Danganronpa: Twisted Tragedy (SYOC) Chapter 36: A New Life For A Royal Canadian, a dangan ronpa kibou no gakuen to zetsubou no koukousei fanfic

Interlude #3: A New Life For A Royal Canadian

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!

PUNCH!

…

When the beating started, 10-year old Cadius slowly placed his hands over 5-year old Mabel's ears, making sure she didn't hear the sounds of their own father getting beaten. He kept his eyes open, his hatred growing as he wished he could run and help. But for a 10-year old child to get into such violent affairs was far from what his father wanted.

That's why when that man came to talk to his father, joined with men of his own, the first thing his father did was usher Cadius and Mabel away. Cadius's job was to watch over his younger sister, and make sure she didn't catch any of it. Mabel had closed her eyes, terrified, and Cadius spared her the noise that followed.

The beating that followed.

While Cadius kept Mabel in the dark over what was going on, he left himself susceptible to what he was hearing. To what he was seeing. As the two children hid behind the wall, Cadius could still see the mirror image reflecting back into his mind. A sight forever ingrained in his mind. The sight of his own father being beaten in the ground with another older man looking at him pathetically…

"P-Please…" he could hear his father weakly beg. "S-Stop… I got… I got money…"

He watched as his father weakly hold up what seemed to be a single Canadian dollar. For a moment, it seemed like it actually worked. Because the moment he offered up his money, the beating had stopped. Cadius watched as the older man leaned down and grabbed the single Canadian dollar.

He laughed—

And to Cadius's surprise —tore the Canadian dollar in half, right in front of his father's eyes. That single Canadian dollar. Well-earned money. Cadius was back to despising over how he could do little to actually help. He listened as the older man spoke once more, laughing haughtily this time.

As if watching his own father beg was some form of sickening entertainment…

"I don't want your money…" he could hear the older man respond. "You fucking normie…"

And then the beatings continued.

PUNCH!

"I-Is… I-Is Daddy…?" Mabel tried to say.

"Shh, shh, shh," Cadius warned her to keep her mouth shut.

If there's anyone that shouldn't be seeing this, it was Mabel. Compared to the men of the Leve family, Mabel was probably the purest one they got. Which was why Cadius left it up to him to take in the details of what was going on. Which was why Cadius left it up to him to hate. Hate the man that was doing this to their own father. To his own father.

That older man.

That… Ultimate.

…

"...Why do you let him do that to you…?"

It took a bit before the older man stopped having his fun.

Once he and his men had left, his father had gotten up from the ground and limped toward the hiding Cadius and Mabel, concerned for only them and only them. Never his own wellbeing. Cadius could see nothing but a bruised and battered face from his own father. His own father who was still smiling down at his own children. As if nothing had happened…

Cadius and Mabel were tucked in bed.

Mabel had fallen asleep.

As someone who didn't have to bear witness to the audible sounds and the horrific sight of her own father being beaten by somebody better than him, Mabel could at least sleep a wink knowing that her father was okay. But Cadius couldn't. He wasn't as soft as his sister was. He was tough. Vengeful. Hard-working and responsible for a 10-year old.

He gave his own father a pressing stare, impatiently waiting for his old man to answer his question.

After a while, that answer came.

"What do you mean?" his father smiled through his cut lips.

"Mr. Johnson," Cadius frowned. "Why do you let him hurt you?"

He watched his father ponder for a moment. Contemplating whether or not he should tell his own son the truth or…

"It's nothing to be worried about," his father began, feeling the bruise over his cheek start to burn. "Daddy just… owes Mr. Johnson a lot of money so…"

"Doesn't give him any right to hit you," Cadius pointed out.

He watched his father try to smile through his pain.

"Sometimes Cad," his father glanced down. "...You just gotta beat a little sense into someone before they start to understand what you want. Mr. Johnson taught me that. So, it's best to show a little respect to him. He's a first-generation Ultimate, meaning he's a very powerful man."

He ruffled Cadius's hair.

"And in this New World we live in, power is everything," his father explained. "Whoever wields it will always have the right to do what they do…"

Cadius held onto his blanket tightly.

"Even if he's an Ultimate," Cadius grimaced. "It gives him no right to hit you."

He was still on that.

His father knew his own son was right. Even if Mr. Johnson was some Ultimate, it gave him no right to beat him in front of his own children. But what was he going to do? He was a normie. A filthy, fucking normie. He didn't respond to Cadius. But silence can tell a thousand stories. To Cadius, he could see that even his own father knew he was right.

In fact, the only thing his father could really say now was…

"...Cadius…" his father mumbled. "I'm afraid… that's just how the world works."

It was too late.

His father had completely given up. Resigned to his fate as a filthy, fucking normie. But Cadius wasn't. He tightened his grip over his blanket, his mind wandering to the words that his father had said.

In this New World they lived in…

This New World of Ultimates…

Power is everything.

And whoever wields it will always have the right to do what they do…

As the child of a normal fucking father, it was a quote that resonated with him. While he sat in his bed, he thought back again to his father being beaten by Mr. Johnson. By that Ultimate. While it was one Ultimate that was capable of doing something cruel to a single father, the New World they lived in was all sorts of cruel to everyone like him.

The New World ruled by Ultimates.

Cruel.

To everyone else that was normal…

Cadius grimaced…

…

…and scanned the room filled with these fucking Ultimates.

The Future Foundation Annual Convention was an event that every Future Foundation Director attended for the recognition of their work. And the Future Foundation was a service dedicated to protecting the integrity of every Hope's Peak established in the world. Essentially, a Hope's Peak Academy's personal security detail, police force, etcetera etcetera.

To host a convention where all the Directors could come together and share the details and progress of their work though…

It was laughable.

Although it was an event for mainly Future Foundation members, there were other people here that he recognized as plus ones and/or staff from other Hope's Peak Academies. There were a couple of Headmasters and Headmistresses here and there. Some members of the Steering Committee attended. He also counted at least one Chairman in Hope's Peak International that decided to oversee the festivities as well.

A big event for someone as little as an adult Cadius to attend.

Especially since almost everyone in this fucking room were Ultimates…

Tch, whatever.

He chose to sit back and sip his champagne, thinking of nothing but his glory. His wonderful glory as he casted his eyes toward the trophy locked in that glass display. The Future Foundation Annual Convention often did award ceremonies for the best Director of the year: the King of Directors Award. This year, Cadius knew he would have it. And when he did, he would do nothing but laugh in their faces. Laugh as he won...

Laugh as he stuck it to these Ultimate bastards...

"...And the winner..." the award ceremony began. "For this year's King of Directors Award goes to…

…

…Victorio de Socorro!"

Cadius nearly stood up from his seat, thinking for sure that they were going to call his name. But instead of him walking up to that stage to spew his arrogance and rub it into those Ultimate's faces, he was watching a Brazilian soccer player run up on stage with that handsome showman smile over his face.

That Ultimate…

"Brasília! Brasília! Brasília! Brasília!"

Fuck you.

Even this piece of shit had his own posse, but instead of the Canadian SWAT team that his posse was dressed up in, this piece of shit's posse was nothing but creaming fangirls, screaming for a moment to suck this pompous bastard's dick.

Cadius gritted his teeth.

He clenched his fist.

He didn't even care to listen to this Victorio guy speak…

All he could do was fuel the fire of hate for these fucking people.

For these fucking Ultimates…

…

"Victorio won?" Mabel couldn't help but blush at the thought of that man. "Not surprised. Have you seen that hunk? He's gorgeous."

"He's a fucking hack is what he is," Cadius grumbled, leaning back against his sofa as Alpha handed him a drink. "A hack. That guy won the last five awards in the last five years. How is that fucking possible?!"

With a single gulp, Cadius downed his glass and handed it back to Alpha.

"Cad," Mabel sighed. "He's the Director of Future Foundation Brasília District. Winning is literally his entire thing. How do you think Hope's Peak Brasília is able to compete with a school like Hope's Peak New York?"

"I joined the Royal Canadian Guards at 17!" Cadius pointed out. "I'm the Head of the Steering Committee and the Director of Future Foundation Toronto District! Do these fucks know how hard it is to balance safety and security with financing and funding our goddamn school at the exact same time?!"

When Alpha came back to hand him another class, Cadius simply chucked it across the floor, shattering it to pieces.

"The only reason that piece of shit won was because he's the Ultimate Soccer Star," Cadius explained. "I mean, what kind of fucking, flashy, self-entitled Talent is that? All he does is kick a ball around and the world goes wild, I mean, what the fuck?!"

Mabel rolled her eyes, unimpressed with Cadius's childishness.

"He does more than kick a ball around," Mabel sighed. "Cadius, why can't you just be grateful for what you have? Do you even realize how lucky we are? How Hope's Peak International gave normies like us a chance to run a school with their brand?"

"Yeah, a school that no one fucking goes to nor wants to work at," Cadius grumbled. "How's teaching and running the school at the same time working for you, huh, sis?"

Mabel had no response to that.

"Face it," Cadius growled. "Hope's Peak don't care for normies like us. We're nothing but a joke to them. Nowadays, you can be the smartest man in the room and the world won't care unless you have an Ultimate title slapped over your name."

Cadius placed his hand over his head.

"Because that's just how the world works, isn't it?" Cadius grumbled.

"Yeah, it is," Mabel was starting to lose her patience. "It's always been like that ever since we were kids. So, stop complaining about it and just adapt. It's that easy."

Once again, Mabel just couldn't see what Cadius's problem with these Ultimates were all about. Her empathy and will to simply adapt to life as a normie were pathetic. Cadius sometimes wondered if he had allowed Mabel to see how truly horrible that Ultimate treated their father all those years, would she still be this empathetic toward them all?

Would she still be okay with living life in an Ultimate-infested world?

Mabel's phone rang.

With a sigh, Mabel took out her flip phone, looked at the caller ID and shook her head. She turned toward Cadius with a displeased look over her face.

"I gotta take this," Mabel simply said.

Once she left, Cadius found himself alone with the only other person who actually understood where he was coming from: Alpha. They trained together as Royal Canadian guards back before Cadius made it big as a Future Foundation Director. She had his back. He had hers. Typical war buddy behavior.

Right now, it was no different.

"If it makes you feel better, sir," Alpha spoke up. "...I believe that you were robbed as well. That award should've been yours."

Cadius simply scoffed.

"A drink, sir?" Alpha offered a separate glass for Cadius to drink from.

Cadius silently accepted it.

With a martini in one hand now, all Cadius could do was think back to where it all possibly started. Where his motivation to crack down against these Ultimates came from. He knew it all started when that piece of shit, Mr. Johnson decided to beat his dad because he was a normie. But… was that really where it started.

Cadius let out a small chuckle.

"You know, Alpha," Cadius began. "My dad used to tell me that in this New World we lived in— this world of Ultimates —power was everything. That whoever wielded it would always have the right to do what they do."

"What are you saying, sir?" Alpha asked, confused.

"These Ultimates…" Cadius raised his glass, glancing at nothing in particular. "They think they have all the power in the world. They think they can reshape the world to their whim with their Hope and their Talents. But the truth is, they have nothing against the one with the real power in the world. Being King of the World."

Cadius downed his glass, effortlessly.

"...So, I guess in this New World we live in where normies like us have nothing…" Cadius turned to Alpha, his scorn seeping through his eyes. "I'll just have to be the king, don't you think?"

Alpha didn't say anything, but she knew Cadius was right.

In a New World, that's the only thing he can be.

The only thing he can be if he wanted to compete with these fucking Ultimates.

The only thing that'll keep him in this race.

The only thing that'll work to keep these Ultimates from stepping on the smaller folks.

His New Life…

…

As the King of the World…

…

INTERLUDE #3: A NEW LIFE FOR A ROYAL CANADIAN

A dead body was a sight that should've been all too familiar for Charles Wright.

As someone who was responsible for the death of many, Wright would've thought that he'd be used to the sight of death or relatively unbothered. At least, that was the general idea, right? Once someone takes a life, the next death they witness won't be so bad right? A theory of experience or whatever. That was what Wright had initially thought when he saw the corpse lying inside the storage closet.

But for some reason, it wasn't actually the case.

As he stood there in shock alongside the other Future Foundation agents and their Director, Cadius Leve, he allowed his mind to take in what the dead body looked like. A male victim no older than he was. In other words, a student. An Ultimate just like him. And judging by his face and his head…

…his completely twisted head.

Someone had snapped his neck.

His eyes were pale white, lacking any sign of pupils. A line of drool seeped down his open mouth. Rigor mortis had already set in, allowing the last of the body's scent to stain the storage closet. The body was rigid and just looking at a dead body here of all places. Never in a million years would Wright have known it'd be here at Hope's Peak Toronto…

And worst of all…

The closer Wright looked at the body, the more familiar it looked. Until he finally realized that the deceased face of the victim was someone he knew all too well. Horrified, he could only let out a mutter.

"...H-Henry?" Wright mumbled, his face paling.

Cadius turned to Wright.

Although he was initially disgusted, even Cadius himself found the face of this student familiar. How couldn't he? He did see his file just prior before.

"Well, well, well," Cadius couldn't help but smirk. "I guess that solves one mystery, doesn't it? So, answer me this… Charles."

Cadius leaned forward, his expression darkening and his gaze piercing into Wright.

"Did you do it?" Cadius asked. "Did you kill this filthy, little Ultimate?"

"W-What?" Wright's face paled. "N-No! S-Sir, I—"

"Don't lie to my face, Ultimate," Cadius coldly spoke. "You did it, didn't you? I mean, it only makes sense. Three of your fellow comrades go missing and you're the only one still here. Now, we find one of them dead in this storage closet? A real fucking coincidence, don't you think, Charles?"

"B-But it wasn't me!" Wright quickly shook his head. "Th-There's no way it could be! I… I haven't seen him since—"

Cadius snapped his fingers.

"Victor!" he called out. "Zulu!"

Two of his Future Foundation operatives marched over to him, obediently. Then, with a handsome wad of cash being presented to them, Cadius shared nothing but a pompous grin toward Wright.

"Lock this dirty Ultimate in my sister's office and guard him with your life," Cadius ordered. "He's now a person of interest in this Investigation. Our number one suspect for the murder of this poor, poor filthy Ultimate."

"N-No!" Wright's face turned blue. "I-It's not– It's not–"

He backed away but Victor and Zulu were quick.

