[center][img]https://fontmeme.com/permalink/220404/3d8f0badc25b644d0f5abaeab7c64d90.png[/img]

[b][color=B7CEEC]MENTIONS:[/color][/b] [color=D1D0CE][color=B7CEEC]Masashi[/color] [[@Zombehs]], [color=B7CEEC]Akira[/color] [[@DJAtomika]], [color=B7CEEC]Hoshiko[/color] [[@Fabricant451]], [color=B7CEEC]Akio[/color] [[@Lord Orgasmo]], [color=B7CEEC]Kenzan[/color] [[@PrankFox]][/color][/center]
[color=D1D0CE]This wasn’t happening. This wasn’t happening! She had to be in the middle of a nightmare. At any moment, she would wake up, eat breakfast, and go to school. Hell, if this was a nightmare, maybe the whole thing with Okamoto was part of it, too. Asumi couldn’t help but hyperventilate as she raised a hand to her other arm and pinched her skin. No, it still hurt… so, this was all real. Tears pricked the corners of her eyes and within moments, she was crying. She sobbed into her hands, her body overcome with shivers as she tried to calm herself down. Since she was in the middle of an emotional fit, she didn’t notice the approach of the third year who had run up to help them at first. 

[color=B7CEEC][b]“I don’t even know who that guy is!”[/b][/color] she wailed at the boy who had knelt down beside her. [color=B7CEEC][b]“I was… I was just walking, and then I tripped and fell on top of him! I probably got his juices all over my clothes and everything!”[/b][/color] Asumi punctuated her statement with a frustrated squeal, her hands brushing up and down her uniform as she desperately tried to remove the invisible dead-person germs that had undoubtedly soiled her clothing. When Chen showed up and said that they had to leave, her eyes widened to the size of ramen bowls. [color=B7CEEC][b]“D-do you really think the killer’s still around?!”[/b][/color] she asked as her voice rose several octaves higher. She leapt to her feet, her body now shaking like a leaf on a branch. [color=B7CEEC][b]“Oh God, what if he comes back and sees us? He’ll kill [i]all of us[/i] for stumbling across the scene of the crime! We need to leave, come on, let’s go already-!”[/b][/color]

Her hands scrambled towards Kenzan, Akio, and even Masashi as she attempted to drag them down the alleyway by their sleeves and the hems of their shirts. Though, her struggles were thwarted by Hoshiko, who had started to touch the body out of curiosity. Asumi flinched. There was no way that she was actually putting her fingerprints all over the dead body. First off, that was very gross. Didn’t know that bodies started to decompose as soon as someone died?! There were probably all types of weird germs all over his clothing! That, and… [color=B7CEEC][b]“Don’t touch him! You’re gonna get your prints all over–”[/b][/color] Asumi began to scold her, but even that was interrupted by a flurry of footsteps from further down the alleyway. 

Her eyes snapped upwards to see a pair of police officers had approached, probably having been drawn to the scene because of all the commotion. Asumi held her hands behind her back, intimidated by the police officers’ questions. If only Nagi was here– She would know what to do. Her gaze flicked to the dead body, then back up to the officers, then down at the floor, then back up to them. Just as she prepared herself to explain to the police, Hoshiko said that “she did it”. Her jaw dropped open. Did it? Did what?! [color=B7CEEC][b]“I didn’t do anything! I just left school and was gonna go to Chen’s house to study ‘cause Miss Okamoto said there was going to be a [i]test soon and I don’t wanna fail so I was just trying to be a good student and I cared about my friends so I brought them along with me so they won’t fail the test either and get then we ALL get expelled-”[/i][/b][/color] Her eyes flooded with tears once more before the alleyway brimmed with the caterwaul of her frantic weeping. [color=B7CEEC][b][i]“I just wanna go home!”[/i][/b][/color]

