Interlude #1: A New Life To Remember
Warning: This fic contains intense violence, lots of cursing... just cursing (Whew! Thank goodness!), character death, gore and blood, sexual innuendos, and possible spoilers for the Danganronpa series. But hey, everyone lurking in this fandom has at least played the first Danganronpa so no need to worry much there! Right?
With that said, please enjoy!
"Good morning class!"
Mabel Leve entered Classroom 1-C with a cheerful smile on her face. Skipping toward her podium, she glanced toward the bright faces of her fellow students. All… 8 of them.
A relatively small class.
No.
An unbelievably small class.
Mabel wouldn't dare admit that she was a little disappointed. That in itself was true. She wouldn't dare admit she was a little disappointed because she was more disappointed than anyone could imagine.
Hope's Peak Toronto had just opened its doors for the first time as one of the many new established Hope's Peak schools outside of Japan. At this point, the name of Hope's Peak had become a brand. The next big thing alongside other names like Disney and A23. Whenever someone thought of Hope's Peak, the word "special" came to mind.
After all, Hope's Peak was an institution that specialized in training the Hope of the next generation. Ultimates. The special kids that were truly special enough to change the world to their whim.
And yet, to receive 8 for the year…
8… at a Hope's Peak established school?!
"Headmistress, are you alright?" one of them raised their hands.
Mabel snapped out of her thoughts and gave her student a smile.
"Oh, Emmeline," Mabel smiled. "I told you already. When I'm in the classroom, I am not your Headmistress, I'm your homeroom teacher, Miss Leve."
Mabel's phone started to buzz. Glancing at the caller ID, she let out a sigh and gave an apologetic smile to her students.
"I'm so sorry, but please, let me take this," Mabel tried to hide her frustrations. "In the meantime, please take out your textbooks and start reading page 66. I'll be back before you know it!"
With that, she skipped out of the classroom she had just entered.
…
Mabel Leve stood out in the halls. Her smile shifted into a look of annoyance and frustration. These phone calls were getting more frequent now. Juggling between Headmistress and Homeroom Teacher was a nightmare. And yet, what else could she do? Hope's Peak Toronto was off to a bad start and it was about to get so much worse.
"What do you mean no funds?!" Mabel gritted her teeth. "Did you blow all of it on your smoking habits again?!"
Mabel held onto her phone tightly.
"Look, you're going to have to figure something out here because I have a class of 8 students whose parents are paying good money for literal promised education," Mabel frowned. "And instead of giving them what they paid for, I'm stuck here listening to your bullshit."
Mabel listened intently toward the caller on the other end.
"Quit calling me when I'm working!" Mabel yelled. "And no! How can I have time to recruit actual teachers when I'm stuck handling half of your mess too?!"
Mabel felt herself getting more and more frustrated the more she had to listen to his voice. To the point where she started to yell into her phone.
"Ugh, I'll call you back later!" Mabel yelled. "My class is in session!"
Mabel hung up the call.
And the moment she did, she let out a huge sigh. She needed to calm herself down. If she wandered into her classroom looking as if a tornado had decided to start a fight with her, it'd be a whole debacle she didn't want to deal with today.
She smoothed out her hair and fixed her glasses. Then, she practiced smiling before opening the door and reentering the classroom.
…
"I'm back!" Mabel smiled, clapping her hands together. "I apologize for that! But so, can anyone tell me what they've learned from the reading?"
No responses.
They… didn't read. Did they?
…
…
Mabel grimly stared at her phone as she sat in her dimly lit office. She scrolled through messages after messages after messages. Missed phone call after missed phone call after missed phone call. All from the same types of parents. All angry. All worried. And much too stressful to handle…
And even worse, she looked like she had fought against a tornado from Texas.
It's been a week since the entire class of the New Life Program just upped and vanished. And yet, here she was, thinking about her part in it. She bit her finger, feeling the sweat starting to pour.
How could it have gone so wrong?
The New Life Program was supposed to save her school, not ruin it. How could she let it get this messy so far? And just how long can she keep up appearances like this?
…What else could she have done?
And for the first time, perhaps Mabel finally realized that the New Life that everyone was looking forward to, was starting to affect her as well.
And not in the way she would've hoped for…
INTERLUDE #1: A NEW LIFE TO REMEMBER
"Welcome to the Dalton Diner. May I take your order?"
Charles Burkheiser looked up from his menu.
In front of him was a waitress looking down at him expectantly. It seemed to be one hell of another migraine-filled week for her, Burkheiser would like to imagine. She had out a notepad and pencil ready and about and even wore roller skates. Judging from how understaffed this diner was, it was easy for Burkheiser to figure out what exactly they were for.
He eyed her appearance closely.
A color palette of marigold on her clothes. Blonde hair tied into a nice bun. Caramel-colored eyes. A server tag that read: TALIA. And of course, an annoyed expression that seemed to grow more irritable by the second.
"Sir, if you can kindly stop eye-fucking me and just order something, that would be great, thanks…" Talia sighed.
This was clearly not the first time this has happened to her.
And frankly, Burkheiser didn't realize he had been staring at her for quite a while. Embarrassed, he cleared his throat and smiled sheepishly toward her. Though, with how pressing her gaze was, Burkheiser made sure to formulate a response to the best of his abilities.
"Um, let's just start with a coffee," he said, pathetically. "Black."
Talia rolled her eyes and wrote down the order before skating away.
Burkheiser mentally cursed himself for making a fool of himself in front of a waitress of all people and buried his face in the menu to think of what else he wanted as he waited for the person who was set to meet him here.
To describe Charles Burkheiser, well, he was American-born.
In a diner filled with Canadians, he stuck out like a sore thumb.
He was someone who stood at 6' 1'' and weighed in at 175 pounds. He sported chocolate brown hair parted down the left side of his scalp and combed over to his right side. He had rose colored cheeks and a tanned complexion that was slightly darker on his arms. He was also relatively lanky with small amounts of muscle on his arms and legs. As such, he was relatively thin compared to most adult males. He also sported thick wire-frame golden glasses that hook around his ears. Burkheiser also has a well-trimmed mustache and a goatee that encircles his mouth.
In terms of casual clothing, his outfit included a plain black short-sleeved t-shirt with a square pocket covering his left breast area. Sticking out of this pocket was a small spiral notepad and a black pen tucked neatly inside the spirals of the notepad. A yellow and black lanyard with the words "Crime Scene Do Not Cross" in black and yellow lettering with his photo ID attached to it is wrapped around his neck. He also had on a pair of black cargo pants that covered his legs, black socks, and black high topped steel-toed boots. Burkheiser also sported a pair of black suspenders with two silver snaps on the front and back used to hold his pants into place and a black snapback baseball cap with no notable logos or insignia on them.
Once again, a purebred American sitting in a Canadian diner and already making a total fool of himself.
Jesus Christ.
How did he get here?
That was the question Burkheiser had asked himself the longer he waited here. Because to be an American in a country he knew little about… Well, to be fair, it wasn't like Canada was a big difference to America in terms of culture and ideas, but it still felt different. And for Burkheiser, he still felt as if he was out of place.
He let his eyes wander toward the window, spotting a muffled commotion occurring from outside the diner parking lot. From the looks of it, it seems like two men were fighting over what seemed to be a parking attempt gone wrong.
A car had collided with the back of another in the middle of the parking lot.
And both men were getting heated over this outcome. To the point that they were starting to… exchange… blows?
Burkheiser stood up, feeling his lanyard smack itself against his chest.
Then, valiantly, he quickly sped out, pushing Talia aside as she carried his cup of coffee. Needless to say, she dropped it. And she was clearly not happy with the pieces of glass and scalding hot coffee that was currently staining the marble floor.
"Asshole!" Talia yelled out as Burkheiser sped out the front door.
"Put it on the tab!" Burkheiser raised his hand before exiting the diner.
"You want to get smart with me, tough guy?! Bring it on!"
"You crashed into my car first! I have every right to get pissy with you!"
The two men tussled with one another, each of them trying to see who could knock each other onto the ground first. There were a handful of bystanders nearby, watching this exchange happen, but none of them seem to have any clue on how to handle this situation. No one except…
"Gentleman!" Burkheiser valiantly stepped in. "What seems to be the problem?"
The two men stopped and glanced at his lanyard, noting the words "Crime Scene Do Not Cross". And almost instantly, that was enough to get the two to stop and straighten themselves out.
"This bastard rammed his car into mine!" the weaker man pointed toward the larger man.
"You fuck!" the larger man glared. "You backed up into mine! Piece of shit!"
"Why you–" the weaker man clenched his fist.
It was clear another tussle was set to happen, but Burkheiser stepped in between them.
"Hey now, let's relax," Burkheiser said, pressing his hands against their chests. "Let me get to the bottom of this…"
He shook his head, and eyed each of the men. Both of them. He mentally took note of their fragile egos. Their looks of confusion. Their strengths and weaknesses…
Then, he stepped toward the first car. The weaker man's car. The car that supposedly backed up into the larger man's car. His eyes wandered amongst the damage of the vehicle. He could see that there was a clear scratch on the car. A small dent was made and a clear paint job was needed. Also to note were the red shards stuck inside this dent.
Then, he stepped toward the second car. The larger man's car. The car that supposedly rammed into the weaker man's car. His eyes wander amongst the damage of the vehicle. He could see that the left headlights and low beams were broken. Shattered even. Clearly, saving 15% or more on car insurance was going to help him in the long run.
Then, he compared their tires, squatting down to get a closer look.
The weaker man's car had notable streak marks on the tires. The larger man's? Barely anything was on it except a few grinded up pebbles. He rubbed his goatee slightly before standing up. He noticed the strange looks he was getting. And it was clear that both men were losing their patience.
So was Talia, who he could see seething from behind the window, because he needed to return to pay for that spilled coffee later.
He clapped his hands together and waved his lanyard around, before finally opening his mouth.
"You're the one to blame here," Burkheiser immediately pointed toward the weaker man.
