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chirpsythismorning · 7 months ago

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The Vanishing of BLANK Wheeler

I wanted to make a list, from least likely to most likely, for which Wheeler I think is going to go missing.

But I also wanted to give a little disclaimer first, that even if these titles are real, they could still be fake, or could even possibly change given how much time we still have until s5 actually premieres.

For s2-3, the Duffers literally released official promo videos announcing episode titles for their upcoming season, with some of them changing when the season finally premiered.

Like in the case of s3 for example, they dropped a s3 episode promo video only a day after they completed filming. Meaning them titling 3x06 The Birthday, made absolutely no sense. They knew they didn't film anything birthday related for that episode. So they intentionally gave that one a fake name.

In the case of s4, that was the first time they promoted an upcoming season without giving fake titles, with the s4 promo announcing them following through with what we ended up with when s4 finally dropped.

I guess I sort of assumed s5 would follow in s4's footsteps, but from a leak standpoint, it might be smart to remember that fake titles are still a possiblity regardless. Especially in this case, where it's getting to the point in production where leaks are unavoidable. And so that might even explain why they play with this idea of fake episodes, which is because they can rest easy knowing leaks will mostly consist of half fake titles they planted there.

But for the sake of this post, lets humor the title for episode 2.

For starters, it's worth noting that the person who shared this leak originally said 'BLANK wheeler'. So as far as I know, they did not give any number of letters via underscores (_) to hint at who this Wheeler could possibly be. It's when ST news accounts caught wind of the leak and started rolling out posts, replacing BLANK with 5 underscores, that led a lot of fans to assume that the Wheeler had to have 5 letters in their name, which would have obviously ruled out Ted and Mike. But since all the Wheeler's are still on the table based on the original leak, they will all be included in this list.

5. Ted Wheeler

Believe it or not, there is something that I think actually warrants considering Ted as a possiblity.

There were some posts @stranger-chichka made a while back, comparing visual parallels between Stranger Things and Chernobyl, which could be hinting at this concept of Ted being in danger.

TBH though I think Ted being in danger or ending up dead is a possiblity regardless of him actually being the missing Wheeler.

Technically speaking, quite literally no one on the show is ruled out from being in danger at this point, so that's not saying much.

And considering the show is going to need to kill off some people next season and they are insistent on not killing any of their leads, supporting characters amongst the ranks have a high risk at being taken out. The emotional connection for Ted from the audience isn't as strong as other characters, but at least him being in close relation to a few main characters is something? I mean, he's funny I guess?

Quite frankly I don't think it's likely nor do I think it would actually make sense narratively for Ted to be the one to go missing out of all of them. I think it's a lot more likely they'd just kill him off, hence the Chernobyl parallels which imply he's gonna die. And so wasting time by having him go missing, only to kill him, just doesn't track. I think they'd just get that over with without dragging it out for very long, if anything.

Can you just imagine someone on the show shouting emotionally, It's Dad (Ted). He's gone.' Like, okay... And? I have a hard time imagining the characters being in serious turmoil over this, at least not enough for it to warrant like final season stakes amongst a bunch of other crazy shit happening. At best, the characters would be indifferently guilty for getting him roped into all this.

So yeah, I really don't see it happening.

4. Nancy Wheeler

I honestly feel like Nancy is even less likely to go missing than Ted, but the un-seriousness of an episode titled The Vanishing of Ted Wheeler is so astronomical, that I really had no choice but to put him last.

The reason I think Nancy is just very unlikely to go missing is because they technically already had her go missing as a cliffhanger between Vol 1 and 2 last season. It would just fall flat if they repeated something along those lines, with that same character, 3 episodes later. Vecna could have killed her and yet he didn't. His point was to send her a message, which was why he did what he did and then released her. The choice to target Nancy and taunt her about her family's safety in the first place, felt like their attempt at foreshadowing the danger that is to come for all of them, but one specifically. One of them that is not her. Which will make this moment back in s4 feel a lot more impactful upon rewatches.

So yeah, not feeling like Nancy is very likely.

3. Karen Wheeler

Karen is sort of a hard nut to crack all around. In the case that she is somehow connected to the Creels (Alice), anything is possible in terms of not only her being targeted, but again the entire family being at risk in some capacity. Without much to go off of outside of the obvious very haphazard timeline confusion, I feel like putting her somewhere in the middle. She was given a poster for s4. If she is Alice, then yeah it would make sense to target her. The stakes are also a lot stronger in comparison to Ted, because she was the parent in the family that actually came to Mike or Nancy and told them verbally that she wanted them to open up to her and is actually shown trying on several occasions. Whereas Ted is sort of just there when he's on screen. So the characters' distress would be a lot more dire and interesting to see unfold amongst everyone.

I also remember there being a leak in relation to Karen, Holly, Mike and Nancy all being at the hospital filming. And this was also like a day or so after ST dropped a video of Cara saying she was filming that day to hype up fans. So that leak did check out on the Karen front at least. Which puts her at the hospital at some point, potentially along with the rest of the Wheelers. Now that I'm thinking about it though, this could all fit with a Ted Wheeler death...

At this point, I'm sort of like indifferent to the possiblity, but it's still more likely than Ted and Nancy to me.

2. Holly Wheeler

It all goes back to s1, when Karen was visiting the Byers to console Joyce after Will went missing, when Holly sort of ventures off to Will's room, being guided by the lights, and sees the demogorgan in the wall.

I feel like people overlook this moment too, because it's kind of crazy that Holly has seen UD shit for herself. She was young enough that she could rule it out as just imagining things. And that could be partly the case even if she is skeptical.

There is something about Holly that makes her curious and sort of open to this world that most around her have no idea exists. And yet simultaneously some of the people closest to her do know about it and could easily clue her in when the time comes to do so, and because of that, I think she would probably be able to believe it all a lot faster than others.

