CHAPTER 26

“Alright you kids, you better behave yourselves!” shouted a hung-over Dr. Mori.

Did she drink last night…?

The cool breeze of the salty ocean air mixed comfortably with the scent of alcohol flowing from Dr. Mori. I thought a responsible guardian would try to go a few days without a drink, but obviously Dr. Mori has zero control. I assume she probably hid a bottle or flask somewhere in her belongings, finally unable to resist her urges yesterday. But, more importantly, today was the long awaited beach day for the 2nd year students. Over in the distance, I could see the rest of my class enjoying themselves in the water.

“C’mon everyone! The water feels so nice!” shouted Renge-san.

Class President was reluctant about getting into the cold water. She slowly dipped her toes in, but recoiled at every attempt. It wasn’t until Renge grabbed Class President and pulled her in, that she finally got into the water.

Most of us decided to stay at this section of the beach that was reserved for us, but a few students already had thoughts of running off somewhere else. We were supposed to stay near our chaperone Dr. Mori, since last year we almost got banned from the beach because Daisuke thought it would be a great idea to sneak fireworks along. He nearly set the whole place on fire, even though we were quite literally next to the water.

What should I do…?

Given the circumstances, I have no idea what to do. If this trip was in World A(kane), I would have seen Akane in a swimsuit for the first time. Last night she was teasing me about after we made up, but was too embarrassed to actually show me. I wasn’t exactly in the right mood either; I still had things to settle.

Especially with Mary…

So far I haven’t seen her around. She was probably hanging out with her track friends or something at the moment. Part of me hopes that I don’t run into her, since I still had no idea what to say to her. Sure I enjoyed dancing with her in that tiny shed, but we didn’t say a word about her offer afterwards. There was just silence.

“You’re blocking my view of the beach Kazuki. Go have fun or something.” says Dr. Mori in a raspy voice.

I turn my attention behind me to spot Dr. Mori. She was hiding underneath a large umbrella, sitting on a folding chair. In her hand was a half-empty cup of what looked like orange juice, but surely had alcohol in it since I could see a tiny umbrella usually for cocktails. Last year she was trying her best to seduce someone here, showing off her rather voluptuous figure. I still have the image of her in that blue swimsuit imprinted in my memory, as a constant reminder to never judge a book by its cover, since no one really knew Dr. Mori’s real personality. It took all the boys (and some girls) by surprise that she looked like a model since she was always hiding it underneath her old, worn-out, white lab coat. Sadly, no one wanted anything to do with her.

What a shame…

Dr. Mori was dressed conservatively today, as she puts on her sunglasses and sun hat, clearly in no mood for any socialization today.

“And the bar keeps getting lower and lower…” I said with a smug expression to her.

“It’s my fault.” as she rubs her temple a bit. “I was going to save my emergency ration for later today, but one sip led to another…” she mumbles off. “Do me a favor Kazuki, next time I decide to drink on a trip, remind me not to.”

Then what’s that orange drink in your hand?!?

As long as she wasn’t technically hurting anyone it didn’t really bother me. But, I think Dr. Mori was about a few steps away from going to a twelve-step program. I’m also surprised at how honest Dr. Mori was with her answer. Usually she would have snapped back at me with an equally witty quip. Now I knew she really wasn’t in the mood. Dr. Mori pulls out a fashion magazine in her bag and begins to flip through the pages.

“Don’t you have any friends besides Daisuke?”

I suddenly had my hand clutching my chest, as it felt like my heart and pride was pierced by a knife. I don’t know if she was aware of what she said, but her statement really brought me down.

“W-Well, it’s not like I don’t have anyone else. I-It’s just, Daisuke’s my bro!”

Or at least, he was…

After finding out that Mary and I were alone in the shed last time, I had a new feeling that Daisuke was even more hostile towards me. However, Daisuke was part of the group that managed to get us out, so I’m not exactly sure what his intentions were.

“You really are hopeless Kazuki…” Dr. Mori pities me.

I could not believe the words coming out of Dr. Mori’s mouth today; this was not like her. Maybe slightly hung-over Dr. Mori isn’t so bad after all.

