This is mostly a 'part 1' because there were more scenes I was gonna include in this, but then the chapter ended up too long before I'd even finished it. So then I had to chop it in half and voila, a part 1 and a part 2.


As they were allowed back off the school grounds later that afternoon, Clio and Konoha went to buy lollipops together. Before that, Konoha had waited for Clio to change out of her tea-stained clothes, and they'd then gone to get lunch in the main canteen. There, all around them, people had been talking about Seren in hushed whispers that created a hum broken only by the occasional exclamation and worse, the sniggers. Stories about Seren being brought back to school drunk, of her 'trying too hard' outfits, of her 'attention-seeking whining' about how she was going to die. Clio even heard a couple of students claim that she'd had it coming, ostensibly for having 'stolen' their boyfriend or girlfriend at the time. She wished she'd had the courage to go and say something, but all she could do was attempt to angle herself away, as if her back could physically deflect the words.

Konoha had noticed, raising an eyebrow or narrowing her eyes at some of the comments that came through the loudest. But she said nothing either, instead just watching, taking it all in. Then, after a few moments, she asked if Clio wanted to know more about where she had been. Clio had nodded, and then Konoha had launched into a range of stories about the work she did as a cargo pilot, the different places she had been to. And there were a lot of stories, as it turned out. Clio had never even overseas, not even to America as her mother had always been vehement about keeping her away from that side of the family, so she was fascinated. Every time that Konoha stopped to make sure she hadn't been talking too much, Clio asked her to continue. Although she knew that she wouldn't ever be escaping all this, and in fact didn't really want to, it was nice to escape for a little while. To have a shield put up for that little while that would protect her from it.

And so, the stories continued even as they went to the nearest convenience store to look for the sweets Clio wanted. There turned out to be more flavours of lollipops than Clio had anticipated, and not knowing what flavours Ena had given to Yuuto, or what flavours Yuuto even liked, she found herself flummoxed. In the end, she went for the strawberry and raspberry ones, since that was the packet with the largest quantity. The fact they were pink didn't hurt either.

Once they had paid and left, Konoha stopped by the vending machine just outside and said:

"I'm going to get a drink. Want one?"

"Uh, no, that's alright, thank you."

Konoha shrugged at that, and turned to get a can of something fizzy from the machine. Rather than go and sit down, she cracked it open and immediately drank some. She then looked into her can, frowning.

"Is…is there something wrong with the drink?" Clio asked.

"No, it's just…well, how should I express this?"

Konoha sloshed the drink inside the can slightly, then explained:

"Seren Nishiya isn't particularly special, is she? In terms of being what I guess you'd call 'troubled'. There's troubled girls like her everywhere. And plenty of them get into trouble, sure. But not like this, not usually. With the other disappearances, it's not as if this is even truly about her, is it?"

Clio blinked, not having expected to be yanked back to the reality so soon.

"No. But it seems like…it seems like nobody's really sad about it. I don't mean sad in the way her family will be, or even any friends. Just…people should be sad about it, right? "

"They should."

Konoha drank some more of her drink, then said:

"Do you think they'll dismiss her death as being isolated? Just something that's because of her? I'd hope the police don't, but like with Nishiya-san, they tend to assume that girls with her history die because of that history, not anything else. They think of it as her fault."

"I don't think Chief Inspector Kiyofuji is like that, though." Clio said.

"I shall take your word for that," Konoha replied. "And it would be poor form if they did, especially considering the calling card."

"The…what?"

Konoha blinked at her, then said:

"From something I overheard, it seems like the killer left a calling card on her body. Which sounds a lot like something a serial killer would do, right? I don't know much more than that to be honest, but we should save that for when we meet."

"R-right."

Konoha drained the last of her drink, crumpled the can into an approximation of a ball, and aimed it at the nearest bin. It hit the rim and fell to the ground beside it. Konoha rolled her eyes but went to pick it up and put it in the bin properly.

"We should get back, yeah?"

"Mhm. Do you want to try something from the café? I could give you a discount."

"Perhaps not today. I'm going to read through how serial killers work. Or, I suppose, how they malfunction. It's not exactly a sign that you're working as a human being if you wake up and decide to kill a bunch of people, is it?"

"Um…yeah, I mean…"

"I will come another time, though. I don't think I did, the last time I was on campus before this."

"S-sure. Thanks, Kagematsu-sempai. For this."

Because it had helped. Sure, she barely knew the older girl, still. And sure, her heart felt heavier now, as if weighed down with all the mourning that Seren wasn't getting from the wider world. Nonetheless, it had helped.

They parted with polite goodbyes on the school grounds, and Clio headed back to the dorm to sort herself out ahead of her shift at the Student Café. As she approached the building, she saw that the tent had been removed. Seren's body, too, had been taken. However, the bright yellow-and-black crime scene tape remained up around the portion of garden, and white-suited crime scene investigators remained, alongside a couple of the detectives. One of them was not police, but the private detective who had been around since Seren had first disappeared. Sakichi was deep in discussion with one of the police detectives, and hadn't noticed her, but she nonetheless ducked her head and rushed inside, only to get caught up in a standoff between Alexis and the Legal Counsel, Rin Adachi.

"Look, I understand your feelings," Alexis was saying. "But while I can possibly arrange for you to look at the CCTV footage, I will not be handing it over to you. It does not belong to you."

"It does not belong to you, either." Rin said. "And I find it incredibly rude and obstructive that you are daring to withhold it from me."

"What do you need from it, anyway, Adachi-san?" Alexis wanted to know. "The police are looking into it, and there are not one, not two, but three private detectives looking into the matter as well."

"And I assume you've let those private detectives have it too." Rin said sniffily.

"I will be letting them view it, if so requested. That footage could be incredibly important evidence, and losing it would be catastrophic."

"Of which I am aware, which is why I am asking you to hand it over. I am more than capable of ensuring valuable things are safe, and I will have more clout to chase it down should anything happen to it."

"I apologise, Adachi-san, but I will not be letting you do so."

