The next morning in F City…

"Goooooooooooood mornin' all you listeners out there, this is PG Pollutus, filling-in for Kai Harada, this week, who's on assignment. I'll be here, this morning on WFCK Radio in F City. From 6 to 9, we're giving you all the morning tunes you can listen to and sing by. Here's our first song of the day, here on WFCK, the home for morning jams."

As the radio played a soft ballad, a small girl in a black-haired short bob was drawing a portrait of two girls, lying together. However, these were nude pics of the girls, making out and masturbating together. The girl drew with her mouth, and finished. She sighed, "Aaaah… Masterpiece…"

Her name is Otome Saotome, 19 years old, single, and a high school graduate. She's also an excellent student in Art College. Don't let the size fool you; she's very small for an adult, standing at about smaller than average height. She turned to the table and said, "Now, I made breakfast, so we can share together. But first, I have something to give you."

She walked to the table, as she presented a ring to a girl. She placed the ring in the hand of her finger. She then bowed and said, "Forgive me… It must be done… It feels rotten about you… I wish I'd known who you were."

The hand was… well, rather… it was the same severed female hand from recently. Why did Otome harbored this still-beating limb, and cherished it as her own? All we know was this was the same girl that drove past Asahi, a while back, with said limb.

Episode 49 – Chapter 1: The Sketch Artist Killer (Part 1):
Otome Saotome Wants a Peaceful Life…
The Melancholy Life of an Artist…

That afternoon, she was walking down the street, as three girls from St. Culture Academy greeted to her. They offered if she would join them for a luncheon date. Otome replied, "No, thank you. I have to deliver these important art portraits to my teacher. Thanks anyway."

She walked down the street, as the man said, seeing her, "Well, there she is, the cutest little woman in the world. Don't waste your time on her. The guys and I usually ask her to join us for dinner, but she usually blows us off, not that if she's busy or she hates us. Shame that she never hangs out with anybody. She is always working, and never has time for social activities… That's the life of 19-year old Otome Saotome. She's nice and adorable, that's for damn sure, but she does not stand out… and her personality's dull as driftwood. It's not that she's boring or anything, it's just… She's sort of blah, you know."

Otome arrived at a bakery, and went to buy herself some bread, as she thought, "Seriously? You should've asked for them to pose for you, after offering you lunch. I mean, they are beautiful, as to they are perfect to body meld together…"

She said, as she was searching some bread, "Look, it's not your business, but the girls from another school invited me to lunch. But I promised I would take you someplace. You know I'd decline, while you're around."

She opened her blazer and peeked inside. The severed hand from earlier was in her pocket. She said, "Have I ever left you alone? In the time that we've met together, I wouldn't. Now, quit worrying. Now, OH! Here's a good sandwich to try out…"

She found two katsu sandwiches and used the hand to touch the contents. She said, "One of it has to be soft… since it's usually fresh. This bakery's one of my favorites, mostly for bread rolls. They usually bake it, at around 11am, and they're really popular. And they sell out, two hours later. See how warm these things are? That's why I luck out on quality and fancy sandwiches… I curse that tardiness and quality that other bakeries have that they do not."

She kept rubbing it, but it pierced a hole, leaking sauce out. She gasped, as she said, "Aw, now look what you did! The sauce is leaking out… Meh, why not. Might as well buy it, and just say that I accidentally broke the hole."

She looked at the hand, and saw sauce on the fingers. She hissed, "Don't pin this on me. Your hand broke the wrapper!"

She paused, and then she suddenly stuck the fingers into her mouth, and started to suck on the sauce, in an erotic fashion. She stopped, as she sighed, "Stupid… Well, I'll buy it. But you're getting the one below, as well. It'd be a waste, though."

She left the bakery, satisfied with her bag of sandwiches, as she said, in complete bliss, "Well, at least we got away with buying the sandwiches…"

She walked to the park and decided to have a one-woman picnic.