Shortly after pocketing the money Cadius had given them, they had hoisted him by the arms, and subsequently began to drag him away from the storage closet. Wright tried to struggle in their grip, but with the power of money hot on Victor and Zulu's minds, they were definitely making sure he couldn't escape.

As such, there was little Wright could actually do.

There was little Wright could do but watch as Cadius stared right back at him with such scorn and contempt.

Like he had him out to be a bad person way before the body was even discovered…

…

With Wright being escorted up the stairs to the Headmistress's Office, Cadius turned back to the dead corpse at hand. As someone who has served as a part of the Canadian Army, Cadius has seen his fair share of death in the field believe it or not. But to think that it would be the life of someone so young.

Especially the life of an Ultimate.

He grimaced.

He'd thought he'd enjoy seeing an Ultimate die but at the same time…

The smell was revolting.

The sight was ungodly.

If Charles Wright truly did do this to him…

Cadius chuckled at the thought.

…the life of a broken soldier might be sicker than Cadius had once thought.

"Sir!" one of his Future Foundation operatives marched up toward the Director. "I apologize for interrupting your moment of victory but I'm afraid there may be another person of interest involved with this case."

"Oh?" Cadius seemed disappointed by that news. "Is that right? Where are they? I wanna speak to them."

"That's the thing sir," the Future Foundation operative said. "We scoured the school as requested and found their sign-in/sign-out sheets. According to it, they noticeably checked out the school much earlier than they usually do sir."

"As if…?" Cadius raised an eyebrow.

"As if… they were running from the scene of the crime," the Future Foundation operative surmised.

Once again, Cadius seemed a little disappointed by that news. He was so sure that it was Wright that did this that he was quite tempted to ignore it and just pin it on all that filthy Ultimate. He grimaced, extended out his hand, and glowered toward the operative.

"Hand it to me," Cadius ordered.

The operative did as they were told.

And once Cadius got ahold of it, he read the name of the sheet… a name that he recognized all too well. Suddenly, the situation was no longer as disappointing as he would have thought. His grimace turned into a twisted smile. He took out a wad of cash and handed it toward the operative, satisfied with their work.

"Well, you just found a fucking gold mine, Delta," Cadius grinned. "I'll reward you handsomely for that."

"Thank you, sir," Delta bowed their head, graciously accepting the wad of cash.

"Sir, does this mean…?" Alpha stepped up, tilting her head.

"Sure does," Cadius smirked.

He turned toward the other members of his Future Foundation, his smirk widening.

"Alright boys, who wants to go out for a little hunt…?" Cadius grinned, his gaze turning more twisted by the minute. "A hunt for another filthy, little Ultimate?"

(Headmistress's Office)

Wright found himself rudely tossed into Headmistress Leve's office.

Despite how much he tried to struggle, Wright should've realized that it was futile when it came being handled and dragged around by Cadius's men. If he remembered correctly, most of the people on his team were old war buddies with him back when they worked as Royal Canadians. So, as a puny Ultimate Pilot like himself, there was no way he'd be able to fight back against people like Victor and Zulu.

At least, not without a little help.

The first thing he did when he got back up was immediately rush up toward the door that they had closed on him. He tried to open and tinker with the door handle, but they were quick to lock it. Cadius was serious about having him locked up in Mabel's own office. For Wright, he found it insulting.

Using Mabel's office for his dirty little schemes.

Did this man not have tact when it came to his own sister?

Wright pounded on the door.

He used his fists.

Then, his shoulder.

But the door wouldn't budge.

Whatever Victor and Zulu were doing out there, it was working. These two were dead set on following Cadius's every command and no amount of breaking out was going to help with anything. They may be non-Ultimates, but they were still soldiers. Trained. Resilient. And dutiful to Cadius's will.

Knowing that, all Wright could do was slide down against the door and look at the ground, miserably.

Why was this happening to him?

No.

Why was this happening in general?

An entire class disappearing.

A fellow comrade of his turning up dead.

And now him, being accused of such a crime.

It wasn't fair.

It just… wasn't fair.

Wright curled up against his knees and miserably hugged himself tightly. He missed the better days of when he was just a Future Foundation agent. No. He missed the better days of when he was just a student here. When the only thing he had to worry about was whether or not Headmistress Mabel Leve was doing fine. Whether or not his own teacher was doing…

Wright glanced around the room.

This room used to be so filled with Hope.

Now, it was a prison.

A holding cell till Cadius needed him again.

Wright could cry if he could. But at this point, what use were tears to him anyway? He needed to find a way out of this. He needed to find a way to prove his innocence. But how? Wright wasn't exactly that smart when it came to all of this detective murder-mystery work. But… Wright knew someone who was.

He slowly lifted his head.

If he could contact Charles Burkheiser somehow, he may be able to get out of this particular pickle he was in. But just how could he give him a call—

He paused.

Idiot! Had he forgotten whose office this was?!

Wright quickly lifted himself up from the floor and hurried over to Mabel's desk. If memory serves correctly, in one of these drawers, there should be…

…

Bingo!

A drawer filled with flip-phones of every kind.

He quickly grabbed one and tried to open it. If he could do this before Cadius returned from whatever he was doing at the moment, there was a chance for his name to be cleared. There was a chance for Burkheiser to save the day and clear his name! He took a deep breath and tried to open the first flip phone, his mind racing toward his partner.

Come on Burkheiser, sir! The fate of my life rests in your hands now!

The phone unlocked.

And all too quickly, he dialed in the only number he knew that would reach Burkheiser: 911.

[Gardner Household]

(Outside)

"I can't thank you enough, Mister Burkheiser. Really."

Charles Burkheiser felt a streak of pink warm against his cheeks as he noticed Aubrey smiling at him.

Shortly after Aubrey tended to the needs of everyone at the hospital, Burkheiser, like the gentleman that he was, offered to take the lady home. He didn't really have anything to do at the moment. Especially since his partner had been essentially taken into custody by that tyrant, Cadius Leve. As an Ultimate from an entirely different country, the only one who could really back him in trying to investigate what was going on in Hope's Peak Toronto was really Kyosuke Munakata. But even then, just how far could their jurisdiction reach…

Especially now that Cadius was involved?

Burkheiser snapped out of his thoughts.

Right now shouldn't be the time to think about the case.

Right now, he just needed to make sure Aubrey got home safe.

After what had happened…

After what Cadius's men did to Aubrey and her people…

His hand tightened against the steering wheel.

When Burkheiser pulled over Wright's Future Foundation-instated vehicle next to the Gardner Household, he was astonished to see that the household wasn't as intriguingly big or mansion-like as he thought it would be. It was a fair assumption on his part.

Just looking at Aubrey Gardner, sitting next to him in that car, anyone would think that she lived a life of pleasure and extravagance. Her jewelry was the main indicator. Then, there was her clothing that she wore during the cold winter days in Canada. Anyone in the middle-class would surely wear a winter coat but Aubrey had been strutting around in that v-neck sweetheart top of hers, unbothered by the snow and the freezing temperatures.

In short, Burkheiser was— well he didn't want to say disappointed but —he just expected more.

"What's wrong?" Aubrey asked.

"O-Oh, nothing," Burkheiser cleared his throat. "I just… Your home… It's…"

"It's nothing too impressive," Aubrey smiled to herself. "I know. I may look like an extravagant woman but… I think I prefer living in a smaller, much cozier home. Wouldn't you agree, Mr. New York?"

"Well, first off, apartment buildings are a stereotype," Burkheiser pointed out, before lightly laughing. "But you're right. Sometimes, small is good."

Aubrey seemed satisfied with his answer.

She popped the door open and slowly got off. She turned back toward the Ultimate Crime Scene Investigator, her lips curling up into a warm maternal gaze.

"You were sweet to take me home," Aubrey smiled at him.

"Anytime, Miss Gardner," Burkheiser tipped his hat.

He watched as Aubrey turn back to her home. Burkheiser had only planned to stay until Aubrey fully entered her home. But to his surprise, the Children's Rights Movement leader never actually entered her home. At least not yet.

Instead, she turned back to him, her hands rubbing against her own and her gaze landing directly on Burkheiser.

"Mister Burkheiser," Aubrey spoke. "Would you… care to join me inside for a cup of tea?"

Burkheiser blinked, surprised.

"Miss Gardner, I…" Burkheiser wasn't sure how to react.

"Consider it a thank you," Aubrey tapped the side of her cheek. "For your help today."

Burkheiser bit his lip.

He couldn't remember the last time anyone really invited him to a moment like this. As an Ultimate Crime Scene Investigator, the most he was invited to anything really were award ceremonies and crime scenes to solve whenever the police and normal detectives got lost. He knew that was the case, because the first thing he thought about doing was refusing and going back to investigating. But since Miss Gardner was offering…

"...Of course, Miss Gardner," Burkheiser gave Aubrey a small yet awkward smile.

(Inside)

Aubrey was right.

The inside of her home was much cozier and clunked together than a spacious, eerily wide-open mansion setting. As Burkheiser slipped off his shoes and followed Aubrey inside, he couldn't help but allow his Ultimate Crime Scene Investigating skills kick in for just a moment. Like how someone playing a visual novel murder mystery game clicks on everything of importance in hopes that they would get funny dialogue or something like that.

Like that shoe cabinet that anyone could make a foot fetish joke for.

Or that television set that someone could make a pornography joke toward.

That's right, I'm calling out AI: The Somnium Files because the amount of sex jokes and perverted comments in that game is absolutely criminal and I'm just– Ugh–!

But aside from the shoe cabinet, television set, and all the likes, Burkheiser's eyes caught onto the most important details of Aubrey's life on top of a couple of bookshelves against the wall: framed pictures of what looked to be Aubrey and some significant people in her life. As Aubrey had walked off into the kitchen to heat up some tea, Burkheiser curiously wandered toward each and every photo of Aubrey.

There were a couple of photos of Aubrey as herself, modeling for the camera.

But the most intriguing bits were the ones where Aubrey was posing for the camera with another person or two by her side.

The first of which was a younger Aubrey hugging and posing for the camera with another equally young woman. Based on the time the photo was taken, it was clear that this was taken back when they were classmates. The school uniforms they wore and how young they looked, followed by how happy the two were…

Burkheiser realized he's never actually seen Aubrey this happy before…

He instinctively picked up framed picture, taking in the details of—

"Your Talent is no joke now, is it?"

Burkheiser jumped, nearly dropping the framed picture. Fortunately, it was a close call. With a steady grip, he slowly placed the picture back on the shelf and turned back toward Aubrey, sheepish and embarrassed. She had two cups of tea in her hands. Gently, she placed both onto the small little coffee table she had set up for the two of them to sit at.

Despite Burkheiser butting into what was essentially her private matters, Aubrey didn't seem to mind. In fact, she seemed more amused than anything else.

"S-Sorry, Miss Gardner," Burkheiser cleared his throat. "I…"

"Aubrey," Aubrey corrected.

"W-What?" Burkheiser blinked.

"Call me Aubrey," Aubrey smiled at him, sweetly. "We may have known each other for a short while, but knowing that we're on the same side here… I thought maybe we'd skip straight to calling each other by our first names rather than last. You know. Like casual acquaintances."

Burkheiser rubbed the back of his neck, sheepishly.

"R-Right, s-sorry…" Burkheiser chuckled. "Miss– Er, I mean, Aubrey…"

"Don't be, Charles," Aubrey sipped her tea. "If I didn't want guests seeing some photos, I wouldn't have left them out in the open like that. You're free to 'investigate' those as you please."

"R-Right…" Burkheiser was feeling more and more socially awkward.

As someone who's spent his entire life solving mysteries and doing work at crime scenes, Burkheiser quickly realized just how out of depth he was when it came to basic socializing. Especially with someone who was not only kindhearted and patient but also really damn attractive too.

Pull yourself together, Burkheiser!

She's an older woman and way out of your league!

After he mentally slapped himself across the face for thinking such impure thoughts, Burkheiser allowed his gaze to transfix back toward the framed picture of interest. That framed picture of Aubrey being happy with another young woman like herself. A framed picture back when she was so… young.

"...It's just… a really nice photo," Burkheiser commented. "I mean, you and this woman. You looked so happy back then."

"Emilia," Aubrey sipped her tea once more.

"Huh?" Burkheiser blinked.

"Her name was Emilia," Aubrey simply said, her tone turning somber. "She's… no longer with us."

"O-Oh…" well as if things couldn't get any more awkward for Burkheiser! "I'm… sorry to hear that. Was she by chance… a family relative of yours or?"

"Haha," Aubrey softly laughed. "Once upon a time, people considered us to be sisters with how close we were. But in reality, Emilia was my best friend growing up. She…"

She looked away.

"...She's the reason I became the Leader of the Children's Rights Movement in the first place," Aubrey revealed.

"R-Really?" This was news to him!

"Emilia was the founder of the organization," Aubrey explained. "As expected of her. I mean, God knows how much of a fearless fighter she was, especially for the children of the next generation."

Aubrey slowly set her tea down.

"But like most fighters, she wasn't invincible," she continued. "One day, she lost her son and everything just went downhill for her after that. Mentally and physically, she just couldn't take it anymore. She kept pushing herself till the bitter end until finally… she just stopped fighting. Just… stopped."

Aubrey's expression was visibly pained.

"That was when she passed down the mission to you, right?" Burkheiser surmised.

Aubrey simply nodded.

"Emilia founded the Children's Rights Movement so that children bearing Ultimate Talents could have a choice for what they wanted to be growing up," Aubrey said. "As her best friend, it only felt right continuing where she left off. So, in a way, yeah. Emilia passed down her legacy to me. Even though I…"

Aubrey grimaced.

"...Can I be honest with you, Charles?" Aubrey asked.

"O-Of course!" Burkheiser blinked. "W-What is it?"

"As the Leader of the Children's Rights Movement, it's my duty to remain as a beacon of hope for all of the parents in our world," Aubrey said. "But sometimes, the duty gets a little too hard to handle. And eventually, I wonder to myself…"

Aubrey lifted up her teacup, her eyes growing in pain.

"...was Emilia right to trust me to continue her work?" Aubrey frowned. "Am I really the best person to lead the movement she founded?"

"A case of imposter syndrome, huh?" Burkheiser commented.

"You'd feel the same way, wouldn't you?" Aubrey softly laughed. "If you were put in a spot to lead those that look up to you, I mean…"

Burkheiser lowered his cap.