[b]“Okay, okay, hold up! This is getting us nowhere,”[/b] the police officer said, exasperated. He turned his scrutinizing gaze towards the rest of them that stood in the alleyway. [b]“I think it’s best if we take you guys down to the station–”[/b]

[color=B7CEEC][b]“To the station?!”[/b][/color] Asumi bawled.  [color=B7CEEC][b]“I don’t wanna get arrested!”[/b][/color]

The officer let out a long sigh as he rubbed the back of his head. [b]“You’re not getting… oh, forget it. Just come with us, okay?”[/b] He turned back to his partner. [b]“Call in an extra cruiser. Don’t think we can fit all these kids in ours.”[/b]

As the other officer leaned their face towards their radio once again, Hoshiko’s words echoed in Asumi’s mind. Maybe it was a bad idea to make this study group after all…

[hr]
The extra police cruisers hadn’t taken long in getting there. As both police officers and detectives began to study the body hidden beneath the garbage bags, the lot of them were guided to the two cars that would take them to the station. Asumi whimpered as she was shoved into the car and became smushed between Hoshiko and Masashi. The ride to the police station was uncomfortable, though the warmth of her schoolmates provided her some comfort during the ride. Her sniffles punctuated the quiet that brimmed within the vehicle, which earned her a half-confused, half-pitying glance from the woman that drove the cruiser. Yet, even the cop didn’t say anything the whole ride there. 

Being questioned by the police was… an experience, to say the least. One by one, they were taken into a singular room where they were questioned for about half-an-hour before they were cycled out for another member of their group. Asumi had been the last one to be brought into the small, gray-walled room with a big white table in the middle of it. The detective in charge of them was a [url=https://i.pinimg.com/564x/6f/0b/81/6f0b81d68e2d155d22eccb876d62e611.jpg]surprisingly young– and short– woman who was named Saitou Naoko[/url]. When Asumi was questioned by her, Miss Saitou’s voice was always rough and overly aggressive. “Where were you earlier today?” she would ask in a snarl, then she would ask, “What time did you wake up?” or “What time did you have lunch?”. Then, she’d ask where she was at a specific time again and again. Sometimes, her questions would even be repeated. This stressed the hell out of Asumi, who hardly remembered what she had for breakfast. It was only when she started to tear up again that Saitou’s confrontational demeanor became somewhat extinguished, and she left the room to bring her back a bottle of water and some tissues. After Miss Saitou asked a few more questions, Asumi was allowed to leave the room, where she met up with her friends back in the spacious lobby of the station. The light of the mid-afternoon sun filtered through the clean windows and soaked the cheap brown leather chairs in warmth.

[color=B7CEEC][b]“That was the most terrifying thing I’ve ever gone through! I thought I was gonna say something weird under all of that pressure,”[/b][/color] Asumi chirped as she walked up to them. She rubbed her eyes, which were sore from crying for the past two hours or so. How had it gone for everyone else? Had it been as scary as hers?
 
Before anyone else said anything, a white-haired man in a tan suit and with a clipboard under his arm entered the lobby behind her. Asumi recognized him as [url=https://i.pinimg.com/564x/b0/ee/52/b0ee52987232dd430495fa52852287e4.jpg]Daichi Ishida[/url], the head detective that had poked his head in her room once or twice in order to scold Saitou when she became too hostile. He scratched the side of his stubbly face as he looked at each one of them respectively with tired brown eyes.  [b]“Well, your stories all match up, so you’re free to go. We’ll call you if we need to ask you guys any more questions,”[/b] he said. 

