Who was Mutsushita Chiaki?

She was my classmate who was in the same group as Shinohara, Sato, and Karuizawa. She also hung out with Kushida sometimes. But she was calmer and quieter than them. Although Matsushita didn't have many friends, she was kind to all of us.

There was one more thing that made me recognize her.

No one dared to say it in front of her, but everyone always talked about her left ear.

We didn't know what happened to it. Her left ear was in the corner of her chin, not in the normal position.

But now, I couldn't see her left ear since it was hidden by gauze. People said she got surgery before the vacation began.

This was all I know about her.

Now, she was standing behind a tree, taking a look at me and Koenji's body.

My blood disappeared from my face. Would she think I kill him?

Matsushita walked toward me, and unexpectedly, she was calmly smiling like an older sister.

"Ara. What happened to him?" She asked with a soft tone.

"He was hit by a coconut. " I told her the truth. "I didn't hit him by a coconut of course. It fell from the tree and---"

She put her finger on my mouth before I finished my lines.

"Don't be too panic, Ayanokouji-Kun. " Matsushita said. "I see everything from begin."

"So you don't think I hurt him?"

"Why should I have to think like that? I said. I see from begin and see you brave to confront him too. " She shook her head with affection. "What a good boy. Shouldn't Onee-San reward you?"

I felt a strange atmosphere from her. And I didn't understand what she was saying at all.

"Oh!" I recognized. "Matsushita. Please help me take Koenji to the teacher. He needs first aid."

Matsushita that I knew was always kind. She would help me with permission.

But she didn't do it. She just turned her face at me and looked at my eyes with a clueless face.

No, she pretended to be clueless.

"Why should we do it?"

"What do you mean? He is our classmate."

"Because he is our classmate. That was a reason why we shouldn't do that."

Matsushita stood up and glared at Koenji's body.

"If Koenji-Kun left this test, our class will lose 30 points. " She said. "And if it happened, it would be a bad situation for all of us, wouldn't it?"

"Yes, I guess so---"

"Won't it be better? If we take him to the camp and make sure he won't do any problem."

"But we have to--"

Her finger touched my lips again.

"You know this monster. A coconut can't kill him. Shinohara-San takes a first aid kit with her. We can borrow it. " Matsushita caressed Koenji's face. "And I'll make sure this handsome face won't make trouble again."

Why did I feel dangerous from those words? I looked at Matsushita's face. She was still a kind older sister like always. But there was another thing I could touch from her.

I tried so hard until my word came out of my lips successfully.

"Matsushita. Do you know this's wrong? Koenji needs to rest and got first aid."

"And we should lose 30 points? I don't think so. You're smarter than that. Ayanokouji-Kun. " Matsushita smiled.

She came close to me and pushed me to walk backward.

"I heard everything from begin. I told you. Ayanokouji-Kun. You promised Horikita-San to make her reach class A, didn't you?" She asked and touched my cheek. "Onee-San will help you. I want to get a lot of points too."

When she used the promise with Horikita to bargain. The situation was changed. I couldn't deny her.

But when I looked at Koenji's wound. I couldn't accept her offer too.

Before I could say anything, Matsushita put her face aside from my ears.

"Onee-San want you to answer, Ayanokouji-Kun. " She whispered with a smile. "And answer wisely. There were many coconuts left."

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The second day started with the report. Chabashira-Sensei called everyone's name and we had to answer. If someone didn't come to report, we'll lose 5 points per person.

We stood in the row aside the river while Chabashira-Sensei held the name's list.

"Okiya."

"Presence."

"Onizuka."

"Presence."

"I have dated with the guy with surname Onizuka once. " Chabashira-Sensei sighed. "He's a good man, yes, good man. But he left me since he became the MC of his own show."

She felt the confusing sigh from her student, so she coughed and continued checking.

"Kikuji."

"Presence."

"Koenji."

No one answered. Chabashira-Sensei raised her eyebrows and looked around

"Where is Koenji?"

"Sorry, Teacher. I'm here."

Everyone looked in that direction and saw Koenji's face sticking out of the bush.

"Oi, What're you doing there?" Ike asked.

"I'm peeing, Ike-Boy," Koenji replied.

"What? We're reporting now, why don't you bear for a minute?"

"I'm Koenji Rokusuke. Why do I have to do what normal people do?"

Ike sighed. "Koenji is still Koenji though. Let's move on, Sae-Chan."

