"Eh!? Chika-san is the one who seeks our service!?" Shinichi looked up from his task, a curious expression on his face.

Teitan Elementary School had just ended for the day, and the schoolyard was bustling with children as they prepared to head home for the weekend. That was until 6-year-old Mouri Ran told her crush/friend since kindergarten, Kudo Shinichi, to head over to the Tantei Association main HQ as their friend, 9-year-old Shimizu Chika is currently waiting for them.

Chika Shimizu was no stranger to Shinichi and Ran. Her late mother had been the beloved chef at the kindergarten they all attended, and their friendship had been forged in the warmth of her delicious meals. The last time Chika had sought the Tantei Association's help, it had been to investigate a boy named Akimoto Nori, whom they now knew as 'Yori.' He had been involved in some shady activities, working for a criminal known as 'The Shark.' It had been a pivotal moment for their young detective club.

A lot of things happened shortly after the events of 'The Forgotten Noble Boy', the association's 9th major case. For 9-year-old Yori, he had sworn off a life out of crime for good and is currently seeing Chika. In addition to that, he had also received a sponsorship under Chika's wealthy father to study at the same prestigious school, as well as paying off his Tousan's chemotherapy treatment.

"Did she mention what is this about?" Shinichi who is still seated next to his partner-in-crime/co-founder, Kudo Ranran, was a bit curious about why would Chika suddenly seek out their services, as both children were busy packing their belongings into their rondesu bags while waiting for Ran to respond.

"It's urgent according to Sonoko, as this involves both of them at risk of getting the two kicked out of their school if we don't look into it." Ran insists.

"Eh? That serious?" Ranran blinked.

"What happened by the way? Don't tell me Yori revert back to his old ways," 6-year-old Hikari Takuma, a promising American Football Athlete headed over to their group, having packed away his things earlier on.

"Ah no, it's something both he and Chika witness in school, but no one believes them." Ran frowned.

Shinichi and Ran exchanged glances, their curiosity piqued. The Tantei Association had dealt with all sorts of cases, but one involving the possibility of their friends getting expelled was unprecedented.

"Please don't tell me is a ghost, cause our association don't deal with made-up supernatural existence." Ranran scoffed.

"Well, it may and it may not," Ran crossed her arms with a sigh.

Seeing Ranran, Shinichi and Takuma's puzzled expression on Ran's response, the brown-haired brunette later sighed to say, "You will see what I mean."

"I wouldn't take a case if it involved looking into ghosts, since they don't exist." Ranran reminded her.

"Look, Ranran, we're not saying it's definitely a ghost. But we can't rule out the possibility of something happening," Ran justifies, "And this involves maintaining their status in school. If the two get kicked out should we not look into their claims, there are not many prestigious elementary schools around the neighbourhood they live in, so the worst thing to happen is that Chika and him end up getting sent overseas, and you know Chika is particularly close to her father after losing her mother. Not to mention, Yori always drops by the hospital to see his father who is undergoing his treatments. I can't bear the thought of them being shipped overseas in the middle of nowhere."

Ranran remained unconvinced, but she couldn't deny the importance of Chika and Yori's situation.

"Alright," Ranran finally relented, "I'll go along with it, but only to prove that there's a logical explanation for whatever they've seen. No ghosts, got it?"

Ran grinned, relieved that her friend had agreed to join the investigation.

..............................................................................

Soon, after Ranran, Takuma, Shinichi and Ran arrived at the main HQ, joined by the 3 other oldest members: Michio, Junko and Emiko.

Since Yori and Chika hadn't arrived considering they were taking a bus here, the main headquarters was buzzed with excitement as Mouri Ran was busy setting up a makeshift investigation board with photos and notes she had received from Chika and Yori about the strange occurrences they'd witnessed at the old school building through their messaging app.

As everyone later took to gather their seats, the door to the headquarters swung open, and Chika and Yori entered, looking both relieved and anxious.

