HONK!!!

The blast of an air horn echoed across SMKA Pewanis, cutting through the roar of the crowd. White lanes stretched across the grass track as students from the four sports houses filled the field with cheers, making the usually reserved religious school buzz with unusual excitement.

"Come on, Sharif Othman! Number Three!" Sakinah shouted, waving frantically at her friend, Azwa.

Azwa lengthened her stride as the finish line drew closer. One by one, she overtook the runners from Mat Salleh, Gunting, and Antanom, crossing the line well ahead of the pack.

"Sharif Othman takes first place!" announced Teacher Farina, the event official, as she marked down the result.

Breathing heavily, Azwa veered away from the referee's tent instead of checking the final standings. She headed straight toward the first-aid station.

It was an odd choice.

Then, without warning, she collapsed.

"Azwa!"

Sakinah sprinted toward her and knelt beside her friend.

"Are you okay?"

Azwa didn't answer immediately. Her face had turned pale, and instead of clutching her aching legs after the exhausting 400-metre sprint, she pressed both hands tightly against her stomach.

Something wasn't right.

Teacher Farina hurried to Azwa's side, kneeling beside the trembling student.

"Azwa, where does it hurt?"

"My stomach..." Azwa replied between shallow breaths.

Teacher Farina frowned. "Are you having menstrual cramps?"

Azwa slowly shook her head.

"No... I don't have my period today."

She winced again before adding quietly,

"It must've been something I ate."

Teacher Farina glanced around the sports field.

That answer troubled her.

SMKA Pewanis was a fully residential school. Every meal served to students came from the school's dining hall under a central catering service. If Azwa's condition was caused by food, it raised a far more serious concern than an ordinary stomach ache.

She instructed Sakinah to fetch the first-aid kit while another teacher handed Azwa a painkiller. They waited for it to take effect.

It didn't.

Azwa's pain only grew worse.

Without wasting another minute, Teacher Farina decided to bring her to the nearest health clinic.

News of the incident reached Principal Jaspar before the sports events had even resumed.

After confirming that Azwa had been taken to the nearest health clinic, he instructed the school's administrative office to notify both the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Health.

A report was submitted to the Kota Belud District Education Office (PPDKB) through SISPAA, requesting an administrative investigation into the incident. At the same time, the clinic's attending medical officer was informed that the student was suspected of suffering from food poisoning, prompting the case to be referred to the District Health Office for further assessment in accordance with public health procedures.

While the Ministry of Health would determine whether contaminated food was responsible for Azwa's condition, PPDKB would examine whether the school had fulfilled its administrative responsibilities before, during, and after the incident.

Within the hour, a new complaint appeared in the SISPAA system.

Another case awaited The Menders.

Back at PPDKB, Izhan sat quietly at her desk, entering case numbers into the complaint register while munching on a strip of dried cuttlefish.

Ever since her internship began, the workload seemed to have done nothing but increase her appetite.

Without warning, the office door swung open.

A woman with short ginger hair strode in, clutching a blue case file beneath her arm. Her sharp features and commanding presence often caused first-time visitors to mistake her for a man.

Her name tag read:

CASDEE

Another Assistant District Education Officer.

"Where's Rozman?" she demanded, waving the file impatiently. "We've got a dreadful case."

Izhan looked up, the dried cuttlefish still hanging awkwardly between her lips.

"Yes, ma'am?"

Casdee blinked.

"...He left an intern in charge?"

"He didn't leave me in charge," Izhan replied after swallowing her snack. "He's downstairs with Deputy DEO Iskandar. They're briefing the new substitute teachers."

Casdee clicked her tongue.

"Call him. Tell him to get up here."

She dropped the blue file onto Rozman's desk with a loud thud.

"Immediately."

Rozman returned to his office moments later, greeted by Casdee's blue file already waiting on his desk.

"What've you got?" he asked.

"Suspected food poisoning at SMKA Pewanis," Casdee replied. "One student collapsed during Sports Day and was taken to the clinic. The school suspects the catering service may be responsible."

Rozman skimmed through the preliminary report before nodding.

"Izhan."

She immediately stopped typing.

"We're heading to SMKA Pewanis after lunch. This time, Casdee's coming with us."

Izhan glanced at the fiery-haired officer. Casdee's impulsive, no-nonsense attitude was impossible to miss.

Casdee folded her arms and looked at Rozman.

"How long have you been bringing her to field investigations?"

"Just once," Rozman answered. "This'll be her second."

Izhan grinned.

"So... why are you joining us, Ma'am?"

