A/N: Welcome back, and do enjoy~

Halo

Chapter 3: Drastic Measures

Several days had passed since the investigation began.

And unfortunately, very little progress had been made.

Sensei, Problem Solver 68 and the Abydos girls continued to investigate the various missing student sites to no avail, any information they gained minimal and overall not really helpful. Any witnesses involved only had the barest of details, and none to the level that the clerk at the dry cleaner's had. Contacting the gardener that worked at Corridor Road's park didn't yield any results either; he was just a normal guy who hadn't seen anyone when Airi went missing. Thus they were left scavenging the tiniest bits of information available.

Those that were behind the kidnappings, however, weren't idle. Another two students went missing, this time on the same day, two days ago. He and the girls had gone down and investigated, questioning those who last saw the student walk through the park in Gehenna, but nobody had any real details beyond that they saw her walk into there. That was it. The other student in Millennium went missing when entering an auditorium alone to pick up some papers she'd left there. The papers found were left untouched on her desk; she'd likely been ambushed before she could reach them. Meaning whoever attacked her did so whilst lying in wait; a useful detail, but the only real one they got.

''Hah... come on, come on...''

Sensei stood in front of his desk, frowning severely as he perused the dozens of documents that laid splayed out across his desk. His computer monitors were turned around to face him, showing him every scrap of data Rin had managed to pull up, at his request. From weather and time of day of the disappearances, to the locations, to the names and personal details of those that last saw them, their known friends and prior fights or hostile interactions – everything that could help point towards who had a grudge against the student body as a whole.

The members of Abydos and Problem Solver 68 were arranged loosely around his office, most of them snacking on some light lunch given the time; just past one in the afternoon, he noted after glancing at his watch. Kayoko was by his side, having eaten a snack bar and some pretzels but little else, preferring to eat light, as she claimed. He certainly didn't mind having a second pair of eyes looking over his work.

Truthfully, they as students shouldn't be looking at such sensitive documents... but, given how involved they were with the investigation, preventing them from looking at it would only hinder their progress, rather than aid it.

''...anything?'' Kayoko inquired softly, shifting over to his side.

''Nothing.'' Sensei grimaced, shifting a police report to one side and comparing it with two others. ''Official reports don't tell us anything we don't already know.''

Kayoko hummed. Silence befell them once more, just the idle background chatter of everyone else to fill the silence, the rustling of foil wrappings or crunching of plastic wrappers sometimes joining it. Though there was still some obvious displeasure aimed at each other, both teams got along well enough. Really the only ones who had any problems were Aru and Serika; Aru because of her need to 'be the boss', and Serika's tendencies to jump to conclusions. Thankfully their teammates kept them from escalating their arguments beyond just some tossed insults and snippy comments.

''Hm...?'' Kayoko then suddenly hummed, leaning past him a little.

''What's up?'' Sensei idly inquired, still perusing the documents below him.

It was her words however that tempted him to look up. ''Sensei... doesn't there seem to be something... off?''

Brows raising Sensei glanced up at what she was pointing at – one of the monitors. It contained various bits of data, but the bit Kayoko was pointing at specifically was the weather reports. At first he didn't see anything... until he looked at the other monitors containing other data, such as time of disappearance and witnesses.

Time of Disappearance: 15:31

Weather: Overcast.

Witnesses: 1

Time of Disappearance: 20:22

Weather: Overcast.

Witnesses: 2

Time of Disappearance: 07:20

Weather: Rain.

Witnesses 1

Time of Disappearance: 11:55

Weather: Overcast.

Witnesses: 0

The trend continued into the dozens, an ominous conclusion striking Sensei in that moment. ''They always vanished when it was overcast...''

''There was always only one or two witnesses.'' Kayoko added with a severe frown, glancing past the monitors to the window behind his desk.

A window that revealed an overcast sky, gloomy and grey.

''Hm? Have you guys figured something out?'' Keen as ever Serika sat up from her seat, meandering over. ''Please tell me you have, I don't wanna have to dig through any more trash-cans.''

Sensei grimaced. ''Yeah, we have. Or a theory at least.''

''And that would be?''

