'About time they noticed. The corpses were not hung long before I came, it seems. Wait! That's good. That's great! I will be even more unnoticeable today!'
Then a thought popped into his head. He checked the muscles in his arm.
'Nah, still mostly flab. I cannot hurt that burly Detective with arms like these.'
The PA system installed in every classroom lit up and came to life after years.
"All students, please gather in the gym."
'Wait a second. An unknown party came to our school. Hung two bodies on the school gate. Did some graffiti with a substance that closely represents blood. Then poof! Gone. Vanished into thin air!'
Kuma's forehead creased as supported his chin just above the desk with his right arm.
'All of this happened at the front gate in such a short period. Yet no one noticed! I woke up in an empty interrogation room yesterday, the very same Detective nowhere to be seen.'
One of his eyebrows was raised, slightly.
'Now, a human cannot possibly pull that off, right?'
He then checked out his legs.
"What is that weirdo doing at this time?"
Someone whispered but Kuma spared no attention to that idiot. How could an idiot understand what he was thinking!
'Wait, by social standards, I am also labeled as an idiot. Whatever.'
He sighed as he finished the check-up.
'All flab everywhere. No changes what-fucking-soever. Meh, let's go to the gym. The classroom is empty.'
--------
'Whoa, this guy has some beard! Even the ones in the legends cannot compare to this grandpa!'
Amidst the nervous whispering of the student gathered in the gym, a tall aged man with crisp, well defined facial features sat silently in front of the microphone. This man had a beard that looked as if it was floating in mid-air. His calmness soon affected the ones gathered. Everyone grew silent.
The teachers present in the gym had a solemn look on them. The man stood up to speak. He opened his eyes.
"We are under attack!"
'Huh!'
"The Shirogane family has sent elites to kill my daughter. When we were about to find out important clues, the officer of law posted in this town was killed and hung to display on my school gates. As the Chairman of the board of directors of this school, I must apologize for the harrowing scene all of you had to witness. The Shirasaki family will seek revenge and crush those rats! "
The Chairman's face flushed red from excitement and anger.
"My daughter was thrown off a roof day before yesterday and they have the guts to mutilate the officer in charge. I will cut off their heads and feed them to the street dogs!"
'Should you be even doing that? Oh shit, Shirasaki. That girl who jumped off. Holy shit, I am going to be beheaded if he finds out that I saw her on the roof.'
While Kuma's nerves were getting shot, the Chairman took a deep breath and continued.
"I must warn you all to be careful. The Shirogane family has powerful people. If you see something amiss, you can come report to me quietly!"
The air was stifling and the tension palpable. No one dared speak.
"You all may return home for today. Those that can brave the situation, you all will be given some special training in the gym. Stay back if you have a still heart."
'This fucking old bastard is after my head!'
He glanced through the children present. As Kuma felt the Chairman's gaze, he involuntarily shivered.
"Dismissed!"
The students left quietly. A handful stayed back.
Kuma slung his bag across his shoulder, wore his shoes, and took off. Only one thought prevailed on his mind. It was to leave this town and run for his life.
'If I do not leave, I will die in this shithole of a town!'