The group began investigating the crime scene. Each person took a corner: Derek inspected the windows and the far end of the hall, while Luo Yan examined the remaining area for evidence. Meanwhile, Noah stayed focused on the corpse, with Livia sitting beside it.
"What are you doing?" Noah asked Livia curiously. Instead of searching, she didn't seem to be doing anything—almost like him.
"I'm analyzing the body… What about you?" Livia asked, turning to Noah who stood behind her.
"I'm doing the same…" Noah replied. It seemed that each of them had a different approach to work—or maybe they were just too lazy to do anything.
"What do you see, then?" Livia asked curiously. Unlike what he expected, she didn't question his credibility.
"A story," Noah answered.
"Tell me, what story do you see?" Livia tilted her head, intrigued.
That's when Noah noticed something about the body. The outstretched arms looked parallel—not like she was crawling to escape, but as if they were placed that way intentionally. There were also bruises on her wrists.
"Well, from the blood pool in the center of the room, you can tell the killer stabbed the victim from behind there. In an attempt to escape, the victim crawled toward the window, hoping to flee," Noah explained calmly, pointing to the traces.
"I already figured that out. Don't you see anything new?" Livia asked. Everything Noah said made sense, but it was obvious enough that even a child could notice it just by glancing at the scene.
"…Actually, the victim didn't crawl. She was dragged from the stabbing spot to here. You can tell by the bruises and pressure marks on her wrists. The killer must have tried to move and hide the body, but was interrupted and left it as it is," Noah continued his analysis. Livia looked at the victim's wrists and saw the bruises, confirming his theory.
"You're right… But what does that prove?" Livia asked, standing up to face Noah.
"From what I saw at Elliot Winters's previous crime scene, the killer didn't touch the body, he left it exactly where it fell. So I think he's done the same with the other victims. But now, suddenly, his method changed. Killers don't usually change their methods unless there's a reason. In this case, the killer seemed rushed. Normally, there's a big gap between murders—five days, a week, or more—but now he killed two victims in less than three days. That's a shift… It suggests this killer isn't just someone who enjoys killing or vents through murder. He's on a mission, and time is running out. That's why he's hurrying," Noah explained, making Livia whistle excitedly.
"Where were you when we needed you… What you said makes perfect sense… So he's a professional killer on a mission. Someone must've given him a list of targets… It must be someone from the university—a student, a professor, or a staff member! Noah, do you see anything else?" Livia asked with a cheerful, innocent smile that made Noah hesitate.
"Umm, not much… But based on the location of the stab wound and the way the victim is facing, it seems she was facing the window. That means the killer came in through the door, saw her back turned, stabbed her, tried to drag her and flee—but was interrupted. His escape method is unknown. The windows are locked, and the only exit is the entrance," Noah added nervously. Livia's bright, innocent smile and eyes made him feel guilty and unsure of his analysis.
"No escape routes… unless his skill is his escape route!" Livia concluded, turning to Noah for confirmation.
"A skill like teleportation… Yeah, you might be right," Noah agreed, slightly nervous. There was a chance he was wrong, after all, he had never played the detective, even as a child. He was either the villain or the game director.
"Noah, you're a genius!" Livia exclaimed joyfully. She jumped toward him, hugged him tightly, and kissed his cheek. Luckily for her, Luo Yan wasn't paying attention. Then Livia pulled back slightly, wearing a charming and innocent smile before turning back to the corpse.
Noah stood frozen in place. Of course, a kiss on the cheek from a girl as pretty as Livia would make any guy blush and die of embarrassment, but Noah didn't feel those things. Only tension and worry. All he could think about was how his younger sister would react if she found out.
"S-She warned me not to talk to any girls, right? I broke the promise, and I got kissed… She'll kill me if she finds out!...L-Let's forget this and focus on the case. How am I thinking about silly stuff like this when there's a corpse in front of me?" Noah thought, scolding himself and trying to refocus on the case.
"Did you find anything?" Noah asked Livia nervously and curiously.
"Yes, but it only confirms your theory, that the killer changed his method because he's rushing. With the previous victims, all their wounds were clean cuts from a sharp weapon, like a blade. They kept bleeding long after death. It was a problem in the morgue. But this is the only victim killed by a stab, and her bleeding stopped… Maybe this killer has some kind of ritual he performs on the corpses before delivering the final blow that causes prolonged bleeding," Livia hypothesized. She was mostly speaking to herself—she didn't want to announce a theory that might derail the investigation—but Noah heard her.