Seeing Chika in a black blazer school uniform was something Ran wasn't used to seeing. For the rest of the members, to see Yori dressed up in one was something a little surprising. In a way, he was a boy who used to work in the criminal underworld before his life changed for the better.

"Thank you all for coming," Yori began, with his voice all so steady. "I was going to brush this off as a ghost incident at first, but since Chika spotted it before I could turn my back, it was at this point that I knew what we have both witness....ain't a mere hallucination."

"We have tried calling the teachers, but they brush it off as us lying, especially kept on using Yori's past background against us, we both decided we had to come here. Otherwise, we are likely to be expelled for good. And I can't afford that for myself and Yori." Chika lamented.

As Michio and Ran set the drinks and snacks for the two children, Ranran began by stating, "So explain from the beginning, how things reach to the point that you are both at risk of getting expelled?"

Chika and Yori exchanged nervous glances before Chika began to recount the events that had led them to this point.

"It started when physical education classes had ended," Chika began, "As soon as I returned to class, I realized I left the clothes that I used for those classes back at the gym, so at first, Yori offered to go to collect it, but I reassured him I can collect it myself but he was worried."

"And what is your reason for being worried about her heading to the gym on her own, that you volunteered to take it for her?" Shinichi asked as he jotted down the words along with the other members.

"Well, Chika is afraid of ghosts," Yori explained.

"As I thought," Ranran sighed while rolling her eyes.

"Or rather, the ghost story surrounding the gym," Yori then began to explain to the group, "When I just started out in Fujikawa Academy, the kids in our school who happened to be Chika and my seniors told me about this legend, that there used to be a child, the ghost of a little girl name Kuno Tane who happens to be a student there haunting the gym."

"Ghost again...."

Ranran was this close to shutting it down, but then Shinichi quickly took over the interview. "Just out of curiosity, why did this story come about?"

"Because her corpse was discovered at the Gym's balcony, allegedly from suicide. And it was the talk of everyone even long before I started schooling there," Chika reveals.

The room fell into a heavy silence as Chika's words hung in the air. "One question," Emiko raised her hand to ask, "How old was she when she was discovered to have died?"

"Around 7-years-old," Chika answered.

"What was the reason behind the suicide?" Ranran pressed.

"Truthfully....." Yori and Chika exchanged in bewilderment before replying, "We have no idea."

"Cause when I started out school, one said that she died after learning she was adopted. That she was a girl so prideful when she was allegedly adopted into a wealthy family, she lost her pride when someone exposed her of being adopted, and everyone lost respect for her, which is why she ended her life." Chika revealed.

"I heard another rumour that Kuno Tane failed her exams in the school we were in." Yori recalled while pondering, "Back then, the requirement to remain in that school was a lot stricter than it used to be. If there are 2 fails within the grade, one gets expelled for good. So since she couldn't accept it, she killed herself."

"To cut a long story short, did that incident actually take place? Or were they just rumours?" Michio asked.

"Well, Miss Mitsuki insists that never happened when I asked her about it," Yori muses.

"I am sorry, who is Miss Mitsuki?" Ranran asked.

"Our headmistress of Fujikawa Academy, Mitsuki Takara." Chika explained, "She had been around there for many decades, so it ain't surprising whether she knew that happened or not. Anyway, back to the gym," The nine-year-old girl's voice quivered slightly as she continued, "It was around that time, around evening, when most of the students were already gone or in their classrooms. The gym was empty, so I wasn't expecting anyone. But as soon as I pushed open the door, I saw...."

Shivering, she blurted out, "I saw the corpse of Miss Miko in the gym!"

The room fell into stunned silence as Chika's words hung in the air. The mention of a corpse in the gym was chilling. "Wait, this ain't a ghost story, it's someone who died in the school!" Ran exclaimed.

Even the others were speechless on how they should respond to this.

Ranran, although initially sceptical, was now fully engaged in the investigation. She leaned forward and asked, "First and foremost, who is Miss Miko? And how sure are you to notice that this was in fact Miss Miko's body? Did you see her face? And which part of the gym did you locate her?"

