Eriona: “These are a few of our detective club’s members. Now, let’s all gather inside of the interrogation room, shall we?”

Elijah: “You have an ’interrogation room’…?”

Ian: “What, are we criminals or something?”

Noel: “Hmmm~ Just us four? Or is the entire party coming along for this...’interrogation’?”

Marcel: “No. Winona and I have to get to class soon. I only stopped by here to pick up some research materials to sift through when we’re getting bored. *Fixes glasses* You all should be heading back to class.”

Winona: “I agree with Marcel. As freshman, you may feel like it’s unbearably difficult to adjust your power exploration classes, but trust me, it gets easier!”

Elijah: “You...umm, hahaha.

You seem to have our identities mistaken for Sidekick or Hero course trainees…? We aren’t those kinds of ‘students’… we, umm…”

Ian: “Urrgh, so indecisive! We three all hail from the Non - Combatant division of this school. We were exempt from free period because the curriculum isn’t really suitable for our studying needs.”

Elijah: “(Ian can be tactless at times. This isn’t a good trait to have while negotiating or talking with a party that’s a bit… weaker on the mental side of things. When being that blunt towards people with weak mental resilience, it will only reverse your expectations by brooding hatred and finger-pointing in return. I’ll have to speak with him about that. Noel should also work on that impulsiveness of his. These traits could be very dangerous if we ever run into Harvey or Savannah while alone out here.)

This time, our small group of three wanted to familiarize ourselves with our school’s campus first and any neighbors that we happen across, so Noel, Ian and I took the liberty to visit one of the closest spots around: your detective club. Luckily there were people inside of this building! Or else our trip down here could only be counted as a wasted one. Ahahaha…!

…”

Eriona: “Oh, no. Don’t worry about such minor things as an empty buildings~ Hahaha! If I’m away, somebody else will stay~ There is ALWAYS someone nearby and another in the building, so you should never have any welcome short of two people. And if you do, it should be one person that’s on the phone with whoever is stationed nearby at the time. Anyways Hailey and I will go with you guys to the interrogation room to ...answer your inquiries about our unfortunate run-in a few minutes ago. After that, I can ask YOU some important questions in return~

After all, I have… TWO critical cases that involve your… team of three. Only by gaining your help can I-- I mean my team get THAT much closer to solving it. Please say that you’ll help? I believe you’ll be willing to help, right? I have faith that you’ll help us gather more clues to these...unsolved cases that we haven’t been able to solve just yet.”

Bailey: “A-ha-ha-hem! Care to explain what you meant by calling this place ‘your’ group? Last time I checked, it was MY group… wasn’t it?”

Eriona: “………Right. you are absolutely correct Bailey. You are VERY magnanimous to have helped us maintain and fuction on school campus, and we only qualify to keep our reputation thanks to your efforts! We truly hope that you’ll continue to help us in the future, even after you graduate and become our alumni!”

Bailey: “Mm-hmm~ Your kissing up has improved tons and I am pleased. You may continue to brag. Carry on with your secret plot to taking over the club.”

Eriona: “Heehee, okay~ Now then! You three, what are your answers???”

Ian: “…”

Noel: “…”

{Another person that talks too much…}

Elijah: “...Well, to be honest, I can’t make that decis-”

Eriona: “GREAT! I just knew that you’d all agree! I count silence and indecisiveness as belated agreements as well. Now, take your seats. My little Freshie Halie will explain her case. This should satisfy your questioning Noel Tyler, outspoken representative of the Non - Combatant Division?”

{Outspoken representative? Hmmm. I guess I don’t mind that title. It can’t be helped. I don’t really like it, but there’s nothing I can do considering I already confronted the KINGS in public and scolded the entire school on the very first day, to protect mysel—uhh, I-I mean to – to protect the rights of all Non – Combatants!}

Noel: “*Cough!*”

{Yeah...}

Ian: “It’s a good thing Rise isn’t around. If he was here, then there’d certainly be another fight.”

Noel: “Shhh. What he doesn’t know won’t hurt him. Besides, he can’t do anything with his worse-off-than-me social skills anyhow. I may be bad at opening myself up to people, but he’s just bad at talking. Period.”

Halie: “It… It all started in middle school. I had gotten close to this boy, who I liked…”

Eriona: “It was a kind of ‘I’m crushing on you, but you’re also crushing on me’ type of friendship. Really cute t--”

Halie: “I can explain it MYSELF, THANK YOU! He did, like me. Yes… But I didn’t know it at the time. We spend every day as friends, but always helping one another. Sometimes he would bring me breakfast that he bought with his allowance, or I would make him lunch with ingredients I bought and hid at home. When you love somebody… you don’t really expect anything back from them. Some times, just bearing witness to their smile is reward enough!

That was what I felt back then. And I know he felt it too…!

I know, because he…

on the day before our middle school’s graduation, before any of us could fetch our diplomas he… he pulled me over to a spot nobody could see…

…

…And he kissed me.

He didn’t ask for anything from me in return for the breakfasts he’d bought for me.

He never asked for anything way back then, for the time he’d stood up against our disgusting pig of a gym teacher who nearly molested me in his locked office.

And he never asked for anything whenever he took the blame for our arriving late for school and got lectured.

...He didn’t even shrug after I had experienced my first… well, my first ‘girl’s moment’ in class, and after noticing… he poured his bottle of water on me. I didn’t know what was happening until he asked the teacher if he could take me to the nurse’s office, instead of the bathroom.

*Sniff*

Haha…! Can you believe that? How can water be a good enough excuse to let me go to the nurse’s office? MY school uniform was black and he saw … well, this may be uncomfortable for you boys to hear, but he saw the wet spot and probably thought I wet myself or something. Instead of getting disgusted, he found a ...bad, hehe, excuse for me to grab a change of clothes from the nurse. He got detention for it, while I was lectured about a girl’s first moment of suffering. He never told me either. I just know… because he smiled after I was issued a brand new uniform. I broke down right then… and again while graduating. He never once asked for anything! He only… ever tried to help me out, and I, I did my best to repay him…

Until… Until two days ago. I continued to slip on my way to the club house, but nobody could figure out the reason why. It was the 19th time...I think? He reached out for me while laughing, but… for some reason, I saw his facial expression change.

He was always a happy guy. The only time I saw him mad like that, was when he rescued me with his superpowers, after hearing me scream in that pig’s middle school coach’s office. I don’t remember anything after that. I just… felt something pull me into the water. Eriona wasn’t there at the time and we were supposed to take over club duty, since we joined over summer vacation. We both got accepted to… *Sniff* *Hic!* …together…!”

Bailey: “I was there, but I didn’t see anything. I heard Ben screaming her name out loud, and only managed to catch sight of him diving into the water much like you did. Without changing his clothes.

(Though UNlike you, he actually got his clothes WET! Don’t think I didn’t notice! I’ll be watching you, kid. That DEFINITELY isn’t the school issued uniform!)”

Noel: “*Shivers* !!”

{Huh? Why do I- Why do I have such a strange… feeling?}

Eriona: “Go on, Halie. Continue. You said you felt strangled underwater...right? Noel, did you notice anything?”

Noel: “*Shakes head* No. I didn’t see anything down there except for the dust storm this girl was kicking while I was trying to save her.”

Bailey: “…”

Halie: “...Sorry, but to me, finding whatever that ...that thing that choked me and caused me to pass out…comes first! I tried checking but…

Anyways, when I regained consciousness and a note was tucked into my palm. It read ‘To my ___ I will always’

…”

Ian: “...Always what?”

Haley: “That’s it.”

Elijah: “…”

Ian: “…”

---