So before we begin I just want to say, the Megan missing thing, I did not even know it existed until after I posted chapter ten. So no, this has nothing to do with that whatsoever. It happened to be a coinodence.
Shuichi's p.o.v
What Rantaro had told me last night rang through my head as soon as I woke up.
Megan Still was missing, Kyoko and I were going to go investigate, and try to find her.
It seemed so unreal.
I had just seen her a few days ago and suddenly she's gone.
I may not like Megan, I find her to be annoying but knowing she's missing after what happened the other day.
I was a bit scared.
Downstairs sat Kokichi and Ranatro who were having a conversation while eating toast.
I sat down next to them.
The air seemed so tense as if they were afraid to even say a word about what we learned yesterday
Grabbing my plate of eggs I ate in the tense silence.
I was going to say something to break the silence as soon as I finished eating.
That's when the bell rang.
Rantaro jumped up and answered the door and began talking to someone.
I started walking to him when I realized it was Kyoko.
"Shuichi, you're awake, hurry up and get ready. Time is of the essence. We need to find her quickly." Kyoko sounded a bit rushed and tired.
I waved to Kokichi goodbye before walking over to Kyoko.
Rantaro waved the two of us off and shut the door.
Kyoko walked us to her car digging through her bag for her keys. "I've stayed up late going around town hanging up missing posters and talked to some people who claimed to know her. My father gave me a call and told me he might have a lead on the case at your school so we better get there fast. The sooner we learn the clue the sooner we can find her." She sounded composed but she looked as if she was going to collapse from exhaustion.
"Kyoko, how long did you stay up last night?" I asked, causing her ears to turn red.
"1;30 am." She mumbled ignoring the fact that I was gawking at her because of that answer.
1:30 am. It was 5:30 am right now. She only got four hours of sleep?
"That's only four hours of sleep. How are you going to investigate if you're about to fall asleep on the spot?" I asked worried about her
She shook her head, and unlocked the car door "I'll be fine, finding Megan is our top priority."
Something told me this was normal for her. Does she stay up late working on cases?
We got to the school in thirty minutes and classes won't start for an hour.
The office door was opened.
Tobias was at the front desk typing something down while on the phone. "Yes, mam I understand, but you see your daughter has got four tardies last week." He paused for a second looking at us both and raising a finger. "Excuse me for a sec mam." Putting down the phone he smiled at us both
"Oh hello, Mrs.Kirigiri, and Shuichi. Kyoko, your father's office, is open." He picked the phone back up. "I'm sorry mam, what were you saying a moment ago."
"Come on Shuichi we must not dawdle" I felt like for a moment she was acting like a mother trying to get the attention of a child.
Mr. Kirigiri was sitting at his desk. "Ah there you two are, I have something to show you that might aid in your investigation. You see I was watching the surveillance cameras when I noticed something interesting." He turned the computer toward us and clicked the play button.
The camera was pointing in the hallway near the abandoned classroom.
After staring at an empty hallway for a few minutes. Megan appeared on the camera, her clothes were drenched and had a stain on the front of her white blouse.
She looked around the hallway as if she was scared someone was following her when suddenly the camera went crashing down onto the floor and turned black and stayed black.
Kyoko replayed the video a few times and began writing down some things in her notebook. "So did you check the camera?"
Her dad nodded. "Yes, after seeing the video I went into the hall and checked the camera." He reached into his drawer and pulled out a busted camera. "Someone had thrown something at it and knocked it off the wall. Breaking it once it hit the ground."
Kyoko gently took the camera and took some pictures of it with her phone as evidence while also looking at it. "It's broken, so that means someone had this planned."
Her attention turned to me. "Shuichi you have been quiet, what's on your mind?"
"Oh, um well I was wondering why the camera didn't catch the thing being thrown at it. So I was thinking it must have been thrown from the opposite direction that the camera was facing." I wasn't expecting to be asked so suddenly.
The door opened and there was Nagito. "Mr. Kirigiri? I was told you wanted to speak to me?" He noticed Kyoko and me before he raised an eyebrow. "I can come back later if I'm interrupting something."
The principal waved his hand dismissing Nagito's last comment."No, you're not interrupting anything, come in Nagito, I need to ask you something."
