HIBARA
I SECRETLY MADE my way to the gymnasium. I am going to bump into Toto, Levy, and Irish, and give them an unexpected grilling. Oh, this is exciting!
“Mrs. Torres, excuse me. May I go to the restroom?” Levy raised his hand. Hmm, I think I will be interrogating him first.
I entered the male restroom and had to put up with the stench. Why do all the male restrooms I know reek of such smell? Maybe I’m just not used to it because I’m a female.
From the cubicle, I saw Levy arrived and stood in front of the urinal. Shocks! I stepped back so I wouldn’t move the door. He might be suspicious if the door suddenly changed its position without anyone else entering the area. When I heard footsteps, I returned to my position and found Levy leaving the restroom!
“Hold your position, Levy,” I announced my presence as I pushed the cubicle open.
“AHH! STALKER!” I almost laughed when his voice cracked as he shouted.
That is Levy Ray Ticcus. The actor-looking guy of our section even if his voice always cracks, according to my classmates. They have briefly informed me of his vocals that even if he’s normally speaking, it cracks unintentionally.
"Hey! I’m not a stalker, okay?" I defended, placing my hands on my waist.
“Then what are you doing here? This is the male restroom!” He said with two heard voice cracks. It was getting hard to maintain my serious face.
I cleared my throat. “Did you steal Esmilzo’s rubber shoes?” I threw the question at him.
His face looked shocked. “Me? N-No! Okay, uhh, I better g-go back to class… Mrs. Torres m-might wonder why I took long in the restroom,” he answered fast and with stutters. Suspicious. I confirmed one thing though. My classmates were right about his voice cracks!
I walked towards the exit when— THUD!
“Oww..,” my glasses fell to I don’t know where and my bottom feels bad. Hold on, who is this guy? I looked up to find the answer.
Meet Toto Lei Chavez. He’s slightly thin for his age, has naturally tanned skin, and wearing thick black eyeglasses which are his distinctive feature among our seven boys. His hair looked like it was licked by a dinosaur but he still looks decent so I think that’s okay.
"Sorry, Miss! Wait… Hibara? W-Why are you coming from the male restroom?" Toto asked, clearly confused. Nevertheless, he helped me get up and he also fetched me my glasses.
“Ah, I was searching for clues that might lead me to the thief who stole Esmilzo’s expensive rubber shoes,” I directly stated while wiping my lenses. Sometimes, if the suspect is in a state of shock, there is a possibility that they may accidentally spill the beans.
“You mean to say, someone was able to pick Ish’s padlock?” Toto asked again but was now surprised. Wait…
"Ish? No way in hell would Ish be Esmilzo’s nickname. That sounds silly," I commented.
"Ahh, hahaha! The boys just call him Ish for fun. It’s actually unexciting to tease Esmilzo because he doesn’t get affected. We got that from the thought that his name would be funny if it is Ishmilzo,” he chuckled.
“So… Do you have any idea on who might be the thief?” I asked. We should go back to the main topic, of course.
“In this situation, I’m actually suspecting Irish. There were times that I heard her talking about some shoes that she likes but someone already bought them first. I am not sure, but maybe she’s pertaining to Ish’s rubber shoes. I also noticed that he’s wearing a different one today,” Toto paused for a bit. He looked at the restroom then at me. He seemed to have connected the dots. If he did, then I might find him as a member of my student network.
“Wait, did Ish tell you that I told him last Thursday that I like his new shoes? Am I a suspect? Have you been waiting for me in the male restroom? I’m innocent, I can prove it!” He babbled then took a deep breath. He touched his chin and his eyes looked on the ground. He tapped his shoes and his head bounced along with the beat. Is that his thinking position?
After a few seconds of me watching him doing his thing, he finally faced me. “If the shoes were missing exactly when we entered the locker room, then it was stolen before our P.E. time which happened to be our first subject. I was in our clubroom from ten o'clock to eleven. My club mates in Science Nerds can prove my alibi,” he stated. Now, it’s getting really interesting.
I rebutted, “Eleven-fifteen is the start of our classes. If you say you stayed in your clubroom until eleven, fifteen minutes is enough to steal a pair of shoes depending on your lock picking skills.”
“Ella’s attendance folder will show you that I entered our classroom from around eleven-o-five to eleven-ten. Surely, you know that eight minutes is somehow the approximate time taken when you walk from the SHB up to climbing flights of stairs. Running the distance would make your time taken five minutes. Unless I can fly or do roof parkour, I cannot be much faster than five minutes. I’m talking about the physics of distance, displacement, and time right now, in case you don’t know.”
I smiled, “I must say I’m impressed, Toto. There are not that many people who can impress me, but hey, Irene Adler said: brainy is the new sexy. I just need to confirm your alibi for assurance, but with your statements, I’m quite convinced that you’re innocent. Esmilzo was right about you. He said you must be crossed out of the list.
“Just… one additional question: did you see anything out of the ordinary before you went into our building?”
He nodded and answered, “There were people in front of Room 103. I didn’t know why at first because I was rushing upstairs, afraid I might get a late record and I can’t afford to have such; I’m a scholar. I only knew about the terrible news when I heard it from our classmates.”