Minutes later, Otome was eating the sandwich, sitting by the tree. She sighed and smiled, "Beautiful… F City is such a beautiful town. Could there be possibly another town this wonderful? Tokyo held too many dear memories, and I just came back from Kyoto…"

She sniffed the hand, and then growled, thinking to herself, "She's getting ripe. Better end this, before anyone suspects me of necrophilia."

She grinned, as she thought, "You know… if I'm lucky, I could be able to go on another trip, meet another girl, and have something of this experience again…"

She put the hand back, as a dog noticed her. Otome glared at the brown dog and hissed, "Get lost, mutt!"

The dog whined, and then scampered off, seeing Otome's intimidating stare. She resumed eating and said, "I'm on vacation… So, it's no problem for me."

She placed the bag down and relaxed, having the rest of her sandwich.

Meanwhile, Minatsu was walking down the path, as she ran into Chazz and Asahi, holding a bag. She then asked, "Guh?"

Chazz smiled, "Minatsu!"

Minatsu said, "OH! Mr. Princeton, Miss Sakurai."

Asahi smiled, "Just the girl we want to see, Minatsu!"

Chazz said, "Say, not too much trouble, but… can you loan us some lunch money?"

Minatsu gasped, "Lunch money?! I don't get it! YOU have money! Remember the lottery money we split three ways to? Why couldn't you do that?"

Asahi smiled, "That's because we didn't bring it! It's in our savings! After a long talk about how my boyfriend needs to stop splurging, and a long lecture from Miss Stevens about how to save money, Chazz agreed to put ALL his money in the bank, all of the one-thirds of the winnings. Right, Chazz?"

She nudged hardly at his side, and Chazz groaned, "Uh, right…"

She added, "Plus, I sort of suggested that carrying ALL that money in our purses is a heavy load."

Minatsu growled, "I think I get that, yes."

Chazz suggested, "So, give us one thousand Yen, and we'll pay you back, after work. We'll go to the bank, and give you our payoff."

He looked at the bag, as Minatsu jerked it away. He asked, "OH! Is that from St. Gentlemen's?"

Minatsu barked, "YES! It's mine! NOT YOURS!"

He glared at her, as she stated, "Hey, this is my lunch, complete with bananamin. This is my personal lunch, don't ask!"

She sighed, "It can't be helped. They are paying me back, after all."

She gave them the 1,000 Yen Bill, as he smiled, "That's the spirit. You're such a nice android."

Minatsu barked, "You better pay me back, you two! I'm going to write it down."

Asahi called out, "No need! We already promised you!"

Chazz called, "Thanks a lot, Minatsu! We owe ya one, buddy!"

She wrote it down on her planner, as Chazz & Asahi left. As she was writing, the same dog from earlier walked by, and without Minatsu looking, he swiped the bag away. She wrote down, as she was busy, "Hmm… June 22nd – Lent 1,000 Yen to Chazz Princeton and Asahi Sakurai… Damn… How do you spell Sakurai? Ah, well. I know it's Chazz and Asahi, so it's good enough. I don't even know how to write Chazz and Asahi in Kanji, anyways…"

She wrote "Lent" in Hiragana, as she smiled, "Well, it's better than nothing, but still… I couldn't write Princeton or Sakurai, anyways."

She finished, as she said, "Right. Now, for my-." She gasped in horror. Her lunch was gone.

"NO! Where did my lunch go? My sandwich! My banana!" She sobbed, "Where did it go?"

She found the bag, but only she found Otome's bag, with the hand inside. She smiled and sighed, "Thank goodness. How did that get here? Ah, well. I can enjoy my lunch now."

She took the bag and left, but Otome heard it. She turned around and was glaring in anger. Minatsu escaped with Otome's bag, as she was heading to where Chazz and Asahi are going. Otome was following them, completely furious. Otome stopped, and looked for the dog. The dog was already eating up Minatsu's lunch, and then Otome growled, "This is… That little brat! She stole my lunch bag! Did she take it, thinking it was her own, by mistake?"

Minatsu caught them and asked for their thumbprint. Chazz protested, "Are you nuts? Why would we do that for you, Minatsu?!"

Asahi said, "We don't even have inkpads."

Minatsu barked, "I DON'T CARE! AT LEAST SIGN IT!"