Maybe this is a story where things need to happen and it just always ends up this way, but she has this tendency to be included in things that feel very important. Like in s4 with her playing with the lite-brite, and how that ended up being used to communicate with the others in the UD. There's this almost clairvoyance vibe about her. Her feeling the need to follow the Christmas lights to Will's room and her noticing and then fixating on the trees in s3.

Like I said, I don't know if it's something deeper, but it very well could be in the case she is connected to the Creels.

And while that is all somewhat compelling, at the same time it also feels very convoluted. Even if the Wheelers are Creels, I don't think that means the Wheelers would have powers, given that Henry got them when he was a child, meaning none of his family could have gotten them unless they too were taken in by the lab at some point, or were born with it.

Though I'm being full serious when I say the theories about Mike having time powers or maybe just manifestations from his emotions connected to the powers of others around him is one of my favorite theories of all time. I want it to happen. It would be cool. But that just opens the door to all of the Wheelers in my opinion, assuming his time powers came from being related to Henry. And if it was done that way, I feel like it would add way too much confusion to the story, where now all the Wheelers are gonna need to have powers, and then as a result would just takes away from the uniqueness that is already associated with Henry, El and potentially Will. One person potentially having powers without us knowing until the end aka Will, is enough honestly. Adding the Wheelers to the mix might be a bit much.

I'm also not totally convinced of the Wheeler's being Creels, and yet I also can't seem to want to rule it out entirely. But the prospects of Holly having powers or some sort of ability and just going through the same thing as Will when he was young and unaware of his powers, who is just now finding out the truth about his experiences... It just feels like serious whiplash honestly, when they haven't spent much of any time on Holly up to this point.

Like what are the stakes here exactly? What makes her disappearance and what that would look like compelling, on her front specifically? Because sure, I can see it being compelling watching the perspective of those around her reacting to this, what they would do to try to save her and all that, but what does that mean for her exactly? Are we going to see what she's doing? Are they going to hide it from us like they did with Will and then have to spend even more time uncovering it later on. And what does she even gain from being alone and taunted by Vecna presumably? What does the audience gain from witnessing that sort of event? There isn't a lot of story to explore there, outside of maybe making direct parallels to Will in s1? And then wouldn't that sort of take away from the importance of Will's role in it all just now being uncovered, if it all just repeats for Holly?

Which brings me to something that I see a lot of people using as strong evidence for why it has to be Holly, which is the fact that they recast her character.

What I think people are failing to consider is the fact that the twins who were cast to play Holly originally, were like 3-4 years old while filming s1. They weren't just kid actors, they were damn near baby actors. And while I know a big part of the reason why they gave Holly such few lines over the years was because the actors were aging way faster than the character they played, I think another factor could have been the fact that their acting experience is near nothing outside of Stranger Things, which is also pretty little on its own as well given that they have very few lines on the show.

It's not at all uncommon for child actors, let alone toddler actors to leave the industry once they start getting older. It could be for personal reasons, like wanting to explore other ventures, or it could be that they just don't perform as well with all the added expectations that come with acting as a character who is a kid with a lot of lines vs. a baby with 2 lines.

The girls got cast because at the time, they were able to perform as well as a 3 year old possibly could and would be expected to be in that role. But does that skill carry forth as they grew older? When now they have to deliver full sentences and carry conversations for scenes that are longer than 5 minutes? They've never really had to do that up to this point. Is it something that they feel comfortable with doing? Is their performance believable and is it something the writers feel confident about?

Honestly, I think they might have recast Holly, not because I think she is going to be targeted and focused on as this missing person they have to find, going through a near identical situation to 11 year old Will, but because they simply want her to be more apart of the story in general. And maybe because either the twins and/or the production didn't feel that they would be able to perform it in the way that they wanted it to be done.

And I mean, even if Holly isn't the one to go missing, one of the Wheelers is going to go missing based on this leak. If it was one of her parents, she would get a lot more scenes than she has in the past. If it was one of her siblings, again it would make sense for her to be more involved with the story. No matter what she is going to have a bigger role.

So no I don't think her being recast is as strong enough of proof as some might believe. If anything I think there is much stronger evidence that, like Karen, if they are related to the Creels, Holly is as fair game as any of them. The stakes could be high because she i such s a child. And her parents and Nancy and Mike worrying about her seems like something they would obviously do because she is so innocent and completely ill-equipped to endure something like that. But like I said, I just can't picture an focus like that on her, for her character, being very compelling given that Holly isn't really someone that needs like alone time with us witnessing it...

But there is one Wheeler left, and boy oh boy would he benefit from being alone.

1. Mike Wheeler

The most simple explanation for why it makes sense for it to be Mike, is that he genuinely benefits more than anyone when it comes to being alone with his thoughts, and with the audience watching. There's a lot of stuff dude has to work through in his own head, and since they haven't really let us have a moment alone with him that isn't under ten seconds since s3, an episode or two dedicated to making that a priority would make him coming back and things building up to the end, feel a lot more earned.

The audience needs to feel confident about how Mike feels about things. It can't be a guessing game for much longer when so many different factors are involved.

And while I think Mike may be the strongest possiblity in terms of the value it would add to the overall story is compelling enough to put him at number 1, the evidence supporting it happening is even stronger.

If we want to be crazy we can go back to the beginning. Plenty of fans have already speculated about how Mike is always late at the start of every season and how that might play into the beginning of season 5 again. I made a post about this recently and speculated it would happen one last time around the 15 minute mark. And maybe I was wrong... but maybe I was also right? Because if the second episode is called The Vanishing of Mike Wheeler, it's likely Mike's fate wouldn't be confirmed by the opening of 5x01, but in fact the closing scene of 5x01.