I then left him to do whatever he had to do. I was satisfied and need not check his alibi anymore. Somehow, I didn’t expect that Toto will be using his knowledge of Science on me. He really is the vice president of Science Nerds (they apparently dislike club), tested and proven. Now, the remaining suspects are Irish and Levy, but more on our shortest classmate. I am also thinking about the possibility that Esmilzo’s shoes were stolen by someone outside of our section. They would be a little difficult to find since I haven’t built my network yet. I do not know that many people around this new environment.
I walked in the direction of the Sports Office which is upstairs beside the Electronics Booth. Two steps on the stairs, I stopped when I heard a recognizable bothersome voice. In some way, I expected that he will be here. The news has wings, or in this situation, the case has. Esmilzo will not report to them so probably someone overheard our conversation in the locker room and told them or they’re spying on me. My money’s on the last one because that’ll be quite interesting.
“Looks like 10-I’s fake detective is solving a complicated case.” Standing by the front gate of the gymnasium is a male student with his arms crossed and slightly disheveled hair. His dark brown eyes seemed to be glaring at me or he’s trying to deduce something from me. His uniform is evidently unkempt properly. He even had the guts to call me a fake detective! Of course, such description fits the president of The Forensic Club, Jacob.
"What are you doing here, detective wannabe?" I asked, clearly showing my annoyance. Surely, he’s going to sabotage my plans for solving this, or he will steal the Lock Picked Locker case from my hands.
“I was hoping that you’ll come to our clubroom and ask for my help,” he said in a mocking tone as he walked towards the staircase. He stopped in front of me and thanks to the two steps I have taken; it gave me some sort of distance from this annoying detective wannabe.
"I will never ask for your help, ever. But maybe it might happen… if you accept me as a new member of your club," I smirked. He annoys me so I’ll annoy him as well.
Instead of getting annoyed, he chuckled lightly and spoke, "Do I have any reasons to accept you except for being ‘the 14-year-old student blah blah blah’?”
“Oh, good to know you’re acknowledging the fact that I beat you earlier,” I replied mockingly and flipped my hair. “As additional info, my mind contains lots of codes and ciphers.”
"No, I don’t care about those." He’s obviously just wasting my time!
“Between the two of us, I am the only real detective; a graduate of University for Future Detectives in the States at the age of thirteen and a Valedictorian,” I flashed a victorious smile as I spoke. He blinked his eyes multiple times. Ah, it must have shocked him.
He awkwardly cleared his throat before speaking, "Being a Valedictorian of the renowned ‘school of detectives’ means you have your ID. Now, where is it? Where’s your proof?"
There goes my cue to show him my ace card. Why am I even doing this? The number one reason would be kicking him out of his presidential throne once I managed to infiltrate his club. I presented him my ID, intentionally covering my last name so he would only see "Hibara White" in the name blank. It is vital that they wouldn’t know my family name. My ID showed my 1x1 picture wearing a black suit and tie with a UFD logo pin on the collar of my white polo. It was also stated in my ID that I have the rank of "Senior Investigator" which will somehow be equivalent to a Corps Commander in CAT’s terminology. My thoughts traveled back to the time when I met the aspiring detectives who were below my rank. They were all older than me, definitely, because I'm the youngest in our batch.
"Alright, fine,” he said with eyes closed. This is going according to my plans!
“APPLICATION REJECTED,” the detective wannabe glared at me. “Now, give me the details of this Lock Picked Locker case so I can solve it," he ordered and I almost laughed.
"Oh, you want the case?” I asked in a sarcastic tone. “No, sorry. I refuse to accept orders from someone who’s obviously below me. I also refuse to give information to spies. The cases on my plate are as confidential as it gets,” I said, staring straight into his eyes.
