"I...used to be married to Jeht 15 years ago. Rebecca was about three years old when she first met Jeht," Nousagi began, slowly stirring her tea with a small silver spoon, her cheek resting lightly against her palm as she leaned forward on the table. "He...was still just as manipulative as he was in high school."
"So you and Jeht did marry? Did you have a child with him?" I asked curiously then took a sip of my tea.
"No. I never really had the desire to have a child with a man like him since...he's the one who took my best friend away. However, there was nothing I could do when I found out, so I just divorced him," Nousagi answered, glancing up at me then sighed and sat back in her seat.
"Why are you even investigating this long cold case? Why not just focus on being a normal teenager like Rebecca or even Emma? Why are you following Mr. Erik's path?" Nousagi questioned, wanting to pry my brain as well.
I set my cup down upon the coaster then sighed softly, clearing my throat and looked up at Nousagi. "Because I want justice. Not only for my parents but for Nanako. I was 16 when my parents were killed off, but even younger when I saw the first signs. People think it was you..."
"What? But I was in Fujitori two years ago. I actually really liked Mr. Erik and Miko Mikoto. All of us did, except Jeht. You should know this...Jeht does not take being challenged lightly," Nousagi said, picking up her cup to take a sip of her tea.
I looked back at the living room, seeing Rebecca silently reading a book while secretly listening in on our conversation. "He doesn't huh? I know someone like him at my school...but I would need to run a personal investigation on him."
"For now, can you tell me where were you on the day Nanako disappeared?" I questioned, bringing my attention back to Nousagi.
"Easily. I wasn't around when she disappeared, though I did feel that Jeht was taking advantage of her. I was actually meeting with some of my poetry friends in the bunny garden," Nousagi said without a single stutter, her gaze showing nothing but honesty.
"Is that so? Are you aware that people believe you're the cause of her death? A jealous girlfriend type of case?" I asked, writing down what Nousagi said on a piece of paper.
"I'm fully aware, but I will continue to spread my innocence. I know in my spirit Jeht killed Nanako and put the blame on me because I threatened to break up with him. It's just...he leaves zero trace," Nousagi said, her tone becoming slightly discouraged near the end of her comment.
I shook my head, a smile forming on my face as I locked eyes with Nousagi. "That is false. A criminal like him leaves traces everywhere, whether it be physical, spiritual, or even an imprint. However, I'm curious on one thing...how did my parents' murderer know we were in New America?"
Silence filled the room for a moment, only the sounds of the TV in the living room providing any type of noise in the home. Nousagi let out another soft sigh, truly wracking her brain over how the killer could've known were my parents were.
"Have you taken the possibility that Nanako's killer and the Izuna Murderer are maybe two different people?" Nousagi asked, tilting her head slightly, wanting to find a logical solution.
I continued to think in silence and began to remember watching an episode of Inspector Krisis with my father about using Discernment and paying attention to the signs. Suddenly, I remember Amon's comment about Kyoto and my parents having the same enemy.
"It's not likely, nearly a 5% chance a second person is involved with this unless that second person is just a scapegoat...however granted how each case in the MHI-30 went cold, I have a strong feeling the culprit is only one body," I suggested, looking down at my phone as it began ringing, Aisha's Caller ID popping up on my phone.
I stood up from my seat and grabbed my phone. "I should be heading home. I still have someone waiting for me, but it was good talking with you. Oh yeah, Usagi also told me to tell you, if I ever found you, to call her to reconnect. It would be for the best."
Nousagi watched as I bowed to her then walked off, her gaze lowering to her phone. She looked over at the picture of her friend group on the kitchen counter, the smiles of each person bringing her back to when the times were good, before Nanako's death.
{Chapter 24: First Truth}
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[August 29, 2418 - Wednesday, 8:27 AM]
Two days went by since my meeting with Nousagi, the investigation in the background on the SPA's end now receiving more help now Usagi and Nousagi were working with Mr. Mori to uncover the truth about Nanako. While the adults handled adult business, I was still watching over Rebecca, who was still being influenced by Nanako.
I yawned lightly as I walked only the courtyard, a bit late since I missed my first three alarms and had to have Aisha come wake me up. As Aisha and I walked toward our group's table, we heard a howl sounding behind us and turned around to see Kaido charging toward me.
"What the..? It's too early in the morning for this..." I said with a light groan, turning around to face Kaido and dodged his straight kick. "How do you barking lot even have this type of energy..?"
"We gotta keep you on your toes man! You didn't hear the news?" Kaido asked, hopping backwards with a grin on his face.
"What news?" Aisha asked, raising a confused eyebrow at Kaido.
