Reincarnated Into A Dead Woman's Body In Another World-Chapter 340: Arc 5, - 34: Graduation Day

"The four people we saw, have to be the new gods, four of the seven heads; for now we can’t confirm that all of them were, but there were definitely a couple among them.

That slime-girl-thing could seemingly summon water in huge or small waves that whipped, shredded and crashed—something like the Rainstorm Slasher.

She can turn into a blob-like form or take on a human one; she can also shift some parts of her body to an extent. More importantly, she can heal pretty easily and has no core like a normal slime," Fumeko’s eyes bounced from note to note on her evidence board.

"Which begs the question," Jotou, who sat on the bed, spoke, "What the hell is that thing and how do we stop it when it seems to have no weak spot?"

Asobi swung her legs whilst she sat on Fumeko’s desk, "We used water to make slimes smaller once."

"Considering the fact she was slinging water around from her body, I think that’s a dead end," Hotaru admitted; she sat on the desk’s chair proper.

"My light definitely hurt her, she even went "Ow!"," Asobi mimicked the slime-girl’s voice. "She looked like water too—would your lightning do nothing Jotou?"

"I can sizzle whatever water she throws at me, sure. But we don’t know how much she can heal or what she can take; even then, there’s nothing saying she can’t heal from the smallest molecule either," the blonde replied.

"We know her name’s Beauregard and she’s also acidic in her blob-form, enough to evaporate bodies. She also has a fixation on Asobi apparently," Fumeko remarked.

"Please don’t use me as bait or something!"

The brunette side-eyed Asobi, "I wasn’t planning on it. Anyway, then there’s the four-armed woman we’ve labelled Lady F. She’s very, uhh, angry to say the least.

She could pretty much make stone come out of everywhere, covering the floors, the walls, the ceiling and anyone, including herself.

She’s terrifyingly strong, fast and... could resist Jotou’s Thundering Strike at full force..." her brows furrowed in worry.

"But the first time Jotou used that spell, the Adventurers Guild had to be renovated," the magician faced Jotou.

"The first time I casted that spell, I didn’t know how to use it. The reason the building didn’t get destroyed this time, is cause I directed every bit of the thunder towards her. Which is only more alarming...

I assure you, I put everything I had into it. I could barely spark myself afterwards. It’s not to say I wasn’t holding back that night."

Everyone turned to look at the blonde. "What do you mean?" Hotaru asked.

Jotou simply closed her eyes, "I didn’t kill anyone. I wasn’t given too many opportunities anyway, but I did try my hardest against those ’gods’."

"Hm. You want to avoid killing?" Fumeko squinted.

"If I can help it. But the new gods, I’m not gonna pull my punches; if I get the chance, they’re dead. Besides, we could’ve injured and teleported a hostage with us, no?" Jotou sighed.

"Benefit of hindsight," the brunette sighed back. "As for the other two gods; one’s someone who can shapeshift into animals and the other’s a spirit-mage, who relied on ghosts, for literally everything."

"She had so many of them too... Too many," Hotaru shivered.

Fumeko referred to her board, "There’s no doubt the ghosts are the key to figuring out the reason behind the murders. Our best theory is that the victims are members of the cult, who willingly give away their souls for some purpose.

What purpose, we barely know. Other than that, deciphering the runes might lead to something... if there was anybody that remembers them..." she glared to Jotou.

Jotou stared with half-closed eyes, "It’s not like you remembered them either detective. Just because I copied the runes, ugh..."

"What about you Sobi?" the redhead elected.

"Hm?" the elf tilted her head. "I don’t remember that, it’s not really a person or a thing; it’s more like a message."

Fumeko shook her head, "It’s fine. Maybe I can steal the notepad from dad’s office."

"Knock, knock." "Don’t think about it," a voice came from the other side of the door, startling all of them.

"How long’ve you’ve been eavesdropping!?" the brunette sneered to the door.

"I just got here. Kiddo, it’s about time you get ready. We gotta leave in an hour," he told. "I’ll be downstairs."

"Yeah, yeah," Fumeko stepped away from her board of notes and red string. She was already wearing her carmine school uniform—her dagger tucked underneath the blazer. The footsteps outside went away from the door.

Asobi had ditched her normal magician’s garb and opted to wear a light cream sweater and a plaid black and white skirt with a thin belt and her usual bowtie; she wore warm white socks till her thighs and had coloured streaks in her hair making a rainbow.

Hotaru was ready to go, wearing her blue trench coat and a new blue beret. Jotou on the other hand, "I’ll get out then," stood up, despite already wearing outfit for the day.