"Ah right, allow me to explain," Ran cuts in before heading in front of the investigation board to explain to the association members, "This woman here," Ran pointed with a laser pointer, "Is the person in question, she is the 24-year-old science teacher at Fujikawa Academy, her full name is Akumiko Yasuko. But the kids are asked by her to address her as 'Miko', because she didn't like that the word 'Aku' made her sound like an evil being."

With all eyes on the photo, Shinichi pressed, "Chika, answer Ranran's question."

"Right," Chika shivered as she continued, "I found her lying beneath the balcony, quite still, with her arm thrown back behind her head, and her legs folded under her."

"Execution style I see," Ranran jotted the detail down.

"Wait, execution!?" The rest of the members gaze at the leader of Tantei Association.

"I meant to say it looked deliberate," Seeing further confusion from the other children, Ranran sighed to explain, "Based on my experience as a Tantei, victims who are found in the way Chika had described were done forcefully by the killer. They made their victims obey to them, then kill them despite listening to the killer's words."

"No way...." Junko's spectacled eyes grew wide in response, and so did Michio's eyes.

Ran pressed on with her questions, determined to get a clear picture of the situation. "Chika, you mentioned you saw Miss Miko's face. Are you absolutely certain it was her? Did you recognize her, or was there anything distinctive about her appearance that confirmed her identity?"

Chika nodded, her voice still trembling. "Yes, I'm sure it was her. Although I didn't see her face, I recognize her tattered clothes anywhere, even though she was dressed in her lab coat when I discovered her."

"Wait, tattered clothes?" Heads shifted their attention to Shinichi, "Is Miko poor?"

"She may not have said it, but it was clear she is." Yori then voices out why he thinks so, "Everytime we attend her lessons, Miko-sensei had this habit of wearing the same three threadbare blouses on rotation, cutting her own hair and she would do extra secretarial work for our school's headmistress, Miss Mitsuki, including afterschool hours for extra pay."

"I didn't even notice it till Yori pointed it out," Chika grew amused at this, "I mean there had been rumours of her being poor, but I was surprised it was that obvious to Yori."

"Take it from someone who was born into a rich family, only to lose everything." Yori winked.

The 7 members of Tantei Association could envision the life of Akumiko Yasuko who wears glasses, a very tucked-in and buttoned-up blouse in her white lab coat busily running across the school campus here and there.

"Back to the gym," Ranran cleared her through to inquire about further details from Chika and Yori, "What happened later on?"

"Of course, I didn't want to think it was Miko sensei, so I knelt next to the corpse to see whether it was her face," Chika claimed, before adding, "But then Yori, who was wondering what took me so long to collect my jacket, was at the entrance of the gym and is surprised to see me with Miko sensei."

"When I got there, I thought I was hallucinating since I didn't sleep much a day before Chika found her. But then when I saw Chika very reluctant to do so, I rushed over and called out to her, then asked what had happened. When Chika thinks Miko sensei might have been dead, I ended up being the one to move her head to check, assuming it was some Halloween decoration someone planted there to film our reaction for some prank video."

"And....was it a prank?" Emiko demanded.

"If it were, we wouldn't be here, would we?" Yori sighed. "Originally, I assumed Miko sensei hurt herself. So I patted the shoulder of her white lab coat, hoping most awfully that she would open her eyes and sit up and be sluggish. Instead, aside from her head slumping to a corner, her glasses slid down off her nose and blood was....around the collar of her lab coat. It wasn't until I realised there were red stains on my hand, that I knew she was definitely dead."

The room grew even quieter as the gruesome details of the discovery unfolded.

"Did you call the cops at least?" Junko raises her head to see the two's response.

