Author's Note

I feel as if it's become a sort of tradition to preface every chapter with an overly long foreword. Perhaps it's my subconscious need to pad the word count so it'll look more impressive. I don't know.

So I'm sure all two of the people who read this preface are tired of hearing me moan about my lack of self confidence, so I'm going to forego that this time. This chapter was...difficult. I was very conflicted over exactly how much to put in, and my original plan was to split this chapter into two pieces. However, I wanted this update to be pretty extended over the previous chapters, which were relatively short. In the best of circumstances the typical chapter length for any given piece I'm working on is usually thirteen to fourteen thousand words, but for the sake of the story and pacing in this piece I'd been segmenting them fairly hard.

So anyway, yes this was a rather challenging chapter to compose. Usually the way I devise a chapter is that I create a start point and an end point, and from there I sort of hit my keyboard against a nearby wall until the other parts fill themselves in. I'm really not pretending; this is what I do. I create events and string them together in a semi-logical fashion and hope the narrative that comes out of this Frankenstein-esque operation is somewhat coherent.

This chapter was meant to be pretty slow and relaxed, but I feel like it came out, well...too slow and relaxed. I mean, the story thus far hasn't really had any real punch, drama, or sense of danger so in my eyes this is kind of like downgrading the pace from a walk to an up-stairs crawl on a 'down' escalator.

Another thing against me was my own easily distracted nature. In between writing this chapter I bounced between work, school and replaying Tales of Vesperia. So it took me a lot longer than it should have for me to finish this, several hours longer in fact. I can only tentatively promise that the next chapter will be released at a more reasonable time scale.

Writing this was one thing, editing was another. I'm a pretty strict adherent to the creed of "show, don't tell" as far as writing goes, but having such a dialogue-heavy chapter naturally meant that a lot of the description that would have been there have been rendered superfluous. And if I'm being completely honest, I also sort of rushed this chapter. I wanted to really get to the meat and potatoes of the mystery, so I hope you'll forgive the lack of eloquence.

Even so, my editing of this wasn't as extensive as it usually is. That said, however, based on the reviews that this chapter receives, this chapter will very likely be changed and edited even as I'm working on the next one; it's important to me how well people consider this chapter because this is really where the first domino falls, so to speak. I'll definitely be considering any and all suggestions that my readers have to offer.

So forgive this slow and unassuming chapter, filled with slipshod writing (I know I said I'd keep my self-confidence issues out of the preface but I lied) gentle readers, however I guarantee that it'll start ramping up with the next chapter. I'm not particularly confident about this chapter, so again, please review as every review helps me improve.

P.S. While I'm sure she's getting very tired of the constant praise I shower on her, I wanted to give a shout out to FortunesRevolver for, in her own indirect way, encouraging me to improve my writing and being the author who inspired me to take up fan fiction and subsequently this piece. If you have an appreciation for any sort of high quality writing, I enthusiastically recommend that you check her stuff out.


Sunday, January 19th, 2014
3:15 P.M.
Rokujin Country Estate

The couple lay comfortably on the couch, the euphoria of their sudden reunion having worn off but the gentle rapture of it persistently staying with both of them. Naoto rested her head on Souji's chest, feeling it rise and fall in rhythm of his heart beat. The detective still had many questions for Souji - such as how he was here and why he had ostensibly hired someone to impersonate him - but when she broached the subject to him, he just laughed at her. "Here we have a perfect chance to make up for all the time we've been separated, and you still have your mind on the case," he teased. "You are definitely my Naoto."

It was eventually decided between the two of them that the inquiries could come later, although it had taken some rather amorous convincing from Souji to persuade the detective to let the matter rest, at least for now.

"You know," he murmured, brushing his hand across Naoto's dark hair, "This is just like your birthday last year," Her recollection of that time and particularly the occurrences of that night raised an embarrassed heat to the female's face. Souji touched the side of Naoto's face before frowning in consternation.

"Naoto, you're warm. You don't have a fever, do you?" He asked flippantly, knowing full well what the answer would be.

"You know very well that I am not ailed in any sort of manner. Don't ask foolish questions, Souji," Naoto said softly, although the breezy comment brought back memories of their time solving the case in Inaba. Often while they were all training in the TV world, Souji would sometimes pass by and attempt to speak to her. At the time she had been so awkward and unaccustomed to the intimate nature of their relationship that she usually responded by turning crimson and insistently shooing him away, with anyone else nearby confusedly thinking she had developed a sudden fever.

Naoto breathed a quiet sigh, feeling more fulfilled than ever. How long had it been since they relaxed like this? It hadn't even been a year, yet Souji's mere presence replenished a void in her heart that she seemed to have carried forever. It was always remarkable how he always seemed to give the detective the confidence to do anything and everything; how his words always made her heart beat faster, and how she always yearned for his voice, his touch, his lips...

The time the young detective spent in Inaba after Souji's departure wasn't necessarily bad. She had friends, friends she could rely on, friends she would keep for the rest of her life. Her grandfather and Yakushiji were always supportive of her, and the promise she had made with Souji to reunite at Tokyo motivated her to stay on top of her school work - not that Naoto had any trouble with it before. However, there weren't many cases for her to investigate after the murders, and every restless, empty day that passed without occurrence was a painful reminder to Naoto of his absence.

