The morning after, I went to Shouko's room and woke to find Shouko already awake, sitting at her desk, surrounded by papers and her laptop.
"How long have you been up?" I asked, rubbing sleep from my eyes.
"Since five, I couldn't sleep." She didn't look away from the screen. "I keep thinking about something."
"What?"
"The fire report. She pulled up a document on her laptop. "Shoya's uncle sent me a summary before the files were tampered with. Listen to this: 'Fire originated in the living room. The cause was determined to be faulty electrical wiring in the wall outlet. Victim found in bedroom, overcome by smoke inhalation before she could escape.'"
"Okay?"
"Here's the problem. My mom's bedroom was on the first floor. She could have walked out the front door in thirty seconds. The fire started in the living room, which is on the opposite side of the house from her bedroom. So why didn't she escape?"
I sat up, paying attention now. "Maybe the smoke spread faster than expected?"
"That's what the report says. But look at this." She pulled out one of Suzuki's photos, the one showing the house mid-burn. "See the bedroom window? It's broken with glass on the outside, remember?"
"Yeah. We thought someone broke in."
"Right. But what if it's the opposite? What if someone broke out?" She grabbed another photo, this one showing the exterior wall. "Look at the scorch patterns. The fire damage is worse around the windows and door frames, like something was blocking the exits."
"Blocking them how?"
"I don't know. But think about it. If the fire started naturally from faulty wiring, my mom had plenty of time to escape; the fact that she didn't means something prevented her." Shouko's fingers drummed on the desk. "We need to figure out the mechanics and how exactly they did it?"
"We know Gaku was there. The photos prove it."
"And the Fuyumi brothers, three men, all present at the scene." She pulled up her notes about Nakamura Construction. "We know their business connection and motives, but we don't know the method."
"What about quirks?" I asked. "If they used quirks to commit the murder, there would be evidence."
Shouko went very still. "Say that again."
"If they used quirks—"
"Quirks. Of course." She started typing frantically. "The fire report mentions faulty wiring, but it doesn't mention any quirk analysis. There's a whole section that should document whether quirk use was detected at the scene."
"And?"
"It's blank. Completely blank, like someone removed it from the file." She stared at the screen. "That section was in the police statements that went missing. Someone removed the quirk analysis because it would have proven this wasn't an accident."
"So we know quirks were involved, but not which ones."
"Exactly, and quirk registration databases aren't public. Only law enforcement and heroes have access." She sat back, frustrated. "We know they used quirks, we know it was murder, but we don't know the specific method. We're missing a crucial piece."
"The burn patterns might tell us something," I said. "If we analyze them closely."
She pulled up the photos again, zooming in on the bedroom floor. "These marks near the doorway... they're too consistent to be random fire damage, almost like footprints burned into the wood."
"Someone standing there, blocking the exit with a quirk that produces heat or fire."
"And here, near the window." She pointed to concentrated scorch marks. "These are different and more intense. Like the source was right there, not spreading from elsewhere."
"Where your mom was when she died."
Shouko's hands trembled slightly. " Without knowing the specific quirks, we're just guessing here."
"We have enough to prove it wasn't an accident. The missing quirk analysis, the suspicious burn patterns, should be enough to reopen the investigation."
"Maybe. If we can find someone who'll listen." She started organizing files. "Let me compile everything we have. She worked for the next hour, building a complete case file. I helped where I could, suggesting connections and organization.
By mid-morning, we had something solid; it was enough to show that something was deeply wrong with the original investigation.
"This is good," I said, reviewing the timeline. "You've built a strong case."
"She shook her head. A good lawyer could argue coincidence."
"In the details like the connection and timing."
"I hope you're right." She closed the laptop. "We need to figure out who to present this to. Someone outside Gaku's influence."
"What about going to the prefecture police? Or even national?"
"Maybe. Though they might just refer it back to local jurisdiction." She chewed her lip, thinking. "We need someone with authority who can't be pressured or bribed. Someone who'll take this seriously."
Her phone buzzed. She checked it, expression darkening.
"What?" I asked.
"Shoya. He says there's activity at the burned house property. Someone was seen there this morning, walking around the foundation."
"Who?"
"He doesn't know. But the property owner is Gaku now. He bought it from the estate after my mom died. So if someone's there, he either sent them or knows about it."