''That whoever is doing this is only doing it when it's cloudy out.'' Sensei elaborated, gesturing half-heartedly towards the monitors. ''Every time someone went missing it was overcast or rainy. Every time, without fail. And today's an overcast day.''

A weighty silence fell over the room at that.

''...what's the plan then?'' It was Aru who spoke, the red-haired sniper rising from her seat by the window. ''We can't just sit here and wait, now can we?''

''That's true.'' He agreed. ''But Kivotos is a big place. They could strike anywhere from the deserts of Abydos all the way to Gehenna. Even if we split up – which we are not doing – we won't be able to cover even a fraction of an autonomous territory, let alone the whole of Kivotos.''

''Why not send out an alert?'' Shiroko suggested. ''Tell all students to either stay home or at school or something.''

''Even if that works, what will we do the next time we get cloudy skies?'' Sensei countered. ''We can't ask students to just stay together any time there's clouds; at best, such an order would work a couple times before they stopped taking it seriously. Or worse, they don't obey at all – there's enough delinquents out there that whoever is behind this doesn't have to be picky.''

''Why would someone only kidnap on days like this, though...'' Nonomi frowned, troubled.

''I don't know.'' He confessed. ''But I know we need to do something before another student is taken.''

Shoes tapped against the polished floor as Mutsuki stepped forth. ''I'll be bait, then.''

''Mutsuki?!'' Aru whipped around to face her companion. ''What's with this all of a sudden?!''

Mutsuki just shrugged, smiling. ''Well, if these creeps wanna kidnap a cute girl, then I'm the best bet, no~?''

Sensei crossed his arms. ''Are you sure about this?''

''Of course.'' Mutsuki smugly said, hands behind her back. ''Don't worry, little ol' me won't go unarmed. Everyone can tail me from a distance so that when they go for me, you'll sweep in like a prince and save me, won't you, Sensei~?''

The cooing, teasing words drew a sheepish chuckle out of him. ''Well, I'd probably be behind the lines. I'm sure Haruka wouldn't mind saving you though.''

''Um, yes, I could do that. Maybe. Probably. I'll do my best. Promise.'' Haruka got out in short, lightning-quick sentences, averting her eyes and mumbling to herself.

Mutsuki pouted but conceded at that. ''Fine~ So! We goin' or not?''

Sensei looked between the girls present. None looked overly sure of it, perhaps wisely so... but, Mutsuki had a point. This was their best bet. Their next bet was to essentially wait and hope more evidence turned up... at the cost of who knows how many students going missing.

''...very well. Let's head to Gehenna, near the suburbs. Pronto.''

X-x-X

Mutsuki wasn't scared.

Really, she wasn't scared of many things now that she thought about it. Intimidated? Yes. Unnerved? Yes. Troubled by? Yes. But actually, genuinely scared? She honestly couldn't think of anything that actually made her feel that way.

However she would concede, if only to herself, that wandering through dark and unlit alleyways through Gehenna left her distinctly uneasy. Gehenna itself was a very diametric place; some places were so orderly that you could pick out a non-native just by their lack of adherence to such order, whilst other places bordered on anarchism, despite the iron grip that the Prefect Team and Student Council had on the areas – they could only be at so many places at once, after all, and it was really a game of whack-a-mole. She almost pitied them. Almost.

Shaking off the thought Mutsuki exited the alleyway, finding herself in a random street. Humming she took out her phone and made a show of opening her map app, frowning and grumbling to herself about getting lost again.After deliberately double-checking her route 'home' she continued walking, diagonally crossing the residential street and dipping into another alleyway between two sets of houses.

'...hm?' Mutsuki swore she felt something behind her.

However she was nothing if not a fantastic actress. Tilting her head she made a show of examining the graffiti on the wall next to her, humming in idle appreciation even as she peeked back the way she came. Nobody was there, the trash on the floor was undisturbed, even the lone crow on the gutters above was undisturbed. She looked ahead then, giving no indication she suspected she was being followed, but she consciously gripped her black bag tighter – masking the motion by rolling her shoulder, as if she was just getting a better grip on her bag.