Throughout the show Mike plays a key role in leading the others, he's even referred to as 'the key' in s3 by Hopper. You know this show and their keys, they don't joke about that sort of thing. It's likely that Mike's story and what it is leading to is going to be central to how all of this ends.

Also in s3, there is one scene in particular that I think could be hinting at Mike being targeted, along with the s4 main poster with all of the characters. In the poster, we see El at the top, with Max and Mike as near equals on each side of her. Of course their roles are central and that's a fair layout on it's own arguably, but the equal-ness provided to Mike and Max feels very intentional. While she is slightly bigger than Mike in the frame, that could be a hint in regards to her being central now in s4, with Mike joining the mix alongside her in s5. Honestly, they could have made it so these two were beside other characters that also played a huge role in s4, and yet they chose those two to give a specific focus to. I think that is interesting (and probably intentional).

But if I'm being honest, there are so many moments in s4 specifically that hint at Mike being in danger, that I will not be able to include it all in detail in this post. So I'm going to link those below and then build off of some of it with some new details I've recovered that are worth re-contextualizing again with all of this in mind.

Hints regarding Mike and Will being targets of the town, but Mike specifically being focused on after the word 'missing' is said...

I'm gonna expand on this one because I think it's important to recognize the massive curtain in the background as this is all happening. And I vaguely reference this concept here as well which is worth checking out. But not is this whole concept of the curtain pretty blatant in this episode, this scene of the town all fleeing to hunt down hellfire club, is followed directly after, by this:

Notice how Mike is nearly always central in these moments? And how what follows feels eerily similar to what is about to go down at the end of s4 aka Suzie = Mike.

Now, this has already been talked about plenty so I won't go into detail, but... based on everything else happening surrounding this, this would apply to Mike in the sense that not only is he not in love with El, he's gay and in love with Will aka a boy. A BOY!

And then this mention of 'the terrible truth'. This word has been used like 3 times in the last few minutes. First intensely during Jason's speech about a terrible truth, with Ted and Karen being focused on with the Mike and Will extra in the background.

But what is even more crazy is that what follows sort of seals the deal for me that, this IS about Mike and it's foreshadowing what is about to come in s5.

5:02... 5x02!!!!

Also peep the watch and the letter from Dustin under it... I don't want to speculate but lettergate is looking extra relevant within all of this as well...

And to close off this point, lets show the shot that follows directly after this one.

Then later in the season, after Nancy is back from being taken by Vecna, here we have this long and emotional pause before she says Mike's name, last after her mom and Holly.

If they wrote and filmed this scene, knowing Mike would be the Wheeler missing early s5, it would make sense for them to list off the characters like this.

Mike peeking in the frame at this moment is not suspicious at all...

If it wasn't enough that Jason hyped up the whole town to see the Hellfire club as their enemy responsible for all of this, here we have a focus on Mike specifically being targeted by Jason.

The Duffer's statement about the show overall in the Piggyback script, and I gotta say it fits Mike a lot more than any of the other Wheelers.

Mike is a Paladin. And when they break an oath, they might spend an all-night vigil as a sign of penitence... aka everything is going to come to a head and Mike is going to be alone dealing with this shit for a bit, until he can come back ready to face it.

And I know it's controversial, but this post explains perfectly why Mike being central to this would make the show go full circle in a really compelling way.

Mike hasn't really unpacked...

Karen lookalike standing in front of the missing persons board. Could be any one of them but still, considering the costume of this extra looks closer to what Karen was wearing when she reunited and hugged Mike... I'm gonna put it more so with him.

Mike's guilt and shame regarding the past and what it has led them to could also play a big role and why him going missing would be worthwhile to explore. Part 1 / Part 2

Mike paralleling Yuri, who eventually reveals the truth (in his pocket) after stalling. If Mike parallels him all throughout the start of that moment, what does that mean for how it ends for Mike?

An antique funeral home fan behind Mike in the s4 character promo photos in the Creel attic, how Mike is seen sitting before Will sits beside him shortly after and it involving upside down imagery, Mike's first line in the show being used to later foreshadow his fate in early s5, and also bringing it back to Suzie's house which I already went into but it might be helpful to look at it again from this lens.

The Duffers would not pass up on the opportunity to parallel Mike with Finn's other character Richie in IT, which is literally based on a book that heavily inspired ST in the first place. And how all of that plays into the queer-coding for Mike going all the way back to s1.

The Duffers revealed after posting the funko-pop shotplanning pictures (2) that they were finished with planning for 5x01-5x02.... meaning this shot of Mike all by himself, is going to occur in one of those episodes...

We could still hypothesize Holly is the one to be taken, given that she doesn't have a funko and so they couldn't include her here regardless. But the fact that Nancy is with the other seems to imply to me that they are all likely working together to get Mike back, who is alone.

This one is a little more hard to pinpoint for sure, but it comes from a BTS Ross posted recently.

We are clearly in the Wheeler's house here. And if you zoom in, it looks like someone is standing (hiding?) behind a doorway/curtain. And the only person that seems to fit it imo is Mike... But why would he be hiding in his own house...?

It just makes me think about what is going on with Mike in early s5. What would be occurring that has him in this sort of situation? And it makes me wonder if him going missing has solely to do with him being taken and gone in one single moment, or if it could involve him avoiding his family and others potentially, with him being taken after that.

Lastly, I'm going to go into more choppy territory, stuff I know only a couple of people will actually consider. But it is pretty fucking fitting of what is about to go down so I can't not mention it.

In the Puzzle Tales' most recent Hellfire Campaign, this is the title...

Like the whole chapter is just a big joke on Mike about him being scared to be alone, which is painfully ironic if this is the direction the show is about to go for the next 2 upcoming episodes.

And then we have a song WSQK posted on Twitter back in January. I know people don't believe that this account is connected with anyone in the production, which is fair because I myself rarely believe leaks from anonymous accounts as it is. But I've been keeping up with it and it genuinely doesn't seem like a fan could come up with these songs.

