『ARC TWO: CAREFUL STEPS』

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This chapter contains the description of a dead body. Be warned and skip over the two paragraphs if you are uncomfortable. It will have * to signal the beginning and end.

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"You know," Tanami's voice held a curious tone to it as she cupped her fingers behind her back as she walked beside Kagemi. "It would be an absolute nightmare if this was a locked room murder."

A sneeze was emitted from her left as Kagemi lightly glared at the small batch of flowers innocently blooming by the spot of grass they passed by. His allergies were going to start up if they lingered outside any longer than they needed to. "We couldn't even escape an escape room. We would be goners if it was a locked murder room."

"Seems fun but I doubt we would solve it. We're all fifteen and have like- zero experience with fake or real murders unless you watch those murder or cold case shows." Daiki interjected as he dug his hands into his blazer's pockets. He blew a strand of bubblegum pink hair from his eyes. "And Kohei-san didn't exactly give us a play by play on how to solve one."

"Fake or real, the case is simulated. And as it is, a simulated murder or 'accident', we wouldn't be handed the answers on a silver platter. Nothing is going to be easy. If it was, that would be boring, would it not?" Yoshimi yawned quietly. A wrinkle appeared at the bridge of his nose as he tucked a dual-colored strang behind his ear. His gaze lightly flickered to Akihiko and his eyes narrowed slightly.

Unbeknownst to either twin as one was distracted and the other was happily chatting away with Daiki, the aqua-eyed male discreetly swept over to Kagemi. Releasing another sneeze, Kagemi muttered a short curse under his breath when he felt a small tug on his blazer. Before he could even utter a word, Yoshimi had already whispered a quick line into his ear. "Keep an eye on Akihiko. I have a strong feeling he's not going to last the day without something occurring."

Pulling away from the male, Yoshimi shoved his thumbs into his pockets and lightly gestured at the taller twin. Sighing silently, Kagemi's lips tugged downward into a frown. He solemnly said, "guess I was not the only one to notice, huh?"

"You should stop playing the spiteful card," Yoshimi muttered informatively. "You care about those two, don't you. One more than the other."

Kagemi only clicked his tongue and averted his gaze. Yoshimi chuckled fervently. Neither spoke as they walked side by side.  

Finally, after a good twenty minutes of walking, they made it to their destination. The building in front of them towered over their small bodies. The sunlight struck the windows, illuminating the glass just enough so they would not be able to peer inside even if they wanted to. It looked like a normal structure, albeit a bit old fashioned with a run down beige coating, wooden frames lining the windows, and one of those rectangle umbrellas above the entrance. The group of eleven walked inside, some with curiosity and others releasing an aura or nervousness. Before anyone could utter a single word once inside, a voice broke through the silence hanging in the air.  

"Excuse me, how much longer will you keep us stuck here, Kohei-san?" A feminine voice rang out in an irritated yet somehow polite tone. The woman who spoke had a figure that was tall yet slim. She had almond-shaped eyes that brought out her emerald green irises. She pressed a hand to her forehead, pulling at a strand of wavy brown hair. Shifting her weight to her left leg, the maid outfit she adorned ruffled slightly.

Kohei laced his fingers together and beamed at the woman. "Long enough for you to play your parts as my former students! I've explained why I've asked you to come and you agreed whole-heartedly."

"I know, I know." she sighed and frustratingly waved at the students in greeting. Her irritation nearly evaporated soon after. She almost looked relieved to see the carefree attitude that the blond teacher presented. She turned her attention to the students as she crossed her arms across her chest. "Trust me on this, Kohei-san is never going to have a lesson plan ready when needed. You'll do assignments sporadically. I wouldn't be surprised if you had a random field trip by the end of the month."

A few students blanched and nodded in uncertainty. Others voiced out in agreement. Given that they are doing an assignment like this with no prior training, they should take the word of one of Kohei's previous students. As of this moment, they were beginning to wonder if they were supposed to guess what they needed to do since clearly no one knew what was the first thing to do in a case such as this.

Although Akihiko and Tanami had a Pro for a parent, Tomohiro would never, ever let them near a case let alone a file. He would inform them briefly what he worked on but never let them know about the murder cases he worked on. Maybe they should have asked or persisted more on the topic.

