Hey! Say! MURDER [4/4]
It’s been a total of 2 hours and inside the freeze room, Nami and Amanda are feeling very cold now. Outside, Ixa has finally fainted, but Cyrille is still trying to restrain the poison. But it seemed impossible since it was air. Though, she was close herself from falling.
“Amanda... I think... there’s a way... how to cut these bonds...” Nami said as she looked at a box of test tubes. It maybe they could break one; they could use it to slice the bonds.
“Oh Nami~ it’s no use... I’m going to die here... I still haven’t gotten a boyfriend... Nami I’m still a virgin~!!!” Amanda complained as she felt her fingers grow numb.
“Well I’m still a virgin too, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to die here!” Nami said trying to reach out for a test tube which she did eventually.
“What are you planning to do with that test tube?” Amanda said as she sniffed from the cold.
“Just wait and see...” Nami said as she started to crush the test tube in her hand.
Meanwhile...
“Where are they?” Keito wondered as the girls were taking a long time. Kei and Henrietta approached him.
“Watcha wondering?” Henrietta said as she licked her lollipop. Keito seemed worried about what was happening. Two hours was a long time to talk.
“Nami and Amanda aren’t back. They said that they were going to Cy and Ixa.” Keito explained to them. The two could see him getting more and more worried as time passed.
“Two hours ago? That seems awful lot.” Henrietta said finishing her lollipop up. Yamada, Chinen and Abici approached the group.
“Has anyone seen Amanda-chan?” Yamada asked them. Amia started to giggle at what he had just said. Yamada looked quite annoyed.
“What so funny?” Henrietta said curious at the reaction of Amia. Amia stopped and looked at Yamada. But she still giggled after that.
“Because Yamada has started to call Amanda ‘Amanda-chan’” Amia explained as she silently laughed looking at Yamada. Yamada lit up like a tomato. Even he hasn’t realized what he had been saying.
“Yeah... you’ve been looking for her for the past two hours.” Chinen said.
“Wait! I think I know where they are.” Keito said as he started to run for the building. “Call the teachers and the police. Tell them there are students who are trapped in the chemistry room.” He called out to behind them. They did as they were told. But Yamada and Daiki followed him.
In the hallway...
“Ixa~!” Daiki called out. Teachers and police were still climbing the stairs. He covered his mouth and nose as he smelled an awful stench in the room. As he opened the door, he saw Cyrille and Ixa were already on the floor. They were breathing heavily. Yabu came out with the teachers and police.
“Cy.” Yabu said entering the room. He carried Cyrille out to make her breathe fresh air. Daiki went in and carried out Ixa who didn’t seem as if she was breathing.
“Oh god... Ixa... wake up... come on... Ixa... Ixavelle.... Tatiana Ixavelle....” Daiki said slightly panicking while lightly hitting her cheek to wake her. But she didn’t budge.
“We’ll take it from here.” A paramedic said as she carried Ixa on a stretcher. They put an oxygen mask on her and started to carry her out of the building towards the hospital wing.
“I’ll go with them.” Daiki said as he and the paramedics went out the building.
“Ya... bu.... Yabu... freezing.... freezing room....” Cyrille said, trying to lift her hand and point at the locked room. It was even vaulted. On the small little glass window was a hand print. Yamada and Keito went in despite the carbon monoxide. The police and teachers opened the windows to let it all out.
“We’ll take her to the hospital wing.” Yabu said as he went off with the paramedics.
(Note: If you guys are asking why hospital wing and not hospital itself, it’s because this is a boarding school, if you haven’t noticed~)
“Why is the cooler open?” a teacher asked noticing the meter nearly reaching zero.
“Nami! Nami are you in there?” Keito asked as he hit the metal door. On the other side, they were starting to freeze since the temperature was nearly zero. They had even started to turn a bit blue themselves. They heard the pounds against the door and Keito’s voice calling them. But it was faint at first.
“Keito... Keito!” Nami said using the last of her strength to pound on the door. Amanda held her wrist to make her stop pounding. She was leaning on the door and already starting to freeze.
“Nami! Are you alright? Thank goodness you’re alive.” Keito said relieved to hear her voice.
“Hey! Is the sun setting already?” Amanda asked them.
“Yeah. You can say it just started.” Yamada replied. He could feel the door itself was cold. “Who put you guys in there?’
“It doesn’t matter now.” Amanda replied. She was happy to hear his voice.
“Look! You better tell the police to get to the hospital wing. In Niarra’s room!” Nami instructed them.
“Why?” Keito asked.
“Seiku’s the murderer! He’s going over there when nobody’s around her to kill her!” Nami said. The two boys seemed shocked. Makimachi Seiku was the killer.
“What? And how on earth do you know he’s the killer?” Yamada asked.
“Here’s what happened...” Amanda started off. She panted a bit since she was feeling dry in the cold. “Why do you think Reira didn’t leave a suicide note?” she first asked a good question. It was true. They never did find a suicide note.
“She forgot?” Keito tried to answer.
“Wrong! It’s because she never really did leave a note.” Nami explained. The two boys on the other side seemed confused.
“What do you mean? Do you mind explaining it all?” Keito asked. The police and teachers were confused. They weren’t hearing anything. So they left it all to the boys who were still listening to them.