"As an Ultimate, that's already part of the pressure," was all he could say.

"There you go," Aubrey smiled.

Burkheiser never realized just how much insight he would get about the Children's Rights Movement in one day but to learn that Aubrey's role as the Leader was essentially passed down to her from its founder. That was definitely interesting to learn about. He took one last look at that same photo again.

That same photo of Aubrey and Emilia.

Back then, they were so happy.

Now, one was gone and the other lived on to fight for what was right…

Unbelievably tragic.

As he lowered his gaze, he could see that there was yet another photo of interest. Just like the previous photo, this photo was of Aubrey and a young girl who bore a strong resemblance to her. What was essentially unique about this photo was the fact that it looked to be a part of an incomplete picture.

As Aubrey stood in the left half of the picture and the young girl stood in between, most noticeably, the person on the right half— a man who Burkheiser could only assume to be Aubrey's husband or… ex-husband in fact —was completely cut out of the picture. As if Aubrey had been too lazy to get a new picture and decided it best to just remove the ex-husband.

Yeesh.

Burkheiser had to wonder what this ex-husband did that was so bad that Aubrey had to go and literally cut him out of their life.

"Hey… this picture," Burkheiser wanted to ask.

"Ah, you found the picture with my daughter," Aubrey smiled.

"Your daughter?" Burkheiser softly laughed, noticing what her daughter looked like. "I figured she was. I mean, she's almost the spitting image of you."

He slowly took the framed picture off of the shelf.

"What's her name?" Burkheiser asked.

"Emmeline," Aubrey simply answered. "Emmeline Gardner."

Burkheiser blinked.

Emmeline?

Why did that name sound so…?

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."

He furrowed his eyebrows, confused.

"E-Excuse me for a moment, Miss Gardner, but by any chance…" Burkheiser realized he had slipped back into formal phonetics for a moment. "...Did your daughter also go by Emmeline Swan as well—"

"Emmeline Gardner," Aubrey quickly said. "It's… Gardner. Swan is… not a name we say in this household."

Aubrey's expression darkened.

"Not anymore…" she muttered.

That was all Burkheiser needed to hear to move past this line of thinking.

He gave himself a moment to think about the information that Aubrey had hinted toward. Based on the cut-out picture, the surname of Swan probably belonged to her ex-husband. And based on the simple fact that the picture was cut out, her ex-husband probably wasn't someone she was too fond of. Especially if it received such a negative tone of voice from Aubrey herself.

He slowly set the framed picture aside and looked at Aubrey.

"...I'm… sorry," Burkheiser apologized. "I didn't mean to open up any old wounds…"

"Don't be," Aubrey simply said. "You didn't know."

"But at the same time…" Burkheiser opened his mouth. "Doesn't this mean that your daughter is one of the kids that disappeared? One of the missing students of Class 1-C?"

"Of course," Aubrey tightened her grip on her teacup. "How'd you think I suspected that field trip excuse was bullshit to begin with? Pardon my language, but Emmeline is my child and her suddenly being taken on some field trip that I, the parent, never knew about? That was enough reason for me to go out and start a protest."

Burkheiser went quiet for a moment.

"I-Is… Is that all?" Burkheiser asked.

"What do you mean?" Aubrey looked confused.

"I mean, you're her mother," Burkheiser pointed out. "You know your own daughter disappeared to God knows where and yet, you don't look or feel too concerned over what might be happening to her."

"W-Well, should I be?" Aubrey blinked, her expression shifting for a moment. "I mean. I know my own daughter. You wouldn't believe it just looking at her, but she's quite literally the strongest girl I've ever met."

Aubrey folded her arms.

"You wouldn't believe the stuff she had to go through growing up," Aubrey bit her lip.

"Yeah, but…" Burkheiser grimaced. "Even then, shouldn't it be the parent's job to do whatever they can to look for their own missing children?"

"Ch-Charles," Aubrey spoke up.

"I mean no disrespect to your capabilities as a mother but thinking of it logically…" Burkheiser pondered. "I have to wonder why you're not doing more to help. I mean, this is your daughter we're talking about…"

"P-Please, Charles," Aubrey felt uneasy.

"You say you started a protest but what's that going to do?" but Burkheiser was going off and there was no stopping him now. "I mean, for all you know, she could be in trouble and—"

"Don't say that!" Aubrey yelled. "Charles! Please!"

The teacup she kept in her hands suddenly spilled onto the floor.

Burkheiser was rightfully surprised by Aubrey's reaction. Suddenly, he felt like a piece of shit for trying to call her out on whatever trumped up bad parenting charges he was trying to enact on her. With a grimace, he slunk back against her sofa, awkward and praying hard that he just didn't screw it up with an otherwise great woman.

"I… I'm sorry," Burkheiser apologized. "I didn't mean to—"

"Don't," Aubrey glanced away, hurt. "I…"

She drew a shaky breath.

"...I should be the one who's sorry," Aubrey spoke, her tone back to that calm and patient voice of hers. "I spilled the tea. Please. Let me get that all cleaned up."

Huh?

Even now, Aubrey didn't seem like she cared about her daughter's wellbeing, but based on her initial reaction earlier, Burkheiser wasn't sure that was entirely true. Despite being the Leader of the Children's Rights Movement… Despite being a single mother with a potentially Talented daughter… There was still much about Aubrey that Burkheiser didn't know about.

The only question was… would she even let him have a chance to talk to her again?

Especially after how much he botched this entire last segment of their little teatime together?

Burkheiser grimaced.

Right.

He didn't even touch her tea.

"A-Aubrey, here, let me help–" Burkheiser reached down to help Aubrey clean up the tea.

Or at least, he would've had his phone suddenly not started ringing.

He let it ring for a little while, unsure on what to do. His conscience told him he should stay and help Aubrey. Make amends with her. But his Talent. That itch and passion for solving mysteries… it told him to pick it up. It could be from Officer Snips or Mr. Munakata or even Wright if he somehow found a way to contact him.

As he allowed his phone to ring, Aubrey looked back at him.

"...You should get that," she simply told him, giving him a small smile of assurance. "Don't worry about the mess. I have it covered."

Burkheiser blinked and slowly nodded.

Not like he was happy with this decision anyway.

He turned back and answered the call.

And all Aubrey could do was stay completely still on the ground, acting as if she were cleaning up the floor… doing nothing but listening to Burkheiser speak on his phone. She didn't know what was being said but Burkheiser's reaction told her enough to know that their little teatime was coming to a saddening stop.

"Burkheiser, here. Wait. What? Okay, Snips. I'll be right there!"

When Burkheiser hung up the call, he turned back to Aubrey, his face apologetic.

"That was the police…" Burkheiser grimaced. "I… I have to go."

"Of course," Aubrey forced a smile. "Duty calls for the Ultimate CSI, am I right?"

"Y-Yeah," Burkheiser seemed disappointed. "S-Seriously, though, Aubrey. I'm sorry for what I—"

"I told you, it's fine," Aubrey simply said. "Just… go and do your job. Figure out what's really going on at Hope's Peak Toronto. Okay?"

Burkheiser simply tipped his cap and briskly left the household.

Left… Aubrey behind with nothing more than spilled tea and a teacup that was never touched. At this point, Aubrey didn't really care enough to clean the tea that she had spilled herself. She had let her emotions get the better of her in that one moment. Let her emotions get the better of someone who honestly wanted to help.

She slowly glanced back toward the framed picture that Burkheiser had left on her couch.

Biting her lip, she slowly took it off and glanced at it.

Gazing at nothing but the smiling and innocent image of her own daughter.

She held back her emotions and slowly placed the picture close to her heart. Then, tightly, she hugged it. As if it were her own child. As if it were Emmeline. Oh Emmeline…

"Please…" Aubrey bit her lip. "Please Emmeline. Wherever you are… be safe…"

Please…

Be safe…

[Toronto Police Headquarters]

(Precinct)

"Snips, I'm here. What's the damage?"

It was back to business for Burkheiser. In fact, that was quite literally the first thing he had asked as he stormed his way into the Precinct sector of Toronto Police HQ. His mind, although occasionally thinking back to Aubrey and wondering if she was going to be okay by herself, was fully committed to solving this case.

If the police did find something regarding the disappearance of that missing class, then it was his right to know. Especially since he's practically good acquaintances with the police at this point. Being a respectable Ultimate Crime Scene Investigator did have their perks after all.

As he walked in, Officer Snips jogged up to him, his expression serious.

"We received a 911 call," Snips told Burkheiser. "There's been a murder. At Hope's Peak Toronto."

"A murder?" Burkheiser asked.

"Something right down your alley, isn't it Burkheiser?" Snips nodded.

Burkheiser furrowed his eyebrows.

The very idea that there was murder at Hope's Peak Toronto was strange as it was. In fact, already, Burkheiser's mind was filled with questions that needed desperately to be answered. For starters… Was this murder even tied to anything relating to the missing Class of 1-C? Or was it something that just happened…?

…Wait.

Something that just happened…?

Burkheiser widened his eyes.

"Officer Snips," Burkheiser turned to the lowly cop. "Who was the caller?"

Officer Snips made zero hesitation to answer.

"Charles Wright," Snips told him. "Your partner."

Now suddenly things made sense.

What was bugging Burkheiser's mind was the fact that a murder being at Hope's Peak Toronto could even get out like that through a simple 911 call. With Cadius Leve covering everything up with his unlimited wads of cash, there was no way someone would dare try to alert the police to this matter. No one but…

"He mentioned he was in deep trouble," Snips pointed out. "Said that the blame was being put on him. Burkheiser…"

He lowered his hat.

"...He needs your help," Snips told him.

Burkheiser clenched his fist.

Already, he probably had a working theory on what must've happened. There was a murder, and Cadius, being the prejudiced bastard that he was, decided that Wright was the culprit based on his obscene hatred towards Ultimate. That has to be what had happened. But without an actual investigator on the case…

No.

Burkheiser wasn't going to let that happen.

Wright was his friend.

His partner.

He wasn't going to let anything happen to him.

"Officer Snips," Burkheiser began. "Dispatch an investigative team. We're going back to Hope's Peak Toronto."

"We?" Snips blinked. "Like, me too? But what about that Cadius Leve guy? I mean, he's got an entire SWAT team of Future Foundation agents. With them on campus, what's the police going to do?"

"Snips," Burkheiser turned toward him, disappointed. "Who do you think should be in charge of the law? The police? Or Future Foundation?"

Well, when he puts it that way…

"Now that's what I'm fucking talking about," Officer Snips couldn't help but grin and salute. "Officer Chase Snips! Ready for duty, sir!"

"At ease," Burkheiser smiled, saluting back. "Dispatch that team. And then, we'll head out…"

"You got it, sir!" Officer Snips seemed excited.

It wasn't hard to see why.

Officer Snips was an up-and-coming police officer and relatively young as well, meaning he's still got the heart in it to do what was right. The police were supposed to be society's reliable keepers of the peace. Without them, how will the world function? He smiled to himself, watching as Snips ran off to dispatch the team he had asked for.

Then, he turned back.

But what he saw next made his smile drop…

…

Lucas von Braun had exited the Interrogation Room, his face colder than ever before.

Based on the fact that he was leaving the Interrogation Room, it was easy for Burkheiser to clue into what his intentions probably were. However, it was still surprising. To see him here of all places, especially when he had initially refused the first time around. Seriously, what on Earth was he even doing here?

Burkheiser stormed up toward Lucas, his gaze narrowing.

"So, what was that about not wanting to come to the station for a potential questioning?" Burkheiser spoke up, loud enough to catch Lucas's attention.

Needless to say, it worked.

Lucas had stopped himself from leaving, deciding to only turn back after letting out a sigh. As he held out his book, ready to bop Burkheiser's head should he ask any stupid and silly questions, Lucas simply tilted his head.

"Charles Burkheiser," Lucas remarked. "I didn't expect to see you here."

"D-Didn't expect?" Burkheiser sputtered. "I work here!"

"No…" Lucas shook his head. "You work as a Future Foundation Agent from New York. You are no lowly Toronto police officer."

"Hey, show some respect to the Toronto Police," Burkheiser frowned. "They might be nobodies, but they work just as hard as any Ultimate Investigator in the world."

"So you say," Lucas read his book.

Clearly, this conversation was already boring him. Best Burkheiser gets to the meat of the matter.

"So, what exactly did you have to talk about with Headmistress Mabel Leve?" Burkheiser asked.

"Why do you want to know?" Lucas asked, never looking up at Burkheiser once.

"Headmistress Leve is a person of interest in the disappearance of Class of 1-C," Burkheiser frowned. "If anyone's going to just show up to the police station to just talk to her, you bet I'll start thinking something's up."

"And yet…" Lucas folded the corner of one of his pages. "...Is it a crime for a former student to pay his old teacher a visit?"

"Not at all," Burkheiser shook his head. "But I did notice you left the Interrogation Room looking more annoyed than usual. And just based on experience, I'm guessing she's still inside keeping her mouth shut about something. Something that you probably want to or already know about…"

Lucas raised an eyebrow.

"Is this your detective work at hand or…?" he questioned.

"No, it was just a hunch," Burkheiser beamed, proudly.

"Oh, then, you're incorrect," Lucas flipped a page of his book.

"D-Doh!" idiot Burkheiser, not your best play man.

It was back to uncaring Lucas von Braun, as he continued to entertain himself by reading whatever quantum physics textbook he pulled from the local library. Compared to the other people he has met thus far in his trip to Canada, Lucas was by far the person he was having the hardest time reading into.

It was probably a gift he had.

The way he was able to express so much with so little emotions he actually had. The way he could seem to care but not care at the same time. The way he never seemed vulnerable. Truly, an enigma that even the smartest of investigators probably couldn't figure out. Lucas let out another sigh as he shut his book.

"...Now that you've made a fool of yourself…" Lucas began. "Perhaps you can enlighten me with an answer to a question that I have…"

Lucas opened his book up again.

"Do you detectives always have to suspect a CEO of a large corporation whenever there is a grand mystery involved?" Lucas sighed. "It's a rather tiring trope. Not every rich, powerful man is evil."

"And yet, it's always the rich, powerful men that end up having more skeletons in their closets than the common bunch," Burkheiser pointed out.

Lucas considered that response for a moment.

