Author's Note
And now it's time for me to explain that I have no idea what I'm doing!
So yeah, this chapter is something. Since I published Chapter 1 I had been working on this on and off but one night decided to just blast right through it. It helped that by the time Chapter 1 had been completed this piece was already halfway done, but I hadn't intended to take this chapter as far as it went. Looking back I think I made the right decision; this second chapter was basically going to have nothing major happen in it. It would just be flat exposition with character introductions and setting descriptions.
You'll see later in the chapter that I decided to (mostly) forego that. I'm kind of glad I threw that idea out the window like a rock star shoves his TV out the window of a Holiday Inn, because more exposition without any sort of punch probably would have been pointless and simply served as superfluous padding, not to mention it would have been horrifically flat to both read and write.
It's probably at this point in the story that most readers will decide whether to continue following the story or not. I'm teaching myself to write three different genres at once, three genres I'm really not familiar with (drama, mystery, romance), so I'm pretty sure that anyone versed in these genres at all will be able to point out what I'm doing wrong.
Managing to publish this earlier than usual was also due to the fact that unlike Chapter 1, I didn't find a beta for this (as nobody responded to my messages and/or some people didn't have the qualifications I liked. By the way, if you'd be willing to beta future chapters of this story or know someone who would be, drop me a line) and I didn't, in fact, spend three to four hours revising it. At most I reread it completely three or four times, but I feel like rereading it any more would have been a mistake. I would have ended up overanalysing and nitpicking at things that really didn't matter and delayed the publishing. Although, I did spend an hour or so just fidgeting before convincing myself to just publish it and hope the act didn't cause me to spontaneously combust.
I can't shake off this feeling that I'm going too fast though. Admittedly the pacing is probably one of the things I'm most concerned with; everybody who reviewed Chapter 1 (thanks by the way!) cleared up my doubts about the characterization and such, but I'm still worried to death that this story is going to end up as a train wreck because I can't have a consistent flow to it, or because in the end I'm just a clueless twat who likes to mindlessly slap his hands against the keyboard in his free time.
Maybe my anxiety is baseless. Or not.
Chapter 3 at the moment is just an idea and have a bit more dramatic punch; I haven't actually written anything out for it, but I have the structure generally mapped out. I'll try to get on it as soon as I can, but I'm currently in the process of moving so it may take me a few days to really settle down and get cracking on it.
But yeah, here's Chapter 2. Please review, as reviews are the joyous shining golden spiked whips that will keep me cranking away at the writing wheel.
Persona and all associated characters and concepts are property of Atlus.
Sunday, January 19th, 2014
1:21 P.M.
Rokujin Country Estate
"It's an honor to have you with us, Detective Shirogane. I followed many of the cases you and your grandfather worked on in the past. I'm sure this incident will be resolved quickly with you on the job." The chauffeur politely nodded his head at his mirror to where his passenger was seated behind him. The rumble of the car on the frosted country road sounded almost ominous as the detective glanced up briefly from underneath the brim of her cap before scanning a small series of documents; the results of her independent research over the course of yesterday.
Details on the Rokujin's estate were painfully scarce. The house itself was built around 1956 according to the construction records. Interestingly enough, the land encompassing the house had changed hands several times, with the transactions stopping around 1987. The Rokujins themselves didn't come to the estate often; they used it as a vacation spot a few times, but usually preferred to stay in the city. Beyond that, though, any other information was omitted, classified, or missing. Without being or having an official police or government source, nothing else could be accurately determined about the estate.
Naoto sighed. There was the possibility that the estate was merely being used as a meeting point and that her research the previous day was completely pointless, but the probability of that being the case was a low one. If the house wasn't involved, why would the client have bothered sending photos of the house exterior and the surrounding property? For that matter, why bother sending them at all? Obviously they were relevant to whatever case the President wanted solved, but they served no purpose; she would be at the house in order to inspect it on her own in person anyway. Not even the request letter held a reason as to why the photos were sent with the package.
There was a difference between being discreet and being needlessly cryptic that the President didn't seem to be aware of. It was almost like she was being toyed with.