“She didn’t leave a note! She left a message. Her suicide note is actually a voice message. The other day when I was expecting a voice message, I borrowed Seiku’s phone right?” Nami asked. The boys on the other side nodded. “I accidentally opened his voicemail and heard Reira’s voice.” Nami said.
(Flashback on that day)
“Damn... I opened his voicemail.” Nami cursed to herself as she was about to press cancel. But a certain voice appeared. It seemed as if she were sad and was about to cry.
“Seiku... it’s me... Reira... I don’t know how to say this... *sniff*... I’m going to be gone for a long time... and I’m not going to return. Seiku, recently... my whole life has been going downhill for me... I’ve been discharged from all my duties... I don’t think I can live right now... I just wanted to say thank you for everything. You’ve been a great brother. I’m sorry if I haven’t been a good sister to you. I’m so sorry if I have o leave you... *starts crying*... Seiku... please forgive me for everything that I’ve done... Especially for what I am about to do right now. I hope you won’t forget me... I love you Seiku.” Her message ended. But that didn’t end the hope message. You could just start to hear choking sound and later on.
“Reira? You called me?” a girl’s voice entered the room along with the closing sound of the large theatre door. Then there was a scream to end the whole thing.
“This is...” Nami said as she closed the phone. Terrified of what she had heard
(End of flashback)
“You mean... Reira did leave a note... but it wasn’t in writing?” Yamada asked. “Wait. We’re trying to get you out of here.” He added as they tried to open the vault. But it wouldn’t budge.
“Yamada-kun... it’s no use... it’s frozen in here. And he disconnected the wires so you won’t be able to turn the cooler off.” Amanda said as she felt tears coming to her eyes. She and Nami couldn’t move their bodies anymore.
“No. We will find a way to get you out of there!’ Keito yelled. The two girls felt relieved that there was someone who still cared for them. If ever they did die, it would be happy for them to know that.
“Wait. Hear our story first.” Nami told them.
“The other night, when I returned your phone Yamada, I bumped into Seiku. He was carrying a large box. After I helped him pick up Reira’s items in the box, I saw a warming blanket. It was torn on the corner. I recognized it from the piece that Keito showed us.” Amanda explained. Keito remembered the piece. He still had it. “That’s the evidence we need against him.” Amanda said.
“WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON HERE?” Suzuka asked as she barged into the room.
“Suzuka~ wait...” Takaki tried to hold her back. But Suzuka went in anyways. She opened a cabinet in the room and brought out a bottle of liquid nitrogen.
“Get out of there.” Suzuka ordered the two boys. They nodded and got out of the way. Suzuka splashed the vault knob with the liquid nitrogen. It froze in an instant. Suzuka looked for anything hard like a rock or metal if possible. She grabbed a stool with metal legs and raised it up.
“I hope this works...” Suzuka said before she smashed the knob with the metal legs. It cracked and pieces started to fall off until the whole thing was now crumbs on the floor. You could see the mechanics of the vault. Someone immediately tinkered with it.
“Wait, if you open it now, the collision of the hot air out here and the freezing air inside might cause an explosion.” Yamada told them. It was basic science after all.
“We can’t take chance now dammit! Open the frickin door!” Amanda and Nami said in chorus. And with that, the door suddenly slid open. The two girls suddenly fell out.
“Ahh~ So warm...” Nami said. Keito and Yamada immediately went to their sides. Keito hugged Nami even though she was nearly a Popsicle. Yamada just held onto Amanda.
“So wait... what do the murdered girls all have in common?” Yamada asked out of curiosity.
“This is not the time to ask those questions.” Suzuka reprimanded. Amanda shook her head. She was still shivering a bit as well as somewhat melting. So was Nami. Not just physically for Nami though, emotionally as well. (If you know what I mean~)
“Does anyone have a laptop?” Amanda asked. A policeman handed her a laptop. She sat down and typed in codes to gain access of their files.
“This isn’t the time for you to be doing this. You’re still frozen.” Yamada commented.
“I’m just half frozen. I’m starting to melt. I can feel my fingers~” Amanda said as she typed in some more. .
“But there is nothing on their profiles.” The policeman said. Nami shook her head.
“You guys were looking in the wrong place. We need Reira’s permanent records.” Nami said. After a few typing sounds, Amanda had finally gained access to the permanent record.
“Reira was discharged from her duties. The reason why she committed suicide. She didn’t want that since she was very active and she loved her duties. How would you feel if something you loved to the extent was taken from you?” Nami explained.
“And what does that have to do with the murders?” Suzuka asked. Amanda slowly got up and plugged the laptop to the big screen. Now they could feel their legs instead of feeling like ice. The large screen showed what was on the laptop. The murdered girls did have something in common. The police seemed stunned.
“Sokolov Mashka discharged Reira from the Foreign Affairs Department. Tachibana Fuyumi discharged her from the swimming team. Orihara Nyanne released her from the environmental group activities.” Nami first stated. It was right on the screen, on the permanent record.
“The twins from the student council, Vivianne and Serafine discharged her from student activities regarding the French fair. And finally, Sakurai Mikan, took her privileges away as librarian assistant.” Amanda finished everything off.
“Murder solved.” Nami said as she relaxed near a Bunsen burner. She had newly lit up.
