"With all due respect, Sir, but are we really going to just declare this case as closed?" One of the workers of Védale Detective Agency asked with creased eyebrows.

"Looks like the plan is working already," the chief muttered using an amused tone to display his current mood.

"What do you mean?"

"We've already sent our most proficient employee to investigate the recent murder at Royal Brix, and also guarantee the safety of the students. The 'Case: Closed' is just a tactic to make them hang loose enough for them to make a mistake that'll reveal their identity."
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History Class Status: Ongoing with two classmates wrangling at the back.
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"I can't believe that she made us partner up for this project." Hideaki complained as he tried to place more distance between you two.

"Acclimatizing to you in the classroom is already awful, but for me to spend my free time with you even after school? Purely nightmarish." You scoffed while bliss grew once he was now farther away from you.

You and Hideaki altercated as you two felt the world crash around you once the teacher announced that whoever you were seated next to, they'd be your companion for the project that would soon be announced. Apparently, 40% of your grade was covered by it, and granted that you weren't the most precocious of the lot, you knew that you'd have to exert as much effort as you could to not dawdle in this subject.

If only your partner was someone whom you didn't want to strangle. Shame.

"Whatever. Let's just finish this coursework as soon as possible so that I won't need to waste my time with someone as pathetic as you." This guy was really pushing your buttons.

"Likewise. Associating with you for an hour in this class is more than vexing, I don't need its longevity to increase." He should thank the teacher because if not for her, you probably would have pounced on him already.

'Oh dear god' You prayed inwardly, eyes twitching even when closed with your teeth gritted because of frustration. 'Please give me strength to not choke this guy. Fuck. He's worse than Yukio.' You finished with a deep exhale.
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 At the School's Garden.
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You didn't go to this place out of your own volition. Kane kept on persuading you to check this place out, and even if you were suspicious of her for suddenly gushing over this place out of the blue, you concluded that getting a fresh breath of air during the time in which you were vacant would relieve all the tension you've felt from feeling so much stress during these past few days.

Jiryu was unreservedly keeping an eye on you, in case that you tried to do something stupid again, and whereas you appreciated the gesture, being watched by someone was certainly suffocating if  too much attention was received. 

Enki had also been proprietorial to you in recent times. Wherever you went, he'd trail after you. Yes, he was cute, you'd give him that, but sometimes, you need some 'me' time, you know? You loved being around him, but much like how you were with Ruri, spending too much time with someone was taxing for someone like you who wasn't an extrovert. Ruri was also acting the same way as he.

Moving on to Hideaki, you detested that boy's guts. His comebacks were always witty and you loathed the fact that you were actually tipping your hat off to him for his highly insulting rebuttals. To make matters worse, after school ends, you had to meet up with him to discuss your plans about what preparations you duo should make.

Yukio was, remarkably, not chafing you for once. He had been steering away from you, but he wasn't giving you the go-by to the point that no pleasantriess were exchanged. Just enough that you two wouldn't speak to each other unless necessary. And to be honest, a week without Yukio causing rupture to the tranquility you achingly wanted to achieve? H e a v e n.

And lastly, Kozan. Your last interaction with him was probably two weeks ago when you two sat next to each other in class. After that, nothing. Undoubtedly zilch. You were indebted to the heavens because you thought that they now had decided to make your life easier. But it wasn't hard to have your own scruples because you knew things were getting way too good to be true for youㅡ

"Y-Yukio... are you sure we shall be doing this h-here?" A girl whose voice you recognized stuttered in a breathy way. And did she just say Yukioㅡ

Your breathing went stock-still once you fathomed what trap you walked into. Not that you were too high-handed for your own good or anything, but this must've all been a ploy exhorted by that scumbag. He plausibly bribed Kane to convince you to come to this place. And as soon as you thought of that, your phone vibrated. Checking to see who it was, it was your dear friend, Kane.

From: Kane

Subject: sorry

Message: Hey, so, I assume that you're probably at the gardens right now and uh, sorry! Yukio promised me that he'll give me enough money to buy this lunch's special for two. Don't worry, I'll be sure to use this money for us. Love ya!

Of. Fucking. Course.

The free lunch meal did sound quite great so you guessed that you could forgive her just this one time.

All of that aside, rumours did circulate regarding the relationship of that Clementine and Yukio levelling up. Who knew that it was true and that the former didn't just make up all of those things for clout.

As you passed by them sucking each other off, Yukio had both of his eyes opened, peeping to see if you were watching.

Was this his way of showing you what you have wasted? He'd got to do better than that if so.

With him watching you in his peripheral view, you smirked before mouthing something before finally leaving the 'couple' to continue what they were doing. The moment you were out of sight, Yukio disconnected with the girl immediately. 

"W... What's wrong?" 

"Just remembered that I have something to do."

