1

it starts with a death

—

Haru was not having a good day. Her favourite aunt died last week, she failed her English quiz yesterday, and she was ninety-percent sure that her-not-quite-friend-but-I-guess-they-were-friends-because-of-shared-trauma friend Kyoko was dating Tsuna but neither party was willing to tell her (it had been a month, too). And she was pretty sure her father was still in shock from losing his only sibling, so she was the one tasked with planning and executing the funeral—and none of her friends, not the ones at Midori Middle or even Tsuna and his gang bothered to come check in on her! She's been gone for a week (she was forever appreciative of her school's policy on family deaths. Gracing students with a three-week break to mourn with the option of free therapy for a year was honestly something all schools should aspire to do!)

The icing on the cake was her aunt's lawyer, Hinata. As Haru was placing an order on floral arrangements for the funeral, he suddenly showed up at her door carrying a weathered brown suitcase. She sat him down in the living room and got some green tea ready for them. At first she thought she should get her father, but it broke her heart to hear his wracked sobs when she approached his door. He was in no position to be dealing with lawyers at this point, so she decided to do handle it.

When they were both settled, Hinata regarded her with a serious stare. Everything about his wrinkled face screamed forever serious, but his clothes were another story. The man wore a fuchsia suit with white polka dots and a tie that was decorated with cherry blossom petals.

"Ah, yes, you are Miura Haru, hmm?" he said, adjusting his old-fashioned spectacles. He opened his briefcase and pulled out what looked like a will. "Your aunt Yoriko has left you with everything in her will. You'll get her estate, her shares, and all of her money. "

Haru nearly dropped the teacup in her hand. "Hahi?"

"Hmm, yes, indeed," he nodded. "But there is a catch, young Miura."

Haru sighed. She couldn't catch one break this week.

"In order to successfully obtain everything detailed in this will," the lawyer said. "You'll have to find her murderer."

This time, the teacup clattered to the floor and shattered.

—

There was no police reported filed. Yet, Hinata insisted her aunt was murdered. When Haru and her father received her charred remains at the morgue to cremate, they told them that aunt Yoriko had been killed in an accidental fire at her condo in Tokyo. The fire was terrible, forcing them to identify her by her teeth. Horrific way to die, yes, but that didn't call for an investigation. Plus, the fire marshal said she was a victim of the faulty wiring in the new luxury condominiums popping up across downtown Tokyo.

It made sense to Haru then. After all, immediately after news broke that her aunt had died there were protests against the company responsible for these condos and eventually the entire country was swept up in watching scandal after scandal befall this company for the next few weeks. Allegations of manipulation, lying, bribery and what have you emerged. Soon after, arrests were made. The only good was the families of the victims were suiting for a class-action lawsuit against the company, which ate up most of her father's time. Between the suit, work and grieving over the loss of his sister, Haru had to pick up the slack on everything else: the funeral, the housework, groceries, and the will.

Ah, the will. Haru sighed, sinking further into the mountain of plushies and pillows on her bed. Hinata had left her a copy of the will, and some files that was filled with information revealing how foul play was involved in the fire and potential suspects for her to investigate. It sat on her desk and Haru felt like it was judging her.

Who the hell would kill aunt Yoriko, though? She sat up and sighed. Sure, aunt Yoriko was a ruthless conglomerate that essentially eviscerated small businesses and ate up start-ups, but people would get back at her with shady business deals, not murder!

A scarier thought came across Haru's mind: how would aunt Yoriko have the foreknowledge to know she'd be murdered?

Haru shivered. It was all too much for a Tuesday afternoon. Lying back down, she decided to sleep it off. Maybe when she wakes up, she'll find out that it was all a fever dream. Yeah, then she'll go to school, ace her English test, and then maybe go out for cake with Kyoko. The thought left her with a bitter smile.

Hours later, it was the click of a pistol's hammer that woke Haru up.