Anyone who watched any movie about school would notice that certain parts of any movie involving one, can sometimes reflect on real life.

Ask anyone at Teitan Elementary school, a typical coeducational school serving grades 1-5 children. Despite the school having all of them dressed in school uniforms to teach the children that everyone is equal, the reality is: it ain't the case.

Every student here specifically hangouts in their cliques which resembles stereotype cliché high school movies. 

You will notice that a certain group is popular when more than 20 kids are gathering around walking together to the courtyard to play as they talked about which party or movie they are going head to, with well-groomed looking appearances on their faces that yells out 'handsome, beautiful, smart' sort of label. Or that other group where the norms remain with the norm (with a total of 3-4 kids), born with average looking looks that talk about their parent's jobs, their dreams, hobbies and stuff while playing at the jungle gym, geeks with nerds (with some having poor face complexion and glasses) talking about astrology, robotics as well as Anime lore under the shades of the tree on a nice spring...it goes on without an end. 

And then, there is the outcast.... who are nowhere to be seen, as they are probably hiding in the shadows from bullies that are lurking in the corners of the wall.

No kid would want to be the outcast, the nerd, the lowest of the school hierarchy. You are an open target for bullies (or delinquents for that matter, the ones that enjoy causing problems by breaking every rule in school).

But for 6-year-old Kudo Ranran, she fit neither of those moulds.

Ranran looked around her surroundings entering the school as other kids rush in to meet up with her friends. With the tiny statue of a little girl she is, walking alone without any friends would've easily earned most bullies to jump on her, despite her beauty. Yeah, the school she is in, however, If you happen to be too beautiful or too plain looking, you still be sticking out like a sore thumb, enough to attract bullies. Ever since her move to Japan, Ranran had noted that the children don't embrace anyone who stands out as being too smart, too pretty, too kind, it has to be a mix of here and there like an average normal kid. Which she thinks was pretty dumb.

However, Ranran was an exception for a reason, and as soon as they lay their eyes on her, it was enough to send those bullies fleeing from their lives in front of her.

It is a shocking sight for other children who barely know her, but mostly for the long term students here, considering this has never happened before in their years being in school. In addition to that, almost everyone is aware that she was born to a British mother, so she has a blood of a foreigner running through her veins, yet they still fled.

A brief fact, in Japan foreigners living here, doesn't automatically give them royalty or V.I.P like status. No, unlike shows portrayed in anime, they will think of you as nothing but a pure nuisance. Even if one settles down and marry a Japanese and end up having a child, their half heritage children will not be welcome if their appearances or behaviour stood out like a sore thumb. Though society and lots of things have changed thanks to good parenting nowadays here, it still didn't change among children. As long as they see something they label 'different', you be made fun of for life.

In Ranran's case, it was a very unique situation.

By right with all of this ticked, it should've attracted bullies by chance, but for them to flee away from her.... gave others a reason not to try to approach her for that matter. She may be little, but if 6-8 older boys who are taller than her and more burly than her fled away, they have an uneasy feeling that she isn't easy to be a mess with and often distanced themselves away from her.

Still, Ranran didn't care, she didn't come here to whine about why she couldn't make friends, or anything like that, considering she didn't even wanna move to Japan in the first place. There were more important things to do than prioritizing the status of hierarchy, Why bother to reason with it? Especially in a school where the majority of the kids here has to share one brain cell?

At least in her old school, they have their legit brain cells!

Anyway, old or new, she hated school, no matter which state she is in. Why bother to wake up early in the morning to be bored for so many hours?

Neither school couldn't teach her the lessons she required, every class for her was a breeze. She is smart, she didn't need to think hard to figure out the answer.

Unbeknownst to Ranran, she is fortunate as the other kids in their school aren't gossiping about her, but more on the latest news, regarding a rather interesting topic."Did you know? There is a real-life tantei that is a kid like us!" said one girl excitedly, her messy bun bobbing up and down.

"What? Was there?"

"There is! Did you not read the news? The Fox was the child's name! The tantei is said to be around 6-8 years old!"