The argument went around in circles in this way. Clio could have tried to duck around them and head for the stairs, but with their arms crossed and the way they stood in the middle of the lobby, it felt as if they were taking up all the air in that space. Indeed, Clio spotted a few students in the stairwell, watching with an expression that looked just as astonished as she felt.

Alexis looked severe, as always, even with her slightly mussed hair. But Rin seemed to go beyond severe. Earlier on, when he'd been sorting out Clio's appropriate adult, it had felt as though a storm was approaching. Now, it seemed, the storm had come. Rin didn't shout, as such. There were no flashes of lightning in this storm. Just the thunder, rumbling and rolling beneath his voice. His hair-black, but greying at the temples-was still immaculate. Nonetheless, there was strain clear on his face.

"Look, you're part of the law. You should know better than anyone that it is best to leave the police to do their job."

"That is incredibly hypocritical, coming from you, Burton-san. I am sure you have been looking into it yourself, have you not?"

"I have looked into some things, yes, but only to make sure I understood the situation as best as I could, in order to keep our students safe. That is my priority. That should be your priority too, not getting into a pissing match over security footage."

Rin looked as if he had just been forced to eat a lemon at this. He swallowed, and then very slowly and precisely, replied:

"That is my priority. Or, to be precise, my priority is the safety and reputation of the school, which naturally includes its students."

"Then, drop this. The Security Team are already working on analysing any blindspots that the killer could have used, so nobody will be getting on the grounds again. If we have to enforce any new rules or laws, we will be coming to you for guidance in that. I am also sure you have plenty to be doing that will protect the school and its students without wasting your time trying to acquire things you shouldn't."

Rin opened his mouth to say something, but ended up with the lemon-swallowing face again when Alexis talked over him to add:

"And let the police deal with this, primarily. Have faith that they will be working around the clock to bring the killer to justice."

"Right, the police. The police who didn't manage to capture the kidnapper before they became a killer. One student has already been killed, what happens if an innocent like Kaida is the next? Do you seriously expect me to stand back and let the police twiddle their thumbs while that remains a possibility?"

Ah, of course. Clio forgot, sometimes, that Rin's daughter had been one of the disappeared, having vanished just before Kagura. But it was the words what if an innocent like Kaida is the next that stuck in her mind. An innocent like Kaida. An innocent, unlike Seren. Her throat felt tight all of a sudden, and she hadn't even realised she'd made a strangled noise until both adults turned to look at her.

"Fujita-san?" Alexis said. "Is everything alright?"

"I…."

Rin was still a thunderstorm, but it abated slightly as he sized her up. After a moment, he said:

"Ah, Fujita-san. Good afternoon. I trust that there were no issues with your interview."

"N-none at all, Adachi-san." Clio managed to reply.

"That is good. If the police do end up harassing you, please do inform me so that I can sort it out immediately. They should be doing their jobs, after all, disrupting the running of the school."

It's not the police that I'm scared of though, Clio said silently, thinking of Sakichi. Though, it wasn't entirely accurate to say that she was scared of Sakichi, either.

"Was there something you wanted to ask either of us, Fujita-san?" Alexis asked, concern on her face.

Yes, actually. I want to ask you, Adachi-san, if you think that because Nishiya-san wasn't an innocent, does that mean you think it's alright that she died? And actually, what do you mean by innocent, anyway?

Of course, she did not say that. Instead, she shook her head and told them no, there wasn't. That she was just going to sort herself out for a shift at the café. She then bade them farewell and bowed to both of them quickly before stepping around Rin and rushing to the stairs. Her motion prompted the students on the stairs to start moving again, but it didn't take long for the storm to start up again, for Alexis and Rin to start their circular arguments again. The sounds of it chased her up all the way to her dorm room, only disappearing when she shut the door behind her.

Then, she curled up on her bed, and cried all the tears for Seren that nobody else would shed.

Her eyes still felt a bit sore when she made it to the Student Café, but she was hopeful that nobody else would notice. Or, if they did, that they'd just chalk it up to the general shock of the situation.

"Oh, hey there!"

She managed a smile for Shoichi Fujimori, a member of the Student Council who worked at the café a lot. Indeed, he'd stepped up a fair bit since Luca had disappeared, despite being busy with both his idol band and Council duties. Which made her wonder what he had thought of the assembly this morning. He'd been in the audience, at the front with the other Student Council members, but she hadn't been sitting near enough to get a sense of his reaction.

"Hi," she said. "How are you doing?"

"Ah, well, it's been tricky," he said with a forced laugh, rubbing the back of his head. "I'd say 'you know how it is' but I realised that you really don't. Then again, neither do I."

"Did you know Nishiya-san?"

"Well…she hit on me, once. I had to turn her down, of course. I'm not allowed to date, after all. I was flattered, though. She's pretty. Or was pretty, I suppose. I probably dodged a bullet to be honest from the sounds of things."

Clio winced internally, but something must have shown in her face because again, Fujimori rubbed his head and laughed again. It just makes no sense to me that she's dead. No sense at all. Anyway, get yourself sorted, yeah?"

Clio just nodded, then greeted the other students who were working with her and Fujimori. She then rushed into the back to hang up her frock coat, her daisy purse and her pink striped tote bag. Once she had done so, she got one of the aprons and put it on over her dark pink dress and white sleeveless cardigan before heading back out and getting to work.

The shift started off uneventfully enough. They had a steady stream of students, and the occasional detective or crime scene investigator in too. Although it was inevitable that the main conversation was about what had happened this morning, for most of the students, it seemed like the Café was a way to escape from it for a bit. Certainly, apart from vague comments, she did not hear anything particularly vicious about Seren. She managed to keep most of her conversation limited to polite hellos and goodbyes, and food recommendations for the detectives and crime scene investigators.

That changed when Sakichi entered the café while she was giving the coffee machine a quick clean. The way he looked around, his suspicious grey eyes sweeping his surroundings, it appeared that he wasn't necessarily there to get a drink. Despite herself, Clio watched him carefully while continuing her cleaning. Fujimori, after clearing a table, approached him.

