I'm here now."

Hitomi then turned to Leifang who remained silent. She thought something was wrong since Leifang was normally very chirpy and never knew when to shut her mouth. The karateka's suspicions were confirmed when she noticed that Leifang's face was slowly turning to a paler shade.

"Are you okay, Leifang?"

"Y-Yeah…" she answered, shakily. "I just didn't know his bruises were so severe."

Leifang had a point. Hitomi was used to all the injuries and bruises by now, but that was only because of her detective course. She remembered having the same nervous expression as Leifang when she first had a fake body to inspect for one of her assignments. The bruises and cuts looked so realistic that thinking back to it made the detective feel nauseous.

"Hayate, do you remember Leifang?" Hitomi asked him. "You were friends with her, too."

Hayate observed Leifang's face for a while. Hitomi was hoping that he would remember something. A slight glimmer of hope was beginning to grow within her. Leifang also seemed to be anticipated to find out his answer.

"Sorry, but no…"

Hitomi felt as though someone had kicked her gut. Once again, she had created false hope for herself and ended up in disappointment instead. There was no one else that she could think of who would be able to possibly trigger Hayate's memories.

"I feel so bad, though…" he continued.

Hitomi was curious as to what he had meant by that. "Hm?"

"I mean, I feel bad not being able to remember all these people," he explained. "I have all these friends and family members that I don't remember at all."

"Don't feel bad, Hayate. It's not your fault that you can't remember anything," Leifang told him. She was beginning to warm up to his bruises.

"Leifang is right," Hitomi agreed. "On the bright side, your personality is basically the same as the old you."

"It's too bad my personality has nothing to do with the case, though," Hayate huffed. "All I know is that I have two sisters, I'm friends with the both of you, I have a best friend who I can't even remember, and apparently I used to date Lisa."

"Do you at least remember your relationship with Lisa?" Leifang asked. "Maybe that could trigger some past memories."

"No," Hayate answered. "I just want my memories back… I hate feeling useless."

"You're not useless, Hayate," Hitomi lectured. "You have only had amnesia for two weeks. Most people have it for a few months before they can even remember one simple detail."

"They do?" Leifang asked.

"Yeah. I once saw it on a television show."

Leifang rolled her eyes at the karateka. She then checked her wristwatch and realised it was time for lunch. She immediately got up from her chair and stopped once she reached the door.

"I'm hungry, so I'm going to the cafeteria to eat something. Do you two want anything?"

Hayate shook his head. "I'm being forced to eat hospital food."

"Ew," Leifang crinkled her nose in disgust.

"Leifang, we just ate pancakes an hour ago," Hitomi lectured. "... but get me a muffin if you can."

Leifang chuckled at the karateka in response. When the waitress shut the door behind her, Hitomi turned her attention to Hayate. The purple bumps on his forehead were less visible. His face looked strained, though. She could tell he was beating himself up due to having no memory of anything or anyone.

"Stop thinking about your memories," she told him. "You will become stressed."

"I know that... I just want to remember at least one thing," Hayate explained. "I hate not remembering anyone. I just want a friend to talk to."

"There's always Ryu. You also have me," Hitomi said with a smile. "The two of us would always talk about everything."

"Really? How did we become friends?" Hayate asked.

Hitomi smiled to herself as he asked that question. She remembered how they met as though it were yesterday. "We met on a playground," she explained. "I was ten and you were almost fifteen… Our fathers got along really well and we became close as well."

"So, we've been friends for a long time…"

"Yes," Hitomi nodded. Her eyes then felt heavy. "It's a shame you don't remember…"

"Stop thinking about my memories. You will become stressed," Hayate mimicked in a high pitched tone.

Hitomi slapped his shoulder in a playful manner. She knew he was teasing her due to what she said to him before. Her expression then softened as she noticed that he was looking at her weirdly.

"I really did miss you visiting here, though… I was getting used to you coming here every day."

Hitomi could feel a blush creeping on her face. She attempted to hide it as she smiled in response. "I'll try and visit you as much as I can, then."

"You don't need to," Hayate replied. "I don't want you to pity me."