"I was going to originally, but at that time," Yori's eyes fell on Chika, "She too thought it was a prank, so she touched it, had some blood around the skirt and stuff. Grew so horrified and traumatized by this, especially when she believed that the ghost of Kuno Tane might have killed Miko-sensei and was out to kill us both, she panicked to grab my wrist before running out of the gym immediately."

"So in other words, you didn't actually call the police or inform any adults about this?" Shinichi gasped.

"No photos or even videos of your science teacher's corpse too, seriously?" Ranran blinked.

"Hey, not everyone is like the two of you to simply do those things normally, alright? No normal child would simply call the cops, or film and document evidence the way you both do!" Ran who noticed their insensitive response scolded them bashfully. "I too would've simply fled rather than be killed by a killer ghost."

"Not Ranran and Shinichi though, cause ghosts barely exist." Michio pointed out.

"It must have, because after we fled....when I took our classmates to see Miko-sensei's corpse at the gym...." Chika trembled before revelling, "She was gone."

"Hah!?" Shinichi's analytical mind kicked into high gear. "So, after you fled the gym and returned with your classmates, the body was gone!?"

"Not only was it gone, but even most of the blood on the wooden floor vanished without a trace." Yori adds, "But I can say it ain't a clean job, a bit of dark smear where we last saw Miko-sensei was still there."

"But with the smear there, surely it would've been enough to get any of them to call the police, right?" Takuma asked.

"That's right!" Junko exclaimed, "There is blood, there is no way they would be blind not to notice it, right?!"

"About that...that was my fault," Chika sunk her head low, "Earlier to check whether it was a prank, I kneeled down next to Miko-sensei's corpse, so I had blood around my knee and skirt. So they assumed the blood must have come from me attempting to skip classes with Yori by dating at the gym, but then someone saw us, so we rushed out of the gym before I tripped and the blood leaked on my skirt, then assumed I simply made up some story about seeing Miko-sensei's corpse at the gym to avoid getting us both punished."

Pinching her nose bridge, Ranran groaned, "That made sense. So I assumed with you two having informed the teachers about it, they didn't believe either of you, did it?"

Chika nodded, her voice filled with regret. "Yes, that's exactly what happened. We tried to tell the teachers about the blood and the body, but they didn't believe us. They thought it was just a ruse to cover up our truancy or some sort of prank. And since I had blood on my clothes, they assumed I was making up an excuse for my tardiness."

"But wait a minute," Michio cuts in to ask, "Considering that you both witnessed Miko-sensei's corpse and that you both informed the teachers about it if she is really dead, that meant she can't appear in school to work anymore, right? So they should have every right to believe in the both of you."

"About that, we dealt with another problem." It was Yori's turn to pinch his nose bridge, "When we brought this up to our head principal, Miss Mitsuki, she claimed that Miko-sensei had tendered her resignation letter to her in person, so she told us to stop spreading lies about Miko-sensei a corpse in the gym."

"But you both saw her dead body in the gym. How could she resign if she was no longer alive?" Shinichi questioned his brow furrowing in thought.

"That's what we couldn't understand," Chika replied, her voice filled with frustration. "It doesn't make any sense. We even informed to Miss Mitsuki about the blood we saw in the gym, but she just dismissed it and accused Yori of causing trouble, being a bad influence towards me because of his past!"

"And let me guess, the threats of expel came up all thanks to this incident, right?" Emiko suddenly figures.

Chika nodded in response to Emiko's deduction. "Yes, exactly. Miss Mitsuki threatened to expel both Yori and me if we continued to spread false stories about Miko-sensei and if we didn't stop trying to tarnish the school's reputation. It's been a nightmare, and we didn't know where else to turn."

Mouri Ran clenched her fists, clearly frustrated by the injustice of the situation. "This is unbelievable. They're not only ignoring a potential murder but also trying to silence you both. It's like they're hiding something."

"Wait, you mentioned Miss Mitsuki, the headmistress, accused Yori due to his past....was she very much aware of what had transpired?" Ranran found herself asking.

