Guess, what? Tomorrow (or today depending on where you live) is my birthday and in honor of that fact (or to just get my rear end moving) I decided to work very hard and post another chapter. This one is even a bit longer by about 200 words. Another BNtaWB is coming out soon, too.

Ryoma knew about law. He read a couple of books on his own time and one of his friends back in America, Samantha, was well on her way to becoming lawyer herself. He knew that she would highly disapprove of him drinking whiskey on campus of a school filled with law enforcement hopefuls waiting to catch someone and prove themselves.

Yet, he was still sitting with his back to the concrete wall of the building downing whiskey like water. I'm too young for this. Where did New York go? God, I sound like a sixty year old. He thought hazily underneath the comforting cloud of alcohol. Ryoma downed another bottle and promptly passed out.

When he woke up, he heard a female voice yelling. She sounded angry.

"Just look at him! Getting himself drunk over a lost interview, boo-hoo-hoo. I should have beat him up when I got the chance!" A sharp kick hit his ankles. That hurt.

Another voice chimed in. "Calm down Megu. You're going to regret this."

"Maybe later, but now it would really make me feel a lot better." Ah, Megumi, girls do hold grudges for a long, long, time. The other voice must be Kazuma. He was always around Megu. Ryoma didn't have the strength to protest. Damn hangovers.

"He should just grow up!" Another kick. Ryoma groaned in protest.

Kazuma knelt down beside Ryoma and gently slapped his cheeks. "Ryoma, can you hear me? You got yourself too drunk." Ryoma emitted another groan, this time louder.

"Good, can you stand up? Here, let me help you." Kazuma wrapped one arm around Ryoma's torso and the other arm on the inside of his arm, trying vainly to help him up. The room started spinning as soon as he managed to steady himself. "Megu, please."

She pouted and dragged him into his apartment a little too forcefully. She threw him on the bed and he fainted on contact.

--

Ryu was on the internet looking up all there was on the Atobes. So far there was nothing suspicious. Only withdrawals and deposits, business meetings, dinner parties, and the worse they got was a shareholder that sued them for stealing money. The case was "thoroughly investigated" and the police found nothing.

Apparently, just like Fuji said, their son was a very talented tennis player and was well on his way to make it to the nationals. If perhaps there was anything that could serve as an obstacle in his way, that could be a motive for murder. Tezuka was his rival on a team that was slowly rising. If Tezuka was involved in any way with Sugasaki Meiko Atobe could 

have hired a hit man to assassinate her and kidnap Tezuka to prevent him from competing. It seemed like a logical theory.

Ryu shut down the computer and went to bed.

--

Ryoma didn't know how long he had been sleeping, but he didn't have a headache when he woke up. He checked the alarm clock by his bed. 9:34. So he had been asleep for a little over a day.

Grudgingly, Ryoma got up and went to the nearest sushi restaurant to get something to eat. The empty whiskey bottles were still outside his door.

He didn't get far, though. The moment he was about to step out of campus. Happy-go-lucky Kyu was all over him.

"So you're finally, awake?" he badgered, "That's great! I decided to make my down here because it's the weekend and I have nothing better to do. Besides, it's fun helping out with the case and all. Did you find anything in the forensics? I hope so, I feel really bad for that girl. I checked out the family, they said that she was dating an athlete, but I'm not sure if it's Tezuka. Is it true that you drunk yourself unconscious for two days?"

How could people talk so much?! It was excruciating. With tons of more patience than Ryoma really possessed, he managed to answer, "Yes. I did get drunk. What did the family say?"

So much for breakfast.

"Ryu said to meet back in the classroom to discuss. He says that he has another theory too."

"When's the meeting going to start?"

"In ten minutes." Joy.

--

"What did everyone find?" Ryu asked the class.

"The semen matches the DNA on Tezuka's racket." Ryoma answered.

"The family said that she was dating an athlete, but they didn't know who he was." Kyu added.

"Kazuma, what did you find?"

Kazuma was typing away on his laptop as if nothing else in the world existed. "Wait a second…here. She's a first year student at Tokyo University studying to become a doctor. She wasn't doing too well. Lost her scholarship."



"Alright then," Ryu decided, "I'll check on Atobe. Kyu, you and Kinta go find out what Rikaidai knows, and Kazuma and Megu see what friends she has at the school. Ryoma… get your brother to accept a deal." Figures, your brother gets charged with the Guinness world record amount of murders and youhave to be the one to get suspended. Ryoma curtly nodded.

He really needed to get something to eat.

--

After eight burgers from McDonalds, Ryoma went down to the jailhouse. Rizaya was lying on a cot by the wall pretending to be asleep.

"Nice of you to finally show up, Kitten-san," he said still not moving or opening his eyes.

"I'm still working on another case. Do you need any help making bail?"

"No, the date of the trial hasn't been arranged yet."

"They want me to convince you to take a deal or confess."

"Ryu, that other guy came by yesterday. I messed with him a bit."

"I figured. Listen, you need to be mo—"

"Sagasaki Meiko, is it?"

"What?"

"The woman you're investigating. Her name is Sagasaki Meiko, right?"

"How did you know that?"

Rizaya got up made his way to Ryoma. "There are a lot of things about the family that you don't know about."

"Then tell me."

"You won't understand. But I can tell you this, you should talk more to that Ryu kid. Nanjirou will like that."

"What are you talking about?"

"Exactly. You should leave, now. Maybe you can get the prosecution to speed up, get me a trial already."

"I-I'll see what I can do."



"Good. Now, go do that. Wouldn't want to drown the kitten in the basket would we?"

Ryoma was already out of earshot.

--

Tokyo U was huge. Really, really huge. Kazuma and Megu didn't know where to start.

"According to the map, the office is this way. Just follow me," Kazuma said.

In fewer minutes than Megu anticipated, the pair found the administrative office. A woman was waiting at the desk. She looked at them skeptically before asking, "What can I help you with?"

Megu showed them her badge since Kazuma could barely see over the counter. "Can you tell us about Sagasaki Meiko?"

"She was taking Biology, Chemistry, Physiology, Japanese, and English. I can lead give you a tour of this place or if there are any problem's the dean's office close by, maybe you can talk to him?"

"No thank you ma'am, we don't need anything else."