LUKE MATTHEW AFTER WE BROUGHT the Nerd to the attention of a doctor, the Detective left me with him while she spent a few minutes of chat with Reese Berlin. It might be about her deduction that her broken leg was intentionally caused. I pulled a monobloc chair and sat by his side just as the doctor and nurses left the room. “How bad was it?” I asked. “As bad as needing twenty stitches, Luke,” he answered with a sad tone, but then he laughed after seeing my—I don’t know—surprised Pikachu face? “I only got eight stitches, don’t worry.” I huffed and gave him a glare. “I don’t worry about a spy, Nerd!” “How many times do I have to tell you I’m not a spy before you believe me?!” I smiled. Soon, the good ambiance died down. Toto gave me a concerned look. “Are you okay?” I chuckled and sighed. “How did things go back there? I’m… I’m sorry for being late.” Toto then reached out for my hand and began to narrate what happened on the rooftop. It turns out that a verbal fight occurred be
HIBARA “Hibara! When will I be an official member of your team?” TOTO LEI CHAVEZ wouldn’t pipe his voice down. He’s been like that since his involvement in The Mystery of the Five Orange Phones. Every hour of every day, he makes the wrong choice of bugging me. “Come on, give me an answer! We could be AMU’s Golden Trio—” “—Like what? Harry, Hermione, and Ron of the Harry Potter books?” The Major cut him off. “Luke, you’re back!” Toto cheered. “Tell your Detective to allow me to join your team!” “Where are the drinks?” I asked, completely shutting the Science geek off. The Major placed our tray of food on the table and distributed the plates. “I’ll buy them once this tray is free. I thought it might spill them if I take one tray on each hand, especially since I just got my spica cast off of my shoulder.” “Let me help you!” Toto beamed while the Major gave a huff as a response. “What wrong did I say?” “You offered help at the wrong time,” I replied and then took a spoonful of r
HIBARA “Please don’t make it too obvious that you guys are investigating our club…” THAT WAS TOTO’S request right before we entered the door of the Science Nerds clubroom. Of course, to make that possible, Chief Velasquez did not enter and only the Major and I did. I told Toto to stay with Chief since it might be more noticeable if he enters and then leaves with us. “You’re the CAT Officer from last time, Maj. Vargas, right?” A tall, fair-skinned young man approached us. Of all his features, what marked his identity to my data fortress were his thick eyebrows. “Yes. Nice meeting you again, Albert,” the Major responded. “By the way, let me introduce my classmate, Hibara. Hibara, this is Albert Porac, the President of Science Nerds.” I gave a small nod, acknowledging the introductions. “The club members, kindly line up.” And so, the Major began. “Where is everyone during lunch break?” BY THE TIME his interrogation ended, there were two suspicious persons: a male and a female. Both
HIBARA THE BEEPING SOUND of the dropped call rang in my ears, as well as the words of the man on the other line. I am Indigo. I am Indigo. I am Indigo. “Hey, Detective? Detective!” “Hmm?” “You’re spacing out,” the Major informed. “Is there something wrong? What was that call about?” “Uh, it’s nothing. Just a client.” I shook my head and gave a small smile. “You and Toto, take Albert to the Campus Police Station with Chief Velasquez.” “Are you sure you’re okay? Do you want to discuss the case your client gave?” “No, it’s a simple one. And, I’m pretty sure I’m fine. Now, go.” He nodded and smiled. “If you say so, Detective.” They took away the culprit of the mass food poisoning, while I remained on my spot, stuck in deep thoughts. Most importantly, should I tell them about Indigo’s call? SEVERAL HOURS LATER, I was in my usual seat, waiting for the dismissal bell to ring. The Major and Toto, who were both in the back row, strangely did not make any approach to me. Upon knowing
