The atmosphere at school was tense, with everyone casting doubtful and accusatory glances at me. A few days ago, a horrific crime had taken place—Lian was murdered in the music room. Instead of searching for the real killer, all fingers pointed at me because of Serene, her close friend, who claimed she had seen me there at the time of the crime.

Despite my attempts to defend myself, everyone was convinced I was guilty. The investigations dragged on for days until a new detective took over the case—someone who didn’t believe rumors and refused to accept claims without evidence. He carefully examined Serene's testimony and soon uncovered its inconsistencies, ultimately proving that I was nowhere near the crime scene when it happened.

Even after my innocence was proven, returning to school didn’t feel the same. The whispers hadn’t completely faded, and the fear that the real murderer was still free lingered in the air. As I walked down one of the hallways, lost in thought, I suddenly collided with someone, stumbling back a step. Looking up, I found the detective himself gazing at me with a faint smile.

"You’re still thinking about the case, aren’t you?" he said in a calm voice.