"The four people we saw, have to be the new gods, four of the seven heads; for now we can’t confirm that all of them were, but there were definitely a couple among them.
That sli-girl-thing could seemingly summon water in huge or small waves that whipped, shredded and crashed—sothing like the Rainstorm Slasher.
She can turn into a blob-like form or take on a human one; she can also shift so parts of her body to an extent. More importantly, she can heal pretty easily and has no core like a normal sli," Fuko’s eyes bounced from note to note on her evidence board.
"Which begs the question," Jotou, who sat on the bed, spoke, "What the hell is that thing and how do we stop it when it seems to have no weak spot?"
Asobi swung her legs whilst she sat on Fuko’s desk, "We used water to make slis smaller once."
"Considering the fact she was slinging water around from her body, I think that’s a dead end," Hotaru admitted; she sat on the desk’s chair proper.
"My light definitely hurt her, she even went "Ow!"," Asobi mimicked the sli-girl’s voice. "She looked like water too—would your lightning do nothing Jotou?"
"I can sizzle whatever water she throws at , sure. But we don’t know how much she can heal or what she can take; even then, there’s nothing saying she can’t heal from the smallest molecule either," the blonde replied.
"We know her na’s Beauregard and she’s also acidic in her blob-form, enough to evaporate bodies. She also has a fixation on Asobi apparently," Fuko remarked.
"Please don’t use as bait or sothing!"
The brunette side-eyed Asobi, "I wasn’t planning on it. Anyway, then there’s the four-ard woman we’ve labelled Lady F. She’s very, uhh, angry to say the least.
She could pretty much make stone co out of everywhere, covering the floors, the walls, the ceiling and anyone, including herself.
She’s terrifyingly strong, fast and... could resist Jotou’s Thundering Strike at full force..." her brows furrowed in worry.
"But the first ti Jotou used that spell, the Adventurers Guild had to be renovated," the magician faced Jotou.
"The first ti I casted that spell, I didn’t know how to use it. The reason the building didn’t get destroyed this ti, is cause I directed every bit of the thunder towards her. Which is only more alarming...
I assure you, I put everything I had into it. I could barely spark myself afterwards. It’s not to say I wasn’t holding back that night."
Everyone turned to look at the blonde. "What do you an?" Hotaru asked.
Jotou simply closed her eyes, "I didn’t kill anyone. I wasn’t given too many opportunities anyway, but I did try my hardest against those ’gods’."
"Hm. You want to avoid killing?" Fuko squinted.
"If I can help it. But the new gods, I’m not gonna pull my punches; if I get the chance, they’re dead. Besides, we could’ve injured and teleported a hostage with us, no?" Jotou sighed.
"Benefit of hindsight," the brunette sighed back. "As for the other two gods; one’s soone who can shapeshift into animals and the other’s a spirit-mage, who relied on ghosts, for literally everything."
"She had so many of them too... Too many," Hotaru shivered.
Fuko referred to her board, "There’s no doubt the ghosts are the key to figuring out the reason behind the murders. Our best theory is that the victims are mbers of the cult, who willingly give away their souls for so purpose.
What purpose, we barely know. Other than that, deciphering the runes might lead to sothing... if there was anybody that rembers them..." she glared to Jotou.
Jotou stared with half-closed eyes, "It’s not like you rembered them either detective. Just because I copied the runes, ugh..."
"What about you Sobi?" the redhead elected.
"Hm?" the elf tilted her head. "I don’t rember that, it’s not really a person or a thing; it’s more like a ssage."
Fuko shook her head, "It’s fine. Maybe I can steal the notepad from dad’s office."
"Knock, knock." "Don’t think about it," a voice ca from the other side of the door, startling all of them.
"How long’ve you’ve been eavesdropping!?" the brunette sneered to the door.
"I just got here. Kiddo, it’s about ti you get ready. We gotta leave in an hour," he told. "I’ll be downstairs."
"Yeah, yeah," Fuko stepped away from her board of notes and red string. She was already wearing her carmine school uniform—her dagger tucked underneath the blazer. The footsteps outside went away from the door.
Asobi had ditched her normal magician’s garb and opted to wear a light cream sweater and a plaid black and white skirt with a thin belt and her usual bowtie; she wore warm white socks till her thighs and had coloured streaks in her hair making a rainbow.
Hotaru was ready to go, wearing her blue trench coat and a new blue beret. Jotou on the other hand, "I’ll get out then," stood up, despite already wearing outfit for the day.
