Crime Games | ✓

02. Obtaining the Facts

↑ Ayame Kobayashi above ↑

••●••

'Crime is terribly revealing.
Try and vary your methods as you will,
your tastes, your habits, your attitude of mind,
and soul is revealed by your actions'
— Agatha Christie

••●••

"And here we are," Ayame announced as she stood at the back of the school parking lot. Two doors connected to the room police officers were investigating—both, unlocked. As luck would have it, nobody other than the eight of them were present in the area, giving them leeway to search the room.

"What will we do?" Saya asked, casting anxious glances around the perimeter.

"Break in, of course! Like spies!" Haru answered, raising his hands and posing.

Ryuu stifled a laugh. "Aren't we supposed to be playing detectives?"

"More like criminals," Atsushi corrected.

"I wouldn't go that far," Ryuu said.

"Like I said, spies!"

"Criminals."

"Guys, it's detective."

Ayame sighed at their idiotic repartee and cleared her throat. "Before we get ahead of ourselves, not everyone will enter the room. Too many will only cause a racket."

"What do you propose we do, then?" Katsura asked.

"I doubt it, but cops may be lingering in the area. We need somebody to confirm it. I suggest Asahina and Minamoto act as the decoys to distract them. Simply scream and say you saw something suspicious."

Reluctantly, Saya and Akira nodded.

Akira saluted. "Roger!"

"While the officers chase after what they witnessed, Inohara will watch this entrance on the off chance somebody returns. Sasahara and Yamada will keep watch in the gymnasium itself. If you see anything suspicious, contact us."

"Us... So, you and Matsumoto are going inside?" Saya asked.

"That's the only way. Two is plenty. Besides... I think he'll be useful."

Tadashi's smile twitched. "What do you mean by 'I think'?"

"What about me?" Haru raised his hand, being the only one without a role.

Ayame spared him a begrudging glance. "If you spot anything suspicious or see people returning before me and Matsumoto can get a good five minutes in there, become a sacrifice."

"Sacrifice?" Haru repeated, dumbfounded. "So you want me to be the one to get into trouble?"

"I already told you. This isn't just for my sake. For everyone in the club, we have to at least find evidence to prove it. A lecture or two is meaningless in comparison."

They all gulped in unison. Resolves renewed, they dispersed into their designated positions without further word.

"Fiiine..." Haru sighed, pouting as he trudged into position as well. "I'll sacrifice myself."

"Let's go, Matsumoto," Ayame said.

She tossed him rubber gloves alongside cloths to drape their hands and feet to avoid leaving any fingerprints or footprints at the scene. Then, she led the way. With a single push, the doors creaked open. The room was dark and smelled of a strong disinfectant—the chemicals used to identify any prints. On the tiled ground lay the footprints they itched to see, originating from the gym doors at the back to the centre of the room.

Upon catching sight of a microscale puddle of a murky, purple liquid, their suspicions were confirmed.

"Just as I thought." Ayame, expressionless as ever, bent down to confirm the spot. "This is definitely Berry Fizz. That means the culprit used this to knock out Kitoshi."

"So, this case is really like..." Tadashi's jaw clenched. He couldn't bring himself to finish. How could he? This crime was shaping up to be exactly how they had planned it.

But how?

Running her index finger along the purple drink, Ayame dragged it to her nose.

"U-um, Kobayashi?"

But she'd already sniffed the substance.

"Chemicals are definitely mixed in here. A lot, actually. The scent is different." Unfazed by the act, she stood and made her way over to the counters. "Matsumoto, search the entrance and around the exits. See if you can spot anything else."

"Are we going to ignore what you just did?" He was met with silence. "Okay, then. Forgotten."

He tentatively pivoted on his foot and scanned the perimeter. Aside from the several footprints by the entrance, nothing in particular stood out. Except...

He lifted a jagged sliver of pink paper, adjacent to one of the footprints. "A clue?" he deduced.

Or it could be but ordinary trash the janitor hadn't gotten the chance to clean.

Ascending, he made his way over to the corner of the room. Nothing was out of the ordinary here either except he did spot two sensors hooked up to the nearby walls. They appeared to be newly installed, also, which was extremely odd considering the room didn't have even security cameras.

Shaking it off, Tadashi continued to study every inch of negative space.

"Matsumoto, over here!"

Ayame, least to his knowledge, had crouched by the exit. Frantically, she gestured him closer. He hurried over to her side in an instant.

"What's wrong, Kobayashi? Did you find—"

He was cut off by a shove from behind. Emitting a piercing cry, he stumbled forward and out the doors.

"K-K-Kobayashi?" He regained his balance and bewilderedly glanced over his shoulder. "What was that for?"

"You! You're not suppose to be anywhere near that room! It's for investigations!"

Colour drained from his complexion. He robotically craned his neck. A pair of police officers barrelled towards him at a fast pace. In the blink of an eye, they dragged him off by the arms.

"You're coming with us, damn troublemaker," one spat.

"But!"

What the heck! She totally used him as a scapegoat! What happened to Haru?

Long after the police officers had hauled Tadashi from the parking lot and into the building for a strict scolding, Ayame exited the tiny room. She removed her gloves and the cloths from her boots, tossing them into a plastic bag so she could dispose of them later on.

"Sorry, Matsumoto," she said under her breath, unclenching a crumpled sheet of pink paper. "But I can't get caught. Not until I've fulfilled what I came here for."

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