She must have thought I was some sort of pathetic loser who had no friends. Sure, I was with Daisuke most of the time – I admit that. But I did talk to other people, I just can’t think of them right now! And speaking of Daisuke, I haven’t seen him all day either, alongside Yuki-san. I couldn’t help but miss the people I was so close to only a few days ago. It was like one night changed everything – and it was my entire fault.

Suddenly I felt something tap me on my right shoulder. I turn right, only to see nobody there.

What the-

“Hello Kazuki-kun!”

I look to my side to see Shion, the new transfer student. She was wearing a small swimsuit, barely wrapping her important parts. If she wasn’t so close up, I would think she was wearing nothing at all. Shion leans over and begins to talk, her face uncomfortably close to me.

“What. Are. You. Going to do today…?” she asks in a cheerful tone.

“I don’t really have any plans.” I reply.

“Well…”

Shion forcefully grabs me by the wrists, brining my hands awfully close to her chest.

“Why don’t we forget about everything and head somewhere alone together…?” she whispers seductively into my ears.

W-Woah!

“Hey young lady!”

We turn our heads towards Dr. Mori. She puts down her fashion magazine.

“Don’t you kids have any shame?!?” she mutters, holding back her rage.

A bit ironic considering what you did last year…

Shion backs off, smiling at Dr. Mori.

“Excuse me, but I’m talking to Kazuki-kun here. Leave us alone if you don’t mind.” as she grins a crooked smile. “Besides, what do you know old hag.” she mutters under her breath.

Big mistake…

If there was one golden rule in Kasumigaseki High, it was to not piss off Dr. Mori. Being on the receiving end of her wrath multiple times in the past, you definitely did not want to get her in a bad mood, especially if she was hung-over. Dr. Mori stands up, and slams her magazine closed. She walks over to us, as I could see the fire in her eyes piercing through her sunglasses, like a leak had sprung in the volcano of her fury.

“Quit being a tramp and get the hell out of here!” she screams in Shion’s face.

Shion immediately looks as if she was about to cry. She pushes me in front of Dr. Mori, as my body shields her. I can feel her sobbing against my back.

“I just wanted to tell Kazuki-kun something…” she whines.

Dr. Mori lifts her sunglasses and I could feel killing intent directed at Shion. Shion lets go of me and starts running across the beach towards the boardwalk.

"Stupid punk girl thinks just because I’m a little older that I’m already some sort of grandma. Sheesh!” Dr. Mori pouts, as she begrudgingly walks back to her chair.

Note to self, never piss off Dr. Mori ever again…

“Hey Kazuki…” said a familiar soft-spoken voice.

It was Mary Kaneko.

“M-Mary…? H-Hi.”

Real smooth Kazuki…

This was the first time I’ve ever seen Mary in a swimsuit. She was wearing a small white two-piece, decorated with little red polka-dots. Frills lined around her bottoms, coming off her waist. I don’t understand what exactly was the point of that, but I wasn’t going to complain about that. I would assume they were to cover something, but they were so short that I could see nearly every centimeter of her. Mary’s everything was wrapped in this thin fabric, somehow calling for my attention towards her.

Under that old worn tracksuit of hers, I had no idea her body looked like this. Her tight skin, lean from years of care, radiated against the bright sun, as she wasn’t the twig I thought she was. Her ample thighs were muscular, but soft just from looking at them (and experience). I divert my eyes upward to see her surprisingly wide hips, all the way to her well-toned calves. Her shoulders were narrow, and her chest was as modest as I’d assume they’d be, but I am sure she still had room for development. Of course, she was also wearing her trademark track suit, since it was windy today, but maybe that was the more convenient excuse than saying she was embarrassed.

“What are you doing here Mary? I though you and the track team would be swimming against the swim team?” I asked.

“O-Oh! Yeah…about that. I just wanted to relax today.” she as she rubbed her Masked Avenger pin. “I just told them I wasn’t feeling too well.”

Last year I don’t remember ever seeing Mary during beach day. I had been roped into a long lecture with Daisuke about adulthood by Dr. Mori. We were put on probation for the rest of the day, cleaning up garbage floating near the shores.