Once more she broke out into a street. She looked around, vaguely recalling the map she looked at, and then went right – having to walk past a few apartment complexes before she found the alleyway between the two. The walls were high, the roofs too far away for her to look at without making it obvious she was on-guard, so Mutsuki walked ahead without so much as a cautious look about. Mercy came in the form of a bunch of dangling wires from a power box of some kind, giving her an excuse to look up, humming as she 'inspected' the dangling wires as she passed under them.

Then ahead of her a metal can tumbled out from behind a dumpster.

''Hn?!'' Mutsuki raised her machine gun, aiming.

She stared, tense... and a moment later a rat skittered out. It squeaked and skittered away, passing down the alleyway diagonally before disappearing into a drain pipe.

Mutsuki wasn't fooled.

This wasn't a movie. Rats didn't spontaneously run into cans and knock them into the open.

Just then she heard it again. That subtle, sneaking sense of movement right behind her,

Without hesitation Mutsuki spun, shoulder slackening and letting the strap of her black bag slide down it, travelling down her slim arm – before she spun with her momentum and threw her bag back the way she came. Her body turned with her momentum, right arm raising her machine gun up – before she opened fire, and detonated the kilograms of explosives held within her bag.

BOOM!

A deafening eruption filled the night; fire and heat blasting out alongside a cloud of black smoke, the explosive triggering two secondary explosives that took out part of the walls of the neighbouring apartment buildings. Mutsuki held an arm up in time, grunting as the billowing gust sent her stumbling back a step, peeking out from under her arm into the smoke.

Slowly the winds died down, allowing Mutsuki to lower her arm and gaze at the explosion site. Car alarms blared in the background but she paid it no mind, marching towards the crater that formed near the mouth of the alleyway... and a grin spread across Mutsuki's visage as she saw a person laying there. A man, judging by his muscled figure, clad within a skin-tight black outfit vaguely reminiscent of what stereotypical ninjas wore. He even had a black mask covering his whole head, just two holes for eyes and nothing else.

''Gotcha.'' Mutsuki crooned, taking her phone out to dial Sensei.

Only to feel something sharp jab into the side of her neck.

''Mm?!'' Mutsuki clutched at her neck, startled when she knocked something off – spotting a thin, needle-like dart rolling across the floor by her feet. ''E-Eh...?''

Her eyelids felt heavy, her lungs suddenly had too much oxygen, forcing her to exhale; the world tilting on its axis as she began to black out.

'Ah...' Mutsuki realised in her waning moments. 'There's... two of them...'

The last thing she felt was a pair of arms grabbing her, pulling her towards the wall, before everything went dark.

X-x-X

Sensei heard the explosion. So did the students with him. It was hard to miss in the dead of night, after all.

Within moments they were off, Problem Solver 68 at the fore and with half of the Abydos girls close behind; Shiroko and Serika staying behind with him to keep him safe from any would-be attackers. Thus he could only stay hidden away in an alleyway a street behind the others, Shiroko and Serika tense on either side of him as they watched for their unknown attacker – their only line of communication being the phone Kayoko was running with in her free hand.

''Hah... hah...'' Her breathing could be heard over the loudspeaker. ''Just... here...?''

''Mutsuki!'' Aru's voice could be heard calling out. ''Mutsuki, where are you?!''

''Kayoko?'' Sensei spoke up, tense. ''What's happening over there?''

There was a moment of silence, one stretched painfully long by the muffled murmurs of those alongside her – until at last Kayoko piped up.

''Mutsuki's gone. There's a crater in the alley, and some guy in black unconscious by it.'' Kayoko relayed quietly even as Aru kept calling out. ''No enemies around. What should we do with the guy?''

''...assume he's the one responsible. I'll call ahead and have the student council send some back-up; help me bring him back to Schale for now.'' Sensei decided after a prolonged pause. ''Take photos with your phones of everything and see if you can find any evidence. I'll head back with Shiroko, Hoshino and Serika; Nonomi and Ayane can stay with you until you're done. Regroup at Schale when you're done.''

''...got it.'' Kayoko agreed with neither enthusiasm nor protest; the lack of emotion betraying the fact she was just bottling whatever she was feeling up.

No surprises as to why. Her teammate, her friend in many respects, had just been kidnapped.

He hoped they'd get their suspect back to Schale in one piece, with that knowledge in hand.