HIBARA “SEE YOU WHEN I see you, detective wannabe,” I smirked and left him standing there. When I arrived at the top, a female voice rang in my ear. "Yeah, I just stole seven original shoes. Selling these at their real prices would give me enough money to buy an elegant gown for the ball, Indigo." I leaned on the wall of the Sports Office. Its door was slightly opened. “Yes, yes. Black helped me in picking the locks,” the female voice spoke once more. She’s on the phone which is why I can’t hear the other end of the conversation. “Alright. I’ll send you pictures of the items.” I heard footsteps coming and the beeping sound of the call ending. I quickly and quietly rushed downstairs. I looked around to find an unfamiliar face but found none. I sighed. Looks like I got no other choice. “Jacob,” I called the man standing by the gymnasium’s entrance. “Wow. You didn’t call me a ‘detective wannabe’ now. You must need something,” he smirked and I rolled my eyes. “The last suspect that
HIBARA “LEVY TICCUS!! YOU said we’re going to take recess together!” Someone shouted from behind and suddenly there was another person dashing through the hallway. Was that Janden Vher? I think I also saw his photograph on the CAT Officers board. “You know why Levy ran. I saw you staring at him before he ran. What is it, Detective? Are you on another case that involves our classmates?” The Major said as he stood behind me. “Alright there, Major. How about you stop prying on my business or refrain from being stupid, stop asking, and start thinking?” I retorted without looking at him, then took the white folder from my desk and left the classroom. Of course, he’s gonna be following me. I smiled mischievously as I started running. “Hey!” He shouted as he chased me down the flight of stairs. “Detective! Stop running!” I stopped abruptly by the second floor and he lost his sense of gravity, thus failing to acknowledge the final three steps of stairs and thumping on the tiled hallway. I
HIBARA I PRESENTED MY ID as I reached Gate 1, which I calculated to be the nearest from Gate 5 and was also the roadside one. As soon as I got out, I looked around the vicinity, trying to deduce where they might have gone. I smirked as I thought of a place where they can enter without anyone asking if their classes are through. “Oh, hello… White and Black,” I greeted as I stood outside the noodle shop where they were sitting. They quickly stood up and dashed. I tackled Irish onto the ground but Levy managed to flee. “Do not try to escape now, Irish. You know you can’t,” I warned as I pulled her up and dragged her towards the nearest entrance, Gate 3. I presented my ID to the security and we entered the university. I brought her to the Campus Police Station and Chief Velasquez made her sit in one of the rooms. I passed by his desk to take the white folder I left and followed. “This is quite small for an In
LUKE MATTHEW BLACK AND WHITE Mystery… My very first case! I’ve never felt such tremendous adrenaline as when I went to rescue Janden. I want to feel it again; the rush, the thrill, and the way it felt like it’s just me against the world— it was amazing. And if this insulting, unpleasant child will give me this high school adventure I’ve been yearning for, then I’ll stick with her. Hibara White Cake is the detective; a magnet of tragedy after all. “Do we still need to attend classes? Why don’t we just proceed with the case?” I asked the Detective as we climbed up the stairs leading to the fourth floor. “Well, if you want to graduate, you know the answer. If you want to repeat, you still know. Besides, without Levy, we don’t have a good lead. If we can’t find him, we’ll just have to wait for the masquerade,” she answered and then entered the classroom. I sighed and followed after. “Why don
LUKE MATTHEW WE STOOD IN front of the huge Baskerville Apartments. There are six floors with five flats each. The address numbers of each floor are visible to the street. “It’s my first time here. I just know about this place because of the advertisements on the internet,” I said. “Well, I live there,” the Detective pointed at the second floor; “in the second unit of 21b.” The ground floor was 21a; the third was 21c, and so on. “You live here? Why are we led here by the code then?” “Levy must have visited my place or maybe he lives here. My bet is on the first one.” “You don’t know your neighbors, don’t you?” I teased but she didn’t seem to like it. “Detective?” She faced me, “I’m antisocial, isn’t it obvious? Moving on, we still have a mystery to solve,” and then entered the gates of Baskerville Apartments. I was about to follow when the security guard stopped me. “Log fir
LUKE MATTHEW “WHAT ON EARTH are you saying? That is preposterous! Don’t give me this kind of disagreeable information.” “But why, Miss Cake? Is the young detective afraid of the truth now? Didn’t your father tell you that when you have eliminated all which is impossible—” “—then whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth. I KNOW, DOCTOR! And it isn’t Dad; it’s from The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes.” “What’s going on?” I asked as I woke up from all the noise. I didn’t even notice that I fell asleep earlier. “Oh, did we wake you? Sorry about that, Major. I just had a talk with a demon!” The Detective spoke sarcastically. “A demon?” I asked, confused. I looked in her direction and she’s standing beside Dr. Marquez, one hand clutching her side and the other on the bed’s railings to support her balance. “I am pertaining to this doct
LUKE MATTHEW I RAN OUT of the street to the busy road and hailed a cab. It was just a few minutes past eight when I arrived at the mall and I still have enough time before nine strikes. I headed for the arcades, like what Mrs. Ticcus informed us. There were two here and I found Levy on the hoops of the first. I approached him as discreetly as possible. “You’re here for the masquerade invitation.” My eyes widened when Levy spoke. He faced me with a devilish smirk on his lips. “You won’t take it from me while I’m alive.” “Levy, let’s not make a scene here. Just hand over the invitation and we’ll end this criminal business you’re in. We’ll set you free!” I tried to talk to him but my words may have just fallen on deaf ears. “Set me free? from what? Did it not occur to you that maybe I joined because I wanted to? This is not as simple as you think, Luke. You and Hibara will find yourselves tangled in
LUKE MATTHEW THE DETECTIVE WOKE up the next afternoon. I had sent an excuse e-mail to our class adviser and Math teacher, Mrs. Bonifacio, with an attached self-camera photo of me and a sleeping Hibara on a white hospital bed this morning. “Could you tell me exactly what happened?” She asked, holding her head while sitting up. I gave her assistance to which I received not even a simple ‘thanks’. What do I expect anyway? I chuckled lightly as I sat back on the monobloc chair, “I’m gonna tell you one thing: you told Irish, ‘I don’t believe in heroes; they don’t exist,’ and then you went running to save a lady from an about-to-explode street. Do you see the irony?” She turned her head to the opposite side and spoke in a husky voice, “That was unintended. It was impulse; I failed to plan ahead. I should have thought of the probability that there might be people arriving, like from work or wherever.”