↑ Mayuki Hiruko above ↑

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'The ache for home lives in all of us. The safe place where we can go as we are and not be questioned'
— Maya Angelou

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What!?

Mayumi along with the rest of the CRF members were having a hard time breathing.

"Wh-wh-wha..." Mayumi couldn't find the words. "S-s-since when?! And you know about what's happening?"

A laugh escaped Mayuki Hiruko's lips, only terrifying the teens around her.

"Why's everyone so shaken up?" she snorted, holding up a hand. "Yes, I do work for the mastermind—the big culprit behind these series of events. But is it really that odd considering how things have been going lately? You guys were discussing similar things too, right?"

Mayuki's lips upturned in amusement at their petrified reactions.

"Which is why I could say that Mayumi isn't guilty and was with me these past few weeks. I'd have known if she'd gotten herself involved with that troublesome being."

Tadashi's heart was thumping loudly in his chest, the same line of fear coursing through him along with everyone else. They expected answers, sure, but when someone was so upfront about it, it made it impossible for them to respond entirely.

What exactly was going on?

Knowing of the endless amount of questions and yells hidden inside the teens within the looming silence, Mayuki grabbed Mayumi's arm and spun around to leave. Tadashi watched along with the rest as she was just about to exit the room.

"Wait!"

Mayuki halted at the shout and Tadashi breathed heavily. His other clubmates stared at him, in awe to the bravery he had to speak up despite what was going on.

Swallowing hard, Tadashi reluctantly mustered up the courage to speak again, "Who... Who is the mastermind?"

The sounds of his heartbeat echoed in his ears. The mastermind. Such an answer seemed as if it were so far away from his grasps, but here it was. It was so close...

The mastermind—the one responsible for bringing them all to despair. Who was it?

Cracking a small smile, Mayuki peered over her shoulder and toward Tadashi. "The point of this game is for you to figure out."

With that, she snagged her sister by the sleeve and dragged her out of the room, leaving behind a deafening silence.

☻ ☺ ☻

"M-M-Mayuki, what did you m-mean?"

Mayumi's voice was as low and inaudible as it always was, and she was resisting the urge to bite down on her thumbnail. She was curious, and petrified of her once so oddball and excuse of a sister, and it went way beyond her wildest dreams for her younger sister to be involved in this horrendous situation. And yet here she was, having a role to play in this, and as an ally of the mastermind to boot.

She felt rather stupid because she was right by her side this entire time, and yet she knew nothing about this.

Ambling toward one of the tables in the Chemistry Prep Lab, Mayuki reached for the biggest knife she could find and placed it onto the tabletop. The sight of her sister's malicious smirk invoked a small scream from Mayumi and she lurched back.

Her older sister's reaction caused Mayuki to laugh hysterically. She plopped the knife back down. "If I was going to kill you, wouldn't I have done so sooner? I am your sister."

Mistrust reflected in Mayumi's eyes. "A-a-are you the—the r-r-right-hand ma—"

"No," Mayuki cut her off before she could finish. "I'm just the judge of everything. I guess you could say that I know every part of this game, but I'm not allowed to interfere."

Mayumi's lips downturned into a frown at her sister's answer. "Wh-why are you doing this, Mayuki?"

Mayuki's countenance instantly lost all sense of nonchalance it once had. "To protect you."

Mayumi blinked. "Protect... me from what?"

Her sister's inquiry caused Mayuki to frown. "The mastermind."