“Not quite...” Keito said. Nami looked at him as they took her and Amanda and put them each on a stretcher.
“Hey!” Nami protested as she got up from the stretcher. Amanda also got up from it.
“We can walk now. Let’s get to Niarra.” Amanda said as they kind of ran towards the hospital wing.
Meanwhile...
Seiku slowly snuck into the hospital wing. Nurses weren’t able to detect him go through. He finally entered Niarra’s room. She was still asleep from the hit that occurred the other night. A machine was beside her bed telling her pulse rate. It was still steady. He took out a metallic string and wrapped it around his fingers. And he slowly put it near her neck.
“Gommenasai, Niarra-chan.” he silently said as he finally applied pressure resulting into her waking up from the sudden event. She tried to resist him. The machine was going wild as her pulse rate was getting faster and faster.
“Sei... sei.... ku....” Niarra choked on her words as he dug in deeper and deeper into her throat. Now she couldn’t breathe. The door flew right open.
“Stop it right there! You’re under arrest!” a policeman shouted pointing a gun towards him. Seiku immediately stopped. As well as the pulse of Niarra.
“Niarra!” Nami yelled as she entered the room. She pushed Seiku aside who fell onto the floor. he was picked up by the series of police who entered the room.
“What happened?” Yuto asked as he and the other members entered the room.
“We got a call telling us Niarra is in danger.” Amia said as they entered the room. Nami was already beside Niarra. The machine showed no signs of her having life. Ryuutaro entered the room in a state of shock. He wasn’t expecting it.
“Oh my god... Niarra...” Ryuutaro said as he went beside her. And a funny moment happened when he touched, her pulse returned.
“A touch of life? Ryuutaro! You’re a god!” Nami joked around. At least they were glad that Niarra wasn’t hurt.
The next day...
“So we’ll be released tomorrow.” Nami said with a sigh as she looked at the room she shared in the hospital wing with Cyrille, Ixa and Amanda. Apparently, Cyrille and Ixa were starting to get poisoned by the carbon monoxide. If Yabu and Daiki didn’t bring them out in time, they could’ve died. Cyrille and Ixa made sure to thank them a million times when they were released as well. As for the two mystery solvers, of course, they suffered injuries from freezing. Some minor scratches here and there.
“We’ll be going home too. They’re closing the school already.” Ixa informed them. Of course they were closing the school now. They felt unsafe here.
“I will miss this place a bit.” Cyrille sighed as she looked out the window. The sky now was blue and the clouds drifted.
“Why don’t we just go to school again in the same place?” Ixa suggested. It would’ve been a good idea.
“Sorry. My mom’s making me study in Paris.” Amanda said. “After she found out I was nearly frozen to death, she made sure I went to a school without any freezing rooms now.” Amanda laughed.
“I might study in Germany now.” Cyrille also informed them. “My father’s going to move back there and it would be nice if I came along. I’ve been separated from them long enough already.” She added.
“But that means I have to come! Phooey!” Ixa detested the idea. A nurse came into their room.
“Do you girls wish to be released today?” The nurse asked. All four nodded.
“Great. We will have you ready to be returned to your dorms.” The nurse added and left.
An hour later...
“Cyrille, you said that you were going to miss this place.” Nami said as they were walking to their dorms which were a bit far from the hospital wing of the school. Cyrille had a taint of pink in her cheeks when she heard that.
“Did something happen between you and Yabu?” Ixa asked suspicious of her cousin’s activities. Cyrille had more and more hues added to her as the girls felt they were getting closer to what they wanted.
“Ah huh! Something did happen between you two!” the three girls said in chorus pointing towards Cyrille. Cyrille immediately started to run. And the three girls chased after her.
ad her first kiss when she accidentally fell on Yabu during ballroom classes resulting in them kissing. Where she had met Keito and they remained friends. The place where they first saw Henrietta who seemed like a snob rich girl. But Kei was able to change her and ended up secretly dating. This place was full of memories.
“Hey there.” Amanda approached the young couple. She was alone. She seemed as if she had just cried. “I just escorted Niarra to her parents. Of course I caught Ryuutaro listening from afar afterwards.” Amanda explained as she wiped the last of her tears.
“You’re gonna miss this place as well?” Nami asked.
“I am. So many memories haunt these walls. It’s just so sad. At first, I was glad I was leaving this hell hole, but it made me realize, this was the place where I met you guys.” Amanda explained. Even Nami was starting to cry.
“Aww. Don’t cry now.” Keito hugged her. But this was a very dramatic exit.
“See you guys later. If ever we do see each other again.” Amanda said and left them. Keito and Nami remained where they were, hoping that time would just stop for them so that everybody will stay together. That moment was just perfect. But everybody was heading out in their own ways. The HSJ will stay together. But the other ring of friendship was about to break. At least the murder mystery brought them closer than ever thought. But, life had other plans for them. Plans that for now that meant that they had to leave. And plans, that will also bring them together as friends again whether it may take a couple of years.
Later on...
“Amanda-chan...” Yamada said as he approached her looking at the memorial for those who died.
“Ah. Yamada-kun. They engraved their names here.” Amanda said touching it. It was listed by who died first.
“I think you’re ride’s here.” Yamada told her. Amanda looked at him with a smile. Though, he knew that this was fake.