"...How insightful," he mumbled.

Then, closed his book again.

"Charles Burkheiser…" Lucas sighed. "I do mean this in the most offensive way possible but speaking with you over trivial matters makes my brain smoother, I'm afraid. Please cease from approaching me ever again and schedule an appointment with me like everybody else."

"Y-You brat…" Burkheiser was definitely offended.

Lucas turned to leave.

But before the CEO could leave, Officer Snips had reappeared, looking pumped that he was going to go back out into the field again for some investigation work. He gave Burkheiser a salute, grinning in glee and excitement.

"The team's ready, Burkheiser," Snips grinned. "Next stop, Hope's Peak Toronto, right?"

That caught Lucas's attention.

"Hope's Peak… Toronto?" Lucas tilted his head. "And what business do you have going there?"

Burkheiser raised an eyebrow.

What was his deal?

Whenever he talked to him about anything else, he never seemed that interested. But now, suddenly, he was curious to know something? Normally in situations like this, Burkheiser would probably go and ask what was up. But at the same time, this was Lucas von Braun, one of the more uncooperative people he's ever met. Plus, he had his moments where he could be petty if he so chooses…

"Why do you want to know?" Burkheiser smirked.

As if telling him that if he really wanted to know, they were going to have to exchange information—

"There was a murder at Hope's Peak Toronto," Officer Snips looked determined. "So, Burkheiser, me, and some other police officers are going out to investigate it!"

Burkheiser turned to Officer Snips, looking as if he wanted to murder him right about now.

"And how long have you been a police officer?" Burkheiser smiled gravely at him.

"W-Wait, was I not supposed to say that?" Officer Snips paled. "S-Shit!"

So much for the glazing and smiling he did to Snips earlier. That was such a basic fuck-up, whoever the Chief of Police was, they would surely have Snips' head right about now. But despite that, Lucas suddenly looked a lot more invested than before. His gaze narrowed. His cold demeaning look was replaced with… concern?

"Who… was murdered?" Lucas asked.

"Well, since the cats' out of the bag," Burkheiser shot Snips a dirty look. "Truthfully, we don't know. That's what we're about to find out though. Only problem is, Cadius Leve has basically barricaded anyone else from checking out the school, which is why we're gathering a team from the police force to give us a warrant to check."

"I'll join," Lucas suddenly said.

"W-What?" Burkheiser blinked before deadpanning. "W-Where was this cooperative persona five minutes ago?"

Lucas bopped him on the head with his book.

"O-Ow!" Burkheiser rubbed his head. "W-What was—"

"Don't complain," Lucas commented. "You'll need the power of the Braun PharmaX CEO to even speak to someone like Cadius Leve."

"Y-Yeah, you got it," Burkheiser grimaced, still rubbing his head.

When this man bonks, this man bonks!

WolfieRed23 could never compete.

But even then, Burkheiser was at least grateful that this turn of events gave him another go at trying to figure out who Lucas von Braun was as a person. Despite initially being so cold and reserved, he did seem very concerned when word of a murder got out via Snips. Meaning that behind that cold exterior, there was at least a human being inside.

Burkheiser thought back to the last thing Lucas said as well.

Could the CEO of Braun PharmaX even speak to someone as insane as Cadius Leve?

…

He hated to admit to doing this but…

He wondered what exactly Cadius Leve was doing while they were preparing their investigative team to storm Hope's Peak Toronto…

[The Blue Devil]

Back in the day, yo as we learned

A man was not considered to be

(Considered to be fully grown)

Has he not gone beyond the hills

Has he not crossed the seven seas

(Yeah, seven seas at least)

The line for the Blue Devil nightclub was always long whether it be night or day.

But it mattered little to Cadius Leve and his fellow Future Foundation operatives, as they marched up toward the front of the line. Cadius kept his cloak tightly knitted around him as he ignored the angry and annoyed glares he was receiving from fellow partygoers. Fuck them. They could waste their time standing around waiting for some random ass nightclub.

The only reason they were there was for important business.

Future Foundation business.

Walking up toward the nightclub's doors like they were royalty, Cadius was ready to slam the door open and walk straight in… like a cowboy making his entrance at a saloon. But every saloon had a security detail that had to keep the peace. The Blue Devil was no different. Stopping Cadius and his men from entering was a bouncer, his hand extended and his gaze unamused by their antics.

"Sorry buddy," the bouncer said. "If you wanna get in, you and your buddies gotta wait in line like everybody else."

Cadius sighed…

Now all them jokers kept around

Just like the scarecrows in hometown

(Yeah, scarecrows in hometown)

From screen to screen they're travelling

…and raised out a wad of Canadian dollars into the air.

The bouncer glanced at it, unsure whether he should take offense or simply laugh.

"Y-You serious?" in the end, the bouncer chose to laugh.

Laugh at how pathetic this guy was. How pathetic one could be to buy their way into a nightclub. Cadius was clearly waving his money in the air for everyone to see, as if he were showing off his apparent wealth. What was more, it was like this guy clearly thought he could be bought. But as a respectable bouncer, that was far from what he was going to do.

"Alright buddy, get the hell back in line or get the hell outta here," the bouncer placed a hand on Cadius's shoulder.

His second mistake.

His first…?

But I'm a wonderlust king

…believing that the wad of cash was meant for him in the first place.

PUNCH!

The moment the bouncer placed his hand on Cadius's shoulder, a fist had flown straight into his face. Oscar, one of the Future Foundation operatives, had swiftly collected the money from Cadius's hands and did exactly as he wanted him to. Remove the obstacle that stood in his way. Away from his business…

I stay on the run

(Yeah! Run!)

Let me out

Let me be gone

In the world beat-up road sign

I saw new history of time

New history of—

Ignoring the gasps and shocked expressions from those that had been throwing hissy fits earlier, Cadius listened to the sounds of Oscar beating the bouncer that dared to touch him. The bouncer that dared to get in his way. The bouncer that dared to protect this fucking Ultimate…

Once the bouncer was good and down, Cadius marched over toward the door.

He snapped his fingers, signaling Oscar to quit beating the bouncer and join him and the other 12 Future Foundation operatives he decided to bring on his little hunt. Then, together, Cadius kicked open the door, revealing to them the delightful scenery that was the inside of the Blue Devil.

Definitely prettier and fancier on the inside than it ever was on the outside.

Lounges for guests were situated all around the location. In the middle of the room was one big dance floor. Connected to the right of the dance floor was a bar for anyone to enjoy a nice alcoholic beverage. But sitting in the far end of the lounge was the VIP center. The center where a person of interest was currently residing.

That Ultimate Nightclub Manager…

Spikke or something stupid like that.

And suddenly, Cadius just couldn't help himself but grin.

Grin his twisted little grin…

Taradarada taradarada taradarara oh

Taradarada oh

…as his men began to beat Spikke's men into the ground.

PUNCH!

None of them stood a chance against the Future Foundation. His Future fucking Foundation. With little need to say anything, all Cadius needed to do was point fingers and hand money out like he was the hottest shit in this godforsaken nightclub.

Like he was the guest of honor…

The screams that rang out from other partygoers that decided to snag a seat next to the Ultimate Nightclub Manager were music to Cadius ears. Because to him, it meant that he had the power. The fear in Spikke's eyes as he was forced to watch the Future Foundation invade his own premises…

The fear in this Ultimate's eyes.

Fucking delicious.

Cadius's lips widened, making sure the untouched Spikke could see his sickening grin. His twisted grin as his own soldiers took down his men and entourage piece by piece.

Oscar was beating them down with his fists.

PUNCH!

Charlie and Bravo with their batons.

BANG!

Delta throwing men after men across the lounge chairs.

CRASH!

Alpha with her fiery kicks and vicious wrangling methods.

KICK!

And he watched it all with that same fucking grin.

Watched as Spikke's face twisted from fear…

Through Siberian woods

Breaking up their neck

(Yeah, breaking up their neck)

Chinese moving in, building discotheques

(Yeah, building discotheques)

…to anger.

"Cadius Leve…" Spikke growled. "You fucking bastard. You think you can come into my nightclub and do this to my guests? You have no right to fucking—"

SLAP!

Spikke was taken aback by what had just happened.

He instinctively placed a hand over his reddened cheeks. His mind tried to grasp over what had just happened. He turned toward the person who had struck him: Echo. Although to Spikke, Echo was just another nameless nobody wearing a SWAT-like police uniform, the shock factor came from how little hesitation Echo had to do what he just did. He had wordlessly collected another wad of cash from Cadius and struck Spikke across the face, hard. Like a bitch. Like he was Cadius's little bitch.

"And what makes you think I don't have any right, huh, Ultimate?" Cadius grinned, sadistically.

He leaned forward, his scorn flaring from his eyes.

"I'm the Future Foundation, bitch," Cadius coldly remarked.

Marking his body in the shape of an 'X', Cadius made sure both of his hands held a decent amount of cash. And slowly approaching him from behind were Charlie and Bravo, both ready to collect their dues. Both cracking their knuckles. Now, Spikke was no longer angry. Now, he was afraid. Afraid for what these people were going to do to him.

"W-Wait, wait, I–" Spikke tried to say…

Tran-Siberian sex toys and whatnot

Yeah, why not?

Well, at least it's something different

From what they got in every other airport

…but the punches flew in.

Cadius smoothed his hair back, feeling the adrenaline rush into his system.

Even though he wasn't the one doing the actual beatings, just knowing that he was paying for these Ultimates and their posses to get beaten gave him the high he desired. For once in his life, he felt in control. For once in this unfair world, he felt like he and these fucking Ultimates were in the same playing field. No. Not the same…

For once in this world ruled by Ultimates, he felt like he was better.

Like he was the King.

Like he was the King of the fucking World.

"Sir," Alpha approached the grinning Cadius. "She's not here. Shall we search elsewhere?"

Cadius didn't say anything.

But after a moment of silence, he finally turned to Alpha, his grinning never ceasing. Instead, he took Alpha's hand…

Je ne Jevrei, no koje-chto pohozhe

Sovrat ne dast ni Yura ni Seryozha!

Simply because I'm not a total gadjo

Da ja shut, ja cirkach, nu tak chto-zhe?

…and entered the dance floor with her.

With the DJ still playing Gogol Bordello's Wonderlust King, Cadius started to twirl around the dance floor like he was the main event. Behind him, he could feel his fellow Future Foundation operatives join him. Join him in their oddly choreographed dance that someone should put on TikTok right now. Looking at you Amogus.

They danced, feeling the glory and satisfaction in what they were doing. Most would say that they were abusing their powers and status as Future Foundation operatives. But that's not what Cadius would call it. This dance was no dance to show off the power they had. To him, this dance was the glory of satisfaction.

The glory of being the ones in charge.

The glory of being the ones above this master fucking race of humanity.

The glory that for once, these normies could be something special too.

Synchronized together, Cadius felt his men match every single move he made. Sidestepping to the right and shooting out a kick of their legs. Sidestepping to the left and doing the same. Their hands, waving around like they jazzing out.

Oh.

How they loved it.

Suddenly, Cadius spun around…

I travelled the world looking for understanding

Of the times that we live in

Hunting and gathering firsthand information

Challenging definitions of sin

PUNCH!

When November knocked one of Spikke's teeth right out of his mouth, the punching ceased. Compared to Oscar, November was probably the most menacing when it came to the brutal beatdowns these Future Foundation agents were capable of. It showed. What was left of Spikke was a heavily bruised face and the poor Ultimate coughing up the blood that came with every beating…

He weakly looked up, noticing Cadius approach him with that scornful look over his face. His cloak was lightly draped over his body. And Cadius made sure to loom over him. As if gesturing for him to kiss the heel of his boot. As if showing this little Ultimate that he was the King now. That he was the man in charge.

Spikke's eyes was practically asking Cadius to show mercy.

Begging for mercy.

"P-Please…" Spikke weakly begged. "S-Stop… I got… I got money…"

He held out a single Canadian dollar. And for a moment, it seemed like this move deeply resonated with Cadius. The Director of Toronto's Future Foundation tilted his head, examining the dollar with interest. But Spikke misinterpreted the resonation with Cadius's actions. Because to Cadius, that dollar was a memory.

A familiar memory…

I travelled the world looking for lovers

Of the Ultimate beauty

But never settling in…

…a very fucking familiar memory.

He took the single Canadian dollar from his hands, his scornful look twitching with excitement. His grin twisted to downright sadism. As if he was enjoying everything that was rightfully owed to this fucking slime. He let out a small laugh, making sure Spikke's eyes were still on him. Holding out the dollar he was given…

…he tore it in half…

Right in front of Spikke's eyes, he tore it in half. That single Canadian dollar. Well-earned money. The equivalent of spitting his pitiful groveling back in his face. As he laughed haughtily toward what he just did, Cadius's expression suddenly shifted back to that look of contempt for this pathetic little bitch.

"I don't want your money…" Cadius coldly smiled. "You fucking Ultimate…"

Ha Hey!

Ha ha Hey!

Ha…

I am a wonderlust king

The spotlight was on Cadius now.

He felt his men raise him high up into the air as they spun him around on the dance floor. It was reminiscent to a cheerleader rally, where only the head cheerleader was able to be raised up higher than others as a show of respect.

Like a Queen/King.

Like him.

The King of the fucking World.

Charles Burkheiser was right. He truly has let the power and status as Future Foundation Director and Head of Canada's Steering Committee get to his head. Allowing it to corrupt everything the Future Foundation truly stood for. But Cadius didn't care.

For once in his life, these Ultimates were the ones beneath him…

He extended his arms, allowing anyone who bothered to stay behind to watch and see the glory that was Cadius Leve. The man that had to work hard for his New fucking Life. The man that had to fight the social differences between these Ultimates and a normie like himself. That was who he was…

Cadius Leve.

King of Directors…

I stay on the run

Let me out

Let me be gone

In the world's beat-up road sign

I saw new history of time

New history of-

One of the partygoers escaped through the backdoor exit.

The moment she saw Cadius Leve enter the premises, she knew she was in big trouble. The moment she saw him with his SWAT team of Future Foundation agents, she knew he was here to cause trouble. Anyone with association to Spikke... they were goners. So, she had managed to slip out of the nightclub, but just how far would she get? Cadius was relentless with his money. With a single Canadian dollar, she would be caught in no time. But this was no time to fear for the worst.

Right now, all she needed to do was run.