Lingering behind the wavy-haired woman, a pair of men were quietly waiting to be announced. The first male wore a normal black and white butler suit along with a pair of black-rimmed glasses hiding his deep green irises. His brown hair was slicked back with gel, a few pesky strands falling onto his forehead and he made no move to swipe them away. He was leaning against the wall with an amused expression as he stared at the group. The second wore a plain grey button-up with black slacks. His eyes were a pretty shade of lavender which matched his short violet hair splendidly. He appeared to be falling asleep, head bobbing every now and then as he forced himself to stay awake. 

Holding his palm out, Kohei began to explain. "Alright, kids. These are your three suspects for this case. This woman here will be the maid, the man leaning against the wall is the butler and the man about to fall asleep standing is Ms. Himari's imaginary boyfriend."

Irritated that he was called out, the lavender-haired man yawned and immediately straightened up. "Kohei, I am very much alive and breathing."

Kohei grinned and slapped the back of the lavender-haired man's back. He stumbled forward a bit and tossed a weak glare at the teacher. "Don't be like that! Why I remember when your group did this case!"

"Ah, yes, it was so thrilling," the man dressed as a butler commented with a roll of his eyes. "The spiders were absolutely horrific."

"Please, I thought they were black widows!" the woman complained while burying her face in her palms.

Everyone bristled and they all silently agreed that no one liked spiders. Probably the one thing they agreed on. Frightened but intrigued, Mei sauntered forward a bit and asked, "black widows...?"

"In our case, we had an attic with one of those drop-down ladders. I popped it open and tiny mechanical spiders fell on me and Gin over here. The only thing we heard was Kohei laughing hysterically." she sneered with a bit of malice as she leered at Kohei.

Rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly, the blond laughed awkwardly. "It wasn't that bad."

The lavender-haired man choked on seemingly nothing. He sputtered, "no, the poisonous gas our second year was terrifying. You told us to go find the victim and left to have a phone call with Inscribe because he refused to go to the Hero Billboard chart five years ago."

"You don't know when you will run into poisonous gas. It's a very dangerous substance." the teacher informed with a knowing smirk and clasped his hands together. "It wasn't like any of you were poisoned."

Ichigo had cleared her throat to get the adults attention. "Not to be rude, however, Inscribe has not been shown in the media for quite some time. Although he is one to not enjoy the spotlight, he does make a minimal effort to show up at least once in the news every month."

Unexpectedly, Akihiko, Kagemi, and Tanami all tensed up at the statement. It was obvious to them as to why Inscribe had taken a rain check with the media, but for those who did not know, it seemed highly unusual. 

Clasping his hands together, Kohei laughed off the notion. "Inscribe is working on a complicated case that is eating up his time. Work comes over media exposure." 

"I wish that was the case..." Tanami mumbled to herself as she linked her fingers together in front of her. She heard Akihiko sigh beside her. 

Kohei lifted his wrist to look at the time on his watch. "Time is ticking. We should get along with the assignment."

Both twins knew that Kohei was just trying to deter the conversation away from Inscribe. The teacher raised his arm and with a wave of his hand, he motioned his students to follow him. "Once we enter the hotel room, those three will begin to act their parts. So don't be alarmed when they start to act hysterical."

Stepping into the created hotel room, the first thing that was taken in was the overall condition of it. Everything that was supposed to belong in a hotel room was inside this room. It appeared to be a perfect replica. There were also some expensive additions such as a larger than needed television, a chandelier, and way more pillows than what a king-sized bed needed. On top of the table in the corner were dirty plates, a champagne bottle, utensils, and glass cups. Nothing in the room was out of place and everything that belonged to a woman was thrown around the room but in places that made sense for those items to occupy. 

Gesturing for his students to walk into the ample bathroom, Kohei stepped aside to let them in. The moment their eyes laid onto the scene, everyone's bodies stiffened at the bone chilling sight. 

*
Lying peacefully in a mixture of light scarlet water was a woman with beautiful platinum blonde locks soaked with water and dyed with the disgusting color of blooming roses unfurled around her. Her body was sprawled awkwardly, neck cranked in an odd position as the side of her head laid on the rim of the pristine white yet now crimson stained bathtub. One pale arm hung out of the tub and her legs were jumbled together as they poked out from the blue tarp covering her torso and halfway down her thighs. She was still submerged halfway in the dirty water, lying there with a plain expression painted on her face.

Crimson liquid coated the rim where the woman's head laid and it was even more prominent where the faucet jutted out from the tiled wall. Taking another glance at the woman, her skin was a greyish pale as if the pinkish hue of her skin no longer existed. It was a scary and pitiful scene to look at. And... they had to be able to look at this in the future without much of a shutter? 
*

She was probably a beautiful woman, one who had a grand life ahead of her, but here she was, dead in a hotel room's bathroom. 