The song I'm about to mention is the 7th song they posted, called Army Dreamers by Kate Bush. And you might fight it sounds a lot like the situation Mike might find himself in in early s5.

And though I'm sure I didn't cover everything, I feel like all the things I've mentioned and referenced from other posts are plenty to at least consider this as opposed to rejecting it all together.

At the end of the day I think there are some valid arguments for all of them to some extent. And quite frankly all of the Wheelers and most of the characters in the show will find themselves in danger in a way that is going to probably last longer than just one single moment the entire season. So even if it's just one of them, I don't think that rules out the others playing a bigger role in what is going down.

I just think narratively, there is one person that benefits from being on-screen and alone with their thoughts. And the other 4 being confronted with what that person discovers eventually will also make all of this a lot more worthwhile than any of the other options in my opinion.

#byler #stranger things #st5 theory #st5 speculation #mike wheeler #mike wheeler run #I think i'm going to just not tag a bunch like i usually do because jesus this was long and I think I got my point across #if you're still not convinced and think it's more likely to be one of the other wheelers that's fine #as long as it's not ted bc i can't take that episode title seriously i just can't #also if there are errors it’s bc I only edited this 50x instead of 100x like I usually do #I’ll come back later to check so sorry for what I imagine is a bunch of confusing parts 😭

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1eaf-me-alone · 4 months ago

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𝕿𝖍𝖊 (𝖚𝖓)𝖘𝖔𝖑𝖛𝖊𝖉 𝖇𝖎𝖗𝖙𝖍𝖉𝖆𝖞 𝖒𝖞𝖘𝖙𝖊𝖗𝖞

Summary: In which you've planned a birthday party for Heizou but disguised it as a murder case to solve.

Genre: Murder mystery

Warnings: None.

length: 5.5k words

Other: gn!reader, reader and Heizou are in an established relationship, this was just meant to be a silly little fic for Heizou’s birthday but turned out a lot longer than expected

A/n: Was meant to be posted on Heizou’s birthday, so I apologise for the lateness of this fic.

Reblogs and comments appreciated

— — — — — — — — — — — — — —

It was Heizou’s birthday today, but it wouldn’t have looked like it at first glance.

He sat at his desk, a familiar sight, engrossed in jotting down meticulous notes for an ongoing case. Now and then, he would pause to take a thoughtful sip from the well-worn mug resting nearby or shuffle around to gather additional paperwork and documentation. It was a notably grey and overcast day, burdened with the weight of administrative tasks that demanded attention. Amidst the flurry of activities, recent cases had surfaced, requiring careful sorting, prioritisation, and processing. At this moment, Heizou was attempting to crack down on a case which had puzzled him for a while now. He sighed, resting his hand on his forehead, and glanced at the watch on his wrist.

5:00 pm.

Half an hour to go until his shift was over. Although he never really stopped working. Shaking his head, he focused back on the case at hand. He was currently investigating a particularly puzzling case regarding the whereabouts of a lost pet. Indeed, clues were sparse, and he had made little progress thus far. It was frustrating, really. He stared at the typed letters on the document, hoping to squeeze something out of it- a clue, a location, an idea- something he could have missed. As he shifted in his seat and picked up the documents to inspect them more closely, a clear knock on the door disturbed him.

“Come in.” He turned his head towards the door as it opened. The person hesitated, but then stepped into the room.

It was Aoki, one of the Tenryou Commission officers, who often guarded the outskirts of Chinju Forest, and other such areas, whilst occasionally passing on information or physical documentation for cases. As it happened, tonight he was holding a note in his hand.

“Detective Heizou, this is for you.”

He bowed curtly and placed the note on the desk.

The note was folded. Heizou glanced at it and then opened the drawer in his desk, where he took out some disposable gloves from the compartment and proceeded to open the note.

He glanced back at Aoki. “You’ve got to be careful to not smudge the paper or add any new fingerprints - it’s important for the sake of maintaining future evidence.”

The note had two folds. Cautious to not add any creases, Heizou gently opened it. He frowned. Only a couple of sentences written down. It read:

I saw a murder in Chinju Forest. The perpetrator dragged the body away before I could identify them. I am not sure where they took the body.

- anonymous

He furrowed his eyebrows and looked up towards Aoki.

“When did you receive this note?”

“A little after 4:00 pm today. Another Tenryou Commission guard passed it on from close to the Kamisato Estate.” He seemed nervous when he answered this.

“That’s not possible, given the state of the writing. The writing has an area that is smudged - possibly because it was closed hastily before the ink had time to dry properly.

He lifted the note towards the light of his lamp, lifting the monocle he always had in hand to his eye.

The crinkled parts of the paper, thicker areas of the handwriting, and the carefully considered appearance of some lines suggest that someone had applied significant pressure to this page. The handwriting also appears shaky in certain areas, suggesting that it was either written by someone of old age or written very slowly, with an awareness of who the reader to this note might be. He stroked his chin whilst thinking this.

“Look.” He pointed towards the page. “There seems to be a pressure change in the handwriting.”

Aoki shuffled closer towards Heizou, peering towards the note. “I’m sure it doesn’t mean much.”

Heizou shook his head. “You can’t cross anything out in a case. Any evidence is good evidence.” He paused, then spoke again, “I wonder why the writer tried to change their handwriting.”

He tapped the letter gently, pointing towards the signature. “It’s signed anonymously, so why did they take the extra step to conceal their identity?”

Unless, of course, I know them personally and they feared I could recognise their handwriting.

Heizou squinted at the note in his hand, then turned the page over, once, twice.

“I recognise this paper. They’re sold in stacks in the Yae Publishing House, not too far away from here.”

He tapped his hands on the desk.