"Hey there, detective. Is there anything that we can help you with? Possibly a drink? I have to say, we're probably much better than any of the canteens here. Though they're pretty decent, still."

"I'm fine, thanks." Sakichi said gruffly.

He then met Clio's eyes, and her hand stilled. Barely cracking a smile, he strode over to the counter, ignoring a flabbergasted Fujimori. He unwrapped his black and white plaid scarf and folded it into a neat square before shoving it deep into one of the pockets of his olive green jacket.

"Um, hello, Detective." She said politely.

"Fujita-kun." He said. "I understand that it was you who discovered Nishiya-kun's body."

"I….yes." she said.

Her hands shook, and the cloth she had been holding fell out of them. She reddened as Sakichi stared at her, but then abruptly said:

"Make me a coffee. Tell me what happened."

"Um…do you have a particular coffee you prefer, Detective?" Clio asked, trying to remain calm.

"I'll take a black coffee for now."

"Are you going to drink it here, or take it away?"

"Well. It depends on how much you have to tell me."

Clio attempted to stutter out a response but then decided to just put it in a takeaway cup. She tried to remember how she had explained things to Shouichi, tried to run through the events in the same way. Sakichi nodded along as she did, his brow furrowing occasionally. He occasionally stroked his neatly-trimmed beard, as if he was thinking very deeply about what she said. She finished just as she made the coffee, and in what she hoped would be seen as a gesture of goodwill, she gave him a small individual packet of caramelised biscuits.

The gesture didn't seem to go down well, as his brow simply furrowed deeper as he poked the biscuit packet. He did seem to be satisfied enough with the coffee, however, drinking some of it without reaction. However, he then put it down and said:

"So, it's just like before, isn't it, Fujita-kun?"

"I…"

"You claim that you saw nothing when your best friend disappeared, and you saw nothing now, when your classmate's body was dumped."

"I've been trying, though."

Clio was aware of how plaintive she sounded and indeed, Sakichi raised an eyebrow at her. She reddened again, and looked down at the counter.

"I've been trying to remember, but I…I can't. I'm sorry. I wish I could."

Sakichi again raised an eyebrow, and said:

"Are you sure that it's that you didn't see anything, or can't remember anything? Or that you feel that you have to say that."

Clio opened her mouth, and then shut it again. She didn't know whether or not she wanted to tell him how hard she had been trying to remember. Sakichi frowned at her, and then leant in closer:

"Listen," he said, keeping his voice lower. "If there's anything you need to tell me, anything you've heard or observed, then say it."

"I…I don't understand."

"No, you would say that, wouldn't you. Tch." Sakichi shook his head. "Remember what I said. You've got no obligation to keep quiet, no matter what you've been told by any of your teachers. If you do think of anything, come and find me."

Sakichi picked up his coffee, and left, only briefly pausing to thank her for the coffee. Clio watched him go, the pressure in her chest easing a bit, only to be replaced by utter confusion. Before she could properly examine this confusion, however, Nazuna arrived and headed straight for the counter.

"Hello there, Fujita-san. How are you feeling?"

"I'm alright, I suppose. What about you, Kurihara-sempai?"

Nazuna didn't immediately answer. She looked around the café instead, taking it all in before returning her gaze to behind the counter. Clio turned slightly and realised that she was looking at the missing posters stuck to the cupboards. Specifically, those of Kagura and Seren.

"I haven't worked here in a while." Nazuna remarked. "Kagura was always telling me I should try to, that it's fun and it'd take my mind off of things. I just haven't been able to, unfortunately, even though I know you've been needing the help. "

"Don't worry about it," Clio said. "You have your hands full! And Luca-kun would definitely say the same thing if he were here."

"It seems like everyone's been doing a good job in his stead, though." Nazuna mused.

"Well, we're all doing our best so that Luca-kun has something to come back to," Clio said modestly. "Right, Fujimori-kun?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah."

Fujimori, who had just arrived behind the counter with his arms laden with trays, stopped and greeted Nazuna politely. The two exchanged brief, Student Council related small talk, and then Fujimori disappeared back into the kitchen.

"What would you like to order?" Clio asked.

Nazuna thought about this, then ordered an espresso, one blueberry and lemon muffin and one chocolate chip muffin. She then mused:

"I might need something savoury, too, actually. Two muffins isn't much of a dinner. Maybe a sandwich?"

Nazuna looked at the selection of sandwiches, and then asked:

"What's a 'Glamorgan sausage'?"

"Oh, it's a type of vegetarian sausage, usually made in Wales. It has cheese and leeks and…actually, I'd forgotten we had that on the menu."

"I remember Kagura telling me that Nishiya-san had suggested things around the time they were doing menu changes. I think it must have been before Halloween."

Clio just nodded, and then pointed to the display case that held some of the muffins. There, if she remembered correctly, would be a small assortment of the small, flat disks that had been described as a cross between a pancake and a cookie, studded with sultanas or raisins. These were called Welsh cakes, and although it was likely Seren had suggested those, as well, it had not been decided on until after she'd gone.

Come to think of it, wasn't Nabenashi-sempai the one who brought them up again? Clio thought she had a memory of Kagura enthusing about how excited Seren would be to walk back in and see her favourite cakes in the display case, but she couldn't swear to it. Nazuna followed her gaze and also looked as if she were remembering something by looking at them. She then snapped her attention back to Clio and said:

"Then I'll have the Glamorgan sausages in my sandwich, and one of those Welsh cakes too."

Clio nodded, and rang up the order. As Nazuna paid, she asked:

"Could you remind me where the bathroom is?"

"Sure, it's just that way."

Clio pointed it out, and Nazuna thanked her and headed in. Clio made up her order, arranging it neatly in the take-out bag. But by the time she was done, Nazuna still hadn't come out. Clio bit her lip as she stared in the direction of the café toilets, and then made a decision. She wrote Nazuna's name on the bag and then stashed it by the till before turning to Fujimori:

"I just need to go to the bathroom for a bit," she said. "I won't be long."

"Go for it, Fujita-san," Fujimori said with a grin. "It's not mad here anyway."