And as Yukio fled away from the girl and introduced himself to the sink to rinse his mouth, he couldn't keep his frustration at bay once he deciphered what you mouthed him.

Why weren't you affected by this at all?

'Use your tongue,' was what you lipped.
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The Library
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'I can't terminate my thirst for knowledge as to who's the murderer. His voice is unfamiliar and his stature didn't fit anyone whom I know, except for...' You let Hideaki babble and just focused your stare on the book you were reading. Of course, you had some ideas of your own. Admittedly, you were a little bit of a douchebag, yet you wouldn't just let this boy do all the work himself. You'd just tell him whatever you had in mind after him since you knew that your words wouldn't matter at all to him when he's like this.

"Are you even listening to me?"

"No."

He huffed, "Speak."

"What?"

"It's obvious that you have other things in your pea-sized brain that's keeping you from giving your attention to our presentation. Let it out so that we could end this faster." He told you as he crossed his arms before relaxing his back on the rear support of the wooden chair.

"Nothing. Continue. I 'love' hearing you talk." He rolled his eyes at what you'd said, "Just so you know, we're not going to be graded individually. So if you failed, it's on me too."

"Alright, alright, I'll contribute to this meaningful conversation. Let me just point some things out. Just enunciating about what had happened in this country's history will be too boring. Even if we have researched day and night about new informations to disseminate, if no one will listen, it's all for naught." You commented with heavy-lidded eyes that were ready to drop at any moment. Coming to school sleep-deprived was a habit you should probably throw in the trash soon.

"So what do you suggest that we shall do?" It's startling that he was willing to listen to you, since you assumed that he was someone who prioritized himself over others. But you really shouldn't be this flabbergasted because he did the same thing back when you were so overwrought about the manslayer earmarking you.

"Well, first things first..."

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An hour had already passed since you two entered the athenaeum. You could say that you two spent your time rather productively, and if you hadn't chosen to take a shut-eye, you two would've made much more progress. 

Hideaki just stared at the clock as he waited for you to stir from your sleep. He was an asshole, yes, but he knew how irritating it was for someone to be interrupted when they were sleeping. And while he could have chosen to leave awhile ago, he chose to stay because...

You could say that he wasn't likable at all and he wouldn't even try to deny it. He was self-centered, someone who acted all high and mighty, and for a good reason too, well, that was just him trying to defend himself.

He was aware that he was astuter than other people. At the age of one, he was already prificient at reading text materials, at age three, he was able to play complex pieces on the piano, and at the age of seven, he had managed to read almost half of the amount of books that were stored in their mansion's archive. 

Yet his intelligence came with a price.

He was socially inept. He couldn't talk to someone without degrading them, and he would put a value above everyone's heads just so that he could know whether forming relations with them was worth it or not and if it would bring some kind of perk to him in the end. He could fake smiles perfectly enough, and those nincompoops wouldn't even notice that he was just wearing a mask around them because they were too dunce-like to even harbour reservations about that.

Yet if needed to be truthful, he was envious of his brother, Ruri. Even if his parents showed favor to him over his sibling, he was covetous of the fact that Ruri was genuine enough for him to make friends without even checking if being with them was fruitful or not.

He was thirsty for some kind of confidant, like those that Ruri had, whom he could count on if needed, whom he could talk to whenever he wanted to and not because he wanted something from them, whom he could share his ups and downs with. But of course, his pride was in the way.

He was too shrewd for that. If he let his emotions drive him, he would only be driving himself purposely to a cliff. Those kinds of sentiments were the weakness of humans that he had tried to rid himself of a long time ago, but was unable to accomplish that. 

He was punching himself day and night for even wishing to have a comrade... A camaraderie with someone. Yet he was quick to vault all of those thought off of the window before they could even get to him

Yet the moment he met you, the first meeting of you two that resulted in a bicker. He berated himself for treasuring that moment. He didn't know why, yet he expected something for you. Not a connection which he could exercise control over like he would do to other nobles, but something else.

A relationship.

Friendship.

And as he conversed with you today in a civil manner (without it turning into a friendly dispute, or so he would like to call it), he couldn't help but feel... jubilant? Was that the right term to use? You had thought of things that never had once appeared in his brain. You explained your side to him eloquently and in an articulate mannerㅡ a side of you which he didn't know you have since he didn't think that you could even ideate things up like this.

Breaking himself from his self-monologuing, his eyes travelled towards your napping form with your hands limply falling to your sides, a book that was opened had itself situated on the top of your head, and what caused him to feel flustered the most was that you were facing him.

As he took a good look at you, he supposed that you seemed... He scolded himself for even thinking for a second that you appeared fairly cute. Just what was he thinking?

He forced himself to fixate his gaze on anywhere else but you. 

'I'll stay until she wakes up. I couldn't just leave this damned girl all on her own.'
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"The fuck are you looking at?"