"W-What?" the weaker man blinked.
"It's basic physics," Burkheiser explained. "In car collisions, the slowest car in the collision takes more damage than the fastest car. As you can see, this big guy's car lost its left headlights and low beams. Some of its shards are even stuck in your minor dents and scratched paint."
Burkheiser made sure to show them each spot he was pointing at.
"B-Bullshit," the weaker man started to laugh. "You can't come to that conclusion based on the fucking damage…"
"True, which is why I checked the tires," Burkheiser said, squatting down once more. "Your tires have streaks. As if you pushed down on the pedal in order to back up quicker. This larger gentleman's tires have only grinded pebbles. Indicates that he moved slower."
The weaker man started to sweat as he struggled to formulate a response.
"Why the fuck would you–" the larger male was about to say before Burkheiser cut in.
"My theory?" Burkheiser smiled. "His parking space. There's a big cement crack on the pavement isn't there? His tire kept getting stuck whenever he tried to back up. So, he applied brute force and put the pedal to the metal if you will. Unfortunately, by the time he did that, you pulled up."
Burkheiser turned to the weaker man, dramatically.
"Am I right?" Burkheiser pointed to him.
"I– I–" the weaker man stared at him, astonished. "W-Who the hell are you? Sherlock Holmes?"
"Better," Burkheiser grinned, flashing his lanyard. "Charles Burkheiser. Future Foundation Operative from the New York District and Ultimate Crime Scene Investigator."
…
(Charles Burkheiser ~ The Ultimate Crime Scene Investigator)
…
The two men looked at each other, shocked.
Future Foundation?
Ultimate CSI?
New York?
What the hell was someone like him doing in Canada in the first place?
[One Day Earlier...]
"After being with the Hope's Peak family for many years, it's with a heavy heart that we announce that the Hope's Peak Chairman of the Japan Branch, Kazuo Tengan, has retired. Let's give him a big thank you for all the years of service over the years, what do you say?"
…
As the sound of applause echoed from beyond stage left, a man in his early 30s grimaced.
"And by thank you, we mean thank you for all the years of cowardice and cover-ups during that chapter of fiascos," he muttered quietly. "The old man couldn't be bothered to come to his own retirement party."
"Hey, hey, you promised to be a little more positive, remember?" the woman in front of him giggled as she fixed his tie and shirt collar. "After all, this is as much as your moment as it is his…"
The woman finished working on his outfit with a happy smile.
"Kyosuke Munakata," the woman smiled to herself. "New Chairman."
...
(Kyosuke Munakata ~ Hope's Peak Chairman of the Japan Branch)
...
Kyosuke was a striking young man with a colorless palette to his complexion. He was tall and lean. Pale, even. With his silver neat hair and blue eyes, he shifted his gaze from the person announcing Tengan's retirement to the woman standing in front of him. And for the first time, he let his narrowed eyes soften…
Kyosuke really didn't give a damn about titles.
But when she said it… It was just…
"Oh?" the woman blinked, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear. "Do I… Do I have something on my face?"
Kyosuke stifled a chuckle as he caressed her lips.
"Just the look of Chisa Yukizome…" Kyosuke softly smiled, leaning forward. "New Director."
...
(Chisa Yukizome ~ Director of Future Foundation Osaka District)
...
In comparison to Kyosuke's colorless appearance, Chisa's appearance was much like that of a mature woman in her late 20s. She wore a long white coat with a Future Foundation logo on its lapel. Along with her choice of clothing was a black vest, a black pencil skirt, black pantyhose, and black mid-heel shoes. She also had long muted brown hair tied into a ponytail and bright green eyes.
And her face?
There was a soft blush on her cheeks as she felt her own lips being caressed. She tried to allow herself to avoid glancing at the man standing before her, but she knew all too well that in itself was impossible. Before she knew it, she opened her lips… signing him to lean forward. And immediately, she tasted his minty lips, closing her eyes in satisfaction.
Once Kyosuke softly released himself from her, his soft smile shifted back into his more serious and colder complexion. He raised an eyebrow at the swooning mess that was his girlfriend and tried hard not to chuckle. His moment of weakness was only shared with her and her only. Oh, and him too but…
"You sure you're going to be okay back home?" Kyosuke questioned. "Hope's Peak Osaka has been taking a lot of hits recently…"
"Of course!" Chisa gave him a mock salute. "I'll man the fort to the best of my abilities. You just focus on your new job here. Now that…"
Chisa looked down.
"...Now that you'll be working abroad at Hope's Peak International…" Chisa looked disappointed.
Kyosuke couldn't blame her.
For years, he and her had been inseparable. Ever since their time as Hope's Peak students, they've always promised that they'll stay together, no matter what. And yet, with Kyosuke getting promotion after promotion… from Former Student Council President to the Director of Future Foundation Osaka District… and now… Hope's Peak Chairman of the Japan Branch… That dream was unraveling all too quickly.
Kyosuke softly placed his hand over her cheek.
"I'll be back home for the holidays before you know it," Kyosuke assured her. "Besides. You'll have Juzo."
"Pfft, aren't you worried that he and I will get up to some funny business while you're away?" Chisa teased.
"If he does, I'll kill him," Kyosuke coldly said.
Chisa giggled at this.
So blunt.
So serious.
Cold as ever.
As always.
And for Chisa, that was very attractive. This was the man she practically spent most of her time and life with. And honestly, she wouldn't have it any other way. She leaned forward and pecked him on the cheek… Just in time for the announcer to crescend in volume…
"...And now, presenting our new Chairman of the Japan Branch! Kyosuke Munakata!"
"Go get em," Chisa looked at him supportively.
Kyosuke shared one last smile with her before switching back to his colder and serious side. He stepped off onto the stage… directly into brighter lights and loud applause. He could see the entire world standing below him as he allowed himself to settle on the podium. He stared out toward cameras and media, all awaiting his grand introduction into international territory.
Kyosuke sighed.
"Before I begin," he spoke. "I would like to say a few things about Former Chairman Kazuo Tengan."
Kyosuke eyed the crowd.
He felt the atmosphere become tense.
"Kazuo Tengan…" Kyosuke began to say. "...He's one of the strongest men I've ever known. If not, stubborn. But then again, isn't that the norm for every old man who held the power he had? To have him recommend me for Hope's Peak International's Chairman of the Japan Branch… It's a great honor."
Kyosuke had to remind himself to bite his tongue over saying anything negative about the man.
"To be here standing before you all…" Kyosuke sternly said. "It's a great achievement only made possible through him. He once said that 'Hope is having young people who you can entrust the future to'. To think that he meant me… I'm incredibly grateful."
Kyosuke placed his hands on the sides of his podium.
"The world is changing," Kyosuke began. "Each year, more and more Ultimate Talents are discovered everyday, everywhere. And yet, with each new part of the world being recognized with Talent, comes ignorance. As the new Chairman of the Japan Branch… I intend to remind everyone that Japan was the first. The birthplace of Talent recognition."
Kyosuke stared directly at the camera.
"We know Talent more than anyone in the world," Kyosuke continued to annnounce. "We were the first to establish Hope's Peak as the worldwide brand we know today. And I intend to honor this idea… by getting to work immediately. It's what Kazuo Tengan expects of me."
Kyosuke leaned forward into his microphone.
"Thank you," Kyosuke firmly said.
Applause.
…
And yet, Kyosuke felt nothing but disdain for the praises he had sung to that old man in his speech.
[Hope's Peak International Headquarters]
Kyosuke placed his suitcase on top of his bed.
Hope's Peak International had often required that every Chairman of different branches live abroad in order to commit to their duties. Weekly meetings are often made easier that way. And honestly, as much as Kyosuke would've wanted to stay in Osaka with Chisa, it was probably for the best to work here at the big capital.
He unlocked his suitcase and gently placed his neatly packed clothing onto his bed. A note was tape onto top of the pile.
A simple:
Good luck :)
Written by Chisa.
Kyosuke recognized that cutesy handwriting anywhere. He couldn't help but chuckle at the sight before gently taking off the note and plastering it on the wall. He breathed a sigh as he took out pile after pile of clothes before finally spotting the one last unique object buried underneath. Slowly, he took it out and examined it thoroughly.
It was the hilt of an otherwise, incomplete sword.
He unsheathed it.
And suddenly the incomplete sword had formed a blade, shinier and sharper than your average sword.
He eyed it warily and swung it around, gripping the hilt with both of his hands. He waved it around, swinging it against the air as if he were cutting down someone in his path. Releasing one hand, he let his other hand spin it around. Then, he placed his other hand on it and thrusted it into the air, as if he were impaling another foe.
He slowly lowered his blade and sheathed it back, disassembling the blade back into its hilt before sighing once more.
He was seriously going to miss home.
Knock knock.
"Mr. Munakata?"
A voice called out from behind his door.
"This is him," Kyosuke spoke up, coldly.
"You called for a Mr. Burkheiser?" the voice called out. "He's waiting for you."
Kyosuke glanced at the hilt of his sword before slowly pocketing it.
"Right," Kyosuke simply said. "I'll be right there."
Charles Burkheiser had to admit that being called into Hope's Peak International of all places was like being called to jury duty.
You had to wake up at a specific time in the morning just to take a private jet to some big damn facility where all the bigwigs of the world hang out and start fanatically talking about Hope and how much Hope can change the world. It was intimidating and foreboding to say the least. Scary even.
At the moment, he had been sitting in the waiting room alone, which is a sight that isn't too uncommon in Hope's Peak International's Headquarters. In fact, there were no secretaries like you'd see in a typical big conglomerate. All there really was…
"Water, sir?"
A small pink and white bunny rabbit thing with wings. What do they call those here? Usami Units?
"Oh… uh… no thank you?" Burkheiser mumbled.
If he was generally awkward with others aside from talking about cases and murder mysteries and the likes, then imagine how pathetic it must've been if he had trouble talking to these fantasy bunny creature things.
