"I-n-v-e-s-t-i-g-a-t-i-o-n." Kyoko spelled the word out loud, smirking to herself. Her eyes never left the sheaf of papers lying on the desk in front of her. Behind her, the sound of chalk scraping against the board stopped.
"How did you know?" Shuichi asked sheepishly.
"Ultimate Detective," Kyoko replied, still smirking.
"Ah, right, of course. You must've noticed how long it was taking me to write…"
"And of course, I knew that it meant you were nervous, which means you probably aren't thinking clearly or calmly enough to figure out the spelling on your own." Kyoko finally turned around and Shuichi got to see her teasing smirk for himself.
Awww, man, it's the first day and I already feel like a total failure! His shoulders slumped, and at last, Kyoko's smile became kind.
"Don't overthink it, Shuichi. You're the teacher today, not the student."
"If anything, that's even more stressful! I'm not trained to be a teacher!"
"But you're trained to be a detective." Kyoko's eyes flicked to the board. What Shuichi was trying to spell was "Investigation 101". What he actually spelled was "Investega…"
Shuichi thanked his lucky stars that Kyoko's Talent didn't somehow give her telepathy, or she would've been appalled by the thoughts flying through his head. Investigation… Investigation… Investigation… How do you spell "investigation"?
He knew it wasn't supposed to end with a "-shun", but his brain had completely forgotten "-tion".
Kyoko shook her head, chuckling to herself as she finally stood up from her desk to meet Shuichi head on. "This is just an introductory class, keep in mind. It can run as long or short as we wish."
If anything, that's even more stressful! Shuichi thought for a second time. If this class' trial run fails…
It wouldn't be the end of the world, but Shuichi really did love the idea of a series of detective classes that taught students of every type how to be good detectives. Heaven forbid the class crash and burn spectacularly! And Heaven forbid that Shuichi be the reason why!
"You, alone, are not going to cause this class to fail," Kyoko chuckled and shook her head again. Besides, he wasn't even technically the teacher! She was! He was just a TA. Of course, Kyoko did not undervalue him, but he did not need to bear so much of the burden alone.
As if the universe itself had telepathy, reading Kyoko's mind, the classroom door was pushed open barely a second later.
"Oooh, yay! Yay! This is gonna be so exciting!" The shortest one, a little blonde, clapped as she raced inside.
"Hello, hello all! Good morning, good morning!" A pink-haired girl raced in after her, bowing breathlessly to Kyoko, Shuichi, and the other students. Following her was a girl with long, dark hair who said and did the exact same thing. Then lastly, a white-haired girl with silver eyes.
"H-hello!" she said, voice wispy and whispery. "I look forward to learning a great deal from you and I will do my best!"
While Shuichi felt his stomach flipflop with all the kind greetings and unintentionally high expectations, Kyoko only crossed her arms, closed her eyes, and smiled. Miiko Takeshita, Miyu Sakurada, Rei Togetsu, Saki Izumo. None of them were in her class, but they were all fellow first-years, so she was more familiar with them than Shuichi was, since he was a third-year.
"Welcome, class," she greeted them smoothly once they were all seated. "We thank you for taking time out of your day to attend our little demo class. With any luck, we will receive enough funding from the Board to expand the program."
Even though there were only four students present, there were far more than four interested. Shuichi was not alone in his wish to see a series of detective classes for the general public. It was just, as Kyoko said, their current funding was only large enough for roughly four students.
"Thank you for being willing to teach it!" Miyu cried passionately, eyes glittering as she clasped her hands together gratefully.
"Yes, it is most generous of you, and we look forward to studying the perspectives of other Ultimates!" Rei nodded, smile mirroring Miyu's.
"See, Shuichi?" Kyoko whispered to her TA out of the corner of her mouth. They were so kind, understanding, and welcoming!