"I could never pity you, Hayate. You're my friend and you need me," Hitomi replied. She then thought of a great idea. "Maybe I can bring in some old photos next time… Maybe that can trigger your memories!"

"Okay, sure," Hayate said, revealing a smile. "I hope it works."

"I hope so, too."

After when Leifang returned with her food, as well as an overly stale muffin for Hitomi, the three friends continued to converse about the old times as well as their recent memories. Leifang tried her best to reenact some scenes from the past in order to make Hayate regain his memories. Unfortunately, her acting was still terrible, but at least it resulted in some laughs from the amnesiac karate instructor.

When they were done with their visit at the hospital, Hitomi informed Leifang that her shift at work was about to start soon. She felt terrible since she completely forgot and didn't want to ruin their plans. Leifang, however, wasn't offended since she felt like this would be a great opportunity to stalk Jann Lee. Even so, she offered to walk with the karateka over to the police station.

When Hitomi and Leifang ended up in front of the police station, they both shared their goodbyes before they went their separate ways. Just as Hitomi was about to enter the building, she could smell an odd aroma. As she turned around, her eyes fell upon Rig. He was casually walking down the sidewalk. Acting on her instincts, Hitomi headed over to the bartender. He reeked of alcohol. She also noticed that he was wearing his work uniform.

"Did you just finish work?" she guessed.

"Yep," he replied. It was obvious he was tired due to the sleepy tone in his voice. His back was slightly hunched. "I've just finished an all-night shift at the bar."

Hitomi frowned at the man. "You should go and get some sleep."

"That's what I'm planning to do," Rig smirked in response. Just as he was about to make his way home once more, a familiar voice called his name from afar.

"Rig!... Hey, you… Yeah. You!"

Since Rig was blocking the view, Hitomi looked behind his shoulder and wasn't surprised to see that Brad Wong was trying his best to catch up with him. Rig rolled his eyes and turned around to face the man.

"Are you still following me?!"

"You bet!" Brad replied. He stumbled along the sidewalk and leaned on Rig's shoulder for support as he finally came to a stop. "I want another drink!"

"I don't have any alcohol with me," he said, pushing Brad off his shoulder. "So get lost, okay?!"

In all honesty, Hitomi couldn't blame Rig for acting cold towards the drunk man. She knew that Brad would always get on Eliot's nerves as well. It was funny because Eliot was one of the nicest people Hitomi had ever met. If Brad could annoy him, then it was possible for everyone else to be annoyed, too.

As Rig and Brad continued to argue, Hitomi could feel another presence appear in the distance. She turned around to find Gen Fu standing against the door of the police station. He stared at her in complete silence. The female detective gulped. She knew she was in trouble due to being late for her shift.

Hitomi left the arguing duo behind and approached the senior officer. "I… I'm so sorry for being la-"

"Do not worry about it," he interrupted. "I haven't seen you in a while, Hitomi. I assume your murder cases are keeping you busy?"

"Yes, they are," Hitomi replied.

"Ah yes, that reminds me… I would like to personally thank you for investing in so many crimes. Ever since you have joined our police force, the workload has been slightly easier around here."

Hitomi managed to form a light smile. It felt great that Gen Fu was acknowledging all the cases she had taken, but there was a huge part of her that felt like she wasn't doing anything useful. After all, she hadn't been able to discover who any of the murderers were yet.

Her trail of thought was soon interrupted as she noticed that Gen Fu was scanning the area around them. Hitomi looked around her and noticed that Rig and Brad had disappeared. However, there were a few other people nearby.

"There aren't that many people around, so I would like to show you something…" Gen Fu murmured.

Hitomi raised an eyebrow. She was curious to know what Gen Fu wanted to show her.

The German woman witnessed the senior officer take a few steps to the right. Hitomi wasn't sure whether to follow the old man or not, but she did so anyway. They came to a stop in front of some bushes against the brick wall.

"Do you know why we are here, Hitomi?"

"No…" Hitomi answered, truthfully. A sudden realisation then hit her. "Oh, my gosh… Is there a dead body behind this bush?!"