Not even a peep escaped the group of fifteen-year-olds. They only stared, taking in the frightening sight. A few had lost the color in their cheeks while others averted their eyes once the initial shock had passed. Tanami's hand had somehow found its way to her chest and curled into a fist. She was strangling her red tie and she did not even notice she was doing that. It was a cruel realization that this type of scenario occurred daily. Even more when a Villain decided to disrupt the mundane lives of civilians for their benefit. 

"...this is grey. The grey line between white and black." 

Tilting her head up, Tanami did not miss the slight tremble of Junpei's hands as he continued to search for the right words. His one visible eyebrow scrunched downward, wrinkles appearing on his forehead. The usual playful tone had been replaced by a hesitant one. Beside her, she could see the shuffling of feet from her brother. She did not need to turn around to know that he was intrigued and confused. 

"Where there is good and bad, there is an in-between. The connection that can bind and sever this exact line. Equidistant is the team that stands on the sidelines and completes the dirty work of witnessing something like this. Which we will have to grow used to as we tread down this path." The whole explanation was strange but in a way, it made sense. This was their eventual jobs, and this is what came with the job.

Frontline took care of the Villains first and foremost, rescue focused on saving civilians and clearing out debris, and equidistant focused on figuring out the reason behind the attack and the Villains motives. All three were important in their own ways and played their part. They leaned on each other, by being flashy and strong or hidden and clever. All for peace and the safety of the general public. Or at least that was what is supposed to happen. Ideals always get in the way.

This simulation was their first stepping stone. Analyze, gather information, and complete the investigation and case. Solving murders was one of their jobs, and stepping into a crime scene was no different.

"Kiddos," the stern voice of their teacher flooded into their ears. Snapping out of their daze, the students perked up. "Although this is a simulation and that woman right here is a realistic dummy, standing shell shocked is not the way to bring her death to light. This is a real-life scenario and death will appear when you least expect it. It is partially your duty to unhinge the shackles of what could be lies and sins. Understand?"

They nodded and voiced quiet agreements.

A dummy? Tanami spared another look and scrunched up her nose. That's the most realistic dummy I have ever seen in my life.

The thumping of her heart had finally calmed down. Her lips parted slightly. Was her heart colliding so harshly with her ribcage? It appeared her heart had functioned faster than her brain did. What a strange thing. She let go of her tie, no longer clenching the poor fabric unconsciously.

Everyone alike looked away in shame for a while before their moods instantly changed.

"You said we would receive a more detailed case file. Where is it?" Kagemi rolled his shoulders as if to release the tension between his shoulder blades. A bead of sweat was rolling down his jawline as he forced his head away from the dummy. 

"Right, right. Unfortunately, I didn't prepare that." Kohei laughed sheepishly. "I asked Kura to help me out just once. He wasn't happy but begrudgingly obliged nonetheless."

Mei ran a hand through her chocolate bangs and groaned audibly. "So what, do we have to wing it? Though I think that was the plan anyway."

Kohei chuckled in amusement and shook his head. "No, no. I'll just explain some of the information for now."

"For a teacher, you're much too laid back," Daiki muttered to himself. "Or way too disorganized."

"The victim is Sara Himari. She was twenty-nine-years-old. She was a model, specifically for perfume and other types of make-up products. She was traveling for a week outside of Japan before returning. Instead of heading straight to her hometown for a long-awaited vacation, the jet lag from the trip had made her decide to spend a couple of nights at this hotel. 

"At around seven-thirty-nine in the morning, the maid had entered to do the usual cleaning. At first, she hadn't noticed the corpse due to the fact that she had started with cleaning and fixing up the bedroom. Once she entered the bathroom, she immediately called the police when she found the body lying in the bathtub. The call was reported at seven-fifty-four. From what we've gathered, Himari had slipped and her head collided with the faucet first and then the rim of the bathtub. The death wasn't instant but she was rendered unconscious and with the amount of blood lost, I assume you can think of the way she passed.

"The three suspects-"

Kohei made a 'come here' motion with his hand and the three from earlier entered the bathroom. They lingered near the entrance. 

"Kaede Tsubaki, age thirty-one. She was the maid on duty to conduct that cleaning on this floor." 

"I know I am the one who discovered her body but what motive would I have to rob the life of another human being?!" Kaede instantly screeched. Her face was morphed into one of fright as the words tumbled out of her lips in hysterics. Her hands were gripping her skirt so tight that her knuckles were beginning to turn white.