LUKE MATTHEW “You’re leaving right now?” AS THE DETECTIVE answered Toto’s question with a nod and ran off, I couldn’t help but feel nervous. I walked back inside the classroom with the Nerd, but I couldn’t shake this feeling off. I must do something! “Toto,” I called after thinking for a few moments. Without waiting for his response, I continued, “Once we’re dismissed, find and follow her. Don’t let her wander the night alone. She said it was him. She can’t just expect me to settle down while she’s out there, chasing death!” “Hey, hey, sit down!” Janden shook my arm. “What are you talking about, Luke?” I didn’t realize I was standing and had stated all of that in a voice that echoed through the room engulfed in silence. To the relief of my chaotic thoughts, Toto gave me a thumbs-up. I made a quick apology to Miss Summerfield and, with a heavy sigh, I sat back down. “What is going on, Luke?” Janden asked as soon as I settled in my seat. “Nothing that needs to worry you,” I coldl
LUKE MATTHEWThis can’t be happening… This isn’t real… No… No… No!BUT THE CRIMSON liquid that continued to flow said otherwise. They were screaming the truth to my face. Mamá had fallen unconscious and heartbroken upon witnessing the man’s death.Slowly, I stood up and pushed the chair back under the table. With my gaze still stuck watching the blood, I ordered in utmost seriousness, “Security, do not let anyone leave this room and this mansion.”“B-But, Young—”I slammed a punch onto the table and gave the Head of Security a deadly glare. “Do you not understand what I’m saying?”“Yes, Young Master Samael!” He bowed his head and ordered his men to put the Salcedo Mansion on a lockdown.I reached for my phone and called the police.“Good evening. This is the Criminal Investigation Division. What is your emergency report?”“May I request for Det. Ch. Supt. Zekinah White?”“Who are we speaking to?”“Tell her that this is Luke Matthew Vargas, a classmate of her daughter and that I am r
LUKE MATTHEW I WATCHED THE Sergeant and one female officer conduct a full body search on the seven suspects I named. “This is unbelievable!” Aunt Nimue exclaimed as she was being searched. “You believe the words of that Grade 10 kid?” “For all we know, the Chief Superintendent might be an accomplice of his in pinning us as murderers,” said Uncle Teivel, fixing his necktie. “They seem quite acquainted.” “Like I said,” Aunt Charon rolled her eyes; “a Vargas would always be a Vargas.” “He did not even thank us for inviting his now-dead father to this family reunion, to which, he obviously does not belong!” added Aunt Nimue just as the female officer finished searching her. “Samael’s suspecting us because we hate his father,” said Uncle Birsha as he watched his son being searched. “You should refrain from saying things now.” “Samael?” Det. Ch. Supt. White whispered in wonder beside me. “You’re the Young Master Samael Salcedo?” I sighed. “I hate to admit, but, yes, I am that Young
HIBARA ALMOST TWO WEEKS had passed since I heard from Mom. Uncle Noah was a good man. He did not deserve to die this early. Yet, for some reason, the Major was able to solve the case by himself. He’s improving, isn’t he? But I also heard that he almost killed his father’s murderer—which is a BIG FAT NO. That’s just plain stupid. Even the group of detective wannabes will not resort to that action. “Are you not worried about him?” asked Toto as he came out of the Faculty Room. “We haven’t seen him for ten days!” I stood up from the wooden bench in the hallway and answered, “He’s gonna be fine. I don’t need to worry.” “Why don’t we pay him a visit?” I chuckled. “Don’t be preposterous. He’s not a patient.” “What if he’s quitting the team because of that instance…?” “The culprit did not die in his hands and is very much still alive, okay?” I crossed my arms and rolled my eyes. “What’s his problem, anyway?” “Hibara, maybe because of that, he feels he doesn’t deserve the spot in this
HIBARA THE NEWS REGARDING the Ammunition EIC’s death shook up the entire Albertus Magnus University. Although it was reported as a mysterious murder by an unknown gunman at first, it was later reported that the occurrence was an accident caused by a stray bullet. When I heard of that on the television, I couldn’t help but laugh. Violet’s death was a necessary action for the organization; to ensure that the information regarding their criminal business remains out of our reach. As soon as I stepped foot into the classroom of Grade 10 Section I, Cara approached me with a huge smile on her face. “Welcome back, Miss Detective!” My gaze shifted from her face down to her body, and then to the surroundings. I smirked and gave her a welcoming deduction show. “Since I wasn’t present last Monday and yesterday, I assume you might have missed hearing the brilliance of my deductive prowess.” “Oh, right! You were on the news yesterday!” Toto pointed out. “You helped a police detective to solve