In response to the sigh, Souji held her closer to him, as if afraid she'd suddenly fly out of his grasp, and softly kissed her hair. Although he was successful with his classes at the University and making new friends, there was always something missing. After his classes when he was walking Souji would be filled with an indescribable ache that threatened to pull his heart out of his chest. He would always stop and spend many a good minute staring forlornly at the custom-made watch, which would despondently blink Out of Range. Although he was often surrounded by good friends and decent people, he always felt the loneliest in those moments the watch flickered its doleful message.

Souji exhaled gently and clasped her hand with his. "You've...really grown, you know."

The young woman raised her head from beneath his chin to look at him. "Is that so?" she asked quizzically. It hadn't occurred to Naoto that her physical appearance had changed all that much; in the past three years she'd grown slightly taller and her hair was somewhat longer, if trimmed neater, but beyond that Naoto had made the assumption that she looked more or less the same since they last saw each other.

Souji nodded in affirmation. "I'm ashamed I didn't recognize you straight off when I came in here. It's...in your confidence, and the way you carry yourself. You've always been independent, but it's as if...well, while we were in Inaba, there was always this edge to everything you did, like you were expecting protests or criticism from every corner of the world at any time. The edge is still there, but...tempered." He sighed at his lack of eloquence in his description. "I don't know how to describe it. But I had thought it impossible for you to be any more beautiful," Souji's lips met the dark-haired female's forehead. "Winter suits you," he said, smiling.

Naoto's lips broke into a small, affectionate smile of her own, tucking her head under his chin. Souji always seemed to perceive the smallest details about her that sometimes the detective herself wasn't aware of. She felt somewhat awkward that she couldn't return the compliment; the sleuth readily admitted that she lacked the articulation to do so.

"I suppose that makes one of us. You haven't changed in the slightest since we last saw each other, Senpai," Naoto said, lifting her head to gaze into the smooth depths of his silver eyes.

Souji put on a look of mock horror at her comment. "Are you calling me a child? It's not nice to make fun, Naoto," he said. Her eyes widened slightly, concerned that she had offended him.

"N-no, that is not what I was-"

Her protest was cut off with a chuckle from Souji. "Some things never change with you, Naoto, even after three years." She felt her face flush with heat, realizing that her tendency of taking his joking manner in a literal fashion hadn't abated yet. "It's just another thing I love about you, though." Souji closed his eyes and leaned in towards her. "I've...really missed you..."

"Souji..." Any speech between them was cut off as their lips met in a moment that seemed to be made of nothing short of perfection.

At least until a loud shout from outside the door abruptly shattered the tranquil atmosphere like a vase being run over by a snow plow.

"Okay, screw this!"

"Kaito-kun, wait!"

At that moment the door was nearly blasted off of its hinges as Takigawa stormed in, filled to the brim with fiery vexation, his clothes still somewhat damp with melting snow. He had tucked under his right arm several camera stands and was carrying a metal case in his left. His auburn hair was wild and at some point the bandage on the bridge of his nose had fallen off. "Are you two done yet?" The loud and sudden din caused the couple to practically leap off of the couch in alarm. "Don't answer that, 'cause I don't care! I didn't kick the door in fifteen minutes ago because Makoto insisted, but I'm sick of holding this junk outside while you two waste the day away playing tonsil hockey!"

Naoto was flustered to pieces at being caught in the middle of an intimate moment and, in her frantic search for a coherent response to Takigawa's acrimony, failed to form an articulate counter whatsoever. "I—you—tonsil what!"

Makoto was frantically trying to get Takigawa to calm down, as it was evident that the delinquent was intending to become violent. "Um...I had come back to ask Seta-san about...but you two were...uhh...well, you didn't notice me so I just thought..." She was clearly embarrassed, both at the fact that she had practically walked in to witness their sharing of affections and also due to Takigawa's irritation.

In the midst of this, Souji solemnly stood up to face the thoroughly irritated Takigawa. He straightened his sweater and cleared his throat, before staring straight at him with an extremely severe expression. He looked very serious, almost as if he intended to fight the auburn-haired youth.

"Souji, don't-" Naoto began, a look of anxiety beginning to cross her features. Souji was never an inherently violent person, but it seemed he wasn't about to back down from Takigawa's venomous comments.

"Don't worry, Naoto. Takigawa!" The sharp use of the delinquent's name certainly ceased his shouting. Takigawa's eyes narrowed as he glared at Souji.

"What, you going to tell me off, Seta?"

The strained atmosphere seemed to hush everybody until Souji spoke.

"Do you have an appointment?"

The silence was deafening.

The four of them simply stared at each other, unable to comprehend the question and how to react. The silence held for several seconds until the tense air was broken by Makoto's stifled giggling. Souji grinned, clearly holding back laughter himself as Takigawa's expression meandered schizophrenically between confused, indignant, and angry. Naoto covered her mouth with her hand, coughing and turning away as she hid her smile.

Makoto finally broke out into a fit of giggling, dispelling the stiff atmosphere. Souji let loose as well, laughing enthusiastically as he patted the discombobulated Takigawa's shoulder. Naoto merely smiled, although a chuckle escaped from her lips every now and then. If there was any doubt in her mind that this wasn't Souji, it wasn't there anymore.

"I am going to stab you in the eyes one day, Seta-san." Takigawa muttered bitterly, although it was fairly clear that he was doing his best to hide the grin that was beginning to tug at the corner of his lips as he set the equipment aside, the camera stands on one table and the metal box on another. Makoto still let out the occasional giggle as she opened the case and revealed several sets of small video cameras and accompanying accessories.