X-x-X

Sensei stood with arms crossed, the sound of his sole tapping against the tile room a constant rhythm.

The hallway around was pristine and polished; a far cry from the desolate and grimy alleyway where Mutsuki had gone missing. The absence of the cheery bomb-thrower could be rather aptly felt; a heavy silence reigning over the students who stood alongside him. Though they were not obligated to stick around the Abydos girls did; hanging around and sometimes talking in low tones, but rarely having a conversation that lasted more than a few minutes. Perhaps they felt bad for Problem Solver 68. Perhaps even guilty. He didn't know; he hadn't the mind to ask.

Sensei glanced out of the corner of his eye. Aru stood just a few feet away from him, her expression remarkably stoic; cold, even. Unsurprising, but the lack of either a dorky or suave gleam in her eyes made her seem like an entirely different person. The same couldn't said for Haruka, who hugged her shotgun close to her chest and looked left and right almost feverishly, as if afraid she'd be taken next – soothed only mildly when Kayoko murmured for her to calm down. Though Kayoko herself didn't seem to be very calm; a downwards curl to her lip, twisting her face into a worried grimace.

The sharp click of heels against floor, however, quelled his idle observations – his gaze darting to the right, down the hall.

And right on in walked Rin. The elf-eared woman walked with more haste than usual, blue eyes elegant but sharp – understandably so. Though the students present might not know, or at least not fully understand, both he and Rin knew full well what came next.

They needed information. And they didn't have time to get it gradually.

''Sensei.'' Rin greeted curtly. ''Is the culprit inside?''

The aforementioned man glanced back at the door behind him. Thick, made of reinforced metal and designed to hold unruly suspects until the police would arrive. Only in this case, they wouldn't be arriving.

''Mm.'' Sensei merely hummed, stepping away from it. ''Aru, Hoshino. Take everyone up to the living quarters. Make yourselves at home for the night.''

''And that scumbag in there?'' Serika was the one to pipe up, displeased.

''We shall be handling him.'' Rin remarked with a stern look. ''We should not be long. Be on your way now.''

Aru grimaced but muttered out an agreement, and after a minute the disheartened girls gradually made their way down to the elevator; the ding preluding them disappearing behind the metal doors, and slowly whizzing up the towering skyscraper.

Only then did Sensei turn his gaze onto Rin. ''So, what's the plan?''

Rin adjusted her glasses. ''Are you familiar with 'good cop, bad cop', Sensei?''

''Pretend I'm not.''

''Alright, it's simple. We interrogate him, but you act nice to him. Sympathetic. You're just doing your duty, you don't want him to be here, you'd rather see him free once this is all sorted out.'' Rin swiftly spoke. ''I'll do the opposite. I'll be abrasive, rude; I'll do everything short of beating him senseless. Basic psychology tells that he'll be more willing to share information with you than I, seeing you as the lesser evil. A way out of a bad situation, in a sense.''

''Got it.'' Sensei nodded.

Rin returned the nod and stepped past him, a swipe of her key-card all that was needed to open the door. With a hiss of hydraulics the metal parted gradually and disappeared into the walls, revealing the plain white interior of the prison cell. Spartan was the only true word for it; not a single object in sight beyond a single chair... of which, their perpetrator was tied down to by many, many loops of rope and with both wrists handcuffed together for good measure.

The perpetrator in question was a man not much older than Sensei himself. Strong-jawed, short blonde hair that was rendered messy when his black face covering was yanked off and a pair of sky-blue eyes that glared flatly at them, apparently unimpressed. Though he was decently handsome he wasn't so much so that he stood out, nor was he unappealing enough that would draw comment. He was... normal. Unremarkable. Unassuming.

He couldn't passed this guy three times a day on the street and not batted an eye, He was totally, entirely forgettable.

Perhaps why he was an agent of sorts for whoever was behind this. Even if his face was caught on camera he was so generic that most people might not even recognise him.

''Hmph. So you're the one who kidnapped Mutsuki Asagi.'' Rin started, marching into the room. ''You wouldn't happen to have a name, would you?''

