A/N: Hello, everybody! I think I should apologise for the shorter chapter last week. My head's been all over the place, and I've been suffering a lot of writer's block recently (perhaps it showed in my A/N's? I feel I was less chatty...) but I feel a new spur of energy within me now.
I've also just finished reading The Fanseries trilogy by BFTLandMWandSEK- perhaps some of you have already read it, as the series started in 2012 or something? It was recommended to me by Poisonlillie, so thank you for introducing me to such an interesting, eye-opening series. Well, I can tell you that I felt a lot of emotions whilst reading that, and I have to say my favourite of the trilogy was probably The Fanboy, mainly because I loved their OC Larry to the point that I wish he was my friend in real life! Honestly, I can't get enough of Larry-he's hilarious- so I'm really sad that the series was only a trilogy, but all good things must come to an end. Honestly, though, if you're looking for a story packed with humour, read The Fangirl, the first one, if you want a mixture of funny and serious, read The Fanboy, the second one, and if you just want an emotional roller coaster, like I evidently did, I endorse you to read all three if you haven't yet.
Without further ado, here's the next chapter of Investigasians: The Musical Massacre!
Oh, wait.
I just have to say, I really like everybody's theories so far! I'm hearing all sorts of names jump out at me, and seeing everybody ponder over what's to come seriously makes me grin from ear to ear so... keep up the good work my reviewing detectives! You're probably more suited for the job than Yao is, what with his snail's pace and monetary goals. Thank you for all the support and love that's been given to this story. I can't stress enough just how grateful I am to see your reviews and reply to them. I've been a fan of Hetalia for a year now, and I just get so many pleasant surprises of how creative this fandom can be: the art, the games, the fics, the headcannons and even parallel aspects such as the 2Ps. It's amazing what so many heads can create when put together.
So, for the real "without further ado" (it's my catch phrase in the same way America says "dude" or Russia says "da" or China says "aru"- I'm fairly assure the "WFA" has appeared in almost every chapter as well as the classic "until next time"... I need some new scripts...) - the real without further ado is finally here: enjoy the next chapter of The Musical Massacre!
Chapter 8
The following day at five, Yao met both Yong and Mei at the Honda ramen bar. The days just kept getting colder and colder, it seemed, and the weather crueller towards him. It also seemed to bother Mei, who chose to crank up the car's heating system, blowing on her hands and rubbing them together pointedly, as if accusing him that she couldn't stay warm. Their mission today was to investigate the music theatre. Again. A trash can and a supposedly used cleaning agent awaited them. Depending on the results found, this would tell them a notable amount about the killer. Yao could either smell money in the air, or the faint hints of muggy pollution that blasted through the air con.
Yao swung the car into the theatre parking complex and instantly spotted the police cars still gathered at the crime scene like a muttering crowd. He already knew he was going to get grief for trying to do his job.
"Hey, maybe Harlot Mei can work her magic again this time," Yong Soo said bitterly from the back of the car as Yao turned off the engine.
"What did you just say?" she glowered into the rear view mirror, and even Yao had to look at the mischievous squint in Yong's eyes.
"You heard me."
Mei turned in her seat with a dark stare. "And what is that supposed to mean?"
"Officer Kirkland seemed under a spell to me," he continued, confident in his accusation. "Just a few words from your harlot tongue and there was no escape for him."
"Oh, well, I'm sorry I happen to use charm to make my way through situations like that," she grumbled. "Some of us use words, and for some of us, it happens to work."
"I'm not about to curse or hinder that ability, aru," Yao interjected with a shrug. "If Officer Kirkland spends the rest of his life swayed by Mei's 'tender' voice, why should I complain? It gets him out from under my skin, aru."
"You can't just use me as some kind of motivation for your enemies to leave you alone," Mei huffed. "Even if I don't set the best examples and my methods might seem a little conceited, in no way do I want to be seen as an object."
"OK, aru," Yao said.
"Are you even listening to me?" she scowled.