"Perhaps it would be more prudent to knock on the next occasion," Naoto suggested with her arms folded across her chest, causing Makoto to blush sheepishly and turn away, murmuring an apology. She was glad that the situation didn't escalate; had Souji been serious there might have been a physical clash within the confines of the room.

"Still, though, Seta-san, I didn't know you were, well...like that," Takigawa said, giving a meaningful glance to Naoto. "Not that I care, it's just surprising. I thought I had you figured out." He began to plug in various cables to the monitors on the table.

"Kaito-kun!" Makoto admonished, "We don't choose who we love. It's Seta-san's business; we have no place to judge him."

"The hell are you yelling at me for? I just said it was surprising," Takigawa said defensively.

"Like what?" Naoto asked blankly, confused by the auburn-haired youth's vague wording. "What do you mean?" Takigawa seemed to share a trait with Yosuke and Kanji in that despite his blunt nature, he was never straightforward when it actually mattered.

"Well—I mean, you know—ugh, nevermind." Takigawa scratched the back of his head and rolled his eyes at the sleuth's obliviousness.

Souji patted her on the shoulder. "He means he thinks you're male," he explained helpfully.

"O-oh...I see," Naoto murmured, feeling the heat bloom on her face again. The sleuth glanced down at herself; she still had taken to binding her chest and wearing masculine clothing, and while she had mostly limited intentionally making her voice deeper than it was naturally, it was still of a lower tone, at least in comparison with other, more feminine girls. "It is not necessarily his fault. Old habits are difficult to break, after all, and I never foresaw the topic of my gender becoming an issue of note so soon." Takigawa turned from his work, distracted by the comment.

"What's...that supposed to mean?" He asked, muddled. "What, is the acclaimed Prince Detective actually a girl or something? Hah, that'd be really something, wouldn't it?" Takigawa's breezy tone implied that he had said it as a joke and wasn't inclined to believe it if that were the case.

Souji and Naoto exchanged glances, with the detective becoming fixated on her shoes. It didn't happen too often, at least not in Inaba, since the people there were now mostly aware of her actual gender, but it was always awkward whenever someone mistook her for a male and usually resulted in raised questions and certain changed perspectives. More than once had it diverted unwelcome attention to the sleuth's direction, and it was more often than not a nuisance having to deal with it.

"Well...yes," Souji affirmed in a matter-of-fact fashion. Takigawa abruptly stopped in his wiring of the monitors and his head practically creaked on its hinges as he slowly and deliberately turned to look at Naoto. Makoto had also stopped her activity and look at the detective in surprise.

"W-what?" she said, nearly dropping one of the camera stands in the process.

Souji cast a look at Naoto, seeking her approval. The detective merely waved dismissively at him, still staring at the floor, clearly wishing that he only not blow the issue out of proportion. It would only serve to make things more uncomfortable in the future.

"Naoto is actually female," Souji said.

"...huh." Takigawa said, his tone flat. He stared at Naoto for a while before glancing between her and Souji several times. "Well, so much for judging a book by its cover."

The situation didn't seem to get less awkward with Takigawa's acceptance, so Souji turned to face the detective, giving a mild shrug of his shoulders. "Now's a good a time as any, I suppose. There's a lot we need to talk about." Naoto gave a nod, eager to finally obtain some answers and abandon the rather oppressive atmosphere, and had a seat on the couch while Souji unfolded a metal chair to sit across from her. Makoto politely gave both of them a cup of hot tea, which the detective took gratefully.

"How about you start, then? To make up for my sudden cancellation." Souji said, taking a sip from the cup.

"Well..." Naoto paused, unsure of where to begin. "Perhaps we should begin with 'Seta Private Investigation'?" Souji gave a startled cough into his tea. "That black van outside is yours, correct? I had noticed it upon my arrival."

"Starting with the heavy questions, I see," the silver-haired teen said. He scratched the back of his head. "Uh, well..." He gave a slightly embarrassed chuckle. "I had meant to tell you when you arrived in Tokyo. I wasn't sure how many cases you'd receive while attending university in the city, and the year I spent with everyone in Inaba kind of got me interested in being a detective. There weren't really any other agencies hiring students, though, so I figured I may as well try my luck at starting one." He nodded at Naoto. "The time I spent with you definitely encouraged the idea, of course. And, well..." The usually confident Souji had turned unusually self-conscious. "I would be lying if I said...I wasn't also planning on using it as a reason to stay with you, Naoto."

In the background, Takigawa rolled his eyes, and Makoto smiled softly.

Naoto turned scarlet in response, a reaction Souji's honest and unhesitating affection never failed to produce. It was a very flattering thought, to say the least. She stared at the tea swirling in her cup. The sleuth was unaccustomed to someone—even Souji—going to such great lengths for her sake, but he had started his own detective agency because of her, because he wanted to be with her. She would have hugged him right then and there were it not for his two assistants idly working away in the background.

It was his last comment that stuck with her, though. Souji wanted a reason to stay with her. Three years ago a similar phrase was something Naoto—or rather, her shadow—had said:"I want a reason for me to stay..."