Maroon boots, tight black trousers, her yellow headband and a deep red silk blouse which faded into black the further it went down. While the blouse ended at the trousers’ waistband, at the back the shirt continued in two wide frills, like fishtails till her knees.

"Where’re you going? To put on some makeup and admire yourself in the mirror~?" the redhead cooed.

"Am not," the blonde replied with a glare.

"Ooo! I can help!" Asobi leapt off the desk.

Jotou blushed, "N-no, I don’t, gh..." she held her arm and shrunk her shoulders down as she left the room with haste. Asobi hopped right after her—giggling.

"Well, this might be your first and last. Better look your best," Hotaru advised with a smile. Fumeko simply pouted to the side.

_

"She always plays coy with makeup and girly things," Hotaru sighed as she brushed a comb through Fumeko’s long dark brown hair. "But it always makes her smile in the mirror."

Fumeko watched the redhead behind her in the vanity’s mirror. "Yeah," her eyes, downcast. Hotaru had to yank Fumeko’s head back sometimes before it got too low.

"What’s wrong?" Hotaru undid tangles with her fingers.

"Nothing’s wrong."

Hotaru looked at the brunette’s gloomy face in the mirror, "Uh huh, sure..."

Fumeko groaned, "It’s this whole graduation shit. I don’t really feel like it right now."

"Why?"

"It doesn’t mean anything to me; my dad called me back for this. I care about the case and solving it. Anytime I think about it, I’m just reminded I got excluded from the case.

Maybe I don’t even know how to explain it, but I don’t exactly feel excited or whatever about the graduation. Even though I know it’s supposed to be something monumental, I just don’t care," she sulked.

"Hmm, you’re not wrong. It’s an important thing in the cycle of your life, but you’ll barely remember the graduation itself. You know what I hoped for in both my graduations?"

"What?"

"To make some memories."

Fumeko finally looked up a bit with curiosity gathering across her brows, "Memories? What, like a picture?"

Hotaru chuckled, "No. What would’ve made the day special is how I spent it. The things around the graduation is what makes it special.

Too bad none of my classmates were close friends and I just went back home with my date immediately after. There was a little party, seeing the last of the university and teachers-

I, I know you didn’t actually go to the school, but you can still enjoy yourself. What I’m saying is, we’ve been through a lot; a lot and lot of stressful things, blood, fights-"

"You’re rambling wolfy," her eyes glazed over.

"Oh, sorry. My point was, think of the things to be happy about today. I’m with you about the case and what you want to do; but if you keep focusing on it, you’re just gonna be miserable.

You have to actively choose how to see the day. Only you have control over that," Hotaru’s eyes flickered a sprinkling of blue rainwater.

Fumeko sighed, "Maybe you’re right. Where do I even start?"

"How about, a nice big lunch after graduation? There might be fancy restaurants around Dolpool Academy you’ve never been to. No reason we can’t go to celebrate~"

A small smile painted itself on the brunette, "Yeah, I could go for something tasty. Champagne fits the occasion, right?"

Hotaru rolled her eyes, "Oh fine, fine, you can drink a bit."

Fumeko gave a smug smirk.

"You can think of the people around you, the sights, the things we could do and so on too."

Fumeko pondered for a second, "I’ll get to see Tiffany again. Huh, maybe it won’t be too bad of a graduation... I did ask her to save me a seat."

"See? You’re on the right track," the wolf-girl deliberated on who the heck Tiffany was...

Fumeko blushed a smidgen, "And Jotou’ll be wearing pants the entire tiME- AH!"

The glowering Hotaru wrenched through a tangle in the brunette’s hair with the comb, "Keep your eyes off of her Fumeko Namora..."

"Augh... You didn’t have to do that," Fumeko winced an eye.

"No, I think I did."

"Well, it’s not like you’re not pretty today e-EEEeither!"

Hotaru untangled another few strands, "I’m taken." She smoothly drifted her fingers through the finally combed locks and gave Fumeko a little pat on the head, "But thank you," her fangs glistened.

"You’re the one who’s asking me to think happy! I can’t even mess around now!?"

Hotaru sectioned the hair with a wag of her tail, "I’m messing around too~"

"I think I’d call that assault..." she leered into the mirror.

The redhead hummed away as she began braiding. "Kineko complains about tangles too; it’s cause of all the hair clips I’d bet." Hotaru laughed softly, "She reminds me of a younger you."