Yao opened his mouth to reply, but was interrupted by an insistent tapping at his window. Turning his seat with a curled lip, he wasn't too surprised to see Chief Arsehole rapping his knuckles impatiently against the glass. With as much arrogance as he could muster, and in cases that involved the Chief Policeman there was a lot available, he rolled down the window and leant out, wearing a bored expression. He wanted to portray the idea that Kirkland was wasting his time; for once, Yao wanted to act like the arsehole.
"What are you doing here?" Kirkland demanded. "I thought you were done with the crime scene. If you're not, then you're too late. I've already had my squad clear away both corpses of Edelstein and James."
"Well, aru, we're just here to check the trash," Yao said confidently.
"Don't be ridiculous," Kirkland folded his arms. "An officer of my standing isn't likely to have allowed anything important to get thrown away. There's no need for you to be here, rifling through the trash."
"We're not here to go over what was in the crime scene," Yao felt a frown stretch across his face. He needed to do this if he hoped to progress in the case.
"Ah, I see," the Chief Arsehole smirked and raised his head higher. "You've dragged your teammates along to find your dinner for you. Well, I can't let that happen. It's my duty to prevent anyone from the public experiencing illness that the authorities could've prevented; even if it is dithering losers such as yourself searching for a proper meal…"
"I actually have a good place where I-"
"It's OK, Yao," Mei leant forwards to look at both him and Officer Kirkland. "We can always wait a few days until the authorities have loaded the trash to the dumpster. We'll continue our search there…"
He wasn't sure how she managed to change the tone of her voice to suddenly sound the victim, but it earned a pleasing reaction. Officer Kirkland noticed her and rubbed the back of his head, awkwardly averting his gaze and the smug look in his eyes instantly gone. Suddenly, he had a lot less to say.
"I don't think I can let you do that..." he swallowed.
"It's OK, Officer," she replied kindly, and Yao knew he needed to keep his trap shut. "With a position as respectable as yours, and a competent team to match, we honestly wouldn't expect you to be concerned about our habits every hour of the day. We're all doing our jobs here, so we'll search the dump later- right, Yao?"
Yao nodded vigorously, and could see Yong bobbing his head in the rear view mirror. Officer Arsehole stared in through the mirror wearing a strained smile for a full two heartbeats. He couldn't hold Mei's gaze, though- she was too good at pretending to be sincere. Perhaps some part of him knew she was being manipulative. Perhaps some part of him didn't care. Or, perhaps, he truly was oblivious. Either way, he still let out a long sigh and turned to the side, so that he wouldn't have to face them as he relented.
"Geh, fine," he sighed, gritting his teeth together. "I can allow you to check through the trash… if that's what you really want?"
"Really?" Mei's eyes shone. "Thank you so much."
Kirkland puffed out his cheeks, then gave her another forced smile. "What kind of gentleman would leave a lady and her friends rifling through… a place like the dumpster?"
A man who hasn't been fooled by Harlot Mei, Yao thought, liking the nickname Yong Soo had given her. It felt suddenly fitting.
"Thank you very much," Mei beamed.
Next thing Yao knew, he and Yong Soo were shoving their hands through the bags of trash left over from Friday night's performance. Mei leant casually against the wall, watching them, after having refused to contribute to the search. In truth, Yao didn't blame her, and was tempted to let Yong Soo spend the rest of his day rifling through the smells of half consumed food, packaging, bottles, general litter and all sorts of chewing gum people had casually thrown in throughout the show's span until it's very end. It was disgusting work, but at least the policing authorities had provided thin, rubber gloves and basic masks that covered the mouth and nose. His eyes were still watering since not all the scent was stopped by the mask, but he ploughed on, determined to make this as quick a job as he could make it.
For hours they searched the trash cans until a bottle of cleaning agent was finally recovered. Yao held it in his hands and noticed the bloodied prints of a glove left on them. Honestly, if you hid the clues in a most desperate place, the evidence could be overlooked. This was the bottle that had seen Niklas Edelstein's departure from the planet. He turned to the others and held the bottle towards them. Both shook their heads. Yao decided to drop the disgusting item in a plastic bag and approached Officer Kirkland, who wrinkled his nose as he approached.
