Chapter 6

"Strange how circumstances could change so quickly," Diana murmured to herself. "The sergeant killed himself even if he was supposed to asleep after being injected with a tranquilizer."

She wondered why Sergeant Kinsley destroyed security camera. It made no sense. If a rational man was already committing a crime with police officers as witnesses, why on earth did he find the need to remove the footage then kill himself after?

The second mystery was the seemingly harmless Professor. It might be a personal choice for her to work out, but the fact that she had a tranquilizer needle in her arsenal was to be solved. She searched through the school's database on the Academy's website with the password given to her by the Headmistress herself to look upon records and files inaccessible to students. She came to the information that the French woman who first seemed to be an ordinary teacher had no input about her background and past prior to her years.

She joined the academy 10 years ago and that was the only early years she found. Professor Ursula Callistis became the Miss Kagari's entrusted guardian through legal dealings with her parents in Tokyo, Japan.

"They have tea," Andrew said, making her lose her train of thought. He just came back from being questioned by an Inspector for he was among one of the witnesses on the Sergeant's road to lunacy. "The Inspector's already asking questions from Miss Kagari's friend. I told you that they were stuck. Statements from different people won't change the perspective of everyone here. Sergeant Kinsley went mad, attacked a poor girl and killed himself."

"We have been both reminded of our fleeting mortality, so I wonder if you were approaching a point with that tea offering," Diana said, displeased about his interruption and his obvious reasons.

"You know," he started, sitting next to her while balancing both cups on his hands. "You could be nice to me. I'm here in distress and I thought so were you. What got you so irked?"

"I thought I should review what happened by looking through the footages within the sanctum sanctorum of the cops. But they refuse to let me look. My thoughts wandered off to another piece of a puzzle that might not help in the long run so all things aside, I might have wasted my time. The police want all of the evidence in their possession whether they admit it or not and they are being ungrateful."

"Do we even have a suspect pool?"

"I'm making one up as we go."

The mild flavor of bergamot hung in the air and wafted to Diana's nose. A sudden thought crossed her mind. She grabbed the tea she was offered and stood up, heading towards the paramedic's area.

"Wait! Diana, where are you going?"

"I need to have a word with Miss Kagari," Diana said, declining to look back. "Don't come, your criticism on my personal choices makes me want to gouge my eardrums out. There are some theories I'd like to approve with her, alone."

"You were able to make some?"

"Of course," Diana smiled. "The only clue I can concur without case files."

"You will stay here while I get to the bottom of this."

"B-but Professor!"

"I'm serious Akko, you nearly died today. Heaven forbid something happens to you! Sucy is being questioned right now and I will be next. But before all that, Sucy will get an earful out of me too. I told her to stay back at the academy." The French Professor said evenly but with a hint of sisterly anger when the oldest caught the youngest doing something they shouldn't be.

"She's just worried about me, you saw how the Sergeant took me here!"

"He's really demented. I'll file a suit against the police department. I don't know why they put madmen like him in ranks!"

Akko's face was conflicted. "I'm okay really; I understand why he went all crazy."

"One of the things you should know, Akko. Do not let people take advantage of you. You have rights, and you should not let anyone tell you otherwise." Professor Ursula said with a stroke of final in her voice before storming out. "You stay here. And I expect for you to follow my instructions better than your friend over there."

Diana went aghast when it chanced upon her that she had arrived at an awkward time. She prided herself on choosing to meddle in best times. This wasn't one of them.

Professor Ursula noticed her in the corridor hiding and quickly, her facial expressions changed. "Miss Cavendish! I'm sorry you had to hear that."

"Not at all, you are merely worried about her."

The tall woman nodded and dismissed herself. "Thank you for sticking around, Miss Cavendish."

"Staying here is my priority," Diana said. "Not because the Headmistress asked me."

"You're incredibly affectionate." She said in a soft tone. "I'm sure Akko will appreciate your accompany."

Diana hoped so.