The silver sedan stopped briefly in front of an iron gate as it swung open, and the car proceeded to the courtyard of the country estate. Naoto noticed that there were several other vehicles parked in the rectangular courtyard, including a curious black van emblazoned with the acronym "SPI".
"I wasn't aware that the President had recruited others to investigate this," the detective commented offhandedly. The chauffeur nodded as the sedan slid in next to a rather impressive looking Nissan.
"Yes, he is very determined to see that this matter is concluded swiftly. I believe there are three other investigation agencies present here as well." Naoto's expression didn't change as the car stopped, but her unease began to grow. The documents in the box received the day before had only included a very adamant insistence to keep the case under wrap. She wasn't aware that there might be others present, and even felt rather aggravated by it. The Shiroganes were some of the most prominent detectives in Japan; surely the President would have had more faith in her abilities.
Thanking the chauffeur, the detective gathered what personal belongings she had brought and exited the car. The detective glanced around at the manor's exterior: the building itself was certainly large. From what Naoto could see there were at least three or four floors making up the rectangular building, and lengthwise the manor was almost two hundred hundred meters, give or take a few. Even by Western standards this manor was something akin to a palace.
An elderly butler was waiting at the top of the steps to the doors when he greeted the detective with a formal bow. "Detective Shirogane. Thank you for coming; the briefing is just about to begin." Naoto returned the bow with one of her own.
"I apologize for my lack of punctuality; the train I took suffered a minor delay. If you could please direct me to the meeting room..."
"This way, please." The butler curtly turned and entered the doorway.
The main hall of the manor was also quite grand; two curved staircases lead to the second level and there was an almost prodigious amount of doors. Naoto couldn't help but feel a mix of awe and intimidation; while she had felt a hint of rather childish irritation at the news that there were multiple investigators, she knew now seeing the main hall and the numerous doors that she couldn't have possibly covered all of the manor by herself in a reasonable amount of time.
The hallways themselves weren't any better. The manor was built like a maze; the hallways weren't built straight but seemed to meander and zigzag left and right. Not only that, but every time she and the butler entered a new hallway it seemed to be of a different height, width, and even colour. Certainly whoever had the house constructed had esoteric tastes in architecture. The chaotic format of the hallways threatened to make the sleuth dizzy.
"In here, Detective."
The butler stopped in front of a set of redwood double doors and pushed it open. Naoto gave a polite nod of her head as she entered. It was a large dining room, with a long rectangular table several meters long affixed to the center of it. Seated on the sides of the table were what Naoto presumed to be the other investigators.
On the left was a tall and lean man with hawk-like features and a set of small black-framed spectacles in a dark gray coat. He looked American, and seemed stiff and serious in that regard.
Across from the American was an impatient young man who looked like a college student in his early twenties; he had coarse and chaotic auburn hair that seemed to stick out in all places and he had a bandage on his nose. Plastered on his face seemed to be a permanent expression of irreverent disdain. He yawned and stretched frequently and seemed quite anxious to get out of the chair and move around. Naoto gave an internal scoff. I thought the president required detectives, not delinquents.
Next to the young man was a pair of blonde-haired Europeans. One wore a spotless beige suit, and his eyes were hidden by a pair of dark blue sunglasses, which he adjusted constantly. The other wore a simple gray vest over a black dress shirt, his sport jacket resting on the back of the chair.
Standing at the head of the table was not President Rokujin, but a man who Naoto presumed to be his secretary. The President's absence was understandable; given the immense effort taken to keep the case a secret, a sudden arrival at his country home with multiple anonymous visitors would simply create the news buzz that Rokujin was trying to avoid.
As the sleuth took a seat next to the American, the man at the head of the table nodded as the elderly butler in brought a cup of tea to everyone seated at the table.
"Thank you all for for generously taking the time to come here," he began formally. "I apologize for the secrecy, but it is the President's wish to avoid a media story at all costs. It would be appreciated if each of you continued to exercise extensive discretion in regards to this case." Everyone seated at the table silently nodded, with a cough coming from the young man.
"You may call me Arakida. I am President Rokujin's secretary, and will be acting on this case with full authority on his behalf. If there are any questions or concerns you have for the president, please relay them to me." Arakida glanced at the faces seated at the table. "I'm sure all of you are wondering why the President has called you to his country estate at this time."