“Come with me?” Amanda offered him to walk with her to the drop off area. He nodded and they slowly made their way through. They walked through the empty halls. The image of students and teachers filling up these halls was enlightening.
“You don’t mind do you? I mean, after what had just happened, it’s bound to end up like this.” Amanda said as she looked at Yamada after her hand held his. Yamada looked back at her with a grin.
“I suppose. Maybe we can work this out so that Johnny-san doesn’t find out.” Yamada said replacing his hand position so that their fingers intertwined with each other. As they reached the area, the rest were still there.
“You know that this is just the start of a new beginning?” Nami asked as the two approached them.
“We know.” Amanda smiled. She sadly had to let go of Yamada’s hand as Nami had to leave Keito’s arms. But that won’t be forever. Amanda approached the black SUV that was waiting.
“See you soon.” She said. As she opened the door, a small terrier puppy came out and went running to them. “Fang...” she sighed and went back to get it. She entered the car and they drove off. A helicopter was flying above them.
“Inoo Kei! I will come back for you! Remember this voice!!!” they heard Henrietta’s voice coming from it. Kei just sighed at the idiotic ideas that were occurring everywhere. Nami then also had to go now. Then, no one was left in the school except that the memories that they carved there.
~
Two years later...
~
“Hey! Been waiting long?” Yuto asked as he and Ashley emerged from the door and into the building. Keito, Yamada, Ryuutaro, Niarra, Chinen and Amia were waiting for them.
“Nah. Five minutes isn’t bad for you guys.” Chinen laughed as he checked his watch.
“I heard that there going to be transfer students.” Ryuutaro asked them. He was in a different level as them. Nakajima was classmates with Keito. And Chinen was classmates with Yamada. There had been rumors of transfer students coming to their school for a week now. And today was their arrival. They looked down when a couple of cars suddenly stopped in front of the school. A tall figure stepped out. The face seemed familiar. Especially the green eyes. Other figure also emerged from the car. All were girls wearing the same uniform.
“What did you guys say about where they came from?” Ryuutaro asked them looking at the splendor. The first one who walked out was wearing a red headband while wearing their school uniform with the brown skirt and red vests.
“A French School.” Yuto replied. The girls stopped in front of the school looking at it. They seemed calm and collected.
“French? Wow.” Ashley said looking at them.
“Oi! Inoo Kei! I know you’re in there! Show yourself!” the one wearing the red headband called out to the building. The instantly recognized that voice.
“He- Henrietta-sama?!” they all exclaimed. From their point of view, they couldn’t see the faces very well. Students looked out their window to see what the commotion was about. Kei stuck his head out from his window.
“What the hell are you doing there shouting my name out like that?!” Kei yelled back to her. Henrietta just laughed at him.
“That means...” Keito and Yamada looked at each other and rushed down to see if it was really them. Other students were also going down.
At the main entrance of the school...
There they stood.
Henrietta didn’t have her long hair with her. Instead of it ending on her waist, it was not a few inches below her shoulder. She had gotten bangs and she looked more of an Italian now.
“Bon Jour.” Two girls said. Nami had shorter hair now. It just rested below her shoulder around three inches. She had gotten taller and prettier. Not to mention, her height was up to Keito’s forehead. Amanda still looked the same but had changed a bit. She was just two inches below Yamada and her hair was a bit longer from when they last saw each other. She also had side bangs.
“We’re back.” Cyrille and Ixa greeted them. Cyrille had also sported herself some bangs and her blonde hair curled at shoulder length down. Her blue eyes were clearly seen and she had gotten a bit of a tan herself. Ixa still had her long brown hair but now it was longer. And it was layered.
They had gotten down now. Niarra immediately ran towards Nami and Amanda.
“Sempais!” she ran towards them and knocked them over into the ground. “I thought I would never see you again! Ever since I fell into a coma and Amanda-san escorting me to my parents! I haven’t seen you girls for two entire years!” Niarra complained as she started to cry. Nami and Amanda were still stuck with her in between.
“We missed you too!” Nami hugged Niarra resulting them to be on top of Amanda crushing her.
“Nami...” she heard Keito’s voice. She immediately got up while Niarra was still shaking consciousness to Amanda. Yamada approached Amanda.
“Keito!” Nami attacked him and they fell onto the ground. This made the students react.
“I missed you! The boarding school in France was terrible! It was run by nuns and sisters!” Nami told the story so fast.
“So... you girls went to the same boarding school?” Yabu asked as he emerged from the crowd and approached Cyrille. Cyrille just smiled at him. She had grown more and more beautiful. Yabu was too happy to see her.
“We were surprised when Henrietta became my roommate. Then there was a scream at the end of the hall. Nami and Amanda had become roommates as well.” Cyrille explained as she walked away with Yabu.
“Still haven’t changed a bit.” Yamada said helping Amanda get up. Niarra was still clinging onto her.
“You too.” Amanda smiled towards and gave him a hug.
“Dai!” Ixa lunged towards Daiki and ended him hitting the locker area. “I’m so sorry!!” she said helping him up. Maybe this was the reunion that they were all waiting for. It may have taken two years for them to reunite... but what the heck? As long as their complete again, it didn’t matter. Keito had someone in his arms again while Yamada had someone to hold onto. Yabu and Cyrille were together again. The sky was blue and the birds sang. This was a start for a brand new life.
