Chapter 28: Murderer?

[A/N]- Remember the little plan I asked you guys to guess? The deadline is before tomorrow. The next chapter will reveal everything. Do your best, make the wildest guess you can.

PS- The right answer gets a cookie

***

With a stiff expression, Tachibana left the room leaving Kiriyama, Nagumo and Manabu alone.

"Kaicho... It can't be w-what I'm thinking right? There's got to be some trick to it!" Kiriyama stuttered and Manabu raised his hand.

"Calm down Kiriyama. Nothing's certain yet." He spoke with a calm voice, desperately hiding his own raging heart.

For two years he fought in this school and rose to the top, winning each and every battle.

But his struggles, victories and position meant nothing in front of someone who could kill him with a snap of his fingers.

Ironically, he meant to use the last phrase as a metaphor but Tatsuya could truly end him with a snap of his fingers.

Manabu didn't know that though.

At the moment he was more worried than excited.

Why would someone like this come to attend high school?

A heavy sigh escaped his lips.

On the other hand, Nagumo was thinking of something entirely different.

If our suspicions turn true and he truly isn't some ordinary human... Then is there a way for me to acquire abilities like him?

To Nagumo school or grades didn't matter. All he cared about was defeating and making Horikita Manabu acknowledge him.

But in this scenario, everything else could be pushed aside.

After all—

Knock! Knock!

"May I come in?"

The voice of a male student rang out from behind the door startling all three of them out of their reverie.

After pushing his glasses up with his middle finger Manabu said, "Come in."

At his words, the doorknob moved and a tall male student walked in. He had black messy hair and a curious look in his eyes.

His skin was fair and pristine and his face was sharp, without blemishes.

Behind him was Tachibana who quickly scurried behind Manabu and looked at Tatsuya as if he was some great enemy.

She wasn't permitted to watch the video of the clerk burning because Manabu didn't want to scare the pitiful girl.

As such while she knew something bad had happened she was unaware of what exactly happened.

"Please sit down."

Tatsuya nodded while looking at Manabu and sat down in front of him with a relaxed expression.

"So? Why was I called here?"

The lack of respect in his voice irked Nagumo but he remained quiet, even though Tachibana was scowling.

But since Manabu had forbidden her from speaking a word she had to swallow down her anger.

Manabu turned his computer screen to Tatsuya, "Watch."

Oh?

As he was looking at the video Tatsuya's mind was elsewhere.

I'm truly surprised. These people are really fitting for the category of 'Elite'. I wasn't expecting them to be so reckless...

His mind wandered to Sakura Airi.

That was the only possible link they could derive such a conclusion from.

Well even if they were suspecting him—

"How horrific."

He commented with a dull tone. He looked over to Manabu and matched his gaze.

"Don't you find something odd?" Manabu asked with a frown.

"What do you mean odd?" Tatsuya feigned confusion and Manabu sighed replaying the clip to the specific part when the security guards rushed in.

As the clerk was thrashing around the flames seemed to have awoken with life and engulfed his entire figure, leaving nothing behind.

"Do you still not find something odd, Kouhai?" Nagumo asked with a smirk on his face.

"Hmm... I see. I see." Tatsuya nodded with a profound expression but his voice was as dull as before.

"But... what does this have to do with me, Student Council President?"

Manabu was a bit frustrated by the lack of reaction. He wasn't giving him any openings to exploit. 

If he wasn't going to allow a roundabout conversation then so be it.

"I suspect you're the murderer."

He dropped the bomb and everyone besides him and Tatsuya were startled.

"K-K-Kaicho what murder?! What are you talking about?" Tachibana was the first to be flustered and Kiriyama was stunned and speechless.

He often spoke less in front of Nagumo and Manabu but he had never been this quiet before.

Kiriyama felt his heart race.

Nagumo silently admired Manabu in his heart.

As expected the person he respected, if Tatsuya truly was the murderer then even he should be flustered by the blunt question.

The air in the room turned tense as Tatsuya and Manabu silently stared at each other.

Suddenly an amused look took over Tatsuya's eyes. There was no nervousness, no anger nor any confusion.

"Why do you say so? I don't believe you're speaking without any basis for your argument."

"Yukitsu Kusuda. The clerk in question," Manabu ignored the flustered Tachibana who was utterly confused, "He was suspected of harassing and stalking a Class 1-D student... Your class."

Tatsuya found the emphasis on 'your' interesting but he didn't interrupt him.

"Sakura Airi. A shy introverted student. Do you know of her?"

Tatsuya nodded, "I've just recently gotten to know her."

"You don't seem surprised over the fact she was being harassed," Manabu questioned him with an odd look in his eyes. 

Tatsuya sighed.

If he was actually nervous or afraid of being found out he might've tried to act to the best of his abilities but he had different plans.

"Probably."

After uttering a vague single worded reply he turned silent and Manabu nodded to himself.

"Do you have any questions?"

"Oh definitely," Tatsuya nodded with an excited expression. He was truly curious how they arrived at him being the culprit so fast.

"If I understand correctly the person who seems to have been killed was stalking a classmate of mine... Someone I've just been acquainted with."

"But that really makes me question how you've arrived at the conclusion of me being the culprit. Simply because I'm the only person Sakura has talked to?"

Manabu shook his head, "I wouldn't accuse you so blatantly for such a trivial reason. Before you came here we had a talk with Ichinose Honami from Class B."

"Oh?"

"The time of the incident seemed to match the time you disappeared while you were in the restaurant together. Through the transaction time of Ichinose, we've confirmed the time of your disappearance is just a thin line away from murder time."

Hearing that Tatsuya laughed out loud. He couldn't control his laughter.

"Outstanding!" He applauded before the corner of his lips curved up, "You do realise that you're trying to insinuate that I'm some kind of Invisible Fire Weaver hidden in the shadows, right?"

Surprisingly, Manabu nodded without hesitation as Tachibana's eyes turned into swirls of confusion.

What was going on!?

Kiriyama and Nagumo were looking at him with their breaths held.

Seeing them like this Tatsuya sighed.

"You're a brave man, Horikita Manabu."

He got up from his seat causing Manabu to shift back on guard, worried that Tatsuya was about to take some impulsive action.

He was 90% sure Tatsuya wasn't going to harm them. That's why he showed no hesitation in calling him here and asking him questions.

But that 10%...

Luckily for them, Tatsuya didn't pay them any attention and glanced at the upper corner of the room.

With an expressionless look, he walked to the corner and jumped.

With a flick of his hand, he ripped the surveillance camera out mid-air under the astonished eyes of the Student Council.

With a soft thud, he landed on the ground and walked back to his seat calmly.

Crack! Kchk!

He crushed the camera in his hands.

"Let's have a proper talk now, shall we?"

***

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Uh, just had the idea, should I make a discord?