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The room was silent. Dusty stacks of paper lined the walls, and the faint smell of old ink lingered in the air.
Ayame finally broke the silence. "So… who are we waiting for?"
Takuma leaned back in his chair, arms folded. "One of my other members. She's the one who's been doing the digging. We're just waiting for her to arrive."
Eriya tilted her head. "This person—is she a—"
Before she could finish, the door swung open with a loud bang.
"Guess what I've got," a girl said, stepping inside. She clutched a thick folder in her hands, but her sharp eyes immediately landed on Ayame, Kirota, and Eriya.
"…Who are they?" she asked bluntly.
Takuma stood. "Arisa Kamari. She's our photographer." Then, turning to her, he gestured at the group. "These people are going to help us solve this case—Ayame Tsukino, Kirota Hoshigawa, and Eriya Kazename."
From the corner, Riku muttered under his breath, "We don't need them."
Kirota glanced at him silently, his expression unreadable.
Arisa sighed and shook her head. "That's fine with me. Honestly, it's better if we're working with more people." She walked over and placed the folder onto Takuma's desk.
He opened it, flipping through the pages until he read the bold heading aloud: "The Raze Fang Members."
"What is this?" he asked.
"They're the ones who committed the murder," Arisa replied.
Kirota's eyes narrowed as he scanned the names.
Ayame frowned. "How do you know that?"
"I did my research," Arisa said firmly. "The Raze Fang members have been selling water. But not just any water—they've been contaminating it." She tapped the page. "They put something toxic into the supply. And every single person who's died of a heart attack recently? They drank that water right before."
Takuma rubbed his chin. "Hmm… it does sound suspicious."
Kirota's thoughts stirred. This doesn't feel like the work of a witch. If it were supernatural, it wouldn't be this methodical. Could someone be ordering them to do this?
Takuma closed the file with a snap. "Alright. Tomorrow, we'll all go to the cafeteria."
Eriya blinked. "Why?"
Riku scoffed. "Are you that stupid? Because that's where everyone gets their drinks."
"Ohhh," Eriya said, clapping her hands. "That does make sense."
Takuma began giving orders. "Ayame and Riku, you'll go to the south-side cafeteria. Eriya, you're with me, Kirota, and Arisa."
Kirota's mind sharpened. Know your opponent's weaknesses, understand their wants and needs… This Takuma isn't like the others—he's intelligent.
The meeting ended, and they all headed out. Kirota found himself walking beside Arisa in silence until they reached the cafeteria. The hum of voices filled the air as they took a seat.
Arisa ordered a coffee, then let out a sigh.
Kirota scanned the crowd, his sharp eyes noting every movement. "So… now that we're here, what's the plan?"
"We're only here to record things," Arisa replied. "It'll be our proof."
Kirota nodded, and silence returned. The waitress soon came over with Arisa's order, placing the steaming cup in front of her.
"Thank you," Arisa said politely.
Kirota studied her. "Can I ask you something?"
She met his gaze. "Sure. We can't just sit here in silence all day—that would look suspicious."
"Why did you join the Newspaper Club?"
Arisa sipped her coffee before answering. "Because I like solving things."
Kirota's brow rose slightly. "But the Newspaper Club doesn't solve cases."
She gave a dry laugh. "Takuma doesn't think I'm good at solving them. To him, I'm just a photographer—not a detective."
Kirota looked away. "You could join the Truth Seeker Society. We solve cases. That's why we're investigating the Blackgrave."
Arisa's eyes flickered briefly before she turned away. "I can't."
Kirota was about to ask why when—
BOOM!
An explosion shook the building. The floor trembled beneath their feet as the ceiling cracked.
A large slab of debris came crashing down toward Arisa—but Kirota moved without hesitation, shoving her out of the way.
The weight of the collapsing ceiling struck him.
I saved her… she'll repay the favor someday…
His vision blurred, and his eyes slowly closed.
Next time…
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