I know we need to talk, but I can’t say anything. What’s wrong with me?

“I guess being here with me isn’t very relaxing right? I’ll let you join the others.” I said, unable to overcome my own cowardice. I turn around quickly and begin to walk away.

Maybe it’s for the best if I-

“Wait!”

Suddenly I feel Mary’s hand tugging at my wrist. I turn around slowly to meet her gaze, only to see that she’s blushing profusely and can barely speak.

“S-Sorry!”

Mary lets go of me as quickly as she grabbed me, and starts to rub her hand, staring at it and nervously chuckling.

“Hey!”

We turn our attention towards Dr. Mori, who I just noticed was pretty close by.

“If you two need to talk, take it elsewhere. Keep it down please…” as she heads back to nap, covering her head with her large sunhat.

Was she listening to us the whole time…?

Mary finally looks at me, and she begins to smile, followed by my outburst of contagious laughter. We couldn’t help but laugh like the old times. Suddenly, I felt that moment broke the tension between us, as a newfound sense of courage flowed through my body.

“Let’s go Mary.”

She follows behind me.

Should I say something…?

Mary and I didn’t have any idea of where to go, only forward. We ended up reaching the boardwalk area, with its many stands and shops lining up along our path.

“It’s really busy today.” said Mary.

“Yeah…” I responded awkwardly.

Lines ran up and down our path, with dozens of people waiting patiently for whatever shop. In the corner of my eye, I notice some kids were playing one of those carnival games.

Man that brings back memories.

It was that game where you’re supposed to shoot a cork at a prize. If you managed to knock it down, you win. Of course, the odds of a small cork providing enough force to knock something down are extremely low. I still remember how I spend all my money trying to win a Masked Avenger figurine, but couldn’t since the box made it impossible to knock over.

What should we talk about…?

“So…about that offer…” Mary breaks the silence. “H-Have you thought about it?”

I could feel a bead of sweat come down from my temple. I still haven’t given an answer to her “offer,” where we would have a real date, and then go from there. I was going to ask Akane for advice, but bringing that up after we made up was probably a bad idea. Who would want to hear that another girl asked the person you loved out on a date?

Should I humor her? What do I do? I can’t break Mary’s heart like that…can I?

“This right now is kind of a date…isn’t it?” I respond.

“So is that a-“

Suddenly I heard an all-too-familiar growl coming from Mary’s stomach.

“Maybe we should eat first. How about lunch?” I ask. “What should we eat?”

I scan my surroundings to see a variety of small vendors selling foods. Yakisoba, ramen, grilled corn, shaved ice, there were a bunch of options.

Maybe I should pick something sweet? Mary likes that kind of stuff right?

“How about shaved ice?” I suggest.

“Oh I love shaved ice, but hate it when I get brain freeze!” Mary smiles. “But maybe we should get something filling?”

“I like things like hamburgers and steak over stuff like shaved ice. Protein is very important” she boasts.

I’m not sure if they serve steak here…

“How about that spot over there?”

Mary points out to a small hut by the end of the path. It seemed completely empty compared to the other vendors along this path. Maybe that wasn’t such a bad idea after all.

Yakisoba Umami? Sounds like an interesting place.

Mary and I walk over to the hut and enter it.

“Hello?” Mary asks.

Immediately I assumed that atmosphere wasn’t the top priority of this place. If it wasn’t for the sign, there was no way I would know they even sold food. There were only a few tables and chairs scattered around, as I would guess the restaurant thought most people would prefer to eat somewhere else. I’m not even sure if this place was open right now since there was no one over the counter.

“The sign said it was open…” says Mary.

“This place is weird…”

Finally, someone exits out from the back through the doorway curtains. It was a man, a very large man in fact. I think upon closer inspection he was even bigger than Daisuke, with some dragon tattoos visible from the sleeves of his shirt, which read “YAKISOBA UMAMI.” There was very little light in here, with the sun acting as the main source, but his shiny bald head managed to sparkle like a disco ball. He sets up behind the counter.

Wait…have I seen this guy before?

