'I don't want to die. Please don't kill me. I'm only twenty-five and very handsome with a potential girlfriend. Make this my Christmas present,' I begged silently.
The giant skeleton hadn't moved an inch. It tilted its head and stared at me when I came in.
I now realised that inside the giant skeleton chest, a small, soft glow of a black-haired boy was floating. He looked in despair as his hands reached out towards me as if wanting my help.
I felt my heart race as the boney arms of the skeleton reached out for me. Those daggers look so scary.
"Hey, Mars! Are you sure you wanna leave everything to me?" I called out. He hid himself behind some boxes. "You're the boss," he yelled back. What a nice feline.
The bastard. I dodged the oncoming claws as they left giant scratches on the floor. I swallowed nervously at the result.
They were really deep and it looked like it would hurt if the claws even touched me. The boy's ghost cried, and as he did, the skeleton started to bleed.
I frowned as I started to realise how the connection between them worked. All I needed now was the reason behind those claws.
I bucked as the hand swept over my head. Once I find the reason, maybe I can talk to him. Dodging around, I observed 'not Gashadokuro' as he crashed into objects while chasing me.
I used both LEAP and SENSE as I ran in circles around him.
I assure you, I was not playing cat and mouse with him, it just ended up that way. It was for work, right?
Using my vision skill, I tried to find a clue as to how the claws were connected, but the boy looked very ordinary.
Getting impatient, I shouted at the boy, startling him, "Yo kid, what's up with you? Why are you attacking me, huh? And stop crying!"
I unsettled him so much that he froze completely. With a barely audible voice, he mumbled,
[Bullies. I just want to be left alone. But where is everyone?] Ah well. For the record, I never bullied anyone.
I was home-schooled, but I saw on the news how many kids had committed suicide due to bullying, so I now grasp his situation.
The skeleton was the manifestation of his own skeleton when he died of a chest wound. I understand now. Poor guy, don't worry.
I skidded to a stop and turned around, my eyes tingling. I'll send you to a better place. So that you can be at peace and not be hurt, but also not hurt others either.
"Mars, stay where you are. I'm going to attack this guy," I announced determinedly. There was no answer, but I didn't need one.
He was probably watching the show from a VIP seat anyway. I activated CLAW and transformed into my cool form.
The tips of my blonde hair turned orange, and my nails grew two inches long and were painted black. I felt strength rising, and I smirked.
The kid shrank back, making the entire skeleton shrink back. Then, seemingly out of fear, he lashed out. I was too quick, though. I dodged into the air, watching curiously as the giant hand passed below me.
I gathered my desire into my claws, making them glow red, and slashed downward. The arm was cut neatly off the elbow.
The boy shrieked as he jerked back from the shock. [You freak. You maniac.] Hey, look who's talking. I barely landed on my feet gracefully when I used LEAP to hurdle myself onto his face.
"Hold still now, or this will hurt," I said, giving a radiant smile that freaked the kid out. He used the last arm to grab me, but I kicked backward, shattering the hand to pieces.
After all, I was three times stronger than the average person.
The boy whimpered as he tried his last resort, shaking me off. Didn't work.
"I bet you used to hate injections, right? Don't worry, this won't take too long."
I ignored his attempts to shake me off, pulled back, and gave a large swipe downward using both hands.
Six red lasers hacked through the giant skeleton. He continued shrieking as the bones broke into pieces, piling on top of each other as they fell. Eventually, only he was left floating there by himself, looking like he had just gone through one of Jigsaw's tests.
[Monster. Monster. Monster,] he continued, mumbling. What, was he talking about himself? Because I'm no monster. Mars appeared out of nowhere and advanced toward the boy.
"It doesn't matter who he is. You'll be leaving anyway. Want me to send you off immediately, or do you have any last wishes you want to fulfil?"
Full of compassion as always. But the kid just shook his head and refused to look at me.
Taking that as a yes, Mars performed a crossover.
It's a small ritual that anyone in my family can perform. My grandfather created the incantation to open a portal to the underworld.
Not that it worked like he wanted, but when Mars came, he perfected it. I can perform it too. The problem is that my success rate is three out of five, so Mars always does it just in case I botch it.