"Not at all," Gen Fu replied, calm as ever. Hitomi almost swore it looked as though he was trying not to laugh at her answer. He then cleared his throat just before continuing. "Anyway, you know this town isn't like any other. Unlike other police stations, this one is usually closed for a few hours…"

Hitomi nodded in response. "I already knew that. Eliot informed me about it."

"But did he tell you about the secret entrance?"

"Secret entrance?..." Hitomi repeated. She wasn't sure if she had heard him correctly.

"Yes," he replied, shoving some leaves out of the way. He and Hitomi stepped through the bush and crouched behind it so no one else could see them. "Why don't you crawl through this small door and see where it takes you..."

There was a huge sense of excitement growing within Hitomi. She had never been through a secret entrance before, let alone seen one. She gasped with excitement as she opened the miniature door in front of her. She made her way through and noticed how small it was. Only a person with a small build would be able to fit inside.

Once when she crawled through the small vent, Hitomi made her way out and found herself within the miniature kitchen belonging to the police station. She continued to crawl around the room and came to a stop when she noticed a pair of shoes in front of her. She slowly looked up to see that the shoes had belonged to Gen Fu.

"I entered through the normal door," he explained.

With the kind offer of help from Gen Fu, Hitomi got to her feet and dusted her knees. Surprisingly, the vent had been dirty. Perhaps another person had used this entrance before. Another thought then popped into her head.

"Do Bayman and Eliot know about this entrance?" she wondered.

Gen Fu nodded. "Yes. I was supposed to tell you about it before, but I have been busy these past few weeks and forgot to mention it to you."

"I'm sure I will appreciate this secret entrance since I tend to lose my keys all the time," Hitomi laughed. She noticed that Gen Fu maintained his serious expression, so she shut her mouth.

"Let us discuss your case some more in my office… We have many things to talk about."

Hitomi gulped at Gen Fu's change of tone. She had no idea what he wanted to discuss with her. Due to the serious expression planted on his face, she could only think of a terrible outcome. Maybe he was letting her go? Maybe he found someone better to do her job? Or maybe he was going to take over her cases since she was taking forever with them?

The karateka frowned as Gen Fu opened the door to his office. She stepped through and looked at the ground with shame as the senior officer sat on his desk chair. He cleared his throat before speaking.

"So, tell me what is happening with your cases so far…"

"Well... We have found a few clues as well as a few patterns with each murder," Hitomi explained. "Eliot and I believe it is possible that each murder has been committed by the same person."

Gen Fu crossed his arms and leaned back in his chair. "Speaking of Eliot, how is he doing with these cases? He has never had a partner before."

"He's doing really well, sir. I believe we make a great team," the female detective answered. "Er… Do you know how Bayman's investigation is going? Marie Rose has asked about Helena's robbery case multiple times and I haven't seen him around…"

"I usually see Bayman during my shifts. Actually, he should be working here today," Gen Fu replied. "His investigations are going well, but he is stubborn, so it may take a while longer for him to solve them."

Hitomi chuckled at Gen Fu's words. She knew he was right at the fact that Bayman was stubborn. He also seemed to be a very hard man to work with, so the karateka seriously wondered how he was coping with all of his cases alone. A part of her was also worried about what Helena said that time when they inspected her mansion. She had said that two assassins plotting together is never a good idea. Hitomi had no idea what the opera singer had meant by that, but she secretly wondered if Bayman was a casual visitor at Christie's prison cell.

"I'm just glad that he is able to solve his cases," Hitomi continued. "I hope I will be able to solve my own cases with Eliot soon, but I think that might be a long while…"

"You are closer to solving each case than you think," Gen Fu said, clasping his aged hands together. "I think it is about time you and Eliot realised that."

"I know that having some clues is much better than having no clues at all… I guess I need to be positive and then I'll be able to solve this case."

"That's the spirit."

Hitomi thought about her assigned cases some more. Gen Fu was right. She was closer than she thought and yet she still found herself focusing on the negatives; which was clearly bad for her self esteem as a detective. The German girl just hoped that she would be able to solve these cases before any more murders were to happen.

