Halie’s visibly shaken temperament slowly relaxed after catching her bearings. Her face calmed from its previously hysteric state to a face filled with color, and a deep perception held within the two reddened, watery eyes.

It seems the slap did the trick in delivering a brief shock into the girl, but this wasn’t exactly the case.

Through his anger, she finally was able to register that the youthful voice berating her right now, did, in fact, belong to a boy. And since it was a boy’s voice…

Her sudden analysis gave Halie just the right opportunity to break through the sudden hysteria that had befallen her.

Halie rubbed her wounded cheek carefully while processing over the events that led up to this point. She was about to ask for his reason of visiting their detective club, when suddenly, her complexion became a ghastly pale white.

It seemed she had remembered something that she would much rather forget.

...Conversely…

Remembering such a painful instance of her life caused her to forget about Noel’s face-slapping.

Even so, the twelve year old took the liberty to apologize. He planned this to make social connections and befriend others, not create more reasons to be hated upon.

Noel: “I’m sorry for that, just now… but you were starting to say something really offensive and I couldn’t stand by and let you finish speaking. Death isn’t something to joke around about or make light of.”

Halie: “You… You’re Noel Tyler… right? That Chi-Chihuahua kid from the opening ceremony of the-”

Noel: “Wha-? WHAT CHIHUAHUA KID?!”

Halie: “...You…? At least according to the cheerleaders…that’s the nick- *Hic* nickname they accidentally overheard Rhys A-Abrams give for you. One – One of them also mention that you… you resembled one, back at the assembly...”

Ian: “...Um…Noel. Why – Why did you…? Why did you slap her? Are you- heheh… are you NOT satisfied with the level of negative publicity you’re getting already? Are you TRYING to implicate Elijah and I – the both of us? Especially for Elijah, this could be seen as incredibly damaging! Just imagine what the press will say if the catch wind of this--!

...Wait: The pr… press…? Heheh, you girls wouldn’t happen to, uh… have connections with them would you…?”

Eriona: “Ahahahahaha! Of course n~---

...We do. BUT in light of the mess-

*COUGH!* *COUGH!* *COUGH!* *COUGH!* *COUGH!*

...Ahem. In light of the… UNFORTUNATE incident that our team member brought forth to you guys and wound up inadvertently implicating you all…

...We’re willing to let… bygones be bygones~ What do you say?”

Ian: “Ah~ I say that’s PERFEC-!”

Noel: “Mm-mm. No can do.”

After completely settling down, Halie joined Noel at walking over to where the other three were currently situated – at the ending point of the slope that leads down the hill from where the school’s only detective club runs a steady base of operations. The slope isn’t very large, and happens to lead directly around a somewhat large lake.

The poor girl had become completely soaking wet, nervously wringing the water out of her ponytail and attempting to kick the residual aquae out of her sneakers. Surprisingly for her, the Non - Combatant boy, Noel Tyler’s clothes looked entirely dry but…

...Didn’t he just jump into the lake to save her? Yet the only wet part about him was his hair!

Indeed, it was true. Droplets of aquatic residue triclked off the tips of Noel’s hair, as he prepared to speak.

Noel: “I already gave an apology AND helped fish your clumsy club member out of the water while suffering from her wild attacks. I believe I’m entitled to an answer over this, aren’t I?”

Elijah: “Noel, what happened? What kept you so long? I noticed your conversation before you… Noel, you shouldn’t have slapped her…”

Ian: “Mhm! Regardless of what she said to you, a boy doesn’t lay a finger on girls! That is a golden rule.”

Noel: “Li Shun said that you blew up a girl’s face though. he bragged about it back in the dorms.”

Ian: “*Face pales* Tha – That doesn’t count! That lady… she doesn’t count as a girl!”

Noel: “*Shrugs* Girl, woman, same thing. they’re both different stages of the feminine sex.”

Ian: “It doesn’t matter if she was a girl OR a woman! That, that THING only cared about KILLING US! SHE WAS NOTHING MORE THAN A MO-

…

*COUGH!*

...a monster.”

Noel: “*Turns* …To answer your question Elijah, I tried to rescue her, but she didn’t want to be saved and she started to flail. At one point she directly swam back down to the bottom of the lake and kept hugging some weirdly shaped stone/rock thing. After we both surfaced, she said over and over that ‘she would rather die’ and for me to ‘let her kill herself’. I was starting to feel somewhat incensed about her complete lack of sensitivity towards the word ‘death’ and slapped her. I also already apologized for it, but I don’t see how I was supposed to react to a schoolmate attempting to commit suicide and bragging about it like it’s worth experiencing.