"Anyway, I managed to save enough money to rent an office not too far from the campus. My parents helped with some of the other expenses such as equipment and things like that. My original plan was to ask if you'd work with me for at least while we were both attending university. I mean, I know the Shiroganes are a part of their own agency, so you'd be more of something like an unofficial business peer. Luckily for me, it seems my plan got an unexpected head start." Souji grinned. "Not that I'm complaining."

"Indeed," Naoto said, nodding with a soft smile crossing her face. "Although I have to question as to whether or not the two of us will have the time to actually pursue any cases we may receive."

"The work load of university is small potatoes compared to the third year of high school. There's a lot less paperwork involved," Souji reassured her. "That was part of the reason I wanted to work this investigation agency with you. I mean, I know how you are when you get bored or restless."

"Huh?" Naoto seemed perplexed at the comment. Souji laughed, rubbing the back of his head.

"Oh, yeah, Yosuke and Kanji told me all about the rampage you went on when I had called in saying I'd be coming to Inaba. Like how Yakushiji was storming all over Junes for things to keep you busy, and how you'd apparently finished the entire week's homework in a day. You really went all out, didn't you?"

"I-I see. I suppose so..." Naoto said. "In retrospect, I must have raised quite a fuss without realizing it. At the time it simply seemed that I was in possession of too much free time and not enough activities to spend it on. I was just...agitated. There was no case that needed solving, and there was no...you. All of that anxiety was built up inside me, and I just released it all at once." The sleuth sighed. "I was acting very foolish. That is a habit that will require some effort to reign in."

"It's...really not your fault, Naoto. I should have made more of an effort to visit you more often-" Souji began. The detective shook her head.

"No, don't apologize. We both had our own lives to deal with. It was no fault of yours," Naoto reassured him.

"In any case, the agency was only established recently, wasn't it? How was it that you were approached for such a high profile case?" she inquired. Souji tapped his chin in thought before answering.

"Well, I had started it near the end of my third year in March, so it's been running for almost a year now. As for how I received the case..." Souji shrugged. "Your guess is as good as mine. From what I can tell the other investigators here are pretty big shots in their home countries, and you're the famous Detective Prince, so it's easy to see why you're here."

Souji sighed, folding his right leg across his left. "To be honest, I couldn't tell you why we received this case. I mean, most of the cases we've received thus far have been simple things...tracking infidelity, investigating residential break-ins, looking for kids who ran away from home, things like that. I wasn't expecting anything big for a while; at least, not until you came to Tokyo. We hadn't even received any police commissions yet before the President smacked something like this on us."

"Yeah, the case came to us in this weird metal box, too," Takigawa added. With all of the monitors hooked up and arranged in a bank on the table he had begun unpacking a computer to the side of the monitors.

"A metal box...?" Naoto said, puzzled. So Rokujin had sent his requests in similar packages. Perhaps it was egotistical to think that such a riddle was only there for her sake, but it raised more questions. "Was there a combination lock on the front of it?"

Takigawa shook his head. "Nah, it was one of those incomplete picture things...you know, where there's only one empty space and you have to move all of the squares so it forms an image? The locking mechanism was insane. I couldn't even begin to tell you how the hell it worked."

"I'm assuming there was a different puzzle for the case you received, Naoto?" Souji asked curiously. The sleuth nodded in affirmation.

"Yes, there was a combination lock with a sort of code. The numbers were multiples of three, and the combination was arranged from the number with the least number of letters in to the most."

Souji folded his hands together. "I had talked briefly to Hollander-san and one of the Germans...Arman, I think. They weren't willing to take any questions on the case itself, but they mentioned that the packages sent to their agencies had puzzles on them as well."

Naoto pursed her lips, deep in thought. The threads were starting to come together, albeit slowly; none of this information held any actual value to the case of locating Kaede Rokujin. Still, it was a start. "If the President wants his daughter to be located so urgently, why go to the trouble of concealing the requests within such conundrums?"

Makoto spoke up. "Perhaps it's a test," she offered. "Maybe the President only wants the most intelligent and logical of investigators to answer the call? After all, he did make an awfully big fuss about keeping the case quiet. It wouldn't make sense for him to hire too many investigators."

"Arakida-san did say at the briefing that the President had his own men on the look out. I don't think man power was the problem; he wanted competent people," Takigawa suggested.

"Is it possible that President Rokujin had sent out packages to other investigation agencies?" Naoto asked, to which Souji shook his head.

"There's no way of knowing that, and assuming he did, if they're not here then it's evident that they couldn't solve whatever riddle he posed for them. Or chose to ignore it." He leaned back in the metal chair. "Either way, it doesn't matter; it's just us here, so it's up to us to solve this thing. Just like in Inaba," Souji flashed a grin of confidence.

"That reminds me," Naoto said, recalling a particular question she had been planning on asking. She pointed at Takigawa. "Why is he impersonating you?" His introduction at the briefing had caused the detective no small amount of embarrassment, and had she decided to report him as an impostor it may have gotten Souji and his staff all ejected from the house.

The auburn-haired youth gave an amused snicker. "Hah, I think it was worth it for your reaction alone. You looked like someone just kicked the chair out from under you at the briefing." Naoto coughed and turned away, not deigning to respond to his quip.

"Oh, that. We were fairly suspicious of suddenly receiving a case like this on such short notice in the mysterious fashion it arrived in. I asked him to serve as a body double for me, mostly just as a precaution. I didn't expect it to fall apart so quickly, though." Naoto looked unapologetic, the sleuth remembering her particularly vitriolic first acquaintance with Takigawa. Souji grinned. "He's also there to deflect any media attention we may receive if this case goes downhill."