HIBARA AFTER MY MOTHER insisted I stay in our residence, I spent my three days of recovery in the library. Since Cara turned my apartment into a ‘Detective Agency’ of some sort, it was actually good staying back here. The only thing I didn’t like was, of course, interacting with my dearest father. I finished quite a lot of mystery books and now, I’m skimming through Dad’s old case files. His recent case files are in his study while the old ones are stacked here in the library which I, sometimes, take a look at for studies. An incident from the year before I was born piqued my interest. I smirked as I read the words written in red ink above the title of the case: Unsolved. “So, you have an unsolved case fifteen years ago, huh?” I grabbed the white folder and sat on the well-lit, giant egg chair in the middle of the round room of books. 【Pre-School Teacher Murder Case】 Several photographs were within the folder. I checked mostly those that are focused on how the victim was found.
JACOB I WENT BACK to the university to get my motorbike and drive around the city. I need to know where Violet would be executed. I glanced at my side mirror, feeling as if someone was following me, and indeed, there was. A yellow taxi cab was about 200 meters behind me and I couldn’t recognize the passengers using only my side mirror. Damn it. I turned left at the intersection and the yellow taxi appeared behind not long after. I turned another left at the next corner and a right. Even in tight spaces, the yellow taxi continued to follow me. Don’t tell me…?! I picked up my speed and turned another right and then left until I found an open parking basement. I quickly paid for a ticket and drove down. What I didn’t expect was what I would see once the basement lights met my eyes. On both left and right sides were a total of six black 2021 Mercedes-Benz Metris Passenger Van parked side-by-side. My grip on the handlebars of my motorbike tensed as beads of sweat formed around my neck
JACOB THE GIRLS ENTERED the Ammunition Journalists Clubroom while I stayed outside on the lookout. A few minutes later, they came out with Catherine McKnight and Emmanuel Cagasa—the first two writers whose articles were drastically edited from truth to illegitimacy. And although today is Club Day, the third writer who was supposed to be present was nowhere in sight. “We haven’t seen Evelyn Gannaban since yesterday. It was actually surprising that she has an article for today’s distribution,” said Catherine. I looked at Emmanuel who was spinning a stylus pen with his fingers. “Yesterday was when your edited article was on Ammunition.” “Hold on.” Zia raised a hand and stared at the two. Her eyes were scanning every inch of their bodies. I smirked. “You,” she pointed at Catherine; “are from the Circulation Staff. And you,” she turned to Emmanuel; “are an Editorial Cartoonist.” “On-point deduction!” I praised her and she smiled. “Why did they write news articles, then?” Tere’s voi
JACOB CLUB DAY SATURDAY brought the three of us here in Room 502 of the Senior High Building—The Forensic Club’s Clubroom. After reading something on her phone, Tere announced, “The brat’s surgeries were successful.” “Violet, Indigo, Ocean, Green, and Dandelion— we must be the first to unmask who these people are! We can’t let the meddlesome youngster’s team open the curtains before us.” I declared with a wide grin, replacing the cap of the whiteboard marker after writing. “Didn’t you see today’s Ammunition headline?” Zia asked with a straight face, throwing the school paper on the table lazily and sighing. “We’re on the bad side again.” “I bet the sniper’s codename is Indigo. It’s the only one that sounds manly. Oh, it could be Ocean too!” “JACOB VALLE!” Zia slammed her hand on the table. “Are you listening to me?” Tere pulled the hem of my brown coat. I looked at her and she gestured her head toward the other girl. I met with Zia’s eyes and a shiver ran down my spine. Why is s