*Faces Halie* You’ve never gone through it before, have you? Dying.

…No, right? Then please mind your words next time. I shouldn’t have hit you, it’s true, but considering I almost DIED not even two days ago… and after saving your life I’m forced to face this nonsense about how death would have been a good thing for you…

I can’t see how this situation is anything but reprehensible. Especially with Hero High School’s current situation.

…I can’t find your words as anything but offensive.”

{Besides, neither of them realize just how hard it was to slap somebody and NOT send their head flying into orbit! I held back to the point where I was basically tickling her!}

Ian: “…”

Elijah: “I… I understand how you feel Noel, but you can’t just-

*Sigh* Halie are you not feeling well? Should we...”

Eriona: “Stay and listen to Halie’s woes of pain and suffering? SURE, why, that’s a wonderful plan~! Right Halie~?!”

Halie: “...I *Sniff* I guess…”

Elijah: “...(I was GOING to suggest if we should call for a nurse……… or security. Forget it. Maybe this is a chance to help in a different manner. After all, she seems much better than before, the members of this detective’s club seem to have a certain ‘air’ about them. Almost like a sharp sense of perception or something. Maybe it’s best to let Noel do what he wants here. Staying or leaving… I’ll let him decide.) Noel, what do you want to do?”

Ian: “(He already apologized, so I guess…) I don’t mind either. Go on ahead an decide for us!”

Noel: “...Okay. I still want my explanation. So let’s take the short hair-cut girl’s offer, shall we?”

Ian, Elijah and Noel followed the pair of bright and sniffling girls into their two story cabin. the lobby was expansive with a red royal carpet flooring to cushion the soles of their feet.

Yet before they could collectively step on it – a long haired blonde girl with curls at the ends of her tips and a little weight to her figure, rushed at them crazily!

The duo who decisively exuded the word ‘wet’ from their aura were stopped while she swung an automatic blow drier in front of their faces.

Her name is Bailey.

Bailey: “STOOOOPPPPP!!! NO ONE is allowed on this magnificent and REALLY expensive carpet with wet shoes, wet hair or… or WET ANYTHING!! STAND OVER THERE AND USE THIS! It’s magically enchanted.”

Elijah: “Who…?”

Eriona: “Bailey. Her name is Bailey. She is our school club’s fifth year overseer and magical tool expert extraordinaire. She can make simple stuff that really speeds up the solving of any cases we happen to find ourselves magnificently… stuck on.”

Elijah: “Ah...He-Hello Bailey…”

?: “Bailey~ Why did you suddenly- Oh! We have guests so early? Shouldn’t you three be in class? In fact, the same goes for Halie too-- shouldn’t you ALL be in class? Freshman shouldn’t have weekdays off, if I recall.”

Ian: “What about-”

?: “Humm. If I was to make an inquiry… *fixes glasses* they must be on free period. It’s either that or they were headed some place and got lost.

Heh, well, this is all assuming they aren’t directly skipping class.”

Ian: “--them. What about them?”

From the top of the stairs, a pair of male and female with blue and red dyed and matching hairstyles respectively, appeared from around the only corner on the left of the lobby’s second floor, leading to the left-most side of their club building’s upper level.

Being that they were all currently in the center of the lobby, it was easy to hear one another despite the distance of an entire staircase and some chatter.

Eriona: “Winona and Marcel. They’re the colorful pair. Not related, just really great friends. They’re both 4th year hero trainees.”

Elijah: “It’s a pleasure to meet you two seniors, Senior Winona, Senior Marcel.”

Marcel & Winona: “Likewise.”

{Too many people are coming. Great. How noisy. Still, this place is pretty fancy. They did a great job decorating, it looks beautiful.}

The cabin lobby’s interior was very fancy. There was a plaque on the back of the wall that read: “A detective should always strive for an answer! No matter how horrifying said answer is!”

This was followed by several other plaques placed at different visible locations of the lobby which appeared to be famous quotes from favored detectives throughout history.

Another moment of observation told Noel that there were actually a few more footsteps on the upper floor from people who hadn’t yet revealed themselves. It seems this place was a lot more crowded than he originally thought.

---