The luckster's eyes widened. "W-what is it sir?"
He motioned Nagito to sit down. "This is very important so I need you to answer. What happened to the key for that room."
Nagito's eyes widened in fear as if he was afraid of the question.
He bowed his head ashamed. "I know it sounds like an excuse but the key is missing."
"What do you mean the key is missing?" The principal looked worried and concerned.
Nagito looked down even more ashamed of himself than usual. "It was after lunch on Monday. I realized the key was gone, it wasn't in my pocket or my bag
Mr. Kirigiri massaged his temple as if he was getting a massive headache from the conversation. "Well, I guess that adds to my theory." His eyes met Kyoko's. "Nagito may have given you a bit more information. Let me explain."
He explained to us about the locked room and that Nagito had the key. "You'll have to ask Nagito about who else knows about the key because I only knew that Nagito and Hajime used the room."
The whole thing was confusing to me.
The classroom that was always locked became Nagito's hiding place, and there was a passageway inside the walk-in closet that takes you to the janitor's, closet on the other side of the school. What was this, some fictional school?
Nagito sat up suddenly. "There is one other person that I know that knew about the room is Kokichi, I showed it to him the day Megan disappeared." He looked excited. "Are you guys investigating her disappearance?"
Kyoko stood up suddenly. "Dad, you have a spare key for that classroom right?"
He was already a few steps ahead of her. "Right here, I suggest we search the room and the passageway. Nagito you take them there, I have a meeting with a parent in fifteen minutes."
The three of us headed out into the hallway.
Nagito decided to ask first. "So what does the room have to do with Megan's sudden disappearance?"
Kyoko flicked through her notebook. "I'm under no obligation to answer your question Nagito but I suppose I'll soothe your curiosity. Megan was last seen on camera near that room after that she was never seen again."
Nagito looked excited. "How interesting, I suppose this makes me a suspect?"
I always thought Nagito was a bit off, was he excited to be suspected of something?
The school felt so empty, no one was inside besides some staff members and us.
I felt a chill go up to my back as we stood in front of the door to the classroom. There was a rumor that the room was haunted by a student who died in the room after being trapped over the summer break.
Nagito seemed to know why I was so reluctant to go in at first. "I promise there is no ghost in there."
"Of course not," I responded trying to sound calm.
What was this intense feeling swirling in my gut?
It was as if something was telling me to not go inside.
"Ghosts don't exist, Nagito." I wasn't just saying it to him. I was trying to get rid of the sudden ball of anxiety in my chest.
To my surprise, I hear Nagito chuckle. "Say that to Komaru she claims to speak and see ghosts."
Kyoko shook her head almost as if to shoo away the idea of a ghost even existing. "Come on, We should go into the closet first. Nagito you stay here. Official private investigator duty."
Nagito looked disappointed. "Alright then, I would only just get in the way."
I knew he had said it to make it like it didn't bother him but something told me he would have liked to help us investigate.
The closet was extremely dark but you could tell it was a type of passageway.
We stepped in and I pulled out my flashlight.
That's when smell reached me causing me to gag.
It smelled like a dead animal.
"It smells like something died," I mumbled pulling my shirt over my nose
I felt Kyoko take the flashlight from me and I heard her mutter. "Megan's been gone for about 36 hours."
It didn't register to me what she could have meant.
Until we walked further into the dark hallway and the smell got worse, soon the flashlight fell onto a figure laying on the ground.
That's when I understood why she muttered that.
The room began to spin, I felt as the walls were closing on me.
I was dreaming
I could feel someone grab my arm.
It wasn't real. I refuse to believe what I saw in front of me was real.
There on the ground was Megan. Dried blood surrounding her body. Someone stabbed a knife into her chest.
This wasn't real.
Megan, someone I had seen a few days ago was laying in front of me dead.
Kyoko sighed. "I was afraid this would happen." I watched as she knelt next to the body and touched her. "She's been dead for over 24 hours."
Megan's cold dead eyes stared into mine.
My legs gave out underneath me.
Just the other day I heard Megan's voice.
Her scream when that paper went around the school.
She voice gossiping behind my back as I walked through the halls.
I would never hear her voice again.
That's when I remembered something else.
April, and Mikan.