Kaido chuckled softly and smacked his fist against his palm. "The Leader of the White Wolves is coming back to Matsugaya! The Matsugaya Yakuza Captain, Heido Nagagami, our inspiration!"
"Holy crap...Heido is coming back to school? Isn't he like a bit too old though? He's 19 right?" Aisha asked, looking at me with a hint of confusion.
Rebecca looked over at us, overhearing our conversation and hummed softly. "Heido Nagagami..? Who's that? Wait, Nagagami? There are Yakuza in your clan, Otsuki?"
Otsuki lowered her head slightly with an embarrassed expression. "Yes, unfortunately. There is a branch of Nagagami called the Nagai Clan which my brother has joined. They aren't bad, but they give people a mixed view of my clan."
"Whoa, I didn't think the Clan of Perfectionism was even capable of having branches on a vine like yours! I wonder how the reunions are," Naomi giggled softly as she pat a blush pad upon her cheeks using a hand mirror to look at herself.
I slipped my hands into my blazer pockets and looked around, getting a feeling that someone was watching us then noticed Amon sitting alone with another wishing bone in hand. "So, I'm guessing he learned the news of a Mato Clansman being in Matsugaya..."
Kaido looked over at Amon, getting chills from his blank stare toward me and cleared his throat. "Well, we went to your God Grandmother, y'know Lady Hisu...but she turned us down on the spot but led us to Heido instead. Something about not getting involved in Adolescent Issues."
I chuckled softly at Kaido's report of Hisu's response to his call for help, looking at Kaido with a smirk. "I mean, what did you expect? Besides, my Ani will have your back. Just don't worry too much about Amon."
"I mean, you're not really gonna beat him in a fair one on one. You see, we ain't talking about normal spiritually gifted kids like me and my homies. We're talking about a clan with actual abilities! Hero and Valkyria shit!" Kaido exclaimed, thrusting his hand forward has if he were shooting an energy blast.
I looked at my hand after heeding his warning, a fuzzy image of Inspector Krisis coming into mind as I imagined what controlling energy would feel like. "Really? A Mato Clansman can shoot blasts? Like the ones from movies and anime? And I thought I was starting to have spiritual psychosis seeing white rabbits and butterflies."
"Bro. Lock in, dawg! I'm being serious. There was this one time we were in a turf war against Hojin and Amon literally hit this guy with some dust manipulation...voodoo hoodoo woodoo shit!" Heido said, taking his phone out of his pocket then pulled me away from the girls to show me the video.
"Hey, wait! I wanna see too!" Aisha complained, hurrying over to us and squeezing her head in between mine and Kaido's, disregarding our personal bubble.
Kaido, Aisha, and I watched the video on Kaido's phone, watching as Amon dodged each attack from a Hojin Student then swiped his hand up. Dust rose from the ground, the particles shimmering green and purple grains which began to glow brightly. Amon snapped his fingers, the satura dust entering the student's nose and incapacitating him.
"Oh my God..!" Aisha gasped, her eyes glued to the screen as she watched the student break into uncontrollable laughter and shaking on the ground. "What the heck am I looking at? This has to be edited..!"
"Nah, this is the real deal. He's been in the crew for three years now, and when we first saw that, we knew we had to recruit him. But, that's why you won't be able to really win. Trust me, I've tried," Kaido said, sniffling softly and placing his phone back into his pocket.
I crossed my arms and looked over at the gossipping girls, mainly at Rebecca, and watched over them. I did dwell on the first time I felt Amon's spiritual pressure when he consumed the wishing bone, but I only chalked it up to my anxiety and adrenaline.
Now knowing what Amon and the Mato Clan was capable of, I knew I wouldn't be able to investigate Amon without proper preparations. While I thought of a plan on how to avoid Amon's Dust Control or whatever I witnessed, the bell rang for first period to start.
The students in the courtyard began gathering their belongings, each of them heading to their first class of the day. Aisha and the others grouped up together to head to their class while I split off to go to the Student Council Room, our group splitting up for now to handle our own tasks.
Tsubami yawned as she sat at her desk, going over the events to be planned for September while Lotus flipped through her notebook for ideas for the upcoming Matsugaya Music and Arts Festival. "Jesus Christ... I could literally be doing something more important right now..."
"But this is important..! This actually falls under our investigation since the Music and Arts Festival was one of the first places Nanako was manipulated according to Usagi," Lotus said, sitting back in her seat then looked at the door after hearing it open.
"Good morning, ladies!" I greeted as I walked through the door, giving Tsubami one of my usual smirks. "Oh, Silverella~! I have quite the request for you~!"