"We got what we wanted, aru," he said. "So, you can throw all that away, now."
"You wanted something from that?" Kirkland's thick eyebrows rose. "As you're not an official member of authorities, I request to see that evidence…"
Yao held up the empty bottle and the Chief Policeman grudgingly took the bag.
"Well…" he mumbled. "Have you taken a photo of this for your evidence board? That is, if you have one. And remember, Miss Chun has been granted permission to analyse any items of evidence that are found."
"I know, aru," Yao answered.
"Say, do you know what the murder weapon is?" Kirkland asked.
"Nope, not yet," Yao replied. "But I think we're on to a suspect: my Arumeter is telling me so."
"Right, well… good luck with that," Kirkland rolled his eyes. "Contact the police, though, when a suspect is evident and we'll interrogate and question them."
"OK, aru," Yao rolled his eyes. "You explain this procedure as if I don't know it."
"Your colleagues might not," he gestured vaguely towards Yong Soo and Mei. "Personally, I don't know why the Mayor trusts you so much... For that measure, I'm going to ask you to leave. The authorities are clearing this place out for public usage once more."
"Really?" Mei outburst. "What if more people are attacked? We still don't have a murderer's motive."
"Don't worry about it, Mei," Yao reassured her. "We already confirmed the janitor's death was on the spot, aru. Niklas Edelstein was the intended target."
She lowered her head slightly and nodded in agreement. Her behaviour rubbed off on Yao, and he began to wonder if reopening the musical theatre would only provoke an attack as vicious as the late Mr Edelstein's.
"We're definitely done here, aru," Yao smiled at Kirkland.
"I wasn't asking that," Kirkland muttered. "I was requesting you leave or face possible arrest for trespassing on property you shouldn't be on."
"OK, OK," Yao held up his hands and backed quickly away. "We're leaving."
Mei snapped a photo of the evidence bottle and hurried after both Yong and Yao. The three of them approached the Old Civic, which was when Yao finally dared lift the mask from his face.
"Oh, geez," he groaned. "We reek. No wonder Kirkland was giving us those funny stares…"
"At least I don't," Mei looked thankful. "That was one reason not to go rummaging through trash. It would make me smell bad."
"Were there other reasons, aru?" Yao unlocked the car and slid inside, making sure to roll down the windows as he did so.
"You never know what creatures could be lurking in those bags," she grimaced. "I didn't want to come across a rat or spider or something. That would just be too much for me…"
"Right," he started the car and rolled out of the parking lot, noticing Kirkland keeping an eye on him. "He's such an ass, aru… Yong, can we clean off in the showers at your place?"
"My mum should be OK with it," Yong Soo shrugged. "But Mei doesn't need a shower. What should we do with her in the meantime?"
"Is it not possible for Mei to wait downstairs?" Yao looked at him incredulously through the rear view mirror, for Mei had once again called shotgun.
"Yeah, I guess so," the youngest member dipped his head down once, and Yao took that for a nod. "I'm sure my parents won't mind us showering there, either."
"You have, like, ten bathrooms, aru," Yao grumbled. "Why would your parents deny us something they could easily offer us?"
"Because they don't like you?" Yong Soo frowned.
Yao didn't reply to that, because it was true, and the moderate drive to Yong Soo's house fell into silence, until Mei started her radio switching once more, as well as tuning the air con up to full blast. Yao came to a stop in Yong's driveway, and they piled from the Old Civic. He could see Mei admiring the house the second she left the car. Since Yong Soo's house was protected by a natural border of fencing and hedges, Yao deemed it would be OK to leave the car windows open a little to air the Old Civic out – there was nothing to be stolen inside, anyway.
The three of them walked up to the door and Yong Soo used his keys to open it. Mei was still gazing around as Yong Soo placed a flat palm on the door and pushed it open.