"Charles Burkheiser?" another called out from the secretary's desk. "Room 2-J. He's ready for you."
Burkheiser stood up, pocketed his hands and gave the Usami Unit at the secretary's desk his best supportive smile.
Then, he made his way toward the supposed Room 2-J.
He had to wonder though.
What on Earth did the new Hope's Peak Chairman of the Japan Branch want with an American like him?
(Room 2-J)
When Burkheiser slowly entered Room 2-J, he expected the office to be grandiose and even more overwhelming than the waiting room. Like walking into the King's Chambers or the Queen's Quarters, or something like that. But for a room with such high authoritative power… it was… empty?
No decor?
No chairs?
No coffee machine?
Just a desk, a simple computer, and window blinds that oversaw the ocean out in the distance. And who else was there besides Kyosuke Munakata, who had kept his sword hidden by his side. Upon closer inspection, Burkheiser could see Kyosuke's cold face reflected against the shady window…
"I apologize for the lack of decor," Kyosuke spoke up. "I was just promoted five hours ago. Never had a chance to move in any of my belongings, you see."
"Ah ha," Burkheiser rubbed the back of his neck with a chuckle. "It's… It's not a problem at all."
Burkheiser had to make do with the random cardboard box in the room to act as his chair. When he felt his weight crash down, Burkheiser opted to remain standing instead, slightly embarrassed that this happened.
There was an awkward silence between the young man in his early 20s to the older man is his late 20s. Neither of which opted to continue the conversation until a minute later.
"A-Anyway," Burkheiser cleared his throat. "Congratulations on your promotion sir! Really! Such a great honor! I mean, wow! Hope's Peak Chairman of the Japan Branch, right? Gotta say, that's a–"
"Save your platitudes," Kyosuke finally turned around, his cold gaze fixated on Burkheiser's otherwise ghetto appearance. "Let's get right down to business."
Kyosuke stood beside his desk and leaned against it.
"Charles Burkheiser," Kyosuke spoke up. "Do you know why I called you here?"
"Not… really," Burkheiser shook his head.
Kyosuke closed his eyes for a moment before responding.
"Your Director, Baldwin Engles, spoke highly of you back at last year's Future Foundation Annual Convention," Kyosuke revealed. "Ever since then, your name has been on my mind for quite a while."
The silver-haired male took out a file and placed it on his desk.
"25 years of age," Kyosuke listed. "Only family: a nephew that you look after despite your grueling line of work. Incredible alumnus from Hope's Peak New York. Graduated as the Ultimate Crime Scene Investigator. And since then, you chose to undergo work as Director Baldwin Engles' top Future Foundation agent. If I'm not mistaken, just a few weeks ago, you also managed to catch the Subway Killer. A serial killer that escaped local police for months, but you were able to catch him within a day. Am I correct?"
"Well, it wasn't like that was a hard case so–" Burkheiser chuckled bashfully.
"You're obviously very talented at what you do," Kyosuke simply cut him off. "Which is why I'm requesting your services."
"W-Wait, what?" Burkheiser dumbly asked.
Out of all the things he expected, this was surprisingly not the first or second or even third thing that came into mind. After all, this was the Chairman of Future Foundation's Japan Branch asking help from an American. Something like this, it was…
"I… see…" Burkheiser carefully said. "May I ask the reason why, sir? Did the Genocide Jack killer return–"
"This has nothing to do with any affairs occurring in my country," Kyosuke shook his head. "In fact, it has nothing to do with either of our countries."
The newly appointed Chairman took out a newspaper article and handed it to the relatively confused CSI Future Foundation agent.
"As you may have heard, an entire class and their teacher went on a quote-on-quote 'field trip' at Hope's Peak Toronto," Kyosuke revealed. "A special trip in honor of the newly established New Life Program…"
"Erm, so I did…?" Burkheiser blinked. "I'm sorry, sir, but I… fail to see the point."
"The point is…" Kyosuke stood up straighter and pocketed his hands, coldly staring at the newspaper article. "You and I both know that this so-called field trip is nothing more than empty platitudes made up by the Director of Future Foundation's Toronto District."
As Burkheiser read through each word of the newspaper quickly, he glanced up toward Kyosuke in surprise.
"You think this to be a cover-up?" Burkheiser blinked. "Like… you think this entire class just went… missing?"
"Of course I do," Kyosuke revealed, narrowing his eyes. "Hope's Peak Toronto is struggling as one of the weakest of Hope's Peak establishments in the world. If word got out that an entire class attending their new program suddenly upped and vanished, Hope's Peak Toronto may just be out of the business. And you and I both know how much the Director isn't willing to accept that outcome."
"But why come to me about it?" Burkheiser slowly set the newspaper on the side. "I mean, don't you have Future Foundation agents in Japan that can help?"
"After the number of controversies these past fifteen years?" Kyosuke scoffed. "Involving agents from Japan in more controversy, especially outside our country, will tarnish whatever is left of our reputation. Both Hope's Peak Osaka and Tokyo are lucky enough to even have students in their courses."
"What about the Chairman of the Canada Branch?" Burkheiser argued. "I mean, all of this is his territory, so–"
"The Chairman is on leave for some spiritual retreat," Kyosuke shook his head. "Even if I could get his help, he'll refuse out of obligation to his… obligations."
"Okay, but sir…" Burkheiser shook his head. "You do realize what you're asking here right? You, Chairman of the Japan Branch, is asking an agent from the New York District, to go investigate something on Canadian soil. I mean, aren't there rules against that? Like… extraterritorial rights kind of thing…?"
Kyosuke glanced out the window, watching the scenery in front of him with stern eyes. With the sun slowly setting, it was clear that Kyosuke was willing to do everything he could to see hope replenish in this New World.
"We're not Interpol, Burkheiser," Kyosuke responded. "Extraterritorial rights are their rules. We are Hope's Peak International. Whatever happens to one school affects the brand as a whole."
Kyosuke watched Burkheiser through the reflection of the window.
"There are no rules against Chairmans to get involved in each other's affairs," Kyosuke revealed. "We are supposed to be on the same team. Bringing Hope to the next generation is our duty. To create a New Life to remember is the cause. But if even one piece of Hope can be corrupted, then so can the next generation. That is why I made it my mission to make True Hope a reality."
Burkheiser listened to Kyosuke's words.
From what he has seen of him, he knew this man to be overwhelmingly cold and emotionless. Really suited his colorless expressions and appearance. But the way he talked about Hope told him a different story. It told him of a very experienced man who had been hard at work these past fifteen years, combatting those controversies that plagued the Japan Branch. Honestly, he could see how someone like him got appointed as the new Chairman.
"Burkheiser, I asked you here today because you came highly recommended by your mentor," Kyosuke revealed. "Someone who values exposing the truth above all else. Someone with the Talent capable of weeding out the rats in Hope's Peak Toronto. Someone who will be able to bring a new light to Hope's Peak Toronto. Isn't that you, Charles Burkheiser, Ultimate Crime Scene Investigator?"
Kyosuke turned back, narrowed his eyes, pocketed his hands and approached Burkheiser. He loomed over him, letting his cold eyes examine Burkheiser's resolve.
"...Or were those simply empty platitudes…?" Kyosuke questioned.
Burkheiser lowered his head down.
He knew all too well what kind of person he was. When he graduated from Hope's Peak New York, he knew that he was already the best in his field. He had solved so many cases, most of them in the matter of days whilst it took others, weeks, months, even years. He was top of his class. Top of the world. And yet, despite all of this, he never expected to get called in to commit to a task like this.
A case far from his jurisdiction.
An international case, assigned to him by the Chairman of Future Foundation's Japan Branch.
This would be unlike any other case he would have ever dealt with. Because it would take place in a whole other country. Whole new territory. Whole new people. A whole New Life…
Burkheiser looked up and fixed his cap, determinedly.
"W-Well, I guess if you put it that way," Burkheiser rubbed the side of his cheek. "I'll do it. For the sake of the truth."
And for a moment, after he said that, Burkheiser could've sworn that he saw Kyosuke's cold, intense eyes relax themselves.
[Present Day]
"Good. You will have a trusted ally to help accompany you on your mission. He will brief you on what to expect..."
Kyosuke's words rang through Burkheiser's head as he watched both the larger man and weaker man vacate the premises with their cars in tow. Whatever they were going to do now, it was all on them. Insurance and car repairs and the likes. But for Burkheiser, he had to admit that the rush he felt here was just as good as solving a case in the big city.
Sure, it was a small civil case between two guys and their cars, but it definitely gave Burkheiser a reason to look forward to this bigger case he was assigned to. As he watched the bystanders slowly file away, only one bystander remained, someone that definitely looked out of place at this local diner on the side of the road.
Was this… who he was supposed to meet?
"Charles Burkheiser?" the young man asked.
"Wh-Who's asking?" Burkheiser returned.
"Charles Wright," the young man extended his hand out for a shake. "Ultimate Pilot. Future Foundation Operative of the Toronto District."
…
(Charles Wright ~ The Ultimate Pilot)
…
Wright seemed to be about his age, early mid 20s, and was an athletically built young man, with notable biceps, triceps, quads… etc. He stood at 5'9 and weighed approximately 140 lbs. He had broad shoulders and somewhat large pectoral muscles. His hair was blonde and stylized in a simple buzzcut hairstyle. He also had peach skin tone and hazelnut brown eyes. His face was oval-shaped and clean shaven.
As far as casual clothing goes, Wright wore a camo hoodie jacket over a black t-shirt for his upper half, and a pair of fern green colored cargo pants for his lower half. For his feet, a set of dark brown combat boots.
Burkheiser didn't need to have the strongest observation skills to see that Wright was definitely more military-based. But at the moment, that was not what he was more focused on…
"Your name is Charles too?" Burkheiser asked.
"Yes, sir," Wright simply shrugged. "Named by US General Edward Wright and Petty Officer Clair Wright, sir."
"You're American," Burkheiser blinked.