Tsubami sighed softly and rested her head upon her desk. "Aiishhitee...Yes, yes, I already know Heido is coming here for whatever reasoning and yes...I also know about your run in with Amon."
I looked over at Lotus, pulling out a chair beside her then gestured to Tsubami with my thumb. "She put on the wrong pair of panties this morning or something?"
Lotus giggled softly at my light joke and held her arms with a sigh, sitting back in her seat. "She might've. Sounds like she has on the black and white cat ones today, she's very catty today~"
Tsubami sucked her teeth at Lotus's comment then tossed a balled paper ball at her head, her face now completely red with embarrassment. "You two are not funny! What is it, oto? Why are you here instead of in Mr. Hoshido's class?"
"I wanna ask you for some help. I want you to give me the training my mom gave to you. I want to unlock my spiritual abilities," I said, patting the table then sat back in my seat with my arms crossed.
Tsubami stared at me for a moment with a dull expression then inhaled lightly and turned her gaze to the white board ahead. "What..? Wait what? You want to become a Strijder? Why?"
"Well...for one Matsugaya, Hojin, and Itakatsu doesn't have many Valkyrias nor Strijders to protect us and two, the best Strijder we had is dead, my dad," I answered, meeting Tsubami's eyes with a matter of fact look.
Tsubami sighed heavily and rubbed the back of her head. "I dunno...Strijder awakenings are extremely rare. Some don't even make it there and become Heroes or Nobles, something like that. Your dad just happened to be very blessed as an American man."
"Then maybe I'm blessed too like that! C'mon, I can already damn there interact with a spirit. Plus, I'm only using this for protection. It ain't like I'm gonna dishonor my parents, I still represent the Izunas," I plead, clapping my hands together for approval.
Tsubami groaned lightly then sighed with reluctance. "Somehow...I kinda knew this day would come..."
[August 29, 2418 - Wednesday, 10:30 AM]
The sun blazed in the blue skies while the cicadas sang their loud songs in the outside track and field area. I stood in the middle of the martial arts grounds on the campus, wearing a white karate hi while standing in front of five other people.
Tsubami stood on the side with her arms crossed, watching as the martial arts students got prepared for the lesson. "Are you ready to start, Motosaki?"
"I'm still a bit confused on why I'm out here? I already know CQC that my father taught me," I said, tightening the purple belt around my gi and looked at Tsubami.
"Well before you can face off against someone like the Mato Clan, you gotta know more fundamentals! It's like my spirit training with Obassan!" Lotus said with excitement and grinned at me, holding her notebook close to her chest.
I groaned lightly and looked ahead at the five students in front of me, each of them wearing black belts and looking as if they had a lot of experience under their belt. I had never interacted with the martial arts students before, but the martial arts club leader did look vividly familiar.
Kenji finally tightened his belt and grabbed hold of his shinai and turned around, looking at me with a grin. "So, I heard you want to be Matsugaya's little hero? I don't know what's gotten into you, but shit I like it."
"Kenji? You're the Martial Arts Captain here? I'm sparring against you and your crew huh? Well alright, let's just get this started," I said, letting out a soft exhale to clear my mind.
"First, I wanna see for myself how you'd do here. These guys are spiritually awakened, so it might be dangerous. If things get too tough for you, Lotus is here to intervene," Tsubami said then let out a soft hum. "And the training ends when you knock them to the ground."
"That's all? Just get them to the ground? Sounds easy enough," I said, nodding my head then watched Kenji supportively push the first challenger forward.
The first challenger was named Ippo Yoshimo, a third year in Matsugaya High who happened to go to regionals on his first year of being in the club. I began to wonder what tournaments they were going to, but then again, in this century everyone has received some form of blessing.
As Tsubami blew her whistle, Ippo immediately charged forward with a sweeping kick, forcing me to dodge backwards so he could follow up with a flowing breakdance kick. My eyes widened as I barely dodged his kick, his foot swinging across the air faster than I expected.
"Footwork, Motosaki! Oh! Remember Zanshin as well!" Lotus coached, using her hands to amplify her voice.
I parried each of Ippo's strikes before ducking under his right hook, scanning his body language for any openings, but I couldn't find anything. I threw a hopeful uppercut, but Ippo immediately struck my fist with his, pushing my arm back. Losing my balance, I didn't have enough time to dodge his roundhouse.
I groaned as I was knocked back and fell onto the ground, the dust picking up as my body went down. I rolled over on my back and looked at the sky with soft pants. "What the hell..? I've beaten most of you guys before...how is this different?"
