AN: I'm aliveeeeeeeeeeeee. Hahaha. Actual murder here. Not too explicit, but. Yep. It's a bit confusing, but the next chapter will offer more... insight on the mechanics itself! :D I'm not very good with murder scenes, and I'm dead tired right now oh my god.

Disclaimer: I don't own OHSHC

RECAP:

Su Tong is just done with her shower, walking out of the school bathroom and carrying her dirty sportswear out to her classroom after yet another morning run when she sees Suzushima standing outside her classroom. Upon catching her eye, he bows politely and waits for her to put away her sportswear. Suzushima is carrying a rectangular gift, and when he hands it to her, she accepts it gracefully, albeit a little confused.

"I thought it would make up for the entire backlash you experienced even though you helped me," Suzushima explains. "These are our new shipments; you'll find them as the Host Club's tea ware now."

"That was nothing; anyone would have done so in my position," Su Tong murmurs, and starts analyzing the different patterns of the teacups- strangely, all traditional and of the same, cute handle-less shape.

"But no one else paid any attention to me," he replies, smiling good-naturedly. "They were too caught up in their own safety, bless them."

There are many assorted patterns, from all over the world- except- "China."

~~~00~~~

Mii is uncomfortable; her eyes are darting away before they finally gain strength to look Su Tong in the eye. With a deep breath, she narrows her eyes and balls her fists- malicious intent (and a side of guilt) rolling off her in thick waves. "Last I checked, Su-senpai, I have no obligation to answer to you, and we're not even friends. I took pity on you, and you disgust me.

"It will all- end today."

Having tea with Kyouya and Takeko is stressful, Su Tong decides, especially after that little incident with Mii. It is even more so, given that there are a few more guests around them, chattering and oblivious to the thick tension in the air. Seeing that Haruhi was nowhere to be found, and that Kyouya was too valuable to be messing around with kitchenware, Takeko sent Mii to the kitchen, despite Kyouya's attempts to intervene, and asked her to get everyone's orders.

Su Tong had hesitated before placing hers, eyes trying to meet Mii's while she did, yet all the same trying to avoid that awkward contact. "Green tea."

Mii had then disappeared into a back room, and Su Tong was about to enter the kitchen after her when Kyouya started speaking to her. Su Tong continued the conversation, focusing on Kyouya's words and searching for some sort of hint regarding the shooting incident. Her fixation was a bad move, and Takeko was visibly enraged. Her attempts to dominate Kyouya all for her own were foiled as Su Tong tried prying deeper into the shooting incident without being too indiscreet.

"Ever since moving to Japan," Su Tong starts to crap a preamble, watching Kyouya knowingly nod, "I've felt a lot safer."

"That's because we've got a lot more safety regulations, isn't it?"

"Yeah, and I think China has a lot to learn from Japan. Of course, with such a big area, it would be hard to maintain such laws. For example, maybe, ah, firearms law?" Su Tong finishes lamely, though the students around them were not startled.

"Oh, well, I beg to differ," Kyouya says, tactfully switching the topic to something safer, such as anti-monopoly laws.

Su Tong narrows her eyes, but continues listening politely, in a bid to catch any possible underlying meaning in his words, and to avoid facing Takeko's very opaque wrath pressing up against her face; the seating is extremely awkward as they were opposite each other. Just as Kyouya directed the conversation to safer grounds, Haruhi appeared with their orders.

"Where's Mii?" Su Tong asks. "Akiyama-san, I mean."

"Oh- she left me in charge; said she had something to attend to," Haruhi says, shrugging and placing the cups on the table gently.

"Red tea for Ito-san, Black tea for Kobayashi-san, Jasmine for Ueda-san, and Green tea for Su Tong," Haruhi announces, placing the cups carefully before their owners, shooting a smile at each of the students.

They swoon, and thank Haruhi for her hard work. Su Tong itches to turn her cup the other way- the cup's handle faces right- but fights that urge down when she realizes that the action would be too obvious and awkward.

"Ah- Haruhi-kun, what-what sort of tea do you like?" Ito pipes up, shyly, while Kobayashi nods enthusiastically.