"Born and raised, sir," Wright took out what seemed to be a fern and began to pick at it, confusedly. "Moved here after getting accepted by Hope's Peak Toronto, sir."
Burkheiser stared at him, briefly.
Then, he rubbed the back of his neck, sheepishly.
"Um, y-you know you don't have to call me 'sir'…" Burkheiser grinned like an idiot. "We're pretty much the same age."
"I'm sorry…" Wright closed his eyes. "Can't help it… sir."
Burkheiser didn't say anything for a while. Charles Wright was definitely the epitome of what he would describe as a typical military-type character. Seems to follow strict orders. Is definitely strong. And also, seemingly cold and detached… like a soldier in the field.
"Perhaps it is time we talk about business, sir?" Wright questioned.
"R-Right," Burkheiser rubbed the back of his neck, sheepishly. "Um, where to…?"
"Hey, asshole!" Talia opened the door to the diner. "You better have remembered to come back and pay for your coffee!"
Oh.
Right.
"A-Ah… Actually, I have just the place…" Burkheiser rubbed his cheek.
(Dalton Diner)
"So, I uh… take it you were assigned onto the case as soon as I was, huh?"
Burkheiser had led Wright to their table– shortly after paying for another two cups of coffee and the first one that he had broken and spilled –and sat across from him. Dalton Diner was definitely not a place Burkheiser would've expected a military boy like him to meet with him but, beggars couldn't be choosers.
"...No, sir," Wright shook his head. "It wouldn't be correct to say that I was assigned. I volunteered…"
Volunteered?
This was a shock.
When Kyosuke mentioned that he was going to work with a trusted ally in Toronto, Burkheiser at first had to wonder why that was. After all, Kyosuke made it a point to glorify his achievements as the Ultimate Crime Scene Investigator… So, why give him a partner for this?
He made sure to watch Wright's movements with piqued curiosity. Burkheiser was trained in the arts of observation, but Wright was a complex individual. Much like a soldier, it was clear that he was trained to hide his emotions and inner thoughts well. Because as far as he could tell… well, that's the thing. He couldn't tell much of anything just staring at Wright.
He fixed his baseball cap, grinning like an idiot.
"Er, okay, so you volunteered?" Burkheiser began. "Why?"
Wright said nothing.
Maybe, this wasn't an icebreaker he should start off with…
"Okaaay… What about the case?" Burkheiser asked. "Think you can give me some information about the case?"
Again, nothing.
God.
This was awkward.
Finally…
"I could, sir," Wright raised an eyebrow. "But didn't Mr. Munakata give you the information already?"
"Well, he was pretty brief about it…" Burkheiser rubbed the back of his neck. "Plus, you know this country's Hope's Peak better than I do… so…"
Wright contemplated this for a moment. And by contemplate, Burkheiser noticed that Wright had to stare intently at a fern in order to come up with his answer. He had to wonder what was up with that fern…
"...As you know, sir, an entire class at Hope's Peak Toronto went on a supposed class field trip," Wright simply said. "We believe that they went missing. Our duty is to get to the bottom of it."
"Well, yes, but I was wondering if you had anything more than that…" Burkheiser began to say.
His eyes flickered slightly.
Despite the trained soldier being very adept at keeping his feelings and emotions hidden, Burkheiser spotted a moment in which he had twitched almost too briefly. No. Clearly, Charles Wright was hiding something from him… But what?
"H-Hey, Charles…" Burkheiser said.
It did feel weird to call someone by his own name.
"Uh… you know you can tell me anything, right?" Burkheiser chuckled, sheepishly. "I mean, we're partners now, so… If we want to solve this case, we gotta make sure we're both on the same page here, okay?"
Wright contemplated this once more, making sure to stare at a single fern. Inevitably, Burkheiser was able to draw his own conclusion on the matter.
"Let me guess," Burkheiser sighed. "You don't trust me."
Wright glanced up toward him, warily.
"...You would be correct in assuming that sir," Wright simply said. "I apologize."
"N-No, no, don't apologize, I get it," Burkheiser rubbed the back of his neck. "I kinda get it. I mean, a new guy in a new country. Forced to work with someone I've never met before in a high stakes' kind of case. Yeah, I get it."
"Yes, that's exactly it, sir," Wright narrowed his eyes, suspiciously.
Burkheiser felt himself do a double-take. He was quite blunt about it, too!
"You are an agent from a different branch in an entirely different country tasked by a man from an entirely different continent to tackle a case committed on Canadian soil…" Wright simply said. "Something like this is unheard of in the history of Hope's Peak International's development, sir. So, please forgive me if I'm not the least bit suspicious."
Burkheiser had nothing to say to that.
The moment that Kyosuke told him he'd be working with a partner, he figured something like this would come up. And honestly, he couldn't blame him. Each Hope's Peak establishment had their own problems and kinks to deal with. To have a member of a different Hope's Peak branch tackle their problems could be considered insulting…
"Well, I guess that would mean that I have no choice but to prove that I'm trustworthy," Burkheiser gave him a grin. "What do you say?"
Wright stared at his fern.
Seriously, what was up with that fern?!
"I say that would be a complete waste of time…" Wright simply said. "If your main focus is to prove something to me, then you may not be the best choice for this job, sir."
"O-Ouch!" Burkheiser stared at him, dumbfounded.
"Our number one priority is finding the class of the New Life Program," Wright closed his eyes. "Nothing else, sir."
"I… I… got it…" Burkheiser shifted in his seat, uncomfortably.
Were all of the Future Foundation agents in the Toronto Branch such a buzzkill?
Immediately, Wright stood up and saluted him. It wasn't a friendly gesture or anything. It just seemed to be a thing he did out of respect. And for some reason, that respect felt more… ingenuous that Burkheiser would've loved to believe.
"Thank you for the coffee, sir," Wright simply said. "If I may, perhaps it is time we head over to Hope's Peak Toronto."
"Right," Burkheiser nodded, placing his money on the counter with a determined smile.
Anything to get away from how awkward it was between the two.
"You said you're the Ultimate Pilot, right?" Burkheiser grinned. "Does that mean we'll fly over there in a helicopter or something?"
Wright froze.
And almost instantly, Burkheiser could see that the young man who had hidden most of his emotions and feelings so well toward him, was starting to lose color on his face. The CSI agent stared at him, confused. This was much different from the Toronto Future Foundation agent he had met just minutes ago.
Was it something he said?
After a moment, Wright simply shook his head and turned back to him, a dead expression on his face as he bowed.
"Apologies, sir," Wright said. "But no helicopters. Just a car."
Wright took out what seemed to be a set of car keys and jangled it in his face. Then, the army boy exited the diner, leaving behind a very confused Burkheiser.
"I… Man, Canada is a strange place," Burkheiser sighed, rubbing his head.
[Hope's Peak Toronto]
"Give us our children! Give us our children! Give us our children!"
Hope's Peak Toronto was definitely much smaller than Burkheiser expected as he glanced out the window of the passenger seat.
Charles Wright drove a Future Foundation-issued vehicle. And for a young man wearing militaristic clothing… Yeah! Didn't fit the guy at all! But regardless, Burkheiser had to admit that it was much sweeter than the lazy NYPD cars that the New York District often recycled for their vehicles.
But as Burkheiser glanced out of Hope's Peak Toronto, he gained a better observation of the surrounding area.
A pretty small, gated school that was identical to what a community college would look like. A towering building that was nowhere as tall as the skyscraper that was the CN Tower. The snow also made it look plainer than it needed to be. In fact, the only thing unique that was quite hard to notice was a flock of adults gathered outside of the school's perimeter, chanting the same phrase over and over again:
"Give us our children! Give us our children! Give us our children!"
"Hey, what's going on there?" Burkheiser gestured toward the group of people.
"Members of the community," Wright simply said as he let his car pull up toward the sidewalk to watch this commotion. "Angry and worried parents. Protestors, essentially, sir. With an entire class going missing, a lot of these parents are looking to pull out their children from Hope's Peak Toronto entirely."
"They don't believe the cover story of a field trip?" Burkheiser turned to Wright, confused.
If Hope's Peak Toronto certainly went the extra mile to come up with a story like that, surely the people would've believed that. Or at least, that was Burkheiser simply judging them based on his own experiences. Perhaps these people were smarter than he let on…
"Not when their ringleader is involved…" Wright shook his head.
He drove his car slowly, making sure to angle it so Burkheiser could see a woman standing in front of the crowd.
"Her name is Aubrey Gardner," Wright revealed. "She's the Leader of the Children's Rights Movement."
…
(Aubrey Gardner ~ Leader of the Children's Rights Movement)
…
She was a woman in her 40s, standing at 5'6 and 119 lbs. Despite being pretty old, the woman was still as gorgeous as she would've been in her prime.
She had black medium length curled hair that ended just above her chest area with two longer curly strands framing the sides of her face. Her fringe was parted both ways in the middle. Her neatly plucked eyebrows perfectly highlighted her main feature: her rather pretty pink colored eyes accompanied by a light touch of pinkish red eyeshadow and well-done liner and mascara. She had a mature heart-shaped face, a button nose, a pronounced cupid's bow lips accented by muted red lipstick and a single beauty mark under her left eye. Her complexion was fair and supple looking.
She sported a curvy super feminine figure, and her nails are painted a lovely shade of purple. She dressed impeccably too, donning a velvet blue v-necked sweetheart top with custom fitted sheer floofy sleeves with a lovely flower pattern to match. Matching those are a pair of comfortable dark blue boot-cut pants and dark purple wedge heels on her feet. She also wore a dark blue pearl necklace and a pair of wire hooked blue gem earrings.
"Aubrey Gardner…?" Burkheiser blinked before verbally asking, "Why… does she look so familiar…?"
Wright didn't respond to that and simply continued.
"She's a heavy speaker on the rights of children," Wright revealed. "Specifically, the rights of young Ultimates."
"Pft, what?" Burkheiser looked at Wright, slightly amused.