-end-
“Amanda... I think... there’s a way... how to cut these bonds...” Nami said as she looked at a box of test tubes. It maybe they could break one; they could use it to slice the bonds.
“Oh Nami~ it’s no use... I’m going to die here... I still haven’t gotten a boyfriend... Nami I’m still a virgin~!!!” Amanda complained as she felt her fingers grow numb.
“Well I’m still a virgin too, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to die here!” Nami said trying to reach out for a test tube which she did eventually.
“What are you planning to do with that test tube?” Amanda said as she sniffed from the cold.
“Just wait and see...” Nami said as she started to crush the test tube in her hand.
Meanwhile...
“Where are they?” Keito wondered as the girls were taking a long time. Kei and Henrietta approached him.
“Watcha wondering?” Henrietta said as she licked her lollipop. Keito seemed worried about what was happening. Two hours was a long time to talk.
“Nami and Amanda aren’t back. They said that they were going to Cy and Ixa.” Keito explained to them. The two could see him getting more and more worried as time passed.
“Two hours ago? That seems awful lot.” Henrietta said finishing her lollipop up. Yamada, Chinen and Abici approached the group.
“Has anyone seen Amanda-chan?” Yamada asked them. Amia started to giggle at what he had just said. Yamada looked quite annoyed.
“What so funny?” Henrietta said curious at the reaction of Amia. Amia stopped and looked at Yamada. But she still giggled after that.
“Because Yamada has started to call Amanda ‘Amanda-chan’” Amia explained as she silently laughed looking at Yamada. Yamada lit up like a tomato. Even he hasn’t realized what he had been saying.
“Yeah... you’ve been looking for her for the past two hours.” Chinen said.
“Wait! I think I know where they are.” Keito said as he started to run for the building. “Call the teachers and the police. Tell them there are students who are trapped in the chemistry room.” He called out to behind them. They did as they were told. But Yamada and Daiki followed him.
In the hallway...
“Ixa~!” Daiki called out. Teachers and police were still climbing the stairs. He covered his mouth and nose as he smelled an awful stench in the room. As he opened the door, he saw Cyrille and Ixa were already on the floor. They were breathing heavily. Yabu came out with the teachers and police.
“Cy.” Yabu said entering the room. He carried Cyrille out to make her breathe fresh air. Daiki went in and carried out Ixa who didn’t seem as if she was breathing.
“Oh god... Ixa... wake up... come on... Ixa... Ixavelle.... Tatiana Ixavelle....” Daiki said slightly panicking while lightly hitting her cheek to wake her. But she didn’t budge.
“We’ll take it from here.” A paramedic said as she carried Ixa on a stretcher. They put an oxygen mask on her and started to carry her out of the building towards the hospital wing.
“I’ll go with them.” Daiki said as he and the paramedics went out the building.
“Ya... bu.... Yabu... freezing.... freezing room....” Cyrille said, trying to lift her hand and point at the locked room. It was even vaulted. On the small little glass window was a hand print. Yamada and Keito went in despite the carbon monoxide. The police and teachers opened the windows to let it all out.
“We’ll take her to the hospital wing.” Yabu said as he went off with the paramedics.
(Note: If you guys are asking why hospital wing and not hospital itself, it’s because this is a boarding school, if you haven’t noticed~)
“Why is the cooler open?” a teacher asked noticing the meter nearly reaching zero.
“Nami! Nami are you in there?” Keito asked as he hit the metal door. On the other side, they were starting to freeze since the temperature was nearly zero. They had even started to turn a bit blue themselves. They heard the pounds against the door and Keito’s voice calling them. But it was faint at first.
“Keito... Keito!” Nami said using the last of her strength to pound on the door. Amanda held her wrist to make her stop pounding. She was leaning on the door and already starting to freeze.
“Nami! Are you alright? Thank goodness you’re alive.” Keito said relieved to hear her voice.
“Hey! Is the sun setting already?” Amanda asked them.
“Yeah. You can say it just started.” Yamada replied. He could feel the door itself was cold. “Who put you guys in there?’
“It doesn’t matter now.” Amanda replied. She was happy to hear his voice.
“Look! You better tell the police to get to the hospital wing. In Niarra’s room!” Nami instructed them.
“Why?” Keito asked.
“Seiku’s the murderer! He’s going over there when nobody’s around her to kill her!” Nami said. The two boys seemed shocked. Makimachi Seiku was the killer.
“What? And how on earth do you know he’s the killer?” Yamada asked.
“Here’s what happened...” Amanda started off. She panted a bit since she was feeling dry in the cold. “Why do you think Reira didn’t leave a suicide note?” she first asked a good question. It was true. They never did find a suicide note.
“She forgot?” Keito tried to answer.
“Wrong! It’s because she never really did leave a note.” Nami explained. The two boys on the other side seemed confused.
“What do you mean? Do you mind explaining it all?” Keito asked. The police and teachers were confused. They weren’t hearing anything. So they left it all to the boys who were still listening to them.
“She didn’t leave a note! She left a message. Her suicide note is actually a voice message. The other day when I was expecting a voice message, I borrowed Seiku’s phone right?” Nami asked. The boys on the other side nodded. “I accidentally opened his voicemail and heard Reira’s voice.” Nami said.