Hitomi smiled and listened as Gen Fu continued discussing the aspects of her case. Her eyes eventually made their way over to a photo frame on the senior officer's desk. She hadn't seen it there before. Hitomi concluded that he must have placed it there recently… A young girl with chubby cheeks was visible in the photo. Her short black hair was tied into two pigtails, and she had a cheeky smile on her face.

Gen Fu noticed that Hitomi was staring at the photo for a little too long. "This is Mei Lin," he said.

"Is she your granddaughter?" Hitomi asked.

"Yes," Gen Fu nodded. His expression then darkened. "She was living with me until I sent her back to China a few days ago…"

Hitomi couldn't help but feel curious. "Why is that?... If you don't mind me asking, of course."

"I wanted her to go back to China and live with her parents because I don't want the high crime rate of DOATEC City to harm her safety," Gen Fu explained. "I could never live with myself if anything bad happened to her."

"I highly doubt anything would happen to her if she stayed here."

"A lot has happened during the two years you were gone," the senior officer said. "I have made many choices that people disagree with… Many people can be vicious, and I don't want Mei Lin to be harmed as an act of revenge."

Hitomi couldn't help but feel sorry for Gen Fu. She knew he was a lonely man, but she clearly underestimated him. Mei Lin must have been the only source of company she had back at his home. Now, apart from his work colleagues, he had no one.

"I hope you will be able to see Mei Lin again, soon."

"I definitely will," Gen Fu replied. "I have complete confidence that all these crimes will be resolved soon. I will see her again once when this is all over."

A smile made its way onto Hitomi's face. Even though Gen Fu was a serious man, she found it inspiring how he had such a positive outlook on the current situation involving the town. She really needed some confidence like that right now, and she had to admit that Gen Fu's influence was working on her.

"By the way..." Gen Fu continued, digging through his desk drawer. He eventually found some hidden files and handed them over to her. "I need you to fill out these reports. Will you be able to do that for me?"

Hitomi nodded at Gen Fu with determination as she took the files. "Of course!"

The next hour went by slowly as Hitomi scanned and filled out the pile of reports Gen Fu had given her. She found herself checking the clock every few minutes, only to be disappointed. In a way, the karateka was glad that these reports were distracting her from her usual cases with Eliot. She was happy to be doing something else at work for once. She hoped that this short break would be helpful and inspire her to think more positively in the process.

Hitomi was in the middle of completing one of the files when the front door suddenly burst open. The female detective gasped and turned around in shock as she noticed Bayman entering the room. He stood with a straight posture, and his usual cold expression was planted on his broad face. The karateka was even more surprised when the Russian man shoved Bass inside the building. The pro wrestler's hands were held together by a pair of metal handcuffs. The two of them didn't seem to notice that the German girl was even there as they continued with their bickering.

"I didn't do it!" Bass argued. He struggled against his handcuffs.

"Be quiet! I said anything that you say and do will be held against you!" Bayman yelled.

"I don't care!" Bass shouted, equally loud. "I didn't steal anything from Helena that night!"

"You are a liar and a criminal!" Bayman responded. He led Bass inside the room across from Hitomi's desk. The karateka could see Bayman shove Bass onto the seat and attach his handcuff onto the side of the table. Bass struggled against it, but Hitomi could tell that he was relieved that one of his hands were free.

"I demand that you take me home! I'm a celebrity - not a thief! I already have everything I want!" Bass argued.

"And that's why you did it!" Bayman snapped. "You stole those items from Helena Douglas so people wouldn't suspect you. It all makes sense now, you moron!" He then leaned on top of the table and glared at the pro wrestler. "I'm going to be conducting this interview now… Prepare to tell the truth, or suffer the consequences."

Bass gritted his teeth. "But I am telling the truth! You're making no sense!"

"SHUT UP!"

The last thing Hitomi saw was Bayman slamming the door. She honestly hoped that the interview would go well.

Hitomi expected the constant shouting from both men to eventually settle down, but to her misfortune it never did. A few hours had passed at this point and the two men were still yelling louder than ever. Gen Fu didn't seem to mind, though, since he continued to stroll down the hallway like everything was normal. The senior officer eventually opened the door to the interview room in order to see how everything was going so far.