Thanking them, Clio quickly made her way to the bathroom. There, she saw Nazuna staring through her reflection in the mirror. At least, Clio was fairly sure that despite looking in the direction of the mirror, she wasn't actually seeing her own reflection. Nazuna's hands gripped the edges of the washbasin, knuckles going white. Her eyes glistened, but no tears fell. Clio stood there for a moment, uncertain. But then, cautiously, she cleared her throat.

"Kurihara-san?"

"Oh!"

Nazuna gasped and stumbled away from the sink. Clutching a hand to her chest briefly, she pasted on a smile and said:

"Clio-san! Did you need anything?"

"Actually…" Clio said. "I was wondering if you needed anything."

"Me?"

Nazuna opened her mouth and closed it a few times before turning back to the sink and sighing:

"It's certainly been a challenging day."

"I know," Clio said. "Especially as you had to look after me, too. I'm really grateful that you sat with me, especially when you had to do the assembly, too."

"That assembly…" Nazuna rubbed her face. "That went terribly, didn't it?"

"No, it didn't." Clio tried to reassure her. "it really didn't."

"It did. Because all I could think about was-no, no. I shouldn't trouble you anymore, Clio-san. I'm sure you have to get back to work."

"You're not keeping me from anything, Sempai. Please don't worry. "

"How can I not worry?"

The words came out with a snap to them, and Nazuna sighed, turning to Clio. Bowing her head in apology, she said:

"I apologise, Clio-san."

Clio shook her head and wondered what to say. In the end, she circled back to:

"Do you need anything? Apart from the order, that is. Which is ready, as it happens."

"I…well…"

Nazuna fiddled with her braid, and then started:

"I suppose I have just been thinking a lot of Kagura today. "

"You must be grateful that it wasn't Nabenashi-sempai." Clio said. "Still, it's understandable that you would be thinking about it, wondering what would have happened if it was her. I've…I've been wondering that about Fukue-chan, and Luca-kun. And Oshiro-sempai's worried about Setsushi-sempai."

"There's the problem though, Clio-san," Nazuna sighed. "It isn't just about me or about Kagura. It's about your loved ones, and Oshiro-san's loved one, and everyone else's. Nishiya-san's family's pain is only just beginning, isn't it? In my role, there has to be something I can do to help with that, even if I didn't succeed in that the first time. I have to do better this time. I don't want this to only be the beginning."

"Well, I mean…you sat with me. That helped. And the patrols, too…."

"Is that really going to be enough, though? Escorting students around, reminding people to be careful. The others are still trapped, wherever they are! What about them?"

Nazuna then reared back, almost bumping into the sinks but only just stopping short. She took in a deep breath, and then hung her head in shame.

"I apologise again, Clio-san."

Clio shook her head, even though Nazuna wasn't looking at her, and thought. Earlier on, none of the others had said that they wanted to invite others into their group. On the other hand, none of them had said that they weren't going to. So maybe…

"Maybe you could try investigating, yourself."

Nazuna looked up sharply at this, but Clio quickly soldiered on:

"I met a few students from your year today, and we're going to form a group to try and look into the disappearances."

Nazuna's eyes flared wide at this:

"You're investigating?"

"Yeah. Or, we will be. We haven't started yet, but we're meeting later. Do you want to come? I can message you the details."

Nazuna's brow furrowed at this, and Clio suddenly felt embarrassed:

"I don't mean that you should, Sempai! You've already got enough on your plate. I just thought that maybe it would feel like doing something."

Nazuna thought about this, and then nodded.

"I'll have to consider it. "

"Hold on, I'll text you."

Luckily, her phone was in her pocket, so she fished it out and quickly did just that. Nazuna's phone pinged a few seconds later, but Nazuna didn't look. She just rubbed her face again, and then looked in the mirror. After re-adjusting the lapels of her blazer, she said:

"Thank you, Clio-san."

"No problem."

Nazuna nodded, and gave Clio a very strained smile. She left the bathroom first, and Clio followed. She spotted some trays left on one of the tables, and went to gather them up while Nazuna went back up to the counter to get her order. It was Fujimori who handed it to her, and Clio heard the two of them exchange a few more polite words before Nazuna left. As she did so, however, she almost bumped into the sauntering figure of one of the school's music teachers.

"Woah there, bud, you alright there?"

"Yes, I'm fine, Utada-sensei."

"Ah, come on, after all these years at least call me Sensei Benny."

Benkei laughed and ran a hand through his dark green hair, before re-adjusting his tie to be looser than it had been before. Nazuna looked up at him somewhat wearily, but she then inclined her head slightly and said:

"I'll try to remember, Sensei."

"Don't pressure yourself, kid, I won't take it personally! Take care of yourself now, alright?"

Nazuna nodded quickly and then disappeared. Clio watched as Benkei went around greeting the students who were in the café. A couple clearly didn't much enjoy his upbeat, bouncy attitude, giving only the bare minimum polite greeting to get him to move on. Most of them, however, at least seemed pleased to see him, a few even exchanging high-fives or fist-bumps. Despite the way he went around as though he was still part of the boyband he'd been in in his adolescence, there was some consideration there. Clio heard him ask clearly how they were, heard him tell them that if they needed to talk or just wanted to hide away, he was there for them. He told them to keep their chins up and made his way to the front. As he did so, he rolled up the sleeves of his smart-casual blazer, clearly feeling the warmth of the café.

When Fujimori spotted Benkei, he made a beeline for him, and after an elaborate high-five and fist bump routine, the two fell into enthusiastic conversation, most of which Clio couldn't follow given that it was about music. In that time, she heard him greet the students who were working in the kitchen, as well as those who came up to the counter. She enjoyed listening to the conversation, buoyed up by the instant lift of energy that filled the café space. Nonetheless, she concentrated on taking orders, handing them over, or going to clear tables until finally, Benkei's pearly-wide smile focused on her, and she was greeted with a very loud:

"Small-and-Mighty-Clio-chan! You're being a very busy bee today!"

"Mhm."