If anything, that's even more stressful! More chances for disappointment, and even greater guilt if he did. But the class was present. It was too late to call in sick. While Shuichi did his best not to tremble, Kyoko glided effortlessly to the front row of desks and began the lesson.
ooo
"Imagine yourself called in to investigate a homicide. What is the first thing you do when you reach the scene of the crime?" Kyoko showed a diagram of a murder scene. There was blood around the "body", but because the diagram was hand drawn, it wasn't graphic. Investigation could be traumatizing work, but that didn't mean she needed to terrify her class to death on their very first day.
"Clean up the blood?" Rei suggested.
"Dispose of the murder weapon! That's not safe!" Miiko closed her eyes and pouted in disapproval.
"Check to see if anyone else is injured, but alive?" Miyu asked.
"Report to first responders?" Saki tapped her chin. "Or prepare to report to second responders if we're the first?"
Kyoko couldn't hide a smile while Shuichi's eye twitched. For a second time, she whispered out of the corner of her mouth. "I had to train Makoto, Hina, Hiro, Toko, and Byakuya. I can handle these four." At least Rei, Miyu, Miiko, and Saki were earnest, open, and willing to learn. Only Makoto and Hina shared those traits, and back then, Kyoko was teaching on the fly in the middle of a Killing Game. Having access to a classroom and as many resources as her budget could afford her, small though it was, was a massive upgrade. Speaking of…
"S-so… how did we do?" Miyu leaned forward anxiously; hands still clasped.
"Perfectly fine," Kyoko replied calmly. "That question was a test, of course, but it was not meant to determine "correct answer", rather, I wanted to know the way you think. That is the true beauty and power of a team of detectives. Everyone is unique, as is the way they perceive problems."
"Ohhhh, so it was like a personality test, huh?" Miiko's eyes went starry. Kyoko was so clever and cool! Just like a real detective!
Kyoko closed her eyes, smiled, and nodded. This was a half-truth. Technically, she was also hoping for a correct answer, to gauge how much they knew about conducting a proper investigation. But it wasn't entirely a lie that the question was also useful in studying how they thought.
Rei was conscientious and caring, concerned about blood. Miyu was the same, wishing to save survivors before dealing with the dead. Saki seemed to be thinking about teamwork too, already expecting backup somewhere along the way. And Miiko… well, outright disposing of weaponry was tampering with evidence, but her logic was sound. Weapons did need to be collected, just not solely due to the safety concerns.
"Oh, and by the way, don't forget to wear gloves when handling things at a crime scene!" Shuichi interjected helpfully.
"Ohhh!" Four pairs of eyes went wide, then four heads lowered as four pencils scribbled across four notebooks resting atop four front-row desks.
For a second time, Shuichi winced. If it was a revelation to not touch things at crime scenes with bare hands, then, well…
"Better to learn now than later," Kyoko whispered for a third time, winking at Shuichi.
ooo
As far as Kyoko was concerned, although the things they studied in class were critical, the true test was in the fieldwork. She still had no intention of traumatizing them with a brutal assault or violent murder on their very first day of class, but she did already have a simulation prepared for them, co-created by one of Shuichi's fellow third-years, Rika Seto, although she was not in his class.
"Ya know? I used to be a detective once! Hype Detective!" she grinned. She was one of the other students interested in the course.
"Oh? What did you specialize in?" Shuichi blinked and looked at Rika in surprise.
"Search-n-rescue!" Rika flashed two peace signs and beamed. "I was a great pet-tracker!"
"O-oh." Shuichi was still impressed, but searching for lost puppies and kittens stuck in trees was very different from violent, bloody murder cases.
Kyoko smirked, her mind running the same track. But something low stakes like that is perfect for what I need…
Shuichi, Rika, Kyoko, and several other volunteers worked together to create a mini mystery for the four students to solve, and on the day of the simulation, Kyoko led them from the classroom to a large lounge that had been revamped to look like a gothic living room. The aesthetic upgrade was all thanks to Hiiro Yano, yet another third-year not in Shuichi's class who was interested in the detective course.