"Rituals?…" Noah thought to himself, trying to recall Elliot Winters's crime scene and match it to this one to find any similarities. Unfortunately, he hadn't seen much and didn't get the chance to inspect that scene thoroughly.
"What a shame…" Noah muttered to himself in frustration. Either his memory wasn't strong enough, which was fair, or there simply wasn't anything there. Maybe he just wasn't smart enough to notice the details.
"Despite the change in the killing pattern, he still managed to hide all the evidence. No broken windows, no signs of struggle, one hit took down the victim without giving her any chance to react… Must be fun being a serial killer, huh? Taking lives without feeling guilt. Of course, to kill someone else, you have to kill your own living self, every emotion that could slow you down must be eliminated before you make a mistake....I think I might need this soon," Noah thought, glancing at Derek from the corner of his eye.
After several more minutes of searching, the group gathered again. From the expressions on Luo Yan and Derek's faces, it was clear they hadn't found anything.
"Nothing?" Livia asked rhetorically. She didn't wait for an answer and began scanning the room.
"The crime happened in a public area. Someone must've seen something, right?" Luo Yan asked, a bit anxious. She seemed more affected by the murder than the others—every time she got nervous, she hugged her arms to her chest, an unconscious sign of worry.
"You're probably right. There's a good chance the killer came through the door instead of the window. Someone must've seen something… Let's ask the people outside. There are a few students and workers—surely one of them saw something," Livia said, adjusting her detective hat slightly so it shaded one of her eyes, trying to look more like a real detective.
"Wait a second. Shouldn't we tell the university to remove the body? If a student sees it, panic might spread again," Derek suggested. Livia nodded in agreement.
"Alright then, I'll go notify the st—"
"Wait, please," Noah interrupted, sounding concerned.
"What is it, Noah? Did you notice something new?" Livia asked, her excitement growing.
"N-Not exactly, but I have a plan that might work," Noah proposed. A plan that might work—a bold claim, considering there was no solid evidence and the killer hadn't made a single mistake until today.
"What's your plan?" Livia asked, giving him the floor.
"If our theory is correct—that the killer performs some kind of ritual after killing—then he'll likely return to this body, since he was interrupted," Noah said. He sounded confident in the plan, even though there was nothing to prove it.
"Ritual?" Luo Yan asked, confused.
"We believe the killer performs rituals after every murder. We think so because every time he kills someone, the body remains in place, bleeding for an unusually long time, even though they're already dead and should've run out of blood. Despite that, he killed this victim with a quick stab from behind after entering through the door, then dragged her toward the window—there are bruises on her wrists that prove it. He was ready to perform his sick ritual, but he was interrupted and fled using a skill that allows instant teleportation," Livia explained, summarizing everything they had deduced to Luo Yan and Derek.
"All we have to do is leave the body here, set a trap, and wait for him to come," Noah added, building on Livia's words.
"Is there any proof these rituals exist? Any solid evidence beyond speculation?" Derek asked, clearly unconvinced by Noah's claim.
"It's just a hunch. If I were the killer, I wouldn't abandon my rituals," Noah replied, speaking with a confidence that made it sound like more than a simple hunch.
"A hunch isn't evidence," Derek retorted, opposing Noah as always. And truth be told, his logic wasn't wrong—hunches aren't proof.
"...You should know this. Have you ever abandoned your own rituals?" Noah asked Derek. Derek went quiet for a moment, sifting through fragments of his memory.
"...I suppose not. Do you miss those rituals, Mr. Grace?" Derek asked with a smug, provocative smile.
"Alright, that's enough. We'll go with Noah's plan. We have nothing to lose. And Derek—if you don't want to be there, then don't come," Livia said as she stepped between Noah and Derek. Her usual cheerful and friendly smile vanished, replaced by one of irritation.
"...No, I'll come. I want to see how badly this ends," Derek said as he turned and walked toward the exit.
"I'm leaving now—I've got things to do. And don't worry, Mr. Grace. Your secret is safe with me... along with our rituals," Derek said with a calmly arrogant smile before leaving the room.
"What in heaven's name is going on between you two?" Luo Yan asked, worried as always, placing a hand to her chest in nervousness.
"A lot happens between people, Luo Yan. Let's leave the boy to his thoughts and go question those outside," Livia said, wrapping an arm around Luo Yan's waist and pulling her along. Before stepping out, Luo Yan glanced back at Noah, who still stood frozen in place, staring at the corpse. Then she followed Livia out.
Once everyone had left, Noah sighed in frustration, running a hand through his hair and exhaling sharply.
"I truly won't regret it... when I kill you, Derek Miller."