"I suppose that keeping busy keeps your mind away from the bad stuff, huh? And I've been hearing that you've had the shock of your life, huh, little Clio-chan?"

"I…yeah, I suppose so. But I'm okay, it's just…"

"Oh, I can't even imagine!" Benkei exclaimed. "You poor thing. Well, poor Seren-chan too, of course. What a shock it must have been! After all this time, I never imagined…."

For the first time in what was possibly the entire time she'd known him, Benkei's smile dimmed quite considerably. He frowned at the counter's surface for a moment, before his smile flickered back tentatively.

"I knew it had to be pretty dire to have an emergency assembly like that, but when our wonderful Nazuna-chan stepped up to the podium, told us that Seren-chan had died I….it's unbelievable, isn't it? Poor kid. Poor, poor kid."

Clio felt her eyes water again, but her mind had caught onto something else. She blinked away the tears, and asked:

"Sensei, can I ask something?"

"Ask away, Small and Mighty!"

"Why…why didn't a teacher do the assembly? Or one of the adults?"

Benkei's face scrunched up in puzzlement.

"Now that you mention it, that's a good question. No, that doesn't seem fair, that doesn't. And Nazuna-chan definitely looks more flustered than usual."

"Where did Principal Kirigiri go?"

"I don't know, you know. We were all wondering that. Teachers, Talent Scouts, the lot of us. Might have been talking with the police but yeah, I don't know. He could have got one of the assistants to do it, right?"

Clio frowned, and Benkei immediately asked:

"Hey, what is it, Clio-chan?"

"I…if it had been Nabenashi-sempai, instead of Nishiya-san…would they still have made her do it?"

Benkei opened his mouth, but then it remained open, no other words coming from it. He tilted his head, then with an unusual quietness, asked:

"Why do you ask, Clio-chan?"

"I don't know. Just…"

Should I ask? She didn't think Benkei would get angry if she did, at the very least. And it wasn't as if she could ask Alexis, not with her being so busy. She supposed it was worth a try, and so she asked:

"Couldn't you do the assembly next time, Sensei Benny?"

If it wasn't for the situation, Benkei's immediate reaction would have been comical. As it was, after a few seconds of flailing around, his flabbergasted expression settled into another unusually quiet, contemplative one.

"Well, unless it's a rousing performance, assemblies aren't usually my thing….but thinking of it, it's pretty screwed up that a kid has to do that kinda thing. Hey, did Nazuna-chan ask you to ask?"

"I don't think it'd occur to her to ask me to do that." Clio answered honestly. "Or to ask it herself."

"No, come to think of it, you're right. Hmmm. Right, then, leave it with me! Though, with that being said, Clio-chan, I wouldn't worry. It's not as if there's going to be another one, is there?"

She didn't believe that and didn't know how Benkei could so confidently say such a thing. She just smiled and nodded, and asked for his order. Benkei immediately perked up, his charm ramped back up to 100 as he ordered a variety of sweet treats and an extremely complicated coffee order that Clio was sure would put the average person into a sugar coma. He didn't leave immediately after she handed over the order, instead stopping to talk to other students who'd arrived for a brief time, before then leaving.

But it was only after he left that she realised that perhaps his confident assertion was not, in fact, an assertion. Maybe instead it was a wish. And who could blame him for that?

After all, everyone else had the same wish too, didn't they?

As Ririka walked back to her office, she kept a close eye on any members of staff she saw. First and foremost, the security team, who seemed to be everywhere. As they should be. Alexis was taking the lead, actively patrolling near the student dorms, while Tanaka focused on the courtyard that Ena and Naruhito had been taken from. Though she wouldn't let herself be too complacent about it, she did not think the two of them were a particular cause for concern. Alexis in particular had always made it clear that it had been the students' safety that was the most important to her. Even if in the end she'd had to comply with the school's orders, Ririka had seen Alexis discreetly making patrols or trailing other vulnerable students, slipping into bodyguard mode.

She spotted some teachers sitting in their classrooms, likely reviewing lesson plans before a normal day of school. Or, as normal as one could be in the wake of a murder. She didn't know what any of them knew, if anything. It was likely that at some of them did, though, which was why she watched them as she passed. Could any of them have been the ones who'd left the list in her office, the list that still haunted her thoughts now?

Walking past a meeting room with its door slightly ajar, Ririka almost didn't realise that there was somebody in there until she heard an emotionless voice saying something in English:

"If you agree to this, then we can arrange a meeting for me to impart the necessary information and formulate a specific plan. However, it will have to wait until later this evening while I go to report back to the Izawa family."

In the gap, Ririka saw Hirotaro sitting on a chair, straight-backed, expressionless. Although he had taken off his bowler hat, which Ririka could just about see resting on the corner of the table he sat at, he looked exactly the same as he had at the assembly. Not a single light-orange hair out of place, no exhausted pallor to his lightly-tanned complexion. Only the bags under his eyes suggested that he'd been marked by the day at all.

She couldn't see who the Pinkerton was talking to, but they responded:

"I am more than used to late nights, I can manage. Where shall I meet you?"

"Perhaps it would be best to meet off the campus, so as to avoid being overheard." Hirotaro replied.

Although it didn't seem like Hirotaro had noticed her there, Ririka took the hint and kept walking. The voice of the person who had replied was female, medium-pitched, confident in the language, at least to Ririka's inexpert ear. She knew enough to have understood what the two had been saying, but that didn't mean she actually understood.

Reaching her office, she noticed that Rin was sitting on the chair outside. Wondering why he would have come to look for her, Ririka slowed as she called out:

"Adachi-sempai. Can I help you with anything?"

Rin looked up, face creased with irritation, and he stood up:

"My secretary sent you a message, which I understand you have ignored."

Ririka vaguely remembered a message from Takara Maruyama, but she hadn't really had the time to look at it. Even with a national holiday, there was maintenance to carry out and devices that needed fixing. She'd also been interviewed by the police, as well as by the Pinkerton and the other private detective, the one who hadn't been invited to the assembly. So far, she'd managed to avoid Sakichi, but she wouldn't do that for much longer. She didn't not want to talk to him about all of this. She just hadn't had the time or the headspace to deal with all that would entail.