"I don't know about this....it could be fiction."

"Not really, the police even confirmed it themselves when asked."

"Woah, really!?"

"It hasn't been in the news lately, but they've been rumours. The tantei who solve murders, not even the police could solve....was a girl with an outstanding talent of anyone's kind," she lowered her voice to a whisper in a conspiring tone, "A kid! A freaking kid just like us! How cool is that!?"

The boy rolled his eyes at his friend's antics, but asked in curiosity, "Who is she anyway? And Why 'Fox' i wonder?"

"No one knows her identity, but she wears a fox mask."

"As expected, to think rumours of 'The Fox' actually even made it all the way to this school here."Ranran mused as she walked in her school uniform, thinking of the case Takuma has brought her. So far progress has been made yesterday, but she needs more clues to resolve this.

"Ranran! Over here!"

The voice of a little girl could be heard from afar as Ranran turned to the owner of the voice, to discover the perm haired little girl with a grin on her face standing right next to her boyfriend/childhood neighbour, Hikari Takuma, who is currently wearing a red cap, waving at Ranran to come to their direction. 

Matsuyuki Reina was the first friend Ranran has made in this school, though not by usual means.

When Ranran first enrolled in this school, there was a duo group project, and presumably thanks to Ranran's circumstances in not fitting in school, neither kid wanted to do projects with her out of fear of her aura. The marks structure require two things: individual marks as well as group marks. Of course, the teacher says one may group with anyone, the problem is: she ain't helping Ranran pair up with someone (since she is a sub teacher who won't give a damn whether she has a group or not).

Instead of feeling sad or lonely back then, she decided why not make use of this opportunity to pitch this to her parents about why she should be homeschooled? 

Now you might be thinking at first, wait a minute, in Japan grade 1 to grade 3 marks on your homework does not matter. This is true, considering they have no exams during those periods. Also, since she is underage, she knew they are going to have to hire a teacher over to teach her at home.

However, what they didn't know is Ranran's mom is very particular with her studies after her daughter's diagnosis following her brain injury (as she fears her only daughter won't be able to survive in society by the time she passes away). And even better, her parents often work overseas. To sweeten the deal, Ranran's parents had a huge distrust of adults coming over to teach their only child at home while they are away. If she gets homeschooled, she can self learn many other things besides her studies, and to top it off, focus on her tantei dreams, so she was going to take it to a new advantage. 

At first, pitching this idea was heading in her direction as they were shocked to learn of Ranran's treatment in school (not that she cared, she was more focused on never waking up early in the morning anymore). She even pitched this in front of her parents:

'Since I am unable to make friends here, let me be homeschooled!' 

For an entire week, her parents went back and forth about letting her be homeschooled, and her mother was totally against it. Then came an unexpected twist in Ranran's plans; her mom wasn't Ranran's mother for nothing. 

Since she has no friends, might as well make it happen!

With some strings pulled here and there,  only a day after the pitch, Ranran was shocked to learn not only the sub teacher is no longer around, it appears that the head student council Reina suddenly unexpectedly approached her desk and ask to be her project group partner.

Of course, Ranran tried to bribe her off by promising a pencil box, a limited edition gacha character of a game, or even a V.I.P tickets of some popular movie amongst their age (sensing her mother has some play in this), but she isn't prone to bribe. At first, Ranran tried to dig in personally over why she would wanna stick by her if she didn't want a bribe. Did Ranran's mom threaten her family into ensuring her daughter stick closely to Ranran no matter what?

Gradually, as a matter of time, Ranran gave up halfway in telling her to leave considering she was at that time, newly trying to balance her other life as 'The Fox'. Over time nothing much has happened. As far as she recalls, their relationship is nothing more than a school acquaintance.

Then one day, she accidentally found out her other identity as The Fox.

A murder unexpectedly happen, it took place at some cafe where Ranran went out to have a nice tea break after a day at school. It was difficult to slip into her identity as The Fox without having to expose herself as Kudo Ranran, the little school going girl, considering she was the only child in the cafe. Even so, at that time there were lots of patrons too busy figuring out who was the killer, that wasn't an issue.