Maroon boots, tight black trousers, her yellow headband and a deep red silk blouse which faded into black the further it went down. While the blouse ended at the trousers’ waistband, at the back the shirt continued in two wide frills, like fishtails till her knees.
"Where’re you going? To put on so makeup and admire yourself in the mirror~?" the redhead cooed.
"Am not," the blonde replied with a glare.
"Ooo! I can help!" Asobi leapt off the desk.
Jotou blushed, "N-no, I don’t, gh..." she held her arm and shrunk her shoulders down as she left the room with haste. Asobi hopped right after her—giggling.
"Well, this might be your first and last. Better look your best," Hotaru advised with a smile. Fuko simply pouted to the side.
_
"She always plays coy with makeup and girly things," Hotaru sighed as she brushed a comb through Fuko’s long dark brown hair. "But it always makes her smile in the mirror."
Fuko watched the redhead behind her in the vanity’s mirror. "Yeah," her eyes, downcast. Hotaru had to yank Fuko’s head back sotis before it got too low.
"What’s wrong?" Hotaru undid tangles with her fingers.
"Nothing’s wrong."
Hotaru looked at the brunette’s gloomy face in the mirror, "Uh huh, sure..."
Fuko groaned, "It’s this whole graduation shit. I don’t really feel like it right now."
"Why?"
"It doesn’t an anything to ; my dad called back for this. I care about the case and solving it. Anyti I think about it, I’m just reminded I got excluded from the case.
Maybe I don’t even know how to explain it, but I don’t exactly feel excited or whatever about the graduation. Even though I know it’s supposed to be sothing monuntal, I just don’t care," she sulked.
"Hmm, you’re not wrong. It’s an important thing in the cycle of your life, but you’ll barely rember the graduation itself. You know what I hoped for in both my graduations?"
"What?"
"To make so mories."
Fuko finally looked up a bit with curiosity gathering across her brows, "mories? What, like a picture?"
Hotaru chuckled, "No. What would’ve made the day special is how I spent it. The things around the graduation is what makes it special.
Too bad none of my classmates were close friends and I just went back ho with my date imdiately after. There was a little party, seeing the last of the university and teachers-
I, I know you didn’t actually go to the school, but you can still enjoy yourself. What I’m saying is, we’ve been through a lot; a lot and lot of stressful things, blood, fights-"
"You’re rambling wolfy," her eyes glazed over.
"Oh, sorry. My point was, think of the things to be happy about today. I’m with you about the case and what you want to do; but if you keep focusing on it, you’re just gonna be miserable.
You have to actively choose how to see the day. Only you have control over that," Hotaru’s eyes flickered a sprinkling of blue rainwater.
Fuko sighed, "Maybe you’re right. Where do I even start?"
"How about, a nice big lunch after graduation? There might be fancy restaurants around Dolpool Academy you’ve never been to. No reason we can’t go to celebrate~"
A small smile painted itself on the brunette, "Yeah, I could go for sothing tasty. Champagne fits the occasion, right?"
Hotaru rolled her eyes, "Oh fine, fine, you can drink a bit."
Fuko gave a smug smirk.
"You can think of the people around you, the sights, the things we could do and so on too."
Fuko pondered for a second, "I’ll get to see Tiffany again. Huh, maybe it won’t be too bad of a graduation... I did ask her to save a seat."
"See? You’re on the right track," the wolf-girl deliberated on who the heck Tiffany was...
Fuko blushed a smidgen, "And Jotou’ll be wearing pants the entire ti- AH!"
The glowering Hotaru wrenched through a tangle in the brunette’s hair with the comb, "Keep your eyes off of her Fuko Namora..."
"Augh... You didn’t have to do that," Fuko winced an eye.
"No, I think I did."
"Well, it’s not like you’re not pretty today e-EEEeither!"
Hotaru untangled another few strands, "I’m taken." She smoothly drifted her fingers through the finally combed locks and gave Fuko a little pat on the head, "But thank you," her fangs glistened.
"You’re the one who’s asking to think happy! I can’t even ss around now!?"
Hotaru sectioned the hair with a wag of her tail, "I’m ssing around too~"
"I think I’d call that assault..." she leered into the mirror.
The redhead humd away as she began braiding. "Kineko complains about tangles too; it’s cause of all the hair clips I’d bet." Hotaru laughed softly, "She reminds of a younger you."
"We only t last year wolfy, you’re making no sense," Fuko’s expression had faltered into a frown completely at the re ntion of her sister.