That is something of an understatement, Naoto thought to herself.
"Yeah, you could say something like that," the auburn-haired young man barked. Naoto frowned at him, the American didn't say anything, and the European with the beige suit adjusted his glasses, as if the act somehow wiped the youth's comment off of his person.
Arakida didn't deign to acknowledge him. "This house has been the site for many mysterious and unexplainable disappearances, spanning several years. The President's family had only recently acquired this estate in the middle of his political career, about four years ago. The first reported disappearance is from approximately sixteen years ago, in 1998."
Already the questions were racing through Naoto's mind, along with a sense of unease. She forced herself to sit still and focused on the secretary. The sleuth noted that Arakida's expression didn't change at all; if she had to say, he almost looked bored, as if he was tired of explaining the situation.
"Since the first reported disappearance, numerous other disappearances have occurred." Arakida took out a sheet of paper from within his coat. "In the year 1999, part of the original house was torn down and rebuilt to meet new building standards. Several construction workers were reported as missing. Then, the next year, a group of business executives inspecting the house vanished as well. In 2002, an excursion made by a class of middle schoolers also reported-"
"Wait, wait, no, hold up." Everybody turned to stare at the auburn-haired young man. "Can we skip forward to the part where we're supposed to care, or are you just rattling off the body count of this shack?"
He was rewarded for his incredible social tact with an uncomfortable silence and several glares.
Arakida's placid expression was broken by a single second of disgust, although this was immediately replaced with composure. Naoto at first thought she must have imagined it, but thought no more of it; she would have reacted in a similar fashion, given the implications of the comment.
"Very well," the secretary responded, with a subtle edge to his voice. "The reason all of you have been called here is to ascertain the fate of the President's daughter, Kaede Rokujin."
Arakida withdrew from his coat a large photo of the girl in question, who looked like an ordinary teenager; neck-length black hair and blue eyes in what appeared to be a middle school uniform. "At the time of her disappearance three days ago, she had invited some of her friends to this estate where they stayed for an hour and forty minutes. As they were about to leave, they noted that she had gone missing."
"She could have just left without telling them, no?" The European in the gray vest reasoned; his accent was thick, although his Japanese was comprehensible.
In response to his inquiry, Arakida shook his head. "None of the staff had seen her since she last came to this estate a few weeks before her disappearance, nor did they notice any indication that she had left the estate in some other manner. In addition, she was missing from school and her tutoring sessions the following day."
"So the girl was having a hard time and ran away from home. Case closed, yeah?" The young man snorted. "This is more a job for the local police or the President's own watchdogs, not private investigators."
"There was no sign to any persons Kaede-san had been in contact with that she was discontent enough to run away from home," Arakida explained. "And President Rokujin already has several of his own men on the lookout for her in case it merely was a youthful excursion away from home."
"You don't believe that's the case." Naoto said; it was more of a statement than a question. Arakida shook his head. "Then what does the President suspect?"
"He doesn't. The fact of the matter is that his daughter is missing and was last seen in this estate, and he has hired each of you to find her. In addition, he also asks that, if at all possible, the fate of the other missing people and the cause or culprits responsible for their disappearance be discovered. The President would like to stifle the negative rumors surrounding him and this estate, as they could have an impact on his political career or even cause an official investigation."
"And the reward?" The American gruffly spoke.
"Whoever successfully solves this case with the safe return of Kaede Rokujin—or definite proof of her fate—will be rewarded a sum of five million yen. An additional four million will be rewarded if the culprit for her disappearance is apprehended or a reasonable cause is conclusively discovered. One million yen will be rewarded to any who can confirm the condition of the other missing people. The total reward is ten million yen or approximately one hundred and twenty-five thousand American dollars.
A low whistle came from the auburn-haired youth, while everyone else sitting at the table—save for Naoto—looked thoroughly more motivated.
"I will ask that each of you remain on the premises of the estate for as long as you are investigating the case. The President does not want to risk any information regarding this case to be leaked beyond this room. Any who do so whether intentionally or not can expect a lawsuit for breach of contract." Arakida's face seemed to twitch slightly, causing him to look more severe.