What was the issue, was later on after the murder.

Normally as soon as the killer is exposed and arrested, she would slip quietly through the backdoor of a certain crime scene with the mask in tow thanks to the police officers to avoid getting exposed by the press (who have already been suspecting a child is behind all these investigations at that time). However, Ranran didn't predict doing it with her rondesu bag in tow (since she walked into the cafe after school ended). 

As soon as she slipped out through the backdoor alley and escaped the press, she was so busy looking from the back, she didn't expect someone to suddenly yell her name 'Ranran' out loud, and out of response, she unexpectedly turn to face Reina, who had just recently parted with her other friends from a shopping trip.

Initially, Ranran was gonna come up with another lie and made up some excuse over why she was wearing a fox mask, only for her to suddenly beg, "That's good! I need your help! Badly!"

It turns out that Takuma at that time.....has embroiled himself in a serious problem, one that is genuinely gonna cost him his entire future if no one looks into it.

Long story short, they became friends since then.

"Ah, Reina and Takuma have arrived, "Ranran grins, "I better tell her the things that had been happening recently."

But before Ranran could do that...."Hey! Are you that Kudo Watson Ranran my son been telling me about!?"

That halted the girl as she turned to see an angry curly-haired woman, whom she noted has a little boy her age clingy behind her leg."Do I know you?"

"No, but you do know my son!"

The woman's screech made all the kids around the school stop at what they are doing, as all eyes are on her and the woman, while her two friends wonder what was going on. Wondering why this woman is being annoying, Ranran gave a good look to see who it was.

Oh, it was one of her enemies, that Yoshi boy who she screwed his life pretty badly. 

"What is that idiot doing there?! Wasn't he expelled or something!?" Takuma turned to Reina to look for answers.

"Technically,  his mother withdrew him from school because of 'that incident' with Ranran."

"Eh? Was it the part that he-"

"Oh no, it's what Ranran did to him next that got him kicked out."

Ensuring no one is watching them as all eyes were on Ranran and the furious woman, she whispered to him by the ear before his eyes widened, "Wait, such a HUGE incident!? Why didn't any of you brought this up when I came back!? It sounded cool!"

"You had to finish up you therapy sessions after that scandal, no distractions allowed according to your therapist, remember?"

"Even so.....this is HUGE! Oh man, I wish I was there to witness this when she did all of that! It must have been so worth it!" Takuma whistled in amusement. 

"Eeh...so you decided to bring your mother here? Why? To prove your point that you are a mama boy? Things are beginning to make sense. Heh heh."The girl chuckled darkly as all of them just stare at the blue eye girl in horror. Pure horror.

Her badly scared and paranoid son wraps his arm around his mother's waist and stares at the little girl. "Yoshikun says you are the one who put acid inside his locker the other day when all he did was try to ask you out like a proper gentleman?" The woman says in an accusing tone.

Acid?

Oh yeah, the bottle of acid that fell and scalded his head and hit his....where again? Right, the part that proves he is a boy....does he deserve to be called one after losing it? 

Ranran snorted and mumble, "Oh? So you have heard? Well then....did you ask your son what was his definition of "asking me out like a proper gentlemen" is like? Cause from the looks of it, his must be different than the actual version then."

As she stares back at the woman before her, challenging her to try something, she frowns back at the little girl and says; "Well? Isn't there something you'd like to say to my son then?"

Her son mumbles something incoherent but his mother just frowns waiting for an apology, he was still trying to cover his pants in the centre, which made the other children wonder why.

Everyone watched Ranran sighing as she turn to the son and say; "Yoishikun, I have no regrets about not wanting to become your girlfriend. After all, you wanted to record us both from afar on asking me out, in hopes of winning a bet you made with the other boys. How much was I worth if I go out with you, huh? 8000 yen based on the money you gathered from the other boys, deshou?Also, "Ranran soon gave a sinister smile, "Was this your way of covering up the science project you stole from me? Covering up your failed bet with the homework you failed to steal?"