But one look at Wright's expression made him realize that he was dead serious.
"Er, I mean… Ultimate students don't have rights?" Burkheiser cleared his throat.
"It may be different at Hope's Peak New York, sir," Wright said. "But at Hope's Peak Toronto, most Ultimate students here are often forced to attend. Either by their own parents or by administration."
Burkheiser didn't say anything.
He could infer the reason why.
"It's because of Hope's Peak Toronto's next-to-nothing reputation, right?" Burkheiser questioned.
"Precisely, sir," Wright nodded. "Hope's Peak Toronto has always been struggling as a school since it first opened. The education is mediocre. It's understaffed. And as you may have noticed, the campus is pretty small. Hope's Peak Toronto is the last Hope's Peak establishment anyone considers going to when they think of Hope's Peak…"
Wright glowered at the two approaching adults coming to handle the Children's Rights Movement.
"...It's a backup school," Wright said. "No one takes it seriously. Therefore, in order to keep its doors open, oftentimes, Hope's Peak Toronto requires that some students be sent here just to fill some space."
"That's… questionable," Burkheiser blinked.
"It's the way Hope's Peak Toronto has to do things in order to survive," Wright simply stated, keeping his eyes fixated on the group of approaching adults. However, of the approaching adults, only two looked important and the others surrounding them seemed to be a group of bodyguards.
"And what about those two?" Burkheiser asked.
The first was a woman getting phone call after phone call after phone call. It wasn't hard to figure out who she was, but because Burkheiser has never met her before, we're going to need a little reintroduction here.
"The lady is Mabel Leve," Wright answered. "Headmistress of Hope's Peak Toronto."
Thank you!
"And the man…?" Burkheiser glanced toward the male that was following right behind her with his entourage of black-suited agents.
"Haiji Towa," Wright responded. "CEO of the Towa Group."
…
(Haiji Towa ~ CEO of the Towa Group)
…
Haiji Towa was a man that stood at about 6'2 and weighed about 159 lbs. Though he was apparently the CEO of a relatively large company, the outfit he wore remained just as casual as any commoner in the bunch. Couldn't blame him, as the winter snow seemed to be the reason behind his casual look.
His hair was long and black but at the same time, very disheveled. His lavender eyes seemed charismatic but at the same time, seemed to waver over the stress of their situation. He wore white button-up shirt underneath a rose-patterned suit and black pants. Over his suit was a heavy black and red hooded jacket with beige fur trimming. He also wore brown boots that helped him wander the snow with ease.
And just seeing him, Burkheiser turned to Wright in surprise.
"Towa Group?" Burkheiser questioned. "Isn't that a Japanese-based company? What's a group like that doing at a place like this?"
"It's simple, sir," Wright said. "The Towa Group has an ongoing contract with Hope's Peak Toronto. Thus, Haiji Towa serves as the main benefactor of the New Life Program."
"He funds the New Life Program?" Burkheiser watched Haiji carefully.
"Of course, sir," Wright nodded. "Unfortunately, the partnership only served to make Hope's Peak Toronto's reputation suffer."
"Why is that…?" Burkheiser asked.
"Well…" Wright rolled down the window slightly so Burkheiser could hear the outside commotion a little better.
"Oh God. They have the pedo walking on school grounds now?! Get him out of here! And give us our children back!"
"Yeah! Give us our children! Give us our children! Give us our children!"
"P-Pedo?!" Burkheiser sputtered as Wright rolled up the window. "Y-You mean…?!"
"Rumors, only, sir," Wright shook his head. "Years ago, Mr. Towa made some… remarks that didn't quite sit well with the majority of people on the internet. Therefore, cooperation with the Towa Group only serves to negatively affect the brand as a whole."
"Then, why keep them around?" Burkheiser asked.
"Why else?" Wright looked away. "The funding. As I said before, sir, Hope's Peak Toronto will do everything they can to make sure their school survives. Even if they have to associate themselves with the Towas…"
Wright glowered at the man named Haiji Towa before slowly driving off to find a parking space.
With all this information in mind, the most compelling information he got was inclusion of the Towa Group. He never expected to see a Japanese-company be involved in this case in the slightest. He thought back to Kyosuke's involvement…
Could it be?
Did he know about this? Was that why he involved himself in Canadian affairs?
Whatever the case was, Burkheiser knew that Kyosuke chose him for the job because he was the best at it. He was counting on him. And with this information in tow, he was going to do everything he could to make him proud…
"I already told you. The students of our New Life Program are on a field trip right now. Communications aren't allowed on where they're at."
"Do you realize how shifty that sounds?! At least let us know where they are!"
"We as the parents have a responsibility to know where our children are at all times! These missing kids have worried parents too!"
"I'm pretty sure something like this happened in Japan as well! What, is the entire Hope's Peak brand this shady with their dealings?!"
"You heard the people I speak for!" Aubrey stepped up, glaring at Mabel. "The New Life Program made little mention of any supposed field trip in their curriculum. How are we supposed to trust a school whose main goal is to bring Hope to the next generation if they're going to be dishonest about something as basic as curriculum?! Tell us the truth and give us our children!"
"Give us our children! Give us our children! Give us our children!"
All of this was a major headache for Mabel Leve as she found herself overwhelmed by the crowd of people that was surrounding the gates of Hope's Peak Toronto. To think that the disappearance of an entire class would lead to this… Yeah. Who would've guessed. She struggled to respond as she felt her phone consistently ring with one call after the other.
"Hey, don't worry, I got this," Haiji placed a hand on her shoulder.
He stepped up and extended his arms with a gracious and charismatic smile.
"My good people–" Haiji began with a smile.
"Get off school property, creep!"
"Yeah, we don't need some rich pedo to talk us down like dogs!"
"Ah ha…" Haiji's smile twitched. "My good people. As the main benefactor of Hope's Peak Toronto, I understand your concerns. Responsibility over the young ones is important. I get it. But please, we are doing the best we can! We will reveal more information as our New Life students continue their Talent training and I promise you… We will bring them back, safely and securely!"
"We don't want your promises!" Aubrey exclaimed. "We want our children back! Give us our children back!"
"Give us our children! Give us our children! Give us our children!"
Haiji turned to Mabel and gestured for her to turn around and leave. It was clear that nothing they were going to say was going to please the mob. And besides, they were getting on his nerves from the get-go. Gesturing to his entourage, they stepped forward, making sure that Aubrey and her gang of parents were unable to get in.
And as the two retreated back into the building, they could hear Aubrey's voice sing out from beyond the walls and the gates:
"What do we want?!"
"Our children!"
"When do we want them?!"
"Now!"
"Give us our children! Give us our children! Give us children!"
(Courtyard)
"...Okay! Why don't you get your ass over here and handle this with me?! Goddamn it! I'm stuck here pretty much doing your job and you can't even be bothered to help me out for just one second?! Jesus Christ! I better see you back here in an hour!"
Mabel Leve quickly hung up her phone with a clearly angry expression on her face. She paced around the Courtyard, back and forth, her mind clouded with stress and heavy emotions. School was still in session, meaning all of that commotion outside was going to be a heavy distraction for the few students they had in this place.
Not only that, but as soon as that bell rang, all those students were going to go back home and never return. That Children's Rights Movement was going to make damn sure of that. And even worse, Mabel Leve could do nothing but…
"Tch, a real mess you made of this place, Leve," Haiji took out a cigarette as he leaned against the wall. "I trusted you with my money so that the New Life Program could prosper. And then what happens? You lose a bunch of brats and a teacher. Nice work, Headmistress."
"Oh, shut it, Towa," Mabel started to fidget with her phone. "You forget that it was your "as young as possible" comment that put our school in such a negative light in the first place! I'd request our contract to be canceled just for that alone."
"Ha, turning it around on me, are you?" Haiji snarked. "Remind me, who was it that came crawling to the Towa Group for help when Hope's Peak Toronto was nearing death's doors? Without us, you'd be begging to suck off rich men just for a pretty penny."
"How dare you?!" Mabel glared at him.
"Am I wrong?" Haiji straightened himself up, towering over the orange-haired woman. "Admit it, Leve. Hope's Peak Toronto needs us. That's why your brother and I made that damn contract in the first place. So, either get this school's shit together, or I'll pull out. Got it?"
Mabel didn't say anything.
Instead, she just watched as Haiji finally lit his cigarette. But instead of pressing it against his lips for a puff, he simply put it out against the stone cold walls of the building's walls. And he made damn sure to dig the cigar deep into the wall, leaving an effective burn mark on the side.
A clear insult against Hope's Peak Toronto.
Haiji gave her one last challenging look before leaving the Courtyard.
And all Mabel could do was look at the scorch mark left on campus walls. She felt her chest and fists tighten in frustration. To think that karma came so soon…
Mabel traversed through the halls of her own school after her brief conversation with Haiji Towa. The stress of the job was getting to her. When she accepted her position as Headmistress, Mabel never thought the job could get as stressful as it was now. She doubts any Headmistress in her time had to deal with anything like this…
An entire class going missing.
A bastard of a man she was forced to work with to keep the school running.
An entire movement dedicated to trying to shut down everything she worked towards.
Who knew it could get so chaotic like this so quickly?
Mabel finally let her mind clear after she stopped at the door to her own office. She took a deep breath, sighed, and brushed her hair back before she finally entered…
(Headmaster's Office)
…And to her utmost surprise, she found that the room she had wandered was far from empty.
Charles Burkheiser and Wright had been sitting on her sofa for who knows how long. And the moment she appeared, both Charles' stood up immediately. Mabel blinked slightly before forcing a smile, something that Burkheiser could tell was all too fake. It was clear that their presence here was definitely unwelcomed.
"Charles?" Mabel asked.
"Yes?" Burkheiser blinked.
"Ma'am," Wright nodded his head.
Burkheiser and Wright stopped what they were doing and shared a confused glance with each other. Mabel was similarly confused but regardless, she moved to her desk and clasped her hands together with that forced smile of hers.