The two Europeans began muttering to each other in their own language and the American looked an awkward mix of surprise and displeasure. Naoto herself was disagreeable to this condition; a non-disclosure agreement was not mentioned anywhere in the correspondence she had received two days ago, and being forced to stay in the confines of the estate would complicate the gathering of important information. The likelihood of it being an empty threat, however, was on par with it being very real, and if there was one thing Naoto disliked about detective work it was the insufferable legal hoops one had to jump through regarding things like this.
It doesn't matter, the sleuth thought to herself, shaking her head. This is the main site anyway, and it will be at least a week before Souji comes to Inaba. Besides, what benefit could she hope to gain from revealing details about this case? Such a threat was negligent and would remain so unless Naoto decided to provoke it.
"Now, I would like to introduce everybody who was gracious enough to lend their efforts to the President in this endeavor. This is Marcus Hollander, from the American Trinity Intelligence Firm." The hawk-like man remained silent and nodded.
"Naoto Shirogane, the acclaimed Detective Prince." The sleuth provided a polite tilt of her head.
"Gerald and Arman Kurz, of the Munich Enquiry Agency." The two European men bowed their heads in unison.
By this point, Naoto had already begun devising a plan of action. Being shackled to the manor certainly complicated things; the President's paranoia about the media meant that questioning Kaede's friends who had been at the estate when Kaede disappeared and anyone else who was associated with her was an unlikely venture. In addition, the President seemed to be fixed on the idea that she was still within this house and that someone or something within the house was responsible for her disappearance. Searching the entirety of the house itself was technically feasible, but also impractical and time consuming, given the size and format of the building.
There were too many unanswered questions and wild variables. What Naoto needed was more information. If she could-
Gesturing to the young auburn-haired man, the secretary introduced the last investigator. "...and Souji Seta, of Seta Private Investigation."
The sleuth's train of thought came to a screeching halt.
Without realizing the actions of her body Naoto found herself standing up, the chair having clattered to the floor from her sudden action. In her mind she attempted to rewind time; perhaps she had simply misheard the secretary, or was exhausted and imagining things.
Arakida did not just say that Souji Seta was present, here in this house at this very moment, across the table from her, as part of his own private investigation agency.
"Is there a problem, Detective Shirogane?"
The sleuth came to her senses, and felt the heat rising in her face as she became aware of what she was doing. Everybody in the room was staring at her curiously, and sheepishly she pulled the chair back to its proper position before sitting down and tugging on the brim of her cap.
"N-no. My apologies," she muttered quietly. From the corner of her eye she glanced at the auburn-haired young man that Arakida had gestured to. She had to have misheard him; the youth was uncouth, impolite, and vulgar. He had flamboyant piercings in his ears, a lazy demeanor, and scratched himself constantly. Naoto could believe in Personas and Shadows, people being killed by being thrown into a television world that reflected the human mind, and being part of the group of high schoolers that defeated one of the Japanese deities of creation, but the idea that someone like that person was Souji was simply ludicrous.
It was simply a misunderstanding. Naoto had gotten herself too focused on the case too fast, and her senses were malfunctioning as a result. It must have been from Souji's phone call two days ago; she missed him and it was causing her to hear things.
The sleuth managed to calm herself down with her decidedly irrational and slipshod justifications and decided that when—if—he ever became relevant to the case, she would have to learn his name later.
It was at that moment that she noticed the auburn-haired youth smirking at her, as if he had achieved some kind of smug victory. Naoto responded by turning her head away. What a juvenile like him could possibly have to contribute to a case such as this was beyond her.
"If that is all, the staff will show you to your rooms." The elderly butler from before, accompanied by several other staff members, filed quietly into the room as everyone stood up. "You may begin your investigation at your convenience."
Sunday, January 19th, 2014
2:19 P.M.
Rokujin Country Estate
The quarters provided to the detective were quite generous. The guest bedroom consisted of a king-sized bed, a large and spartan washroom, an empty book shelf and a desk with a window that had a decent view of the countryside from the second floor. Naoto set her belongings on the bed and threw open the blinds; snow had started to fall and began to permeate the road and the fields surrounding the house. While the weather on her arrival had been fair, ominous clouds in the distance hinted at an approaching snowstorm.