The others gasp in shock by her revelation, even more so for mother and son. For the woman, it's the first time she is hearing all of this. For Yoishi however, it was as if someone attached a leach into his pants and suck his blood dry(that is Ranran's way of thinking).

"I don't care if you or your mother take offence because honestly? I have no regrets.  And you, you are a horrible parent."Ranran points to the woman who is looking at her with a mixture of shock and anger.

"H-H-How dare you....."

"Instead of teaching your son a lesson about not using girls as betting horses, you decided to defend his ways! Oh my God!"Ranran feigns in a mockery tone, "Isn't it funny? How your son who is the mastermind behind setting up this silly little bet, is hiding behind his mama's skirt just because he is fearing me, a little girl! Next time if he gets married, every time he loses an argument with his wife, why not you continue to hide your cowardly son behind your skirt like a coward as he grows up into a man!"

The children listening to this was in awe of her, some amazed, others horrified and concerned over her welfare while the woman trembled in anger, "How d-d-dare you call my son a coward!"

"What? Ain't that the truth? Or else why are you even here confronting me in the first place? And without the presence of teachers or staff as well. I see it as a cowardly move, going against a  child without other adults."She remains unfazed dusting her blazer, while the other children go: Damn, that girl is asking for an early death!

"You have no right to tell me how to raise my son! There is nothing wrong with my son relying on me to deal with someone like you!"The woman snapped.

"Man, no wonder Yoshi is always running his mouth when it came to girls. Whoever marries him in the future....I am feeling sorry for his future wife, because eventually she is going to just to end up with a mother-in-law like her." Reina's mouth clicked in a frown.

"I once know of this one particular case Ranran solved not long ago, the victim was in this predicament which ultimately ended her life," Takuma recalled while rubbing his chin thoughtfully, "Wasted 40 years having to put up with her mother-in-law's mouth that she can't have kids, this was after she fell for her husband's sweet words at that time. Adding salt to the injury was that the husband was barely doing a thing to even defend her, brushing of his wife's feelings as 'whining'. Ended up having an affair, which ultimately caused the enrage husband to murder her on the spot." 

"Damn, I don't know who to feel sorry for....the cheating wife who was tricked into this marriage, or the scumbag husband who didn't even bother to defend her honor, or that dumb mother of his who blame others instead of herself for not raising her son right." Reina crossed her arms in silence.

As the two were conversing, they were able to hear what Ranran had to say next towards the unruly mother.

"Right, like scolding a 6-year-old little girl in front of the entire school and trying to justify poor parenting, not to mention, defend your son's sins. Next time if he commits a crime against girls or women, I wanna be there in court to see what you are going to say to defend this precious angel of a son you mentioned."The 6-year-old huffed, still unfazed.

"What the hell is wrong with you!? Everyone makes mistakes! I am certain you are no different either!"She snapped back, "You--."

"You know? I find it interesting that the missing science project I was supposed to submit somehow manages to find its way into your son's locker. Even more stunned that he ended up experiencing such an 'embarrassing' situation."

Ranran tried covering up her red lips to hide her smile, but it was difficult given how hilarious Yoshi looked, his face was red in embarrassment, at the same time, wincing in pain in between his pants while struggling to hide from her behind the woman who is his mother. "You!"The woman's voice boomed, "If you hadn't planted it in his locker-"

"Oh? So now you are covering the fact your son is a thief, huh?"Ranran sneered as she went on, "You know, it was our science sensei's birthday that day."

"Eh....?"

"And you know....we love her, but....she was going to move away with her husband to the US after his job relocation, so we filmed it on our smartphones to make memories. All of us did."Ranran gave an expression neither the woman, nor anyone could decipher," and we placed our science project outside the laboratory, cause we wanted to surprise her with our best one last time, not to make her worry that we never forget her teachings. My project....was based on an anime I watch, where one can shoot fireballs onto others. I finally perfected it, except....it went missing. So when I checked one of the phones recorded around the angle where we sang happy birthday, it looks like there was someone through my bag. When I watched it, I was honestly heartbroken."