"Hey! What's going on here? These donuts don't have any holes! They're just regular fried dough!" Rinku's despairing cry opened the sim.
"Who's responsible for this?! Who could do such a thing?" Kaede looked horrified and angry. Then came Kurumi's trademark impish laugh.
"Looks like we have a criminal among us!" she sing-songed. "Oh, but just for the record, it wasn't me this time!"
"We won't be able to solve this case alone, I think…" Chiaki said, shaking her head solemnly. "We're going to need help from all of our friends!"
Rika literally kicked in the lounge door, rushing inside in cliché detective gear, complete with a tan, brown cap and cloak thrown over her shoulders. "Aha! Worry not, my dear fellows! Rika Seto, Hype Detective, is here with the Poya-Poya Detective Agency to blow the case wide open!"
Shuichi made a choking noise while Kyoko smiled calmly and gestured for her four pupils to begin the simulation. It was investigation time!
"So, you say you were planning for a party, eh?" Rei tapped her chin with her pencil as she scribbled down Rinku's alibi in her notepad.
"Uh-huh! Uh-huh!" Rinku nodded, distraught.
"Do you or anyone else remember assigning food delivery to a certain someone?"
"Hmm… a certain someone, eh…?" Rinku closed an eye and tapped her cheek. "Nope! Though I think Kaede was in charge of organization!"
Rei turned to Kaede, eyes wide and pencil raised.
"Well, I remember asking Rantaro to get the order, but he had to back out at the last second. He told me he found someone else who could get them, but I didn't think to ask because I trusted his word alone. He did technically make good on that promise, but… I have no idea who ordered them without holes." Kaede trailed off, smiling ruefully at the box in Rinku's hands.
For a moment, the quartet of student detectives was at a standstill.
"No, no, we can't give up just yet!" Miiko insisted fiercely, then she turned to Kurumi. "Please, Kurumi, tell us, was this some sort of a prank?"
"I told you it wasn't me this time!" Kurumi smirked and winked. Miiko sighed in frustration, but she seemed to accept the answer.
"Well, then I guess Miiko's all out of ideas," she sighed, looking at the floor despondently.
"Wh-what? You're giving up? Just like that?" Miyu was alarmed. She had to admit, even though she hated suspecting her friends, Kurumi was on the top of her list just because of what she knew about the other girl, to say nothing of her rather unfortunate Talent of Ultimate Prankster.
Saki, meanwhile, thought long and hard. She tried using her Synesthesia to guide her, and from what she could see, Kurumi was telling the truth. Then again, people like Kurumi had silver tongues. She could lie without lying. Perhaps she was innocent of the crime committed, but what if she had a hand in setting it up? Suddenly, a lightbulb clicked on in Saki's head.
"Does anyone have the receipt for the order?"
"Hmm… I don't have it on hand, but I can pull it up for you, I think…" Chiaki said softly, pulling out her phone. After several minutes of swiping and scrolling, she found a digital copy of the receipt. The name at the bottom read…
"Rinku Aimoto?!" The student detectives turned to the orange-haired girl with betrayal in their eyes.
"Huh?! Whu—!? Uhh, no! It wasn't me! I swear!" Rinku was practically hopping up and down as she pled.
"So, it was a self-report, huh?" Kurumi interjected, grinning wickedly at Rinku. "Pretty sus if you ask me!"
"Unless… Someone put it under Rinku's name?" Miyu narrowed her eyes. Again, she hated to suspect Kurumi, but…
"What? Uh-uh! No way!" Kurumi raised her hands defensively.
"No, I have to agree with Kurumi," Miiko said, crossing her arms, expression stern and serious.
"Miiko…" Miyu's face softened.
"Miiko, forgive me for doubting your judgement, but… could it be possible that you are perhaps only assuming Kurumi's innocence?" Rei asked.
"No, no! Miiko promises she has proof! See!" She pointed to the receipt. Upon closer inspection, Rinku's last name was spelled wrong.