A soft knock on her door was heard. Shuffling over to the door, the sleuth opened it and found herself greeted with the ever-serious Arakida standing in the hallway.
"Are your accommodations acceptable, Detective Shirogane?" The secretary asked politely. Naoto nodded in affirmation.
"Yes, it is more than sufficient. Thank you."
"That is good. Please do not hesitate to see me if you require anything at all for your investigation. I will be seeing to the rooms of the other guests before returning to the study." The secretary bowed and turned to leave.
In a sudden moment of clarity, Naoto realized that she could have taken the opportunity to question the secretary about the case; for some reason she couldn't fathom the sleuth was in a kind of daze that slowed her thought process. Perhaps it was simply fatigue, or it could have been shock from the meeting when she thought that auburn-haired youth had the same name as Souji-
The same name?
Naoto made a rapid jog into the hallway to catch up with the secretary. Even now she wasn't entirely sure she heard the auburn-haired young man's introduction correctly, but there was an opportunity to make sure; the detective was certain that if she didn't sort out that particular misunderstanding it would bother her for the duration of the case.
"Ah, Arakida-san," she called. The secretary turned to face her. "Actually, I do have a question." He made a gesture for her to continue.
Naoto took a deep breath. "The young man with us in the briefing..."
Arakida's expression didn't visibly changed but still seemed to darken. "Oh, you are referring to the crude, noisy one."
"Y-yes. Um...can you tell me his name?" Naoto instantly kicked herself in her mind for asking such a stupid question outright. Not only would it be suspicious, given that the secretary had already introduced everybody at the briefing, but it also made her feel and look a fool.
"I-it's...I feel as if I had seen him before and I believe that he could, er, prove helpful with my investigation." A greater lie had never been told, the sleuth thought.
"Souji Seta," Arakida intoned.
Hearing that name again was like a lightning bolt going off in the detective's head. While it had only been two days since the two had conversed on the phone, it seemed to be months ago.
So Naoto didn't misunderstand the secretary at the meeting. That young man was impersonating Souji, with a private investigation agency under his name no less. He must have spent quite some time fabricating the identity and credentials, and to organize a puppet agency to operate under as well. It was a clear case of identity theft, and with the large reward being offered, the motive wasn't exactly invisible.
Naoto opened her mouth to reveal the fake Souji's identity as an imposter when a timid voice addressed them.
"Erm...Secretary-san..."
The sleuth turned to face the source of the voice, and Arakida gave a sniff. It was a young woman with long, light brown hair and shining green eyes. She couldn't have been much older than Naoto herself; perhaps in her early twenties or so. She was dressed modestly and seemed quite flustered.
"Just Arakida, thank you."
"Arakida-san, I'm an assistant of Ta—er, Seta-san. I—well, he was wondering if you might be able to provide us with another room?" At that moment the young woman seemed to notice Naoto, and blushed before giving an apologetic bow.
"Oh, I-I'm terribly sorry...I didn't mean to interrupt your conversation." The sleuth waved it off. "It's fine," Naoto said tersely. So she's an accomplice to this scheme; the two of them working to con the President out of the reward, most likely. What would Souji say, had he known his identity was being used in this fashion? He would probably make some flippant remark instead of taking it seriously. The detective could imagine him smirking: "I hope they spelled my name right on the contract."
"Is there something wrong with Seta-san's accommodations?" Arakida said. The secretary had a remarkable talent for having a monotone voice and a blank expression while adding just a hint of whatever mood he seemed to be in; from the edge in his voice he sounded annoyed, as if a complaint about the manor's generous rooms would offend him.
"Um, no, the rooms are just fine. But..erm..we don't have anywhere to put our surveillance equipment."
Surveillance equipment? That caught Naoto's attention. This was an investigation for a missing person; what possible use could surveillance equipment have in what was ostensibly a search and rescue, especially when the disappearance had already happened? Were they planning on tracking everybody in the house?
"An empty room with, um...big tables would be preferable. It's okay if it's far from our rooms, and I know this is a selfish request, but our investigation would go a lot more smoothly if we could use our equipment."