Before Rozman could answer, Casdee spoke first.

"I'm from the School Management Sector. School operations fall under my responsibility."

"Oh..."

At that moment, Krishna appeared at the doorway, casually chewing on a sandwich.

"We'll take my car."

Everyone turned toward him.

"It's roomier," he continued after swallowing a bite. "And a bit more luxurious."

Silence filled the office.

Even Casdee looked at him without a word.

"...Alright, boss," Rozman finally replied.

Krishna simply nodded, still holding his sandwich as though he hadn't just made the most unnecessary sales pitch for his own car.

The PPDKB team arrived at SMKA Pewanis, where Principal Jaspar was already waiting at the administration block.

Just as they stepped out of the car, another government vehicle pulled into the compound.

"The District Health Office," Jaspar said.

Two officers emerged from the vehicle.

One wore a white medical coat, while the other carried an inspection case.

"Good afternoon. I'm Dr Shalan," the doctor introduced himself. "And this is Health Inspector Yuzairi."

Krishna smiled as he recognised the doctor.

"Dr. Shalan."

"Oh! Tuan Krishna?" Dr Shalan chuckled as they shook hands. "Looks like we're investigating the same school again."

"We seem to meet on common ground quite often."

Their brief exchange caught Casdee's attention.

She had expected the District Health Office to question the school's administrative handling—or worse, point fingers at PPDKB. Instead, the atmosphere was surprisingly cordial.

As they walked towards the sick bay, Izhan leaned closer to Rozman.

"They know each other?"

Rozman nodded.

"Quite well. PPDKB and the District Health Office work together whenever school incidents involve both administrative and public health matters."

"So... we're not investigating the same thing?"

"Not exactly," Rozman replied. "They're here to determine what made Azwa sick."

"And us?"

"We're here to determine whether the school fulfilled its responsibilities."

The distinction lingered in Izhan's mind as both teams entered the sick bay.

Azwa lay resting on one of the beds, looking considerably better than she had on the sports field.

Yuzairi flipped open his notebook.

"Azwa, I'd like you to answer as accurately as you can. There are no right or wrong answers."

Azwa nodded weakly.

"When did you first start feeling unwell?"

"This morning... after the 400-metre race."

"Did you feel any discomfort before the race began?"

She shook her head.

"No. I felt completely fine."

"What symptoms did you experience first?"

"My stomach started hurting... then it became worse."

"Did you feel nauseous?"

"A little."

"Did you vomit?"

"No."

"Any diarrhoea?"

Azwa shook her head again.

"Not yet."

Yuzairi made a few notes before continuing.

"Let's talk about what you ate today."

Azwa thought for a moment.

"This morning before my track event... I ate a sardine sandwich."

"Only the sandwich?"

"And water."

"Did you buy it?"

"No."

"Who prepared it?"

"The dining hall."

"Do you remember roughly what time you ate?"

"Around seven-thirty... before we assembled for Sports Day."

"Were you the only one who ate the sandwich?"

"No... some of my friends had the same breakfast."

"Were any of them feeling unwell?"

"I don't know..."

Yuzairi exchanged a glance with Dr Shalan before writing another note.

"Alright. We'll speak to your friends later."

Only after the health officers had completed their initial medical interview did Casdee step forward.

"Now tell me," she said, "what did you eat in the dining hall?"

Izhan blinked.

Didn't Mr Yuzairi just ask that?

Azwa looked equally puzzled.

"...The sardine sandwich."

Casdee shook her head.

"Not breakfast."

She folded her arms.

"I mean everything you ate in the dining hall today."

Azwa frowned as she tried to remember.

"I had fried noodles during supper last night... rice with chicken for dinner... and..."

Casdee listened without interrupting.

Only when Azwa had finished did she ask,

"Did you eat anything outside the dining hall?"

Before Azwa could answer, hurried footsteps echoed from outside the sick bay.

The door slid open.

Teacher Farina stood at the entrance, slightly out of breath.

"Sir..."

She looked directly at Principal Jaspar.

"We've just received another report."

The room fell silent.

"Five more students are showing the same symptoms."

Nobody spoke.

Dr Shalan and Health Inspector Yuzairi exchanged a glance.

Casdee slowly lowered her notebook.

Krishna's expression remained composed, but his eyes shifted toward Principal Jaspar.

"What did they eat?" he asked quietly.

Teacher Farina swallowed.

"They all had breakfast before today's Sports Day."

The room sank into silence once more.

This was no longer a single student's illness.

It had become an incident.

The Investigation Continued

Bonus: Casdee's debut