"Next is Gin Kano, age twenty-nine. He's a butler who works in this hotel. He was found on this floor around the time the body was discovered. He was busy preparing the other VIP room for another celebrity who was going to check in later in the evening."

"I was simply doing my job. One of the other maids was supposed to do the prepping but unfortunately, she called in sick so I was asked to do the job in her stead." the pretend butler adjusted his tie and coughed into his hand. His answer was not one of panic or was desperate but, one of calm. It sounded convincing. Like he could do no harm.

"Akio Dai, age thirty-two. He is- or should I say, was Himari's boyfriend. He works as a nurse in a nearby hospital. The two met when Himari burnt her hand after tipping over a pot of boiling water."

The lavender-eyed man held his arms out and clenched his teeth, almost frustrated that he was even there. With a scowl, he said, "I have said it time and time again. I don't know what happened to Sara! The last time I saw her was two days ago and I spoke to her briefly on the phone yesterday night!"

Clasping his hands together, Kohei maneuvered his way to the door. He rested his palm on the doorknob, moving the door slightly as he continued his explanation. "As Akio stated, he met Himari two days ago at a local cafe at the end of his morning shift at the hospital. The two conversed for a while, as seen in the footage taken from the cameras at the cafe. We have already checked Akio's phone statements and as he said, he spoke with Himari at twelve-twenty-nine at night and the call ended at twelve-thirty-two. No contact was seen between the two after the call to when the body was discovered."

"Naturally, so why am I still here? My shift starts in a couple of hours and I would like to sleep for a bit." Akio pinched the bridge of his nose. He was too flustered and too eager to leave. Would he not want to confirm how his 'girlfriend' died?

"According to the three witness testimonies and the evidence we have gathered here, Akio, you were the last person to see her alive. Kaede only found her corpse."

"Wait, wait! So you believe I would murder my own girlfriend, Kohei?!" the man's eyes narrowed, almost trembling in disbelief at the stern and know it all tone Kohei spoke with. It was not at all like the cheerful attitude he usually displayed. "Yes I may have been the one to see her last but if you look at my schedule, I was working the hospital shift all night when the accident or murder could have occurred! I was preoccupied with work."

"Yes, yes, Akio. We have already asked for the camera footage, the witness testimonies that you were at work, and your check-in and checkout information." Kohei reaffirmed.

Piping up, Gin eased his way into the conversation. His fingers were laced in front of him. "Besides, Kohei, if you looked at it thoroughly, Himari must have fallen and hit her head. It should be ruled an accident, not a murder."

"Y-yeah! Why are the three of us being suspected of an accident? No one here would have a motive to kill her!" Kaede nodded frantically, her face breaking out into a cold sweat. She looked like she would puke if she stayed in the room any longer. 

"Really now?" Kohei asked. A hand had found its way to his chin as he glanced briefly at the ceiling. "From all the evidence gathered, and sparing a glance, it is obvious Himari was murdered. Her body was just placed to look like an accident. And almost perfectly too."

"It never was an accident. One of these three killed her?" Ichigo perked up as she asked. She was tugging the ends of her blazer in what seemed to be anxiousness.

"Perhaps, howe-" the blond teacher's voice cut off.

The lights went out and a scream rang in the air alongside the boom of a bullet leaving the barrel of a pistol. The lights flashed back on, blinding everyone momentarily. They all blinked a few times, their eyes adjusting to the sudden change of light. Frightened and shocked noises escaped the group.

Slumped on the floor was Kaede, her body awkwardly sprawled on the tiles while leaning partially on the wall. The front of her outfit was slowly fading into a vibrant crimson. Her eyelids were shut and her lips were parted open. However, her chest was still moving up and down signaling that she was still very much alive.

Instinctively and surprisingly, Daiki was the first to move. He grasped her hand, applying his fingers to her wrist to see if the woman's pulse was beating fast or slow. His eyebrows knitted together in confusion and he moved to press two fingers to her neck. 

"Her pulse is still strong...?" he muttered in bewilderment. He checked once more, reeled back, stared at the wound, and gripped her wrist again. "Huh?"

"Correct!" A static-filled voice sputtered. 

Everyone in the room perked up, looking around to see who had spoken. All of them shared the same confused and curious look before they all slowly realized that a certain golden-haired teacher had seemingly disappeared from the room and the bathroom door was closed.

"Kohei-san?" 