Arakida raised an eyebrow at the request as he gave it some thought, but gave a short nod of his head. "If you'll excuse me, Shirogane-san."
"I'm terribly sorry," the young woman gave another bow to Naoto before turning to follow Arakida.
So there are at least two culprits in this...no, that's not right. It's entirely possible that she is not aware that her employer isn't the real Souji, Naoto thought as she waited for the pair to move further down the hall. Eventually she started moving as well to trail them, speeding up whenever they approached a corner. Luckily, neither seemed to notice. That delinquent is certainly the main perpetrator, and surveillance equipment...perhaps they want to make sure none of the other guests interfere or claim the reward? It was the only logical explanation; it was either that or they were massively incompetent as investigators for not knowing the proper tools for a case.
She continued to shadow the pair until they turned a corner, where the detective put herself flat against the wall, peering around the corner Arakida stopped and unlocked the door to a room. The sleuth took note of the keyring he used. From what Naoto understood, Rokujin didn't spend very long at this estate at any given time, and it was doubtful that anything of any special value was stored here. What were all of the keys for in a house that didn't require them?
Arakida, instead of turning around the way he came, simply kept moving forward through the hallway while the woman entered the room.
Naoto decided that staying any longer was a risk; she would have to confront them at a later time. She tugged at the brim of her cap and began to walk back to her room.
At least, that was the intent.
It was within minutes that the detective was hopelessly lost within the maze of the manor's corridors. The differing height, width, and color of each hallway should have ostensibly made it easier to navigate the winding and zigzagging hallways, as each hallway would be visually distinct, and Naoto was certain she took all of the right turns, but all it seemed to do was confuse the sleuth. Never before did her sense of direction feel as distorted as it was now; at this point the only thing she could do was keep wandering and hope she ran into a staff member or stumbled onto a hallway that was familiar—although the term "familiar" was used generously.
Sometimes she found herself at a dead end, with the door at the end of the hallway being fake with no hinges. Other times Naoto would feel that she were in the correct hallway, only for every door to lead to an empty room, void of furnishings.
How anyone else managed to navigate these halls was beyond her. Naoto typically adapted quickly to new environments; such was a requirement of being a private detective who was constantly being sent to new locations, but the nature of the manor seemed to elude her in a way the sleuth had never been exposed to.
Her frustration was beginning to ramp up when she turned another corner and her face was suddenly and rapidly acquainted with the side of a large cardboard box. The impact caused Naoto to stumble backwards, and she pinched the bridge of her nose and shook her head in an attempt to shake off the her dizziness, as she heard the box drop and swearing.
"Watch where you're going, huh?" A voice snapped, sounding none too pleased. "You break it, you buy it. Sheesh."
Naoto flashed a glance of irritation at being spoken to in such a patronizing way, and looked at the offending box. To her surprise, it was being carried by the disrespectful auburn-haired youth from the briefing. "You..." Naoto murmured, frowning.
This seemed to annoy the youth even more. "Yeah. Me. So what, Prince Detective?" He said, replacing the electronics back into the box. "The hell you doing around here, anyway? Isn't your room on the other side? You get lost or something?"
The practical thing would have been to say yes and to ask for help in getting back, but after recalling the arrogant smirk the youth had given her at the end of the briefing and having to experience his abrasive manners in person, Naoto decided that her pride wouldn't be able to take the hit and live. "No. As a matter of fact, I was on my way to speak with the secretary...Seta-san."
The false Souji gave a pause at the stiff way Naoto recited his assumed name, before picking the box up again. "Hmph. They'll let kids do anything these days," he snorted. The detective found her anger flaring up again It wasn't as if she were that much younger than him. Even now, being referred to as "kid" brought back very unwelcome memories of her career as junior detective. Being passed around the police department like a used magnifying glass, never being taken seriously, always laughed at behind her back...
Ordinarily Naoto might not have cared, but the remark coming from that young man nettled the sleuth enough to pull her trump card early.
"I wonder if the President would be interested in knowing that he hired an imposter," she announced fairly loudly.
That caused the false Souji to stop.