She gave Rin a generic apology, and he sniffed, clearly unimpressed.

"Where have you been?"

"I went to escort a student over to the target practice room," Ririka replied. "She's very anxious about what has happened today."

"Such a thing isn't within your remit."

"No, but I have developed a rapport with her, and under the circumstances it was only right to try and ease her concerns."

"Commendable." Rin said, though it wasn't clear if he actually agreed with that.

"It's nothing, really. But what can I help you with, Adachi-sempai?"

She unlocked her office and went in first. Hanging up her jacket on her coat-rack, she then unbuttoned her grey cardigan and took that off too, hanging that on the back of her desk chair before then sitting in it. Rin took a seat in front of the desk, thrumming with nervous energy despite the way he sat, ramrod straight and not a hair out of place.

"I understand that you can access the Security Team's systems."

"I can access the IT systems of all the departments within the school, should I need to." Ririka said cautiously.

"Good. So this includes the secure servers the security cameras' footage is uploaded onto?"

"Adachi-sempai," Ririka sighed. "What is it that you want?"

"I want to make a copy of the footage to look at."

"…did Burton-sensei say you could?"

"Why do you think I'm here, Enjou-san?"

"I don't think I can do that without Burton-sensei's permission." Ririka said cautiously. "Is there a legal reason that extra copies of the footage need to be made? Is this what Maruyama-san tried to reach out to me about?"

"Certainly, if there are legal ramifications, I need to be made aware of them so that I can get ahead of the issues and nip them in the bud. However, in order to do that, I need to look at the footage myself."

"Well, if you want to look at it, I can access it here-"

"How hard is it to pass me a copy of the footage? I'm a lawyer, for goodness's sake!"

Rin's thundering tone made Ririka jump, and she pressed a hand to her heart briefly, as if she could physically calm her racing pulse. She then tapped her fingers restlessly against the desk as she said:

"Surely, from a legal standpoint, the fewer copies that are around, the less likely it is for a leak or something of that manner to occur?"

"Are you suggesting that I would leak a copy of the footage to the media? And what purpose do you think that would serve? How dare you-"

"I don't mean you, specifically, Adachi-sempai!" Ririka said hurriedly.

Rin narrowed his dark-brown eyes at her. It wasn't clear if he was offended at her cutting him off, or if he was still smarting from the accusation. She had not been accusing him specifically, but she would clearly have to tread carefully.

"I simply mean that from a legal standpoint, I would assume it's better to keep it between the IT department, the Security Team and the police. If there were a leak from somewhere less secure within the school, it would be a headache for you, right?"

"The police. Right. Because they'll really be able to see a lead right under their noses?"

Ririka tilted her head. Was Rin suggesting that he knew what had been captured on the CCTV footage? Rin glared at her and continued on:

"If the police had done their jobs, there wouldn't have been nearly as many disappearances, and nobody would have died! It's far better to keep the investigation as in-house as possible. At least amongst our alumni, there are people who are actually competent."

Ririka decided not to point out that her father and Hirotaro were alumni, and that they hadn't managed to curtail the disappearances either. She also decided not to point out that she was not a former alumni and that he had cast aspersions on her own capabilities. It wasn't as if that particularly offended her, so much as it scared her. But rather than dwell on that, what she chose to point out was:

"My understanding is that the new lead who's been bought in, the Chief Inspector, is a former SHSL himself."

Rin looked genuinely flummoxed over this, but he quickly recovered his composure, such as it was.

"I suppose you have a point. Nonetheless, that was only ten years ago. He's young, and he's come into this at a late stage in the game."

"Have one of the private detectives asked you to get them the footage?"

"No, they haven't."

Ririka hadn't heard Sakichi open her door, but there he was, filling the doorway. Rin turned to look at him, but did not get up.

"Enjou-kun." He greeted formally, despite Ririka knowing for a fact that technically, Sakichi was Rin's sempai.

"Adachi." Sakichi returned, before continuing to Ririka. "No, I have not been given a copy of the footage, because I'm arranging a time with Burton to review it."

"I see." Ririka said, as neutrally as possible.

"Is there a reason you're harassing my daughter over the security footage?" Sakichi asked mildly.

"Your daughter is an adult and more than capable of taking care of herself, I imagine." Rin said. "You may be a better option than the police, but we've hired you for a job so I suggest you get on with it."

Sakichi's nostrils flared, and although Ririka wasn't all that into praying, she nonetheless found herself praying that Sakichi wouldn't let loose right at this moment. It would help precisely nobody if Sakichi started hurling accusations. She looked between the two of them, glaring at each other in a frosty stand-off, and she ran through the conversation that they'd just had. Her mind caught on Rin's last imperious comeback. Your daughter is an adult is what he said to Dad. Your daughter, he emphasised.

Ah, of course.

"Do you believe that something in the footage will lead you to your daughter?" she asked slowly.

Rin turned back quickly, but when he spoke, it was with an exaggerated slowness:

"If the killer came in, then he must have come out again. If the footage has captured that, then it will show what direction he went in."

"And that could give a lead as to where he might be keeping the other missing students." Ririka concluded. "Including your daughter."

"Including Kaida." Rin confirmed.

The sting had been taken out of his voice, now, and he somehow seemed diminished as he sat in his seat. For all she really didn't like the man's attitude, she couldn't help but feel sorry for him. Any father would have been frantic in such a situation. Well, almost any, she supposed, giving a sideways glance to her own father, still standing imposingly in the doorway.

"The police will be looking for the same sorts of things," Ririka said, gently. "So if there is a lead, they'll pursue it. I don't think it's anybody's fault that this kidnapper and murderer is cleverer than any of us could have anticipated. They're professionals at this sort of thing though, and between them and Enjou-san and the other private detectives, I'm sure something will change now."

Rin gave her another mutinous glare, and Ririka concluded with:

"Again, I can't let you take it away with you. But if it would give you some peace of mind, you can view it right here and now."