As soon as the Professor's footfalls faded away, Diana revealed herself to the girl. "Hello," she tentatively greeted, offering her the cup. "Would you care for some tea?"

The girl merely looked up at the hot beverage and received it gratefully. Diana took the silent gesture as an invitation to sit next to her on the bench.

It was only after the girl took the lid off her hot tea and drank about half that Diana spoke conversantly. "Are you okay, Miss Kagari? How's your eye?"

She grinned, her tongue feeling a little numb from the tea. "Just call me Akko, Miss President. And my eye is fine. No vision problems, it just stings when I open it." She further applied cold pressure to the said injury.

A cursory inspection confirmed that her eye was healing well; the same held true for the cut lip.

Calmly, Diana sat back. "Looks good," she remarked.

Akko stared at her, but said nothing, tucking the warm blanket around her small body.

"So you know who I am."

Akko gulped. "No, not really, Professor Ursula reminded me who you were when I asked her. She pinched me at the back for being apathetic to current events and people surrounding me. But I did notice you guys, I was surprised when I saw you and that handsome guy watching me."

Diana's jaw stiffened. Her compliment to Andrew made her just like the other girls—all shallow, unable to cope with her strenuous activities and clever beliefs. She gave her a look. "Akko, all things aside, I believe we're overdue for a chat."

"Aren't we already chatting? I don't mind." She said, completely undeterred with eloquent English.

"May I ask you a question? I do not mean to come off as insensitive but the question I will ask is about the case."

Akko stared at her with an eyebrow raised. It was as if she was contemplating why a teenager was being intrusive to a case, but instead, her thoughts were completely different. "Is it a fragile question?"

Diana frowned. Akko still has long ways to go to understand her second language. "Do you mean delicate?"

Akko's mouth opened and shut a few times, struggling, prompting Diana to consider she wasn't good at making a good impression on her. Diana does have a superiority complex has the ability to shun people away if she let her mouth run wild. The first initial thought was disproven by Andrew who learned to adapt and adjust to get along with her. A lifetime supply of witty retort is all needed to remain her closest friend.

However, Diana doesn't want to shun Akko away. She needed information.

With a long inhale, Diana said a bit quickly. "Trauma expresses itself in different forms in different victims. I know how hard it is for you, I just witnessed it myself. But to witness it occurring and to experience it firsthand causes completely dissimilar effects."

"How come you and the vice president are here?" Akko interjected.

Diana raised an eyebrow; she was beginning to think that the girl has an attention deficit disorder, but she decided to indulge and trek carefully. "We are here on behalf of you. I do believe that you are innocent, although you are beginning to get on my nerves. Nevertheless, I don't see how a mature man would lose it. Maybe since he hadn't slept for months and is filled with ungodly rage."

Akko snickered. "I've been told that I annoy people a lot."

"So..." Diana said, waiting to see if Akko's focus will shift somewhere else. But when she was certain there was none, she asked. "Do you have any ideas what caused the victims to kill themselves?"

"Why are you asking me that? I have no idea."

"My apologies," Diana said, putting a hand on her chest. "Let me rephrase that. You see, I have a reason to believe that there is a cause why the crime involves around you, specifically."

Akko's face scrunched up. Her nose creasing in deep thought. "Are you saying I'm cursed?"

"I don't believe in curses; however, effect and causation, I do believe."

"What does that even mean?" Akko placed a finger to the side of her forehead.

Diana smiled. "I happen to share the same belief with the Sergeant that the boys didn't kill themselves, but was murdered."

"Why?"

"Their deaths were calculated. Friends, even haunted by guilt would never agree to commit mass suicide. If they do, never commit it places far away from each other and never kill themselves in separate times."

"Oh?" Akko mumbled. She began to think about it hard. "What if they didn't agree to kill themselves on the same day so it was just a pure coincidence that they wanted to do it?

"There is no such thing as pure coincidence," Diana stated.

"So what does that mean, somebody, coerced them into taking their own lives? Like at a gunpoint?"

