↑ Saya Asahina above ↑

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'It is more shameful to distrust our
friends than to be deceived by them'
— Confucius

••●••

After school, Tadashi trudged through the empty hallways with his arms dangling by his sides. A long lecture from the principal, followed by the police threatening to press charges. Then, to top it all off, being made the laughing stock of his homeroom class.

He pulled a face, recalling the events that had transpired earlier that day.

"Playing detective, Tadashi Matsumoto?" his teacher sneered after he entered the classroom after a long chat with the school's principal. "Why don't you tell the rest of your classmates what you were up to?"

The stares from his peers caused an unsubtle blush to claim his cheeks.

"Well?" his teacher sang, a devious smile playing at his lips.

Knowing dodging the question wouldn't do him any good, he reluctantly sighed. "In...vestigating the crime scene."

His classmates and teacher howled with laughter, worsening his embarrassment. They snickered all class, hard enough his teacher could hardly conduct a proper lecture. Although Ryuu and Haru, his classmates, shot him sympathetic glances, it didn't stop him from being the attention hog for the rest of the day.

"What was Kobayashi thinking?" Tadashi spat, cursing her name tenfold in his head.

He came to a standstill by his clubroom door. All thirteen other members were already present and seated, attentive to his arrival.

"Took you long enough!" Izumi spat.

With this unusual string of events, it'd leave anyone on edge.

"Don't blame him. He's had it hard since lunch," Ryuu said.

"Heard you got caught," Yasuo sneered, legs crossed on the table, per usual.

"Please tell me you at least found something before then!" Akira said.

"F-Forget about that! D-d-did you tell them?" Mayumi shivered at the thought of the principal finding out.

"No, I didn't," Tadashi said, trying to keep up with the influx of questions. "Besides, even if I did, they'd think of it as a joke. We'd get into trouble."

"Yeah, and I'm in enough as is," Yasuo said. "I don't want to get expelled over something as stupid as this so you idiots better not say anything."

What would they even say to the staff? 'Somebody used our crime scenario to kidnap Moriko Kitoshi, the girl that's currently missing!'

If all fourteen of them had a hard time believing this was happening, why would they? On the off chance they did end up believing them—emphasis on the chance—the culprit would obviously have to be one of them. At least, that'd be the most reasonable deduction.

"Hold up! If Tadashinn got caught, why didn't Ayachii get caught too?" Haru thought aloud, breaking the silence.

Tadashi turned his attention to Ayame for an explanation. Instead of giving one, though, she glanced away. "I was just lucky."

"Isn't that because you used me as a decoy to escape?"

"Did not."

"Yes, you did!"

"It's all over anyway!" Haru laughed, trying to brighten the mood. "All's well that ends well!"

His head jerked to Haru. "You're one to talk! Weren't you supposed to be the sacrifice?"

"I tried my best, Tadashinn! But you guys were taking sooo long! I got hungry and went back inside for some snacks!" He pouted, acting like that was the natural thing to do.

Tadashi sighed in defeat. "I should've known..."

Saya puffed her cheek. "Take a seat already, Matsumoto!"

Frowning, Tadashi dragged his way over to an open chair. As he did that, he noted that Saya seemed rather restless today, the exact opposite of her typically cheery demeanour.

The situation must be getting to her, he thought. Not that I blame her. It's getting to me, too.

Promptly after silencing everyone in the room, Ayame commenced the discussion. "I should start by stating that I didn't find anything out of the ordinary at the crime scene. That being said, it is without a doubt that this case is exactly how we had planned it."

Nobody in the room was alarmed by the revelation. They knew it was coming, after all.

"Sh-she could've j-just not wanted to come h-home, so she didn't," Mayumi suggested.

Kiyoshi nodded vigorously. "It doesn't mean somebody k-kidnapped her!"

"Actually," Ayame said, "we found something rather peculiar about the footprints of the room." She glanced across the table. "Right, Matsumoto?"

The footprints? Tadashi pondered the notion before bobbing his head. "The footprints stopped right where the bottle of Berry Fizz lay. Therefore, we can assume that the culprit took meticulous care to hide their footprints before knocking her out with the drink. If she did leave on her own, her footprints would've led out of the small room; which, they didn't."

"So it really was Berry Fizz," Katsura mumbled, crossing her arms.

"Then how do Ayamecchi know chemicals are inside?" Iori inquired. "Or the right one?"

"I sniffed it to make sure," Ayame replied. "Whoever it was used a lot of the drug. I imagine she passed out right away." She looked over at Iori. "And about which one, if it was used to pass Kitoshi out, then it was most likely the right one." Her face scrunched up sourly. "And don't call me 'Ayamecchi.' It's ridiculous."