"Uh, I think I prefer green tea, like Su Tong," Haruhi says after much consideration, sending Su Tong a friendly smile. "It's simple and refreshing."

Ito and Kobayashi squeal at her cuteness, causing Takeko's brows to twitch. Su Tong chuckles lightly, and returns the smile. Before Su Tong could reply – vocally- Takeko leans across the table and grabs Su Tong's cup by the handle, taking a delicate sip, while raising her eyebrow challengingly at Su Tong. After sipping, she wipes her lips and gives a short, faked giggle.

"I changed my mind. I don't think you would mind, would you, Su Tong?" Takeko says, and her voice is sickeningly sweet such that Su Tong flinches at the sound of her own name.

Everyone is silent, until Takeko carelessly flings her own at Su Tong and replaces the cup with the green tea on her own saucer. Due to Kyouya's quick reflexes, the cup does not break. The tea, however, spills on Su Tong's dress. Takeko is about to give another faked, high-pitched giggle when she starts choking, and falls out of her chair.

"Ueda-san?" Haruhi calls out, rushing towards her. "Are you okay?"

Drenched and shocked, Su Tong gets up from her seat and runs towards Takeko, amidst the scared yelps from the girls around them. Haruhi turns to Kyouya, who is already out of his seat and dialing numbers on his phone. Takeko convulses for a final time, eyes bulging out of her sockets, glaring at Su Tong, before lying stiffly on the floor. There is foam around her mouth, and her skin is turning pinkish. Kneeling beside Takeko, Su Tong places two of her fingers against her jugular, and finds a very soft pulse.

"Quick, call the police and the ambulance! She's still alive!" Su Tong shouts.

Kyouya pushes his phone to Tamaki, and kneels down opposite Su Tong, checking Takeko for her vitals. The entire room is spiraling into chaos as the students approach the scene, only to see what they presume is a corpse. The twins are calming everyone down, and, under Kyouya's instructions, moving them to a separate room, ensuring that no one left.

Gazing down at a reddish Takeko, Su Tong blanches, and holds her bile in. Looking at the cups, she realizes that she could have ingested the green tea instead. Trying to shake the image off, she looks around, and spots the same cups that Suzushima had given her, littered around the various tables. It seems like the traditional (ancient, even) Asian-styled cups were making quite a comeback. Su Tong caught onto her train of thought and shuddered at how strangely morbid it was- to be making casual, petty comments about cups when someone was poisoned.

"Did you prepare the tea, Haruhi?" Kyouya's question breaks Su Tong's reverie.

"Y-yes, I did." Haruhi seems bewildered, staring down at her hands. "But I didn't poison her."

"Of course you didn't," Tamaki says soothingly, holding Haruhi together.

"But- how?" Haruhi manages to whisper, wrinkles forming on her forehead. "If I didn't…"

As the police and ambulance step in, everyone is hustled away from Takeko. Su Tong stares on, uncertain and slightly shaken. There is a quaint sense of relief and guilt, and she looks towards Haruhi, who is still concentrated, fists in place by her sides.

There is only one other person who could have done it.

Su Tong sits through the Hosts' attempts at placating the crowd with half an ear, looking down at her hands. Why would Mii poison anybody? Was it a deliberate attempt? But why Takeko- or rather, why Su Tong's tea? But if the poison were in Su Tong's cup, then the intended target was her, for certain. Still, was it even necessary to go through with such a convoluted plan? Su Tong mulls over the thought, and frowns slightly. Even the cups were so… Or perhaps Haruhi was involved in the entire situation?

"Su Tong," Haruhi says from somewhere above her. "The inspector needs to see you."

"Me?" Su Tong asks, and finds her voice too high-pitched, too strained. Coughing, she composes herself, and adds, "I understand."

Following Haruhi, Su Tong walks unsteadily to a table with a few warm-looking police-persons. Bowing, she settles herself into one of the seats, and sits up straight, slightly discomforted by the forced smiles they have adopted. One of them flips through a file, and raises an eyebrow, before shifting her gaze to Su Tong's face, and then back to the folder.

"And you might be?"

"I'm Su Tong."

"Ah. A Chinese tycoon, then?" one of them nods.