"Ah about that, she knew it because that was something Chika's Tousan couldn't afford to lie."Yori scratched his back head nervously in response, "When he offered to sponsor my studies there after everything that had happened, he had to reveal that chapter of my life, or else if Miss Mitsuki found out last minute, she may not approve of my enrollment there."

The adults at Fujikawa Academy, particularly the headmistress, Miss Mitsuki, seemed determined to sweep the entire incident under the rug, even to the point of threatening expulsion to silence the young witnesses.

Also, the actions of Miss Mitsuki didn't sit well with Ranran. Mainly about what Yori had to say about the principal's hostile unreasonable response towards him.

"Which is why Yori suggested seeking your services here once more," 9-year-old Chika pleaded with them, "If we can't find the corpse, it's one thing if Yori and I can no longer see our families...but what about our friends in class? I don't think we can live well to know that there could be a potential murderer on our campus while we are away."

"Which is why I was thinking...since the association works closely with Sergeant Genzo the last time I remembered, could you all use your contacts with the police to trigger an investigation?" Yori asked.

After pondering about this for a while, Ranran said, "I think the only solution to this is not to call Sergeant Genzo but to seek out the killer."

"Eh?" Everyone grew shocked at the 6-year-old girl's suggestion.

"Why!?" Junko's dual ponytail flared up in response, "Calling the cops would do us a favour!"

"According to Yori, through Miss Mitsuki, Miko-sensei allegedly resigned from Fujikawa Academy." Ranran recounted, "Considering she is 24 years old, that meant she is legally an adult with her own free will to decide her employment. And if she's indeed alive and chose to leave, there's no crime for the police to investigate. In fact, calling the police without solid evidence could backfire on us."

"Then what do you suppose we should do?" Ran challenged, "If we don't do something, Yori and Chika will end up getting kicked out of school."

"Who says we are not going to do a thing?" Ranran scoffed before revealing, "There is the saying 'No body, no case'. We are going to try to pinpoint their science teacher's missing corpse. And the only way to do so is to locate her killer."

"But where do we start, then? How do we find the missing body or any evidence that can link to the killer?" Takuma wondered.

"Simple, we look into the life of their science teacher," Ranran grinned before turning to Chika and Yori, "And you guys will share everything there is to know about her."

............................................................................

"Let's start with Miko-sensei, your science teacher," Ranran took the laser pointer from Ran before pointing at Akumiko Yasuko's photo while glancing at the two 9-year-old kids, "Does she have any surviving family members?"

"No," Chika shook her head at the 6-year-old, "From what Okubo-sensei told me, Miko-sensei was born an orphan."

"And I can guess Okubo-sensei...." Shinichi took the laser pointed from Ranran before pointing at the other woman with short yet chopped black hair, "Is this woman?"

"Hai," Yori confirmed to them with a nod, "She is the school's math teacher. Also Miko-sensei's former roommate."

"Eh? They live together?" Shinichi blinked.

"They knew each other since university days, so it ain't surprising." Chika shrugs.

"Why former?" Takuma wondered.

"Thanks to Ichirou sensei, it can't be helped," Chika chuckled.

"And he is....?" Michio prompted them to continue.

"The supposed 'Kami-sama'(God) of our school." Yori rolled his eyes.

"I am sorry, Kami?!" Emiko grew confused.

"He is our music sensei," Chika explained further, "Apparently since he is quite good-looking, the girls of all grades: Mainly from 1 to 6 had a mad crush on him."

"To put a long story short, he reminded them of one of the good-looking actors who played the role of 'Kami-sama' in one of the movies, hence, the title." Yori was annoyed at that thought, "He was according to the girls in our school, the epitome of 'God Tier' good-looking among the girls here of all grades, there is even a fan club established there."

"Damn....the girls there don't really have much of a life, huh?" Ranran decided.

Shinichi took the lead in further questioning. "May I ask how did he play a role in Miko no longer being roommates with Okubo?"

"Well, it was the classic 'love triangle'." Chika giggled at the memory.

