Chapter 2

Ayashi's POV

Napatingin ako sa lalaking katabi ko na panay ang kulit sa akin kanina, abala siya sa pagkuha ng maliit na notebook at isang ballpen mula sa bag niya. He looks calm.

"You know something," natigilan siya nang magsalita ako.

"Are you talking to me?"

"May ibang tao ka bang nakikita bukod sa ating dalawa?" Inis kong wika na nakapagpanguso sa kanya.

Pato ba siya sa past life niya? Panay ang nguso niya eh.

"Well, this isn't new to—" napatigil siya nang bigla akong tumayo, namulsa ako tsaka ako nag-umpisang maglakad.

"Speak up."

"As I was saying, this kind of incidents are normal to the campus. Although chinicheck naman ng mga pulis ang safety measures ng school ay hindi pa rin maiiwasan ang ganitong mga pangyayari." Nagsalubong ang kilay ko, "This school is just prone to accidents."

"Just get to the point already..."

Nang tuluyan na akong makalabas sa classroom ay bumungad sa akin ang nagkukumpulang mga estudyante habang ang paningin nila ay nakatuon sa sahig, kahit na madami silang nagkukumpulan ay hindi nakatakas sa mga mata ko ang dahilan kung bakit bakas ang takot at gulat sa kanilang mata.

"This school is prone in that type of incident, we can’t even simply call it an accident." The guy named Calvin said, he's standing right next to me.

I suddenly realized what he was trying to say. 

"Is this really going to happen again?" Rinig kong usal ni ma'am Cassandra , “Hello Lancelot? No I'm fine, have you heard of it? Yes. Please come here now, there is another..." pinikit niya ng mariin ang sariling mga mata, "...lifeless body here."

I crossed my arms as I examined the girl who is getting paler by the second, what makes me curious is her phone.

It has a cracked on it.

"Hold on, her face looks kinda familiar..." my eyes widened when I realized something.

She's the one I saw at the hallway earlier!

THE POLICE IMMEDIATELY arrived at the scene of the crime, they started their investigation right away, they also began interrogating the last people whom the victim talked to before the crime happened.

I crossed my arms while looking at the lifeless body of the  girl, I'm sure that she is the one I saw earlier. I still even got the key of her locker. By just observing on her body, the crime must’ve just happened.

There is no way that this is just an incident. If the police will say that this is just an accident, then they should start finding a new profession.

"You must be shocked," agad akong napairap nang marinig ko ang pamilyar na boses na yun, “it's okay. Everything will be fine, I'll take everything from here."

"I know you will, it saddens me to see Linette in this kind of state. We just had a conversation earlier." Naiiyak na saad ni ma'am Cassandra.

Naputol agad ang konsentrasyon ko nang makita ko si Calvin na abala sa pakiki-usyuso sa crime scene, akala mo reporter eh nagmumukha lang naman siyang chismoso. Hindi ko naman maiwasang pitikin siya sa noo dahil sa katarantaduhang pinaggagawa niya.

"I know you're a member of the school publication but I suggest you should stop disturbing the cops," napahimas naman siya sa sariling noo dahil sa pagpitik ko, "you won't get the answer you want from them.”

"I need to do this for the school publication—"

"That's why you should ask the chief instead," I remarked annoyingly, "sa kanya napupunta ang mga report galing sa pulis kaya magtanong ka sa kanya."

He then pout again. As if ducks like him looks cute.

"You have a point tho. Chief Lancelot!" He then ran towards the chief like a stupid person.

I can't help but to feel a little confused. She didn't clearly commit suicide since there is no any weapon near the scene, ang makikita lang ay ang selpon niyang basag. 

Did she died here or did she died somewhere and someone just placed her body here? If so, what would be the killer's motive? Why would she kill her? And lastly, who could murder someone without leaving even just a trace?

"Linette, please..." napatingin ako sa babaeng panay ang iyak, "...why do you have to die this way? Nagkausap pa tayo kanina diba?" She continued crying while there is this other girl that is trying to console her.

That must be the victim's bestfriend but hold on, did she just say that they talked before this happened? That's odd. Ma'am Cassandra was approached by the victim too.

"This doesn't make any sense..." mahina kong usal sa sarili.