Kenji chuckled as he watched, sitting backwards on his chair and took his lollipop out of his mouth, pointing it at me. "Simple, we've been holding back. We thought you were just a regular human at first, but now that you've seen more...well Kaido thought it was right to show you our stuff. In private of course."
"Holding back..? God...how many more surprises do I have to go through..?" I sighed softly, sitting up and looking up to see Ippo holding his hand out toward me.
Ippo smiled at me, waiting for me to take his hand. "You're pretty good from what Kenji tells us, so not bad for your first time dealing with Flow Motion."
I took Ippo's hand and stood up with his support then gave him a smile. I began to slightly gain an understanding of what my mother was doing on the field. Suddenly, memories of my mother reading me the Qutsade Chronicles began to flow into my mind.
'So the stories in that book are real..? It has to be...I just witnessed Flow Motion in front of me. Was my mom...a Valkyria..?' I thought to myself, my arms going into a thinking posture as I stroked my chin lightly.
While I continued to train with the Martial Arts Club, Rebecca peeked around the corner and watched from a distance. Her stalking gaze was laser focused upon me, her eyes faintly gleaming a magenta glow with a loving stare.
She watched each of my steps with awe and excitement, her eyes never leaving my moving figure once. Every breath she took, frost escaped her lips, her heart pounding against her chest with excitement as I slipped and dodged multiple attacks.
"Whoa there! You're a quick learner I see!" Kenji laughed, swinging his shinai at my feet then twirled around to launch an overhead swing toward my head.
I slipped past Kenji's attack then rolled forward while picking up dirt in my hand. I tossed the dirt in the air, the wind spreading the dust evenly through the air and causing Kenji to cover his eyes. 'He's open! Now's my chance!'
I rose onto my feet quickly and launched a cross, but Kenji dodged my attack with a grin on his lips before countering by landing a strike upon my torso with his shinai. I grunted softly as I held my stomach and hunched over while Kenji launched an upward swing with his wooden weapon.
I groaned as I was struck to the ground once again with deep pants, my eyes closing as I took a moment to rest. I brought my wrist to my face, opening my eyes to realize I was getting my ass beat for the last 45 minutes and making little to no progress.
"Motosaki...he's losing?" Rebecca whispered under her breath then looked over at Tsubami and Lotus, who were just watching and supervising the spar. "Why aren't they helping him?"
I sat up and shook my head, getting the dust out of my hair then stood up on my feet. "Jesus... holding back or just feeling sorry for me? I can't even land an attack."
Kenji rested his shinai upon his shoulder with a chuckle. "You mean with all that military training you have, your father nor mother never taught you Ezusha Ballet?"
"Ezu..? Ezusha? Are you referring to that location from the Chronicles? What even is that?" I asked, looking at Tsubami and Lotus behind me with confusion.
Lotus clapped her hands together, her eyes sparkling with excitement to answer. "Oh! It's this beautiful martial arts that is like worship combat! It's what all people use when training to be a Strijder or Valkyria."
"The root of the technique is knowing Capoeira. Surprisingly, it is an effective combat style made for worship, self defense, and dancing," Tsubami added, glancing over to the left to see Rebecca watching in the distance.
Rebecca gasped softly as Tsubami noticed her, her figure slightly shying back around the corner with one of her eyes peeking around. 'Did she notice me..? How..? I didn't make a sound here..'
I looked over at Kenji's students and hummed softly, realizing each of his students knew how to dance and efficiently move. I began to recall watching my mother dance with Onaka Nagagami when I was a child, the memory replaying in my head vividly as a core memory.
"Dancing huh? I know a few breakdances from my time in America. I do remember seeing someone use dance in his combat. It might be that guy who's the son of Shiro Moji," I said, bringing my attention back to Kenji.
Kenji's gaze became more sharp with anticipation and glee as he noticed my focused expression. He licked his lips and got into his stance. "Oh? You must be talking about the The Ace of the Sanctuary Agency, Ryder Moji. You know a lot about the Yakuza and Mafia, Moto."
I chuckled softly at Kenji and took off my blazer, memories of Coach Mark's self defense classes flashing into my brain. "Yeah, you can say I was very close to the Moji Family and extended ones. I guess I do have a reason to use what he taught."
Kenji laughed and stomped his foot down, his wolf necklace dangling off his neck as he took a Pouncing Stance, the tip of his shinai resting against the ground. "Ho-ho! Look who's gained a surge of confidence! Kakatte Koi!"
Once Tsubami blew her whistle again, this time, I was the first to rush forward. I could hear my mother's dance instructions in my mind, each whisper guiding my steps. Kenji launched a dual horizontal swing, but I ducked under both with a twirl before resting my hands upon the ground.