Takigawa gave a thumbs up. "I think it was a good call. At this point, who knows how the other investigators will act considering the huge reward. It wouldn't be surprising if they tried to disrupt our investigation to get a shot at the cash. They're foreigners, too; we can't really say what they will or won't do."

"That certainly sounds reasonable, but," Naoto frowned in disapproval. "Why him? He is nothing at all like you, Souji. I don't think anyone would believe that someone like Takigawa-san is a private investigator, much less one with enough merit to legitimately be assigned this case, and he's certainly not made the best of impressions on Arakida-san." Souji merely shrugged again.

"There was nobody else I could ask, honestly. Besides, Takigawa can be smart when he wants to. Which isn't often," Souji said, grinning at Takigawa who just rolled his eyes. "But anyway, the point is that if they're focused on him, then that allows myself and Makoto some breathing room to work. It also means he gets to do all of the representative legwork like showing up to the meetings and things like that."

"Equipment's up, Seta-san," Takigawa said, booting up the computer as the faint beeps of the start-up sequence echoed through the room. Souji stood up and begin inspecting the banks of monitors, powering each and checking the feed connected to the cameras.

Makoto shuffled over to the detective who was still seated on the couch and gave a bow. "Um, I don't think we've been properly introduced. My name is Makoto Mihashi. I'm responsible for Seta-san's electronics and tech. You can just call me Makoto." The young woman extended her hand and offered a friendly smile.

Naoto returned the smile with a small one of her own and shook Makoto's hand. "Naoto Shirogane," the sleuth said.

"I've heard about you, Shirogane-san. You solved more than twenty-four cases by the time you were sixteen, right? That's amazing. It's an honor to be working with you, really." The detective had heard such phrases before, usually by members of the police force who were attempting to butter her up before throwing her under the bus after the case was closed. Coming from Makoto though, it sounded genuine and sincere.

"I-it's really nothing special," Naoto said, deflecting the praise. Souji chuckled, glancing at Makoto.

"Ignore her, she's just selling herself short. You haven't seen anything until you've seen Naoto in action on a case. Sherlock Holmes wouldn't be on her level." Souji said pridefully. Naoto blushed and tugged at the brim of her cap, unaccustomed to such esteem in regards to her profession.

"A-anyway, Mihashi-san, how did you come to meet Senpai?" Naoto asked quickly, changing the subject.

"Just Makoto, Shirogane-san," Makoto said earnestly. "There's no need to be so formal when we're working together."

"As you wish, then, Makoto." Naoto said, smiling.

"I'm glad to hear it. Umm, how I met Seta-san?" Makoto tapped her chin with her finger. "There's really nothing special to it. I'm a third year electrical engineering student at the University of Tokyo and was looking for work. There was an ad in the newspaper about a new detective agency looking for employees. I thought it would be exciting, and the pay was pretty generous, so I decided to sign on as a technician. My father runs an electronics store and helped us get some of this equipment you see here." Naoto nodded. Makoto reminded the detective of Yukiko; honest, polite, kind-hearted, and friendly. Besides their differing age and looks, one could likely put them side by side and be unable to tell the difference because of their personalities.

"I see. And how about you, Takigawa-san?"

"Hey, why the hell are you calling her Makoto and I still get the '-san'?" Takigawa said.

"It's simply my favored way of irritating you, Takigawa-san. Unless you'd rather I address you as Kaito?" Naoto said with a self-satisfied grin, earning a chuckle from Souji. Takigawa rubbed his forehead with the palm of his hand.

"Yeah, whatever. It's still just Takigawa to you...anyway, I met Seta-san a few months ago by the University campus in Nakano."

"Excuse me for saying this, but it's difficult to believe that you are a student there," Naoto said doubtfully. The auburn-haired youth certainly didn't look the part; even knowing him slightly better now the detective still identified him as a delinquent. Takigawa shook his head.

"Nah, you're right, I'm not a student. I was busy laying the smack down on some punks who thought they could take my money just because I was alone. Seta-san thought they were bullying me and jumped in to try to be a big hero." Takigawa snorted.

Naoto frowned at Souji in disapproval. "Senpai, you—why do you always insist on charging head first like that? Haven't we talked about this?" She shook her head. "Honestly, this habit of yours is far too reckless for someone such as yourself." It was just like that time three years ago, with Yakushiji and the toy knife. He had thoughtlessly leaped in front of her trying to protect her, not even considering what would have happened if the knife had been real or if the culprit was hostile. It frustrated Naoto to no end...he was always doing things like that...

Souji shrugged. "It...seemed like a good idea at the time?" He said lamely. The detective gave him an exasperated sigh for his efforts.

"Turns out it wasn't," Takigawa snickered. "I thought he was another one of those bastards trying to jump me, so I socked him."

"Quite hard, as I recall," Souji said, rubbing the left side of his face where the small scar was. "I was seeing spots for a while. Any harder and you probably would have broken my jaw."

"S'what you get, dumbass. Trying to be a hero like that'll get you killed one day. Anyway, the punks ran off and we cleared up that little misunderstanding, although I was ready to beat his teeth out at the time. After that he'd occasionally come around after his classes and ask if I wanted to hang out with him, the weirdo. Kept saying shit like 'we should go get ramen' or asking if I wanted to play basketball, like a little kid on a playground." Takigawa scratched his head, as if chagrined. "He never really got the idea that I don't play nice with others."