If the anonymous person who wrote the note came from Mt. Yougou, then why was the paper purchased here? They could have bought it at an earlier date, but Yae Publishing House recently changed their formula of paper. There are plenty of stationery shops all over Inazuma, specifically near Mt. Yougou. Despite this, it was most definitely sourced from the Yae Publishing House.

Heizou furrowed his eyebrows again, spotting yet another confusing part of the note.

“This note is quite peculiar, I mean, even the message itself is phrased strangely–”

Before he could utter another word, he heard a knock from the door. This time, the knock was light and airy.

“Come in.”

Your head peeked in from around the side of the door in Heizou’s office (and upon seeing you, a small smile appeared on his face) You sauntered in, your eyes immediately honing in on the note. You glanced at the lettering and frowned.

“I see you’re working on another murder case.” (Although it was evident that was what he was doing, you proclaimed it anyway.) “If you want, I can help you solve it.”

How did they know it was specifically a murder case? I haven’t even shown them the note.

Heizou furrowed his eyebrows, a little taken aback by your sudden enthusiasm and change in normal tonality. It was almost as if you were hiding something from him. It had been a while since you had solved a case with him. Occasionally, you provided commentary or advice on particular cases or helped to organise Heizou’s thoughts, but this sudden enthusiasm on your part was particularly curious.

Heizou shook his head. “It’s okay. I’m about to end this shift soon, and besides, it’s quite a strange case.”

You frowned, a look of disappointment emerging from your eyes.

“You know, I would really like to solve a murder case with you since we haven’t solved one together in a while... Maybe we could start on it now?”

Your gaze was shifting between him and the door and you shuffled your feet, as if there was a hurry to leave.

He stared, puzzled at the abnormality of your actions, glancing back at the note, and then at you, who stood adamantly in front of the door. The pieces of the puzzle slid together, and then it clicked.

A small smile tugged at the edges of Heizou’s lips.

They’re throwing a surprise birthday party for me, and masking it as a murder mystery, aren’t they?

Heizou shook his head and huffed a silent laugh.

“You’re right. We haven’t solved a murder together, and perhaps your intellect could help me with this mystery–I am confused by this note.”

You attempted your best to hide your smile and nodded enthusiastically, pushing Heizou towards the door and flinging it open to find a group of familiar people standing there.

Yoimiya, Itto, Shinobu, Sara, and Kokomi, along with a couple of other Tenryou Commission officers and colleagues of Heizou, all stood outside, almost as if they were waiting for him.

“What are you all doing here?”

They all spoke at once, in a manner which made it impossible to understand what was being said. Eventually, everyone fell silent, and Shinobu stepped forward.

“We heard about the note from the murder case while Aoki came to deliver it to you. Could we help you solve the murder?”

How did she know it was a murder?

The rest of the group nodded, Yoimiya grinned, and Itto added, “Wouldn’t it be nice to solve something together as friends?” While saying this, he patted Shinobu’s back, perhaps a little too strongly, as she stumbled forward.

The smile which had been tugging on Heizou’s face before re-emerged.

“Well, I suppose you’re all here now. We can start with Chinju Forest since that’s where the victim sighted the murder.”

Having uttered these words, everyone marched towards the forest. Itto, Kokomi and Shinobu took the lead, whilst Yoimiya and Sara walked beside you, next to the Tenryou Commission officers who roamed in groups.

________

You walked a little behind Heizou, ambling through the cobbled stone road of Inazuma City. Glancing ahead towards him, a bemused grin crept upon your face. It seems as brilliant a detective as he was. For now, you appeared to have fooled him. You had spent all last night attempting to change the style of your writing, but worrying Heizou would recognise it, had begged Sara to take part in your plan to deceive him and aid in the surprise birthday. Not only had you taken the time to ask someone else to write the letter, but had asked her to change the style of her writing and way of speaking in said letter. You had thought yourself quite clever in coming up with this and upon looking at Heizou now; it seems he was clueless about your doing.

He has absolutely no idea.

————

After a little walking, all of you eventually arrived at Chinju Forest and started wondering about, looking for any clues to this peculiar murder case.

You looked around to see if Heizou was watching you, and noticing that he was currently a lot further away than you, you took the chance to grab Yoimiya and pull her behind one tree in the forest.

Checking once more that Heizou was not looking in your direction, you leaned in, attempting to be as quiet as possible when you spoke.

“Have all the preparations been made for Heizou?”

She nodded enthusiastically.

“Good. Is the cake ready?”

Again, Yoimiya nodded. “Yes, it’s behind the shrine on a table. You’ll find it if you walk straight and turn behind the cherry blossoms.”

You flashed a smile. “Perfect.”

You paused a second, and then frowned. “I hope Sayu is in position. I told her to meet us here at around 5:30 pm, but I haven’t seen her anywhere yet… hopefully she hasn’t fallen asleep again.”

Yoimiya comforted your worries, and feeling more reassured than a few minutes ago and having finished the conversation with her, you walked out of the bushes as if nothing ever happened, continuing to investigate for clues.

———

On the other side of the path, Kokomi and Sara wandered about the bright red shrines in the forest. The two of them sat under the steps, chatting and fervently whispering about the details of Heizou’s party. Insistent in wanting to aid you with further preparations, Kokomi had done most of the work regarding the cake decorations, since you were already busy with the general decorations, venue choice, cake flavours and food. Sara had been busy at work the last few months, and unable to play a huge role in the birthday preparations, was still glad she could cherish a night with a friend of hers.