Kenji blocked my first NY Flare kick then parried my second, causing me to spin in reverse motion. I twisted my hand and landed gracefully on the ground, Onaka's instructions sounding in my head to attempt a leaping handspring.
Tsubami watched my rusty acrobatics, each flowing kick starting to become in sync with Kenji's movements. She recognized a few moves nearly instantly, a smirk forming on her lips as she watched me perform both my mother and Onaka's moves.
"Tsubami... is he attempting the Nagagami Butterfly Style?" Lotus asked in a soft tone, her eyes tracking each of my movements while her hands fidgeted with her notebook.
Tsubami only watched and smirked, enjoying the sight of me trying my hand at dancing for the first time since we were children. Rebecca also watched with high interest, her eyes frozen on my movements as Nanako's memories of her dancing flashed in her mind.
"Now you've got it!" Kenji encouraged, parrying my rapid strikes then pushed me back before responding back with a straight kick.
I dodged his straight kick then leaned back with one hand on the ground to avoid his horizontal swing. Noticing his vertical swing incoming, I quickly intercepted with a heavy crescent kick to his head then flowed into an enzuigiri.
Kenji grunted as he staggered to the side then looked at me with a swing, immediately countering with a back fist against my jaw. I groaned as I went to the ground, but caught myself and countered with a heavy donkey kick.
Kenji groaned and huffed heavily as he crashed into the bench behind him, catching his breath for a moment and looked at me in awe. "Heh...well, look at that. After damn there an hour, you finally got one."
I stood up on my feet and smiled at Kenji, moving my hair from my face with soft pants. I looked down at my watch, stopping the timer on the screen after 53 minutes had passed. "Damn, I didn't expect this to take so long."
Lotus cheered loudly and clapped her hands together, bouncing up and down happily. "Yay!!! Motosaki did it! He beat Kenji!"
Tsubami chuckled softly and looked down at her phone before walking away. "Well done, Izuna!"
I looked back to see Tsubami walking off and grunted softly. I quickly grabbed my blazer off the ground. "Tsubami! Where are you going?"
"Yeah, wait up!" Lotus exclaimed, quickly packing up her bags before chasing after Tsubami.
Kenji chuckled as he watched me and Lotus run after the Student Council President then set down his shinai beside him. He began to wonder what I was truly preparing for mentally, his eyes shifting up to the sky in retrospection.
[August 29, 2418 - Wednesday, 12:00 PM]
The cafeteria was packed with students, the room filled with lively energy and conversations everywhere. For the first time in a while, my table was filled with each girl since my first week here in Matsugaya, an imagery I grew to miss the longer the separation went on.
"Finally! Itadakimasu~!" Emma said happily while clapping her hands together before grabbing her chopsticks to eat her ramen.
I chuckled softly at Emma, remembering my date with her and shook my head at her. "Slow down, Pipsqueak. It ain't going nowhere."
"R-Right, you act like you haven't eaten all day," Aisha said with a soft laugh, opening her bottle of juice before taking a sip.
Emma looked up at us and frowned at me, scoffing and wiping her mouth with her napkins. "Hmph! I know it isn't going to grow legs and crawl away, jackass... I'm starving and the Great and Mighty Emma needs to refresh her mental prowess with food!"
"Great and Mighty, yes, yes. The Japanese Picasso here," I said sarcastically then groaned softly, laying my head on the table after Emma kicked my shin.
Rebecca slightly covered her mouth to hide her laughter, closing her eyes and looking away from me. "You should already know to not tease Emma, Motosaki..~"
"You know, Em...one of the Fruits of the Spirit is Self Control. You don't have to murder one of my limbs each time you get mad," I groaned softly, rubbing my shin and looking up at Emma with a playful glare.
"Mmm! I just recently got to that part in the Bible! I think Emma would very much benefit from that," Naomi teased, playfully pinching Emma's cheeks cutely.
Emma groaned softly as Naomi squished her cheek, her cheeks becoming rosy with embarrassment. "Stop that, you wealthy heathen..!"
"Aww, you're so cute when you whine, Ah~hahaha!~" Naomi said, laughing at Emma's embarrassed reaction.
The six of us continued to share laughs and gossip with one another while we enjoyed our lunch, the company we had with one another causing the world around us to practically slow down. As I looked at my friend group, I began to realize how similar my group was to Jeht's.
While we talked, commotion began stirring up in the back of the cafeteria as a tray dropped to the ground. All eyes turned to the back of the cafeteria, where the Hounds resided with a bit of confrontation between Hanna and another girl.
"You kicked Amon out the group? Why?! Don't you know the damage you've caused around here?!" The girl chastised, pushing Hanna back into Reiko and Ara.