For some reason, the more the little girl shares such information, the more eerie the woman feels. The little girl's blue eyes were icy, as if they could see right through her. 

Ranran continued with a deliberate calmness.

"Here is where things get interesting, Yoshi once bragged you have a science major, deshou?"

"What does this have to do with-"

"Neh, Miss, what happens when toxic methyl alcohol and boric acid mix?"

As soon as the little girl spoke in a taunting tone, everything clicked in her head.

N-No way! Don't tell her....this little girl...actually-schemed for this to happen to her poor son!? That she knew....she knew her son was gonna steal her project, so she came up with a dangerous project to hurt him!? Have...have she lost her damn mind!? Who the hell is this girl!? Is she-is this a psychopath-in-the making she is dealing with!?

The confrontation escalated quickly as the woman, stunned by Ranran's revelations, struggled to process the implications of her son's actions. The other children stood wide-eyed, drawn into the unfolding drama. 

"Neh Miss, I wanna know...why are you defending a thief? Do you come from a family of one?"She spoke in a taunting manner.

Calm down, she tells herself to calm down. Yet somehow, she sees a devil in the form of a 6-year-old little girl.

As more people gather to witness this spectacle, Takuma was about to step in to defend his friend when Reina made a grab onto his arm to refrain him from doing so, "Not now, Tak-san."

"But-"

"She knows what she is doing."

"Yes, I know that but-"

"Just wait." Reina insists.

Reluctantly, Takuma relaxed before she let got of him while Ranran took her taunts further and over-the-top, "It's hard to accept the truth, right? That your son is not only a liar but also a thief."

"Why you little-" She raised her hand in about to slap her.

"Miss Hayashi! Do I see you attempting to hit one of our top students!?"

One of the sensei noticed them as she hurriedly arrive at the mother and son, it was the science teacher who is about to leave with her husband."Ah...Miss Airi-"

"Don't Miss Airi me! I have been hearing stories that you have been making calls over the Kudo residence and harassing the little girl lately! At first, I found it hard to believe it, till I see you threatening one of our students in this school!"

Much to the shock of many, Ranran ran to Miss Airi and hid behind her leg. They were shocked in a sense that she never does so, hiding behind an adult."Miss Airi! Harassment calls!? That isn't true!"The mother became horrified by that accusation, "if it were the total opposite, I was making attempts to have a decent conversation-"

"Decent conversation!? The way you spoke on the phone, let alone, spoke to her in front of me sounded very contradicting."Miss Airi clarified.

"Wait, how would you know how I speak on the phone!?" the Hayashi woman asks.

"I was over at her house telling her parents how talented she is for a home visit, till you made that call while I was on the way to the bathroom at their residence!"

No way! That girl....she made sure the teacher heard all of their conversations!?

"She begged me not to tell her parents! Begged! She didn't wanna worry them, and yet, here you are as an adult....bullying a 6-year-old little girl!"

"Miss Airi, I can explain-"

 "So here is what is gonna happen, you are going to move that thief which is your son, out of this school permanently!"

"And why would I? He is a victim in all of these schemes that brat pulled!"Miss Hiyashi was challenged.

"Victim? The way I see it, he earned his karma." she scoffs. "Though I didn't think it is serious enough to lose his supposed....male hood."

"Hey! How dare you-"

"I ain't gonna say this again," the teacher says in a low voice."Take that useless thief son of yours and you out of this school, unless you want to get the principal to interfere in your son's school transfer, or worst- lose your recently promoted job as a dean in that Beikai University you worked at."

Initially, the woman was hesitant and she wanted to yell at her that it was Ranran's fault, but with all eyes judging her and voices whispering amongst themselves over how son and mother are both horrible individuals, she had no choice but to nods vigorously. "Yes," she says with a gulp.

"W-wait, a Dean!?" Takuma gasped along with the other kids before shifting to Reina once more while pointing at the woman from afar, "She knew she is a Dean, did she!?"

Reina nodded solemnly, her eyes fixed on the unfolding drama while Takuma's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "But how did she find out?"

