A college student, around twenty-one years of age, was sitting at the bar section of his favorite hamburger joint. Normally, he wouldn't come to these sorts of places, but they were the perfect place to have a conversation and not have to worry about being overheard. With so many people talking, he could say whatever he wanted and nobody would care.

Junpei looked at the slip of paper on the bar in front of him, and dialed the number into his phone.

"Hello?" The voice on the other end of the line was deep and scratchy, although part of that could have been the poor reception on his end.

"Hey, it's me." Junpei's voice was cold, and soft.

"...Junpei?"

"Surprised?" He laughed, although it was a quiet and empty thing.

"How did you find this number?"

Junpei didn't respond. The voice on the other end, too, was silent for a moment.

"Okay, why did you call me?"

"You're a detective, aren't you? I need you to-"

"You want me to look for her?" There was a sigh, and Junpei frowned. "Look, I've tried, it's practically impossible - the two of 'em, they've practically disappeared, she's covered 'er tracks damn well-"

"-look for Akane Kurashiki," Junpei finished, with a slight heavy finality in his voice. "I need to find her."

"Like I said, she's gone, Junpei."

There was an electric beep as Junpei hung up. Still holding the cellular phone in his hands, Junpei stared at the glass window in front of him, brown eyes empty. There was a faint reflection through the glass, and his tired face was staring back at him.

I look terrible, Junpei thought to himself. He continued to scrutinize his appearance in the window, when suddenly his visage was replaced with that of a girl's. There was a girl, standing on the other side of the window, her green eyes wide with shock.

'Junpei,' her lips mouthed, as the chill December weather caused her breath to freeze as it left her mouth. Junpei blinked, taken aback by her sudden appearance. Without another word, the girl turned and began to walk away quickly. Junpei blinked once more, and shook his head. Maybe he was imagining things. Maybe he was just very tired.

"Jumpy!" A girl with brown hair, and purple eyes, calling his name. Her name for him was Jumpy, just as he called her...

"Kanny!" Jumpei stood up from his seat on the swingset, and ran towards the waving girl. She giggled, adjusting her backpack on her shoulders as he approached.

"Did you wait long?" Akane asked, playing with the ends of her hair as they walked. Junpei thought for a moment, then shook his head.

"Nope! I just barely beat you," he shook his head, grinning from ear to ear.

"Rea-lly?" A small pout on her small lips, Akane looked up at Junpei.

"Honest! I'll never be the one to keep you waiting, Kanny! I'll always be there for you."

"O-oh?" The girl next to him seemed a little surprised by the sudden confession, her face reddening slightly. She looked away, as if she were trying to hide it. "Then if I'm ever in trouble," she said, her voice slow and hesitant, "will you come and save me, Jumpy?"

"Of course!" Junpei nodded confidently, oblivious to the blush on Akane's cheeks.

"I wonder what my brother would say to that," Akane said softly, looking up at the setting sun. She had been going to cram school a lot lately, often late into the night, but Junpei would always wait for her in the evenings and walk with her until they split up.

"Your brother?" Junpei tilted his head. "Oh, I still haven't met him! Maybe one day I'll get to, huh?"

"I don't know about that," Akane said, smiling ruefully. "He's always busy with work, he's always working hard for my sake... Maybe one day I'll be the one to work hard for his sake." Without realizing it, Akane's words trailed off, and her eyes went distant. "I'd like to pay him back one day..."

"I'm sure you will!"

"Huh? Oh, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to ramble on like that," Akane apologized, having only just realized what she was saying. She laughed weakly. "I must sound so ridiculous, saying things like this..."

"No, not at all," Shaking his head, Junpei looked over at Akane. "I'd sure like to meet your brother one day, he seems like a really cool person!"

"Really?" Akane's eyes lit up, and she smiled happily. "I'll be sure to tell him that, then."

"Junpei!"

All of these people, calling his name today. He must have been getting popular, huh?

"Junpei! Oh my god, are you asleep or something?"

Asleep? Had that been a dream? Then maybe this was still a dream.

"Junpei! I swear, if you're ignoring me..."

Recognizing the danger hanging from the voice, Junpei's head shot up, and he turned his body to stare up at the person threatening assault on him. Hair such a bright pink it was almost offensive, sharp and accusatory green eyes, hands on her hips.

"Clover! What are you doing here?" Junpei grabbed the slip of paper that his head had been resting on and crumpled it up, shoving it into his pocket.

"What am I doing here? Gosh, can't a girl come to these kinds of places if she wants to? I get hungry too, you know!"

"I can imagine, with how energetic you are," Junpei sighed, turning back to stare out the window. His melancholic mood had been utterly crushed by this loud girl's sudden arrival. Said loud girl huffed (loudly), and plopped herself down onto the seat next to Junpei.

"What's that supposed to mean?" She demanded, leaning forward in her seat and staring up at Junpei.

Yeesh, if looks could kill, Junpei thought to himself, pointedly looking in the other direction.

"Well?" Clover slammed her hand down onto the bar, continuing to glare at Junpei.

"...Nothing," he finally responded, looking over at her. She was silent, then, as if she was trying to figure out something wrong with his statement. Junpei looked down at her from the corner of his eye, and then stood up abruptly.

"Where are you going?" Clover spun in her chair to look up at him, moving forward as if she meant to stand up as well.

"Nowhere. Away from you, how's that?"

Clover opened her mouth to retort, and she likely would have strung together a loud string of retorts had she not suddenly come to the realization that they were in a public place, and starting a shouting match in the middle of a restaurant probably wouldn't have been the brightest idea. Without another word, Junpei walked out of the joint and into the streets, leaving a dumbfounded Clover behind.

"Like I said, I honestly don't have any leads!" The bulky man whom Junpei had called 'Seven' slammed his fist onto the table. Junpei regarded the private detective coldly, and then shook his head, standing up.

"That's not what I want to hear," he said softly, dropping a bundle of cash onto the table. "That's for the meal. Bye."

"What's happened to you, kid," the detective rumbled under his breath, but Junpei was already too far away to respond.

On his way out, he bumped into the girl waiting at the counter. With a startled cry, the pink-haired girl stumbled backwards from their collision, bright pink high heels skittering on the floor.

"Aah!" With a thump, she landed ungraciously on the floor of the fancy restaurant's lobby, the velour carpeting barely cushioning her fall. Junpei paused, beginning to mutter an apology as he turned to look at the person into whom he had bumped into.

"...Clover!"

"Oww," she was muttering, still recovering from her topple. Junpei paused for a moment, and in his few seconds of indecision, there was already someone else helping her up. A man with closed eyes and pale hair and skin.

"Sna...Li..." Junpei hesitated once more, unsure what to call the man in front of him. Snake? Light? At least his sister was an easy one. Clover had been Clover, even before and after the game. In the meantime, Clover had regained her footing, as well as her fiery spirit as she glared up at Junpei once again.

"Watch where you're going, dumbass!"

"...Sorry," Junpei muttered, shoving his hands into his pockets and turning to leave.

"Was that Junpei?" He heard Clover's brother ask, although he soon turned a corner and was gone, unable to hear Clover's reply.