"I-It wasn't my decision! Besides, you're mad at us for making an executive decision? You're the one who's friends with an actual criminal! We Hounds are literally just delinquents who larp Yakuza, Miwa!" Hanna bemoaned, raising her hands in the air dramatically.
"What's going on with those guys?" Emma asked, raising an eyebrow at the Hound discourse.
"Sounds like they are arguing," Otsuki answered, placing some rice in her mouth while watching the drama with high interest.
Miwa scoffed at Hanna then looked over at Kaido, who sat coolly at the table with Satoshi and Kenji, watching the three men talk about cars casually. "Hey! You three are in this issue as well! Don't act like you can't hear this!"
Kaido groaned softly and lowered his head, letting out an exasperated sigh and turned around in his seat to face Miwa with a deadpan expression. "We kicked Amon out because Satoshi found out something about him that he can't let slip out."
Miwa, Hanna, Reiko, and Ara all looked at Kaido, Satoshi, and Kenji, the four girls seemingly confused about Satoshi's findings. Reiko became the most interesting in what her boyfriend found, her presence inching closer to Satoshi with curiosity.
"What did you find? It has to be something massive for him to be exiled on the spot," Reiko whispered, resting her arm upon Satoshi's shoulder and bat her eyes at him for information.
"I can't really talk about it in public, plus I kinda want second eyes on this. We can't just march to the SPA Bureau or Lady Hisu...I think we should get Motosaki's opinion before we jump the gun," Satoshi said, looking across the cafeteria to see me looking in their general direction.
I noticed Satoshi glance over at me and wondered what they were talking about then felt my phone buzz. I took it out of my inside blazer pocket and looked at the screen while Aisha scotted closer to me to see the text message as well.
[Satoshi (Wittie): Yo, bro. I think we might have some information you may be interested in. Meet us at the abandoned back campus, the spot where you first beat Micah. It's about Amon.]
"Whoa...what did they find on Rebecca's ex? Maybe they found more of those freaky sand bending videos," Aisha whispered, looking up at my face with interest.
"Mmm, I doubt it. If it was, Kaido would've sent them to me or something. I don't know what they could've have found, but knowing them...it's probably some buried charge or something," I said, slipping my phone back into my pocket.
Rebecca glanced over at me and Aisha, overhearing our conversation and began to grow slightly curious as well. She hummed softly and looked back down at her closed book, wondering what I had showed Aisha on my phone.
The bell rang for lunch period to end and every student got up from their seats to head to their next class. While the girls began heading back to Mr. Hoshido's class for their free period, I slipped away from the group to go meet up with the Hounds, my presence becoming lost in the sea of students.
Nanako immediately felt my presence disappear which caused Rebecca to subconsciously look for me as well, her eyes unable to find me anywhere around. She felt her heart thump, her mind immediately going to the worst possible outcome while her expression grew increasingly more worried.
"Motosaki..?" Rebecca asked softly, her tone barely above a whisper as her body began to grow colder once more.
I walked outside the main building into an empty courtyard, the sounds of the birds chirping the first thing I heard once I stepped outside. I looked around to see if anyone was following me before taking off toward the caution tape blocking off the back campus area.
Stepping between the caution tape, I began making my way down then alleyway with my hands in my blazer pockets. I felt my phone buzz once again then took it out of my pocket, my eyes lowering down to my screen to see a text from Nousagi.
[Nousagi (The Hare): Dect. Izuna, I found some information about Amon that you wanted me to search up on him. His mother is...a strange case.]
[Nousagi (The Hare): For some unknown reason, when the Forensic Department went over Amon's DNA sample...it said that Amon's mother is Nanako!]
I stopped walking once I read Nousagi's second message, my heart seemingly stopping for a few beats before finally returning. My mind couldn't stop racing with a million questions on how Nanako could be Amon's mother if she's been dead for 30 years.
I lowered my phone and looked up at the sky, watching as the clouds drifted across the blue planes. "Lord...what is going on? How is The Tomodachi... Amon's mother..? It should be logically impossible..."
I stood in silence for a few moments before letting out a soft exhale and pushed forward, unaware of a second presence stalking behind me in the shadows. I finally made it to the Hounds' Hideout and noticed the first and second years scouting the area as usual.
"Why are you all still scouting? This area belongs to you. Ms. Okabe said you could even use the old clubhouse," I said, pointing at the rundown clubhouse to the left.
Kaido heard my voice behind him then turned around with a grin on his face. "Look who the cat dragged in. I guess you are really one of us!"
I smiled at Kaido's greeting and gave him a dap before giving one to Satoshi and Kenji. "Yo, what's up with you pups."