"The phone number."

"I am sorry!?"

Reina glanced at Takuma, her expression serious as she explained, "Remember when Miss Airi mentioned about the harassing phone calls Miss Hiyashi kept on making? Turns out Ranran kept the number. She didn't tell anyone, but secretly dug around as to whether Miss Hiyashi was stupid enough to make use of her own private smartphone number to contact Ranran's family and harass her. It turns out that number was registered under the same university where she was working."

Takuma's surprise deepened. "She figured it all out just from a phone number?"

"Seems like it," Reina replied, her voice tinged with admiration. "The department where Miss Hiyashi was working at didn't have many people, which is why Ranran was able to make the connection so quickly. And according to Ranran, she mentioned that Miss Hiyashi received the promotion not long ago, so can you imagine if she were to lose her recently promoted position over a scandal like this?"

"That's... pretty intense." Takuma's eyes widened further before his brows knitted together, "If that were the case, wouldn't it be easier had Ranran use this to blackmail her? Like what Ranran did with her enemies most of the time?"

"Of course she did considered that option, but Miss Hiyashi could've easily brush off Ranran's accusations and make it as if she 'accidentally' make a wrong phone call, or that she intentionally did so to 'mediate' the bad blood between her son and Ranran. If Ranran truly wanted to get hold of Miss Hiyashi by the leash, the only way is to manipulate the scenario whereby she pissed Miss Hiyashi enough to come all the way here in a public place like a school where there are too many witnesses to cover any of this up."

"So in other words....Ranran wanted this to happen, right? Go figures," Takuma frowned thoughtfully. "But wouldn't that be risky? What if it backfired?"

"It won't, since even before all of this had taken place, Yoshi already established a bad reputation among the kids of Teitan Elementary for stealing people's projects and credit under his name. Worst, his Okaasan somehow always manages to paint those innocent kids as if he was the victim while the rest are out there to bully her precious son of that sort," Reina scoffed, "If anyone were to ask me as the member of the student council, she technically asked for this."

"Well if you were to put it this way, that sounds fair," Takuma affirmed with a nod, though another concern surface, "But you know....everyone is filming this on their smartphones now, ain't Ranran worried her 'manipulations' will be exposed, Reina?"

"Ranran has her way of doing things, she will be fine even with the recordings ended up on the Internet. To be honest, aside of being criticized, it would be Yoshi's mother who stand to lose almost everything, so to Ranran....that sort of loss is nothing compared to Yoshi and his mother."

As they continued their conversation, Takuma couldn't shake off the feeling of unease. "Why do I get the feeling this won't be a one time thing between Yoshi, his mother and Ranran?"

"Oh, I wouldn't worry of that," Reina reassured him, "Cause anyone who cross Ranran....would be failing to escape a death penalty that you can never escape from. Call it....a life sentence if I were to add." 

Silence hung between them for a moment, the weight of Reina's words sinking in as Takuma says, "I really hope not to see Yoshi and his annoying mother ever again, really. Cause after Yoshi left, we had peace for once in our lives."

"I don't know....I mean I don't see the difference ever since Ranran arrived here."

"Post-Yoshi is always going to be better than Post-Ranran, cause I can never imagine a life without her in it." Takuma refuted with a beamed.

"True." Reina is amused at his way of words. 

Reluctantly, the newly humiliated son and mother embarrassingly made leaves out of Teitan Elementary, never to return. In the meantime, Miss Airi then kneel next to Ranran and asks if she was alright, to which she replied she is before the teacher reassures her she won't need to be afraid anymore, that the woman and son will never return here ever again.

After the teacher left, Takuma and Reina ran over to Ranran's side to console her before whisking her away, while the other kids continue to whisper amongst themselves from the commotion that just happened.

"What just happened?!"

"Mah neh, it's clear cut that woman and Yoshi were up to no good."

"Man, I couldn't imagine being as brave as Kudo Ranran."

"But the way she spoke earlier, I swear I feel chills even hearing the way she spoke towards his mom like that."