"Why would anyone go there? It's been abandoned for four years."
"That's what I want to know." Shouko started typing a response to Shoya. "This could be nothing. Or it could be him covering his tracks, removing evidence we might find."
"Or it could be a trap."
She looked up from her phone. "Yeah. That too."
We sat in silence for a moment, weighing the options.
"We go, but we should be smart about this." She stood up, grabbing her coat. "We bring the evidence folder on a flash drive, and tell Shoya and the others to hang back at a distance. If anything goes wrong, they call the police, and we run. If nothing goes wrong, we see what's happening at the property and leave."
"And if it's Gaku?"
"Then we stay out of sight, observe, and leave. We're not confronting him directly; that would be stupid."
She pulled on boots, checking her phone was charged. "Bring your warmest clothes, and stay alert. If Gaku knows we're investigating, this could be exactly what he's waiting for."
Before we left, I pulled out my phone and typed a quick message to my mom.
Going to walk around town with Shouko and her friends. Be back for lunch.
She responded immediately.
Ok! Have fun! Stay warm!
Shouko finished getting ready, then paused at her laptop. She copied the entire evidence folder to a flash drive, then emailed the folder to herself and Shoya as backup.
"Just in case," she said. "If something happens to the physical copies, the email backup survives."
She pocketed the flash drive, then pulled out her phone to text the group.
Meeting at café in 20 minutes. Emergency. Bring phones, stay ready to call police.
The responses came quickly. Shoya, Miki, and Kazuki all confirming.
We told Grandmother we were going for a walk with friends. She barely looked up from her knitting, waving us off with a reminder to be home for lunch.
The walk to Sakura Street took twenty minutes. The neighborhood was quiet even for mid-morning on a weekday. Number 1247 appeared at the end of a long driveway, partially hidden by overgrown trees. The lot was exactly as described: concrete foundation, some partial walls still standing, charred wood and debris scattered around with snow covering most of it.
We approached cautiously, staying on the street.
"I don't see anyone," Shouko whispered.
"Maybe they left already."
Then the movement caught my eye. Three figures emerged from behind the foundation ruins.
Gaku, wearing a long coat and business shoes, and beside him, the Fuyumi brothers, both wearing work clothes.
They'd been waiting for us.
Gaku smiled when he saw Shouko. It was the smile of a predator who'd just spotted prey walking into a trap.
"Yashiro Shouko," he called out, voice carrying across the empty lot. "I was wondering when you'd show up. You've been very busy lately, haven't you? Asking questions, taking photos. digging into the past."
Shouko's whole body tensed beside me.
"And you brought a friend," Gaku continued, looking at me. "How cute, a fun-sized detective."
"We know what you did," Shouko said, voice steady despite her hands shaking. "We know about the murder and about how you used your quirks to kill my mom."
"Do you now? That's quite an accusation." Gaku walked forward slowly, the Fuyumi brothers flanking him like well-trained dogs. "And what proof do you have? Photos of me at a fire? I owned the property. Of course, I was there when it burned. Business connections to contractors who work on my rentals? That's just good business practice. Speculation about quirk use based on burn patterns in a house fire? How creative."
"We have the missing police files. The ones you tampered with. The quirk analysis section that would have proven this wasn't an accident."
Gaku's smile widened, but his eyes stayed cold. "Missing files? How unfortunate. Bureaucratic incompetence, I'm sure. Things get lost all the time in small-town police departments."
He stopped about ten meters away, hands in his coat pockets. "Let me tell you what you actually have, Shouko. You have a teenager's theory, an orphan's desperate need to find meaning in tragedy. You have circumstantial connections that any competent lawyer would dismantle in minutes. You have nothing that would hold up in court, nothing that would convince anyone who matters."
"People will listen—"
"People will listen to me. I own half the rental properties in this town. I employ contractors, plumbers, electricians, and property managers. I sit on the town council. I donate to charity. When I talk, people nod and agree. When you talk, they see a traumatized girl with a grudge. Who do you think they'll believe?"
Shouko's hand tightened on mine. I felt her shaking.
"You're right about one thing, though," he continued, his voice dropping lower. "I did kill her."
The casual admission made my blood run cold.
