'Fuck you Mizuki…' Growling my frustration at her, I focused on the gents in front blocking the path.
"Did you guys want something from me?" I asked, pretending not to know who or what they were.
Squinting his eyes a little, Hero eyed me up and down as if he knew something was off about our confrontation. Even still, it seemed his douchey side got the better of him for he reached into his pocket and took out a transparent bag of blunts.
"What do you say? We have some fun; get to know each other?" Shaking the bag in his hand, he was obviously testing the waters with me.
Just like when I'd first met him in my last body, he seemed friendly enough at first, but the moment you reject his offers time and time again, he gets more and more bullish. Right now, I could easily take him up on the offer to appease him, but that would only be playing into Hero's longer game of getting me addicted.
"Maybe another time? I have to be somewhere right now," trying to move around him, I was stopped by Kenta who shoved me back the steps I'd taken. "What the hell?!"
"Really? Just gonna leave? Even though we're offering such generosity?" He said, towering over me like a giant ogre.
Watching him flashing an idiotic smile, I felt like kicking him in the nuts, but that'd be skipping a lot of steps that needed climbing first.
"Tomorrow? How about it? I'll hang out with you guys tomorrow if you want, but I really need to go now," although neither of them seemed willing to back down just yet, Hero pulled Kenta out of my way to let me go.
"Fine, but bring some cash with you, we're not gonna share our stash for free tomorrow," He warned while fanning his hand to gesture to me to keep going.
"Sure sure, I'll keep that in mind," not wasting another moment, I made my way out through the school gates.
Finally, on my way to Akane's house, I turned to Mizuki walking alongside me. After what she'd pulled a moment ago, I wanted to slap her on the back of her head, but knowing that it'll simply phase through her body, I decided to relay my frustration verbally.
"I thought you couldn't deceive me after the deal we made," I complained, glaring at her in my peripherals.
"Hiding the truth or not warning you about something that had nothing to do with me, isn't exactly lying in my opinion," hiding behind technicalities, she was still finding ways to safely screw me over.
"Next time warn me!" I grunted, my fists curled up tight.
"Mhm…" Only getting a hum in response, I knew she wasn't exactly agreeing to my request-cum-warning.
My parent's house being close to school as well as Akane's house, we quickly arrived there without having to hop on the train. Unsurprisingly, the house was lit up with light, indicating that Akane's family still lived inside.
"What now?" Asked Mizuki, floating right by my ears.
"I'm just trying to check if she's okay so go ahead and check the upper floor's window," giving her that command, I took my distance from the house to avoid seeming suspicious.
Floating right to the curtained window, Mizuki phased into the house and disappeared for the moment. The time I was all alone in a dark corner of the streets, I spent going over everything Mizuki had found out about Hero and his goons.
'Much like most of the students, Sato, the third main bully in Hero's group, had left school. He must've been afraid of getting tangled in the police investigation, after all, Satori's suicide was caused by Kimura who was the one pulling the strings of the rest.' Not to mention the drug trade which has worsened for those left behind. 'Hero and Kenta are both desperately trying to peddle more stuff since Kimura is banging on their heads. No wonder they accosted me in the open, but still why do they need the money anyway?'
From what I knew, neither of them had a real need for money, so whatever it was that they were trying to achieve in this whole thing must be more personal than monetary. It could even be that they're both addicted themselves, but from the looks of things, neither of them seemed like they were using their own goods.
'Then is it about power for them? Perhaps they like to be jerks for the sake of it?' Pulled abruptly out of my thoughts, a light tap on my shoulder brought me back to planet Earth.
"So?" Seeing Mizuki back by my side I wanted to know what she saw.
"She seemed okay, physically that is, but the delicious Aura of rage…" Licking her lips and then biting down on them, she finally finished the sentence. "It almost reminded me of you. She must be really frustrated about something."
"Think so? She was acting like that when we met in the classroom the last time as well," whatever happened to her after the night Sakura and her friends visited the convenience store had obviously affected her deeply.
"Also, look here," taking out her touchscreen cell phone, Mizuki showed me a picture from inside Akane's house. "Seems like you're not the only one hunting this Kimura guy."
In the photo was Akane's desk and on it was a Blu-ray with Kimura's name taped on its back. Right underneath the name was a small label that read in brackets…
"Bastard?" I muttered it out loud.
"What do you think is on that CD?" Asked Mizuki, clad herself with her usual sinister smile.
"Who knows? But we have to find out," I whispered in response.
That day after Sakura's visit to the store, it seemed like finding out what happened on that day was the key to solving this puzzle. What happened to Akane? What exactly made her so upset and why she never showed up for track after that? It would all make sense if I could just solve the mystery of that day.
"A girl abandons her lifelong dream to run tracks on the national level, another girl dies soon after the mysterious incident, a coincidence?" Mizuki muttered.
"Hardly. Either way, everything leads back to Kimura," with Akane having that blue ray and Satori sending me those messages about Kimura's abuse on the same day as she committed suicide, it was all too convenient to be a coincidence. "Finding that fucker needs to be our goal for now, but before that, let go and pay Sakura and her mother a visit."
Reminding myself that I was still starving, I started walking towards the metro station.
"Suppose you're right, might even find a clue or two about the fucker from one of his puppets." Referring to Sakura, Mizuki brought up a great point.