"And that's why I fear approaching her in the first place, cause she is the worst enemy I cross."

"No wonder the bullies flee, I too would flee if I were them."

Yup, just another day at Teitan Elementary, for Kudo Ranran to say the least.

.................................................................................................

"Ranran is very scheming!"

"Totally, right?"

"Wow, the way she put that woman in her place! I wish I could be as fearless as her when adults try to mess with me!"

"Hai hai, just wish you were born into a rich family. Then you could be just like her!"

"But you know Suzuki Sonoko? She's from a wealthy family too, but she couldn't pull off what Ranran did!"

The children's excited chatter echoed through the halls of Teitan Elementary School just minutes after Ranran's infamous showdown outside. Unfazed by the gossip, Ranran focused on her smartphone, gaming with Takuma on her left and chatting with Reina on her right.

As Ranran concentrated on her game, Takuma leaned over to whisper, "Again, they are all talking about you."

"It can't be helped, aside of situations involving bullying and stuff, what had occurred earlier is probably the most exciting thing to talk about. I too would talk about it if I were them." Ranran shrugs, her eyes still glued to the screen of the phone.

"I mean to be fair, when was it any kid our age has ever dared to take a hammer and smash the teacher's hand to snatch back the smartphone he tried to confiscate from, then run away unscathed?" Reina pointed out.

"To be fair, he asked for it. I previously reminded him through paperwork of the school that due to my 'duties', I can't afford to set it to silent mode. It's his fault that he was against this idea when the majority of the teachers agreed I should be allowed to do so. If only he wasn't so persistent on silencing smartphones, we ain't living in stone age era after all." Ranran scoffed while her fingers deftly navigating the game on her smartphone. 

"It can't be helped, you didn't specify that those 'duties' refers to your alter identity as 'The Fox'. My bet is had he known, he would've said yes." Takuma sighed before wondering, "Wait, why did the majority of teachers voted yes if they were not aware about your 'Fox' job?"

"It was pretty simple," Takuma's heard turned to Reina as she explained, "When I was present at the meeting, they just give me a yes without asking why Ranran wanted it in the first place. Probably because they were fed up after Ranran kicked out their 9th teacher in a row."

"Wait, seriously? Ninth? I thought it was 5!" Takuma's eyes widened as he turned to Reina, seeking confirmation.

"No, I definitely remember it to be 9," Reina confirmed with a resigned expression. "To be fair, had they not kept reminding Ranran that her old school: Edgewood Academy is some 'Fairy tale' school that can never bring her suggestions to reality, they probably wouldn't had ended up quitting or request a transfer pretty quickly."

"True, after reading such stories on the forum, you would think otherwise." Takuma mused, shaking his head in disbelief, "Why did they think her school is like some idiotic fairy tale?"

"To be fair, it is a prestigious school filled with children of royalty and nobles alike, not to mention....we are all living in the 21st century where those kinds of nonsense are abolished. I am going to bet in those 9 teachers minds, they must have assumed Ranran is some rich spoiled brat who wasted her life there learning nothing." Reina chuckled.

"If only they knew in advance....how wrong they were," Takuma is struggling not to burst into laughter at that thought, but it was difficult to contain. "Barely nything but a typical rich kid," Takuma continued, a grin spreading across his face.

"Not even Suzuki could compare," Reina mocked.

"Oh please, that girl is like the complete opposite of Ranran. She's all about flaunting her family's wealth and status. You know, the type who thinks she can get away with anything just because her Tousan got deep pockets." Takuma rolled his eyes playfully.

"Not to mention, she was on and about telling everyone that her best friend, Mouri Ran, belong to Shinichi and only her, just because some kid mention that Mouri doesn't suit Shinichi because she belonged to a family who is divorced! Rambling that she will gladly foot Mouri's future wedding bill with him. I mean can you believe how stupid she was when she said those words? I was almost going to say a word, but then I told myself we are just mere classmates, no need to be a busybody." Reina couldn't help but shake her head in amusement.

