Next morning, I went to school way earlier than usual. I passed by Crisollogo Building, and everything that happened yesterday came flooding back, as if it happened just seconds ago.

I went straight to the Chemistry laboratory. Hermione and I agreed to meet there. It was way too early, so no way would students be present at this time, except the both of us. Carefully, I slid the door and saw her back facing me. She sat at one of the stools and so did I. I brought my notepad and pen out, and the recorder. But...

She may have noticed my discomfort and hustle that she had to ask, "Is there a problem?"

I gave her a glance and went back to searching for the recorder. But it was indeed, missing.

Didn't I take the recorder home? Could I possibly... I'm screwed.

"I'll be right back, Hermione. I must've forgotten something at the Lighthouse's headquarters. I'll be fast, I swear."

I ran down the building towards another building where the headquarters is located. I tried twisting the knob, when I remembered that I didn't have the key to the headquarters. Only the utility and the Editor-in-Chief has it.

"Oh hey! Eury!" Luna cooed. She ran towards me with her backpack and eyeglasses bouncing up and down. She stopped in front of me and reached out for something inside her bag. When she held it out, my heart sank. It's the recorder.

"You forgot it in the headquarters yesterday." She hazed into my eye as she reached out one hand to give it. My hands were trembling and cold. What's inside the recorder is a very private information. It must never be known, or worse, spread.

"Thank you, Luna... I must go now." My voice was shaking, and even I know that she heard it. I turned my back and was about to leave when she called me out. I halted with my steps.

"Eury," she whispered. Her voice shattered at the ending mention of my name.

"Yes, Luna?" I turned back around and tried to smile. Though, I knew it turned out to be awkward.

"I want to help in your investigation."

"W-What investigation?" I tried to act coy, but it only made her more determined.

"I know what you and Hermione are planning! Let me be a part of it! I was also Bria's friend. So please..." her voice completely shattered at this point. "Let me join your investig—"

I cut her off before she could completely shout her pleading statement. "Shhh! Okay, okay! Just please, keep it down. We wouldn't want the whole school to know what we're planning."

She mouthed 'thank you' and smiled. She tied her hair into a ponytail before we rushed back towards the Chemistry laboratory.

Shock registered into Hermione's face when she saw me enter... with another person.

"What is she doing here?!" Hermione sounded furious. She smashed her hands onto the marble table and stood up.

"I'm s-sorry!" Luna pleaded. Her words seemed to trigger something on Hermione that she calmed down and sat back.

"I'm sorry too. It happened that I accidentally left the recorder at the headquarters and Luna here, was the one who found it. And got her curiosity into the scene." All through those words, Hermione was spacing out. She seemed rather idle than calm.

"She sounded exactly like her... when she keeps saying sorry, because of me, scolding her."

"Who sounded like who?" Luna innocently asked.

"You. Bria," Hermione answered.

It was a moment of silence. The birds' chirps were all that was audible.

When Hermione got back to her senses, our meeting proceeded as planned.

I laid out everything that would be needed in this meeting and started. "So what we know is that, someone, was at the rooftop, with Bria, when the crime happened. And that person may be the suspect."

"May be?" Luna questioned. "I thought you were sure that someone killed her?"

"Luna, we still have the saying 'innocent until proven guilty', so until we have enough evidence that 'that' person killed her, we can't accuse that person yet of being a murderer." I answered.

"Can I say something?"

"Go on, Luna."

"I would like to share tips on editorial cartooning. Less words; better effect. Focus on one central idea only. Do not try to present all at once. And make your cartoon come to life, there must be action!"

"And how is that relevant to this investigation?" Apathetically, Hermione asked.

"Less words; better effect, less the talk; more action. Focus on one central idea only. We must only focus in Bria here. Do not try to present all at once. Let's avoid making the investigation more complicated that it would lead us astray of Bria. And we must have action, make our plans come to life. That, is why they are relevant."

"Wow. I'm amazed that you got the time to think of those when clearly, we should be planning now."

"Stop it you guys. Let's just... sort this out, please." I halted.

"So, we must first know if someone went into that building before that moment in the morning."

"Wouldn't that be too complicated?"

"It's worth the shot, if it means giving Bria justice."

"Second thing is, we must know every possible person who has ill-feelings towards Bria."

"That would be easy since I know everyone possible." Hermione butted in.

"Good. We'll talk about it later."

"Third thing, we must ensure that goal number one and two is done. Understand?"

"I'll try asking people this afternoon." said Luna.

"I'll give you the list later when we meet again. Same room. 5 PM when classes end. Students will be coming now. It would be suspicious if they saw us leaving the Chemistry lab at this early in the morning."

We bid each other goodbye and went into separate ways. Until afternoon...

I met up with Luna and Hermione. Hermione just dropped by to give the list of people. "I included every person that is possibly a part of her social circle"

Luna and I, together, we asked around about the incident.

We approached a number of students and asked the same question, "Have you seen anyone go to the rooftop before Bria Perez's death?"

But no one has the answer.

Except one student. Who doesn't even go to our school. He's wearing a uniform that matched the expensive school privileged kids like him goes to.

He approached me first and asked, "Is this where Bria Perez's studies?"

And that peeked my curiosity. "Yes. This is her former school."

I readied my notepad and asked him a question right away. "And you are?"

"Oh." He gave me a smile. "I'm Leon. Leon Natividad." I tried remembering and checking the list for any Leon Natividad.

"Doesn't ring a bell... not in the list either." I murmured.

"Um. Did you say anything?" he politely asked.

"How are you related to Bria Perez?"

"I'm her boyfriend." It took me a moment to halt what I was jolting down. Boyfriend.

"You're his boyfriend?!"

"Uh, yes. I am."

"How come Hermione doesn't know you?" I whispered, which he heard anyway.