Rin stood up, stiffly, and said in an equally stiff manner:

"That won't be necessary for the time being. But if my Kaida turns up dead, it will be on all your heads."

It already is, though, Ririka thought. The wave of despair that crashed over her was overwhelming, and she suddenly wanted to forget the last bits of work she had been hoping to catch up on, and just pack up and go home to sleep instead. But as Rin left her office and Sakichi came to sit in the same chair he'd been in, she realised that that was going to be nothing more than a pipe dream.

"What did he ask you?" Sakichi demanded.

"It's pretty much what you've heard already," Ririka replied. "He wanted his own copy of the security footage that the police requested."

"Well, I'm glad that you didn't give it to him." Sakichi declared.

"…"

"Don't look at me like that, Ririka! Whatever the nature of the corruption is, they wouldn't be able to hide it without the help of any legal team they have. Currently, that's mainly Rin Adachi."

"It sounded to me like he just wanted a lead on his daughter." Ririka said, quietly.

Sakichi glowered at her, but then said:

"He's a former SHSL, and one who clearly buys into all the crap that Hope's Peak spout about themselves. It's the former SHSLs you need to watch out for, after the Principal and his Advisory Board."

"Um…"

This felt infuriatingly like the inverse of the same argument that she'd had with Rin, but this time, she chose to not point that out. Instead, she fiddled with her earrings. Naturally, Sakichi didn't miss the motion, and he said:

"Anyway, Ririka, I didn't want to keep you. I just wanted to say, when you leave, don't freak out if you see a car watching the school building."

"…will that be you?"

"Me. Kuroki-san too, probably. "

"Are you working with him?" Ririka asked with some incredulity.

Hirotaro Kuroki was famed for not having partners, from what she'd heard. It made sense. He was too frosty and distant for that. She didn't think there was anyone in the world that could warm him, but if there was, Sakichi was not that person. Clearly, Sakichi thought along similar lines, for he grimaced and explained:

"It would be more accurate to say we've come to an agreement, of sorts. I don't think he'll make it easy. Still, hopefully he'll prove a useful lead in himself."

Despite herself, Ririka asked why, and Sakichi gave her a slightly exasperated look in response as he explained:

"You are aware of who he has been employed by, right? They're one of Hope's Peak's biggest sponsors, and vice versa. Do you remember the human testing scandal? This would have been about six, seven years ago?"

Ririka knew full well he didn't really want an answer, because he immediately launched into said answer, anyway:

"It was Hope's Peak who helped them with that disinformation campaign that got them out of it. Yes, it was Inori Izawa herself who led it. But Hope's Peak offered big resources to support that. False testimonials, extra lawyers to intimidate the victims and so on. They're also close friends with Hisato Emon. That relationship likely had a hand in ensuring her admittance here."

"Nepotism is nothing new here. Just think of the furore around Taro Enoshima and his two daughters."

"Yes, but when it's surrounding a family like the Izawas…they're not the only family of a disappeared student who have had a big hand in Hope's Peak's fame. The Suwasaka family are another one. They at least make a pretence at being law-abiding. But deep down they're just as bad. Unfortunately because of said pretence I have very little to pin them down with, but that's one line I'm pursuing, and it will lead me back to here. I just know it. "

"They're just kids, though."

"Huh?"

"Tsubame Suwasaka. Inori Izawa. They're both just children. I know that doesn't absolve Izawa-san of any responsibility, but I think she knows that. And, again, they're just children."

Ririka wanted to add, just like how I was just a kid when you put the weight of our fractured family on my shoulders. It was all so long ago, though, and in truth, it didn't matter now. Or rather, it did, but Ririka felt the point of the conversation slipping away from her. There were so many complicated victims in this case, it seemed like. Seren. Inori. Tsubame. So many of them that the world would see as not deserving of sympathy, instead deserving of their fate. But for all their flaws, all their unusual achievements, they were still children. They should have been protected by everyone in their lives, and had instead been failed.

"Their families don't see them as children, I can tell you that much. I'm sure you knew enough of them to know that essentially, both of them were groomed. Just like how Hope's Peak sees its students as merely props for their own greatness, and grooms its students to believe in them in order to prop up that image."

After that small diatribe, Sakichi seemed somewhat out of breath. After taking a moment to collect himself, he then added:

"At least there's the hope that both of them are alive, for now. "

"The same can't be said for Nishiya-san." Ririka said tiredly.

Sakichi scrutinised her, and then unexpectedly, said:

"That must have been upsetting."

"It wasn't me who discovered the body, but a student. Though I'm sure you know that, anyway. But I knew something had happened, but I only found out what it was when the assembly was called."

"Ah. Yes, that assembly. Do you know where Jin Kirigiri was all of that time?"

Again, Sakichi clearly didn't expect her to answer, for he went on:

"You'd assume he was with the police, yes? That, at least, would be excusable. No. He was in a meeting with his Advisory Board and some of his sponsors. Including the Izawas and the Suwasakas. And you know what that meeting was about? How to get the focus back on the school's expansion project. And that, naturally, involved talking about getting all of this to go away."

Ririka's mouth went dry, and she had no rebuttal for this. Sakichi smiled, though there was no mirth in it.

"See?"

Ririka just nodded, mostly because she wanted to get this conversation over with. It was the longest one the two of them had had in a while, sure, but it didn't really feel like a conversation. It was just Sakichi off-loading all his theories onto her, because somehow, she was someone who'd listen to them. Though, it was not as if she disagreed with all of it. And the same uneasy sympathy she'd had towards Rin was one she had for Sakichi, too, even if for different reasons.

"If all turns out well, I'll uncover the truth on Haruma's murder too. Of course, with so much space between them they're unlikely to be directly connected. You'd like the truth about your brother too, wouldn't you?"

Ririka stiffened. She did not know how to answer that. Instead, she stood up and went to her filing cabinet. Unlocking it, she opened the second drawer, and took out a red foolscap folder. She checked inside for the small envelope, then locked the filing cabinet and returned to her seat. She held out the folder to him, and said:

"There's a USB in the envelope, which is what Nishiya-san originally gave me. I made print-outs, too, just in case."