Silence. The utter absence of a response was all the more poignant as Sensei followed after Rin, a swipe of his key-card locking them in the room with the stiff-lipped man. Rin was unphased by the prospect and marched around him, eyes harsh and critical as she soaked in every detail from every angle, the evil eye truly an intimidating one. Yet the man didn't so much as squirm, eyes staring straight ahead and a disgruntled expression on his face, but little else.

''You clearly have no idea what kind of operation your superiors are running, do you?'' Rin jabbed, eyes cold. ''Dozens of students, one after the other all over Kivotos – gone. I doubt you know what's happening to them, but I think we both know they aren't going on a ski trip, are they now?''

Nothing. The man remained entirely impassive.

''Nothing to say for yourself?'' Rin crisply remarked. ''Dozens of lives are in ruins, maybe even more, and you don't even have the guts to defend your actions? Or do you think by staying silent you'll get away with it? If that's your line of thinking then I'm afraid to say no matter what happens in this room, you'll still be found guilty. We have all the evidence we need to put you in the deepest, darkest cells of Kivotos for the rest of your life.''

Rin grasped him by the shoulder hard enough that the man grimaced. ''Do you even know their names? What might be done to them – what could be done to them right now?! If there's some sick and twisted scheme behind all this your face will be plastered on every newspaper in Kivotos!''

It was rare to hear Rin raise her voice, and for a moment Sensei wasn't entirely sure if she was acting or genuinely angry. It was intimidating either way.

Thankfully Rin took a breath and backed off a step, prompting Sensei to step forth and get on one knee next to the guy. ''Listen, I know you're probably just doing your job and wanted to get paid, but lives are on the line here. We need to get these students back. And if you can help us out, we can help you out of this mess as well.''

The guy looked at him, eyes narrowed. ''I will not talk.''

''Well... you're talking now.'' Sensei pointed out.

The man just glared at him. Not one for jokes, then.

''What do you even have to gain from this? Money?'' Sensei spared a glance at Rin.

The elf-eared woman hummed. ''Or perhaps jealousy. Envious of those more successful and eager for revenge-''

A scoff. ''Please. As if I'd be jealous over some students.''

''Then why?'' Sensei asked instead, analysing the man's stoic visage for even the slightest hint. None came.

Grimacing at that Sensei stood up. He stared at the man for a second before turning away, eyes searching the walls as if they'd give answers – vaguely aware of Rin talking with the man. 'What could motivate someone to kidnap students, of all people? Revenge, jealously... money, probably, if they're selling them off...'

The thought made his gut twist, but he kept thinking. 'This can't be a small-scale thing; it was too widespread. There's an organisation behind this. Someone has to be leading it. Loyalty, maybe? Fearful obedience...? No... he doesn't seem the type. Brainwashing?'

He spared a glance back at the man. He didn't really look all that brainwashed, so that theory was out. For now. 'He's gotta be in his twenties or thirties. Fit and decently attractive, so it can't be inadequacy and vengeance are the cause of it. He's shaved but his hair looks pretty messy... perhaps then...'

''It really is money, isn't it.'' Sensei concluded after a second, cutting Rin off mid-sentence. ''You've had a rough lot in life and money was tight. Someone offered you a sizeable sum, so you took it. Did the dirty work. Someone would've had to pay you quite a bit considering what you've been doing, and even more to make sure you kept quiet. That's why, right?''

Silence. The man was looking at him now, eyes narrowed but something almost like respect within them. ''Hmph. Not bad, suit.''

''How much?''

''100,000 per student.'' The man stated bluntly. ''Though we worked in teams of two, so it was split fifty-fifty.''

'They work in pairs. Interesting. So that's how Mutsuki went missing.' Sensei internally mused. ''And how do you kidnap them? You were knocked out by one of those students yourself, weren't you? Yet your partner whisked her away moments before we got there somehow.''

''Drug.'' The man tilted his head, presenting his neck. ''Injected into the neck via blowgun. Works within seconds and leads to rapid unconsciousness. Once the student is out, one of us grabs them and uses a cloaking device that makes us – and by extension the student – practically invisible so long as we don't move. My partner probably just hugged the wall or hid behind the dumpster.''

''And we probably walked right past them...'' Sensei murmured out.

He wasn't quite sure how to feel about that. Guilty, that Mutsuki was literally feet, if not inches away, but they were blind to her location? Or uneasy, that these guys had access to such high-grade technology like cloaking devices?