Meanwhile, Itto and Shinobu had split ways and begun looking towards the cobbled pavement of the forest, making a show of inspecting the rocks. Itto paused, turning towards Shinobu. “aren’t you excited for the surprise-” Shinobu shot him a stern look, shushing him before he could say another word. “Be quiet. We don’t want anyone to hear you.” He nodded, immediately understanding her caution, but proceed to talk (albeit, a little quieter) “Oh, but I do want to see the look on his face when he realises it’s—” again, Shinobu shushed him, repeating that he had to lower his voice or their efforts would be for nothing. She patted his back lightly, whispering, “The best thing to do is to not talk about it, or else the surprise might be ruined.” He nodded again, but this time listened to what she said, focusing on his part in conveying a convincing murder. Itto lifted a couple rocks off of the ground, turning them and placing them back down. He repeated this task, occasionally commenting, “Can’t find nothing here,” a little obnoxiously.

The Tenryou Commission officers had also parted ways with each other and mingled around in the forest. Some of them walked up and down the pathways, whilst others gathered next to the brushes and trees, crouching to inspect the surrounding area. Ishizaki and Motosuke were chatting a little behind the others. Although they rarely had a chance to help Heizou with his cases, and mostly sent in reports on the daily, they still respected him greatly, and were happy to see him taking a break from his work (although, really at the moment he was doing what he usually does at his job.) Most of the officers didn’t have an active hand in aiding with the birthday decorations, but aided in keeping everyone together and maintaining the surprise. It wasn’t often that everyone had the chance to hang out like this, and most of the officers were just having fun enjoying the element of surprise and mystery (for most of them, although aware it was a surprise, were unaware of exactly what the ‘murder’ entailed, nor what you had planned.)

Heizou trudged towards the brushes in the forest, inspecting the leaves for any sign of disturbance. He concluded after a brief inspection that the leaves were perfectly normal.

_______

“All of you, come over here!” Heizou heard Itto exclaim from a dozen metres away.

You hastily made your way towards him, and he pointed towards the ground. On the floor, there were splatters of crimson which had stained the pavement and were currently dripping into the cracks of the ground.

Heizou crouched down to inspect it. The liquid was slithering quickly down the cracks through the path.

He looked about, drawing closer towards the criminal evidence, and leaning on the floor next to it. Heizou shook his head, glancing at the supposed red liquid that was meant to be blood.

This blood is fake. It hasn’t got the same viscosity or density as actual blood, nor is the colour correct unless the victim suffered a blood type disorder.

He watched the ‘blood’ seep down into the grass, staining anything in its way. He stood up from his crouching position, dusting off the dirt from his legs.

(Besides Heizou, you admired how realistic you had made the blood look.)

He glanced back at you, seeing the anticipation in your face. He didn’t want to ruin the surprise.

“The blood is fresh. Its colouration tells me that.”

Heizou looked around the forest.

“It’s interesting how there is only a splatter of blood here. The bushes seem a little dishevelled–there are twigs on the floor; perhaps a fight occurred. I suggest we keep moving forward to look for more clues.”

Everyone nodded, confirming his theory. Heizou trudged along forward in the forest. And then he stopped.

From behind him, Heizou heard the rustling of bushes, the snapping of a twig, and an incessant snore. The wind whistled as something moved from behind the trees.

The bushes swayed, and a familiar figure rolled out of them. She yawned and stretched her arms, looking tiredly around towards you and the others.

Everyone else followed behind him, peering closer to look down at the figure.

“Sayu! There you are,” you exclaimed.

There you are? Was Sayu’s encounter also planned?

She yawned again, lazily blinking her eyes.

“What are all of you doing here?” She sat up from the previous position she was in.

Sara was the one to speak this time. “We’ve all become aware of a murder case Heizou was trying to solve–”

She didn’t finish the sentence before Itto jumped in. “Would you like to help us investigate this mystery?”

Sayu paused a second, blinking her eyes slowly, and stretched her arms before she stood up from the ground. “I’ve been told walking helps for growth, so I will help you, as long as I’m able to take a few breaks to nap along the way.”

Yoimiya added, “It is quite a puzzling mystery, but I’m glad to have you aboard.”

Sayu walked up toward Kokomi and looked up at her. Without hesitation, she picked her up and placed her to sit on her shoulders. Sayu squealed in temporary fear but stabilised herself and held Kokomi tightly. She kicked her legs gently back and forth, and despite looking as if she hadn’t slept in days (although you were sure she had just taken a 4-hour nap) excitement glinted in her eyes.

A small frown appeared on Heizou’s face. It’s strange, I’m sure the two of them have never met before-

You interrupted his thoughts with your voice as you pointed towards the outskirts of the forest.

“I think I see some blood over there. We should check it out.”

The others nodded.

“In that case, let’s get on with investigating this murder.”

______

Many clues later, (which involved a wild bake-danuki chase, a spiritual cleansing ritual, an interrogation with a confused-looking shrine maiden, a riddle-off with an abyss mage, and plenty of other small shenanigans) you all eventually arrived at Narukami Shrine.

The sky gleamed with countless twinkling stars. The tranquil evening air enveloped the city like a soft, comforting blanket, and from the shrine, one could see the panoramic view of Inazuma City.

As you wandered along the shrine, you couldn’t help but be enchanted by its exquisite beauty. The sakura trees had blossomed, adorning the surroundings with their delicate hues of pink. A gentle breeze played with the fallen leaves, causing them to dance through the air before softly alighting on the ground.

You found yourself captivated not by the surrounding scenery, but by the man standing before you. As you held his hand, you couldn’t help but admire every small detail of his face - the gentle curve of his nose, the little moles beneath his eyes, and the tousled charm of his hair. A deep redness flushed your cheeks.

Heizou glanced back at you, noticing how your eyes focused on him. After months together, he still felt the warmness flushing his cheeks.

“It’s such a beautiful night,” you remarked, and he nodded.

You clasped his hand in yours, walking on the stone pavement. The two of you had distanced yourselves a little from the crowd, and for that, you were happy, since there wasn’t much of a chance to talk during the evening.

Heizou hummed, “I don’t particularly go to Narukami Shrine often, save for the rare cases which occur here.” He quickly added, “... such as the one brought upon me tonight, which really still puzzles me now.”