“Can’t you see we’re busy here?!?” the man shouts at us in a raspy voice. He heads back into the kitchen in the back.

“Ah, you two must be the two temps for today.”

A small girl reveals herself. She was probably someone in elementary school, as she could barely peek over the counter itself.

“Temps?” I reluctantly answered.

I walk up closer to the cash register to pay for the food. But I couldn’t shake this familiar feeling I had. I definitely have seen that bald man somewhere else. “My name is Sakura. Here, you two.”

She tosses me and Mary two aprons.

“The lunch rush is about to begin, so get ready.” she comments.

“W-Wait! We’re not temps, we’re just here for some-“

Suddenly I could feel vibrations from the floor. I look towards the entrance to see a small crowd of people marching towards us. There were probably dozens of hungry customers heading here any minute through those doors.

“I’ll be in the back cooking up the orders, so don’t slow down!” the bald man shouts from the kitchen. “I’ll be depending on everyone since you’re my only hope!”

“Only hope?!?” Mary says with a confused expression.

Mary and I exchange glances of confusion and unease. Sakura then looks at us with her adoring expression. Was she trying to guilt trip us with those puppy-dog eyes?

“What do we do? I’ve never been a waitress in my life!” Mary cries.

“We can’t just leave him them!” I say.

Well technically we could, but what kind of hero of justice would leave someone in need?

I reluctantly put my apron on, and lightly slap myself on my face.

“A hero of justice never fails on someone in need!” I say with pride.

Suddenly I felt a rush of blood flow towards my face.

I’m such a nerd…

Mary laughs and puts on her apron as well.

“Only with you can our date turn into something like this.” she mumbles with a smile.

Here it comes…

Customers burst into the hut, with Mary and me as the only lines of defense.

“WE WANT YAKISOBA!!!” the hungry customers scream.

I hope I survive…

“You look good today Akane.” I compliment her.

“Thank you.” she says bashfully. "I wish I could take pictures for Yui, but I am a bit embarassed in this outfit."

I think in any other circumstance I would be ecstatic to see a hot girl cozy up next to me, but for some reason, with Akane – I felt disgust. It wasn’t because of her, but rather because of what our goal was. We are forsaking our happiness for them. We are two rejects, trying to fill something missing in our hearts with each other.

“Manager-san picked it out for me, since I am not well-versed in swimsuit fashion.” she says in a monotone expression.

I suppose he did a good job.

She was dressed in an all-black swimsuit, somewhat fitting considering her personality. However, I managed to spot that the stitching was a subtle pink, with a small logo of a cat’s face on her top. It thinly covered her matured body, as I doubt there was any room left for “improvement.” It seemed like this kind of outfit was trying to attract attention, like it was for someone special – and I have an idea of who it would be.

“Oh, I nearly forgot. I had promised to help an old friend of mine out. Is that okay?” she asks.

“Of course, what is it?”

“His name is Sojiro. He runs a small yakisoba restaurant here on the boardwalk with his daughter. He also owns the cosplay warehouse which provides the uniforms for my workplace.” she explains. “And the café our class ran.”

I still haven’t asked her what exactly happened that caused Mary to run away from the play. Maybe it was because it was too soon, but a part of me didn’t want to know either. Who knows, if Mary was only been a few seconds late then maybe none of this would have happened.

“It’s not your fault.” she says to me, interrupting my train of thought.

“W-What’s not my fault…?”

“The shed…”

I stay silent. It was only a few days ago that I saw Mary and Kazuki stuck at the shed. It was my mistake that I closed it on accident, thinking it was empty. When I found them, I was glad they were okay, that maybe Akane and I finally managed to get them to confirm their feelings.

Then why did I feel my heart sink?

“Let’s just get it over with.”

We start walking towards the boardwalk, where the restaurant was located. As we’re walking, I notice how most of the people here were in pairs. If they didn’t know any better, Akane and I would have blended right in, but there was this unspoken distance between us, despite how close we were.

“There you are!”

Shion Masaki, the new transfer student from Akane’s class appears before me.

“Can’t you just leave me alone?” I sigh to her.