"I remember it clearly," he said, eyes distant like he was reminiscing about a pleasant memory. "Held her down in that bedroom while she screamed. She was strong, stronger than I expected. Fought hard, broke free twice before Gato and Sato got her pinned properly. She was crying, begging me to think about you. 'Please, Gaku, Shouko needs her mother.' Like that meant anything compared to preserving our family's legacy."
Shouko made a small sound, somewhere between a sob and a growl.
"She begged right up until the end. Five seconds, that's all it took. Counted them out loud so she'd know. One. Two. Three. Four. Five. And then she burned. Screamed at first, but smoke inhalation got her pretty quick. Merciful, really. Could have been worse."
"You're a monster," Shouko whispered.
"I'm a pragmatist. Our grandfather built an empire from nothing, worked his entire life to create something lasting for the family. Your mother would have squandered it. Sold properties to pay for your schooling, donated to charities, and helped people who didn't deserve help. Weak and sentimental. Everything our grandfather despised." He tilted his head. "I did what was necessary. What he would have wanted me to do."
"He would have been horrified—"
"He would have understood. Family legacy matters more than individual lives. The Yashiro name matters more than one woman's comfort or one child's happiness." Gaku's smile returned. "And it worked beautifully. The insurance paid out. The inheritance was transferred. I used the money exactly as grandfather intended: to expand the business, acquire more properties, and strengthen our position. Everything he built lives on because I had the strength to make hard choices."
"You murdered your sister for money."
"I preserved our legacy. He gestured dismissively. But you're right that we can't let you walk away with your amateur investigation. You've been very, very persistent. Under different circumstances, I'd admire that. But you're a loose end now, and loose ends must be eliminated."
The brothers moved to flank us more completely, cutting off angles of escape.
I stepped forward, positioning myself between Shouko and the three men. Ice formed around my hands. The cold clarity that came with my quirk intensified, spreading through my chest. My heart rate slowed, and my breathing steadied. Fear faded, replaced by focus.
This was my quirk's calming effect. My body recognizes extreme danger and responds by sharpening my mind, steadying my nerves, letting me think clearly when thinking clearly meant survival.
"Run," I said quietly to Shouko. "Get out of here, find your friends and call the police."
"I'm not leaving you—"
"Go. Now. This isn't your fight anymore."
"Like hell it isn't—"
"Shouko." I looked back at her, and whatever she saw in my expression made her stop. "Trust me. I'll hold them off."
Gaku laughed, the sound echoing off the ruined walls and dead trees. "How noble. The child thinks he can protect you. This should be entertaining." He studied me with those cold, calculating eyes. If I'm reading those pretty crystals correctly. You think you can fight three grown men who have quirks? You think your little ice tricks will save you?"
I didn't answer. Three different quirks I didn't know yet, with unknown combat experience, but definitely willing to kill. The odds were terrible.
But I could do this, I had to, because Shouko was behind me, and these men had already killed one person she loved. They wouldn't get another victim, not while I was still standing.
"Last chance," Gaku said. "Walk away, both of you. Forget about this. Live your quiet little lives. I'll even let you keep your cute investigation folder. Frame it, put it on a wall, and remember the time you played detective. Just walk away and never speak of this again."
He paused, "Or stay here, fight, and die as her mother did, burning and screaming. Begging for mercy that won't come." His smile returned, "Your choice. But choose quickly. I have a meeting at three, and I'd prefer not to be late."
Shouko's hand found my shoulder, gripping tight.
"We're not running," she said, voice shaking but firm.
Gaku sighed like a teacher disappointed by a student's poor performance. "How unfortunate. I was hoping you'd be smart about this, but I suppose stubbornness runs in the family.
He straightened his coat, brushed off imaginary dust.
"Make it quick," he said to the Fuyumi brothers. Two children, a tragic accident at an abandoned property. Fire investigation will confirm they were trespassing, probably smoking or playing with matches. Unfortunate, but these things happen, and try not to leave too much evidence this time. Clean work, gentlemen."
"One last time," I said quietly, giving them a final chance. "Walk away and turn yourselves in; this doesn't have to end in violence."
Gato laughed. "Kid, this ended in violence the moment you started digging into the past. We're just finishing what was already started."
He raised his hands, and the fight began.
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