Chabashira-Sensei frowned.

"Why did you become the commander?" She sighed. "Sudo."

"Presence. " Sudo answered. "Although no matter I'm here or not, I still exist. So there's nothing different."

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"Phew."

I sighed while stopping holding Koenji's body. I laid him down behind the bush. The puppeteer is harder than I thought. Especially, when your puppet was the real person. But since no one saw the difference, I thought I did it well.

Last night, I took Koenji into the tent and told everyone that he was sleeping. I haven't planned for today yet. But according to my luck, maybe if I hid him behind this bush. No one won't find him.

His wound was almost well. The blood stopped bleeding since Matsushita bandaged it, she learned it from Shinohara. This made me surprised too.

Luckily, Koenji didn't wake up. Actually, I started to be afraid that he never woke up again. Matsushita realized this opportunity too. She said she would find a chance to throw him into the sea after this test.

"Just kidding. Onee-San isn't a murderer. " She told me last night, but seriously, I'm going to be afraid of her more than Kushida or Chihiro.

"Ah---where am I---" Someone wailed aside me. I turned my face and saw Koenji start moving.

Koenji woke up.

"Koenji! Are you okay?" I carried him to stand up.

"I--I'm fine, Ayanormalboy. " He flinched. "Wait. Where am I? What happens to me?"

Koenji looked panicking. It was weird that this overconfident narcissistic monster could panic too. But he was looking around confusing in front of me.

"Calm down, Koenji. There's nothing."

"I remembered I walked out of the camp last night." He tried to think. "Where am I going?"

He seemed to not remember what happened last night?

"Maybe, you want to take a breath---"

"No. I remembered it! I'm going to tell a teacher that I'm sick, I want to leave the test." Koenji closed his eyes. "But why didn't I reach the teacher's camp?"

He turned his glare to me.

"I met you."

I became silent. Koenji's memory poured into his brain like a stream.

"I met you, and you tried to stop me. I decided to hurt you but before I could do---" He touched his head and felt the gauze on his wound. "Something smashes me on the head."

Koenji's eyes became sparkle. He grinned and looked at me.

"I don't know how you attack me, Ayanormalboy. " He said. "But you're not normal at all."

"Trust me, I'm as normal as Tadano Hitohito."

"You can't lie to me, Ayanotnormalbuy." Koenji laughed. "I want to know you more, you know? Why do you hide your talent?"

I crawled backward. "What do you mean?"

"I mean what I mean. I never lost for anyone before. " Koenji looked so scary. "I'll tell everyone you hit me, you'll be punished. And I'll make sure your school life won't be peaceful anymore. You have a talent. I will push you to the wall and pressure you to show your real talent and fight with me!"

"Why? I don't want to fight with you."

"But I want. Finally, I find my worthy opponent. This is the fight that is worth fighting! Our battle will become---"

Koenji halted because of something hitting his head. His eyes closed while he fell on the floor.

Behind him, Matsushita Chiaki was standing with the stick in her hand.

"What a troublesome man. " She mumbled with a smile before hitting his head again.

"What're you doing?"

"Double-tap. " Matsushita said and threw the stick with Koenji's blood away. She sat down and touched Koenji's neck. "Don't worry. He's alive."

"That's not a problem! You hit him---" I said. "Twice."

Suddenly, Matsushita hold my arm and dragged me into her embrace.

Wait.

What.

She was hugging me?

"There, there. " She rubbed my head. "Onee-San know you're frightened because of this narcissistic monster. He threatened you, so you're confused now."

No, I was pretty sure the one whom I was afraid was you. "I didn't confuse---"

"Shh." She held me tighter. "Yes, you did. So you don't know what a right thing to do, the right thing to do is making sure Koenji-Kun won't damage our class points."

My face was closing to her breasts.

But because I was in this situation with Ichinose before. And Matsushita's, with the best regard to her, was much smaller than my ex-girlfriend's. I felt nothing.

"But it's Onee-San's job to tell you what you should do and what you shouldn't." Her arms held me too tight until I couldn't breathe. "Don't worry, Ayanokouji-Kun. If you do what I say, everything will be fine."

She whispered in my ears.

"When I was young, I killed my cat because of holding his neck too hard. " She giggled.

"Nah, just kidding."

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"Ayanokouji-Kun. Let's go to survey class C with me."

"Let's go."

"Hm. Weird. Why do you look so enthusiastic today?"