“Wow! Must’ve woken up on the wrong side of the bed today amrite?” she pouts unconvincingly.

“Anyways, I was thinking that maybe you and I could spend the day here. I wanna try the shaved ice, play a few carnival games, take some pictures of course!” she drones on and on. “I-It’ll be like a r-real date…” as her face suddenly turns bright pink.

“Why do you keep pestering Daisuke-kun?” Akane steps in front of me.

“N-No, let me just-“

Akane hits me with her icy glare, immobilizing me. I reluctantly stand behind her, powerless. Shion crosses her arms.

“Do you really want to know…?” as she steps closer to Akane. “No take backsies…”

Shion stands right in front of Akane, and quickly looks down to compare their chest sizes. She then comes dangerously closer to her face, observing all of Akane’s details. Akane ignores her, and stays silent, still waiting for an answer.

“Ah well…” as she backs off. “I’m bored.”

Akane lets her guard down, as I can hear her take a sigh of relief. I take one as well.

This is the first time she’s left me alone…

“Maybe you should ask my brother instead.” she says with a vicious smile. She skips away in the other direction.

“Darn…it.” as I can feel my fists curling.

“B-Brother…?” Akane turns her attention towards me. “Is it true?”

I pause for moment, trying to find the courage to look at her in the eye.

“Yes. Shion Masaki is my half-sister.” I confirm. “My bastard of a father cheated on my mother, and she was the result of that.”

“Why…why did you keep that a secret? Why does Shion antagonize you? Why-“

“Please.”

I immediately cut off Akane. I didn’t want to talk about this anymore. If she knew more than this, I would be risking her life.

“Please…can we just let it go?” I plead to her.

Akane stops pestering me. I can tell that she had a million burning questions, all best left unanswered. She reluctantly lets go of her curiosity, holding back her frustration.

“We are going to be late.” she says coldly.

I follow her along, towards the restaurant.

“Good job everyone! You all managed to survive!” the little girl proclaims proudly. “All thanks to my excellent training papa.”

“Uh…we didn’t get-“

“Look papa! We made even more money today than usual! All thanks to blondie here. The guy customers couldn’t stop staring at her!” as she interrupts me. “Look at how cute she is!”

“T-Thanks…?” Mary blushes.

“That’s my little girl!” as I hear his voice echo out from the kitchen. “I’m almost done cleaning, I’ll be out in a second.”

The bald man exits from the kitchen, rubbing his hands on a towel. He immediately looks at Mary and I.

“Who are you guys?” he questions.

“What are you talking about papa? These are the two temps you asked for right?” his daughter says with a confused expression. “I know you said Akane-chan would be pretty but this other guy didn’t really sound like your description-“

The bald man slowly walks over to us, keeping an eye on his daughter.

“Wait a minute are you two…complete strangers?” she asks.

Mary and I nod repeatedly.

“Why didn’t you guys say anything?!?” she pouts.

We did!

The only reason I was still even standing was from all the time I spent at the café during the school festival. It was all thanks to Yuki-san’s training that I managed to keep some of those customers from yelling at me.

At least I wasn’t wearing a butler’s outfit like last time. Though I kinda wished to see Mary in a maid costume.

I remember now!

“Aren’t you the guy who owns the cosplay store warehouse? Sojiro-san right?”

“I’m sorry, my eyesight is kinda bad and I was stuck in the kitchen the whole time.” he apologizes. “Then Akane-chan never showed up with her friend?” Sojiro-san asks his daughter.

She shakes her head.

“I’m sorry about this Mary. Some kind of date right?” I chuckle nervously.

Mary places her hand over mine.

“It’s okay. I had fun today.”

Suddenly I see Sojiro-san turn his head towards the entrance, as someone appears as if it was on cue.

“Sojiro-san? Sorry we are late, we had some-“ said a familiar voice.