Let her out.

Let her be gone.

She felt herself pant heavily as she tried to run

But escape for her was short-lived.

The moment she ran out of the ally, she bumped into one of Cadius's men. No. Not men. Alpha. She widened her eyes, recognizing the SWAT uniform and noticing just how menacing they really looked now that she was standing front of them. Based on how she kept her hand over her baton, she knew instantly that she was going to be in a world of pain.

And even worse.

Appearing from behind Alpha was Cadius, giving out his wad of cash to Foxtrot for presumably being the first to notice the backdoor exit. She had to note that while everyone else here didn't exactly have a recognizable face given the fact that they were wearing helmets, the fact that she could only see Cadius's made him all the more terrifying to go against.

"Going somewhere…?" Cadius couldn't help but smirk. "...Ultimate?"

She dropped to her knees…

And presidents

And billionaires

And generals

They'll never know

What I have owned

What I have owned…

…and groveled.

Like Spikke, she groveled. Tears streamed down her face, her heart pounding over what he was going to do her. She knew what he was capable of. She knew what he could order his men to do. With her hands clasped together, she begged for mercy. Begged that she get out of this unharmed.

But who was she begging to?

Cadius?

Or God?

"P-Please!" she squeaked. "D-Don't hurt me! I just came here to party! I don't even know Spikke!"

"Aww, are you begging?" Cadius mocked, placing his hand underneath her chin. "I thought you were supposed to be the Hope of the New World. I thought you were supposed to inspire and give humanity the will to move on with their sad, meaningless lives."

Cadius's gaze turned cold and hateful.

"What a fucking joke," he remarked.

He turned to Alpha, taking out one last wad of cash necessary for this hunt and raising it up for her to receive.

"Hey, Alpha," Cadius grinned. "Care to squeeze some information out of this little fucking Ultimate?"

"With pleasure, sir," Alpha nodded.

She slowly took Cadius's cash and approached their target. As Alpha loomed over her, the begging and groveling grew louder. And all she could see next was Cadius's twisted smile widen before her interrogation began…

Ha Hey!

Ha ha Hey!

Ha…

Somehow, Cadius felt as if he were being raised higher and higher above the dance floor.

His men had continued to prop him up, like servants carrying the Pharaohs to their thrones at the top of those pyramids. And as he felt this way, he suddenly understood what his father meant all those years.

In this New World they lived in, power meant everything.

And what he had now?

That was power.

That was the power that gave him the right to do whatever he wanted to do.

The thought of that made him go hysterical. The more his body loomed over the crowd and his own men, the more felt like he truly belonged up along with the greats. Alexander the Great. Julius Caesar. Izuru Kamukura. King of the World. King of the fucking World. His grin came with a noise now.

A laughter.

A hysterical laughter over how much power he knew he truly had now…

"Ha… Ha…" Cadius's face twisted. "HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

King of the FUCKING world!

I am a wonderlust king.

That was who he was.

…King of the fucking World…

[Hope's Peak Toronto]

(Headmistress's Office)

Wright didn't know how long it's been since he was first thrown inside this office.

With one of Mabel's spare phones in his hand, Wright simply sat curled up in a corner. He had made the call to Toronto's Police Headquarters. After all, since he didn't really actually have Burkheiser's phone number or anything like that, reaching Officer Snips was probably the next best thing. He was a reliable ally to Burkheiser, wasn't he?

Reliable ally.

Unlike him…

Thinking of it now, even though Wright had known Burkheiser for only a short matter of time, all he's really done to help was introduce him to characters and locations of interest. Was there really nothing else he could do to help? Was there really nothing else he could…?

Wright grimaced.

What kind of Future Foundation agent was he…?

To allow his own comrades to disappear like that and do little to actually help Burkheiser out in his investigation. In the end, all he did was get himself into trouble. Maybe Mabel was right. Maybe getting involved in the first place was a bad idea. Maybe Cadius was right too. Maybe… getting involved just brought nothing but trouble to everyone involved.

Maybe… he should've shared everything he knew with Burkheiser from the get-go…

Wright buried his face inside his knees.

For someone to be as accomplished as him, he sure does fail a lot, doesn't he? Air Medal for what? The death of an entire village that he bombed? Now what was going on here? He was sitting in his old teacher's office, like nothing more than a prisoner of war that needed to be rescued. What did he have to offer that the others don't have already?

Maybe that was why he backed out of—

"Hey! You're that Ultimate! You shouldn't be—!"

The sound of Victor and Zulu being pummeled could be heard, prompting Wright to pick his head back up from his knees. What was that? Was that…?

Click.

The door unlocked.

And with a creak, it opened, revealing three familiar faces that Wright was glad to see. Burkheiser, Officer Snips, and surprisingly Lucas, stood in front of the door. Both Victor and Zulu were on the ground, unconscious. Based on the fact that Lucas was holding his book with two hands, it was safe to say that he was probably the one who had a hand in knocking them out.

As for Burkheiser and Snips…?

"Wright!" Burkheiser rushed in. "I got your call! A-Are you–? Are you alright?!"

"I… I…" Wright glanced away, pained. "Sir… You… really came?"

"Well, yeah," Burkheiser blinked. "Why wouldn't I? We're partners, aren't we?"

"E-Even if…" Wright blinked. "E-Even if I…"

Wright glanced away.

"B-But am I not a burden to you sir…?" Wright grimaced. "S-So why…?"

"What?" Burkheiser blinked. "Why the heck would you ever be a burden to me? You're my partner, first and foremost."

"B-But do I deserve to be?" Wright frowned.

Burkheiser rubbed his chin.

As he'd imagined, whatever Cadius Leve had said to him when he forcibly pulled Wright away from that insubordination talk, it must've been bad enough for Wright to be feeling like this. Again, Burkheiser wasn't good with all of these social feelings crap. But as his partner, Burkheiser at least felt a little more committed to trying to solve this than he was with Aubrey.

"Hey, Charles," Burkheiser placed a hand over Wright's shoulder. "Whatever that Cadius guy said to you, don't listen to him. I wouldn't be able to do half the things I was able to do without you."

"But what things did I ever do to help?" Wright grimaced. "Sir, all I did was drive you to Hope's Peak Toronto. What use is a partner if all I do is chauffeur?"

Wright glanced away.

"As a Future Foundation Agent, I am a disgrace, sir…" he revealed. "It's because of me that… that… that my own comrades… they…"

He couldn't say it.

He couldn't dare to say it out loud.

Unfortunately, with Wright being unable to say it, Burkheiser didn't know what exactly he was going on about. But with enough context clues, Burkheiser could formulate some theories on the matter. For starters, comrades? What exactly did he mean by that? Did this have anything to do with the murder…?

"Charles Wright," Lucas sighed. "Your guilty conscience is truly heartbreaking to listen to and while a nice therapy session will do you good, I'm afraid it won't be enough time. Do you know where this murder took place?"

Wright glanced away.

It took a bit for him to actually respond but when he did, he never bothered to look Burkheiser straight in the eye. The shame was too real for him. Whatever that shame was, it was too real for him…

"Storage closet," Wright revealed. "2nd floor."

"Get the team there, immediately," Lucas ordered Officer Snips.

"H-Hey, who the heck is really in charge of this operation?!" Snips exclaimed, surprised by Lucas's sudden leadership.

No answer.

Lucas had already gone off to the 2nd floor, desperate to find the body. Officer Snips decided to do the same, but not before turning toward Burkheiser, his gaze growing concerned.

"Let's go Burkheiser!" Snips exclaimed. "We got work to do!"

Burkheiser didn't move.

He gave one last look at Wright.

"Charles…" he opened his mouth to speak.

But it didn't seem like Wright wanted to talk about this any further. He closed himself off in the corner of the room. Whatever had happened in the moment he was gone definitely spooked him. Burkheiser looked down. He wanted to be there for his friend. He truly did. But just like with Aubrey, he was afraid he would have to leave him behind…

…leave him behind for the sake of the crime scene.

As he always did.

(Storage Closet)

Lucas didn't express it, but he was nervous.

When Lucas reached the Storage Closet, he completely ignored the members of the police force that were getting into quarrels and minor fights against the Future Foundation agents. With Cadius Leve currently out on who knows where, taking over the school and investigating it with actual warrants made things easier for Lucas and Burkheiser to access the school and its crime scenes.

At least, in this instance, it was just Lucas.

And when he walked into the Storage Closet, he quietly begged to himself that whoever he was going to find wasn't who he was expecting. When he saw the body… saw that it was…

Lucas blinked.

He… recognized him.

Wasn't this…?

"Henry… Manstick?" Lucas muttered out loud.

A sense of relief flushed over his body, but it didn't exactly negate the tense feeling of being in the presence of a corpse. Especially one that had been dead for quite a while it seemed. Just like Wright, he noted how awful he looked. The way this Henry Manstick guy went out. A snapped neck. Like someone had just…

"Henry Manstick?"

Burkheiser arrived at the scene, getting there just in time to hear Lucas speak his name. When he saw the body, he recoiled for a moment. Then, he allowed himself to calm down and start slinking into detective mode.

"A-Ah… you must be referring to…" Burkheiser grimaced, noting just how quick and effortless this death seemed.

"Indeed," Lucas glanced away. "Henry Manstick. He was… an old classmate of Charles Wright and I."

"A-Another classmate?" Burkheiser asked.

"What do you mean by another?" Lucas narrowed his eyes.

"W-Well, this isn't exactly the first time I'm meeting another one of Wright's old classmates," Burkheiser pointed out. "I mean, there's you, who ended up being a suspect in the disappearance of Class 1-C. But now, this Henry Manstick guy? As a victim found in Hope's Peak Toronto? Surely, that can't be a coincidence, right?"

"Who's to say?" Lucas looked away. "You're the investigator here."

Even now, Lucas wasn't willing to divulge too much information here. Whether that be because he's disturbed by seeing a dead body or what, Burkheiser didn't know. Regardless, what he did know was that now was the perfect chance for him to really put his Talent to the test. He glanced around, noting the lack of security cameras in the room. After all, most Hope's Peak schools should have cameras, right? So...

"No security cameras in the room, huh?" Burkheiser remarked.

"No security cameras in Hope's Peak Toronto, in general," Lucas said. "When your Head of the Steering Committee is Cadius Leve, you can expect a lot of corners to be cut."

"Meaning, we can't rely on those to tell us who could've placed or killed someone here," Burkheiser noted.

Meaning, the only thing they could rely on at the moment was the body. The body and the crime scene could tell Burkheiser a thousand stories. But which story would stick? That was what Burkheiser was about to find out. So, the first thing he did was glance at the body, noting what peculiar things were there...

...and what wasn't there.

Like namely…

The fact that moving past the fact that the victim's neck was so cruelly twisted around, Burkheiser could at least see that there was a red/near-purple mark around his neck. A sign that whatever killed him definitely left a mark right where they did the killing blow. Intriguing. What could've caused that? Burkheiser had his theories, but he needed to glance around some more.

He never dared touch the body.

He instead, paced around the room, examining it from every angle.

He glanced at the victim's hands, noticing how clean they were. Clean. Like his clothing. Like how neat and tidy it was. Like how neat and tidy the entire room was for that matter.

Why was everything so... clean?

Unless...?

"Figure something out yet, Charles Berkheiser?" Lucas tilted his head.

Burkheiser grimaced.

How impatient!

"Well, obviously the Cause of Death was a broken neck," Burkheiser squatted down to remark. "Thanks to rigor mortis, we can see clear traces of a red/purple mark over his neck and with how his head is completely twisted…"

He grimaced.

"It's safe to say that whoever killed him, had to be someone strong with a… unique background," Burkheiser surmised.

"A unique background?" Lucas questioned. "What do you mean?"

"Look at his body," Burkheiser pointed toward Henry's hands. "Specifically, his hands. Notice how clean they are?"

"So?" Lucas questioned.

"So, based on the red marks over his neck, I think that the victim was placed in a chokehold," Burkheiser explained, mimicking the actions of someone choking someone out. "Now, when most victims are in chokeholds, what do they do?"

"...They struggle," Lucas answered.

"That's right," Burkheiser nodded. "But notice how clean his hands are. Notice how tidy his clothes are. Notice how everything in this storage closet seems intact and tidy. What does that tell you?"

"The victim… never struggled?" Lucas raised an eyebrow.

"Precisely," Burkheiser confirmed. "Which means that our killer managed to snap the victim's neck without much of a fight. And the only killers that can do that…"

Burkheiser turned to Lucas.

"...are killers that know how to kill," he concluded. "Essentially, our victim, Henry Manstick, was killed by someone who was taught how to kill and knows how to kill someone quickly and effortlessly."

"So, you propose our killer…" Lucas narrowed his eyes. "...is a trained killer?"

"Just from looks?" Burkheiser nodded. "Yeah. A trained killer."

A trained killer.

Here?

At Hope's Peak Toronto of all places?

But who on Earth could that be? Was there anyone here in this school that was a trained killer? Lucas wasn't willing to believe that so easily. Even if Charles Burkheiser was the Ultimate Crime Scene Investigator, most of this was a theory that was concocted based on eagle-eyesight alone. Unless he saw hard proof…

…it definitely wasn't something he was going to accept just yet.

(2nd Floor)

With the general crime scene being examined, Burkheiser walked out of the Storage Closet and into the 2nd Floor Hallway to hear—

"Well, well, well. Look who decided to show his American ass back here of all places…?"

What timing.

The moment Burkheiser left the Storage Closet, he and Lucas were already surrounded by Future Foundation operatives. The police team that he had brought along did their best to contain the crime scene, but with Cadius's entire team now on the premises, Burkheiser was wondering whether or not he had made a mistake bringing only a few actual police officers. In his defense…

…it was all Officer Snips' fault.

Speaking of whom…

"Hey pal," Officer Snips stepped up in front of Burkheiser. "This is an active crime scene. You and your buddies got no jurisdiction—"

PUNCH!

A raised wad of cash and instantly, Mike went up ahead and struck him across the nose.

"A-Agh!" Officer Snip held his nose. "D-Did you just assault a police officer?!"

"And so what if he did?" Cadius grinned.

"Th-That's an offense!" Officer Snips declared. "A crime! You can go to jail for that! Wait… No! I'll put you in jail for that, motherfucker!"

"And I'll just bail him out," Cadius shrugged with a twisted smile. "I got the money, after all."