(Flashback on that day)
“Damn... I opened his voicemail.” Nami cursed to herself as she was about to press cancel. But a certain voice appeared. It seemed as if she were sad and was about to cry.
“Seiku... it’s me... Reira... I don’t know how to say this... *sniff*... I’m going to be gone for a long time... and I’m not going to return. Seiku, recently... my whole life has been going downhill for me... I’ve been discharged from all my duties... I don’t think I can live right now... I just wanted to say thank you for everything. You’ve been a great brother. I’m sorry if I haven’t been a good sister to you. I’m so sorry if I have o leave you... *starts crying*... Seiku... please forgive me for everything that I’ve done... Especially for what I am about to do right now. I hope you won’t forget me... I love you Seiku.” Her message ended. But that didn’t end the hope message. You could just start to hear choking sound and later on.
“Reira? You called me?” a girl’s voice entered the room along with the closing sound of the large theatre door. Then there was a scream to end the whole thing.
“This is...” Nami said as she closed the phone. Terrified of what she had heard
(End of flashback)
“You mean... Reira did leave a note... but it wasn’t in writing?” Yamada asked. “Wait. We’re trying to get you out of here.” He added as they tried to open the vault. But it wouldn’t budge.
“Yamada-kun... it’s no use... it’s frozen in here. And he disconnected the wires so you won’t be able to turn the cooler off.” Amanda said as she felt tears coming to her eyes. She and Nami couldn’t move their bodies anymore.
“No. We will find a way to get you out of there!’ Keito yelled. The two girls felt relieved that there was someone who still cared for them. If ever they did die, it would be happy for them to know that.
“Wait. Hear our story first.” Nami told them.
“The other night, when I returned your phone Yamada, I bumped into Seiku. He was carrying a large box. After I helped him pick up Reira’s items in the box, I saw a warming blanket. It was torn on the corner. I recognized it from the piece that Keito showed us.” Amanda explained. Keito remembered the piece. He still had it. “That’s the evidence we need against him.” Amanda said.
“WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON HERE?” Suzuka asked as she barged into the room.
“Suzuka~ wait...” Takaki tried to hold her back. But Suzuka went in anyways. She opened a cabinet in the room and brought out a bottle of liquid nitrogen.
“Get out of there.” Suzuka ordered the two boys. They nodded and got out of the way. Suzuka splashed the vault knob with the liquid nitrogen. It froze in an instant. Suzuka looked for anything hard like a rock or metal if possible. She grabbed a stool with metal legs and raised it up.
“I hope this works...” Suzuka said before she smashed the knob with the metal legs. It cracked and pieces started to fall off until the whole thing was now crumbs on the floor. You could see the mechanics of the vault. Someone immediately tinkered with it.
“Wait, if you open it now, the collision of the hot air out here and the freezing air inside might cause an explosion.” Yamada told them. It was basic science after all.
“We can’t take chance now dammit! Open the frickin door!” Amanda and Nami said in chorus. And with that, the door suddenly slid open. The two girls suddenly fell out.
“Ahh~ So warm...” Nami said. Keito and Yamada immediately went to their sides. Keito hugged Nami even though she was nearly a Popsicle. Yamada just held onto Amanda.
“So wait... what do the murdered girls all have in common?” Yamada asked out of curiosity.
“This is not the time to ask those questions.” Suzuka reprimanded. Amanda shook her head. She was still shivering a bit as well as somewhat melting. So was Nami. Not just physically for Nami though, emotionally as well. (If you know what I mean~)
“Does anyone have a laptop?” Amanda asked. A policeman handed her a laptop. She sat down and typed in codes to gain access of their files.
“This isn’t the time for you to be doing this. You’re still frozen.” Yamada commented.
“I’m just half frozen. I’m starting to melt. I can feel my fingers~” Amanda said as she typed in some more. .
“But there is nothing on their profiles.” The policeman said. Nami shook her head.
“You guys were looking in the wrong place. We need Reira’s permanent records.” Nami said. After a few typing sounds, Amanda had finally gained access to the permanent record.
“Reira was discharged from her duties. The reason why she committed suicide. She didn’t want that since she was very active and she loved her duties. How would you feel if something you loved to the extent was taken from you?” Nami explained.
“And what does that have to do with the murders?” Suzuka asked. Amanda slowly got up and plugged the laptop to the big screen. Now they could feel their legs instead of feeling like ice. The large screen showed what was on the laptop. The murdered girls did have something in common. The police seemed stunned.
“Sokolov Mashka discharged Reira from the Foreign Affairs Department. Tachibana Fuyumi discharged her from the swimming team. Orihara Nyanne released her from the environmental group activities.” Nami first stated. It was right on the screen, on the permanent record.
“The twins from the student council, Vivianne and Serafine discharged her from student activities regarding the French fair. And finally, Sakurai Mikan, took her privileges away as librarian assistant.” Amanda finished everything off.
“Murder solved.” Nami said as she relaxed near a Bunsen burner. She had newly lit up.
“Not quite...” Keito said. Nami looked at him as they took her and Amanda and put them each on a stretcher.