"I don't want to stay in the camp any longer."

Horikita didn't say anything. She might not understand what I was saying. She nodded and said. "Follow me." Before walking to Hirata.

In the morning, after we finished reporting. (While I was dealing with Koenji and Matsushita.) Komiya and Kondo came to our place to send the message from their leader, Ryuen Kakeru.

If you want to see some fun, just come to see me at the beach.

Personally, I thought it was just a normal provoke message. But Horikita still suspected of it. She decided to go to the beach where class C camp was.

Horikita told his idea to Hirata who was eating the apple. I saw him working all the mornings, that's why he didn't eat breakfast with us. What a noble guy. Hirata, I love you!

"Hm." Our representative rubbed his lips. "Are you sure?"

"Yes. We need other classes' information as much as we can."

"If you said so. Be careful, Horikita-San." Horikita nodded and walked away.

But before I followed her, Hirata called me.

"Wait a minute. Ayanokouji-Kun."

"Hm. What's up, Hirata?"

Hirata looked at Horikita to make sure she wasn't listening. "Please take care of her."

I didn't answer immediately.

"Do you know?" I asked him after processing.

"Yes. And it looks like you know too."

I nodded. "That girl won't listen to our caution."

"That's why you have to take care of her from behind."

"You can trust me on it, Hirata." I nodded and ran followed Horikita.

"What do you talk about with him?" Horikita asked me when I reached her.

"Just boy stuff. Don't mind it."

I decided to not tell her the truth. Horikita was a prideful person, she won't let me or Hirata took care of her.

Horikita shrugged and continued walking.

We had been walking for five minutes when she asked me.

"What's happened with you and Matsushita-San?"

I flinched when I heard that cursed name.

"What do you mean? I don't have any secret with her, or being accomplice with her to hit someone's head."

Horikita looked at me with curios.

"This day, I saw Matsushita-San looking at you from far."

"Maybe she is in love with me." I tried to joke. But because of my monotone voice. Horikita didn't get a joke.

"Do you think you're that handsome?" Horikita said coldly. "My Onii-Chan is 100 times more handsome than you."

"Come on. I'm the fifth place of the most handsome boy in our year." I protested. This poll was made by the girl. Sakura voted too and she told me a result. The first place is Satonaka from class A. The legend said he was very handsome until anyone who looked at his face directly would destroy their eyes because there was nothing worthy to see anymore.

"And I'm pretty sure I'm quite popular, ain't I? I was surrounded by the girl. If I'm stupider than this, I can become a harem protagonist."

Horikita looked at me with gross.

"I hope you don't include me in your harem. If you do that---"

"You'll kill me. I know."

Although it made Horikita look at me with anger. But this way made her forget about Mutsushita's stuff.

"Say Horikita. What do you think about our class now? Do you think we can pass this test easily?"

Horikita replied immediately. "I can't tell."

"Why?"

"Because nothing is real now. Although he's a little bit annoying lately. But Sudo-Kun's right. Everything is nothing. Our class's harmonic too. Because everything is going well that makes them spirited. But if the problem is too hard, this fake harmonic will be destroyed."

"What a pessimistic."

"I see the world in the way it be." She sighed. "But when you talk about this. I have something to ask you."

"If you'll force me to do it anyway, call it order."

"Ok, I have ordered for you. Keep your eyes on Ibuki-San."

I stared at her.

"You don't trust her?"

"Of course." Horikita nodded. "Class C used the cunning trick to attack us before. Remember?"

"True. I don't trust her too."

"But you're the one who let her in our class."

"I can't leave her in the forest. There is the chance that she say the truth. In that case, keeping her in our eyes is the best way. And luckily, we let her in Kushida's care. Kushida is one of the smartest, you know?"

Horikita nodded although she was reluctant.

I have been writing new CoTE fanfiction for a while. It's just an experiment and there is only a chapter. You can call it "a pilot episode". If the readers like it, I'll continue writing in the future. Maybe after I finish the 4.5 volume of Ayanokouji the lucky bastard.

Here is the link:

Ayanokouji the Detective: Taisho mystery.

In 1923, Taisho Era. Akito Miyake was hired to be an assistant of private detective Ayanokouji Kiyotaka. They were dragged into the murder mystery of Horikita Zaibatsu. On the way to the truth, Miyake had learned Ayanokouji's past and the secret buried in the Horikita's household.