"I would never do something like that!" Kurumi reared back in disgust. She was the Ultimate Prankster. If there was one thing she prided herself on, it was pulling off flawless pranks every single time. Her surprise upon seeing the typo made it clear that she wasn't just pretending that she didn't do it this time. Using typos to mislead people was a very Kurumi tactic, but like she said, for once, it wasn't her.
"Hmm… I wonder, could a clue be contained in the spelling error?" Rei tapped her chin as Miyu and Saki poured over the receipt. It spelled "Aoimoto" instead of "Aimoto". The four student detectives exchanged worried looks. Who could it possibly be? The typo seemed to have ruled out Kurumi and Rinku, unless they wanted to assume that Kurumi was only pretending to be offended by the error. Or if Rinku really was so forgetful that she perhaps accidentally mistyped her own name. Aside from them, the only two other suspects were… Kaede and Chiaki!
"Chiaki. May I ask why you have a copy of the receipt if you weren't involved in the purchasing process?" Saki asked the gamer.
"It was agreed upon that I would be in charge of all electronic communication, including billing," Chiaki replied.
"Do you remember who sent you a copy of the receipt?" Miyu asked next.
Chiaki tapped her chin. "Not off the top of my head, but I can check the email the attachment came from."
"Aoi Asahina!" Miyu, Miiko, Rei, and Saki all cried out, and then suddenly it hit them. Who said that any of the four witnesses were anything but? Or had the quartet merely assumed that the culprit was one of them? Perhaps in a sim lab, it was easy to make such a mistake, but Kyoko wanted it to be true to life. Even though "self-reports" did exist, it was rare for the culprit to remain so close to the crime scene.
"Oh, wait, that's right!" Rinku's distraught expression suddenly turned into a sunny smile. "Hina and I wanted donuts, donuts, and more donuts! Aoimoto is a joke name we came up with whenever we order food together to split the price!"
"So, does that mean…?" Miyu inhaled sharply. Beside her, Saki's eyes lit up and she nodded.
"The culprit is… YOU!" She pointed at Chiaki's phone, at the sender line of the email containing the receipt.
ooo
"Not bad," Kyoko closed her eyes, crossed her arms, and nodded slowly, thoughtfully. Not bad at all, for a very first time.
"Yay! We did it!" Miiko raised both of her hands, collecting high-tens from everyone.
"Awesome, you guys! You did great! You're real Hype Detective material!" Rika flashed them all two big thumbs up. At the same time, the lounge door opened, revealing Hina waiting on the other side with a box of donuts. This time, they had holes.
"Hooray!" Rinku cried, racing over to Hina and the donuts. "HAPPY AROUNDO!"
Rei, Miyu, Miiko, and Saki sat in a circle, conversing excitedly with Rinku, Hina, Kurumi, Chiaki, and Kaede.
"You guys did wonderfully!" Kaede smiled as Rinku handed her a pink-frosted donut.
"Thanks," Rei, in particular, looked flattered, blushing and staring hard at the floor. Her first and greatest loyalty would always be to Hapiara, but Kaede was like a mentor to her, as well as the other half of their little informal unit, Kaereide. I'm so happy I was able to make her proud!
"Yeah, good job on you, Miiko, for sticking up for your old pal Kurumi like that!" Kurumi winked and gave Miiko a thumbs up.
"Of course! Miiko knows Kurumi, and she can usually tell when Kurumi is lying or not, for real!" Miiko grinned.
"You were also very clever, Saki, and observant," Chiaki smiled at the other pale-haired, soft-voiced student.
"O-oh, th-thank you!" Saki sat up straighter, saluting Chiaki and earning a chuckle from the others. "I'm happy to have assisted!"
"You were also wonderful, Miyu. Even though you were not comfortable accusing your friends, you were still willing to assess every angle," Kaede nodded her approval. "And although Miiko did well in remembering to take the suspect's personality into account, you did well in balancing her out and analyzing things she might've missed."