Chazz said, "Fine… This is a pain. Besides, we have to hurry, before the sandwiches sell out."

Minatsu huffed, "Yeah, yeah, whatever. You act greedy, but you are all the same, so impatient!"

Otome thought, in panic, "Damn it! This is bad… If she opens it… then she will suspect something. And I just bought that ring for her, this morning! And if this turns over to the police, it will only be a matter of time before they trace my fingerprints and the ring back to me!"

She sneakily followed them and thought, "Otome Saotome has been in this job for five years, and not once, she's not left a single piece of evidence. And I'm not going to let some brat ruin it…"

Asahi said, as she spotted the bakery, "Over there, guys! We better hurry!"

She and Chazz raced off, as Minatsu said, "Okay, but I'll wait out here!"

Otome thought, "Ugh… I have to take it from her… but what'll I do? My best bet is to take it, without looking. But there are people watching. I must find a blind spot."

She reached for the bag, without looking, but she jerked away, seeing Chazz and Asahi return, disappointed.

"You're lucky, Minatsu…" Asahi sighed, "They were all out of sandwiches… after the lunch rush."

Minatsu smiled, "That's too bad. But at least mine is still intact. I'll share it with you."

She grinned, "But it's only 10,000 Yen…"

Otome was nervous, as she was behind the corner. Chazz huffed, "You're such a cheapskate, you know that? Come on, Asa, we're hitting Hokuben."

"Hokuben?" Asahi asked, "Why Hokuben? I don't think we'll get a sandwich or a drink with 500 Yen each…"

Chazz huffed, as they walked, "We'd have lunch with those Daitenzin losers, but Tsukasa has a lunch date with a friend. She wouldn't say, but it's obviously those Ropponmatsu Rejects… or Kazuki Sendo, since he's usually her senpai."

Asahi giggled to Minatsu, "Uh, he's just having a bad day! He didn't mean it!"

Minatsu said, "It's fine. He's being surly, as usual…"

Asahi sighed, "Besides, it's like having school lunch… Why not dine with Farra, Chazz?"

"You'd expect me to eat her molten cookery? That's fucked up, even for you!"

"I'm sorry… I forgot Farra was an awful cook." Asahi stated, "Last week, she made some miso soup… I had no idea what was in it."

He growled, "She doesn't even know what miso is, aside from the fact that she works as a living mannequin in F City, when not on-duty. Maybe her doll-like hands can cut meat about one millimeter thick. And as for soup, no telling what Blondie has something shitting in her stovetop."

Minatsu suggested, "You know, if you're that desperate, they got lots of drinks in the campus's prep room, at my school's gym! That gym teacher always sneaks in with the coffee and tea. That is because all the teachers eat in the teacher's room for lunch, and I sometimes sneak in the window and get some… also?"

Chazz barked, "WHAT THE HELL! Now you're stealing from the school?"

Asahi complained, "The least we can do is buy our own drinks! You think we're that cheap, Amakase?"

They walked off, as Minatsu whined, "Sheesh, I was just playing nice… Stupid humans!"

Otome crept behind Minatsu, as she called, "Alright fine! But you better promise me to pay me back to for the money, tomorrow! And next time, bring your own cash! I'm not your personal ATM Machine!"

She turned around. Otome panicked. They collided into each other. They remained in a standing place, as Minatsu moaned, "Ugh… Excuse me, ma'am… It was my fault for bumping into you like that."

She dashed off, as Otome thought, "Fuck! So close! It's a good thing that she's separated from her friends. She is going back to the school. So, what's my next move? Minatsu is her name…"

Minatsu returned to St. Culture Academy, as Otome continued, "Those two… Chazz Princeton… Asahi Sakurai… Those names… Just who are they? Whatever the case, in a couple minutes, she's opening the bag, exposing the truth! This is unfathomable…"

Minatsu arrived at the window, which is near the stairs leading to the supply room. She opened the window and snuck inside. She looked around and went in, shutting the window.

"Finally! I get to eat lunch, and through peace and quiet!" She cheered, as she was about to open it.