Sensei pushed the thought from his mind for now. ''And what then? Where do you take them?''

''Ain't telling.'' The man bluntly stated.

''And why's that?'' Rin inquired from behind him, gripping his shoulder. ''You've told us this much.''

The man jerked his shoulder out of her grip. ''Because why should I? I'm doomed at this point. No reason for me to tell you two anything I don't want to.''

''And why don't you want to?'' Sensei pointed out, approaching the man. ''You could help us. Fix things.''

''Again.'' The man intoned lowly. ''Why should I?''

''...think of it this way.'' Sensei said quietly. ''Let's assume they aren't being killed or anything like that. Let's just say all these students that have been kidnapped are being put in a jail cell and having who knows what done to them. Do you want to live the rest of your life, knowing you could've put a stop to it, just with a few words? That you could've saved lives, altered the futures of many more and stopped so much pain, just because you could?''

The man was stubbornly silent, but didn't have a gruff rebuttal either.

Thus, Sensei tried a different angle. ''If it's about money, we could maybe fix you up with something.''

''Oh?'' The man raised his chin. ''I'm listening.''

''Hmph. If that's what it'll take to convince you, then fine.'' Rin remarked, marching around the chair to look him in the eye. ''You work with us, you get your freedom and more.''

''Right. You're just gonna let me off the hook after I kidnapped a bunch of students.'' The blond man remarked, unamused.

''Off the hook? No, not completely. But you'll avoid a sentence and any mention of you in the media.'' Rin crossed her arms behind her back. ''What you'll do is work for us as an informant; an asset. You'll be paid monthly for your work, plus bonuses if you truly do aid in bringing down this mysterious syndicate, your past history with them will be off the record and none shall know of your involvement beyond what you want them to.''

The man stared at Rin for a long moment. ''Gimme 50k upfront, plus 100k monthly.''

''I can go 60k upfront plus 110k monthly.'' Rin called his bluff, earning a surprised look. ''Well? Is that enough to convince you?''

''Hmph... fine.'' The man murmured. ''I ain't telling you everything, not until I know for sure you'll pay me... but I guess this sounds like a fair deal.''

Sensei smiled briefly. Only briefly, however; seriousness returning moments later. ''Yeah. Now, tell us... who do you work for, really?''

The blonde man hummed. ''They called themselves Elysium. Some guy in a black suit approached me, offered me an interview in some random café, then gave me some money to buy the outfit you're currently looking at and sent me on my way. Guy I was paired with had a bit more experience, but I don't think he had any formal training either.''

''Do you know the name of the man who interviewed you?'' Sensei inquired.

''Nada.'' The blonde man shook his head. ''Just told me to call him 'Sir'. Café was in Hyakkiyado. Was only told whatever I needed to complete the mission, nothing else.''

''How?'' Rin was the one to ask, eyes sharp.

''Text. Came from a burner phone, if I had to guess, 'cause texting it the day after never yielded any reply.'' He retorted. ''Was told the time, location and appearance of the student and their expected route. Who got that info, I don't have a clue. Me and whoever I was partnered with – never learned their real name – were to just ambush the student and take them back to an outpost in Shanhaijing.''

Sensei perked up. ''Where about in Shanhaijing?''

''Can't say the exact location. Was a forest about a mile north of a street called Lovegrove.'' The man informed, looking up at him. ''That's where I planned on taking that girl. If my partner got away, that's where he took her.''

''Can you take us there?''

Silence. The man hummed, head tilting slightly as he examining Sensei closely; the stoic mask not entirely hiding the worry hidden beneath, down-turning the corners of his lips or tightening his expression. After a prolonged moment the man puffed out a sigh and nodded; jerking his bound wrists emphatically.

''Fine.'' The blonde man remarked, grunting as Rin carefully untied him – her guard up, but willing to cooperate with him. ''The name's Looker by the way. Codename, anyway.''

''Well, Looker, let's go rescue my missing student, eh?''

Hopefully, in one piece, he privately added in the back of his mind.

[END]

A/N: And thus Sensei finally has a solid lead~

See you next time in Chapter 4: Infiltration~

(No preview so no spoilers~)