"Thank you," Miyu bowed her head quickly before turning to Kurumi. "I'm sorry I had to—"
"Nah, don't worry about it, that was intentional," the Ultimate Prankster winked. When she and the others were preparing the mini mystery, she was the designated red herring. Now, though, all was right as rain, and they got to feast upon free, celebratory donuts!
"Speaking of, who's taking the leftovers home?" Hina joked. After all, there was still the original box of hole-less donuts.
"Ooh! Ooh! Ooh! Me! Pick me! Pick me!" Rinku's hand shot up in the air. After all, her pretending to be horrified by the hole-less donuts was only just that: pretending. The real Rinku would never turn down anything so round, yummy, and sweet!
"Aww," Hina, half-joking and half-serious, lowered her head in disappointment.
"You two could always fight for 'em," Kurumi grinned slyly.
"Now, now, Kurumi! There is no need for such violence!" Miyu reprimanded the smaller girl gently, but they all knew Kurumi was only joking.
"I never said it had to be a fistfight, or anything like that!" She put a hand to her mouth and smiled devilishly.
"Oooh, that sounds fun!" Miiko's eyes lit up.
"How about an eating contest instead?" Hina chuckled nervously.
"Ooh, can it be donuts?!" Now it was Rinku's turn to have the starry eyes. Kaede and Chiaki exchanged knowing smiles and shared a quiet laugh.
"We could always just share them!" Rei suggested. "Divide them up as equally as we can!"
"Yes, I like that idea, that seems the fairest," Chiaki nodded approvingly as Saki passed her the box of donuts to take her share.
While they lounged on the lounge couches, Kyoko remained standing with Shuichi, Rika, and Hiiro near the door.
"That was so precious!" Hiiro cried, having observed the entire thing from the next room over through a two-way mirror disguised as a random portrait on the back wall of the longue.
"Thanks again for helping set it up," Kyoko dipped her head appreciatively.
"Oh, it was nothing! I enjoyed every delicious second of it!" Hiiro grinned. "Next time, you simply must do a proper murder mystery! I would love to make the costumes for it!" The only complaint she had about the simulation was that only Rika was in any sort of costume, and it was one she got from the nearest thrift store. I could've handmade something far better!
"Don't worry, Hiiro, Shuichi and I have many more plans for our detective crash course. I promise that as soon as more slots open up, we'll create more elaborate mysteries, and you'll be the first name on our class roster!"
"Heyyy! What about lil ol' me?" Rika pouted.
"You'll be second on the list," Hiiro teased, elbowing the other third-year as she continued to pout.
"Anyway, Shuichi, how are you feeling?" Kyoko turned to her TA with an amused but compassionate smile.
"That was… actually really fun!" he replied, smiling sheepishly. Even though the mystery was painfully childish, there was something so pure, sweet, and wholesome about watching the baby detectives stumble their way through their very first case. Even if it wasn't very complicated, they were able to figure out the correct lines of inquiry quite quickly. I wonder if this is how Kyoko felt when Makoto first started learning ropes?
"You did great, man!" Rika slapped Shuichi's back, pout instantly turning into a wide, goofy grin of support and encouragement.
"Oof!" Shuichi reeled forward.
"Yes, if you ever need advice on handling students, I would be more than happy to help!" Hiiro smiled sweetly as she gently set a hand on Shuichi's shoulder, stopping him from reeling even further forward. Hiiro may not have been a teacher, but as a Diviner interested in psychology, she had a lot of tricks up her sleeves when it came to dealing with people.
"I'd be more than happy to invite you both in as guest speakers until I can add more seats to the class," Kyoko told Hiiro and Rika.
"Oh, would you?!" Hiiro covered her mouth and Rika clenched her hands into excited fists, their eyes starry. Kyoko nodded and chuckled. The first official class of Investigation 101 was done, and based on how it went, in Kyoko's opinion, the future was looking very bright and hopeful indeed!
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