Mei had never imagined Yong Soo to live such an extraordinary life. Upon her first impression, she had strongly believed he'd been some street urchin Yao had pulled up from the gutters. Even when Yao had mentioned the BMW his parents owned, Mei's brain could never register that Yong Soo belonged to a family of significant wealth. She couldn't help but nod in appreciation at the well-kept rugs and parquet flooring that had been recently cleaned. There was an air of taste about the hallway, and a woman swept out from behind the stairs with a wide smile and open arms.
She pulled the young man into her embrace, still wearing that beautiful smile. Although probably having reached her late forties, she was a glamorous and beautiful woman. She was of average height, slender and shaped, and had a lively bounce to her step as she walked forward to gently shake Mei's hand. Her hands were smooth and soft, and lacked unprofessional, sweaty palms. Silky black hair was tied into a neat bun, and her perfume smelled just like that new Chanel brand that had come out about two months ago. The beauty and warmth of this woman evaporated when she turned to face Yao. Her smile dropped and she straightened up in a taut manner, her face pulled into an expression that could only be described as revulsion, and seemed to add ten years to her age.
"Yao," she said bitterly, almost standing the same height as him.
"Mrs Im," he replied politely, holding her gaze calmly. It was like two cats having a standoff.
"Hi, Mummy," Yong Soo interrupted the miniature conflict. "Is it OK if I and Yao use a couple of the showers here? We've been doing some super-secret stuff and it required us to get our hands a little dirty."
"Oh, precious Soo," she cooed, reaching forward to hold his face in her hands. "Mummy could never say that you… hang on. What is that smell?"
"You could say we've been dumpster diving, but that's not strictly accurate," Yong Soo replied.
"Yes, go take a shower," she wrinkled her nose, taking a step away and then glancing at Yao. "I should make you go outside to the hose, but I wouldn't want to end up paying the bill when you get sick."
"Does that mean you're hospitable enough to let me take a shower here, aru?" he asked sceptically.
The woman made a wild gesture. "Next thing we know, you'll be asking for a room."
Mei watched as Yao considered the possibility, but since Yong Soo's mother was already enraged at his presence, he decided against it. Besides, Mei wondered how long he'd last once Yong Soo skipped off to university or for a place of his own. She could only envision that Yao would follow Yong forever, unable to afford the right place for himself. That kind of sad, sub-existence almost made her pity him. Almost.
"And who might you be?" the woman guided Mei to the kitchen whilst Yong Soo and Yao rushed off to clean themselves up.
"A new member to the detective agency," Mei replied, taking a bar seat at the counter island in the centre of the kitchen. "A part time one…"
"You look young as well," the woman sighed. "I'm starting to believe that man is hiring children to do his work for him… Disgusting, really."
Mei couldn't help but feel a little flattered. "Don't worry about me – I'm actually twenty-two."
"That's still young," Yong's mother sighed. "Only just out of university. I don't want Yong Soo falling behind his work because of Mr Wang; I want him to do better than him, because I have faith in my son."
"He's a clever boy," Mei said, although it was undeniable that Yong could lack common sense. And perhaps intelligence. She had yet to see his 'shine'.
"What did you say your name was?" Yong's mother asked.
They both knew she hadn't said; it was a prompt, not a question, in truth. "Mei Xiao."
"Mei… that's such a pretty name," she sighed. "Would you like a drink?"
"Coffee, if that's OK?" she hadn't had a proper American coffee since she'd lived in the States. Once upon a time ago, Mei had loved tea, but the constant need for caffeine during her student days had put her on a diet of coffee, energy drinks and microwave noodles.
"That's fine," the older woman set about to making drinks. "Chiyu by the way. Chiyu Im."
"This house is wonderful," Mei sighed.
"Thank you," she said brusquely. "How do you like your coffee?"
"Err, just black," Mei replied. "I got a bit addicted to it in the States."
"You lived there?" Chiyu asked, placing the coffee before Mei and sitting across from her – she herself had a green tea.
Mei nodded. "That's where I went to university."