Oh god, they have to find out the terrible truth of Megan's whereabouts and status.
"Shuichi!" Kyko turned around and grabbed me waving her hand in front of my face. "Shuichi, take a deep breath, call the office. We have to report a murder at Hope's Peak."
The words seemed far away.
Numbly I stood up and headed out of the hallway to make the call.
Nagito stood outside in the room. "Shuichi are you okay?"
Shaking my head, I dialed the office and called.
Victor picked up the call. "Victor Andle here what's the emergency?"
The words were stuck in the back of my throat. I finally answered. "It's Shuichi, I'm calling to report a homicide at Hope's peak."
There was silence for a moment. "Alright, I've sent some detectives and some officers over." He hung up the phone after that.
Nagito was staring at me with his eyes wide open. "Y-you found her? She's been murdered?" He didn't even sound remorseful. He was more intrigued instead of being sad to hear our classmate was killed.
How could he act as nothing had just happened?
Kyoko walked out of the closet. "I called my father. He's going to block off the hallway that this classroom is a part of so we can investigate in peace. He's going to block it off with some crime scene tape."
She turned to Nagito. "I'm going to have to ask you to leave. This is a crime scene."
"Alrighty then." He gave me one last final nod before walking out of the classroom and down the hallway.
Kyoko was standing behind me. "Shuichi, I normally wouldn't ask this, but would you like a moment before we investigate the crime scene?"
I could take a moment, but I knew that if we wanted to bring the criminal to justice, we'd have to start working as soon as possible. "No I'm fine Kyoko let's investigate." I sound a bit more confident than I felt. As the two of us walked back into the closet.
The moment we walked in, my mind imagined a video game suddenly saying
Investigation Start!
How odd.
Her body was about fifteen feet away from the doorway.
There were no traces of her body being dragged. So at the moment, my theory was that she was hiding in here when she was killed.
Yet the question is, why was she killed?
Kyoko got down on her knees next to Megan's lifeless body and closed Megan's eyes before gently padding down the body looking for something. "She doesn't have her phone on her." There was another moment of silence before she spoke up again. "There is an old key in her pocket, it looks like the one my father gave us to unlock this room."
I looked around the room with my flashlight before I noticed something broken on the ground. A phone.
The screen was shattered to pieces and there was blood on the phone. As if the victim had grabbed it.
"I think I found her phone, Kyoko."
She stood up and walked over before bending down examining it. "The phone is busted as if someone had thrown it onto the ground with all their might."
Shining the light I looked around the scene again, before noticing a white rag on the ground. Putting on the rubber gloves Kyoko had given me I picked the cloth up, I could faintly smell something on the rag.
That's weird. I felt a little lightheaded.
"Oh, Shuichi what have you found?" Kyoko was next to me again writing something on her pad of paper.
As she got closer, she sniffed it just a bit before back away and placed her hand on her face. As if someone had gagged her. A few moments later she let go of her face and had her same calm and collected look before she took the cloth from me and placed it into a bag. "It was dipped in chloroform."
That would explain the smell, but why would they have to gag her, it could be it was just planted as evidence to make us think she was gagged.
Kyoko walked back over to the body digging through Megan's purse that Megan was wearing when we saw her body.
"She has her wallet, strawberry gum, and some female products," Kyoko said before standing up and flicking through the wallet. "License, money, some cards, a note." She opened the note and read it out loud. "Meet me at the abandoned classroom during lunch and don't bring anyone I have some information about your blackmailer."
She folded up the note and placed it into another evidence bag. "It would seem to be that she was lured here."
"Yeah the false claim of having some information that could help her," I muttered, before shining the flashlight around the room, nothing else caught my eye.
When we found her body I was in a state of shock, but if I want to be a detective we investigate crimes like this all the time, I just didn't know one of my first cases would be the murder of someone who walked into my life and messed with almost everyone I knew and loved heads.
For a moment I thought she deserved it.
Yet no one ever deserves something like that to be done to them.
Although now, as much as I'd hate to admit it. Kokichi was a prime suspect because
He had a motive
Two he knew about the room and passageway.
I don't want it to be him, I don't believe it was him at all.