LUKE MATTHEW THERE WAS NOTHING. Not a single trace of the sniper was left on the rooftop of the Metropolitan Institute of Architecture and Engineering. Not even a footprint or a drop of blood could be seen. It was like he wasn’t even present. After learning of the Detective’s bloody message on Jacob’s sleeve, we decided to perform a joint investigation—“Just this once”, he said—about the sniper. I really don’t understand these two’s rivalry when we can do more if we’re all in one team. “Do you have any ideas about the fraudulent headlines on our school paper?” Cara asked the Club President, diverting the topic. “Well, aside from the Ghost Hand case, we know you wouldn’t stage a crime for fame so we dug deeper,” replied Tere. “I am suspicious of the EIC,” Toto stated. “There’s no way Catherine and Emmanuel’s articles would be edited drastically if it wasn’t for the last person who handles or approves them before printing.” I agreed. Jacob smirked as he declared, “Her criminal co
LUKE MATTHEW “I will still believe.” IT WASN’T A bluff. I don’t know exactly what occurred to me. At that moment, I just decided to believe in the Detective’s deduction about the sniper not targeting a Salcedo family member and dared to use my own body as a shield once again. As a detective, she has to protect the world from criminals. But who will protect her from them? She may think she’s strong and clever enough to keep them off of her, but there will be times when she’s not. Suddenly, a flash of red light pulled me from my thoughts. “SON, GET DOWN!” Mamá shouted as she ran across the street, her hand reaching out to me. It was chaos. The next thing I knew was that the Club President of The Forensic Club had my head in his hand, locking me in a bent-forward position. Because I was in that form, I couldn’t see what was really going on above, but I could hear the sound of the Detective’s pocket pistol. Then, I saw a tomato-looking ball thrown to the ground from the Nerd’s hand.
HIBARA I STOPPED AND discontentedly accepted the offer. I can’t believe the sniper got away from me! “Where’s the detective wannabe?” I asked the Major. “He took a motorcycle from one of the flower shop’s customers and trailed the shooter,” he answered. “It seems he lost sight of him as well.” “What information did he get? The last location sighted?” He shook his head. “All he knew was that the shooter was wearing all-black.” A smirk flashed on my lips knowing I am one step ahead of that Club President. Matthew’s eyes met mine through the rearview mirror and he remarked, “I know that face. You’ve got more information than him, haven’t you?” “Since when have you started doing this, Matt?” Mrs. Vargas asked her son. He simply answered, “Monday. Third week of classes.” “AND YOU NEVER TOLD ME?! It’s been, what, two months?!” “The Salcedos will stop me, Mamá. You know that. And these sixty-one days of my life were the most un-boring.” Mistress Lilith fell silent upon hearing Matt
HIBARA “So, you heard it too?” I CROSSED MY arms right when the three members of The Forensic Club came into our view. Their arrogant Club President Jacob Valle is a real-deal detective wannabe. Although I dropped those words earlier, I never meant to say he’s better than me. Of course, I am and always will be the greater detective. He ignored my sarcasm and pointed a finger at Matthew. “You! Call your chauffeur and have him drive us to the crime scene!” The Major awkwardly replied, “But my Genesis G80 only has a capacity of five passengers; six if those who will ride the backseat are four slim persons.” “Can’t you borrow bigger cars?” Jacob huffed. “Well,” he smirked; “I don’t think Eligor would let you ride his seven-seater Genesis GV80 after that case involving Chedipe, Rangda, and Drace.” I clapped and gave him a sinister smile. “I didn’t know you have the skills to shut this detective wannabe up, Major.” “That’s it!” Aliszia Tuazon glared at their President. “I suggest we