Naoto smiled; it shouldn't surprise her that Souji had been so persistent. Her own protests when the two of them were first forming their friendship hadn't worked either; Souji seemed determined to make everyone he met his friend. "Eventually he said he needed an extra pair of hands with his detective agency and, well, I know a thing or two from living a street life, and I was going to get paid, so I figured why the hell not."

"How about you, Naoto?" Makoto asked curiously. "How did you and Seta-san meet?"

"It's a long story," both of them said simultaneously. They looked at each other, somewhat abashed.

"We, ah, met when Naoto was investigating those murders in Inaba. I was staying there for a year with my uncle while my parents were overseas, and she had just so happened to transfer to my high school." Souji said.

Makoto beamed. "A meeting of fate, then?" she suggested. "Ooh, that would make quite the story...a hard-working detective, investigating a murder, and the mysterious transfer student!" Her suddenly dramatic tone instilled embarrassment into both of them; they'd be hard pressed to deny that that was certainly the circumstances of their meeting.

"Still, though...I have to say you two are perfect for each other, really." Makoto said with a sincere smile. Naoto and Souji exchanged glances, both of them blushing lightly. "Anyone could tell without a second glance how devoted you are. It is very encouraging to see."

Souji coughed and folded his arms across his chest, changing the subject. "Anyway, now that the introductions are out of the way, we should get started. Arakida-san told me there's no floor plan of this place, so we're going to have to make one."

Takigawa looked unsure at the proposition, running a hand through his coarse hair. "Can we do that? This place is freaking huge. Not to mention it's hell of easy to get lost in here. Prince-kun here knows that better than we do."

"I was doing just fine, thank you. And I would appreciate it if you did not assign to me whatever whimsical nicknames you've come up with," Naoto said indignantly, not willing to take his cracks at her competence lying down. Simply getting lost within the manor's hallways stung her pride enough; she didn't require the delinquents constant reminders to reinforce it. "Although I cannot argue that the nature of this manor eludes me. It is as if the architects had designed it with the intention of having people lose themselves within its hallways."

"Which is exactly why we need a floor plan," Souji said. "Makoto, make sure everything's working properly. Once that's done, you and Takigawa should head out to the main hall and get on mapping the first floor. Naoto and I will start with this floor." Makoto nodded.

"In that case, there are some tools I will need to retrieve from my room first," Naoto said, standing up to leave.

Souji pointed his thumb at the door and glanced at the detective. "Shall we?"

After entering the hallway, Souji glanced around. "Do you remember where your room is?" Naoto shook her head, remaining silent on the matter in the event that Takigawa was still listening.

"Can you describe the hallway?"

It took the sleuth a moment to recall. She hadn't paid particular attention to the hallways the staff had lead her through to get to her room, but managed to remember some tangential details. "It had...green wallpaper, and was fairly narrow." Naoto pursed her lips. "There were several antique candlesticks on the wall. The floorboards were arranged perpendicular to the direction of the hallway."

Souji bit his lip in thought, and nodded. "I think I know where that is. That's on the way here from the stairs." He began to trot off in the direction of the detective's room, with her following close behind.

"How is it you and Takigawa are able to navigate this manor so easily?" She asked. Certainly Naoto didn't want a repeat of earlier today; getting lost was one thing, but having to rely on Takigawa was on a different level. Souji merely grinned at her and held up a black marker from his pocket.

"To tell the truth, we don't. Ever look at the corners?" he said, pointing to one as they turned into another hallway; wrapping around the corner was a small, thick black line made by the marker. It surprised the sleuth that she hadn't noticed such obvious marks sooner, and even embarrassed her somewhat; her attention to detail was something she prided herself in with her investigation skills. "Since we arrived here, Takigawa and I've been marking the corners for the turns we need to make to get to the rooms we're using. Just follow those and you should be just fine." Souji sighed. "Still, that doesn't detract from the fact that I feel like Theseus in the labyrinth, trying to escape the Minotaur."

Sure enough, the marks Souji and Takigawa had made in the corners had lead to the hallway Naoto had described. The door to her room had been shut, presumably by one of the staff. "I'm pretty sure the main hall is straight down this hall, right?" She nodded.

"If memory serves, yes."

"Well, if you need anything from your room, go ahead and get it so we can get started."

It was a refreshing and nostalgic sight for Naoto to see Souji leading a case. Had everyone else been present, it would have almost just been like in Inaba...although it was doubtful this time around that they would be saving people from being killed by their other selves by jumping into televisions. Still, there really was no other place the detective would rather be at.

Naoto nodded. "Yes, it's time we began."


Sunday, January 19th, 2014
6:36 P.M.
Rokujin Country Estate

"So it's...wait, I'm only getting an area of sixty-seven meters." Souji scratched his head, looking at his clip board where his sketch of the room was. "I'm not doing my math wrong, am I? Length by width."

"But when we measured this room from the outside, it was nearly double that. This room should be rectangular." Naoto sighed. The layout of the house didn't get any better the more they had explored through it. The hallways were as chaotic as ever, but the rooms were as bad if not worse; this was the third room in a row they had measured where the measurements didn't match in the slightest.