"I will explain," Yori narrates, "You see back then, Ichirou -sensei and Miko-sensei dated."

"Eeeeeeeh!!?" Everyone's jaw dropped.

"Wait, that teacher," Takuma who is in disbelief pointed at the photo of the missing science teacher, "Who is plain looking.....dated him?"

As much as it may sound insensitive coming from 6-year-old Hikari Takuma, all of the children agree that there was no such beauty in general in regard to Akumiko's physical appearance. If Ranran were to think of it bluntly, Akumiko's face was very average-looking in comparison to Ichirou-sensei, who is unusually good-looking.

"And how do you know this?" Emiko ponders. "Did you see it in person?"

"No," Nori shook his head at her, "But the older girls around 5th grade saw them kiss each other and stuff. I think if it wasn't for Okubo sensei learning about their dating activities, they could've remained together."

"How did your math teacher find out about their relationship by the way? And why was she the reason that they broke up?" Shinichi asked.

"I ain't sure over how she found out, but our school has a strict dating policy for teachers and staff." Chika elaborates on the school rules, "You see, our school is on the conservative side. They don't want us kids to be all about love and prioritise our education without distractions."

"Say what!?" The rest of the children except Ranran and Shinichi were horrified.

"No dating?" Junko mouthed in a gasp before asking, "But you and Nori are seeing each other, no?"

"Dating outside the school doesn't apply, as long we don't do it within the campus grounds, it is fine." Chika leaned her back against the seat.

"Back to the story," Ranran said, refocusing the discussion. "So, because of this strict dating policy, Ichirou-sensei and Miko-sensei had to break up?"

"Sort of," Chika admits. "Okubo-sensei used to smoke with Miko-sensei in this particular spare room within our campus, I knew because I was used to the familiar smell of cigarettes my Tousan used to smoke whenever I walk past this hidden spare room, they would chat for several hours. When she found out about them dating one day, she went livid at the school courtyard."

"Why?" Ran grew interested, "Is it because Okubo-sensei is jealous of her?"

"I think so," Chika thinks of it, "It ain't surprising why she later kicked her out of their shared flat around December before last year. Okubo-sensei was screaming in the courtyard towards Miko-sensei in front of everyone so much so, that the entire school stopped what they were doing and watched from their classrooms," Chika spoke in amusement.

"Man, talk about drama....."Takuma whistled.

"If that wasn't bad enough, even all of our teachers saw it, plus the principal," Chika adds.

"Damn." Ranran and Shinichi cringed.

"Anyway, when they broke up....just when we think things wouldn't be any different...Haru-sensei arrived at our school." Chika beamed.

"And I can only assume Haru-sensei is....this prettier younger woman here?" Shinichi grabs the laser pointer once more to point at her photo.

"She is in charge of physical education," Yori grinned, "And she is the coolest have around."

"Really?"

"Very, she is very cheerful, not too overly positive since she is human, but she is such a ball of sunshine. She is the reason why most of us boys attend school. And I don't mean to praise a lot, but she had that talent for making a lot of naughty children who refuse to listen to her to listen."

"I think if she wasn't pretty, it wouldn't get her to places." Ran frowns.

"No, what Yori said is true. When he meant 'she is cool', she literally will light up the place with her personality." Then Chika began to ramble, "She would march about the school corridors brandishing a hockey stick, her athletic brown hair always coming down from its fashionable clipped-back waves. This is why when she started out, we were rather surprised to see Ichirou sensei dropping by whenever we have physical education class with her."

"Wait a minute," Michio realizes, "He dropped by a lot?"

"More than you would think, even the way he looked at her, we all know where things were heading." Yori thinks of it, "When I started out school there, he still shared that same look on her. And as if Kami-sama was on their side, the dating rules on teachers and staff were loosened a lot, so they openly began dating."

"Wait, openly?"