They were met with a peal of cheerful laughter. "Kaede is not dead. We wouldn't want to kill an actual Hero now. She's playing dead right now. Like a dog would. But she isn't a dog of course. She's alive but dead. The death of Sara Himari is more than just a simple, run of the mill case. If it was, well, I wouldn't be a good teacher to give you something easy now would I? Examine and find the cause of death of Himari first. 

The hotel room door is closed and will only open when you figure it out. Usage of Quirks are not permitted. Use your brains. Good luck, kiddos."

Peeling away from Kaede, although Daiki still sent a few odd glances at her. "Sorry for touching your arm without permission. Instinct I guess."

The pink-haired male was not expecting a reply so he just stood up. He drew in a deep breath and wriggled his fingers in discomfort. 

"First things first," Yoshimi motioned to the dummy in the bathtub. "We should examine the body. If it was an accident, we should confirm it to be certain."

"Naturally, but, does anyone know anything about first aid or how to check a dead body? You can't tamper with evidence and you learn about the body via an autopsy report." Junpei explained as he tiptoed over to Yoshimi.

The taller male sent him a blank, unamused look before saying in discontent. "And how do you expect us to acquire that, Junpei? Kohei-san left us to our own devices. Do you have a brilliant idea or do you only rely on your Quirk to gain knowledge."

That statement alone left Junpei's mouth tasting sour. His cheerful expression fell and was replaced with one that reflected anything but amused. Narrowing his one visible eye into a glare, he spitefully spat, "I may not know when to keep my mouth shut but the same rule should not apply to you. Unlike you, Ikeda, I have a reason to be here. You, on the other hand, only applied because it seemed interesting."

"What an amusing retort. Do you have another insult that I could care less about." Yoshimi replied swiftly in a dull tone. "We have an assignment. I'm not going to stand here and entertain you-"

"Aww, why not? I hear I'm such a delight!" Junpei shot back as he placed a hand atop of his chest while feigning a look of hurt.

"-so as of now, we're doing what I am going to say. Since no one voiced anything about knowing how to inspect a body, I say Daiki should take a crack at it. His Quirk relies on chemical knowledge as well as knowledge on how to administer doses of certain drugs into a body. Our best bet is him." Yoshimi craned his neck, taking in such a clear and assertive tone that you could not help but comply. 

"Four of you gather to ask the witnesses for their testimonies. Two each. See if you can find a flaw or a strange statement as they retell what they did before, during, and after the death of Himari-san." He spared a glance at Akio and Gin with a millisecond smirk. "Ask them to repeatedly state their testimonies. Their stories have to match each time. They shouldn't be able to spin their tales. If they do, well that's a red flag.

"Tanami and I will assist Daiki in his procedure. I'm certain neither of us will be help but it's worth a try. The rest of you inspect each nook and cranny of this bathroom and the hotel room. See if you can find any evidence that can prove that this is a murder. Everyone got it? Okay? Now go."

For someone who has said that they could care less, Yoshimi certainly was quick to dish out instructions. The rest of the class kind of just stood there, stunned from the sudden onslaught of instructions they received. 

Raising an eyebrow, Yoshimi knelt down. "Are you going to stand there like logs or are you going to move?"

That seemed to get people to move as they awkwardly began to assign themselves positions. A few stumbled out to the hotel room while the rest politely asked the two for their testimonies.

Yoshimi ran a hand through his bangs and released a puff of air. "They don't follow instructions clearly."

"And no one expected you to order them around. Seriously, what was that? I've never seen you take on such a leader-like position." Daiki's eyes had widened slightly in surprise. "Did you hit your head or something."

"You're an idiot," he shot back. Suddenly, a smirk slipped onto the brown-and-aqua-haired male's lips. "I played a few murder mystery games last year. I never thought I would perform a real investigation but it seems like a fun game."

"This is a game to you, Shimi?" Tanami interjected as she inched up to the bathtub. 

Shaking his head, Yoshimi placed a hand on Tanami's shoulder. She could not help but realize that his hand lightly squeezed her shoulder before releasing it. "I thought I told you this before. I joined the Hero course because it seemed interesting. I'm a Pillar, you're a Powerhouse. You're the one who does the dirty work, but not this type."

He pulled away. "This is a real life game, and I've decided that I'm going to beat this level. Easy mode is everything but thrilling."

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Author's Note:

Who do you think the killer is?

Besides that, Yoshimi's taking the lead and Junpei's still a little turd. Let's see if these kids can actually solve this case.