"Maybe the...walls are particularly thick? Or there are hidden rooms behind the walls," Souji suggested, sitting down against the wall to study the sketches on his clip board. Naoto shook her head.

"If it were the walls, each wall would have to be several meters thick in order to make a discrepancy of this scale. It's simply impossible considering the fact that we can hear each other from the adjacent room. It's possible that there are hidden rooms...Arakida-san mentioned that this house underwent renovations several years ago. Perhaps the workers had simply built over it."

"But they probably wouldn't look kindly to us just breaking the walls down, so that rules out that option. Not to mention it'd be embarrassing if they gave permission and we just ended up knocking down a perfectly functional wall." Souji put a hand on his forehead. "This is a lot harder than I'd thought it'd be. How are we supposed to find Kaede in a place like this? We could spend weeks searching the premises and still turn up empty handed. It wouldn't be like looking for a needle in a haystack, this is more like looking for a golf ball in the Roman Coliseum."

The pair had been at it for several hours now and weren't even finished with the second floor. They'd gotten lost twice in the mean time, and it was only by luck both times that they managed to recover their bearings. At some point the hallways stopped being confusing turns and had sadistically evolved into intersections and crossroads, and some of the rooms they entered had hallways in them that they held off on exploring. Souji had made the comment that from the way the hallways twisted and the rooms were devised this manor shouldn't even be structurally sound.

At that moment the door creaked open, causing both of them to jump. The European with the beige suit and blue-tinted glasses entered, a surprised look on his face at noticing the room was occupied.

"Oh, Arman-san. Are you looking around the house too?" Souji said amiably, quickly rising to his feet. The European looked at the Souji curiously before nodding.

"You are..." the tall man said, searching his memory for a name.

"Seto Sagara," Souji provided his alias helpfully. "I'm with SPI."

"Ah, of course," Arman said, nodding politely. "And you are...Shirogane, correct?" Naoto nodded, remaining quiet. She remembered the name Arman as the one Souji had spoken to earlier regarding the President's packages.

"Arman-san, we're currently attempting to create a floor plan for the manor. Is there any info you or Gerald-san could provide us? We'd be more than happy to share the results with you. The faster we can find this missing girl, the better. She's already been missing for four days." Souji continued diplomatically, sounding worried as if he were personally associated with Kaede. Naoto hid her smile; he had certainly not lost his way with people since he had left Inaba.

"No, I was merely looking around. I wish I could help, but excuse me." Arman bowed and quickly vacated the room, closing the door behind him.

"He wasn't in a very talkative mood. Do you think it was something I said?" The Souji was rubbing the back of his neck. Naoto shook her head.

"It's more likely that he is simply uncomfortable with his Japanese," she postulated. "Or he is not as forward as you are, Senpai."

"I suppose I'll need to take it easier next time," Souji smiled ruefully. "I did kind of bombard him with a lot. I don't know, it's just that I feel that when I spoke to him and the American it seemed like they were too busy competing for the money, when there's a person missing and we should be pooling our efforts to find her as fast as possible and bring her back safely." He let out a frustrated sigh. "Were they willing to help us, we could cover all of the manor and more in just a day or so."

"Greed is often just as blinding as love or hatred, although I do agree with you, Senpai. Realistically, however, I'm not sure there is anything that can be done about that." Souji scanned through his clipboard again while Naoto glanced around the room.

It was a square shape, with maroon wallpaper and a wooden floor. The room was void of furnishings save for one large couch at the other end. The sleuth carefully re-examined the entirety of the room, as if looking for a detail she had missed. The more she thought about it, the more the possibility of a hidden room behind the wall became plausible. Nothing else could logically create the discrepancy in measurements they had gotten with it.

She was rewarded with her efforts, when she noticed that some of the floorboards stopped at some point underneath the couch, when they should have extended beyond the room. Having thoroughly examined this and every other room before, it surprised the detective that she had missed yet another detail. In the back of Naoto's mind it raised some anxiety; suppose she had missed other important details like this one while surveying the rest of the second floor?

"Senpai, look," Naoto said, drawing the silver-haired teen's attention. She would address her concerns about her waning attention to detail at a later time.

"What is it?" He asked curiously as Naoto moved over to the couch.

"Help me move this," she said. The pair managed to scoot the heavy couch against a different wall, revealing a narrow trap door, barely large enough for one person to fit through. A musty metal ring was the only feature adorning it.

Souji frowned. " That can't be. We are on the second floor, right? What is a trap door doing here?" He crouched down and grasped at the ring, forcefully pulling upwards. At first the trap door didn't give, but after a few seconds a loud kthunk was heard as the trap door was lifted up. Souji stuck his head in and coughed at the cloud of dust occupying the passage, but the darkness was so thick that he couldn't see anything.

"Can you see where it leads, Senpai?" Naoto asked, grimacing at the darkness presented in the trap door. Souji shook his head.

"We're going to need torches to find that out. It'd be risky trying to explore this without any tools," he said, patting his hand against the walls of the shaft. His hand found a metal rung, although from his grip alone he could tell that it was fragile. "Seems like there's a ladder attached to the wall, but it doesn't seem stable." Souji pulled his hand out of the inky darkness and patted it against his jeans, causing a small cloud of dust to erupt from his palm. "Nobody's been down there in a while, it seems. Maybe this trap door is part of the renovations?"