Ranran and Shinichi exchanged glances again, this time with a hint of amusement. It seemed that the arrival of Haru-sensei had caused quite a stir at Fujikawa Academy, especially among the male students. Her charisma and teaching style clearly had an impact on the students.

"How was....the public opinion about this new relationship?" Shinichi was dying to know where the kids of the school felt about it.

"Truthfully, every single child loves it. Including me and Yori," Chika flashed her teeth at them, "I mean whenever that happens, if they are very in a good loving mood, we get rewarded."

"Rewarded?" Emiko raised an eyebrow, intrigued by Chika's choice of words.

"Yup," Yori chimed in with a grin. "Haru-sensei and Ichirou-sensei were quite generous with us during those times. They'd often bring imported snacks and sweets to share with the class. And we got to enjoy more outdoor activities too."

"Sounds like they were well-liked by the students," Ran remarked.

"Yeah," Chika agreed. "They were a fun couple, always teasing each other and making everyone laugh."

"But did Miko-sensei feel the same way?" Ranran asked, turning the conversation back to the love triangle.

"As for Miko-sensei...." Chika's expression grew serious. "No, she often looked upset when she saw them together. Which isn't surprising, really. I mean they dated for over a year until her former roommate confronted them loudly."

"What about Okubo-sensei? Did she take it well?" Junko wondered.

"Okubo-sensei....she didn't react the way Miko-sensei did, very alright with the relationship. Not that she cared that much," Chika strummed her fingers, "Miko-sensei I wouldn't say acted like those jilted ex-girlfriends who would harass the main heroine and main lead, no, she didn't do anything like that to my knowledge."

"But...if I were to be honest....you can tell she didn't like seeing them together because of the way she looked at them." Yori deeply thinks, "I dated many girls before Chika, and I know that look when I see it, the look that someone felt scorned and left behind for another...it ain't good."

"Just out of curiosity, what was public opinion like when the entire school got word that your science teacher was dating your music teacher at that time before Ichirou-sensei broke up with her?" Shinichi fired another question.

"That period....?" Chika thought hard about it before revealing to them, "In the court of public opinion....although I ain't going to deny that there are those who fell for that fantasy of the poor and rich marrying and living happily ever after...the fan club that worships Ichirou-sensei who had a bad history with Miko-sensei made her life rather miserable."

"In what way did they give Miko-sensei a hard time?" Ranran clarified.

"It's hard to explain," Chika bit her lip before elaborating on certain events that worsened the relationship between the students of the said fan club and Asumiko, "Around the period when Miko-sensei was secretly seeing Ichirou-sensei, she actually tried to shut down the fan club. Under claims that the fan club is worsening their academic results."

"And did she succeed?" Michio quizzed.

"No, she failed, because the fan club members were not your typical kids. As mentioned earlier, the school Yori and I enrolled in is a prestigious school, and the requirement to remain there academically is high, even though the rules have loosened a bit. Which is why their academic results were brought into question, they only lost 2 to 3 per cent per subject, which wasn't a reasonable grounds to shut down their club." Chika adds. "To cut a long story short, as soon as the news about them dating came up, it was payback waiting to happen. They dug up about Miko-sensei's past, spread across the campus over how she was around 6 million yen in debt, thanks to her biological alcoholic druggie parents."

"Her parents' issues came into the picture as well?" Shinichi probed further.

"Yes," Yori nodded. "The fan club members were relentless. They started spreading rumours and gossip about Miko-sensei's family problems, making her life at school more difficult."

"That's terrible," Michio said with a frown. "It must have been really tough for her."

"In the first place, I can only assume that those kids must be wondering why was this teacher meddling with their affairs, so when the truth about their relationship was revealed, they must have perceived Miko-sensei to be an evil hypocrite who is dating the teacher they idolized." Ranran sighed.

"But Ranran, Miko-sensei had every right to do it," Ran argued, "She is seeing someone who is her boyfriend, what woman in love would like to see the guy she had feelings for being ogled by other girls?!"