Asumi stared at him, a wave of relief washing over her body. [color=B7CEEC][b]“For real?!”[/b][/color]

[b]“Yep. We just wanted to make sure you didn’t have anything to do with the whole fiasco,”[/b] Daichi grumbled. [b]“To be honest, I doubted that a bunch of high school kids had the hearts to murder that poor man in the first place, so I told Naoko to keep her questionings brief.”[/b]

[b]“Yeah, but you better get home before the curfew!”[/b] Saitou’s head poked out from behind the lobby’s desk. Her brows were furrowed as she glared at them in warning. [b]“After what happened, it’ll look [i]pretty[/i] bad if the police catches you out and about when you’re supposed to be–”[/b]

[b]“I’m sorry for the trouble. Like I said, you can go now. Make sure to get home safe.”[/b]

They were sent off as quickly as they were brought in. Luckily for them, it was still early, and they decided to drag Kenzan along with them to Chen’s house with the promise of food. Asumi was disappointed that they probably wouldn’t have time to study, though the mention of a warm, home-cooked meal was quick to brighten her mood. It kind of sucked that Nagi and Munehisa stood her up, but she guessed it was better than them showing up and getting dragged to the police station with everyone else. That, and maybe there’d be leftovers at Chen’s house!

Asumi hummed a tune as she bounced after the group, enjoying the spritely spring breeze that drifted down the street. Their bus ride had taken about fifteen minutes, which left more than enough time for her to chill at Chen’s place before she had to head home. Even though she kept up a cheery demeanor, her mind couldn’t stop going back to what Chen had said back in the alley. Was there actually a killer in the neighborhood? Was it a man or a woman? Why were they killing in the first place? Would they target students from the school or stick to adults? Either way, the thought bothered her and made her a bit afraid. She wondered if Masashi would walk her home if she asked him to... 

Asumi realized that her ponderings had made her slow her pace and the group had walked a bit ahead of her in the process. Her heart skipped a beat and she trotted to catch up with them. She was half-tempted to talk about the dead body and what they thought of it, but she concluded that it was probably a bit too heavy to discuss at the moment. They [i]were[/i] almost at Chen’s, after all. It would be best to move on and enjoy the rest of the evening. 

[color=B7CEEC][b]“Gosh, that made me hungrier than I expected!”[/b][/color] she blurted out without thinking. With a broad smile on her face, she turned to look at Chen. [color=B7CEEC][b]“What’s your dad cooking up for us? I hope it’s something yum-my~!”[/b][/color][/color]

[hr]
[center][h2][color=red][b]At Fujihama High School...[/b][/color][/h2][/center]
[center][b][color=red]MENTIONS:[/color][/b] [color=D1D0CE][color=red]Nagi[/color] [[@Psyker Landshark]], [color=red]Munehisa[/color] [[@Solace]][/color][/center] 
[color=D1D0CE]At Nagi’s question, Munehisa sounded from the hallway without delay. [color=plum][b]"Yeah, yeah, can we get the hell out of here now? Getting expelled don't hit the same as breaking the law!"[/b][/color]

[color=ff9815][b]"Yeah, yeah. Now shut up and let's go study with the others. I already told Asumi we're on our way, so no pussying out of this for you."[/b][/color]

The two then began to make their way down the hallway of school with the intention of leaving as soon as possible. Their rabble continued between them as they walked, with Munehisa’s voice dinning down the corridor as they arrived at the entrance of the school.  

[color=plum][b]"Not like I'm gonna be able to focus, anyway-- man, this sucks! I can't believe the page tore out, much less Okamoto being the one to find it in the first place! And all those other kids she's got runnin' around like bees in a hive trying to find clues, seriously pisses me off..."[/b][/color]

Munehisa’s phone buzzed and let out a high-pitched chirp. At that moment, the atmosphere morphed around them, as if a new realm had been wrenched from a hidden fiber of existence and brought to reality. The school’s floors, once polished and clean, now felt sticky under their shoes. The walls’ panelings were now covered in strange, brownish hexagonal structures that protruded slightly and oozed sticky, golden liquid that was viscous in nature. Even the overall structure of the walls were curved, and the shoe lockers behind them were no longer there. In fact, it seemed that the school [i]itself[/i]  had grown much larger in size. 

A sickly sweet scent beckoned for them to come further inside...[/color]