They still need to undergo an autopsy, if this turns out to be a suicide then it wouldn't clearly make sense. No weapon around, she doesn't even have any bruises, she doesn't have any sign of cuts in her wrist, she looks pale but maybe it's because she lost too much blood. The red fluid is flowing not from any wound but from her mouth, should I be creep out by that?

Something is not right, the blood is coming out from her mouth. Did the murderer make her drink something—

"You are lost in thoughts, are you interested about her death?" I heard that very familiar voice, I closed my eyes tight. I was hoping not to see or even hear his voice just for today, I was avoiding him ever since I arrived.

But fate seems to plan different turn of events.

"Why would I? You can't just hand over a case to a sixteen years old teenager who doesn't have a proper investigator license." I didn't bother looking at him, "People like you were hired to do this job, don't pass the burden to me."

"Shall I close the case and say that it's suicide—"

"Don't be dumb Lancelot, you and I both clearly know that this isn't some suicide shit." I smirked, "If you're thinking about considering it a suicide then you're much more like a clown than a chief, you're making me laugh."

His stares were intense but I didn't mind, he can intimidate anyone he wants but not me.

The intense atmosphere was suddenly lifted when Calvin and ma'am Cassandra pulled us back to reality.

"Take it easy Lancelot, you saw your sister once again after 6 years. You should not try staring at her like that." Paalala ni ma'am Cassandra sa kapatid kong walang kwenta.

"Ikaw din Ayashi," inakbayan ako ni Calvin na tila ba matalik kaming magkaibigan, "huwag masyadong tense—aray huhu..."

Agad napadaing si Calvin nang bigla kong pilipitin ang kanan niyang braso.

"You were saying?"

"Sabi ko nga—aw—tatahimik na..."

"You've grown so much Calvin, no wonder you're still nosy as always." Ginulo ni Lancelot ang buhok ni Calvin, "One day, I might see you being a journalist or even a reporter."

"That's too much..." aba, kinikilig pa ang tarantadong ito sa compliment na galing sa kapatid ko.

Inayos ni Lancelot ang unipormeng suot tsaka sumeryoso ang mukha niya.

"I gotta work now, I'll see you later Cassandra. Why don't you tell the principal to send the students home and just call it a day? Seeing a dead body in the first day of school would certainly surprised them.”

"Yeah, I'll definitely tell him that." Binalingan niya ako ng tingin.

"And you Vixen..."

"Shut up and don't call me that."

"Don't cause any troubles, I know you are good in this kind of stuff but as possible as you could I want you to stay away from anything that would relate you into solving cases, okay?"

"Chief Lancelot, you are on duty as a chief and not as my brother, so I can do what I wanted." Tinalikuran ko siya gaya ng ginawa niya dati, "I don't take orders from you now and you know exactly why."

He just smiled and joined his comrades in the investigation, he's a chief and not a detective so why would he be here? Well, it’s none of my business.

The day he accepted it was also the day I turned my back on him.

Inis kong tinignan ang babaeng kanina pa panay ang iyak, yun din yung babaeng tinignan ko kanina. I understand the pain she felt but crying won't make someone come back to life.

"Her name is Kaitlyn, siya yung pinakamalapit na kaibigan ni Linette. I heard that they were childhood friends, their closeness is more like a sibling kind of relationship. They are really close, pero ang narinig ko rin ay nagkagusto daw si Kaitlyn sa boyfriend ni Linette kaya medyo nagkailangan ang dalawa." Singit ni Calvin na para bang tinanong ko siya, "Ang pangalan ng boyfriend ni Linette ay Paul, nag-aaral yun sa kabilang campus malapit dito. Healthy naman yung relationship nila ni Linette, yung feelings lang talaga ni Kaitlyn ang nakasira sa pagkakaibigan ni Linette at Kaitlyn."

“Totoo ba yang pinaparatang mo?”

Nagkibit-balikat siya. "Mga chismis lang yun na naririnig ko sa loob ng campus, tapos yang nagcocomfort naman sa kanya ay si Rhea, friends sila ni Kaitlyn pero hindi sila close ni Linette. Hindi ko alam ang dahilan kung bakit hindi sila magkaibigan ni Linette, base rin sa rumors na narinig ko ay nag-away daw noong nakaraan si Rhea at Kaitlyn sabi pa ng iba ay tungkol raw yun sa feelings ni Kaitlyn para sa boyfriend ni Linette." 