"Well, I must say, this is very surprising," Mabel smiled. "I didn't think you'd come to visit… especially during such trifling times."
She set her phone next to her computer.
"...So, I can only safely assume you're not here just to meet with your former homeroom teacher, are you?" Mabel gave him a small smile.
"I'm afraid not, ma'am," Wright shook his head, stoically.
Mabel glanced toward Burkheiser, somberly.
"Who's your friend?" Mabel asked.
Burkheiser blinked for a moment before realizing she was referring to him. He stuttered his introduction for a moment and pointed to himself before introducing himself.
"Um, hi," Burkheiser extended his hand. "Charles Burkheiser. Future Foundation Operative from the New York District."
"An American Future Foundation agent?" Mabel politely shook his hand. "Here at Hope's Peak Toronto? That's very strange. What exactly brings you here to our premises?"
"An investigation," Burkheiser grasped onto her hand, carefully. "Surrounding your missing students and teacher."
Mabel slowly retracted her hand and folded her arms.
As she did so, she never let her smile waver in the slightest. Burkheiser made sure to take note of her expressions carefully as he spoke. But as far as he was concerned, he figured he wasn't going to get anything just from looking at her face.
"I don't know what you mean," Mabel simply said. "As I've been telling the Children's Rights protestors downstairs, our esteemed students are simply on a field trip. There's nothing that really needs to be investigated."
Burkheiser paced around the room as he shifted his attention to the objects in the office.
"So, you say," Burkheiser began examining every single little nook and cranny. "But if there's nothing that needs to be investigated… then why did your pulse skip a few beats?"
Mabel blinked.
"Excuse me?" she asked.
Wright glanced at him, warily.
"I took your pulse, Headmistress Leve," Burkheiser turned to her. "When we shook hands earlier. I told you I was here to investigate, your pulse skipped a few beats. It's a classic sign of someone trying to cover something up…"
Burkheiser watched her warily.
"...Are you?" he pressed.
Mabel blankly stared at him. There were little emotions in her eyes as she took a breath and forced another smile in his direction. Burkheiser wasn't sure what to make of this reaction but if he had to guess, it probably meant that she was a little annoyed by this.
"Let me guess," Mabel began. "You are… the Ultimate Detective?"
"Close," Burkheiser grinned, goofily. "Ultimate CSI."
"Ah, that explains a lot," Mabel took her phone back. "Already, I can see that your Ultimate status truly precedes you. Meaning, there's no use hiding anything from you, is there?"
Burkheiser didn't say anything.
Wright simply held his breath.
Mabel simply headed for the door.
"Follow me…" Mabel simply said as she led the two Charles' out the door.
(Classroom 1-C)
Mabel had led them directly toward Classroom 1-C, and the moment the three had wandered in, the more surprised both Charles were at the sight of a group of students scouring the classroom. Or at least, they were dressed like students but definitely looked much older than the typical Hope's Peak student…
"Ma'am, what is this place?" Wright asked.
"This is where the New Life Class suddenly went missing," Mabel revealed.
"And you have students just… running amuck in this place?" Burkheiser looked at her questionably. "This is a crime scene."
"Yes, it is," Mabel nodded. "But these aren't students."
Mabel glanced around.
"Officer Snips was it?" Mabel asked the nearest 'student'. "Did you find anything yet?"
"No, really hot ma'am," the black-haired officer shook his head, ignoring Mabel's glared and sheepishly smiling in return. "But believe us, we have the best forensics team looking around the scene."
Mabel glanced back toward the two Charles'.
"Police officers?" Wright blinked. "Disguised as students?"
"Of course," Mabel nodded. "If anyone, especially the Children's Rights Activists, saw any police cars around our premises, it'll be over for us. That is why I strictly requested each officer to dress up as a student to keep this situation under wraps."
"The lengths you would go to keep this hidden," Burkheiser stared at the scene before him. "There are actual real parents out there that are worried over their children."
"I understand," Mabel nodded. "But as the Headmistress, my duty is to make sure this school stays running. The Children's Rights Activists will ruin this place if word got out…"
Burkheiser had to admit that everything she said matched everything Wright told him about these people.
Hope's Peak Toronto was practically a dead school running. To have a controversy like this would be absolute suicide to the Hope's Peak brand. And yet, while he could understand Mabel's motivations, what he couldn't stand was the fact that Hope's Peak Toronto was going to remain untruthful to the parents of these kids in order to save face. It was…
Burkheiser felt his emotions get the better of him and turned to Mabel.
"May I?" Burkheiser gestured to the crime scene.
"Investigate to your heart's content," Mabel nodded. "But I fear you might be wasting your time. These men have been investigating for a week and yet found nothing. I doubt you'll find anything as well…"
Burkheiser glanced at her when she said this. He noticed her eyes glaze over before stepping away from the scene.
Needless to say…
"I'll prove her wrong," Burkheiser smiled to himself as he walked further into the crime scene. Wright followed behind, uncertain.
"Sir, with all due respect, it's as Headmistress Leve said…" Wright shook his head. "If the police couldn't find anything, what chance do you have…?"
"Hey, I'm an Ultimate," Burkheiser smiled at Wright. "The chances I have are far greater than the local police."
That was the last thing he said before he started to get into the zone. He moved first toward the teacher's podium. Almost instantly, the first thing that caught his eye was a piece of paper left on it, written in neat handwriting. On this paper were a list of names:
Aidan Brighton
Alina Summers
Alisa Zachary
Beauté Morose
Daisuke Kido
Emmeline Swan
Fábio Barbosa
Hope Thornton
Issac Santiago
Kazuki Nobukatsu
Kikuko Unmei
Manon Vivienne Levesque
Marabel Garcia
Riku Arakawa
Roderick Cutler
Yukihiko Yuno
Yumi Gundo
"Roll call…" Burkheiser deduced. "There are 17 names on here. The one who wrote this was probably a teacher."
Burkheiser looked up from the paper and glanced at Wright.
"By any chance, who was the teacher in charge of this class?" Burkheiser asked.
Wright glanced away.
"Alvin Tetch," Wright said. "He worked as an Ultimate Talent Scout…"
Burkheiser raised an eyebrow at that response.
"Is… that all?" Burkheiser questioned.
"Yes, sir," Wright simply said.
That was pretty brief. Actually, briefer than brief. It was literally nothing. But regardless, it seemed that this Alvin Tetch person had also gone missing. But the question was, how could an entire class just go missing like that? Burkheiser had some ideas but there was only one conclusive way on how this could be…
Burkheiser's eyes trailed up toward the ventilations.
He glanced toward the other 'students'.
"Hey, uh, excuse me…" Burkheiser began. "Did any of you guys manage to check the ventilations?"
"No?" one of the 'students' responded. "Why would we?"
Typical amateurs.
"Could someone go and check the ventilations real quick?" Burkheiser asked. "Just to make sure we leave no stone unturned. Am I right?"
He caught some of them rolling their eyes. Honestly, it was a reaction that would've pissed him off if he was a little younger but now that he was in his prime, Burkheiser didn't care. He dealt with enough shit from the NYPD in his previous cases. This was no different.
Burkheiser sighed.
"Wright," Burkheiser turned to Wright, who blinked in response. "Think you can do it? I doubt the local cops are going to bother with it."
Wright saluted.
"Of course, sir," Wright nodded.
Burkheiser gave him a look of appreciation as he did so, and then turned his attention toward the door itself. He made sure to examine it closely. Because from the looks of it, it was a door that was… inverted?
As if…
Burkheiser opened the door and glanced at the door from the other side. What was he looking for? Ah! There it is:
A lock.
On the other side of the door.
That… was an interesting design choice by a far margin. As if…
Burkheiser narrowed his eyes in thought. A lock on the other side of the door. If that was the case then, that would mean…
"Sir!" Wright climbed down from the desk he was on. "I think you may want to take a look up there."
As he thought.
There was something in the vents.
Burkheiser nodded toward Wright and climbed up the desk he was on in order to take a peek inside the ventilation. Though it was dark, Burkheiser made sure to take out his phone and turned on the Flashlight feature. And there he saw it… a white residue. Evidence…
He smiled to himself.
"Could it be, sir?" Wright questioned as Burkheiser climbed down. "Is it really…"
"Yes, it's–" Burkheiser was about to say before Wright interjected.
"Cocaine?" Wright asked.
"Where?!" Officer Snips yelled out suddenly.
"...Er… no…" Burkheiser blinked. "My guess? Knockout drugs. But we won't know for sure unless we get forensics on the scene with this."
Burkheiser glanced toward Officer Snips.
"Hey you," Burkheiser began. "Get me forensics. There's a strange substance in the vents."
Snips widened his eyes. As if he didn't expect the Ultimate Crime Scene Investigator to be correct in his assumptions. For Burkheiser, it was pure pleasure to see someone be so wrong to judge someone like him so quickly. Turning back to Wright, Burkheiser began to smirk.
"And get me Headmistress Mabel Leve," Burkheiser told him.
"Of course, sir," Wright nodded.
And so, Wright hurried off.
...
It didn't take long for Mabel Leve to come running back to Classroom 1-C when Wright had told her that Burkheiser had found something.
Though, the moment Burkheiser saw her, he saw the look of concern on her face. Concern for what, though? Burkheiser watched her carefully as all of the 'students' remained gathered at the crime scene. At the moment, one of the 'students' was carefully testing the white residue found in the ventilation shaft.
"Burkheiser," Mabel spoke up. "I… So, it seems your investigation actually brought up results? And in such quick succession too. It's only been ten min–"
"This isn't my first rodeo, Headmistress," Burkheiser smugly said as he sat on the desk. "I know exactly how this entire class went missing. And all it took was just three pieces of evidence under ten minutes. Shall I begin?"
Burkheiser watched Mabel fold her arms, uncertain.