I turn my head towards the entrance, and I see Yuki-san for the first time in a long time. She was wearing a swimsuit, probably the same one that Akane had been teasing me about, but was too embarrassed to wear in front of me. Unlike Mary’s swimsuit which was leaning towards cute, Yuki-san’s was bold. She looked gorgeous in her tight two-piece. I don’t think Akane had ever shown me this amount of skin before, as I notice her rather curvaceous figure, leagues ahead in some places compared to Mary. I try to pick up my gaping jaw, because I am stunned.

Yuki-san averts her gaze towards the ground, as her normally pale skin was getting redder and redder from our stares.

“Akane? What’s wrong-“

Daisuke appears on cue as well. The tension in the air increased ten-fold.

“Ah! Akane-chan! It’s okay.” Sojiro-san breaks the silence. “These two managed to fill in for you. Are they friends of yours?”

Yuki-san finally turns her attention towards us.

“Yes.” she says softly.

Sojiro-san laughs.

“I’m glad you’ve managed to make some good friends. The two lovebirds here have perfect chemistry.”

“L-Lovebirds?!?” Mary loudly whispers.

“Yes. They do.” she interjects coldly. “We are leaving Daisuke, it seems Sojiro-san no longer needs our help anymore.”

Daisuke appears and extends his hand towards Yuki-san, who latches onto him. They exit abruptly.

“W-Wait!” Sojiro-san shouts. “Ah, forget it.” as he realizes they weren’t going to come back.

“What was that all about?” Sakura asks.

Are they…?

Suddenly I see Mary stand up, and she runs towards the exit.

“M-Mary?” as I follow her quickly.

I run outside, only to see Mary only a few meters away from Daisuke and Yuki-san.

“Hey!” she shouts.

I finally catch up to her, my breathing sporadic. I look up, to see that Daisuke and Yuki-san had stopped, turning their attention towards Mary.

“What’s wrong with you two?” Mary shouts.

By now a small crowd of people had taken notice of us. Mary doesn’t care.

“Why can’t…why can’t we be friends?” she asks bluntly.

“You already know why.” Daisuke finally replies. “Sorry we’ve been keeping this a secret, but I think it’s about the time you two knew.”

Daisuke confirms all the rumors in one sentence.

“We’re together.” as he raises his interlocked hands upwards.

I was shocked at the sudden revelation. I knew that those two were getting closer and closer in this world, but I thought I had a little more time. Was Daisuke just antagonizing me? Was he just trying to get back at me for Mary’s confession?

“Is it true…?” I look at Yuki-san.

She looks at me with determination.

“Yes.” she said firmly.

There was zero reluctance in her voice. It was monotone and cold, much like how her “Ice Witch” reputation presided her.

“Now you can move on Kaneshiro-kun. It is for the best.” she solemnly smiles.

“Who are you to decide?” Mary shouts at her.

Everyone is taken aback at her statement.

“Who are you to decide on my happiness? Who are you to decide anyone’s happiness? My feelings are real…not because someone decided for me. The Akane Yuki I know isn’t like this. She’s strong, smart, and not someone shallow, playing games with her own feelings. How can you and Daisuke choose for us?” she says, fighting back her tears.

“How can you give up so easily?” Mary says under her breath towards Yuki-san.

I can see the pain in Mary’s heart as she said that. Deep down I know Mary’s feelings for me are genuine, that she didn’t confess to me because of someone else. They were her own, not out of convenience like the two in front of us.

“Then you should tell that to your boyfriend.” Daisuke says. “Do you really think he likes you? Maybe you should ask him yourself.”

I turn my head to see that Mary was looking at me, waiting for my response.

“Because Akane no longer loves you.”

It can’t be…

My heart sank. Was I just too late? Is this it? Were my feelings for her wrong?

I can’t think clearly.

I felt like I was stabbed in the back. Daisuke knew I was in love with Yuki-san all this time! I made my advances clear didn’t I? As soon as Mary revealed her feelings towards me, Daisuke decides to get back at me by getting with the girl of my dreams? I liked Mary sure…but my heart was always set out on Akane Yuki.

“You hypocrite!” I shouted without thinking.

Daisuke scoffs at me.

“I’m the hypocrite?” he sarcastically remarks.

He lets go of Yuki-san’s hand and stands toe-to-toe with me.