Well according to the note in Megan's bag it said to meet the killer during lunch and at lunch, Kokichi was with Ranatro and me; therefore, he had an alibi.
Kyoko tapped my shoulder. "Shuichi, the rest of the detectives have shown up we have some questions to answer."
I took a deep breath before I nodded confidently. "Yeah alright."
(This is where I throw in something different, something I haven't done the entire story.
Change the p.o.v halfway through, not only that I'm changing it to a whole new p.o.v a character's point of view you have not seen in this story!
This goes out to all those Nagito Kinnie and Komahina fangirls like me. Please note I'm not a Nagito Kinne I'm just a komahina fangirl.
So here take it!)
Nagito's p.o.v
With a final wave to Shuichi, I left the room. My mind is wondering about all sorts of things.
A murder at this school has piqued my interest.
I wonder what hope Shuichi will create with this sudden death at this school, and him investigating it.
Don't get me wrong. I'm sad that Megan died, well sorta.
It's sad that one of our fellow students passed in such a way, yet on the bright side she can't bother anyone else.
I could practically Imagine Hajime shouting No That's Wrong at my last thought.
Right next to the door stood our principle, he had a grave look on his face. "So, this is the second murder at this school and in the same room." He mumbled not knowing I overheard the last part.
There was a murder in the same room, that's a funny coincidence.
I wonder if our murderer knew about that. Perhaps they did, or it could just be a coincidence, but that would be quite interesting if they had done that on purpose.
"Nagito, could you go up to the office and tell Tobias at the front desk to announce that school is canceled for the day due to an unfortunate accident." He asked me, seeming to finally notice I was there.
"Yes sir." I walked down the hall heading to the office before I was suddenly stopped by a hand touching my shoulder whirling around. I saw Junko Enoshima, she grabbed my shoulder again and beamed at me
"Nagito! What a pleasant surprise to see you this morning! I came to drop off some stuff for Mrs. Kellie, how are you?" She grinned as she tightened her grip on me. Her hair bobbing up and down as she tilted her head to the side as if she was innocent.
"I'm fine, now if you excuse me, the principal asked me to do something," I responded feeling the heat rush into my face, I just wanted to go and do what I was tasked with.
Her sudden bubbliness dispersed sending chills up my spine, as I tried to get out from under her grip on my shoulder. Her eyes stared into mine, they looked soulless as she glared at me. "I think you can wait just a few more minutes." She whispered before pointing down the hall. "Give me the scoop, why are they blocking off the hallway? More importantly, the one you just walked out of?" She was curious and I wasn't going to satisfy her thirst for information.
"It doesn't matter, even if it did I wouldn't tell you" I spat, shaking her off of my shoulder only for her to grab it again.
Junko's eyes darkened even more. "If you keep acting like this you'll end up just like Megan all alone with no friends do you want that? I can make your life a living hell."
That's when Mukaro walked over to us before tapping her sister's shoulder. "Junko, we have to go." She whispered before looking at me and taking a step back. "I mean I'll just take the paperwork myself then."
With that, she disappeared down the hall. Junko laughed suddenly as if she wasn't just upset with me a mere moment ago. "Oh Nagito don't go looking so angry, gosh are you still upset about the locker prank? It was funny."
I glared, she is despair personified.
She giggled before finally letting go of my shoulder. "Anyway, I have to go see you later doll!" With a wave that most people would call friendly, she walked down after her sister.
The moment I was alone a sudden wave of anxiety hit me.
She does that to me a lot.
I hate Junko.
Angrily I walked to the office before making it to the front desk.
Tobias wasn't on the phone, that was new. "Tobias, the principal asked me to tell you to make an announcement saying the school is canceled because of an unfortunate accident."
He blinked a little surprised before nodding. "Yeah I'll get on that, but by now the early students are at school." He picked up the phone before putting in a number and dismissing me with a wave.
"Attention students due to a sudden and unfortunate accident the school will close for the day." Tobias's voice rang through the intercom as I walked out of the office
Part of me wonders I'm not panicking as much as any other student would because there has been a murder and I know about it and no other student does.
I began walking towards my locker when I saw Kazuichi standing next to it looking nervous, his eyes met mine and he motioned me to him.
