[Screen Shift – Tokyo High School, Morning]
Tokyo High School
The morning air felt heavier than usual.
Students gathered in clusters. Whispering. Shaking. Afraid.
Near the main building, yellow tape blocked the courtyard.
A girl's body lay covered with a white sheet.
Her name was Aiko Tanaka.
And today… was supposed to be normal.
[Screen Shift – Classroom 2-B]
Shun Wyclif sat by the window.
Calm. Observing.
Different.
He wasn't like other students. His eyes didn't show fear.
They showed calculation.
His best friend, Haruto, rushed toward him.
Haruto (whispering):
"Shun! Did you hear?! Aiko… she's dead!"
Shun slowly turned his head.
Shun:
"Not dead. Murdered."
Haruto froze.
Haruto:
"What? The teachers said she fell from the terrace!"
Shun looked outside the window toward the courtyard.
Shun (quietly):
"People don't fall forward when pushed from behind."
[Screen Shift – School Terrace]
Police officers were investigating.
One of them: Inspector Daichi Mori.
Shun stepped past the tape.
Officer:
"Hey! Students are not allowed here!"
Shun bent down near the edge of the terrace.
He touched the floor.
A faint scratch mark.
A broken button.
And something else…
A small piece of blue thread.
[Close-Up Scene]
Wind blows.
Shun's eyes narrow.
Shun (thinking):
"There was a struggle. She didn't jump. She resisted."
Inspector Mori approached him.
Inspector Mori:
"And what do you think you're doing, kid?"
Shun stood up calmly.
Shun:
"Solving your case."
The inspector laughed.
Inspector Mori:
"This isn't a game."
Shun held up the broken button.
Shun:
"It will be… if you arrest the wrong person."
Silence.
[Screen Shift – Flashback Reconstruction Mode]
(A web novel cinematic explanation scene)
Aiko stands near the terrace railing.
A boy approaches her.
They argue.
She tries to leave.
He grabs her arm.
She struggles.
Button breaks.
She scratches the floor.
He pushes her.
She falls.
[Back to Present – Terrace]
Inspector Mori:
"You're saying this is murder?"
Shun points to the railing.
Shun:
"The railing is too high for accidental falling. No suicide note. Scratch marks prove resistance. And the thread…"
He holds the blue thread up to the light.
Shun:
"It belongs to the school's male winter blazer."
Haruto gasps.
Haruto:
"So… the killer is a student?"
Shun's eyes scan the crowd below.
His voice drops.
Shun:
"And he's still watching."
[Screen Shift – Crowd Below]
A nervous boy in a blue blazer grips his sleeve.
One button missing.
Sweat on his forehead.
[Terrace – Confrontation]
Shun walks down the stairs.
Everyone parts.
The boy tries to leave.
Shun grabs his wrist.
Shun:
"You forgot something."
He holds up the broken button.
The crowd gasps.
Boy (shaking):
"It was an accident! She was going to tell everyone!"
Inspector Mori:
"Tell everyone what?"
The boy collapses.
Boy:
"We were cheating on exams together! She said she would confess!"
Silence.
The mystery… solved.
Before the police.
[Final Scene – Courtyard Sunset]
Inspector Mori lights a cigarette.
He looks at Shun.
Inspector Mori:
"You planning to become a detective?"
Shun adjusts his bag.
Shun:
"I already am."
Wind blows.
Students whisper his name.
And thus…
Shun Wyclif's detective life began.
End of Chapter 1