Fuck… now I need to get rid of this.
Ayano sent the photo to Info-Chan and shakily rose to her feet. Silently, she thanked herself for arranging this murder on the roof, though she doubted the roof would be a viable option after the stunt she was about to pull. Slowly approaching the corpse, she removed its shoes and set them neatly next to the railing. She dragged the body over to the railing, letting it balance over the flimsy metal as she wiped the sweat from her face. Ayano looked down. It was quite a substantial drop, and if Mai's body landed on its face she'd be home free – a murder would become a suicide, and nobody in school would be the wiser to the presence of a killer among them. She'd need to be fast as well as lucky, because the second that body hit the ground everyone in the building would be rushing to the roof. Another few seconds of rest. Another few deep breaths. She let Mai fall, dashing down the stairs before the body even hit the ground. Ayano was a complete mess at this point, her hair clinging to her sweaty face, a broken wand in her hand, her uniform looking like an avant-garde art piece with blood spattered across the front. She had to make it to the locker room and change before anyone saw her.
The locker room was empty, the only bit of luck Ayano had had today. Thank God for small blessings. After changing in the little peace the universe allowed her, she headed back to the main school building. Flashing red and blue lights were already swarming the front gate, and Ayano watched as paramedics and police directed both concerned and morbidly curious students away from Mai's corpse. She put on her best 'concerned and horrified' expression and ran right up to the scene. Arguing with a mustached police officer by the sheet-covered body was Budo. As she approached, she caught the end of their conversation.
"- I'm telling you, there's no way this was an accident! Mai's a happy girl, she'd never-"
"Listen, son," Mustache interrupted, putting a hand on Budo's shoulder, "I know you're upset, but these things aren't anybody's fault."
"No, it is," Budo insisted, "Somebody did this to her, she wouldn't just jump like that."
Who knew Budo was so chummy with Mai? Certainly not Ayano. The cop spoke up again.
"What do you mean, that she was being bullied?"
"No! Look, officer. I just have this feeling-"
Mustache stopped him with a sigh. "A feeling? Son, I need more than that to build a case. Let us adults handle it, okay? I promise we'll do everything we can to investigate, so if you have anything concrete I'd love to hear it. Otherwise, you're going to just have to go back to class."
Budo looked furious, and he opened his mouth to argue before Ayano put a gentle hand on his shoulder.
"What's going on, Budo?" She said in her gentlest, most concerned voice.
"I- it's Mai, she–"
"One of your classmates fell from the roof, and well, she didn't make it. We're doing everything we can to investigate the situation," the cop said, interrupting Budo.
Ayano put a hand over her mouth in shock, blinking to get her eyes to well up with tears. "Oh my god… she died? Was it an accident, or…" She turned to Budo, her eyes glassy, tears threatening to spill down her cheeks. Come on, Budo, come comfort me. Stop thinking about Mai and think about poor, sad, scared Ayano. He hesitantly put a hand on her shoulder, some of his attention still on the three police officers securing the scene.
"They think it was suicide," he said, his brow furrowed. "I hope it was only an accident, but I don't know… I have a bad feeling." He just won't let it go, will he?
"You don't trust the police? I'm sure they're doing the best they can," Ayano pointed out, her voice trembling slightly.
"Of course I do!" Budo's grip on her shoulder tightened. "It's just a gut feeling I have. Things just haven't been right lately, there's been– forget it, I don't want to worry you more than you already are."
Ayano cast a glance back toward the corpse. Blood was slowly seeping out under the sheet, staining it and the ground a grim red. She gave Budo's hand a reassuring squeeze.
"I'll be okay, Budo. You don't have to worry about me," she said, wiping the tears from her cheek. If it stops you thinking about Mai, please, keep worrying about me, Budo. He opened his mouth to respond, but one of the other cops came up before he could say anything.
"Listen, I need to clear the area for us to investigate. I let the principal know that students need to be dismissed, so how 'bout you two just gather your things and head home, huh?"
Ayano nodded, trying not to let her eagerness to leave show on her face. At Budo's insistence, the two of them walked together to their respective classrooms to gather their belongings and leave. The delinquents were absent from the front gate, either because of Ayano and Osoro's deal, or the unexpected early dismissal. Still, Budo insisted on walking her home 'just in case.'
Was the walk more strenuous than she remembered, or had killing Mai really taken that much out of her? Either way, Ayano was struggling to keep up with Budo despite his pace not being that much faster than yesterday. This was… less than ideal, especially if she wanted him to stop walking her home from school. Her head buzzed, felt like it was full of static. Shit… I stashed the wand with my bloody clothes… no time to burn anything… could they find– A strong hand grabbed her arm, and she reacted instinctively, wrenching the hand free and twisting it, forcing the guy's shoulder down. Budo let out a surprised 'OW!' from her use of force. Ayano instantly let go and took a step back. Shit.
"Oh! Budo, I'm so sorry, I don't know what came over me!" she apologized quickly, hoping Budo's image of her as a sweet, unassuming girl didn't just instantly shatter into a million pieces. He only rubbed his hand and laughed good-naturedly.
"Geez, I didn't know you were so strong! You totally caught me by surprise there, Ayano." His smile faltered, and Ayano tensed, ready for the other shoe to drop. "Um, are you okay though? You seem kinda out of it." Oh. Fuck, was it that obvious? Excuse. Now.
"I'm fine, just still a little rattled about the whole…" she trailed off and waited for Budo to fill in the blank. Nothing better than an excuse somebody else makes up for you.
"Right. Mai."
"Yeah." He's right in more ways than one. Ayano tugged at her ponytail, frustrated that such an easy kill took such a toll on her. Maybe Martial Arts club was a smarter choice than she first thought – at least this way she could get stronger, carry out jobs without being so exhausted. There was something that bothered her, though: Budo's uncanny nose for homicide. Even after that cop insisted that there was no foul play, Budo still 'had a feeling' that Mai didn't just jump or fall off the roof all on her own. Staying close to him could be a dangerous and foolish way to get caught, but earning his trust might keep him off her trail. Either way, knowing is half the battle, right? Keep your friends close and your enemies closer, as they say. Better to know he's onto me rather than get caught by surprise.
Before long, the two arrived at Ayano's house, still as overgrown as ever. She bid Budo a hasty goodbye and retreated into her house. The second she closed the door and her guard was down, she sank to the floor, exhausted. After a few minutes, she'd recovered enough to eat the other sandwich from earlier. Another hour or so she spent resting before she aimlessly opened the fridge she knew would be empty. Groceries. Right. Her weekend would have to be spent shopping and cooking for the coming week. As she made her mental plans, she got a text from Info-Chan.
Info-Chan: That was sloppy.
Ayano: I followed your guidelines. Did you receive the picture?
Info-Chan: Yes. I'll send your payment, but next time don't be such an attention-seeker.
Ayano: It will be fine. Everyone thinks it was an accident.
Info-Chan: Maybe for now, but you'd be stupid to think the school will let you do that again. Mark my words…
Ayano: I'm not stupid.
Ayano put the phone down with a sigh. It was pointless arguing with Info, mostly because she was right this time. Another stunt like the one she pulled today and there'd be mass panic among students. No, she needed the school to stay just as peaceful as always. One grisly accident here or there is fine, but Info was right – Ayano couldn't make it a habit. She headed up the stairs to her room, flopping down on her bed and passing out the instant her head hit the mattress.