"Dude! Took you long enough, jeez Hajime asked me to look for you because he was going to be late for school." Hie wiped off his shirt before rubbing the back of his neck for a moment. "He has some nerve asking me to wait for you, especially now that school is being closed for the day." He mumbled before blushing a bit knowing I heard that.
"Oh, I see. Hajime really is too nice, I'll send him a text saying you found me, is that all you wanted to tell me Kazuichi?" I asked, something told me that wasn't the only reason he looked a bit pale.
His eyes widened before he pulled down the beanie a bit. "N-No way! Why would you think that?"
It was clear he was lying as a bead of sweat ran down his forehead.
I shrugged it off before opening my locker and putting books into my backpack. "If that is all you wanted to tell me then I better get going." knowing that when I said that it would make him finally cave in and spill whatever it was.
"Wait!" Kazuichi reached out to me. "I-I mean can we talk? Y-you know because they just announced that school is closed."
I looked over down the hall and some students were already leaving. "I suppose, but why would you want to talk to someone like me?" I almost called myself trash. Hajime asked me to try not to depreciate myself as much.
He stared at the ground in frustration. "Don't get me wrong, you still freak the hell out of me dude, and you're annoying." He stopped before looking back at me. "But, I want to ask you something, I don't know who else I'd ask."
I looked back down the hallway thinking for a moment. "Alright, we'll go to the park next to the school and talk." What would it hurt to take a walk and talk?
I grabbed my phone out of my bag and sent Hajime a text telling him where to meet us.
"G-good, we better get going."
Instead of taking the bus, we walked there concerning Kazuici's motion sickness and ten minutes later we were there.
We sat down at a table under the passion before Kazuichi looked away uncomfortable. "So, you and Hajime are together right? L-like dating?"
That was a bit surprising and seemed straight to the point. "Yes, although Hajime deserves someone who's not like me. I don't deserve him at all."
His eyes widened before he visibly cringed. "See that's why I don't like you, you make it seem we are all better than you as if we are gods and that's just plain creepy dude."
Really? People don't like it when I say that?
"But it's the truth." It was obvious, right? They were so much better than me.
He shook his head annoyed. "No, Listen we are all humans no one is better than the other." He trailed off looking away. "I mean some people think they are better but it doesn't mean they are right?"
I never had thought of it that way. "I see, I'll think about it."
He sighed in relief. "Now back to my main topic, you and Hajime are a thing. I mean isn't it weird, you know, um two boys dating?"
Oh, I didn't expect this to come from Kazuichi at all.
He put his hand up suddenly. "I don't mean it in a bad way! Just I have trouble understanding it, like"... He trailed off looking sheepish. "Are your parents okay with it?"
I knew my parents were fine with it they convinced me to try to get with Hajime. "Yeah, they are. Why do you ask?"
He flushed bright red before looking down and messing with a nut and bolt. "You know how my dad is he never took too kindly to people who are q-queer."
I did know that. "Yes, but what does that have to do with anything?"
His eyes met mine. "I think that I might like guys?" He said it was more a question than a sentence. He sat up suddenly. "I still like Mrs. Soina though! Just, I have found a couple of guys attractive." He trailed off again looking embarrassed before suddenly pointing at me. "Y-you better not tell anyone, or else I might take back the idea of being your friend!"
I raised my hands to calm him down. "I won't, it's okay. Also just because you find a guy good looking doesn't necessarily mean you're attracted to men"
"Uh, I don't mean that they look good like I had random thoughts sometimes of kissing them. It's just quick but it has been happening quite a bit recently." He rambled blushing.
I was now wondering why he wanted me to explain this to him of all people. "Well then you might be attracted to men, but um don't take my word for it." It isn't up to me if he's gay or not.
He frowned suddenly. "I suppose you want to know why I decided to talk to you instead of Hajime?"
"It may have crossed my mind," I answer, waiting for what the reason was.
"Well, you see, Hajime asked me to try to get to know you.." He trailed off before sighing in defeat. "Look, before you moved into town a few years ago. Hajime and I were soul-bros. We hung out all the time as kids, then Chiaki moved into town and she hung out with us.
One day while we were in eighth grade you moved into town.