"I assume everything is going well?"

"Not really, Boss," Bayman admitted. "This goofball still won't admit that he robbed Helena and that little blonde girl."

"THAT'S BECAUSE I DIDN'T!" Bass roared. He then turned to Gen Fu. "I've been telling that gronk that I'm innocent but he won't listen to me!"

"Who are you calling a gronk?!" Bayman snapped.

Gen Fu frowned and decided to intervene with the interview. "I think I should take over with the interview," he said. He turned his attention to Bayman. "Thank you for your hard work today, Bayman. Your shift is over, so I'll take over from here."

"Alright, but there's no getting through to that idiot," Bayman mumbled. He then headed out of the interview room and made his way past Hitomi. He didn't seem to notice her as he retrieved his coat. "I'm outta here…"

When the front door slammed shut, Hitomi grabbed her now-completed files and headed over to the interview room. When she opened the door, her eyes instantly landed on both Gen Fu and Bass. They seemed to be having a much more polite conversation, as opposed to Bayman's previous rough attempt.

"I'm done with these reports," she cheered. "Would you like me to interview Bass instead?"

Gen Fu took the files from her with a small smile. "Thank you very much. And no, I can interrogate Bass myself."

"If you say so," Hitomi smirked. "What else do you need me to do?"

"Actually, I would say you're done for the day," Gen Fu answered, checking his wristwatch. "It's almost 10pm. You can go home now."

Hitomi was grateful that she was being excused. She was honestly exhausted by filling out all those boring reports. "I'll be here for my morning shift tomorrow."

"I'll see you at 7am sharp."

Hitomi had one last look at Bass before she made her leave. He seemed much more calm now. Hitomi thought it was possible that he and Gen Fu were already good friends. That would explain his sudden change of attitude since Hitomi knew that the pro wrestler had a hot temper towards most people.

The female detective collected her bag just before she made her way out of the building and locked the front door. The first thing she noticed was how cold it was outside. Immediately coming to a stop, Hitomi dug through her backpack and brought out her denim jacket. As she put it on, she could hear the bushes rustling behind her due to the wind. It was oddly loud. Afterwards, she made her way home with the hopes that she would be able to have a good night's sleep without any distractions this time.

When the next morning arrived, Hitomi decided to have breakfast at the diner. The last time she had purchased something there was when Kokoro was still alive. The karateka expected Leifang to be on duty, but it was actually Johnny himself. He spoke and did everything with a smile, but Hitomi could tell that it was forced. Unfortunately for Johnny, the diner was still more empty than ever and she knew that the man's business was slowly turning to dust.

After finishing her breakfast, Hitomi left the diner and proceeded to walk over to the police station. Her shift was going to begin at 7am and if she continued walking at her current pace then she would definitely make it on time. However, she became distracted when she noticed Bayman in the distance. He was sitting in his parked car as he devoured a breakfast burrito.

Hitomi approached the man and peeked through the car window. "I assume you have a shift today?" she guessed, referring to his work uniform.

The Russian man bolted up and yelped in surprise. Once when he saw that Hitomi was the rude intruder, he tried his best to act natural. "What the hell are you doing here?!"

"I'm sorry for scaring you… What time are you starting your shift?"

"I'm not scared!" he defended. "... and I start at 7am."

Hitomi frowned at Bayman's short answer. She was hoping that he would be more willing to have a conversation with her. Her frown then turned into a smile. The karateka came to the conclusion that just he wasn't a morning person. Hopefully he would warm up to her later.

"Me, too," she replied. "Hey, I know a good idea! How about we drive to work together?"

"I don't think so."

"Aw," Hitomi pouted. "I was hoping you would agree since you have so much space in your car. If I walk to the police station, then I might be a few minutes late and I can't risk tha-"

"Okay, fine! Get inside, but sit at the back! Geez, you talk too much…" Bayman mumbled. He scrunched the empty wrapper belonging to his burrito and placed it inside the glove box.

