Thanks for the reviews, D C JoKeR H S and Kaitou!

Kaitou, I'll see what I can do to brighten the story up!

I'm thinking about making this story have a few arcs based on…I dunno, three different mysteries? What do you guys think? It'll be my first time writing something like that, so I hope it turns out okay.

To my readers: Please read and review! I'd like to hear your thoughts, and I appreciate any feedback. Be warned: Aang from Avatar: The Last Airbender will blow away any flames!

Disclaimer: I do not own Detective School Q. Amagi Seimaru, Sato Fumiya, and Animax do.

As it turned out, the reason why Renjo-san was so exuberant was that Kyuu would be released the week after he woke up. Unbeknownst to everyone, Kyuu would be the happiest one of all. He had been fighting nightmare after nightmare, and when he bolted awake, he would freeze, since the dark room and the monitoring equipment reminded him of that room in that house. Which he later found out from Kazuma, were created by Kuzuryuu Takumi.

(It made sense, he supposed. What other architect, inventor, genius was eccentric enough to build such a house?)

However, his heart would slow down, and his breathing would become more stable, as he looked to the hallway connected to his private room, and see the nurses rushing by, and patients and other hospital-related staff milling about. Then, he would lay there, awake, until visiting hours started (about 3 or 4 hours later), and paste a smile on his face as someone came in.

(His mom and Ryuu were there every day, Megu visited every two days, and Kinta and Kazuma each dropped by twice during his hospital stay. His room was full of get-well cards from DDS, as well as enough flowers to give someone with a pollen allergy multiple sneezing fits if they set a foot into the room.)

His brain knew that this sleep deprivation wasn't healthy, and it would slow his recovery, but what could he do about it? He had already worried everyone so much, and he wouldn't take sleeping pills or talk to a psychologist, as it would alert his friends and family to his situation and defeat his purpose of not worrying them.

So he kept quiet, hoping that with time, he would get over it.

When Kyuu went back home for the first time since his rescue from the kidnapping, his mother had cooked a feast for dinner in celebration. He only managed to eat a small portion of it-his stomach being unable to handle so much solid food so quickly after practically fasting for a month. After chatting while evading tough questions from both his mom and Ryuu, he went to his room. He couldn't believe that after so long, he was actually in his house, and on his own bed.

It took him a while to fall asleep, since his body hadn't laid on his bed for half a year, but when he did, he was dismayed to discover that he was still plagued with nightmares. However, he steadfastly refused to wake Ryuu up, muffling any of his screams in his pillow as his body shook in terror.

The next day, Kyuu went back to school, despite his mother's pleas for him to stay home a little longer. He went to the main office to check in with Dan-sensei, and though it was early in the morning, students from the other classes crowded the halls, eager to see Renjo Kyuu for the first time since his kidnapping. He was smiling, excited to be there, and it was clear to everyone (as he thanked them for their cards and flowers) that his love for solving mysteries had only been temporarily suppressed by Pluto. However, DDS' administration was pretty good at limiting gossip in the halls, so what everyone didn't know was that he had another reason for getting back in the classroom and solving crimes: to get revenge on Pluto for the pain and anguish he had gone through for the last six months.

Of course, the limit on gossip didn't mean that there weren't whispers in the halls when he first strolled in.

I heard that it was Pluto that kidnapped him!

Really? Wait…isn't Pluto known for helping criminals plan their crimes and hypnotizing them so they won't sell out Pluto?

Oh my-! Was Kyuu hypnotized? How do we know that he wasn't brainwashed?

Kyuu wasn't immune to the stares and the whispers. However, he didn't let it get to him. He was secretly amused, though. When Pluto was training him, he had learned more about social cues and human interactions so he could interact better with people, in order to make it easier to get closer to Pluto's clients and targets. Now, he realized how socially awkward he must have been before the kidnapping, if he didn't notice how…talkative…the students could be.

As he got checked in, he noticed Dan-sensei's eyes on him. Turning to him, he decided to ask, "What's wrong, Dan-sensei?"

"Ah, Kyuu…I was debating whether it was wise to let you back in."

Kyuu bristled. He had been in the hospital for a week. He had to do something, or he would go crazy. Before he could say something that would be unwise for him, Dan-sensei elaborated. "From what you told me about your experiences, Pluto most likely believes that you are dead. It is risky for you to be here, since Class Q is sent out to assist the police quite often. If you are caught on camera…"

Here, Dan-sensei trailed off, but Kyuu understood where he was going with the idea. "Ah, don't worry. I won't get caught on camera…thanks to Pluto's teachings of disguise," Kyuu thought bitterly but didn't say aloud.

Dan-sensei seemed to understand, though, and his eyes reflected a small hint of sadness. Kyuu cleared his throat, and awkwardly excused himself from the room, leaving the headmaster of DDS deep in thought.

He headed towards Class Q's base, where his friends were waiting for him. They greeted each other with smiles, and as he placed his backpack by his desk and sat down, they updated Kyuu on what had happened over the last six months. They were in the middle of discussing a case when Dan-sensei rolled in. Everyone stood to attention, and Dan-sensei waved to let them sit down.

"Kyuu, I am glad that you are back with us." Kyuu nodded in acknowledgement, but didn't say anything as Dan-sensei continued. However, the mystery otaku was secretly grateful that Dan-sensei wasn't going to give away what they had discussed before to his friends.

"Everyone, it seems that Class Q is needed once again. At a local gym, the corpse of professional swimmer Yamaguchi Misao was found floating on the pool's surface when the lifeguard was preparing the pool this morning. Estimated time of death was last night, around when the gym closed for the day. The details are vague, but it is clear that the police need help with the case. Class Q, I am putting you on the case."

"Hai!" rang out from each of the five members of Class Q as Dan-sensei nodded and left the room.

"Oi, Kyuu. Are you ready for this?" Kinta boldly asked what was on everyone's minds.

Kyuu smirked. "I'm a detective, and a member of Class Q. I was born ready."