"Evidence 1, roll call sheet," Burkheiser pointed to the podium. "This case began at the start of class. Neat handwriting shows that it was just a normal day. The teacher, Alvin Tetch, had just finished roll call. Set it nicely over there to show us. Leading us into…"
Burkheiser pointed his finger toward the door.
"Evidence 2," Burkheiser explained. "The door. You see, there was something that bothered me about that door the moment we walked in Headmistress Leve."
"And what seems to be the problem?" Mabel tightened her arms.
"The lock is on the outside of the door," Burkheiser said. "Not the inside, like most doors, especially classroom doors should be."
"And I fail to see the problem with that…" Mabel bit her lip.
"The problem Headmistress is that it's clearly a safety hazard," Burkheiser explained. "I don't know how it is in Canada, but I'm sure they fear something called school shootings just as much as us Americans do. If you have the lock on the outside, that's clearly just putting anyone in this class at a risk. Don't you agree…?"
Mabel said nothing.
"In fact, that is exactly what happened to this class," Burkheiser deduced. "You see, because the lock was on the outside, all the culprit would've needed to do was lock the door from the outside, thus effectively trapping the students and Alvin Tetch in this one room."
"And what does locking the door accomplish, Mr. Burkheiser?" Mabel asked.
"I'm glad you asked," Burkheiser smiled. "Which is why we're going over to Evidence 3… Forensics. What is the content of the substance found in the vents?"
The forensics officer glanced up.
"...It's a powerful chemical agent…" the forensics officer said. "A knockout drug essentially…"
"Knockout drug!" Burkheiser deduced. "You see, once the culprit locked the door, all that was left to do was knock everyone out using the ventilation's A/C to gas the entire room with a knockout drug. Once everyone was effectively knocked out, that's when the big disappearing act happened…"
Mabel took a deep breath and forced a smile.
"Judging by that smile, I think I got it down pretty well..." Burkheiser smiled.
"Your reputation truly precedes you," Mabel tried to smile. Burkheiser could see how much pain she was in right about now. "You managed to come up with an actual theory within ten minutes of investigation that not even Toronto's finest could come up with in a week. Truly, excellent."
"Thank you," Burkheiser nodded.
"But there's just one little thing," Mabel sighed. "You see, you said that this was all the doing of one culprit. But as you know, there are 17 students on that list of different shapes and sizes and a grown man to boot. You really think one person could make 18 people disappear like that?"
"Not at all," Burkheiser shook his head. "That'd be impossible."
"So then, we are in an agreement," Mabel said. "That while you came up with a solid theory, what you don't have is a culprit or a whereabouts of the class…"
Burkheiser shook his head.
"That is very true," Burkheiser nodded. "I don't know the whereabouts of the class. And it was clear that this was more than a one-person job. But… I was hoping that you could answer those questions yourself."
Mabel blinked.
"Excuse me?" she asked, confused.
"...Sir?" Wright blinked.
"Headmistress Mabel Leve," Burkheiser began. "It was you who locked the class in this room. Wasn't it?"
Mabel glanced around, noticing that all eyes were on her now. Wright looked at her, surprised. All of the 'students' had a similar response to this accusation. Mabel tried her best to smile through these accusations but found herself stammering.
"A-And, why do you–" Mabel began.
"It's really simple," Burkheiser jumped off the desk he was sitting on and twirled his lanyard around. "Who do you think here has the authority to make a faulty door like that? The door that locks on the outside and not the inside, I mean."
"Well, that could be a handful of people," Mabel tried to say.
"True, it could be… in a normal school," Burkheiser nodded. "But as I know it, Hope's Peak Toronto is terribly understaffed. Not many people would have the power to direct construction of a classroom. No one… but the Headmistress."
Burkheiser stood in front of her.
"I also saw it on your face many times whenever I made the notion of wanting to investigate…" Burkheiser asked. "The nervousness. The guilt. Classic faces of someone who knows more than they're letting on."
Mabel felt her stressful emotions coming back. It was all going to crash down. Her heightened emotions completely intensified by the second as she stared directly at the person, they brought to take her down. She glared at him.
"You have nothing on me," Mabel shook her head.
Burkheiser simply smiled.
"You're right," Burkheiser nodded. "I don't. But I do have enough to put you into custody as a person of interest."
"Sir… you don't mean…" Wright blinked.
"I do," Burkheiser said. "Hope you boys have a good Detention Center. We have someone here who can tell us where exactly that missing class is."
Mabel felt herself shake as the 'students' looked at each other warily. With no other choice, they simply walked up to Mabel, with cuffs in hand. And all the Headmistress could do was extend her arms willingly. She felt herself feeling tighter and tighter. Just how? How did things go so wrong…?
[Hope's Peak International Headquarters]
Kyosuke looked out the window as he heard the movers start moving some of his essentials into his office. As he glanced out toward the open waters of the island they were on, Kyosuke had to wonder how Chisa was doing without him. She sent him a couple of updates here and there but he had to admit that he was slightly worried.
Worried that maybe Chisa would be missing him a lot more than she let on.
Kyosuke took a deep breath as he thought about it closely. Chisa was a strong woman. She could handle her own. And besides, his duties were to Hope's Peak Toronto. After all, that school needed all the help it could get right about now…
Ah.
Right on time.
Kyosuke felt his phone ring. Without checking the caller ID, the Chairman answered the call and pressed his phone against his ear.
"Burkheiser," Kyosuke began. "Finished already?"
[Toronto Police Headquarters]
"It took me fifteen minutes to find a person of interest, sir," Burkheiser answered as he paced around outside of the Holding Cells.
Mabel Leve was placed under strict police custody. At the moment, she was being watched by Wright in the Interrogation Room. Watching both of them from beyond the Interrogation Room were some detectives and cops, ready to intervene should something happen.
As such, Burkheiser thought this to be the right time to update Kyosuke on the case as he once again paced around the room.
"As I expected of someone of your skillset. So. Who is it?"
"Mabel Leve," Burkheiser spoke into his phone.
"The Headmistress?"
"Yeah," Burkheiser sighed.
"Are you sure?"
Burkheiser paused for a moment.
Truth be told, he had a strong feeling that she had to be involved. But at the same time, it was also as she said. He didn't have anything on her. As much as he did figure out the process, what he didn't have was evidence to prove that it was truly her that did it. Knowing that now, could he really just go and tell Kyosuke that he was 100% sure?
"Burkheiser?"
"Yes, positive," Burkheiser shook his head. "I know for a fact she's involved. Wright and I are trying to get her to confess the whereabouts of the missing class right now."
"...To think that the Headmistress would've gotten herself into something so obscene. Very well. Excellent work, Burkheiser. Keep me updated."
"Just a second sir," Burkheiser quickly said.
There was a slight pause on the other end.
"What is it?"
"Did you know…?" Burkheiser began to say. "That the Towa Group was involved with Hope's Peak Toronto?"
Another pause.
[Hope's Peak International Headquarters]
Kyosuke raised an eyebrow.
The Towa Group? Involved with Hope's Peak Toronto? That was very strange…
"How did you find this out, Burkheiser?" Kyosuke asked.
"Wright and I saw him today. The CEO of Towa Group. Haiji Towa. He was there at Hope's Peak Toronto today."
"Strange," Kyosuke muttered as he stared out the window. "The Towa Group hasn't been a relevant part of Japan for ten years now. To think that they moved their operations to Canada and are working with Hope's Peak Toronto. And you're saying that Haiji Towa has become the CEO?"
"Well, yeah, is there something wrong with that?"
Kyosuke pondered this for a moment.
The Towa Group was once a rising empire within Japan that could battle the likes of Nobukatsu Enterprises, Mashiro Co, and even Togami Corp. Yet, that was a long time ago. To hear that they were involved now was quite a surprise. Then again, Kyosuke hadn't bothered himself with these affairs until recently…
"I will have to call you back, Burkheiser," Kyosuke narrowed his cold, unassuming eyes. "There is something I must look into."
"W-What? Sir!"
Kyosuke hung up and continued to fixate his eyes towards the open waters. No longer was he thinking about Chisa Yukizome on the other side of the world. Instead, he was thinking about one single group:
The Towa Group.
[Toronto Police Headquarters]
(Interrogation Room)
Mabel glanced at her cuffed hands.
The interrogation room was exactly like the ones you'd often see in movies. A camera to the side to record any interrogations. A two-way mirror on the other side for those pesky cops and detectives to peer in. And finally, herself and Charles Wright, who had placed a bottle of water on the side for her.
To be stuck in this situation felt insulting.
And to see her former student look at her with those same eyes as he often had back when she was just a homeroom teacher…
"Is what Burkheiser said, true, ma'am…?" Wright asked. "Were you involved in this?"
Mabel didn't say anything for a bit. After all, how could she? This was one of her old students talking to her.
"Please tell me, ma'am…" Wright began to say before Mabel cut him off.
"Charles, why is it that you chose to investigate this matter, exactly?" Mabel questioned. "You were someone who followed directions very strictly. And my brother gave you a strict order to not involve yourself in these affairs, didn't he?"
It was Wright's turn not to say anything.
"It was a surprise to see you there with the other Charles," Mabel revealed. "Almost in an instant, I knew that some of the Future Foundation members of Toronto were already starting to go rogue. I just didn't expect you to be one of them."
Wright simply shook his head.
"Please ma'am, don't take this as me going rogue," Wright said. "I am simply fulfilling my duties as a Future Foundation agent."
"And at what cost?" Mabel looked at him, seriously.
Wright eyed her carefully.
"With all due respect, ma'am…" Wright folded his arms. "I should be the one asking you that question."
He was right.
What right did she have to say that to him? Wright was doing his best at trying to keep the Hope's Peak brand as honest as it could be. That was the duty of a Future Foundation agent. To keep the Hope of a generation as safe and honest as it could be. True Hope was the goal of the future…
And yet, what right did she have to say anything? She was a person of interest in one of the most frightful mass kidnapping cases in Canadian history. Second to…
Wright simply stood up and left the room, leaving her to be watched over by the police officers at the station.