You gently squeezed his hand and reassured him, “I’m confident that you’ll be able to solve it. After all, you’re one of the cleverest people in Inazuma.” He raised an eyebrow in surprise and questioned, “One of the cleverest?” A mischievous smile formed on your lips as you playfully replied, “Well, you still haven’t managed to surpass my intelligence.” His laughter filled the air as he responded, “Oh, really? As clever as you may be, I have yet to witness your intelligence being put to good use.” Before you could retort, a loud noise interrupted your conversation, capturing both of your attention from ahead.

You both heard someone falling on the ground, followed by a scream.

“It’s the body! The body!”

Upon hearing Sayu scream, Heizou ran to where the commotion had occurred. Everyone gathered around the body on the floor. The darkness made it hard to see who or what it was.

“Does anyone have a light?”

Heizou searched his pockets, looking for a light or anything that could help. It was to no avail, since all he possessed was a magnifying glass, a pen, and a couple of scribbled notes from previous cases.

The others whispered in an agitated manner, scrambling around and causing a grand commotion around the body.

“I’ve got an idea,” Yoimiya exclaimed, and breaking Heizou’s line of thought, she pointed her bow towards the sky and shot some arrows. They grew and exploded into bright fireworks. Everyone crouched down towards the body.

Yae Miko lay on the ground, her body drenched in crimson. Her eyes were closed, and she was contorted in an unnatural position. Itto gasped and collapsed, while Sayu screamed once again. Yoimiya sobbed, and Kokomi found solace in Sara’s arms. The officers of the Tenryou Commission gathered around Yae Miko, whispering in confusion. Heizou, however, couldn’t help but stifle a laugh. He commended your efforts in involving Yae Miko herself, as it was no small accomplishment. With a dramatic crouch, he inspected the body, which was covered in the same red liquid as in Chinju Forest. Yae Miko’s head was tilted to the side, with one arm shielding her face. Dust and rocks clung to her clothing, particularly in the visible areas. Upon closer examination, it appeared as if the rocks were sprinkled on top almost as an afterthought, mixing with the supposed blood. Interestingly, the blood only stained Miko’s legs and face, avoiding any damage to her attire.

The injuries and positioning of the blood are inconsistent. Yae Miko is clearly breathing on the ground, visible by the slight rise and fall of her chest, and the colouration of her skin can’t be that of a body which has been lying in the elements for hours…

But he had to go along with it.

The screaming and sobbing continued in the background, with Itto wailing, “No, no, it can’t be!”

Heizou stood up shakily, looking around until everyone had their attention on him. “The murder is fresh. There seem to be injuries on the front and sides, which indicates an expected assault. It appears that Miko attempted to fight back, as seen by the evident signs of a struggle on her face. She died quickly, within minutes or seconds, even. The wounds show it was a purposeful stab for the aorta- a crucial part of the heart. It would have killed her almost instantly.”

He crouched down again, this time making it appear as if he was inspecting the body. A couple of beats of silence passed.

“She’s really…dead.”

He whispered. Clasping his mouth, tears silently fell down his cheek. His breathing shook, and he trembled.

It was a little overdramatic, but he had to continue this act.

He stood up from the crouching position he was previously in and paused. Wiping the tears and making a show of shock and upset.

He murmured, “The murderer is among us.”

(Everyone gasped loudly, Itto protested, Sayu continued to cry and both Sara and Shinobu stood in awe.)

He appeared to ignore everyone’s reactions and began to talk.

“It’s simple, really. You all made a show of trying to aid the murder mystery when it was one of you all along.”

Heizou walked away from the body and towards the people, circling everyone and eventually stopping to point at Itto.

“You could have murdered Yae Miko. You lost the last Kitsune Ramen eating contest.” Heizou stated. Itto gasped. ‘Yes, I know about that. Your losing the contest has led you to a large unpaid sum, thus being in debt. And, of course, you don’t have the money for it. So you decided to, well, end her.”

There was complete silence. A mix of shock and disbelief crossed onto people’s faces.

But then he shook his head. “No, my intuition tells me it wasn’t you. Carrying out such an intricate plan requires delicacy and thought.”

He turned his attention towards Sara. “You hold great respect towards Yae Miko unless she disobeys the Shogun. If she disobeys the Shogun, you would lose all your respect for her, and perhaps that would be enough for you to want to kill her.

He hummed in discontent, “But I can tell that the murderer was not you.”

He strolled towards Kokomi. “Isn’t it a little strange that you were in Inazuma City today? Usually, you’re occupied with your duties on Watatsumi Island..but today, you happened to be near the area of the murder.”

But again, he shook his head. “The crime was brutal and bloody. I don’t think you would have done it.”

The others quivered in fear as Heizou continued to walk up to different individuals, breaking down as to why they could have been the murderer, explaining their motives and potential acts.

He turned towards you, enjoying the fact he was making absolutely everything up, and adding nonsensical clues whilst blaming random people. It was quite fun, really. Until he realised you were no longer there.

He frowned. Calling your name, but receiving no answer.

“Where is–”

The others chattered over each other in panicked whispers of ‘Where did they go?’ and ‘Has the murderer struck again?’

Heizou feigned panic on his face, walking up and down in an agitated manner.

The others scrambled to help him find you, an equal look of alarm on their faces.

Sayu, who had fallen asleep, jolted right up and began to catch up quickly with the others.

Itto shouted your name, his voice booming in the previously quiet air.

A couple of officers began frantically searching around the area.

“I see them over there!” Itto’s voice exclaimed amidst the crowd of people.

Heizou followed his line of sight, squinting in the darkness.

And then he saw you.

You locked eyes with him, holding something in your hand, and as you drew closer, it became apparent that the ‘object’ was a cake.