"Excuse me, but how does this have anything to do with the incident?" Su Tong pipes up, shifting in her seat.

"It's, uh, it's simply a background check we do for everyone," one wears a patronizing grin, and then reassures, "nothing to worry about; so, just common procedural questions; which corporation does your family head?"

Su Tong narrows her eyes, and thinks about what a 'best' answer would be. "I would rather not answer."

"Ah," the one with the folder exclaims. "A middle-class, then?"

"Excuse me?" Su Tong says steely, placing her elbows on the table, and lifting her chin. "Are you not the police? May I know what happened?"

The folder snaps shut, and the false-warmth is lost as the first inspector leans back and lets his gaze run over her, before saying, "Details are strictly confidential. Now, Su-kun, we understand you were at the table where Ueda-san was seated?"

Su Tong nods, tapping irritably at the table. "May I know-"

"And you appear to have a grudge against Ueda-san?"

"Not a grudge, but rather-" Su Tong starts to say.

The lady with the once-patronizing grin is now checking her nails. "And it appears that your cup was poisoned with cyanide. Could you think of anyone else who could possibly poison Ueda-san?"

"I can name two. Would you like me to recall the sequence in which the events unfolded?" Su Tong bites out, glaring at the lady. "We were having tea, and Akiyama-san left to get us our tea. However, Haruhi returned with them instead. A little while after, Ueda-san took my cup and drank from it. And then she collapsed."

"The names, Su-kun."

"Akiyama Mii and Fujioka Haruhi, though Haruhi is definitely not guilty-"

"And no one saw you touching your cup?" one of the inspectors ask.

"I didn't touch my cup; you can ask anyone of those at the table," Su Tong says, and then frowns. "Why the cup? Why not the tea? Was the tea not poisoned?"

"I'm afraid," folder-guy says snidely, "that information cannot be so easily released, to you, Su-kun, considering that you may be one of the suspects in this case.

"A suspect?" Su Tong tenses, and grits out, "What evidence are you basing your accusation on?"

"Is that a sign of guilt, Su-kun?"

"No, it is merely annoyance at your incompetence," Su Tong blurts out.

The inspectors sit up straighter, towering over her. Su Tong stands her ground, staring blankly at them, refusing to offer a shred of her fear and confusion. Someone stops at their table, and when Su Tong feels a hand on her shoulder, she knows it's Rong Zhi.

"I would rather you not show such disrespect to my fiancée, inspectors," Rong Zhi says calmly.

The hypocritical-warmth is back, and it makes Su Tong blanch slightly at their sudden over-eagerness to please Rong Zhi. The folder-guy flips through his folder, and makes a small, pleased noise at recognizing Rong Zhi as one of the richer and more influential persons within the school.

"Yes, Huang-sama."

Su Tong rolls her eyes , and asks in a snarky tone,"Is there anything else that you would like to investigate?"

"Ah, no. We wouldn't want to bother Ootori-sama any further. Please tell him that we'll be in contact shortly," folder-guy says, and dismisses Su Tong. "And while the police will handle further enquiries-"

"That's all?" Su Tong says.

Folder-guy doesn't reply, and instead begins packing. His colleague has already walked over to Kyouya and is shaking his hand. Rong Zhi's fingers curl and press against Su Tong's shoulders, anchoring her to the ground and preventing Su Tong from launching out due to frustration. The police quickly leave, although there is still yellow tape around the doors of Music Room Three. Su Tong glances back at Rong Zhi.

"Why are you here?"

"I heard about the poisoning incident, and decided to come over to make sure you were not- not pestered by annoying corrupted policemen," Rong Zhi answers smoothly and takes a seat.

"What do you know?"

"What do you want to know?" Rong Zhi counters, deflecting the question easily. "I've only heard about how the poison was on the cup and not the tea itself."

Su Tong nods, and then sighs. "I want to revisit the Music Room. Think you can help me with that?"

Rong Zhi looks at Su Tong weirdly, before diffusing that tension with a joking, "Already taking advantage of your status, huh?"

Somehow, that joke doesn't make Su Tong feel any better.

AN: exaggerated (?) corruption haha. Don't you think Rong Zhi's timely arrivals are... suspicious?

Reviews: if you'd like.