"G-Grk…" Officer Snips had no idea what exactly he should say. "B-Burkheiser! Do something!"

"S-Some police officer you are," Burkheiser deadpanned.

But granted, he supposed he had no choice but to take charge here. Cadius Leve was far above the actual police at this point. Far above… Burkheiser blinked. Hang on a moment. The CSI agent turned to Lucas, noticing how the physicist had simply gone back to reading his book. As if he had little interest in the drama that was unfolding.

"H-Hey, wait a minute," Burkheiser narrowed his eyes. "Lucas. Didn't you say I needed the power of the Braun PharmaX CEO to talk to someone like Cadius Leve?"

"Oh, that?" Lucas raised an eyebrow. "I only said that because I really wanted to see who died. Nothing more."

"Y-You little—" Burkheiser wanted to strangle this little shit.

"Lucas… von… Braun…" Cadius spoke, as if he were trying to identify the weakest link of their little group. "Well, I certainly didn't expect to see you here of all places. How's life…?"

Cadius leaned forward, his face twisting in disgust.

"...sitting up in that large corporation building of yours?" he said with such contempt. "Watching over every little normie that walks and drives past it."

He let out a small chuckle.

"Ah… that's right," Cadius grinned. "The young prince born with everything. The smarts. The wealth. The Talent. Only to find out mommy and daddy made a big booboo and got themselves locked up in the slammer."

Lucas didn't seem happy in the slightest by that remark.

"Cadius Leve…" Lucas's eye twitched only slightly. "I see you're back to your sad pathetic charade of flaunting your wealth around and acting like the king of the world. But then again, that's how you always were, weren't you?"

Lucas closed his book.

"Did you win this year's King of Directors award by the way?" he asked.

"You little—!" Cadius clenched his fist.

"Ooh, struck a nerve, did I?" Lucas coldly bit back.

"How dare you speak that way to our General, Ultimate!" Alpha declared. "Cadius Leve is a man of overwhelming power and authority here at Hope's Peak Toronto! He is the law and the order of our fine institution! As such, we demand that you speak to him with utmost respect!"

Almost everyone in the room went quiet, blankly staring at how passionate Alpha was over that.

"W-Wow," Cadius blinked. "I didn't even have to pay her to say that."

He smiled.

"And that's why you're my number one, Alpha," he grinned.

"Appreciated, sir," Alpha nodded.

"Let's just get back to the crux of the matter here," Burkheiser referred the topic back to the crime scene. "Look, Director Leve. I get it. You have some hatred towards Ultimates and don't want them in your presence or whatever. But we should be on the same side here. There's a dead body on your campus. And you'll need my help to solve this case and catch the killer. There's no way around—"

"And that's where you're wrong, Charles #2," Cadius shook his head. "Why need the help of an Ultimate Investigator when I've already figured out who did it…?"

"Y-You… Y-You did?" Burkheiser blinked.

"Of course," Cadius grinned. "Wanna see?"

Burkheiser... did in fact want to see.

"Bring 'em out, boys!" Cadius grinned. "Show this worthless American trash who the killer is!"

Burkheiser was admittedly curious.

He should be concerned. Considering the fact that it was Cadius saying that they found the killer, that should've raised all sorts of red flags for him. But at the same time, just trying to figure out who exactly Cadius was going to bring into the picture fueled whatever curiosity that was about to kill the cat.

He paused.

Waited.

And then he watched as two of Cadius's men dragged his number one suspect to the show.

Burkheiser widened his eyes.

It was…

…

…Wright?

Wright didn't say anything. He was left in that same state Burkheiser left him in. His face looked guilty. Undoubtedly guilty. But that couldn't be true, right? Wright wouldn't be capable of something like this. Wright was his partner. He wasn't a killer. He couldn't be a killer. He couldn't be responsible for the death of his own classmate.

"No, you're wrong," Burkheiser gritted his teeth. "On what grounds do you think Wright is the killer?!"

"Haha…" Cadius smoothed over his hair for a moment. "For an Ultimate Crime Scene Investigator, you're kind of an idiot…"

With scorn in his eyes, Cadius took out a Canadian dollar and crushed it, wrinkling the perfectly good piece of paper up until it as wrinkled as beef jerky.

"Isn't it standard procedure to understand who the victim was before coming to conclusions?" Cadius grinned.

"I do know who the victim is," Burkheiser frowned. "His name is Henry Manstick. He's an old classmate of Lucas and Charles Wright and one of your sister's old students. But accusing Wright of doing this just because they knew each other isn't qualms for—"

"Wow, that's all you know about him?" Cadius laughed. "Alright then. I'll throw you a bone real quick. Henry Manstick wasn't just a classmate of Charles #1. He was also..."

He grinned.

"Charles #1's first partner," Cadius revealed.

"W-What?" Burkheiser blinked. "W-Wait… you mean…?"

"That's right," Cadius grinned. "Henry Manstick was a Future Foundation agent. And not just any Future Foundation agent. But a Rogue as well. Just like Charles #1. Isn't that right… you fucking Ultimate?"

A Future Foundation agent?

Wright's first partner?

Suddenly, his reaction made sense.

Suddenly the guilt-ridden look on Wright's face made so much sense.

If he had come across the deceased body of his old partner— and not just a partner but a classmate and potentially an old friend —there was no doubt the pain of feeling responsible would start to kick in. That was why he talked about how he was a worthless partner. That was why…

"C-Charles?" Burkheiser turned to Wright, concerned.

Wright wouldn't meet his eyes.

"H-Hey, sorry to interrupt but… what do you mean by Rogue?" Officer Snips had managed to clean the blood seeping out of his nose.

"It means exactly as it sounds," Cadius grinned. "A Rogue Future Foundation Agent. A Future Foundation Agent that goes against the orders of their own Director. A Future Foundation Agent that thinks they can do whatever the hell they want just because they're Future fucking Foundation. Can you believe anyone would do anything like that? Fucking trash…"

Pot calling the kettle black much?

"A-And, Wright's one of them?" Burkheiser couldn't believe what he was hearing.

Charles Wright was loyal and a dutiful soldier. At least, he acted that way when he first met Burkheiser. To think that even someone like Wright could go Rogue. Go against the Director. Burkheiser took another look toward Cadius. Thinking about it now, Burkheiser genuinely understood it. If his Director was someone like Cadius Leve, undoubtedly, he'd probably go Rogue too.

So, in reality, Burkheiser didn't blame Wright one bit.

He gritted his teeth.

"So what if Wright's a Rogue Future Foundation agent?!" Burkheiser exclaimed. "So what if he knew the victim?! That doesn't mean he's the culprit! Whatever your line of reasoning is… it's faulty! Incredibly faulty!"

Cadius sighed and turned to Wright this time.

"You really didn't tell him much of anything, did you?" Cadius frowned. "I wonder why? Could it be…?"

He grinned.

"...Were you intentionally hiding information from your own partner?" Cadius gave a twisted smile. "About why you truly decided to buddy up with the Ultimate Crime Scene Investigator of all people? About why you volunteered to team up with this American behind my back?"

"W-What's he talking about this time?" Burkheiser blinked.

Wright didn't say anything.

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Cadius cackled. "What was it, huh?! Was it shame?! Guilt?! Knowing full well that you're the reason they're gone?!"

"W-Wright, what is he talking about?!" Burkheiser questioned.

"Henry and Charles #1 weren't the only Rogue Future Foundation Agents running around my little playground, y'know," Cadius grinned. "There were two more. And those two ended up disappearing… along with the rest of the Class of 1-C."

"W-Wait, so you're saying…" Burkheiser tried to put the pieces together as quickly as possible. "There were Future Foundation agents hiding amongst the Class of 1-C?!"

"That's right," Cadius grinned. "Now you see why Charles #1 popped up to the top of the suspect list? I mean, even you, the Ultimate CSI should agree that's suspicious right? The fact that this little shit's three comrades end up disappearing and he gets left behind all fine and dandy? The fact that one of his comrades pops up all of a sudden, dead as a doornail? I mean, how can't anyone think it's all so suspicious?"

Cadius turned to Wright, his gaze turning dark and sinister.

"How can't anyone think this little brat is so fucking suspicious?!" Cadius laughed. "HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

So, that was his line of reasoning.

Burkheiser hated to admit it, but he really wished Wright would come clean about this on their first day. Whether he hid it out of shame or guilt, Burkheiser didn't know or didn't care at the moment. The truth came out right then and there.

There were four Rogue Future Foundation agents involved with this incident. One was Charles Wright, the one who was left behind and had volunteered to work with him. The second was Henry Manstick, the one who was found dead in the Storage Closet. Then, there were two more, names unknown but definitely amongst the class that disappeared.

The only reason Wright was in the suspicious lane right now was solely because of the fact that he was the only one still here.

But fortunately for him, Burkheiser still believed in the soldier.

He knew for sure that Wright couldn't be the one that did this.

"He might be suspicious, sure," Burkheiser spoke up. "But he's not the killer."

"What did you just say to me, Ultimate?" Cadius coldly remarked.

"I checked the body," Burkheiser said. "I ran my own mini-Investigation. And I came to one single conclusion. The killer has to be a trained killer."

He gestured to the Storage Closet.

"Go ahead and look inside," Burkheiser said. "Notice how clean and tidy everything is, including the body. We know he died from having his neck snapped. And we know the killer put him in a chokehold based on those red marks around his neck. So, with everything clean and tidy while being put in a chokehold can only mean that our victim was unable to put up a fight."

Burkheiser rubbed his chin.

"Unable to put up a fight because our killer quickly and effortlessly twisted his neck," he concluded. "So, knowing that. Do you still think Charles Wright is the killer? He's not trained to do anything like that!"

Cadius was quiet.

As if he were seemingly taking in everything Burkheiser was saying seriously. Or rather, trying to poke holes in Burkheiser's logic. Trying to find a way for a normie like himself to best an Ultimate like Burkheiser. He let out a small chuckle, taking out a Canadian dollar and holding it out for Alpha to take.

"Alpha, could you read this Ultimate, Wright's file?" Cadius boastfully asked.

Wright's eyes widened.

"W-Wait, sir!" he exclaimed.

"Certainly," Alpha nodded, taking the Canadian dollar out of his hands and opening up Wright's file. "Charles Wright. Ultimate Pilot. Future Foundation Agent of the Toronto District. Former student of Mabel Leve. Won the Air Medal. Youngest person to do so. But…"

Alpha looked up.

"...once bombed an entire village as per military service," Alpha revealed.

Burkheiser turned to Wright, shocked.

"W-What?" Officer Snips blinked. "Th-They just put that on a student's file?"

"I'm afraid they put everything on an Ultimate's file," Lucas remarked. "Even the bad…"

"So, Charles #2, still think Charles #1's innocent?" Cadius smirked. "I mean, he fits the bill of your killer, doesn't he? He's a military cadet. A trained killer. So trained, that he killed hundreds of innocent women and children. You really think someone like him wouldn't be able to snap the neck of his own Future Foundation agent with little effort?"

"I… I…" Wright's face turned blue.

Burkheiser couldn't believe it.

The insights and things he had discovered from his own Investigation was spun right back toward him. All the things he thought could've absolved Wright of guilt were things that ended up painting him in a negative light than before. He gritted his teeth.

Damn it!

Was there nothing he could do?

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Cadius laughed. "I told you Charles #2. You're way out of your league here. You decide to come to my territory, play detective, and all for what? For a truth that you didn't want to know about! Isn't that hilarious?!"

He shifted to a colder look filled with contempt.

"...You fucking Ultimate," he narrowed his eyes.

This guy…

His hatred toward Ultimates was unmatched…

He looked toward Wright. Despite coming to such a quick and easy conclusion over how the victim died, that was really all he had to offer. As an Ultimate Crime Scene Investigator, he was good with the crime scene component. That was it. But with motives? With the insights of his own partner and friend…?

He gritted his teeth.

Shit.

Was there really nothing he could do for—

"He's not the killer."

Burkheiser perked his head up. So did a handful of other people who were there. Burkheiser didn't exactly recognize who that voice belonged to, meaning it had to be someone new to enter the fray. When he along with the others turned, Burkheiser noticed a young woman enter the Hallway.

Standing at 5'4, she had a bubbly complexion with a sharp canine tooth. Her hair was long and brown, with most of it tied into twin buns. On top of her head was also a white nurse's hat with an orange medical plus sign on it. What was especially unique about this nurse's hat was the fact that it also had brown animal ears attached to it, like those of a fox or… whatever animal it is.

As she rolled her way toward where everyone was, Burkheiser could make out more details of her otherwise unique appearance. For starters, she wore an orange and white suit-like jersey with the number '30' over. Along with it was an orange and black tie and white high-collared shirt on the inside. Below her upper half was an orange skirt with black pleats on the ends of it.

She wore long white knee socks with orange stripes and roller skates. Made sense for her as in one hand, she carried what seemed to be a hockey stick. She also wore black and orange hockey gloves. So immediately, Burkheiser clued her in to be a big fan of hockey.

She skated her way toward Cadius, a look of displeasure over her face. But before she could presumably give him a piece of her mind, she shared smiles with Wright and Lucas specifically.

"Charlie!" she beamed, speaking in a Canadian accent. "Lukey! Been a long time, eh? How've you been?!"

"Huh?" Burkheiser reacted to his name being called. "Charlie? Me?"

"No, me, sir," Wright pointed out. "Er, it's good to see you again."

"Indeed…" Lucas sighed. "Hawkey Rinque…"

"H-Hawkey… huh?" Burkheiser blinked.

"Yep!" Hawkey winked. "That's me, eh! Hawkey Rinque! Former Ultimate Hockey Player! Now, official School Nurse of Hope's Peak Toronto, eh!"

…

(Hawkey Rinque ~ School Nurse of Hope's Peak Toronto)

…

"And… an old classmate…" Lucas muttered, seemingly finding her quite annoying.

Another one?!

"You…" Cadius narrowed his eyes. "Me and my men have been looking everywhere for you. Had to go and mess up your little boyfriend for answers on your whereabouts. What do you even have to say for yourself…?"

Hawkey huffed her cheeks and looked away, her nurse's hat ears twitching in frustration.

"I'd say ya made a mess of things back at the Blue Devil!" Hawkey exclaimed. "Ya ruined my little Spikke's face! Ooh, you bad man you!"