"Hermione? You mean the girl that Bria hated the most?"

My brain hasn't processed everything that he had said so far. Then here he comes with another shocking revelation.

"B-Bria... hated Hermione?"

"Yeah. She used to tell me stories on how she envied and hated Hermione the most."

"What... why are you here anyway?" I brushed off the thoughts temporarily and managed to ask him a question.

"I'm here to see Bria."

"What do you mean?"

"We agreed that I would come to meet her at her school today."

"Y-You don't know?" If he really is Bria's boyfriend... then isn't he supposed to know that his girlfriend, if the relationship is even authentic, had passed away?

"Don't know what?" This guy is completely clueless of what happened to Bria!

"Come with me." He was hesitant at first, but he followed me eventually. We picked up Luna and Hermione. And at the moment that he saw Hermione, I could feel him repressing the urge to do something violent to her.

"Who is this cute guy?" Luna whispered to me.

"Bria's alleged boyfriend." I whispered back. She, too, was shocked at what she just knew.

We brought him behind the school, where not a lot of students hang and pass by.

"What are we doing here? Where is Bria?"

"Look, Leon... even if we wanted to show you Bria. We can't."

"And why is that?" Luna, Hermione, and I looked at each other. Probably asking each other's permission to tell this poor soul that his girlfriend had passed away. Each of us nodded, as response.

"What is happening here? Where is Bria?!" He started raising his voice.

"Leon..."

"Bring Bria out!"

"Bria's dead!" Hermione yelled. It stopped Leon from being erratic. He sat down, calmed himself down, and lowered down his gaze.

"It can't be..."

"It must be hard for you... but..." Luna, trying to console him.

"We were just together yesterday..." His hands were clasped so tight. His muscles tensed. And his voice shaking...

"You were with her yesterday?!" I exclaimed.

"I was..."

"When?!"

"During the morning. I remember that it was your school's anniversary yesterday..."

Hermione rushed forward and grabbed Leon by the collar of his white polo shirt. "You scumbag! You killed Bria, didn't you?!"

Luna didn't know what to do. And so did I.

"Hermione, please put him down!"

"No, Eury! He killed my best friend!" Leon smirked at the mere mention best friend.

"She hated you! You were not her best friend. You have never been!" Leon yelled at Hermione's face. Hermione, suddenly losing the strength, let go of Leon. Making him fall. Leon stood up and tidied his uniform.

"What did you say?" Hermione asked.

"She hated you!" Leon exclaimed once more.

"You're a lying scumbag! Liar!"

"She never hated me!"

"See? You didn't even know that simple of a thing."

Tears were now streaming down her cheeks, whilst a huge smirk's plastered on Leon's face. We felt the urge to back-up Hermione, and so we decided to attack Leon with a question.

"If you weren't the one who killed Bria, then where were you at the moment of her death?!" I asked with all of my mustered up courage.

He stopped. Looked down. And faced us with a serious expression. "I left your school at 9 AM yesterday."

I traced the pattern down my mind, and when all things added up. He was indeed, innocent as he suggests. Bria's death happened at 10 AM, which makes him already an hour gone before it could even happen.

"What if he's lying?!" Luna interjected as Hermione continued to cry.

"There's only one way to know if he's telling the truth or not."

I turned back and was about to take a step when we saw students watching us. And at the side of my vision, I could see a teacher coming towards us.

"Ms. Lyon, Ms. Delpha, Ms. Marcos, and you," he pointed at Leon, "Come with me to the office."

We had no other choice but to follow him. Students looked at the four of us maliciously, as if we were the murderers. Judgemental minds and gossiping lips filled every area of the school. We entered the Principal's office and saw two policemen beside him.

"Student, please sit." Each of us sat on a free chair.

"I heard the rumors..." the Principal started, he clasped his hands and sat upright. "You were investigating Ms. Bria Perez's death? Am I correct?"

Nobody dared to answer. "Am I, correct?" He repeated the question, but with more intensity.

"Yes, ma'am."

"As the School Principal, I'll be asking you to stop terrorizing the other students with your vigilantism." Hearing the word vigilantism was hurtful, since it was not true at all!

"Vigilantism?' I softly asked. I bit my lip to stop the emotions that urge to come out.

"Yes, is there a problem with my term?"

"None ma'am..." What happened to me? Why did I hold back? Didn't I also have the right to express myself? But why... am I so afraid. Is it because of the consequence?

"If you do not stop, I'll be forced to suspend the three of you for a week. And as for you," He looked at Leon. "I have contacted your school already, informing them of your rowdy behavior."

"So you were the principal..."

"Are you saying something?"

"You were the one who abused her!" Leon burst out.

"Excuse me?!" the School Principal exclaimed.

"You raped her... you used your power... to sexually abuse Bria!"

The Principal was taken aback. He was trembling. You could see his hands shaking. But he managed to brush the signs away and acted calm.

"You see these policemen? They are the one in charge of Ms. Bria Perez's case. And it shows that Ms. Perez committed suicide. So you could all stop this now."

"That doesn't change the fact that you molested her! You devil!"

"Get out of my office now!" the policemen forcefully swept us out of the office and into the crowd of students trying to acquire stuff to gossip about.

We didn't have a choice but to stay out of class until the end of afternoon. It's our temporary punishment for the vigilantism that we allegedly committed.

"Did he really do it?" I couldn't help but ask.

"Bria confessed it to me. Bria wouldn't lie to me." He confidently answered.

"How do you know that? If she could lie to me, she could lie to you too." Hermione stated.

"Because I am her boyfriend... more than that... her childhood best friend." Leon calmly answered. His voice softened as he seemed to remember all the memories that he and Bria has together.

"I want to help you. Give Bria justice." He said, voice full of determination and assurance.