Reticent | Nakahara Chūya; AU [✔]

e l e v e n | e x t e n d

The parent Nakahara had explained his sudden appearance to the university, with his daughter backing up his statement since she was the one involved. Not one word or detail about it was sugar-coated; they made sure that everything said was the truth.

And nothing but the truth.

Upon understanding the situation, the headmaster ordered the secretary to call the said History professor to have a formal conversation about the matter. With no hesitation, the secretary hurriedly got out of the room to go to the faculty room and did what was told.

In less than five minutes, the secretary was back with a man around his late fifties wearing his usual gray tuxedos and an unmatched black necktie. Chuuya's blood immediately rose up to a boil upon seeing the professor. On the other hand, the professor had a smug look on his face, gleaming a mean eye on the singer.

"Mr. Kodama, please have a seat," the headmaster spoke, offering him the other vacant seat on her front right. "We have received a complain about your plans of secretly trying to change Nakahara's due date on passing her research."

"Oh, so I guess someone did overhear it, huh?" Mr. Kodama replied sarcastically, admitting that he did try to drop the student out without notice. "Why should I feel pity? Nakahara does not deserve to stay in this school any longer."

His last sentence triggered Chuuya. "What did you just say?"

"Admit it, Mr. Nakahara," the professor continued to speak in such a manner that he does not regret doing any of what he did. "Your daughter's workload would be much easier if you just tell her that you're the killer of The 0619 Case."

Everyone except the old man was surprised of what they just heard from the History professor.

Chuuya stood up from his seat, grabbing the older man on his collar. "Is that the only reason why you decided to torture Orianna-- just to pinpoint that I am the killer?!"

"The 0619 Case should have been buried several years ago," the headmaster added, residing with the parent and student. "Mr. Kodama, you made Nakahara hack through the government files not to save her failing grade, but only to blindly blame her father for the tragedy?!"

Orianna tried to pull her father off of his grip on her professor, only to be refused and stubbornly kept the hold. "Sir, I've read through articles that needed not to be hacked. They did tests on my father to double check if he was the killer."

"Those results appeared negative against him," the headmaster added. "So why try to revive this case? The killer will surrender on its own."

"Now, if you don't want this to get to the court," Chuuya said in between gritted teeth. "Extend the submission date."

"Why should I?" Mr. Kodama blurted out, still not feeling any guilt or regret. "I want that student out of this school!"

"You god-forbidden son of a bitch!"

The situation got worse. Orianna had not seen or heard her father say such a colorful language, and everyone in that room are doing what they can to calm the infuriated Chuuya. She knew that his dad was not going to keep his word with the 'nice' and 'formal' that he had mentioned. She saw it coming; she knows her father too damn well for that.

"One failing subject is not enough to terminate a student from the university," the headmaster said sternly, hoping that Chuuya would quiet down a little. She looked at Orianna in authority, giving her a nod. "If your professor wouldn't give an extension to you, I'll be the one to do it."

Chuuya forcefully let go of the man upon hearing those words from the highest person in all of the university. However, the History professor did not like that proclamation at all.

"But miss, you don't know--" Mr. Kodama tried to protest, but was not heard of.

"Nakahara Orianna is a running candidate for the honors, Mr. Kodama! You are the only one hindering her from achieving it; failing your subject will only result her to dropping off the award but is still eligible to advance to college if she passes the summer."

Silence filled the air, with only Chuuya's fast breathing can be heard. He had not felt this mad for a very long time, and it quite felt nostalgic for him. A feeling that he let to slumber was starting to fill his head once again, getting the urge to do it.

But he knows too well that he shouldn't.

"We will give you another week to finish your research, Nakahara," the headmaster finally declared, earning a demand from Kodama. "Submit it to us Friday next week, and we'll be the ones to grade you."

Orianna could not believe what she just heard. It felt too surreal; was it a dream? She pinched herself in the arm but only to get hurt from it.

Her blue orbs started to get watery, bowing down to the higher-up as a way to say her gratefulness. "T-Thank you, madam!"

The girl hugged her father in extreme joy, not believing that her father's way of handling things would still work even in high school. Although it was embarrassing to imagine, but it was one of the advantages.

Smiling on the sight of a happy and contented student, the headmaster smiled at the two Nakaharas, Chuuya flashing the same smile as a way to say thanks. The headmaster turned to face Mr. Kodama, who was still blabbering and complaining about the whole situation.

"And as for you, Mr. Kodama," the headmaster slammed her hand on the table, making the old man startled. "I'll have to suspend you for such behavior."

Orianna was already late for her first class but the whole thing was now over. They were back at the place where Chuuya parked their car, wherein he'll be driving back home to be alone for the whole day again.

"You sure you don't want me to pick you up after school?" Chuuya repeated his offer. He already asked this while they were walking back there, but his daughter just kept on rejecting the offer.

Orianna gave him a parting kiss on the cheek, still rejecting the offer. "I'll be okay, dad."

"If you say so, hun. Good luck in class today!"

She gave an assuring nod, thanking Chuuya again for the time he gave just for her to be given the proper justice. Having to answer her previous question to herself, she can now conclude that she was way more than lucky to have a father like him.

Just not about being such a heavy drunkard, that is.

∞

Tanizaki Naomi ran back to the superiors, not wanting to be caught by the killer. Having to see Dazai and Kunikida first, she stopped there in panic and tried to spill out what she just saw.

"T-The killer," Naomi stuttered, the traumatizing scene still not getting out of her mind. "I-I know who the killer is! He killed Oda in the conference room!"

The two superiors widened their orbs in shock. "Odasaku was peeled off? Who is it, Naomi?!"

But as she was just about to speak, all of the power has shut down once again. Dazai and Kunikida kept on calling for Naomi, but all they heard was their own voices echoing around the hall, and running footsteps from every corner.

The lights were off once again, meaning that the jack-in-the-box sound played once more. It was the similar scenario when Yosano was killed. It was already an indication.

As the white lights came back to give their vision again, the sight of Tanizaki Naomi lying on the floor was the first thing that they saw. Her eyes were rolled back, blood gushing out of her head, and several stabs on her back.

And yet they heard no evidence of someone being killed. Naomi, Oda, and Poe -- the only people who have seen the killer face-to-face, has been killed off.

The killer is erasing all evidences of his existence, so that the puzzle goes on.