"My dawg!" Kenji laughed, pulling me in for a brotherly hug and pat my back. "Bro, you have to come spar with us again. That was some real fun there!"
I chuckled softly at Kenji and gave him a nod before turning my gaze toward Micah, who still had a salty expression on his face. "I guess he's still mad? Didn't our fight happen like a month ago?"
"Yeah, and it is STILL a fluke. Why the heck did we even accept him? He's not even a Hound member," Micah groaned, resting his hands behind his head in a salty manner.
"Like it or not, big buy, he's still an honorary Hound. He just happens to be a Studious Hound, actually that's one rank higher than Satoshi, who's the Mental Hound," Reiko said, leaning over to Satoshi and playfully caressed his chin.
Satoshi blushed and slightly turned his head with light embarrassment then groaned lightly. "C'mon...besides I have business to tell Motosaki, and it's actually really important."
"Oh right, the Amon thing. What did you find?" I asked, crossing my arms to see if I could cross reference Nousagi's information with Satoshi's.
Satoshi exhaled softly and took out his phone then walked over to me, showing me a picture of Amon's birth certificate that was slightly blurred. "Look at the name of Amon's parents. Apparently, his mom is some chick named Nousagi and his dad is a guy named Sen...San...this shit is so blurry I can barely see that."
I gently grabbed Satoshi's phone and brought it closer to my face, trying to read the second name on the picture. "I think it says... something like San...kaku? Sankaku?"
"Sankaku? Like Triangle? What kind of bologna ass name is that? You're telling me a head honcho of the Mato Clan is named Triangle?" Micah asked, sitting up on his chair and rose an eyebrow.
"Sankaku...I have heard that name somewhere before in my investigations," I said, exhaling softly through my nose as I closed my eyes to think carefully.
I remembered Usagi mentioning Sankaku in her first testimony with the SBI, so there was a connection there with that man and Amon. However, I couldn't think of a reason why Nousagi would be on the certificate other than being a scapegoat.
"Where did you find this information?" I asked, meeting Satoshi's gaze and handed his phone back to him.
"In his room at our share house. It was on his laptop while we were investigating him and I thought it was interesting. If Amon's mom really is Nousagi, he's trying to date his cousin which is against a Divine Law or at least frowned upon," Satoshi said, putting his phone back into his pockets.
"Divine Law. I'm actually screaming. I didn't think you lot actually followed the Commandments, some of them at least. But, I can assure you that Nousagi is not Amon's mother. I spoke with her myself and can confirm," I said, my gaze shifting between each person.
"This is some freaky stuff, man. Is it true bro? Are you actually investigating the MHI-30 like Kaido said you are?" Satoshi asked, his gaze shifting between me and Kaido.
I glanced over at Kaido then back at Satoshi and the others. "Yeah, I am, but I am on restrictions so I can't really do anything with this information other than simmer upon it. Do you all know anything about Nanako? A parent who knew her or something?"
"I mean...my mom is kinda The Burnout," Kenji said, raising his hand casually.
"Burnout..? Who is that?" I asked, raising an eyebrow at Kenji.
Kenji fixed his mouth to answer, but paused as he noticed someone watching around the corner. I noticed him looking at me, but the more I stared, the more I realized he was looking past me. I turned around to see what he was looking at, my heart skipping a beat as I noticed a single magenta eye peering around the corner.
Rebecca stared at me from around the corner silently, each breath she took being soft and calm. Her eyes softened the longer she stared at me, her lips curling into a lovesick smile. She stepped from around the corner, her hands behind her back as she began walking forward.
"Whoa, what the hell? Rebecca?" Ara asked and stood up from the desk, holding her arms under her chest as she tilted her head.
I watched as Rebecca ignored everyone else around her and marched straight toward me. I felt her cold hand grab my wrist possessively, her eyes meeting mine with a loving stare. "R-Rebecca...what are you doing here?"
"This is the second time you've slipped away from me...Am I becoming too much for you?" Rebecca asked softly, her touch gradually growing colder by the second.
I grunted softly as light frost formed upon my wrist, my eyes shifting down to her hand around my wrist. "Too much..? What are you talking about? I'm just here to collect information, for you."
Nanako felt my words were directly for her which caused her to grow curious. Unable to truly speak for herself, she caused Rebecca to grab my phone from my pocket. I watched as she turned on the screen and fidgeted with the screen, wondering what my password was.
Rebecca scoffed and held my phone in front of my face, the Face ID registering my face to unlock the phone for her to go through. The first message she noticed was Nousagi's message then she clicked on it to read it. Immediately, Rebecca gasped and nearly dropped my phone but caught it immediately.