"We only met last year wolfy, you’re making no sense," Fumeko’s expression had faltered into a frown completely at the mere mention of her sister.

"Obviously~ I just can imagine that’s what you were like as a kid." Sunbeams peeked into the window, making the little specks of dust in the air like glitter. "Am I wrong?"

A shadow was cast against the wall. Fumeko’s shadow sat smaller, in front of Hotaru’s bigger image of braiding her hair; much of the sunlight was on the redhead of course. Fumeko, responded in silence.

"Your sister doesn’t seem like a bad kid; you might like her if you spent more time with her," Hotaru continued.

"Step," was the only word she uttered with soft eyes.

"You’re still going on about this?" she raised a crimson brow.

Fumeko stared in silence into the mirror—hesitant to even her own tone. "How would you feel if you went back home one day and your dad has another kid?"

Hotaru was silent for a moment, her brows furrowed together... "I’d be furious."

"Exactly-"

"Not because I’d think I was ’replaced’, but because I don’t think my dad’s responsible enough for that. His heart would be in the right place I’m sure, but he won’t be able to take care of them well."

"...So you think my dad’s responsible enough; after how he took care of me?"

"I think, I can’t really answer your question. But I understand how you feel about this," she handled her hair tenderly as she tied up the end.

"Accepting her, is also accepting my dad knows what he’s doing. And that’s hard to do knowing how he took care of me. And..." she longingly stared into the mirror...

Similar hues of hair and eyes—enough resemblances to convince most people they were father and daughter. But a closer inspection would reveal that to be false.

It was enough to convince her even; she still called him dad after all... Keeping secrets in the name of keeping her safe... A gentle hand on her shoulder pulled Fumeko back into reality, "I’m done," Hotaru hushed.

Shadows formed around her legs and Fumeko blinked onto her feet. Her hair was braided down till her hips and she looked to the folded academic regalia and hat on the vanity—both of red and black tints.

"It’s still how you choose to see it all. If you keep seeing her as some girl your dad adopted, then that’s all you’ll see. Why show your fangs to a little girl that did nothing wrong?" the redhead reasoned.

"...Maybe you’re right," Fumeko took a deep breath and, "Hahh..."

"You sure you don’t want a haircut? This is a bit too long, don’t you think?" the wolf-girl smiled.

"Mm... I’ll think about it."

With a delicate hold, Hotaru took the purple headband on the vanity and fitted it onto Fumeko’s head. Her bangs had been pinned back, neat and clean.

The redhead rubbed both of Fumeko’s shoulders and beamed, "Look at you. All pretty and ready."

Fumeko kept looking at her face and her lips curled up. She looked like a proper schoolgirl instead of a rogue on the run. "Hey... You think, if I had a mom around, that she’d be proud of me graduating?"

A breath escaped Hotaru’s lips. "Of course," she answered and placed her cheek against Fumeko’s; before wrapping her in a hug from behind. "She’d be proud of more than that too."

Shadows glimmered in the brunette’s eyes, "Yeah." She smiled, "I can imagine."

_

The hour was up and everyone was downstairs, ready to depart. Except for one, who only now descended the stairs in her graduation robes of red and black tints with a hat held in her hand. Kazuo turned and gazed with a little smile.

Fumeko noticed it and avoided looking at him for a moment... before glancing to him without a smile, but neither a frown, "Let’s go then. It’s not like the ceremony’s happening here."

"Just waiting on you kiddo. Carriage’s right outside," Kazuo put on his gloves and grabbed the housekeys.

"Big sis Meko! You look so pwetty!" Kineko stood at the bottom of the steps.

"You look so scholarly!" Asobi cheered right beside.

"Of course I am," Fumeko flipped her braid back. "It’s a shame you couldn’t see me at the gala," she looked down to Kineko with a smug grin.

"Gala!?" Kineko jumped.

"Come on detective, we’re going," Jotou uttered. Her wavy blonde locks were tied in a low ponytail and cascaded down her left shoulder—light makeup adorned her face.

"Yeah, yeah," Fumeko blinked next to the doorway.

"You look smart," Jotou smirked.

"As if I wasn’t smart before?" the brunette leered.

Jotou stuck her tongue out and gave a wink.

Kazuo opened the door and stepped out as Kineko rushed out to hold his hand. Hotaru gave Fumeko a light tap on her shoulder as she passed. Jotou stepped out as well.

Asobi hopped behind the brunette and took her by the arm, "Come on Meko, let’s go!"

"Yeah, it’s graduation day," Fumeko muttered under her breath and took one more look at her home before she let herself be dragged away.