"Eh! Here I thought Ayamecchi and I were becoming closer!" Iori cried with animated tears streaking his cheeks. Almost immediately, his eyes took the shape of hearts. "Oh, whatever. A cold Ayamecchi is still marvellous!"

Ayame rolled her eyes. "Like I said, don't call me that."

"Hold up," Izumi interjected, scoffing at the information that stuck with her. "You... sniffed it?"

They all patiently waited for the answer to Izumi's question, considering how valid—and ludicrous—the idea was.

Ayame didn't deliver.

"I also have one more piece of evidence to link this incident to our case," she said instead.

Swerving toward the cabinet where they stored their previous crime scenarios, she unlocked a drawer with a key and dug through the files. Soon enough, she retrieved the folder that they'd placed their kidnapping plot inside days prior.

As she opened the folder, the expectation was that the paper drop out of it. However, nothing did. It was empty.

"That... Where's the sheet?" Saya demanded, clasping her hands over her mouth. Her limbs shook vehemently.

"What's everyone panicking about? The paper could've fell out of the folder and into the other files, right?" Izumi said, unconvinced.

Ayame raised her arms. "I searched through them this morning but it's nowhere to be found. Besides, you know best, don't you? You put it in there yourself."

Izumi's salmon pink eyes widened considerably. She gritted her teeth. "What are you getting at? Ugh, I absolutely hate that condescending attitude of yours!"

"As if I care. I don't live to please you."

She fumed with anger. In an instant, she was on her feet, ripping through each and every folder in search of the paper. Seconds later, she came to a halt. "It seriously isn't here... It's gone."

A deathly quiet engulfed the room.

"If the paper's gone... then, what?" Ryuu asked in a quiet voice.

Atsushi swallowed hard. "Including the stages of the kidnapping... It's all exactly how—"

"We had planned it," Katsura finished.

"That means— The only explanation for these occurrences is that..." Yasuo went on.

Somebody in this club stole the paper and committed the crime.

The thought was simultaneous.

Frightened and uneasy glances were fired left and right.

One of them stole the paper and committed the crime.

One of them... kidnapped Moriko Kitoshi.

"If that's the case, where Moriko is being held..." Akira whispered, her baby blue eyes shrinking in realization.

Tadashi lurched from his chair before she could go on. "Do you guys seriously buy that? Just because the paper's missing doesn't mean that somebody in this club did it. Anybody could've come in here and stole it!" He met everyone's gaze for emphasis, praying they felt the same as he did. "There's no way any one of us would commit a crime!"

"Matsumoto..." Katsura murmured.

"Tadashi's right! Anybody could have done it!" Atsushi agreed.

Everybody else in the room perked little by little as Tadashi's words stuck to them.

Well, almost everyone.

"Something still smells fishy," Yasuo grumbled to himself.

"If that's what everyone believes, then let's leave it at that," Ayame said. "I should most likely inform you that Kitoshi isn't being held at that warehouse Matsumoto talked about. I searched there this morning."

She did? Tadashi thought in surprise.

That did seem like something she would do. Then, that meant the culprit didn't copy their plan one hundred percent.

"Sorry for taking up your time, everyone. Let's forget about this incident and move forward." Ayame tucked strands of her long, snow-white hair behind her ear. "The police will figure out where she and the culprit are eventually."

The majority of the club members beamed happily. Few remained frowning. Then there was one who simply snored away, and had been snoring away, amidst the chaos. Nevertheless, the stiff aura that consumed the room was long gone.

"Let's meet in a week's time!" Saya said, her grand smile officially back.

"Next week's topic should be theft!" Ryuu added with a grin.

"Not food because it'll rot if you don't eat it," Haru stated.

"I've got to get home if I want to help my dad with his work!" Akira grinned, slinging her backpack over her shoulders. "The case he's assigned to is huge!"

"I suppose we'll all head our separate ways, then," Katsura said.

Atsushi saluted in response. "Yes!"

Izumi gagged at him. "Seriously?"

"Hopefully I will see all of you lovely ladies soon!" Iori performed a dramatic bow. "And to all the boys... well, I hope I don't run into any of you. No offence."

They simultaneously scoffed.

"Next week, then. Goodbye, everyone," Tadashi said.

By and by, they dispersed out the doorway and between the two hallways.

"Wait! Tadashi!"

A distant arose before Tadashi could turn the next corner.

He came to an abrupt halt, scanning the premises for the one who had called his name.

It was none other than Kiyoshi Oogawa who staggered up to his side.

"Kiyoshi? What's wrong?"

Kiyoshi swallowed, hard, his dark eyes swimming with nothing but unease. "I have something to show you."

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