“Hey!” Nami protested as she got up from the stretcher. Amanda also got up from it.
“We can walk now. Let’s get to Niarra.” Amanda said as they kind of ran towards the hospital wing.
Meanwhile...
Seiku slowly snuck into the hospital wing. Nurses weren’t able to detect him go through. He finally entered Niarra’s room. She was still asleep from the hit that occurred the other night. A machine was beside her bed telling her pulse rate. It was still steady. He took out a metallic string and wrapped it around his fingers. And he slowly put it near her neck.
“Gommenasai, Niarra-chan.” he silently said as he finally applied pressure resulting into her waking up from the sudden event. She tried to resist him. The machine was going wild as her pulse rate was getting faster and faster.
“Sei... sei.... ku....” Niarra choked on her words as he dug in deeper and deeper into her throat. Now she couldn’t breathe. The door flew right open.
“Stop it right there! You’re under arrest!” a policeman shouted pointing a gun towards him. Seiku immediately stopped. As well as the pulse of Niarra.
“Niarra!” Nami yelled as she entered the room. She pushed Seiku aside who fell onto the floor. he was picked up by the series of police who entered the room.
“What happened?” Yuto asked as he and the other members entered the room.
“We got a call telling us Niarra is in danger.” Amia said as they entered the room. Nami was already beside Niarra. The machine showed no signs of her having life. Ryuutaro entered the room in a state of shock. He wasn’t expecting it.
“Oh my god... Niarra...” Ryuutaro said as he went beside her. And a funny moment happened when he touched, her pulse returned.
“A touch of life? Ryuutaro! You’re a god!” Nami joked around. At least they were glad that Niarra wasn’t hurt.
The next day...
“So we’ll be released tomorrow.” Nami said with a sigh as she looked at the room she shared in the hospital wing with Cyrille, Ixa and Amanda. Apparently, Cyrille and Ixa were starting to get poisoned by the carbon monoxide. If Yabu and Daiki didn’t bring them out in time, they could’ve died. Cyrille and Ixa made sure to thank them a million times when they were released as well. As for the two mystery solvers, of course, they suffered injuries from freezing. Some minor scratches here and there.
“We’ll be going home too. They’re closing the school already.” Ixa informed them. Of course they were closing the school now. They felt unsafe here.
“I will miss this place a bit.” Cyrille sighed as she looked out the window. The sky now was blue and the clouds drifted.
“Why don’t we just go to school again in the same place?” Ixa suggested. It would’ve been a good idea.
“Sorry. My mom’s making me study in Paris.” Amanda said. “After she found out I was nearly frozen to death, she made sure I went to a school without any freezing rooms now.” Amanda laughed.
“I might study in Germany now.” Cyrille also informed them. “My father’s going to move back there and it would be nice if I came along. I’ve been separated from them long enough already.” She added.
“But that means I have to come! Phooey!” Ixa detested the idea. A nurse came into their room.
“Do you girls wish to be released today?” The nurse asked. All four nodded.
“Great. We will have you ready to be returned to your dorms.” The nurse added and left.
An hour later...
“Cyrille, you said that you were going to miss this place.” Nami said as they were walking to their dorms which were a bit far from the hospital wing of the school. Cyrille had a taint of pink in her cheeks when she heard that.
“Did something happen between you and Yabu?” Ixa asked suspicious of her cousin’s activities. Cyrille had more and more hues added to her as the girls felt they were getting closer to what they wanted.
“Ah huh! Something did happen between you two!” the three girls said in chorus pointing towards Cyrille. Cyrille immediately started to run. And the three girls chased after her.
ad her first kiss when she accidentally fell on Yabu during ballroom classes resulting in them kissing. Where she had met Keito and they remained friends. The place where they first saw Henrietta who seemed like a snob rich girl. But Kei was able to change her and ended up secretly dating. This place was full of memories.
“Hey there.” Amanda approached the young couple. She was alone. She seemed as if she had just cried. “I just escorted Niarra to her parents. Of course I caught Ryuutaro listening from afar afterwards.” Amanda explained as she wiped the last of her tears.
“You’re gonna miss this place as well?” Nami asked.
“I am. So many memories haunt these walls. It’s just so sad. At first, I was glad I was leaving this hell hole, but it made me realize, this was the place where I met you guys.” Amanda explained. Even Nami was starting to cry.
“Aww. Don’t cry now.” Keito hugged her. But this was a very dramatic exit.
“See you guys later. If ever we do see each other again.” Amanda said and left them. Keito and Nami remained where they were, hoping that time would just stop for them so that everybody will stay together. That moment was just perfect. But everybody was heading out in their own ways. The HSJ will stay together. But the other ring of friendship was about to break. At least the murder mystery brought them closer than ever thought. But, life had other plans for them. Plans that for now that meant that they had to leave. And plans, that will also bring them together as friends again whether it may take a couple of years.
Later on...
“Amanda-chan...” Yamada said as he approached her looking at the memorial for those who died.
“Ah. Yamada-kun. They engraved their names here.” Amanda said touching it. It was listed by who died first.
“I think you’re ride’s here.” Yamada told her. Amanda looked at him with a smile. Though, he knew that this was fake.
“Come with me?” Amanda offered him to walk with her to the drop off area. He nodded and they slowly made their way through. They walked through the empty halls. The image of students and teachers filling up these halls was enlightening.