(Heizou smiled to himself. It seems his intuition was correct.)

Quickly masking the smile on his face, confusion appeared, and he walked towards you.

‘What’s happening? Why are you bringing me a cake?- we’re in the midst of a murder here.’

A smile spread across your face. “This was all a scheme to get you here and celebrate your birthday, disguising it as a murder case!”

Heizou gasped loudly, his face an expression of complete and utter surprise. He suppressed a smile, attempting to maintain his mask of surprise. “So, is Yae not dead?”

You nodded. “She was part of our plan.” (Upon saying this, Yae Miko stood from the ground and brushed the ‘blood’ off of herself.)

As he turned his attention back to you, he noticed the cake in your hands, which was exquisitely decorated with swirled accents of red icing and covered in a velvety white buttercream. Delicate question marks and magnifying glasses had been meticulously hand-decorated using piped icing. Multiple candles flickered on top of the cake, their flames swaying back and forth in a captivating dance. You beamed and walked towards Heizou, nudging his shoulder.

You came to a stop before Heizou, as he had a chance to yet again marvel at the stunning sight before him.

And before he had an opportunity to say or think anything more about the case, he got whisked into the ambience of a party.

“I bet you didn’t see this surprise coming.”

(You heard the scraping of a table as Itto and Shinobu pushed one into the area.)

On the table, colourful balloons were tied to it and gently bobbed up and down as if they had a life of their own. They swayed back and forth, occasionally revealing the vibrant banners that adorned the walls of the shrine. A beautifully decorated table was laid out with gleaming cutlery, crisp tablecloths, and the cake, which had become the table’s centrepiece.

And then, the night filled with music. It was quiet at first. But immediately recognisable. Multiple lights lit up on the cake, the flames dancing mesmerisingly in the dark, captivating the attention of everyone.

“Happy birthday to you~”

You held his hand and kissed his cheek. “Happy birthday to you~”

He reciprocated your kiss, this time prolonging it. He could feel the hotness of your cheeks against his.

“Happy birthday, dear Heizou~”

The others joined in, and as the number of voices increased, so did the hope of being in tune. You finished the song and all the others began to clap and cheer, with Itto coming over to prompt Heizou to blow out the candles. He did so successfully in one breath.

As Shinobu passed a cake knife to Heizou, he effortlessly sliced the cake, serving himself a piece before moving on to cut equal portions for everyone else. Grabbing a fork from the table, he eagerly took a bite, causing his mouth to water and leaving him in awe.

“It’s delicious.”

Quickly, he took another bite from the cake, gulping it all down within a few seconds.

You smiled and said, “I’m glad you like it, but please eat slowly. I don’t want you to choke and have an actual murder case on our hands today.” He chuckled, “It’s not my fault. I can’t help myself.”

After having eaten a couple of other slices of cake, he finally had the chance to enquire about your plans. “So, how did you come up with all this?”

Upon hearing his question, your eyes lit up. “It seems, as clever as you are, you could not see past my plan. I know you don’t tend to celebrate your birthday much due to always prioritizing work, so I suppose I used that priority against you, having your surprise birthday under the guise of a murder. I contacted all your friends to come and help me with the celebration and think up a reasonable murder case.”

From your pockets, you took out a vial of red liquid and pointed at it. “I used this as the blood. It’s red ink mixed with a little corn syrup to thicken it.” Heizou had to applaud your efforts, but nonetheless, the liquid you were holding in your hands could unmistakably not be confused as blood. You continued to speak, “Knowing you might enjoy something intellectually stimulating, me, Sara, and Kazuha (although he was unable to make it tonight) all helped plan the ‘case,’ creating fake clues, buying materials to make the murder look realistic.”

Heizou stared back at Yae Miko. “Well, you sure did a good job at that. I would have believed her to be dead.” A grin spread across your cheeks. “I even researched some aspects relating to dead bodies to make it look even more credible. I knew I had to be careful with everything I did and worried you would see right through my plan. And that I did.” Heizou almost felt a little sorry for being able to see right through your scheme almost immediately.

You proceeded to take out a crumpled letter from your coat and sighed. “Originally, I had written the victim’s letter, but fearing you might recognize my handwriting, I asked Sara to write it for me.” You pointed towards Itto and Shinobu. “They helped put up the birthday decorations with me.” You paused for a second, looking around for the others, and finally finding them, you pointed towards them. “Kokomi and Sayu helped mainly with the coordination. Sayu, especially with Chinju Forest, and when she wasn’t sleeping, her Ninja skills were particularly useful in successfully putting this plan into action.” So that’s how they know each other.

Kokomi’s eyes twinkled. Itto beamed, and Sara and Shinobu both gazed contentedly towards Heizou.

“We barely had enough time to set everything up, since the plans and preparation were so last minute, but my goal of fooling you has succeeded, and therefore I consider that good enough.”

Heizou looked back at you.

The truth is everything. But sometimes, supplying it will only upset the other.

“You certainly put a lot of effort into this, and I thank you.”

Your face glowed with pride, revelling in the thought that you had indeed tricked the cleverest man in Inazuma.

______

As the celebrations came to a close, the moon had ascended high into the sky, casting its gentle glow over the surroundings. The once warm evening air had given way to a cooler, more refreshing temperature. Sayu had fallen asleep, having transformed into a Fuufuu windwheel by the shrine’s tree. The others had also begun to tire. Kokomi was resting her head on Sara’s shoulders. Itto was on his way to start snoring next to Shinobu and the Tenryou Commission officers had retreated a while back.

A couple of Sakura petals drifted slowly down the trees, landing in your hair. You walked up to Heizou, sitting down on the steps of the shrine and kissed him on the cheek.

“So... did I trick you?”

Heizou grinned, his face growing a little red. He reciprocated your kiss and held your hand in his.

“I would have never guessed.”