Bara no Scarlet
Chapter 42
Deviations
The morning at Ohtori campus started just as normal as you please. It was nothing more than a typical day in the elite school.
Until the Matron of the Seido Hall unlocked the third door on the second floor and entered the dorm room for the monthly inspection. Her scream had been clearly heard across the common area.
Seido Hall had been evacuated, and both the Student Council and the Chairman were summoned in addition to the local authorities.
Students circled around the entrance, trying to find out what had happened, but were sent on their way to class by the burly gym instructor. Juri and Miki, not having classes that early, had been called to assist in containing those students who did not have class, and Juri was busy ordering students to line up and keep quiet.
Miki caught Anshii as she approached, and pulled her aside. "Anshii... you don't want to come over here. You're not involved, so go back to your room and keep track of Ayomi."
Anshii frowned. "What's going on, Miki? What's happened over there?" Green eyes cast a glance over Miki's shoulder, seeing Juri angrily tell a student to get back into line.
"There's been a... problem... in a student's dorm. Mariko Kunihita is dead."
Anshii gasped, looking back to Miki. "Dead! But..." Her voice trailed off, and she looked at Miki helplessly. "How...?"
Miki shook his head. "We don't know yet. But Miss Kanazaki found her this morning during her normal room inspections."
"Miki..." Anshii said quietly. "She wasn't at the ball last night. You don't think...?"
"Kaoru! I could do with some assistance," Juri called, using Miki's family name for pointed emphasis. Miki looked back to Juri and nodded, then turned to Anshii. "Keep her safe, Anshii. You're the only one who can."
As Anshii watched in shock, Miki turned and walked back over to the group of students that Juri was overseeing and began to direct some of them into another area.
Back in the dorm room, Ayomi was frowning at her Chemistry book. She had a quiz today, but she wasn't ready for it. She didn't particularly care for the class, and when an envelope was slipped under the door, she welcomed the opportunity to get away from electrons and charges.
Leaving her book open on the table, she stood and walked over, cracking open the door to perhaps see who had left the note. Seeing no sign of anyone, she closed the door and picked up the envelope.
The script was neat, Anshii's name written in black ink on the front. On the back, a seal that she didn't recognize. She set the letter on the table and looked at her Chemistry textbook. She didn't want to go back to her studies. Her mind was far from school, still wandering through her nightmare. Those images, the things that she had seen still haunted her. And for some reason today, her scar ached.
It was all connected. It had to be.
The door was flung open rather unceremoniously, and Ayomi spun to see Anshii standing there, out of breath. "Ayomi! Good, you're safe. You're staying out of classes today."
Ayomi blinked. "But... I have a quiz... in Chemistry..." She pointed to her Chemistry book. "I have to go..."
Anshii closed the door behind her, looking grimly at the other girl. "I doubt there will be classes shortly. Mariko Kunihita is dead."
Ayomi clung to the chair she was standing next to. "Dead...? But... how...?" The world wobbled. Students didn't just die, did they? Especially not bright and popular ones...
"What's this...?" Anshii asked, her eyes falling on the note.
"Oh... um... someone pushed that under the door. Just a little while ago..." Ayomi felt disconnected, as if there was a vast distance between herself and the world.
Anshii picked it up, turning it over to look at the seal. She felt the blood rush from her face. The Ohtori Family seal... The stylized 'O' that Kanae used in all of her official documents. The same seal that Akio Ohtori used after he married her.
She flipped the envelope over and looked at the writing on the front. It was definitely Kanae's handwriting. Ever so carefully, she popped the seal away from the paper and took out the note within.
I'm next, Anshii Himemiya. And then he'll come after you.
Anshii's eyes widened, and she grabbed Ayomi's wrist, still clutching the note. "Come on, we have to move quickly!" She dragged the unresisting girl out of the dorm room, and the two of them ran for the dormitory building doors as if the devil himself were behind them.
The morning at Ohtori campus started just as normal as you please. It was nothing more than a typical day in the elite school.
Until the Matron of the Seido Hall unlocked the third door on the second floor and entered the dorm room for the monthly inspection. Her scream had been clearly heard across the common area.
Seido Hall had been evacuated, and both the Student Council and the Chairman were summoned in addition to the local authorities.
Students circled around the entrance, trying to find out what had happened, but were sent on their way to class by the burly gym instructor. Juri and Miki, not having classes that early, had been called to assist in containing those students who did not have class, and Juri was busy ordering students to line up and keep quiet.
Miki caught Anshii as she approached, and pulled her aside. "Anshii... you don't want to come over here. You're not involved, so go back to your room and keep track of Ayomi."
Anshii frowned. "What's going on, Miki? What's happened over there?" Green eyes cast a glance over Miki's shoulder, seeing Juri angrily tell a student to get back into line.
"There's been a... problem... in a student's dorm. Mariko Kunihita is dead."
Anshii gasped, looking back to Miki. "Dead! But..." Her voice trailed off, and she looked at Miki helplessly. "How...?"
Miki shook his head. "We don't know yet. But Miss Kanazaki found her this morning during her normal room inspections."
"Miki..." Anshii said quietly. "She wasn't at the ball last night. You don't think...?"
"Kaoru! I could do with some assistance," Juri called, using Miki's family name for pointed emphasis. Miki looked back to Juri and nodded, then turned to Anshii. "Keep her safe, Anshii. You're the only one who can."
As Anshii watched in shock, Miki turned and walked back over to the group of students that Juri was overseeing and began to direct some of them into another area.
Back in the dorm room, Ayomi was frowning at her Chemistry book. She had a quiz today, but she wasn't ready for it. She didn't particularly care for the class, and when an envelope was slipped under the door, she welcomed the opportunity to get away from electrons and charges.
Leaving her book open on the table, she stood and walked over, cracking open the door to perhaps see who had left the note. Seeing no sign of anyone, she closed the door and picked up the envelope.
The script was neat, Anshii's name written in black ink on the front. On the back, a seal that she didn't recognize. She set the letter on the table and looked at her Chemistry textbook. She didn't want to go back to her studies. Her mind was far from school, still wandering through her nightmare. Those images, the things that she had seen still haunted her. And for some reason today, her scar ached.
It was all connected. It had to be.
The door was flung open rather unceremoniously, and Ayomi spun to see Anshii standing there, out of breath. "Ayomi! Good, you're safe. You're staying out of classes today."
Ayomi blinked. "But... I have a quiz... in Chemistry..." She pointed to her Chemistry book. "I have to go..."
Anshii closed the door behind her, looking grimly at the other girl. "I doubt there will be classes shortly. Mariko Kunihita is dead."
Ayomi clung to the chair she was standing next to. "Dead...? But... how...?" The world wobbled. Students didn't just die, did they? Especially not bright and popular ones...
"What's this...?" Anshii asked, her eyes falling on the note.
"Oh... um... someone pushed that under the door. Just a little while ago..." Ayomi felt disconnected, as if there was a vast distance between herself and the world.
Anshii picked it up, turning it over to look at the seal. She felt the blood rush from her face. The Ohtori Family seal... The stylized 'O' that Kanae used in all of her official documents. The same seal that Akio Ohtori used after he married her.
She flipped the envelope over and looked at the writing on the front. It was definitely Kanae's handwriting. Ever so carefully, she popped the seal away from the paper and took out the note within.
I'm next, Anshii Himemiya. And then he'll come after you.
Anshii's eyes widened, and she grabbed Ayomi's wrist, still clutching the note. "Come on, we have to move quickly!" She dragged the unresisting girl out of the dorm room, and the two of them ran for the dormitory building doors as if the devil himself were behind them.