Diana blinked. Akko was not aware of the difference between 'fragile' and 'delicate' but she knew the word 'coerced'. Perhaps, having a conversation with her has either rubbed off a little bit of habit to the Japanese girl or beckoned her to practice her English for better articulation.

"It's plausible, Akko," Diana said, too late in recognizing that she was telling everything she knew to her, so she might as well continue. "Any viable person can do it. Threaten them to do it at a gunpoint to make it look like a suicide. Although, Psychopaths and Sociopaths can do it without any difficulty and most importantly even without a gun. Anyone could have talked to them, manipulated them, they could be their psychiatrist, their consultant, their friend or someone else—and I'm positively sure it's not you."

"How are you sure I'm not manipulating you?"

You have no makings of a serial killer.

Diana wanted to say but carefully thought out her words. "I have a good feeling about you, that's all." She smirked before a subject change. "Earlier, when the Sergeant's mood changed... did you see anything weird?"

"Weird how?"

"Like, did he feel off?" Diana shrugged. "Did you suddenly begin to think the man's morals will disappear?"

"You mean if I can see it in his eyes?"

She nodded. "You might call it intuition."

"I actually didn't." Akko laughed awkwardly, rubbing the back of her head. "I felt like I hadn't been much of a help to you, but maybe because it's me and I don't listen to class at all."

"Yes, you seem to not care for those around you unless it's about you and topics you are most concerned."

"I do have an attention span of a goldfish, so its a surprise that I'm actually keeping up a conversation with you." she laughed while rubbing her nape.

"It's not a bad thing at all you know." Diana pointed to her noggin. "Your brain has a limited capacity to store memories and information and the fact that you are able to dissect what you believe is important and what is not is a sign of a perfect and normal functioning brain power. I don't blame you at all if you believe that boring topics are rubbish. Most of it is. The cluttering in my head makes me consume more antioxidants for brain power."

Akko stifled a giggle. "S-sorry, but you are just funny, Diana."

Diana pursed her lips. "The fact that you actually found amusement in our sarcastic remarks explains a lot why the Sergeant thinks you are guilty."

"Why does he think I'm guilty anyway?"

"Simply put and no offense to you, he might have thought you were acting dumb and I'm this close to believing it myself." she showed her thumb and forefinger nearly touching.

Akko puffed her cheeks; her eyes slanted more when she squinted. "Oh my, is that so?"

Diana smirked to find that Akko was capable of sensing and making sarcasm—a sign of intelligence. "Oh, I'm dreadfully sorry, we've strayed off topic." She apologized for doing what she disliked the most but there was something about Akko that she found naturally intriguing.

"No, it's fine. You talk very differently from a certain magician I know but the lessons she teaches are quite the same."

"Magician?"

"You must have heard of her!" Akko's eyes shone like gold in streaming water. "Shiny Chariot... the most famous magician in the world! She's the one who inspired me to learn how to do magic tricks herself!"

Diana unwillingly traveled down the memory lane again. She was once a fan of Shiny Chariot too. It was a hobby of her for quite some time until believing in such trickery was deemed distasteful to indulge in by the members of the House of Cavendish.

The House of Cavendish hated to be deceived and Chariot DuNord was a Deception Specialist. She was a master at misdirecting people's attention. No matter how closely you watch her, she still can fool her victim. She was aware that the human brain has weaknesses and she's using that weakness to her advantage.

Diana was unable to stop herself from comparing Shiny Chariot to Arsène Lupin, a fictional character by French author Maurice Leblanc who was a gentleman thief and a master of disguise. Except when Diana delved further into her theory, there is no way a former idol of hers would turn to murder unless there was a psychological turn of events.

Pensively, Diana immediately connected all the dots. "Akko, I don't mean to intrude but... I know Professor Ursula Callistis is Shiny Chariot herself."

"EHHHH?" Akko gasped. "H-how did you know that? I swore I didn't tell you anything."