So that grabbed your attention then, Naoto thought with some measure of satisfaction before continuing. "I believe he'd raise quite a storm knowing someone was trying to cheat the reward out of him. I doubt the others present here would appreciate it either."
The auburn-haired youth set down the box and turned around with a fierce glare at the sleuth. He walked slowly and determinedly before standing before her. He was almost a head taller than Naoto, and he lowered himself at eye level, shoving his face at hers.
The close distance them was uncomfortable, but Naoto forced herself to match his glare with an equally smoldering one of her own.
"Huh," the youth spat. "And what makes you think they'll buy that, Prince Detective?"
"Because you and I both know you are not Souji Seta, and I-" Naoto chose her words carefully, as the situation threatened to escalate. "-have a particular connection with the real one."
A grimace transposed itself on the young man's face, as if in challenge.
"A connection, huh? Like what?"
"Enough of one to easily shoot down your slipshod alias and send you to the defendant's table in court," Naoto retorted, losing her patience.
The two glared at each other for a while longer, seeming to measure the other's willpower.
After a long silence that seemed to last forever, the young man backed off, causing Naoto to breath an internal sigh of relief that the situation had not been exacerbated by her boldness.
"What'll it take to keep you quiet?" The youth muttered sullenly, apparently not willing to risk the truth in Naoto's words. In her head, she felt a rush of victory having overcome this churlish juvenile.
"Bribery is not an option for you, unfortunately," the detective said.
The young man gave a shrug. "Can't blame a guy for trying."
Naoto folded her arms and gave him a severe look. "How about you start with your name—your real name—and your intentions for coming to this estate."
The auburn-haired youth exhaled an annoyed sigh. "Let me guess. You also want to know how many of us there are, why I'm impersonating Seta, what we know about the girl's disappearance, and what the surveillance equipment is for."
The young man's blunt manner startled the sleuth, although she was careful not to show it. "That would certainly help your case if you would be forthcoming with such information, yes."
The auburn-haired youth gave a defeated shrug before kneeling down to pick up the box again. "Fine, whatever, you win then, Prince Detective."
"My name is Naoto Shirogane. I'd appreciate it if you used it." Naoto rebuked. "And you still haven't answered my question," She was rewarded for her efforts with an apathetic glance.
"Kaito Takigawa," he muttered. "It's just Takigawa to you, though. None of that 'san' stuff. Suffixes aren't my thing."
Naoto was glad she finally had a name to pin to him, but frowned as he began to wander off. "And where do you think you're going, Takigawa-san?"
Takigawa gave an exasperated sigh as he cocked his head around to look at the detective. "You deaf? What did I just say? You know what, never mind. Just follow me. You wanted answers, you'll get freaking answers. My boss'll tell you whatever you need to know." A flash of amusement crossed the auburn-haired youth's face. "Besides, you were lost anyway, yeah? Can't blame ya."
Naoto felt her face flush from embarrassment. "N-no, as I said," she said as she began to follow Takigawa. "I was merely on my way to see the secretary."
"That's a funny joke, considering his study's in the other direction."
Naoto would have made a retort to the comment, had she known one. She tugged at the brim of her cap and remained silent.
The pair came to a door, and Takigawa kicked at it with his foot.
"Yo, Makoto, open the door. My hands are full, and I've got a guest."
"Umm...one moment!" Naoto heard the voice of a woman behind the door as she swung the door open.
"Oh." the woman, the same one as the one who had asked Arakida for another room, glanced at the detective, apparently not knowing how to react, as Takigawa forced his way into the room with the box. "Um...come in, I suppose. I'll...prepare some tea?"
"I appreciate the offer, but that won't be necessary." While in the room, Naoto took the time to examine the equipment. Several portable monitors were stacked on top of one another, presumably designed to have images fed through a camera. On a large table at the side of the room were several boxes, and on another table across the room were microphones of varying sizes. The equipment looked sophisticated and quite expensive; evidently whoever was running this show knew what they were doing, although the purpose of all of this surveillance equipment was still nebulous at best.
Makoto had begun fidgeting, clearly split on what to do. She glanced at Takigawa, who had begun sorting through the boxes. "Um...what do we do?"