You enamored Hajime, and he thought you were interesting also that you could use a friend. While I thought you were a freak for the way you talked and acted." He stopped looking at me and rubbing the back of his neck nervously. "Yet Hajime, he wanted to know you and after a while, the two of you were talking. I remember I came over to hang out with him and the two of you were sitting on the couch laughing and playing video games." He stopped and shook his head. "It's stupid but back then I thought that Hajime had replaced me with you, when I had accused him of that, he admitted to me that he was falling for you." His eyes drifted downward. "Sorry I just thought you should know that."
I smiled back at him. "Thank you, it means a lot that you were able to tell me something like that." I found it kinda funny though. He thought Hajime had replaced him with me?
He breathed a sigh of relief. "That's good, hey I was wondering if you knew anything about that weird announcement. They made it sound like someone died."
What peculiar wording, "Someone did die." I said simply taking a sip of my water.
"Dude what! Y-you better be kidding!" He gasped looking scared before looking around and whispering. "If you aren't kidding, who is it? I mean who died?"
I wasn't sure if I should leak that information just yet. "I can't say, you'll know I'm not lying tomorrow though, of course, it's all over the news by now. I turned on my phone and went to the news station.
Sure enough, there was a small article.
Teen girl found murdered at Hope's Peak.
Megan Still a seventeen-year-old girl has been found murdered in Hope's Peak highschool.
Her father Keith Still had this to say about the incident. "I was called immediately the moment the police were called they called me as well. We are horrified to hear about what happened to Megan and I vow to find who did this to my daughter."
There is not much information about the murder at the moment but there will be more!
I'm guessing answering investigators start putting the picture together the news will be beside themselves with stories to tell.
Plus her dad already had an interview, you'd guess he'd be more shocked to hear about her murder and not answer the paparazzi the day her body was found.
Kazuichi was looking at his phone before he dropped it. "Megan? They don't mean the girl who blackmailed Kokichi right?"
I raised an eyebrow at him. "How many Megan Stills do you know that went to our school?"
"He blinked before shaking his head. "That's not the point! Our classmate was murdered!"
I shrugged simply. "Yes, I know that. Tragic that she died but I didn't know her that well and the readers don't care anyway."
He tilted his head to the side oddly. "Uh, what don't care?"
Oh oops, I said something I wasn't supposed to say. "It doesn't matter, just slip of the tongue. The people who read the news don't know Megan who is you know, they are just happy for some gossip in this town." Nice save Nagito
A few seconds later I felt something wrap around my neck. "Kazuichi are you trying to steal my boyfriend?" Hajime had walked up behind and wrapped his arms around my neck and placed his chin on top of my head.
"What N-no we are soul bros! Why would you say that! My eyes are on Mrs. Sonia only!" He snapped suddenly because he was taken off guard.
Hajime rolled his eyes before sitting down next to me. "Sorry I just felt like saying that, so why was school closed?"
"Megan was found, she was found murdered in the hidden hall," I said simply, of course, I knew Hajime would be less shocked than Kazuichi.
"The hidden hall? He asked, his eyes widening a bit. "I thought we only had the key that leads you there."
Kazuichi looked at us both. "Woah hold on a sec, Hidden hall? All I knew was that she was murdered. What is this about a hidden hallway?"
I looked at Hajime for confirmation if I could tell Souda but he shook his head no. "Sorry, but we can't tell you, not without the principal's permission." He said, looking back at our friend.
He looked a little dejected before scratching his chin and sighing. "I get it, it's fine."
Hajime finally let go of me and sat down next to me. "Kazuichi, it's not because I don't want to tell you, I just can't without permission."
To my surprise, Kazuichi chuckled weakly. "Yeah, dude I know that. You know your boyfriend is pretty cool when he's not ranting about hope or talking bad about himself."
He stood up before stretching and checking his phone. "I better go and help my dad with his shop. He paused before handing out a fist bump to me. "Thanks for listening to me dude, I'll see you later."
As soon as he left my phone chimed suddenly.
It was from Shuichi.
So tomorrow at 9:15 I need to see you, and Hajime in the principal's office.
(Kitty here I'm so sorry for the hiatus for the past two weeks. My writer's block was terrible but I hope you enjoyed this chapter.
The plot is finally thickening.
Also poor April, and Mikan, they lost Megan.)