It's such a tongue twister that anyone will botch it!
"Wakcha almatam tarirqani purichkaqta.
Ama hina kaspa, huk punkuta kichay
Maymanchus risqankuman kachanaykipaq."
The kid did not like hearing Mars' chanting, or the bright gold light suddenly surrounding him. He began crying, but I tried to soothe him, which he appreciated even less.
Luckily for everyone, it took less than a minute before he disappeared. Good, the case is closed, and Min and I can finally have a proper conversation on our dates again.
"It's nice and quiet now. It's nearly three am. Want to explore some more? I heard people say three am is the witching hour," I offered as I fixed my hair and clothes.
"You can do it by yourself. I'm going home," Mars yawned. Nah. It didn't sound fun to go by myself. So, picking up the ginger cat, we left leisurely and without incident. I couldn't wait to call Min the next day.
The next day came quickly. Min Sung knocked softly on my wooden red door. My hair was neatly brushed, and I wore my favourite black suit and cologne.
I quickly peeked in the living room mirror, exasperating Mars, and smiled expectantly as I opened the door. There stood my goddess, along with an elderly man.
My smile nearly dropped, but I managed to keep it. I'm a professional, after all. I motioned for them to come in, glaring at the man behind his back, causing Mars to meow at me.
"Welcome to my abode. Please make yourselves comfortable. Refreshments? Cookies? Yes, sir, you can have as much as you like," I grated politely. Sitting across from them, I waited for the introduction of the intruder.
"I'm Mr. Park Woo. I'm the principal of Sahagu Junior High. I heard that Ms. Sung asked you to investigate and solve the mystery surrounding the schoolchildren.
She informed me that you called and told her you cracked it, which I hope is the truth. May we hear everything from your own lips? What happened?" The intruder inquired of me.
"That's not a problem," I smiled thinly. I hadn't prepared a story to tell an ordinary person.
I was planning to tell Min the whole truth, and now I had to make up one on the spot since I wasn't certain Mr. Park would believe me.
On the other hand, I could tell him the truth and see how he takes it. Oh, who cares?
"All right. This is what I found." And so I told them the truth. I didn't leave anything out. And his face was priceless. First confusion, then disgust, and lastly outrage.
"And that's what happened," I ended. Man, am I thirsty after all that speaking.
There was this awkward silence as I gulped down my water. As I drank, Woo Park burst out, "You're telling me a thirteen-year-old ghost boy in a giant skeleton did all this?"
"Yep."
"In a storage room?" he continued incredulously.
"You got it." I enjoyed this immensely. The man slumped back onto the couch and looked defeated. "A thirteen-year-old, it can't be him," he muttered. Oh? What's this? I leaned forward.
"Mr. Park? What's the matter?" Min asked concernedly. Of course, she would be, he was her employer after all.
"Eh? Well. I guess I should tell you. Three years ago, there was an incident at our school. A boy by the name of Lee Chung Ae came to our school.
It was rumoured that he was intensely bullied, but there was no evidence. Near the end of the school year, a suicide note was found on my desk from Chung Ae.
After an extensive search, we found his body in front of the storage room, stabbed with a knife."
'Now the chest wound makes sense', I thought. Min wiped her eyes with her handkerchief while the principal told the tragic story.
"The boy had stolen a kitchen knife from the cooking class and stabbed himself with it," Park Woo continued tearfully.
"But why did he kill himself at school? Wouldn't he have hated to die at school?" I asked.
"Most likely to punish the school and his bullies. And in a way, he succeeded."
"What happened?" Min demanded eagerly.
"The bullies' names were on his note, so we naturally expelled them. In addition, his mother made sure the school had a scandal to deal with."
He sighed. "It seems he was punishing the school even now," he regretted.
"He's in a better place now," I comforted him.
"I truly hope so. Thank you for your help." I also hope you are thankful for eating all the cookies.
After that discussion, they said their goodbyes. I squeezed Min's hand, hoping she'd stay behind. Only to find out her only ride was Mr. Park.
'Maybe I should get a driver's licence,' I thought despondently as I sat down to chronicle the recent case.