He shrugged in response. "Just wait for him to get here. We need to finish getting everything else out of the van before that storm hits anyway."
"Um, r-right. Should we tell him? This won't cause trouble, will it...?"
Takigawa snorted. "Why bother? This is all probably his fault anyway. Come on, let's finish unloading." He pointed a finger at Naoto. "Just sit tight, and don't touch anything. This stuff's golden goose eggs, you hear me? Makoto, come on!"
"C-coming!" The woman gave an apologetic nod to Naoto, who decided to seat herself on a couch situated in the middle of the room facing away from the door, rolling her eyes at Takigawa's metaphor of goose eggs.
Given some time to herself, Naoto checked her phone briefly. No New Messages. The sleuth sighed. It was at times like these where she wondered what Souji was doing. Her anxiety over his cancellation had for the most part dissipated, but she couldn't stop herself from wondering over what this urgent issue was, and who asked him to keep it secret and why. Still, none of that was relevant to the case she was working on now; for the time being Naoto shoved it to a corner of her mind where it wouldn't disrupt her.
It was then she heard the door click open, and someone began stepping inside the room before stopping. "Oh...I'm sorry, you must be in the wrong room." The voice sounded strangely familiar. Almost too familiar. I've heard this person before... "I'm sure my, ah, boss wouldn't be too happy about someone who wandered in here by accident. Unless you have some sort of business here.."
"I do, actually" Naoto said confidently, standing up from the couch before turning around. "As a matter of fact, I have some questions for y-"
She stopped. All of the air fled from her lungs.
The person who had entered the door was fairly tall and well built; about thirty centimeters taller than Naoto. He was wearing dark blue jeans, with a black shirt underneath a beige sweater and a red winter jacket. A small scar marred the left side of his slightly angled face. His eyes were a smooth gray, and his hair was neatly trimmed and shimmered a hue of silver the detective knew all too well.
The person at the door seemed too shocked to react. Both of them hesitated to speak, as if a single sound would make shatter the entire scene like glass. He wasn't supposed to be here; they weren't to be reunited for another week. Naoto hesitantly lifted her wrist to look at her watch; her hands were shaking, as if merely glancing at the device would prove that none of this was real, that she was just imagining it.
2m, it blinked.
He blinked his eyes, not trusting his sight. He moved his mouth, but no sound came out, until his will broke through the daze and a name squeezed itself through his throat. "Naoto," he gasped.
The dark-haired teen was reeling. And before Naoto knew what she was doing, she had run forward across the room, thrown both of her arms around his body and clung to him as if her life depended on it, the only lifeline preventing her from drowning in a turbulent current of emotions.
"Souji..."
It was just like his arrival last year. She felt his firm arms encompass her body, and he held her tight, a soft kiss to her hair as her cap fell to the floor forgotten. Only this time, the tears were streaming from the both of their eyes.
Gently, Souji pushed on her shoulders and cupped the side of her face with his hand, gazing straight into Naoto's dusky eyes. Neither of them could really believe that the other was standing right in front of them, their arms around each other, but at that point, neither of them cared.
"Sou-" his name was cut off as his lips met hers and her arms squeezed around his neck as he gripped her body close to his. The feeling was almost alien to Naoto, so long had it been, but even so it was also one she had missed dearly. Time froze, and in that moment nothing else existed but the two of them and the love they bore.
Reluctantly their lips parted, and the two of them breathed sighs of elation. Both were still shaken from the sudden nature of their reunion.
"I've had this dream before," Souji murmured softly, "Soon I'll wake up, and you won't be there." His eyes shimmered with tears as they raced unbidden down his face; Souji stared straight ahead at the window towards the winter scene of the country side blanketed by snow. He sounded almost heartbroken, as if he'd been carrying some great weight that finally managed to crush him.
Naoto tilted his head down towards her and gave him a loving smile, one so full of longing and affection that he felt his heart would burst right in that moment. She stroked his face with her hand, brushing away his tears as her own streamed from her cool eyes. He was real and he was here.
"Souji...you won't wake up this time," Naoto whispered. As she leaned in towards him, he closed his eyes. "I promise."