However, the window opened, as Otome was sneaking into the supply room. She stopped, as Minatsu gasped, "OH, I forgot! I have to get coffee, with my lunch."

She sat up and placed her bag down. She headed to the other room and prepared some coffee. Otome jumped in, as she whispered, "How very fortunate of you, Minatsu. I would've obliterated you, if I had given the chance, but I just cannot let anyone see what is inside the bag…"

She snuck and crawled to Minatsu's bag and reached for it. But…

"Hey, Chazz! Here it is!" Asahi called, as she snuck into the window.

Otome gasped, "Them?! Why are they here? But they said earlier they didn't want to come!"

Asahi went in, as Otome hid. Asahi called, "Minatsu! It's us! Hey…"

Chazz called, "You in there?"

Minatsu looked and said, "Oh, Chazz, Asahi…I thought you went to get food from somewhere else."

Chazz climbed in and said, "Well, we thought about it, and we decided to get free coffee. It's not stealing, if no one's caught."

Asahi added, "Though, it was pricey for coffee at Hokuben. So, we decided on a makunouchi bento lunch, instead."

Minatsu huffed, "Really? And I thought you called me a cheapskate, earlier! You're a couple of hypocritical humans!"

"Come on, give us a chance! It is something that happens, you know."

Otome was hiding inside the wooden gym horse and hissed, "Damn! Now what do I do? If these guys view the hand, it's over. Eliminating one is simple, but not while it's in a public place; but also, I can't tackle all three, at once! And she's only a few centimeters away… Shit! So close, too!"

Chazz sat on the gym horse, trapping Otome inside, as he was having his lunch. "Hey, Minatsu, how about a drink? I'll just have regular green tea."

Asahi added, "Same here. I want some milk tea."

Minatsu called, "Sorry, but all they have is coffee. And who puts tea in milk, anyways? Disgusting!"

Otome groaned, "Shit, I'm trapped. He's eating lunch, from up there, on top of me! At this rate, she'll open the bag."

She looked down and saw a wire hanger on the ground. She had an idea. She untwisted the wire hanger and created a long hook, in hopes to retrieve the bag inside.

Asahi dripped some soy sauce in her lunch, as she sighed, "Soy sauce, again… Always with soy sauce. They're supposed to be served with cutlets, though."

Chazz said, "You've been hanging overseas, for a while now."

Asahi protested, "So have you! You've been to Egypt, Southern Asia, and America; don't get me started on a list!"

Chazz huffed, as Otome reached for the bag, "Idiot. And also, you usually have a cutlet sauce in your lunch, rather than soy."

"Why tonkatsu sauce? I enjoy it more than soy sauce!"

"Like it matters."

She reached for the bag and lifted it up. "I got it."

The bag suddenly opened, and fell back in place. Chazz and Asahi turned, as Otome groaned, "Shit! That brat just opened the sticker! No… I forgot about the sticker…"

Chazz asked, "Huh…" He went to the bag and looked at it. He said, as he was curious, "Strange… Minatsu's bag opened."

He reached for it, but Minatsu roared, "HEY! Get your mitts off my bag! You're trying to steal my sandwich, are you?"

Chazz huffed, "As if. Don't be so stupid, Minatsu! I wasn't reaching for your lunch! The bag fell over and it opened, but itself. I heard a weird sound, and I wanted to take a closer look."

Minatsu called, "Well, call me, next time! You don't touch it, at all! MY FOOD'S OFF-LIMITS! I know your kind… You wanted a bite of that special teriyaki chicken sandwich, and pleading for me to share a bit! You got your own food! Can't you just wait?"

Chazz huffed, "Good grief, for an android, you're annoying. Now where's my tea?"

Asahi added "Mine, too, Minatsu. My milk tea?"

"Alright already! I was just about to make it!" Minatsu scowled, and walked off, back to the coffee machine.

Chazz returned to his seat, far away from the bag.

"NOW!"
The gym horse opened, and Otome dragged the bag towards her, and got it back, from inside. Minatsu returned, as she called, "I got your tea."