"You didn't." Diana smirked, "Explicitly."

"How did you come up with that conclusion?"

"Easy. First of all—Professor Ursula dyed her red hair blue, let it grow long and wore glasses. A classic but powerful disguise most people who can act managed to pull off. Next—Shiny Chariot disappeared from the spotlight 10 years ago and Professor Ursula came to the academy in exactly a month apart with Ursula Callistis' information all incognito before the said date. Third—while she was protecting you from Thomas' father, she fashioned a tranquilizer dart from her uniform like a readily secret agent. Lastly—how come you managed to be under the Professor's wing when nothing ties you two? Neither familial or friendship from your relatives. There was also no money or bribery involved. So there you go."

"Wow, you are amazing. How did you know that I'm not related to her at all?"

"Computer data from the academy's records, if they held the truth that is," Diana said. "And besides, my deductions are still naturally flawed. It was all wild surmise that was proven right by your reaction."

"WHAT?" Akko yelled. "So you weren't sure if you were right?"

"I take wages sometimes," Diana said. "Of course I don't go all in when I'm not confident enough or I don't have solid proof in a real case. You should definitely get the credit of finding her, Akko. It wasn't me who first found the whereabouts of Chariot DuNord or more famously known as Shiny Chariot."

"It took me a while yes." Akko smiled. "And I'm not telling you how."

Diana rolled her eyes. "Not all vital information can be found on the internet, I can detect, observe and deduce. I've met you and Professor Ursula today and I can glean most of your personalities in a heartbeat. The fact that you and Professor Ursula are so close is the result of exchanging letters. You certainly are the kind of person who writes to her idol. And Chariot, as someone who is slowly adjusting to the new life one isn't accustomed to, they will always revert back to find a glimmer of hope that could give remind them and reminisce about their past. Even if she wasn't Shiny Chariot anymore, she still can find a way to find those letters herself and if the contents of the letter are tearful and inspiring, surely she will contact you back. For which individual who starves from social interaction can deny a tempting piece?"

Akko puffed her cheeks, crossing her arms. "Okay, not fair. You totally figured us out."

"There are some things I can't be sure of, of course."

"There's something you couldn't deduce or guess? Now that's a relief. What is it?"

"Why did she change her identity? There wasn't any news about her gaining enemies or getting sued."

"I don't know, she won't even tell me."

"Looks like it's not my job to find out," she winked at her. "Fret not, Akko. I will keep my mouth shut. Her hiding in the shadows does not involve me at all."

"Really? You would?"

There was a puzzling pounding in her chest that Diana couldn't quite discern. It had gotten her back into wondering why she was thinking so hard about Shiny Chariot and Akko when she should get back to the original mystery.

Who is Thomas Kinsley's murder?

Akko is an astounding girl; Diana was taken aback by her first general impression of her wasn't that great. Conversing with Akko proved a theory of hers in its speculative stages. Despite all that, an unfathomable question haunted her.

Who loved Akko so much that the murder would happen?

Professor Ursula is definitely hiding something... something that forced her to hide her identity. It was possible with murder as it was possible with a silent felony. Diana reminded herself mentally to search if there was a huge unsolved case 10 years ago.

Until then, Chariot DuNord doesn't seem to be suspect; suspicious yes—but not the potential suspect.

There was a silent movement to the entrance of the medic area and her eyes caught the figure. Miss Manbavaran had just arrived after being questioned for statements and maybe, after getting an earful from Professor Ursula.

Diana's eyes settled on her for a second before blinking back to look at Akko.

Sucy Manbavaran was a girl that you can hardly miss from a crowd. That was all Diana knew about her, making her realize that needed more information.

Finally, there was a lead.

Diana cleared her throat, making it strictly professional. "Professor Ursula doesn't frail in her guardianship over you, you know. Hence, it's in your best interest to heed your guardian's warning. I'll see you tomorrow at school if we find each other free."

A/N

What do you all think of Diana's wits?