Trouble in Koten Bu

I have never used up so much of my time before. I've been wasting too much time on this stupid mystery. I've solved it minutes ago while these guys are still scratching their heads. I think I might have dozed off a little.

"Come ooooon, Shining!" Cadance nudged my arm.

We have been wracking our brains for as long as I could remember and it's already half past five in the afternoon. Too much for going home early on Friday.

"Shining..." Twilight looked up from her book. "You look like you just woke up. We just started four minutes ago. Geez, could you be any more lazy?"

Can't help it. Wasted too much energy.

"I don't blame him," said Flash, still locked on his book. "He's probably already wasted half his energy resource here."

Finally someone who speaks my language.

"By the looks of it, you've already come up with a theory minutes ago." He turned his gaze at me, at last. "Haven't you, Shining?"

Great minds think alike.

"Really?" Cadance's eyes grew wide with pure amazement. As if she hadn't known me for a year. What an airhead.

She took my hand and looked at me with her beautiful, curious eyes. "Tell us!"

Damnit. Quick, the door is wide open, Shining! Run before you sink back into her world!

"I'm curious!"

Too late.

"Stop stalling, Shining. Just tell us so we can go home already." Twilight, looking bored as always, closed her book and Flash blankly followed.

I sigh as I calmed myself and gathered my thoughts.

* ** *** ** *

"That's basically what I think." I laid back on my chair, exhausted.

"Well... That's problem solved, right?" said Flash.

"I still have no idea how you do that, but boy, you sure are good, Shining," said Twilight who was sifting through her bag.

I lay back as I watched my friends' mixed faces. The six o'clock bell echoed throughout the school which had suggested what we were gonna do next.

"Six o'clock already?!" Twilight retorted. "Man, now I really wanna go home."

I'd imagine her staying the night here. She could live with the books.

As the sunset light shone through our room, a little blip of light caught my eyes. It was from Cadance's bag. I wanted to ask her what it was, but Flash did it for me.

"What's that on your bag, Cadance?"

Cadance meeped. She glanced down at her bag and noticed the little sparkle.

"Oh, this?" She blankly swiped the object from her bag. She held it up high. For a minute or so, she simply watched it sway back and forth while it shimmered under the sunlight.

We all took our time to examine the object which turned out to be a beautiful heart-shaped jade necklace embellished with what looked like small chunks of crystals but may as well be diamond.

"My father gave it to me when I was young." Cadance started.

"He told me that it was a very special necklace my grandmother had given to my mother before grandma passed away."

I noticed her eyes swell with tears. She was now... laughing?

We were all struck with confusion and fear as she started chuckling with a tear running down her eye. I-is she sad? Or is she crying tears of joy? None of us could tell since she was a bit unpredictable, even after almost a year knowing her.

"Oh!" She snapped out of her trance-like state. "Did I start crying?" She wiped away the tears on her face, revealing its once clean state moments ago.

"I-I'm sorry! It's just that my grandmother was one of the people I cared most about..." Her unfocused eyes trailed off into the window.

I decided to butt in and ask why she was laughing too; that part really bugged me out. But seeing as she was pretty sentimental at the moment, I pushed that thought into the back of my mind. Apparently, the others also figured that and decided not to bother her with it, too.

The remaining minutes before we finally left the school was met when our school janitor asked us to go home already. A few thuds and bangs from the slide doors of the school and we were finally on the way home.