“You don’t mind do you? I mean, after what had just happened, it’s bound to end up like this.” Amanda said as she looked at Yamada after her hand held his. Yamada looked back at her with a grin.
“I suppose. Maybe we can work this out so that Johnny-san doesn’t find out.” Yamada said replacing his hand position so that their fingers intertwined with each other. As they reached the area, the rest were still there.
“You know that this is just the start of a new beginning?” Nami asked as the two approached them.
“We know.” Amanda smiled. She sadly had to let go of Yamada’s hand as Nami had to leave Keito’s arms. But that won’t be forever. Amanda approached the black SUV that was waiting.
“See you soon.” She said. As she opened the door, a small terrier puppy came out and went running to them. “Fang...” she sighed and went back to get it. She entered the car and they drove off. A helicopter was flying above them.
“Inoo Kei! I will come back for you! Remember this voice!!!” they heard Henrietta’s voice coming from it. Kei just sighed at the idiotic ideas that were occurring everywhere. Nami then also had to go now. Then, no one was left in the school except that the memories that they carved there.
~
Two years later...
~
“Hey! Been waiting long?” Yuto asked as he and Ashley emerged from the door and into the building. Keito, Yamada, Ryuutaro, Niarra, Chinen and Amia were waiting for them.
“Nah. Five minutes isn’t bad for you guys.” Chinen laughed as he checked his watch.
“I heard that there going to be transfer students.” Ryuutaro asked them. He was in a different level as them. Nakajima was classmates with Keito. And Chinen was classmates with Yamada. There had been rumors of transfer students coming to their school for a week now. And today was their arrival. They looked down when a couple of cars suddenly stopped in front of the school. A tall figure stepped out. The face seemed familiar. Especially the green eyes. Other figure also emerged from the car. All were girls wearing the same uniform.
“What did you guys say about where they came from?” Ryuutaro asked them looking at the splendor. The first one who walked out was wearing a red headband while wearing their school uniform with the brown skirt and red vests.
“A French School.” Yuto replied. The girls stopped in front of the school looking at it. They seemed calm and collected.
“French? Wow.” Ashley said looking at them.
“Oi! Inoo Kei! I know you’re in there! Show yourself!” the one wearing the red headband called out to the building. The instantly recognized that voice.
“He- Henrietta-sama?!” they all exclaimed. From their point of view, they couldn’t see the faces very well. Students looked out their window to see what the commotion was about. Kei stuck his head out from his window.
“What the hell are you doing there shouting my name out like that?!” Kei yelled back to her. Henrietta just laughed at him.
“That means...” Keito and Yamada looked at each other and rushed down to see if it was really them. Other students were also going down.
At the main entrance of the school...
There they stood.
Henrietta didn’t have her long hair with her. Instead of it ending on her waist, it was not a few inches below her shoulder. She had gotten bangs and she looked more of an Italian now.
“Bon Jour.” Two girls said. Nami had shorter hair now. It just rested below her shoulder around three inches. She had gotten taller and prettier. Not to mention, her height was up to Keito’s forehead. Amanda still looked the same but had changed a bit. She was just two inches below Yamada and her hair was a bit longer from when they last saw each other. She also had side bangs.
“We’re back.” Cyrille and Ixa greeted them. Cyrille had also sported herself some bangs and her blonde hair curled at shoulder length down. Her blue eyes were clearly seen and she had gotten a bit of a tan herself. Ixa still had her long brown hair but now it was longer. And it was layered.
They had gotten down now. Niarra immediately ran towards Nami and Amanda.
“Sempais!” she ran towards them and knocked them over into the ground. “I thought I would never see you again! Ever since I fell into a coma and Amanda-san escorting me to my parents! I haven’t seen you girls for two entire years!” Niarra complained as she started to cry. Nami and Amanda were still stuck with her in between.
“We missed you too!” Nami hugged Niarra resulting them to be on top of Amanda crushing her.
“Nami...” she heard Keito’s voice. She immediately got up while Niarra was still shaking consciousness to Amanda. Yamada approached Amanda.
“Keito!” Nami attacked him and they fell onto the ground. This made the students react.
“I missed you! The boarding school in France was terrible! It was run by nuns and sisters!” Nami told the story so fast.
“So... you girls went to the same boarding school?” Yabu asked as he emerged from the crowd and approached Cyrille. Cyrille just smiled at him. She had grown more and more beautiful. Yabu was too happy to see her.
“We were surprised when Henrietta became my roommate. Then there was a scream at the end of the hall. Nami and Amanda had become roommates as well.” Cyrille explained as she walked away with Yabu.
“Still haven’t changed a bit.” Yamada said helping Amanda get up. Niarra was still clinging onto her.
“You too.” Amanda smiled towards and gave him a hug.
“Dai!” Ixa lunged towards Daiki and ended him hitting the locker area. “I’m so sorry!!” she said helping him up. Maybe this was the reunion that they were all waiting for. It may have taken two years for them to reunite... but what the heck? As long as their complete again, it didn’t matter. Keito had someone in his arms again while Yamada had someone to hold onto. Yabu and Cyrille were together again. The sky was blue and the birds sang. This was a start for a brand new life.
-end-