Bayman didn't even wait for Hitomi to adjust her seat belt when he started the car. He sped forward since they were now a few minutes late. After being lectured by Hitomi from the back seat, the ex assassin finally agreed slowed down. Unfortunately for Hitomi, the car ride between the both of them was now awkward. She decided to lighten the mood by talking about their cases.

"So, how is your case going?"

"I'm not talking about my case with you," Bayman muttered. "It has nothing to do with your own case, so stop asking me."

"Okay, I'm sorry," the karateka apologised. "I guess I can be nosey sometimes…"

"Trust me, I can tell…"

"Hey!"

"You're the one who said it," Bayman shrugged. "Anyway, be quiet! I'm trying to drive here!"

"I'm sorry. I'll be quiet now."

Hitomi tried her best to remain quiet for the rest of the ride, but found herself occasionally gasping at the view as they drove by. Bayman rolled his eyes in response. He decided not to say a word because he knew Hitomi would never shut up if he dared to speak to her.

When they arrived at the station, Hitomi left Bayman to lock the car since she couldn't bear the silence any longer. This was most likely her longest record for remaining quiet. After praising her best effort, the karateka placed the key inside the keyhole, but was surprised to find that the door was already unlocked. As she headed inside and shut the door behind her, she was met with another horrifying scene.

Hitomi let out a high pitched scream as she saw Gen Fu's lifeless body on the floor. His skin was slowly turning a light shade of blue, and there was a gunshot wound between his eyes. Like Bankotsubo, his eyes were wide open as they stared up lifelessly at the ceiling.

A loud thud then interrupted Hitomi from her trance. She turned around to see Bayman who had opened the front door and slammed it against the wall. He ran towards the German girl and the colour from his face disappeared as Gen Fu's corpse came into view.

"Did you do this?!"

"What?! No!" Hitomi shouted, clearly surprised by his accusation. "I was with you just a few seconds ago!"

"Then it was Bass since he was also here last night! I knew it was him all along!" Bayman shouted in victory. "I bet he escaped after killing the old man..."

"Or maybe he might be hiding in the interview room."

"Right. I'll check there first," Bayman replied. "If he's not there, then it's definitely him!"

The Russian man then made his way over to the interview room in order to see if Bass was still inside. He brought out his gun and aimed it carefully just in case the pro wrestler was armed with any weapons to attack him with. As Bayman opened the door, he let out an unusual scream. Knowing that Bayman wasn't the type of person to scream, Hitomi was struck with fear. She stepped away from Gen Fu's lifeless body and headed over to the interview room. When she entered the room, she yelped in grief. As it turns out, this particular murder case was now extended...

There, laying in front of her, was Bass' corpse. Hitomi shrieked in horror as his lifeless body leaned over the table. His arm was still handcuffed against the leg of the table, and a large amount of blood was flowing all around his pale face.

"Th-This can't be right…" Hitomi uttered, covering her mouth. "How can the main suspect be dead?..."

Bayman studied the corpse from afar. "Since his hand is still attached to the table, I guess that tells you that Bass was never the murderer for your case… but I'm not sure about mine."

"But when did the murderer enter the police station?" Hitomi asked. "It must have been at night, maybe when I…"

As the karateka uttered those words, she couldn't help but trail off as she came to a sudden realisation. Those bushes that she had heard last night… Even though it was windy, the rustling of the leaves were particularly loud. Hitomi quickly put the pieces together and realised that the murderer had snuck inside just as she had left the police station.

Hitomi couldn't help but shudder at the thought and feel a lot of guilt overwhelming her. She had let this case slip right through her hands. The murderer was right behind her last night, and she had unknowingly allowed for them to murder Bass and Gen Fu.

A/N: Thanks for reading!

...

Where you can find the other investigation files:

Rolande: Chapter 6

Kokoro: Chapter 10

Tina: Chapter 15

Bankotsubo: Chapter 17

...

INVESTIGATION PROCESS #5

Time of murder: ?

Place of murder: The Police Station

Murder Weapon: ?

Who found the 1st body: Hitomi

Who found the 2nd body: Bayman

Death count: Maria Douglas, Rolande, Kokoro, Tina Armstrong, Bankotsubo,