I'm Okay

Chapter 24 - A New Enemy

Morning arrived sooner than expected. With little to no sleep, Shoto forced himself out of his futon and prepared for yet another stressful day. Shoto spent his resting hours reflecting on the murders, aiming to find something in common between all six victims. Age, gender, where they all attended school, work environments, addresses, etc.

The six victims had nothing in common other than the locations they were murdered and found. In random alleyways scattered throughout Musutafu.

Going through the little information they gathered, the younger thought of potential suspects, but was unable to list any names. Trying to locate a man in his early 20s or 30s who possesses an unusual mind-controlling quirk was equivalent to trying to find a needle in a haystack.

It couldn't be done with a snap of ones finger.

Shoto came to the conclusion that they'll just have to search the entirety of Mufutafu to apprehended both Endeavor and the real culprit. Although Shoto can confirm his old man did no harm to the murder victims, Endeavor couldn't be let off the hook just yet. Their objective remains the same and will not be postponed with the new intel Shoto will present to Tsukauchi.

We have the resources to conduct an all-out search.

So... how will the murderer react? Will he stand his ground, or will he attempt to flee?

Rinsing his face with cold water, the fledgling hero stared at his reflection. Either way, I won't let his ass escape. Shaking off his fatigue, he departed to the crime scene.

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The sky was grey and dull, and the clouds doubled and covered the rising sun. The smell of petrichor makes its way up to his nose as the fledgling hero practically jogs to the location the detective sent via text last night.

Upon arrival, Shoto scanned his surroundings and immediately recognized the area. A narrow, long, and dirty alleyway with promotional posters he's never seen before. The blue and red barber pole illuminated the area, and graffiti filled the walls.

There's no mistaking it. This is the place.

His eyes widen by the gruesome sight. Shoto balls his fists fiercely at his side, nails piercing into his palm, leaving trail marks. He focused his gaze on the stream of a dark, thick crimson liquid, taking note of the visible red handprints next to the red liquid. It was clearer than crystal that the victim struggled to escape their cruel fate.

The younger received a few details from Tsukauchi's analysis report. Yukiko Masayuki, sixth victim of the Musutafu Murder Case, was a 26-year-old salaryman who was on his way home after working overtime.

Yukiko was only two miles away from his apartment complex when he was stabbed in his abdomen. The weapon was nowhere to be found, no cameras that caught the murder taking place, and the familiar h symbol was found on his body, the identical symbol that was left on all previous victims.

Including himself.

Yukiko's estimated time of death was around 6:50 pm. It was around the time Shoto underwent that strange occurrence. As the boy traced the trail of dried blood, a thought flickered eerily: If he took immediate action, would this man be alive?

They have failed yet again to catch the culprit, resulting in another casualty. Bringing his gaze forwards, he caught sight of Tsukauchi speaking with forensics who conducted their final search, followed by Dapp who jotted a few notes. Both investigators appeared to be worn out and on the edge of collapsing when thanking the scientists for their assistance.