"Ah yes, your many contacts that you never thought to tell us about." That was Korū.
"If I told you, the sun would have died by the time I'm done. Can I borrow a phone?"
"You're not gonna call any sketchy numbers, are you?" Shizuna asked cautiously. Hey, she had to make sure.
"Nope. Wouldn't be caught dead." Then she muttered, "but alive, maybe."
"Not very reassuring." Shizuna said sarcastically as she tossed Alina her phone anyway.
"Hikari, any way to estimate how much was used?" Alina asked, passing the phone from one hand to the other, praying that she remembered the number right.
"Uh, I don't think he used much-" Hikari said, unsure.
"Duh, it's fucking lethal." Alina sighed. Hikari was stating the obvious. "Never mind. And no one touch his blood or anything" Hikari huffed a little at this.
"I know that, at least." Hikari murmured.
Alina then dialled a number and held the phone up to her ear. "Yo." She said a few moments later. The witch and wizard could only hear one side of the conversation, which went somewhat like:
"I need you to trace the sale of Gray Death in the Japanese black market. All of it, yes. Just do it. No, you don't get paid. Track my phone and send someone. My phone. Yes. Do a background check and truth potion for whoever you send or even communicate to, and look out for ikrars. Yes, ikrars. I know, I have yet to find out how anyone can be convinced to do it. Mhm. Thanks. Bye."
She passed the phone back. "It's cool that you get a signal here."
Rihito shrugged, "It's easier than going to Ishikawa's place everytime we want to contact someone.
"Wonder what happened to Ichika," Hikari said casually. "Last I saw of her, she was stumbling down the hallway."
Linda shrugged, "We don't need to care. Unless she's dead. I think."
Cayne let out a low whistle, "Linda's getting influenced."
He got a glare. "Am not."
Ichika was actually laying on her bed in her room, wondering what her life was coming to. And if it was ending soon.
"So, what do you wanna do with the body?" Rihito asked. If he had a dollar for every time this question was asked today, he would be rich enough to buy himself a meal.
"I say you burn it," Korū suggested.
"Hmm. I guess. But we can't do it here, which means we need to move the body."
Korū just grabbed Tsukiyama's collar. "Where do you wanna put him?"
"I don't even know. Where's the best place to burn a family member?" Shizuna said.
"Chuck him into the volcano," Hikari chipped in.
"Maybe." Shizuna pondered.
"Come on, you've got to decide," Hikari said, a little impatient.
"I vote volcano." Rihito said, looking to Shizuna, who nodded. "I guess we can just float him out." He gestured to Korū to let go. "I hope this won't be a regular occurrence."
"We don't have that many members in this house to spare." Shizuna pointed out. "It's either you, me or Ichika, or we won't need to deal with the body ourselves."
Korū dragged the body to the nearest window and heaved it out, ignoring the conversation around him.
"Okay then…" Rihito mumbled, a little nonplussed.
"Right, body's gone," Korū declared. "Let's get on with life."
"Our source of information is also pretty gone." Linda pointed out.
"We can always find another," Korū stated. "Not that it's gonna be easy, but yeah."
Alina frowned. "I guess so. But they keep getting away."
"Meh." Hikari glanced at a very convenient clock. "It's like, five. I vote we all go back to sleep and sleep till twelve."
"Fine by me." Alina said, with a general agreement from everyone.
Korū and Cayne glanced at each other. Hikari snorted.
Shōhei bumped Korū's shoulder, "Don't be so awkward, for god's sake."
"Yes, be like Linda and John." Alina said.
"No," Korū snapped. "What the fuck?"
"Sleep, guys. Think of sleep." Shizuna said, not wanting any more metaphorical blood stains in her house.
Hikari just grinned. The creepy grin that said that the gears in her head were turning was back again.
Linda eyed her cautiously. "Let's all go now."
Shōhei steered Hikari out of the room, Korū close behind, with Cayne not far off.
"See you guys a few hours later." Alina said as everyone went their separate ways.
***
"Shizuna, Rihito, wait up." Alina called as everyone else retired to their temporary rooms.
The pair turned around, appraising the young werewolf that called after them. Her eyes glittered with life, their midnight blue shining up at them with alertness and determination.
"You're pretty good at keeping up a charade." Alina commented, stopping in front of them. Her expression conveyed none of her apprehension.
"I'm afraid I don't understand." Shizuna told her, her tone slightly patriotic, intended to irritate Alina. And irritate her it did, but she'll be damned if she showed it. Instead, she gave a small, equally patriotic smile, cocking her head to a side. She knew very well that she was stepping on thin ice.
"Need I be more specific? A pair of strong witches and wizards like you two. There's almost no way that any supernatural, apart from one that wields magic even stronger, can bypass any security measures that you put in place."
"What are you suggesting?" Rihito inquired, with an undertone of amusement.
"Stop playing mind games and pretending that you don't know you are." Alina hissed, taking a menacing step forward, making both Shizuna and Rihito itch to take one backwards, but they held their ground.
"You Fujihana have a reputation." Alina continued, "And it isn't unfounded, is it?"
Shizuna met her steady gaze, before it was transferred onto Rihito, who, unlike Shizuna, did not shift awkwardly under it. "Tell me what you think." Rihito said, smirking. "And if you are close enough, we might just tell you."
A challenge.
Alina gave an aloof huff and brushed past the two of them, leading the way to the study room.