I stared at Rebecca with my hands in my blazer pockets then lowered my head with a soft exhale. "I was hoping to wait until tonight to talk with her about this...but I guess we don't have to wait?"
'Me..? I'm the mother of Amon? A Mato?! How could I be the mother?! That's logically impossible! If anything, I am Motosaki's half mother due to me inhabiting Mikoto at the time!' Nanako thought to herself as she looked at the message through Rebecca's eyes.
'Wait, that sounds wrong. I was only influencing her...but it doesn't matter! I am not that bastard's mother!' Nanako screamed in her head, a cold front immediately blowing cross the back campus.
Rebecca grunted softly as she held her head, feeling her body drop in temperature which caused her to shiver heavily. Rebecca immediately fell anemic and collapsed forward against me, her breathing shallow and deep as she began to fall into a cold spell.
"My body...it's so cold..." Rebecca whined softly, gripping my sleeves and looking up at me for help as she shook her head.
The Hounds began to wonder what was wrong with Rebecca while also wondering about the random gust of freezing air that passed by them. Kaido and Hanna had felt this once before, and Kaido began to grow more suspicious of Rebecca as she made him freeze twice already.
"I don't want to make any assumptions, but I don't think your girl knows how to control her spiritual abilities!" Kaido barked, actually putting on the sleeves of his letterman jacket that tested around his shoulders like a cape.
"Trust me, if she could control it she would! However, I am kinda her anchor so just give me a second," I said, grabbing Rebecca's hand and began leading her away from the Hounds to spare them of the cold front.
Rebecca quickly followed me around the corner and looked up at me with my phone still in her clutches. She stood in front of me, her back against the wall as her eyes trailed back down to my phone screen. She began to reread the messages, being sure she read it correctly the first time.
I let out a soft exhale and rubbed the back of my neck, wondering how I would figure this situation out. "I know it seems insane what you're reading, but I'm sure there is an explanation...I don't mean to add any shock, but Satoshi told me they said your aunt was his mother."
"W-What..? What are you talking about? Obasan Nousagi said that she never even done it once with Jeht!" Rebecca exclaimed, her voice suddenly raising with a hint of outrage.
"I know, I know. Don't shoot the messenger now. Besides, I'm already smelling foul play on this. Something is telling me that there is a key player missing from all of this..." I said, crossing my arms and looking up at the sky.
[August 29, 2418 - Wednesday, 12:45 PM]
Kyoto stood upon the balcony of the St. Fraskia Dormitory and looked down upon all of the C and B Rank Valkyrias walking out of the campus to deal with their assigned missions. She had her gaze locked upon Hisumi, her mind now filled with different questions about her time with the Judgement Organization.
She walked off and began making her way out of the dormitory then walked over to Hisumi and her friends, Yufumi, Kikyo, and Saito, stopping the three of them in their tracks. "You four. Are you all busy right now?"
Hisumi looked Kyoto up and down then placed a hand upon her hip. "I mean, not really. We were probably gonna go to the city to do some shopping and what not. I still have to get Orika a new accessory that helps with her Ice Abilities."
"Yeah, and I still have to train to become an UBER strong Valk! I promised Big Sis Orishi and Class Rep Liao Ru that I would pass my next exam with flying colors!" Yufumi beamed, pointing a determined finger at Kyoto.
Kyoto hummed at the two girls then looked down at her phone, seeing a message from Mr. Mori to meet up with him at the Bureau. She looked back at the girls with an idea in mind. "How about I take you all to Matsugaya for a little trip?"
"Matsugaya? Agreement: Saito believes that would be a nice change of scenery. It has a more local feel to it," Saito agreed, nodding her head as her cyber accessories sparkling with neon blue particles orbiting them.
"Just as long as Yufumi doesn't start any unnecessary fights, I think we should be good," Kikyo said, glancing over at her closest friend with a smile.
Kyoto nodded at the four girls and turned around, slipping her hands into her trench coat pockets. "Alright, let's head out then. I really only need Hisumi, but I think a day or two away from school wouldn't hurt."
"Yes! See? I told you Miss Nagagami was a perfect hire," Yufumi chuckled, jogging behind Kyoto with excitement.
The other three followed behind as well, each of them feeling a mix of excitement and curiosity within them as they wondered why they were headed to Matsugaya. Hisumi trailed behind and looked down at her phone, the MHI-30 website showing on her screen as she looked up the next Clan to be investigated.
[Top Suspect: Mato Clan]
[Primary Suspect: Jeht Mato]
[Status: Unknown (Dead nor Alive)]
[Last Seen: 30 years ago.]