She then gasped, as she threw her tea down, "AAAGH! MY LUNCH! WHAT HAPPENED TO MY LUNCH?"

Chazz asked, "What's wrong?"

Minatsu roared, "Don't what's wrong me, you human! What did you do to my lunch? You were stealing it from me, were you?"

Chazz sighed, "I didn't take it. I was sitting here, this whole time."

Asahi replied, "Me neither. We wouldn't be that greedy. And we just got our lunch."

Minatsu roared, "DON'T LIE TO ME! YOU TWO WERE THE ONLY ONES HERE WITH ME!"

Chazz huffed, "Seriously? We were there, but noticed that your bag vanished."

Asahi said, "You can't blame it on us. Possibly someone in this school. We're just as confused as you, as well!"

Minatsu roared, "AND YOU TWO ARE SUPPOSED TO BE DETECTIVES?!"

Otome listened on, with the bag in her possession, and smirked evilly. Chazz cried, "It's the truth!"

Asahi argued, "Like we would steal from you? Even I wouldn't do such a thing, and I've had enough of you pointing fingers-!"

Minatsu cried, "FINE! You won't talk! I'll make Harvest let you talk!"

Asahi pleaded, "Wait a minute! We're innocent! If we didn't eat it, it's probably hiding somewhere!"

Minatsu roared, "So, we're going to turn this room, inside out, are we?"

Chazz barked, "Now, wait a moment, we would never steal your stupid lunch!"

She unleashed her mice, as Otome said, "I can't see what she's doing… What is she up to? The view from here is too squinty. I don't know what that pissant is up to, but it doesn't look good."

Three Harvest Mice appeared, near Otome, but then, a knock on the door was made.

"HEY! What's going on in there? Who's in there?" It was the P.E. Teacher.

"SHIT! A raid!" Chazz cried.

Minatsu screamed, "Worse! The P.E. Teacher!"

Asahi gasped, "CRAP! We have to bail!"

Minatsu cried, "But my sandwich!"

Chazz called, "I'll buy you another! Now, come on! Scram!"

Chazz, Asahi, & Minatsu climb through the window, as the teacher entered the room. They dashed off, as he called out, "GET BACK HERE!"

The teacher sighed, as he moaned, "Rotten kids… Just who were they? Well, at least we know why the coffee has gone missing, lately… No wonder it was disappearing. I need to be careful, when locking up here."

He locked the window up, as Otome was watching in stealth. He departed the room, and then locked the storage room up, trapping Otome inside.

XXXXX

After that, Otome escaped through the normal exit of the storage room, and walked off, recovering the hand in the bag. She sighed and thought, "That was too close… but I managed to avoid the sound. At least I got her back. I wonder if this was luck, being that it was hard to underestimate… Still… It feels like Otome Saotome's shoulder was held by a guardian angel, somewhere."

She smiled and walked away from campus, "If I hadn't got it back, it wouldn't be so peaceful… But if I remain cool as a cucumber, it'll be a pretty easy lifestyle. Ah, well, I'm going home."

She arrived at the exit of the campus… until…

"HOLD IT, YOU!" A female figure called out.

Otome stopped, as the woman shouted, "You hear me, human? Why does someone your age resort to stealing lunches from my college? Answer me, you brat! You had the audacity to pilfer sandwiches, without paying for yourself? And while we're on the subject, why are you in my school, dressed like someone who feels like she's at another day at the office?"

It was Minatsu Amakase, the same girl that had lunch with Chazz and Asahi, though she blamed them for stealing her lunch, in the first place. She called out, "Humans like you are a disgrace to the world! And kids should be seen, not heard! So run along, but first, give me back my sandwich!"

Otome finally responded, "You're talking to me, child? I have no idea what you were talking about. If you must know…"

She held up the bag and said, "…this bag here, I bought it at the bakery, St. Gentlemen's, hours ago."

Minatsu roared, "SO DID I! THAT'S MY SANDWICH! You can save the BS, kid! There are reasons I know why, and reasons you will not understand, though! But someone like you won't understand, at all!"

Her body brimmed in energy and shouted, "SO, I'M TAKING IT BACK, BY FORCE! HARVEST!"