(Precinct)
As Wright left the Interrogation Room, he spotted Burkheiser sitting on a nearby chair. Wright had only met the guy today. At first, he wasn't sure what to expect of the American that was sent to their country to handle their affairs but…
He took a seat next to him.
"The way you used your Talent to solve the case, sir…" Wright began to say. "It was effortless. Truly inspiring."
Burkheiser glanced at Wright, giving him a small smile.
"Ha, thanks…" Burkheiser fixed his cap. "I get that a lot actually. But honestly, just… Just doing my job."
Burkheiser turned to Wright, curiously.
"Actually, I've been meaning to ask," Burkheiser began to say. "What… exactly is your relationship with Headmistress Leve?"
Wright looked straight ahead, quietly.
"Er, I mean, you don't have to tell me if you aren't–" Burkheiser began to say before Wright sighed.
"Headmistress Leve was my former homeroom teacher," Wright said. "She not only controlled the school but she also taught some classes as well."
"You mean, back then… she was part-Headmaster, part-instructor?" Burkheiser blinked.
That was news to him! To think that Hope's Peak Toronto would be so understaffed that the Headmistress herself had to go and teach classes. Honestly, Burkheiser could see it, but it was still crazy to think about. It was no wonder that they had to associate themselves with a company like the Towa Group…
Wright nodded his head.
"I owe her for those wonderful school years," Wright simply said. "So, to think she would be involved in something so criminal…"
"I'm sorry," Burkheiser looked away.
"Why are you sorry, sir?" Wright asked. "None of this is your fault…"
"Yeah, but… at the same time, the truth is never easy," Burkheiser rubbed his neck. "Sometimes we just find out things we don't want to find out."
"You are absolutely correct about that, sir…" Wright said, twiddling with the fern he often kept on hand.
Burkheiser raised an eyebrow, noticing that Wright seemed a little solemn when he said that. Of course, he didn't bother to pry further, nor did he have the time to as a police officer ran over to the pair.
"Er, excuse me!" Officer Snips now dressed in his actual cop uniform approached the two. "But we found something."
Burkheiser and Wright glanced at one another before standing up and following behind the officer.
"Shortly after we placed Headmistress Leve into our custody, we used your 'knock out the entire class' theory to help piece together what may have happened next," Officer Snips explained. "In doing so, we came to a conclusion: that if they were knocked out, they had to have been placed into large moving vans or trucks of some kind."
"That's a plausible theory, yes," Burkheiser stuffed his hands in his pockets as he followed behind the officer.
"No, we think that's actually what happened," Snips shook his head.
Curiously, Burkheiser and Wright had followed Officer Snips to another officer's computer station. Already on it was a classic CCTV footage that Burkheiser was just all too used to seeing. For Wright though, this was a pretty neat and new experience. On the footage was what seemed to be a street intersection.
"Right there," Snips pointed as the footage paused. "See that? It's a truck."
"So?" Wright blinked, confused. "What's so unique about a truck?"
"Not the truck," Snips shook his head. "But where the truck was coming from. See this intersection? That's the Toronto Avenue intersection. It crosses Ontario Street there. And if you know what that means…"
"What… does it mean?" even Burkheiser was at a loss.
"Toronto Avenue and Ontario Street," Wright was starting to understand. "A little before that is where the Hope's Peak Toronto campus is. Meaning…"
"We believe this truck may have been harboring your missing class," Officer Snips concluded. "There's other footage of this same truck, passing by different streets and avenues, nonstop. And I don't know about you, but I don't think a truck like this would take an unnecessary route like pass by a school campus out in the middle of the city."
In other words, this truck had the answers they needed on where to find that missing class. Burkheiser was never going to get this part of the case. He had to admit that much. He didn't know the Toronto street names or avenues. Heck, not even me, the writer! I had to come up with bullshit names in hopes that it would work.
Burkheiser started to grin like an idiot, patting the officer on the back.
For once, he was actually working with competent police officers. DR1 Snips could never. Once again, this was something he was never going to find out without their help. He clapped his hands together and pointed to them.
"Got a license plate?" Burkheiser asked.
"All ready to go," Officer Snips nodded. "We'll send you its current location."
"You heard the man, let's go, Wright," Burkheiser told Wright.
"Yes, sir," Wright nodded.
And together, the two Charles' left the precinct and headed straight into their Future Foundation-issued vehicle.
"I got the address," Burkheiser revealed as he pulled up the GPS that Officer Snips had handed him. He showed it to Wright, who narrowed his eyes with intrigue.
"I know it, sir," Wright noted.
"Y-You do?" Burkheiser questioned.
"It's the Warehouse District down by the docks," Wright noted. "It isn't uncommon for trucks to go there so, perhaps this may be one giant goose chase created by those officers."
Burkheiser couldn't deny that Wright had a point.
But Officer Snips seemed to know what he was talking about back inside but at the same time, this could be a whole other advanced idiot talk. But at the same time, the possibility of him being right was also high. To transport an entire class to whatever area they were in, they were definitely going to need a large vehicle of some kind. A truck fit that criteria well.
Burkheiser turned to Wright.
"We gotta check," Burkheiser told him. "Goose chase or not, this is our best lead in finding the class."
"What about the Headmistress?" Wright asked.
"Charles, really?" Burkheiser chuckled. "Weren't you the one who told me that our number one priority was finding the class?"
Wright paused for a moment before nodding.
"Touché, sir," Wright simply said before starting the car and driving off toward the address.
[Warehouse District]
The car made it to its destination.
The Warehouse District was just as Wright had described it. It was a bunch of warehouses lined up one after another with a couple of cargo boxes strewn about. And like most warehouse districts, they just so happened to be by the side of the harbor, overlooking the vast ocean horizon off in the distance.
Burkheiser checked the GPS over and over again, glancing around to make sure he wasn't missing anything. The GPS said that the truck they were looking for was in this general area. And yet, as far as Burkheiser could see, there were no trucks of any kind, anywhere.
"Could it be in one of these warehouses, sir?" Wright suggested.
"No, I doubt it," Burkheiser shook his head. "These don't look like the kinds of warehouses that can fit a large truck… nor keep a bunch of kids and a teacher for a week."
Burkheiser checked the GPS once again.
"Besides, we don't have an actual warrant to search every warehouse," Burkheiser revealed. "We're far from Future Foundation jurisdiction now."
It'd also be too much of a hassle to get the police involved as well. They'd have to go and talk to a judge, pray to God that the judge signs off on their warrant, and then conduct a massive search around the perimeter. It was a goddamn nightmare that made Burkheiser so relieved that he was a Future Foundation Operative.
He rubbed his chin as he stared at the GPS tracker.
It still said it was around here so…
"Perhaps it was a wild goose chase, as I said, sir?" Wright questioned.
Perhaps it was.
But it was also too early to judge that to be the case. If the GPS tracker was still saying that it was here, then Burkheiser just needed to think of a reason on why it was still here. Or rather, where the least likely place they would think to… check…
Burkheiser blinked.
Could it be?
Burkheiser held onto his GPS tracker tightly. His mind started to waver over the worst possible conclusion. In fact, even his face had grown pale to the point that Wright himself had noticed it.
"Sir?" Wright blinked. "Are you…"
"I think I know where it is," Burkheiser frowned as he walked over toward the edge of the harbor.
"Sir?" Wright blinked once again. "Where is…"
Wright followed behind him before glancing at where exactly he was looking at. Burkheiser had a serious expression as he could see nothing but his own reflection in the calm sea water staring right back at him. It was at this point that Wright understood the implications.
"…I'm willing to bet…" Burkheiser muttered. "That the truck we're looking for is…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…at the bottom of the ocean…"
DANGANRONPA: TWISTED TRAGEDY
Anyway, I lied, ah heh :D
I said that Twisted Tragedy will be sidelined for the next three months but truth is, I've been preparing an Interlude chapter while writing for Corrupted Hope! :D It's something I've never done before! Completely new thing! Just non-stop Netflix-styled drama type chapter that is meant to focus on what is happening outside of the Killing Game. A key component to my plan on making Twisted Tragedy the literal world-building story to my universe :0
As you may have realized, the characters of Charles Burkheiser and Charles Wright do not belong to me but to PRAKNASTY and NSPunny respectfully! Thank you guys so much for submitting them! Their stories will continue in the next Interlude which will be featured at the end of every chapter! This was the special thing I had planned for your characters, especially since you guys didn't get into accepted during the main admission process :0 And I thought this would be a cool way to feature them! :D
Either case, I do hope I wrote your characters well, so please let me know if I need to adjust anything accordingly! :0 Also, I called them by their last names cause it made both Charles' sound cooler to me :D
Regardless, some things about this chapter. The Mabel Leve scene where she become a person of interest? Yeah, it feels slightly rushed to me, but you guys are the actual judges of this work. I did what I could to try not to drag out the whole Mabel Leve was responsible for the class disappearing while showing just how good at his job Burkheiser is, but it feels slightly funky so please let me know if it's good or not!
Doing my obligatory shoutout to Otterplay's Algorithmic Alterations! Go check it out! By the time he reads this chapter, he'll be done with the Chapter 1 Epilogue! :D
And as always, please let me know what you think about the Interlude :D A lot of nice world-building stuff and new characters to add to the Wiki and to Mudae :D Hooray! Not only that, but we also got the inclusion of Kyosuke Munakata as well! Ain't that fun?!
Anyway, it's time I go to sleep and go back to actually finishing Corrupted Hope XE See ya guys in that other story and let me know what you thought! Like it? Hated it? Want to eat it?
Er... you can try but I would advise you don't XE
Cast:
Charles Burkheiser - Ultimate Crime Scene Investigator [PRAKNASTY]
Charles Wright - Ultimate Pilot [NSPunny]
Aubrey Gardner - Leader of the Children's Rights Movement [Prince PokePersona]
Guest Stars:
Officer Snips [Otterplay]
Talia [Otterplay]