"Exactly!" Junko exclaimed, "I wouldn't like it to see those girls doing that to someone I love."

"Yet, she knowingly broke the rules of the school campus and secretly dated Ichirou sensei behind their backs, and to top it off attempted to shut that fan club." Emiko pointed out, "I ain't siding anyone over who is in the right, but what Miko-sensei has done is worse than the fan club because, cause in a way, the fan club didn't hide their feelings about their idol while Miko-sensei did. And that itself is enough to seal the deal of a hypocrite, Ran-san."

Shinichi and others nodded in acknowledgement of Emiko's point silently.

"Anyway, that is the reason why Chika and I wanted you all to look into Miko-sensei's whereabouts," Yori suddenly interrupted them, "I don't buy a word from the principal that Miko-sensei would simply resign and leave the school out of nowhere, because of her love towards her ex, Ichirou-sensei. She ain't the type to simply pack up her things and leave, despite the fact that he is now seeing Haru-sensei. Plus, we both saw her corpse in the gym before it went missing."

"Same here," Chika agreed with her boyfriend knowingly, "I studied in that school longer than Yori, and there is no possible way that she would simply quit. Otherwise, she could've left last year."

Seeing Ranran's doubtful face, Ran was the first to try and convince her.

"Ranran, you should take the case. Cause who in their right mind quits their job just because their ex is dating someone else? That's like quitting your favourite ice cream flavour because they introduced a new topping." Ran exclaimed dramatically, waving his hands in disbelief.

"Yeah, it's super sus," Junko chimed in, doing a little detective dance with her fingers. "I mean, if I quit every time my ex didn't like me back, I'd be quitting life."

"I mean, seriously, Miko-sensei, she could've just joined the fan club and competed for Ichirou-sensei's attention. That would've been way more fun than quitting her job," Emiko added with a smirk.

"Or she could've just competed at some reality TV to win Ichirou's heart without losing the rose the bachelor had given her," Takuma suggested, mimicking some dance moves.

"Takuma, for the last time, the love in 'The Bachelor' ain't real." Shinichi insisted.

"I agree, reality TV is scripted." Michio voiced his opinion.

As the 6 other members of Tantei Association bickered among themselves, Ranran couldn't help but wonder what decision she should make regarding this intriguing case.

............................................................................

"Wait what!? Ranran, you can't be serious, right!?"

After Chika and Yori left, with Ranran informing them that they would reach a decision on a Saturday, she announced to everyone her rather ambitious yet questionable plan. "In what way this plan is wrong?" Ranran refuted the others.

"I am sorry, but you want to put cameras onto them." Junko pointed out while arguing, "As in you want them both to do undercover work for us."

"Why can't we just do the undercover work ourselves instead? Ain't that endangering their lives?" Shinichi suggests.

"You might be right, at the same time, however..."Ranran shrugged, undeterred by the scepticism. "Prestigious schools can't be underestimated, aside from attendance alone, I am certain their teachers and staff members memorize every child's name. If they find out that kids like us under a different school snuck in, they'd be suspicious immediately. And it won't do us good if our parents find out. Plus, with the recent news coverage about our major cases appearing in the media, we have to lay low. But these two, Chika and Yori, are already students there. So they have a perfect cover. Besides, they know the layout of the school, its schedule, and its staff. They can blend in without raising any red flags."

"But we should prioritize their safety. It's not like we're dealing with a typical case here."Michio chimed in while he brought up valid points, "A teacher is possibly murdered in that school, and someone covered it up."

"Especially killed execution style," Junko voiced out her concerns, "Of all the criminals we had dealt with, if what Yori and Chika confirm was the truth....they may not make it out alive."

"Also, I don't think Chika can do undercover work the way Yori does." Ran frowned, "In nature, she ain't a good professional liar, unlike Yori who is used to conning people before he quit."

Ranran smirked and raised her finger, ready to counter the arguments. "You might be right, but Chika has something that Yori doesn't."

Everyone gave Ranran a bewildered look.