"Perhaps I should convince Yong Soo to go abroad?" Chiyu drummed manicured nails on the dark granite worktops. "It would get him away from that awful Mr Wang, that's for sure…"
"I don't know- studying abroad can be hard," Mei shrugged, staring into the rippling reflection of the dark liquid in the mug she held as she reflected on the past. "It can be quite isolating. Besides, Yong Soo strangely looks up to Yao."
"I know…" his mother looked despairingly upwards. "I honestly don't know why. The man never has anything coming for him. Why did you let him drag you into this 'detective' stuff? It seems so pointless and it never seems to get the man anywhere."
"I actually knew Yao from childhood," Mei admitted. "We used to play games a little like this. There's a certain thrill to solving cases that just… drew me in once again."
Chiyu Im was looking at her curiously. "They keep it so confidential. Yong Soo never tells me what's going on, so I always have to worry if they're getting into dangerous situations. However, every time I looked Mr Wang up in the past, I could never find anything solid other than gossip that he found someone's cat and got paid a small sum for it… That's grunt work, right? I know they have to have some kind of secrecy in this line of business – client protection and whatever – but I just need some confirmation that my precious Soo isn't going to get hurt from it."
"He won't," Mei replied almost instantly. "The work we do? It's not dangerous. Not in any way."
"Would you… tell me what you're doing at the moment?" Yong Soo's mother raised her eyes to Mei's.
She knew that they weren't supposed to tell anyone about a case. It was meant to be kept secret past the point of secrecy; Yao had made that clear. However, Yong Soo's mother was obviously desperate. The worry in her eyes was distinctive, her fingers drumming the table must've been an anxious tic, and she couldn't sit still. All these things that Mei suddenly noticed made her almost angry at Yong Soo. How could he leave his mother in the dark without a second's assurance that everything could be OK? Mei knew that, in his situation, she would want her parents to at least know her life wasn't in danger. She could guess, in Chiyu Im's position, it was a pain every day to see her son disappear for hours without a moment of contact between them. She probably waited at home, praying silently that her son would come back alive and bouncing rather than on a stretcher, wrapped up in a shroud. The thought of having to wait for that was unbearable. Mei opened her mouth to assure her, to tell her that, although this was a murder case, everything would be fine, but as soon as the words were about to leave her mouth, someone thundered into the room.
She turned in her seat to see Yao standing in the doorway. He was wearing Yong Soo's spare clothes, because the shirt was too long and the shorts he wore went a little too much past his knees. His arrival was far too coincidental for him; Mei knew that. All she could wonder was just how much of the conversation had he heard?
"You look ridiculous," Mei commented.
"Thanks for that, aru," he said bitterly, and Mei wondered if there was a double meaning to his words. She hoped there wasn't.
"If you plan on taking Yong Soo with you again, don't get your hopes up," Chiyu sipped her tea. "It's his dinner at seven, and I would bet on your life easily that you wouldn't see tomorrow if he wasn't back by then."
"I understand, Mrs Im," Yao replied. "But just for the record, I do actually make sure Yong's fed…"
"With ramen," she added pointedly. "Not everyone needs to live off cheap ramen like you do, Mr Wang. I want my son to grow happy and healthy, and to be as strong as possible. Is that understood?"
"Yes, Ma'am," Yao nodded curtly. "If that's the case, I and Mei will be off."
Mei hurriedly finished her coffee, taking it as a major hint to get a move on.
A/N: Thank you to everyone for reading this, and giving me the time of day! Honestly, I'm just so thankful that you go out of your way to read my Fic, and also to review! I know this chapter was more contemplasian before investigasian, but I felt I needed to make a few things more... clear. Either way, thanks for bearing with me. On the note of reviewing, please! Feel free to drop a comment, be it long or short, a theory or a statement! I really love to see my reader's opinions, and moreover, I absolutely adore replying! It genuinely interests me to see what you, the reader, thinks of what I write- so please, if you have something you want to say, drop a review! Yao gets a dollar for every review you write (well, he doesn't... but he wishes).
Until next time, my fellow Hetalians (or casual readers? Who knows?). The mystery awaits!