Five of Minatsu's Harvest mice grabbed the bag. Otome cried, as she was being pulled, "What? HEY! LET GO! Damn it, what the hell is this?"

The Harvest pulled the bag very hard, and then…
RRRRRRRIP!
The bag tore open, revealing the hand. It fell down, as Minatsu gagged in horror, "No… It… That's… What happened to my sandwich? It's a human's dead hand!"

Otome's face changed into a demonic shadowy look, as she hissed, "You… You made me drop my prize… It's come to this, huh? So it appears that my secret is out… and it also appears that you have the same powers as I do, girl…"

Minatsu gasped, "Ehhhhh? You can see my Harvest? Wait a second! That's not important, right now. Why is that a human's hand with you, and why were you walking around with it, in a paper bag? Here's a question: WHATEVER HAPPENED TO MY SANDWICH?"

Otome called, "How about I ask you a question, you whore! Are you by yourself? Your two friends… they're not with you, huh? I believe their names were Princeton and Sakurai? Yes, that's what you call them. Do they have powers like you?"

She kneeled down and reached for the hand. Minatsu summoned more Harvests, and then cried, "HOLD IT! DO NOT MOVE A MUSCLE!"

Harvest surrounded Otome, as Minatsu called, "You make a sudden move, I'll strike! You're a scary kid! DO NOT come any closer to me! I get a sort of unsettling feeling from you! Don't you move! DON'T YOU MOVE, YOU KID!"

Otome stood up and glared at her, in silence. She spoke, in a serious tone, "My name is Otome Saotome… I'm NOT a kid, but don't let my height fool you… I am 19 years old, and – not that you care – I live in a private little house, in the northeastern section of F City, where all the villas are. And since I'm pretty young, I've yet to marry.
I study at a local art college, and for part-time jobs, I work at the Kame Yu franchise department store. I work from 10am to 4pm, and I come home every day at no later than 6pm.
I don't smoke nor drink, since I'm still a minor. I'm always in bed by 11pm, and to make sure I get at least eight hours of sleep. I do not wake up until 7am. Of course, before going to bed, I drank a glass of warm milk, draw a little rough sketches on my sketchpad, and do about twenty minutes of aerobic workouts before bedtime. I normally sleep easily at night… like a log, and I wake up without any fatigue or stress, come next morning. I was told there were no issues, at my last physical, and given a clean bill of health."

Minatsu was shocked, as she asked her, "Huh? What are you even talking about?"

Otome said, "I'm trying to explain to you that I'm a normal person who wishes to have a quiet productive life… unlike some rejects from a perfectly-built and thought-out stereotypical family, who always act perfect and cheerful."

She brimmed in dark energy, and continued, "This may be a foreign concept, but I choose not to trouble myself with any enemies that ruin my chance of a good night's sleep, win or lose. That is how I cope with society, and I know that is what brings me happiness, fraught with hardship and despair."

She glared, as her aura grew bigger, "Of course, if I were to ever fight, I never lose… not even to anybody, without question…"

Her aura produced a huge dark figure and said, "Basically what I am saying, Minatsu… YOU are the irksome troublesome thing that would prevent my chance at a good night's sleep. Therefore, you are my enemy!"

Minatsu saw the figure and cried, "AAGH! No… She has a-?"

Otome grinned, as she stated, "Minatsu… meet my friend… Lethal Queen!"

Her Stand was a huge tall figure, wearing a bear belt buckle, black shorts, and its skin was ripped with light pale lavender skin. She explained, "I named it myself, without any guessing, and truth be told, I'm proud of this title."

Minatsu was in awe, with her jaw dropped, as Otome concluded, in a cold malice glare, "And now that you're in awe of my friend, I'm going to eliminate you, before you have a chance to squeal, Stoolie!
…that way, I can have a peaceful night's sleep tonight…"

Uh-oh… There's more to Otome Saotome than being a serial killer…
But just WHAT IS Otome Saotome, aside from the fact that she's also a Stand User, too?
The answers may shock you… … …in the next exciting chapter!

To be continued…