When Sakichi stared but didn't take it, Ririka shrugged:

"I didn't know if you already had them. I know the police did, but Nishiya-san was a little like you, did you know that? She didn't trust authority, so she wanted to make sure it was as difficult as possible to erase proof of the harassment and threats she'd been enduring. If it turns out the person who was responsible for that is someone within this school…"

Sakichi took the folder without a word, and flicked through it. His eyes flickered slightly as he read the print-outs of the messages.

"This is useful." He eventually decided. "Thanks. Keep your eyes and ears open. Be careful. Let me know if you encounter anything else suspicious."

Ririka really, really wanted him out now, so she nodded in agreement, even though that wasn't entirely the truth. Thankfully for her, he did get up.

"I'll see myself out."

"Bye, Dad."

When he left, shutting the door behind him, she waited a few more seconds before letting out a sigh of relief. Who does he think I am, one of his assistants, she thought with mild irritation, before the guilt overtook her. The missing students and their welfare was more important than her own pride, so much more important than the years of painful, tangled history between her and Sakichi.

Still somewhat in a daze, thinking of Kaida and Seren, Inori and Tsubame, she went back to her filing cabinet, opened the same drawer, and reached right down to the bottom, to a folder that was, for the most part, filled with meaningless scrap. The final few sheets, which were the ones that had originally been in these folders, was anything but scrap. It was the top one that she focused on now, though. It was a list, with sixteen names:

Nazuna Kurihara

Yori Miyagi

Silas Jon Finsen

Ae-ra Park

Luca Fontana

Yuzuho Fujiwara

Ottillie Nylund

Chiara Kai

Setsuna Ushiroku

Fukue Amari

Hayami Motowari

Iori Asano

Naruhito Ono

Ena Setsushi

Kaida Adachi

Kagura Nabenashi

She didn't need to physically look at the list, at this point. The number of times she had looked at it since she'd realised its potential significance meant that the list was imprinted into her brain at this point. Should I have given this to Dad, too? Or the police? If there ever was a time to give it, now would be it. With a student dead, and no way of knowing where the others were, surely any lead would be helpful. But then she'd have to explain why she had kept ahold of it for all of this time.

I can explain why for November and the early days of December, she thought, after all, why would I have thought anything of it back then? But after Fontana-kun's disappearance, when the thought did occur to me…well, it doesn't look good. She thought of Rin, and how he considered being a Hope's Peak alumni to be enough assurance of someone's integrity. The flipside of that could easily be true, too. Even being a current staff member wouldn't rank her higher than a long-past alumni. She was sure that a lot of the more powerful staff in the school thought that way, but where Rin was concerned, it was made worse by the fact that Kaida was on the list. That she had not been able to use her knowledge of the list to at least save her. Even if Rin would think well of her without an SHSL, he'd never forgive her for that. She didn't expect him to, really, but it also meant she could not look to Hope's Peak for protection.

With the police, too, coming forward now would most likely make her seem to be a suspect. And again, that circled back to how Hope's Peak would react. She supposed that in the end, if she did have to tell anyone, her dad would be the safest bet. He'd probably flip out over how long she'd been sitting on it, but he, at least, wouldn't suspect her. And he'd raise hell with anyone who accused her, at least to his face or hers.

But, when it comes down to it, would he really protect me? Ririka had no reason to believe this was so, and she did not want to test it. And she couldn't help but think that turning to him on this matter would really be for her, rather than for the students. She didn't, couldn't hope to depend on him.

No. I'll keep this to myself for now. In the meantime…

She counted down the list up until the person she thought had been swapped over for Seren, and then put away the list. Locking up the filing cabinet, and making doubly sure she had the key safely on her person, she sat down at her desk and fired up the computer. Then, she went into the student records, and bought up two of the records.

The first, Seren Nishiya.

The second, Ottillie Nylund.

She arranged them side by side on the screen, zoomed into the photographs on both . She studied both for a moment, and then nodded to herself. She was sure of it now: it had been Ottillie whom she had mistaken for a ghost during the assembly. Almost the same height (Ottillie was an inch taller, at 5 foot 10 inches), with hair the same colour and practically the same length. Slightly different senses of style when it came down to it, but both those styles could be glamorous and mature. Certainly, both put together their outfits and appearances with the same care, moved with a similar (if not the same) poise. And both of them appeared serious and haunted in their photographs, though Ottillie managed to seem enigmatic, whereas Seren's troubled feelings were far too clear.

In other words: if Ottillie could be mistaken for Seren's ghost, then surely Ottillie would have looked at Seren and seen her reflection, instead?

Ririka looked from Seren's picture, to Ottillie's and back again. It had been Ottillie's name on the list, but Seren who had been taken. And it didn't necessarily mean anything, not really. The disappearances had not directly followed the list, even when she hadn't tried to do anything. Setsuna had been left completely alone, for example, and Fukue had become the ninth instead. Nazuna hadn't been touched either, despite being on top of the list. And though it didn't mean Seren had deserved or invited her fate, it was undeniable that her unravelling might have left her in a more vulnerable place, potentially easier to target than Ottillie would have been on that day.

There were so many possibilities, but there was one that took root in Ririka's mind now, and filled her with fear:

The possibility that Seren's disappearance-and therefore, her murder-had actually been a mistake.


Characters introduced this chapter:

Staff:

Benkei Utada, Music/Dance teacher and Talent Scout (belongs to: Prince PokePersona)

Rin Adachi, In-House Legal Counsel (Belongs to: Ziggy)

Investigators

Sakichi Enjou, Private Detective (belongs to: Lupus Overkill)

Hirotaro Kuroki, Pinkerton (belongs to: FEE5H)

I debated over whether Ottillie could count as introduced here, but if I had been able to include the other scenes that I'd wanted to in this chapter, she'd have had a bit more of a mention/appearance so it's there that I'll count her as being introduced. In any case, I hope you enjoyed this chapter!