"I guess when you grow up in that kind of environment, reality can get a bit blurry. At least in her headspace." Takuma nodded, a smile playing on his lips before wondering, "I just can't understand why is it someone like Shinichi would still be friends as embarrassing as them! I mean don't get me wrong, they knew each other since kindergarten for over 2 years plus since, but come one: Even though he is the smartest boy in our entire class, he is still willing to remain friends with someone like Sonoko and Mouri."

"Yeah, it's a bit of a mystery," Reina agreed, shaking her head slightly. "But then again, friendship doesn't always follow logic, does it?"

"True, which is why I am glad Shinichi had no interest in getting to know Ranran. I mean....he would've been such a pain to her, right Ranran?" Takuma beamed.

"Who knows?" Ranran looked up from her phone, a mischievous glint in her eyes as she considered Takuma's question. She flashed a playful smile before responding, "If he ever does, Shinichi would've been the one struggling to keep up with me."

Takuma and Reina burst into laughter at Ranran's confident retort. Takuma shook his head, still grinning. "Knowing you, Ranran, it's good you didn't end up having to deal with him! Cause I heard he could be a huge piece of work!"

"And even if you did, it would've been worst having to deal with Sonoko's idiocy, not to mention....her equally one-brain-cell hot tempered friend Mouri Ran." Reina adds.

"Interesting is one way to put it," Ranran said dryly. "But being with them would be like a constant exercise in patience....something Shinichi must be more than happy to entertain."

Takuma and Reina chuckled at Ranran's witty remark, nodding in agreement. "Yeah, I can imagine Shinichi trying to navigate through Sonoko's theatrics and Mouri Ran's fiery temperament," Takuma said with a grin. "It'd definitely worth the fun to say the least."

"By the way, I almost forgot ask you something," Ranran suddenly remembers before questioning the two, "Did you guys manage to put down the rumors that I was 'The Fox'?"

Her two friends exchanged glances, their laughter fading as Ranran's question brought a more serious tone to the conversation.

"Well," Takuma started cautiously, scratching his head, "we tried our best, Ranran. But you know how rumors spread like wildfire in this school. Some people are still convinced it's you, despite all our efforts to redirect the suspicion."

"It's been tough, especially with all the incidents happening around school. Even though we've tried to emphasize that you're not involved, there are still those who think otherwise." Reina nodded solemnly. 

"I figured as much. It's hard to shake off once people start believing something like that." Ranran sighed, her expression turning thoughtful.

"Ranran, as much as you wanted to keep things under-wraps....I am afraid this can no longer be contain." Reina expresses worriedly.

"I seriously don't understand why should we try to contain all of these rumors from that Shinichi boy! I mean if I am not mistaken....you get to become 'The Fox' in the first place, all because he turned down using family connections to get a head start as a child tantei. You accepted it, he had no reason to be jealous! " Takuma ranted as the number of children gradually subsided around their surroundings while heading to their destination.

"It's one thing to be jealous, but it's another to be misguided into jealousy," Ranran answered in a serious tone, her eyes hardened when Shinichi is mentioned.

"What is there to be?!" Takuma continued, his voice tinged with frustration. "He has everything."

"I don't think so," Ranran paused, taking in Takuma's words and the frustration etched on his face.

"What are you talking about? He has everything like you!" Reina too grew confuse at her statement.

"No, everything....except his Tantei dream. Which will be something he will achieve, just not now." Ranran's reply was enough to ignite curiosity in Takuma and Reina, who were now even more perplexed by Ranran's statement.

If there is one thing about Kudo Ranran's cryptic words, is that one shouldn't press about it.

When she chooses to reveal it, it will be completely up to her. Cause the last time someone attempted to pry any info out of her, the worst incident that has befallen onto their family was that every single family not only lost their jobs, she left all of their reputation in such tatters....even the kid in question ended up literally begging for money on the streets!

The reason they knew this is because Takuma once accompanied Reina to do some grocery shopping for her mother, only to spot that kid's knees planted onto some mat looking forlorn and exhausted, with a bowl begging.

And the last thing they need is to end up on the streets!