Hindi ko alam kung matutuwa ba ako dahil panay salita siya ng impormasyon o maiinis dahil para siyang chismosong matagal nang may alam.

"Should I call you a journalist? I even prefer calling you chismoso. Ang dami mong alam eh." And then again, ngumuso ulit siya.

While I was having a conversation with Calvin, I can't help but to notice a young man—same as age mine—approached my brother. My brother seem to know him.

"Sinong tinititigan mo?" Napatingin si Calvin sa direksyon kung saan nakatuon ang mga mata ko, "Ahh, si Giovanni."

"Giovanni?"

"He's the student council president, mukha man siyang barumbado at malamig ang pakikitungo pero napaka-istrikto niya pagdating sa student council." Calvin whispered, "Pinatitigil niya nga ako palagi sa pakikipag-usyuso kapag may ganitong insidenteng nangyayari, he almost banned the school publication for writing a 'confidential' information daw."

Hmm, sounds fishy.

"What is his connection to Chief Lancelot?"

"The others might not know this but everytime na may nangyayaring ganito sa loob ng paaralan ay si Giovanni agad ang nagreresolba, sa tahimik nga lang na pamamaraan.”

That's why my brother looks so calm and confident about this.

Hindi ko naman agad namalayan na nagkatinginan na pala kaming dalawa, bahagya siyang gumalaw at humarap habang pinagpapatuloy ang mahaba naming titigan.

My brother approached me once more but this time, the student council president is with him.

"I forgot to introduce to you my buddy right here, his name is Giovanni Lewis. He is the student council president, he is 17 and he is also the only son of senator Philo Lewis." Pagpapakilala ni Lancelot sa kanya.

"My name is Ayashi Vixen Yamamoto," pagpapakilala ko, “I'm Lancelot's sister."

"I heard so many things about you, I also heard that you achieved so many things during your stay in Japan. It's nice to have someone like you in the school." He looks so calm and chill while saying those words.

"That's just a small achievement compare to the goal I wish to achieve," napadako naman ang tingin niya kay Calvin na ngayon ay nakatago na sa likod ko. Looks like he'll gonna lecture Calvin for meddling in the investigation.

"You already met Calvin huh?"

"Yeah, so I suggest you should stop staring at him like you are planning to lecture him.”

He licked his lower lip, his tongue is kinda pinkish—must be because of the lollipop in his mouth.

I smiled at him that made my brother stare at me—a warning look to be precise. Hinawakan ko ang necktie niya tsaka yun inayos, Calvin was even surprised to see me close to Giovanni.

"I hate your eyes, it's like anytime your stares can put a venom on me..."

"I can do better than put a venom inside your body," I whispered softly, "let's make a bet mister president."

"A bet huh?" He seem interested.

"Yeah," marahas kong kinuha ang lollipop mula sa bibig niya, "magpaunahan tayo kung sino ang makapagresolba sa kaso. If I solve it first, you leave the school publication alone, you will put a good word to the principal for them."

"What if I am the one who solve it first?"

"Well of course, expect me to shut up and keep my distance." I smirked, "Hindi ako mangengealam. I know how investigators like you hate someone pestering during their job, am I right?"

He looked at me intensely.

"Deal."

"Let's seal the deal then."

I pulled him close to me using his necktie, tumingkayad ako para magkapantay kami. I saw how his eyes widened, and so as my brother and Calvin that is only standing near us. They were shocked upon my sudden move.

I kissed Giovanni on his lips, I slid my tongue inside his lips I quickly tasted the taste of the strawberry flavored lollipop that was on his mouth earlier. When I finally ran out of breath, I let go of his lips and I can still see the stunned look on his face. I smiled sweetly before I placed the lollipop on my mouth, the lollipop I took from his mouth earlier.

"See you around mister president," usal ko bago tinapik-tapik ang balikat niya, hinila ko si Calvin papalayo.

Calvin is stunned as well.

"Put yourself together Calvin, I need your resources to solve this case." I said that bring him back to his senses.

"My resources?"

"Yep, dahil sa loob ng skwelahan na ito ay ikaw lang ang kilala kong sobrang chismoso."

"Why are you doing this?"

"The school publication is part of the bet I made with him, aren't you interested?" Sumigla naman ang mukha niya sa sinabi ko.

"Then count me in."

Hmm, strawberry is kinda delicious. Maybe I'll consider it being one of my favorite flavor from now on.