“You knew that I liked Mary the whole time, didn’t you?” he whispers into my ear. “And you did nothing instead of telling me the truth.”

He leaves me speechless. I don’t want to admit it, but he was technically right. I did know the whole time. Akane and I even came up with a stupid name for it – Operation Maiden’s Heart. I was foolish to think that the two worlds were one and the same. They were their own separate people, as the lovey-dovey Daisuke and Mary of World A(kane) were not the same people of this world. Daisuke walks back towards Yuki-san, and she follows behind him.

“I’ll see you around, best friend.”

A shiver went down my spine at how malicious his statement was. I was too late. It would be impossible for me at this point to ever get with Yuki-san.

And what about Mary? Should we…?

We head back towards the beach in silence.

“Tsubasa-chan, run that with me again?”

I returned from our school’s three day trip, only to realize how much of idiot my mentor was. Like usual, I would spend hours on a report, only to find out he wasn’t listening again. I am at his office by his request, but he was busy on the phone talking to his girlfriend, who I think is Dr. Mori. My patience was getting thinner every moment, as I suppressed the urge to hurl my clipboard at him. It didn’t help that I had to work overtime at the café today too.

Doesn’t master know how important this investigation is?

“U-Uh huh! Sweetheart, you’re breaking up.” as he undoes his red tie.

I can hear loud shouting over the phone.

“N-No we’re not breaking up! I’d never do that!” he nervously chuckles. “There’s lots of interference, I’ll talk to you later.” as Junpei-san finally hangs up.

“Sweetheart is a handful sometimes…” he sighs.

Junpei-san motions me to proceed to talk about the report.

“Fine.” I pout.

“Like I was saying, reports show that there have been some movements in areas we’ve been investigating. It could be that your theory about the money laundering has been correct.”

I point my laser pointer at our diagram strung up on the wall.

“They call themselves the Domino Dogs, a group mostly consisted of delinquents and petty thieves. Usually they would target random people, but now we have noticed a rise in activities that doesn’t match their previous crimes.” I explain. “Such as the one your sister was involved with.”

It was weird. Why would they do something as bold as holding up a café in broad daylight? Wouldn’t it better for criminals to be doing things in the shadows, rather than something attention-grabbing?

“I believe that their activities are going to be bolder, and there’s probably no better target than ‘A.’”

Since he was the prince of a very prominent country, there was little to no information about him, only that he went by “A” on official documents. Due to the political climate, his identity is kept on a “need to know basis.” His country believed it was vital to experience how vast the world was, so our country offered him acceptance to any of finest high schools for him to study a semester at discretely.

“For some reason however, A has decided to study a semester at our local high school, Kasumigaseki High. It’s probably for the best, since I will be able to watch over him closely. It would be a no-brainer that the Domino Dogs would attempt to stage a ransom for him.” I suggested.

Junpei-san takes a sip from his coffee mug.

“Good job Tsubasa-chan! That’s my darling detective in training” he compliments me.

“T-Thank you!” as I instinctively bowed my head.

Ignoring how embarrassing he sounded, he makes me feel happy whenever he said something like that.

“But there’s just one issue with your theory.”

He catches me by surprise. Surely I accounted for everything? He gets off his couch and grabs a marker from his desk.

“We haven’t seen an activity from him yet.”

It was true, being the alleged leader of the Domino Dogs, he hasn’t shown any activities at all, especially since I’ve been personally keeping tabs on him through security feeds.

“He’s in maximum security. There’s no chance of communicating with the outside world.”

“But, I think we should be looking a little bit closer…”

Junpei-san takes a photo from his file and places it on the diagram directly below the head of the Domino Dogs.

“Him?”

I look closer at the photograph from Junpei-san’s file. It was old, and it wasn’t a copy. I almost didn’t recognize that it was the same person to be honest. I had heard rumors circulating around school, but he seemed like a decent person. After all, he was always hanging out with that weirdo Kazuki Kaneshiro.

“I want you to start gathering more information about him.” he ordered. “If the old Boss is gone, there’s bound to be a power struggle, and he’s next in line.”

Daisuke Akatsuka- who are you?