"Obviously~ I just can imagine that’s what you were like as a kid." Sunbeams peeked into the window, making the little specks of dust in the air like glitter. "Am I wrong?"
A shadow was cast against the wall. Fuko’s shadow sat smaller, in front of Hotaru’s bigger image of braiding her hair; much of the sunlight was on the redhead of course. Fuko, responded in silence.
"Your sister doesn’t seem like a bad kid; you might like her if you spent more ti with her," Hotaru continued.
"Step," was the only word she uttered with soft eyes.
"You’re still going on about this?" she raised a crimson brow.
Fuko stared in silence into the mirror—hesitant to even her own tone. "How would you feel if you went back ho one day and your dad has another kid?"
Hotaru was silent for a mont, her brows furrowed together... "I’d be furious."
"Exactly-"
"Not because I’d think I was ’replaced’, but because I don’t think my dad’s responsible enough for that. His heart would be in the right place I’m sure, but he won’t be able to take care of them well."
"...So you think my dad’s responsible enough; after how he took care of ?"
"I think, I can’t really answer your question. But I understand how you feel about this," she handled her hair tenderly as she tied up the end.
"Accepting her, is also accepting my dad knows what he’s doing. And that’s hard to do knowing how he took care of . And..." she longingly stared into the mirror...
Similar hues of hair and eyes—enough resemblances to convince most people they were father and daughter. But a closer inspection would reveal that to be false.
It was enough to convince her even; she still called him dad after all... Keeping secrets in the na of keeping her safe... A gentle hand on her shoulder pulled Fuko back into reality, "I’m done," Hotaru hushed.
Shadows ford around her legs and Fuko blinked onto her feet. Her hair was braided down till her hips and she looked to the folded academic regalia and hat on the vanity—both of red and black tints.
"It’s still how you choose to see it all. If you keep seeing her as so girl your dad adopted, then that’s all you’ll see. Why show your fangs to a little girl that did nothing wrong?" the redhead reasoned.
"...Maybe you’re right," Fuko took a deep breath and, "Hahh..."
"You sure you don’t want a haircut? This is a bit too long, don’t you think?" the wolf-girl smiled.
"Mm... I’ll think about it."
With a delicate hold, Hotaru took the purple headband on the vanity and fitted it onto Fuko’s head. Her bangs had been pinned back, neat and clean.
The redhead rubbed both of Fuko’s shoulders and bead, "Look at you. All pretty and ready."
Fuko kept looking at her face and her lips curled up. She looked like a proper schoolgirl instead of a rogue on the run. "Hey... You think, if I had a mom around, that she’d be proud of graduating?"
A breath escaped Hotaru’s lips. "Of course," she answered and placed her cheek against Fuko’s; before wrapping her in a hug from behind. "She’d be proud of more than that too."
Shadows glimred in the brunette’s eyes, "Yeah." She smiled, "I can imagine."
_
The hour was up and everyone was downstairs, ready to depart. Except for one, who only now descended the stairs in her graduation robes of red and black tints with a hat held in her hand. Kazuo turned and gazed with a little smile.
Fuko noticed it and avoided looking at him for a mont... before glancing to him without a smile, but neither a frown, "Let’s go then. It’s not like the ceremony’s happening here."
"Just waiting on you kiddo. Carriage’s right outside," Kazuo put on his gloves and grabbed the housekeys.
"Big sis ko! You look so pwetty!" Kineko stood at the bottom of the steps.
"You look so scholarly!" Asobi cheered right beside.
"Of course I am," Fuko flipped her braid back. "It’s a sha you couldn’t see at the gala," she looked down to Kineko with a smug grin.
"Gala!?" Kineko jumped.
"Co on detective, we’re going," Jotou uttered. Her wavy blonde locks were tied in a low ponytail and cascaded down her left shoulder—light makeup adorned her face.
"Yeah, yeah," Fuko blinked next to the doorway.
"You look smart," Jotou smirked.
"As if I wasn’t smart before?" the brunette leered.
Jotou stuck her tongue out and gave a wink.
Kazuo opened the door and stepped out as Kineko rushed out to hold his hand. Hotaru gave Fuko a light tap on her shoulder as she passed. Jotou stepped out as well.
Asobi hopped behind the brunette and took her by the arm, "Co on ko, let’s go!"
"Yeah, it’s graduation day," Fuko muttered under her breath and took one more look at her ho before she let herself be dragged away.
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