"Tch, this little bitch," Cadius coldly remarked.

"Excuse me, Miss Rinque, but…" Burkheiser needed to divert the topic back to the intriguing matter at hand. "You mentioned that Wright wasn't the killer. C-Could you explain why you think so?"

"Oh?" Hawkey blinked before smiling. "Now who's this cutie, eh? Ya don't look like a Canuck!"

"I'm an American," Burkheiser explained. "Future Foundation Agent of the New York District."

"Oooh, a New Yorker, eh?" Hawkey grinned. "Well then! Welcome to the chesterfields, my good sir! You'll find it's a fun place! The best place with the best hockey team in the world! Go Beavers! Yeah!"

"It's the only place with hockey teams in the world," Lucas pointed out.

"Just answer the fucking question, bitch!" Cadius was losing patience. "What the hell do you mean, Charles #1 isn't the killer?!"

"Oh, now this is a rude little feller!" Hawkey scoffed. "I'm sorry little ole Caddy be causing ya so much trouble, eh. If I wasn't a professional, I'd definitely beat this man with my stick!"

"Hawkey Rinque, please answer the question before I bop you in the head with my book," Lucas coldly stated.

"A-As cold as ever, eh, Lukey?" Hawkey chuckled sheepishly. "Alright! Alright! If ya really wanna know, ya just gotta hafta bear with me on this!"

Hawkey twirled her hockey stick around before finding a good position to dig it into the ground. Once she did that, she leaned against it in thought, her nurse's hat twitching as if she heard something intriguing.

"...I saw the real killer hang out with poor ol' Henrie…" Hawkey pointed out. "Right here by the Storage Closet where he was found. I may be no Master Detective, but I know foul play when I smell it. And that guy… that guy is fouler than any goon looking to play dirty, eh."

"W-Wait, you witnessed the killing?!" Burkheiser exclaimed.

"I didn't see the actual events play out," Hawkey shrugged. "But there was a real suspicious guy hangin out with Henrie at the time. A guy I never recognized when I left my shift early fer the day, eh."

"Officer Snips!" Burkheiser turned toward Snips. "Arrange for a sketch artist to meet with her, stat!"

"Oh no, you don't," Cadius glared. "You think you can just waste my precious time like that? You can't trust a thing this little Ultimate says! I mean, she suddenly appears out of the blue with this key information? Right when I was on a roll with things? This is all bogus! She's obviously trying to protect one of her own!"

"Naw, ya can't really say that now can ya, eh, Caddy?" Hawkey frowned. "I came back 'ere cause I found my Spikey and his cronies beaten black and blue. Ya really have yerself to blame for my winning puck, now, don't ya?"

"Grk!" Cadius gritted his teeth. "You really going to take her side, huh, Charles #2? A random witness that comes out of nowhere? I thought an Ultimate like you used facts and logic, not miracles and con artists!"

"Cadius Leve," Burkheiser narrowed his eyes. "You're not a police officer. You're just Future Foundation. You don't know half of how law enforcement works. Not like we do. So, we're getting a sketch depiction of who the real killer is."

He pointed his finger.

"Whether you want it or not!" Burkheiser declared.

Cadius, with a Canadian dollar in one hand, preemptively tore it down in half, his seething rage uncontested with anyone else in the room. The scorn and hatred for all Ultimates boiled down onto Burkheiser especially. To think that this little slime could talk to him like that? To him? The Director of the Future Foundation? The Head of Canada's Steering Committee?

"...You… fucking… Ultimate…" Cadius growled.

The King of the fucking World?

…

"The sketch artist is on their way," Officer Snips told Burkheiser.

Shortly after calling the precinct to dispatch a sketch artist to Hope's Peak Toronto right away, Snips had noticed that the Ultimate CSI had just gotten off the phone. He looked a little disappointed, by something that Snips just couldn't help himself but be curious about. He fixed his hat.

"Er, something wrong, Burkheiser?" Snips asked.

"...Tried to give my boss a call," Burkheiser simply told him. "Give him an update to what's going on. But for some reason, he's not picking up."

He was of course referring to Kyosuke Munakata.

They had made sure to keep updating each other on certain things they had found out in their own investigations on the matter. But at the moment, it didn't seem like Mr. Munakata was available to take any sort of call. He sighed and frowned. He supposed the updates would have to wait. Especially with the sketch artist on their way to show who really killed Henry Manstick.

"Maybe he's busy?" Snips suggested. "I mean, whoever your boss is, they can't be available for calls 24/7 y'know."

He was right.

They can't…

"...Yeah, you're right," was all Burkheiser said.

With a firm assuring nod, Snips left Burkheiser back to Hawkey Rinque in hopes that he could get some questions from her. But since Burkheiser remembered he was a police officer and not a detective, that statement didn't make too much sense. So, most likely, Snips was just going to her because he wanted to goon to her or something…

Burkheiser let out a stifled chuckle at the thought.

"B-Burkheiser…?" a voice called out, meekly. "S-Sir?"

Burkheiser blinked and turned back, noting Wright's sudden appearance.

"W-Wright?" Burkheiser asked. "What's wrong?"

Wright glanced away.

"...Could we talk, sir?" Wright asked. "Privately…?"

Burkheiser's face looked resigned.

Wright was his partner.

He never should feel the need to ask twice…

[Saskatchewan]

"Welcome to Saskatchewan, Mr. Munakata."

Kyosuke Munakata opened his eyes from what felt like a really long flight. In reality, it kind of was. Shortly after he had hung up on his last call with Burkheiser, Kyosuke had taken it upon himself to snag one of Future Foundation private jets to Canada, specifically Saskatchewan. When it came to Saskatchewan, most people and Nathan would consider it to be a place with absolutely nothing to it.

But Kyosuke knew this would be where he would find him.

The man who could give him a better insight as to what exactly was going on at Hope's Peak Toronto. The only man who could give him a better insight into why there is so much corruption within that backup school.

He armed himself with his sword, tucking it by his belt.

He gave a nod toward one of the Usami Units that had flown him here. He was still getting used to the fact that Hope's Peak International was utilizing literal toys for most of their services. As it turned out, these Usami Units made for good pilots as well. Who would've known?

Standing up and preparing to leave the plane, he was stopped by the Usami Unit's voice.

"Will you be back, Mr. Munakata?" Usami questioned.

"Of course," Kyosuke said. "The matter I wish to attend won't take too long."

"Okeydokey!" Usami saluted. "I will be waiting right here for you then, Mr. Munakata! Have fun and enjoy yourself in Saskatchewan!"

"Thank you, Usami," Kyosuke remarked.

The private jet opened up, allowing Kyosuke to step outside and admire the otherwise empty airplane runway he had been forced to land in. While he was surrounded by nothing but plains and an otherwise cold atmosphere, Kyosuke knew this would be where he would find him anyway.

After all, according to the other Chairman and staff of Hope's Peak International, he sure loved to hang out in natural environments. Even taking this time to go on his spiritual retreat while everything went to shit back in Toronto.

Kyosuke knew that he was due for a long chat.

…A long chat with the Hope's Peak Chairman of the Canada Branch…

[Hope's Peak Toronto]

(Headmistress's Office)

When Wright led Burkheiser into Mabel Leve's office, Burkheiser did nothing but watch as the Ultimate Pilot scoured the room for a file.

Once he got the file, he slapped it across the coffee table that was set up between Burkheiser and Wright. Wright sat where Cadius had originally sat when he initiated his interrogation. He gently organized that file right next to the three that Cadius had set for him. Then, he miserably looked down at the ground.

Burkheiser sat across from him, his eyebrows furrowing in concern.

"...Sir… I'm sure…" Wright began. "You have a lot of…"

"Questions?" Burkheiser asked. "Yeah, like, why didn't you tell me you were a Rogue Future Foundation Agent? Why didn't you tell me you were supposed to go and disappear with everyone else? Why did you keep me in the dark for a lot of this stuff? I mean, didn't you think you could've made the Ultimate Crime Scene Investigator's life a hell lot easier by going over stuff like that on the first day?!"

Wright was silent.

He chose to look down, ashamed.

At this point, Burkheiser probably realized he was letting his emotions get ahead of him here. He sighed to himself. This wasn't like him. It wasn't like him to get heated up over what his own allies were doing. Not like he usually had any to begin with. When it came to solving mysteries, it was just him and him alone doing things together.

"...I'm sorry," Burkheiser fixed his glasses. "I just… You should've told me. I just don't understand why you—"

"I… I guess I was just scared…" Wright simply said. "...All my life, I have been under direct orders from savage men like Cadius or my previous general… If you knew this much about me, you would be—"

"What?" Burkheiser frowned. "Scared of you? Hate you?"

He shook his head.

"Wright," Burkheiser leaned forward. "I'm not Cadius. I'm not your old general. And I'm not the entirety of Hope's Peak International. I'm just some guy hired to go and do the right thing for once. So, what right would I have to be scared or hate someone like you?"

"Even after knowing I killed innocent women and children before?" Wright grimaced.

"On purpose?" Burkheiser asked.

Wright looked up toward Burkheiser, surprised.

"Do you remember what I said…?" Burkheiser continued. "About how I usually tell the good people from the bad? About how it's all about intention?"

"Look, as long as Headmistress Leve keeps her mouth shut, there's no way of knowing whether she's good or bad," Burkheiser sighed. "I've seen stuff like this countless times. There are always murderers out there that end up being the true victim of the cases they made. I've seen men and women murder their abusers. I've seen desperate people shoot others to get cash. It just comes down to intention…"

"Wright," Burkheiser frowned. "We may have worked with each other for a short while now. But to me, it feels like we've been working together our entire lives. You are and have always been my first and only partner I've ever had. So, believe me when I say that I will never hate or be scared of you."

He tipped his cap.

"...You're my partner," Burkheiser dictated. "First and foremost."

Wright blinked.

"S-Sir… you…" Wright looked down. "You really are…"

Wright said that he wouldn't cry. But at this point, he just couldn't contain himself anymore. He looked down, tears welling up in his eyes. For once in his life, he's actually met someone that treated him as an equal. For once in his life, he could actually be proud of what he did instead of being put down by those higher than he was.

For once, he's met someone that didn't see him as a failure.

For once, he's met someone he could rely on other than Headmistress Mabel Leve…

"A-Ah… s-sir… you…" Wright tried to wipe his tears.

"A-Ah, I… I think I'm going to go and get you a tissue," Burkheiser widened his eyes. "B-Be right back!"

Wright simply nodded.

Jeez.

If Burkheiser was any good at actually comforting people, he'd jump over the coffee table and give Wright a hug right about now. Unfortunately, he wasn't good at that, so instead, he scrambled around Mabel's office in hopes that he could find a tissue box or something like that. But in a way…

…heh.

He was at least glad Wright could be a little truthful to him now…

…

"We were all fellow classmates…"

Shortly after Wright had recovered from his moment of vulnerability, he had begun to lay it on Burkheiser straight, telling him of what he needed to know. What he should've told him the moment they met in that diner together.

"...But while most of us went on our separate paths, four of us stayed together as Future Foundation agents," Wright continued. "As you can imagine, it wasn't exactly the life many of us hoped it would be."

"Because of Cadius Leve, right?" Burkheiser questioned.

"Indeed, sir," Wright nodded. "His… distrust and contempt for Ultimates. Well, it became suffocating place to work in. Which was why we all banded together as Rogue Future Foundation Agents. Investigating things that Cadius himself didn't want us poking into."

"Which, in this case, was the inevitable disappearance of Class 1-C, right?" Burkheiser concluded.

"Actually, no, sir," Wright shook his head. "I… don't believe any of us knew Class 1-C was to disappear like that."

"Wait, but if that's the case…" Burkheiser blinked. "...then, why were you guys on campus that day? Why did you guys go and pose as students for this New Life Program?"

Wright paused for a moment.

"...We were to investigate an individual of interest," Wright explained.

Then, slowly, he shoved the file he had picked out from the cabinet for Burkheiser to see. Curious, the CSI slowly opened it, revealing a face that Burkheiser didn't exactly recognize. But the name? Now, that was a name he definitely remembered hearing.

"...Alvin Miles Tetch," Wright revealed. "The instructor assigned to teach Class 1-C."

"The teacher that went missing alongside them," Burkheiser narrowed his eyes. "But… Why were you investigating him?"

Wright looked away, disappointed.

"Unfortunately, sir…" Wright grimaced. "That is information only Henry himself knew. He was the one who alerted us to the situation. Said that there was something not to be trusted about the new instructor. But unfortunately…"

"...he's dead," Burkheiser concluded.

Of course.

These kinds of things could never be easy, now could they?

The one person who had the facts and knew quite a lot was found dead in a storage closet of a Hope's Peak branded school. Typical murder mystery concept. He glanced toward the other files that were set on the table. The ones that Cadius Leve had been reading in front of Wright. He slowly reached out for one file…

"What about these files?" Burkheiser asked. "Are they…?"

"Files of the other Future Foundation agents?" Wright nodded. "That is correct, sir. If you would like…"

Wright handed him one file.

"...You are free to read these at your own leisure," Wright said. "But might I suggest starting with Henry's? After all, since he's… deceased… I suppose it would be better to know as much as you can about the victim than anyone else for the time being."

"Right," Burkheiser nodded.

He suspected that one of the main reasons Wright had him start with Henry first was for solely the fact that should the others be alive, he didn't want to come across such… controversial things he may find lurking in their files. Especially with what had happened to Wright earlier. Slowly, he opened up Henry's file and slowly read through everything.

"Alright…" Burkheiser began. "Name is Henry Manstick. Future Foundation Agent of the Toronto District. Former student of Headmistress Mabel Leve. Ultimate Talent…? He's…

…

…the Ultimate Toymaker?"

(2nd Floor)

"...Is this the guy…?"

…

The sketch artist worked so quickly that Cadius could've easily mistaken them for some Ultimate. But the fact remained that they weren't. They were good at what they did. And Cadius hated that. He hated the fact that they had to appease an Ultimate just because of something she claimed to have said.

"Yeppers!" Hawkey grinned. "That's the guy! A hundred percent! Wow! Yer really good at this, eh!"

He stared at Hawkey, his cold glare narrowing and his mind wandering back to something he had just thought about.

Apparently, this bitch went and clocked out of working really early. What was that about? Why did she leave so early? From the look of her own sign-in/sign-out sheet, she clocked out the moment the New Life Program was officially set to begin so… what exactly was going on there? Why wasn't she doing her duties…?

"So, this is the guy, huh?" He watched Snips look at the image that the sketch artist drew of their killer. "Jeez. Even has a creepy toy wrapped around his neck?"

"Yep!" Hawkey nodded. "As I said! Mighty suspicious!"

Cadius scoffed and stormed up to the two.

"Give me that!" Cadius snatched the paper out of Snips' hand and looked at the art depiction himself.

He expected it to be of someone no one had a clue of knowing. Like someone that Hawkey was practically making up. Like someone that Hawkey deliberately made up just to get her fellow Ultimates out of danger. But that was far from the truth. Because the moment Cadius saw who was in the image, his eyebrows furrowed, and his face paled in confusion.

"W-What the–?!" Cadius exclaimed.

Hawkey and Snips glanced at one another.

Lucas, who had situated himself in the back, kept his arms folded and eyes narrowed.

"Someone you know, Cadius Leve?" Lucas questioned.

Cadius wasn't sure how to respond. He wanted to say he did, especially with how well the artist captured their overall appearance. But at the moment, his mind wandered over to what it meant. He grimaced. Fuck. Could this Ultimate really be right about…?

"Hey!" Snips frowned. "If you know something, say it! Otherwise, I'll classify your silence as an obstruction of justice!"

Cadius tossed the paper back toward Snips, who almost failed to catch it.

"...Yeah, I know this bastard…" Cadius grumbled. "His name...

…

...is Issac Santiago…

…

…and he's just some normie who works at the Towa Group."

DANGANRONPA: TWISTED TRAGEDY

The Issac reveals keep coming left and right! :D I'm not even sure Oddly expected this either! Bwahahahahaha! But here it is! The third Interlude chapter! Interlude #3: New Life For A Royal Canadian!

The chapter where I tried to do something experimental with a certain scene! Specifically, the scene where Cadius Leve and his men dance to Gorgol Bordello's Wonderlust King! It's such a fitting song for him in that moment and was a scene heavily inspired by Creature Commandos! If you know, you know! And if you don't, go and give that show a watch! It's peak :D

But seriously, I think that scene works well/works better if you listen to the music while reading it :D As I said! Experimental! And fits with how I like to structure these as actual TV show format :D

Definitely my longest Interlude chapter yet! Project says that means I grew as a writer! I say... fuck me. This needs to stop. These chapters are getting way too long for my liking. And what's worse is that the next chapter is gonna be equally as long because it's the goddamn Daily Life 1 chapter aghhhhhhhh!

Henry Manstick. Thank you so much to PROJECT DRAMA for sending him my way! He showed up as a dead corpse! But not just any corpse. A corpse with a literal story behind him because the secrets he held change a lot of things. Like, how he's the real Ultimate Toymaker and how Issac pretty much/probably killed him :D And how he was Charles Wright's first partner! Henry served his purpose and I know Project intended him to be a Henry Stickman reference, which is why I had him appear as... this.

Because hear me out man. While in hindsight, it does suck that he's dead. Look at what Henry's first partner's name actually is and what his Ultimate Talent is XE Like, it DOES NOT get more coincidental and better than that XE

Today's shoutout goes to WolfieRed23's Danganronpa: Happily Never After. She's been trying to compete with me for some reason, but I don't like war, only love. So, give her some love. And if she bonks me in the head again, give her war :D

With that said, uhhhh, 23K Interlude chapter goes brrrrr. Let me know what you guys thought about it. Especially the experimental scene of the music and everything like that. If you guys like it, good! I'll do more in the future! Of course, appropriately and with good bangers :D Like it? Hate it? Let me know! I always like hearing what you guys have to say :D

As for next time, Chapter 4 :D Course, school has started so writing will be a little slower than normal. I did get this chapter out before the end of the month which is FIRE. But now that classes have started and I need time to plan, you might expect Daily Life 1 for Chapter 4 to come out by the end of February D:

Here's hoping!

Next time: I'm SilverMark16 and you're watching Chapter 4! *draws things very poorly*

...

Wait, is this ANOTHER Marvel-esque post-credit scene?! Okay, at this point, you're just gonna have to scroll past the Author's Note to check if I'm hiding stuff like this XE

[?]

(?)

"Of course. I should've known New World Order would send an NWO spy into our game. Well then, I guess I should ask out of courtesy. How are you enjoying our game…

…

…Issac Santiago?"

Issac Santiago couldn't help but keep that sly smile over his face as he pulled up the chair that the third person had been sitting in to watch over those monitors. He paid little heed to the children on it, instead focusing on the three bozos that were looking at him in shock. Or at least, only Stanczyk and Monoyena were. The third person just looked like they should've expected that the most suspicious guy in the cast was indeed the most suspicious guy in the cast. So suspicious that him being an NWO spy should've been the first thing they thought about when they watched him through the amusement park cameras.

Once Issac pulled up a chair, he sat on it, cross-legged and smiling slyly, rubbing Isolde's neck and glancing only at the third person. They were the ones truly in charge of the game, so it made sense to talk to them and only them for the time being. He hummed to himself, resting his back against it, pondering the third person's question.

"How am I enjoying your game…?" Issac feigned confusion before smiling. "That's an amazing question. I mean, on the one hand, a Killing Game built around sacrifice is a pretty cool idea. I'll give you that much. It was fun laying back and watching what choices these idiots constantly made. But on the other hand…"

Issac's expression shifted into a cold, demeaning stare, forcing Stanczyk to shudder and Monoyena to back away instinctively.

The third person held their ground.

"...You three have to be the most amateurish fucks I've ever seen run a Killing Game," Issac's expression turned dark. "I mean…"

The toymaker dryly laughed.

"You guys…" Issac laughed. "...left a fucking bread trail throughout this entire game and none of you noticed? Like, that bitch, Emmeline Swan. Girl had a tracker on her. But guess who had to get rid of that? Guess who had to go and take it off her dead body before anyone else noticed… and then throw it out to open sea?"

"Emmeline? Emmeline? Ugh, finally. A signal. Where are you? Last I checked you were at Hope's Peak Toronto. Something happened there. Are you okay?"

No response.

"Emmeline? Come in. Do you read me?"

No response.

"Emmeline. I repeat. Do you—"

The butterfly barrette that had spoken was roughly smashed against the small steps leading toward the Beach shore. Not just any butterfly barrette. Emmeline's butterfly barrette. Rudely tossed toward the ground, forcing it to crack. The voice that was speaking was cutting in and out until finally a shoe stomped on it, over and over again.

Their shoe had dug the barrette into the ground, breaking it even further. Whomever the voice had belonged to… Well, it will forever remain a secret. They made sure of it, after all. Slowly, they squatted down on the ground and gently picked the smashed butterfly barrette up…

"Oh… wait," Issac leaned back, practically smirking. "Then again, none of you even realized she had a tracker, did you? Just like how none of you even bothered to clue into how fucking obvious it was that the Manon Vivienne Levesque you knew wasn't the real Manon Vivienne Levesque. Or even better…"

Issac ran his hand through his hair.

"How none of you fucking idiots realized that there were Future Foundation agents in your own game," Issac coldly said.

"W-What?" the third person widened their eyes. "W-Who? W-Who are—"

"Tch, you're lucky that Cadius Leve bastard doesn't even keep in touch with his own agents," Issac sighed. "Let alone any Ultimate for that matter. But then again, even the luckiest of Ultimate Lucky Students can't be lucky all the time. The only reason your game made it this far is because you had me to clean up your side of the bed."

"What do you want, then?" the third person folded their arms. "A thank-you note? An offer to leave the game?"

"Oh, it's not what I want that matters," Issac smiled, slowly standing up from the chair. "It's what Isolde wants that does…

…

…total and absolute control over this Killing Game."

"Fat fucking chance!" Monoyena suddenly intervened. "We'll fucking kill you before you can take our Killing Game, ya Squid Games Thanos-looking ass piece of shit!"

"Kill me?" Issac feigned surprise. "Jeez, Monoyena. Is that really your best threat? I know you can do better than that…"

"You don't know nothin 'bout me!" Monoyena growled.

"Ah hah…" Issac raised his hands up into the air, smiling without a care in the world. "Don't I? Why don't you try to stab me? Go on, I dare you to do it…"

"With pleasure!" Monoyena seethed, his mouth drooling and paw gripping tightly onto the Barbie Blade he carried.

"Monoyena, wait," the third person warned, gripping the toy by the arm.

The hyena was surprised by the third person's actions. Just before this major reveal, the third person was already well on their way talking about putting Monoyena as the scapegoat for their little fuck-up. But now, they were concerned. Worried that if Monoyena went through with this, something would happen to him.

It was hypocritical.

And it made him all the more ready to stab this pink-haired punk in the face…

"What the fuck do you want now?!" Monoyena growled. "It's two against one! Let me stab em and then you can have a fucking turn!"

"That's not what I'm worried about," the third person simply said.

Issac's smile widened.

He lowered his hand and quickly took out exactly what the third person had expected this entire time: his back-up plan in case Monoyena ever did rush over to him for the stab. Because in his hands, glimmering in all of its glory, was the golden gun.

Gleaming back in its shiny golden-like glory.

They found it.

They carefully approached it and squatted down. They checked their surroundings. Nothing but bamboo trees. A few feet away was Roderick's gun, which no longer had any bullets, so it was none of their concern. So, carefully, they reached out for the golden gun. They placed their hand on it, held it, and flicked out the gun's cylinder.

Four rounds left.

.38 caliber.

…

"...Lucky me…" was all they had to say.

"Nice powers of observation," Issac complimented.

"Bwa… Bwahahahahaha!" Monoyena couldn't help but let out a laugh. "What?! That's the thing yer worried about?! It'll take more than a gunshot to fuckin stop me!"

"True," Issac shrugged. "Which is why the four remaining bullets in here aren't exactly for you."

He pointed it toward Stanczyk.

"W-W-W-WAH?!" Stanczyk raised his arms up, his mask's face paling.

"No!" the third person tried to move.

"Move one inch and I'm lodging a bullet in this crybaby's head," Issac coldly ordered.

Instinctively, the third person did as they were told. Neither the third person nor Stanczyk moved. And Monoyena? He didn't dare move either. He held onto his Barbie Blade, now uncertain whether he should pounce or not. Four bullets weren't fixable for a MonoMachine like himself. But for Stanczyk…

"Nah…" Monoyena growled. "Yer bluffing. Ya gotta be. Ain't no way yer ballsy enough to go and shoot Arsine's prized possession like this."

"And yet, you haven't moved an inch since I pulled this out," Issac smirked. "So, if you really think I'm bluffing…"

Click.

He took the safety off the gun and kept it aimed straight toward Stanczyk's forehead.

"...Go ahead and stab me," Issac challenged. "Let's see how quickly you can kill me before I lodge a bullet in his face…"

"I… I…" Stanczyk was practically crying. "I… thought we were friends…"

"A single swing of a knife can't beat a speeding bullet," the third person remarked. "Monoyena. Stand down. We've lost this."

Monoyena didn't say anything.

He shot Issac the dirtiest glare he could muster up. The glow of his jagged red eye intensified. As he gripped onto his Barbie Blade, he felt the itch come back. The itch of having to stab the fuck that decided to stroll up in here and ruin their fun. He wanted to scratch it badly. But how could he? How could he be with the only guy he connected with being on the line…?

He growled and slowly backed away.

"S-Son of a bitch…" he seethed.

Issac's smirk softened into a calm yet sly smile.

"Now that we're all on the same page here…" Issac smiled. "How about we come to an understanding? A little terms and agreement for you three to sign."

He paced around the room, slowly pointing his gun away from Stanczyk.

"Stanczyk and Monoyena will continue their role as Dumb and Dumber and host the festivities," Issac explained. "But Motives and Minigames? They will be made by yours truly. All you two bozos have to do is explain it."

He directed a stare toward the third person.

"But the children and all that shit?" Issac hummed. "That's out. You can do whatever you want with the kids but I'm not having those little shits in my Killing Game, understand…?"

The third person only tightened their fist in response.

"I-Is that all…?" Stanczyk asked.

"That's all," Issac smiled. "See? It's not so bad now, is it? Just one warning."

Issac leaned forward, his voice and eyes growing colder and distant.

"You break the rules, try to kill me, or do anything that I don't like…" Issac grimaced. "Grandmaster will be the first to know about you and you guy's little Manon Marie fuck-up. Because believe me. I have my ways of letting him know. And whatever happens to you three then, will be entirely on him."

He paused.

"Well, I guess there's also me lodging a bullet in your little crybaby's head too but, I think you expected that anyway so," Issac couldn't help but laugh. "I'm willing to bet that none you want that outcome anyway, right? You all want to see this Killing Game continue, don't you?"

The three said nothing.

"Because Isolde and I do," Issac chuckled.

"You won't get away with this," the third person simply said.

"And why not?" Issac smiled. "I'm the one with the gun. I'm the one who knows about you and your guy's little fuck-ups. And compared to the psycho killing machine, Arsine's little crybaby, and a newbie who has no idea what the fuck they're doing…"

Issac rubbed his hands around Isolde's neck.

"...I'm in good favor with New World Order," Issac beamed. "So, let's face the ultimate facts here…"

Issac's smile twisted into a look that he had yet to show anyone in this blasted Killing Game. A look that had Issac twisting his smile into a psychotic grin. His eyes turned dark and hollow, with the only color seeping out of it being the red glow flaring from his right eye. A flare that was expected of any true NWO member. A flare in the form of a jagged red eye. But that wasn't all. Joining his psychotic transformation was Isolde, whose beady button eyes shifted into the same jagged red eyes that Issac's darkened expression held…

Truly, this was it.

The true Issac Santiago.

"This Killing Game is now under me and Isolde's control now. So, like good little children… stay out of our fucking way. Understand?"

Cast:

Charles Burkheiser - Ultimate Crime Scene Investigator [PRAKNASTY]

Charles Wright - Ultimate Pilot [NSPunny]

Aubrey Gardner - Leader of the Children's Rights Movement [Prince PokePersona]

Lucas Von Braun - CEO of Braun PharmaX [gfxfgh48]

Guest Stars:

Officer Chase Snips [Otterplay]

Henry Manstick [PROJECT DRAMA]