What purpose could such a passage serve? The fact that the surface of the door blended in quite well and the rather convenient placing of the couch - notable due to the fact that a majority of the other rooms they explored were either filled with or completely lacking in furnishing - suggested that it was supposed to remain hidden. But whoever wanted to keep the trap door's existence discreet had done a poor job of it.

A nagging corner in the back of Naoto's mind made the suggestion that perhaps it was deliberate. Like Adachi and the murders in Inaba, perhaps the slipshod concealment of this trap door was a false clue, a way to throw them off of the true perpetrator's trail.

In any event, peering into the tenebrosity presented by the passage, they couldn't be sure of anything unless they came back with torches and, if Souji was correct about the ladder being fragile, rope.

Naoto sighed. "I doubt the President or any of the staff actually use any of these passages, assuming they know about them. What purpose does it serve...? And on the second floor, as well."

Souji shrugged. "To be fair, we could also ask the President why the hallways in this manor have to be so confusing, but keep in mind he wasn't the first one to own this place. His family acquired it only a few years ago. In any event," he looked down at his watch. "We should probably be heading back now. We can continue our exploration tomorrow, and also see what's really in that trap door. It's almost time for dinner, and I haven't had anything to eat since this morning. " The silver-haired youth grinned at Naoto. "I'll ask Arakida-san if I can use the staff kitchen. I can make something to celebrate our reunion."

"What? No, it's fine," Naoto protested. "We have been working all day, and I don't want you to feel as if you are obligated to prepare something. Arakida-san had said that the staff will provide the meals, and besides, you yourself just said that you haven't eaten since this morning."

"Ah, but I can be patient, and I doubt Arakida's staff can make California rolls like I can," Souji moved his face closer to hers, the grin on his face widening. The detective felt her face flush with warmth, and she averted her eyes from his gaze. "You may be the most capable and competent detective I or anyone else know, Naoto Shirogane, but there is no way you're convincing me that you didn't miss my cooking."

"W-well, that—it's possible that that may have been the case since you departed..." Naoto said quietly. Souji chuckled and clapped his hands together.

"It's decided then. I'll make something for everyone. Let's meet up back at the base."

"Base?" Naoto said, somewhat confused.

"Where our equipment is, Naoto," Souji said, patting her on the head. "Unless you'd rather I call it our 'secret headquarters'?"

"That was a ridiculous name then as it would be now," Naoto muttered. "We were simply meeting at the Junes food court...there was hardly anything 'secret' about it. I still don't understand why Yosuke-san and everyone else insisted on calling it that." The pair began to make their way down the various turning hallways back to the room holding their equipment. The corners of the halls were now marked with several different colours; black was the way back to their rooms and the main hall, blue was for a dead end, and red was for a hall or series of halls that had yet to be explored. Souji took out his phone and pressed several buttons quickly.

"..hey, Takigawa? Yeah, it's me. Let's call off the floor plan for now; we can continue tomorrow. Yeah, alright. Let's meet up back at the base; Naoto and I are already on our way there. What? Oh, don't do that. I'm probably going to commandeer Arakida's kitchen. I want to treat everyone; it's been too long since I took the time to properly prepare something to eat. No, don't worry about it. Yeah, alright. We'll see you there." Souji put his phone back in his pocket.

"How was it for Makoto and Takigawa-san?" Naoto inquired.

"I didn't ask, but Takigawa sounded annoyed. I can't imagine their exploration was going too much better than ours, given the setting, but then again Takigawa always sounds annoyed. The day that guy is actually happy will be the day Mount Fuji grows jet engines and blasts off into the sky." The sleuth smiled softly. Even now it seemed that Souji didn't have any trouble making new friends.

"You certainly attract people of all sorts, Senpai," she said, causing Souji to look at her dubiously. "What do you mean? I didn't even wear cologne today." He said flippantly.

Naoto gave an amused chuckle, although Souji's banter typically didn't warrant more than an eye roll. "No, it's...it's simply rather remarkable to me that you are such good friends with someone like Takigawa-san."

"Oh," Souji snickered. "Well, he's actually a pretty good guy. He's a lot rougher around the edges and a bit more physical than Kanji, but he has his moments, although I suppose I shouldn't really be surprised that we get along so well. He...well, he kind of reminds me of myself."

The comment surprised Naoto. "How so?" she questioned, now curious. She herself couldn't see anything in Takigawa resembling Souji; whereas the latter was well-mannered, kind, sincere, dedicated, and always did his best to keep a smile, the former always seemed to be in a foul mood, abrasive, unwelcoming, and kept everyone at arm's length. The fact that Souji seemed to recognize some of himself in Takigawa was an idea that seemed to be completely lacking in merit.

"Haha, well...before I came to Inaba, I didn't really have any friends," Souji mused, tilting his head down towards the floor. "I mean, I told you most of this already; my parents and I moved around a lot but constantly moving meant I never really befriended anybody, you know? It was as if...everyone around me was single serving, like condiments in air line food." He laughed sheepishly. "That's...a really, really horrible analogy, but still."

"Yes, it was," the detective smiled, "but I understand, Souji."

"Every day after classes when I'd start walking to the station I noticed that he just kind of stood there in that alley where we had our little fight, as if waiting for somebody. He never talked to anyone else, never did anything but stand there and smoke. I never saw him anywhere else. Never looking forward or back, nothing to look forward to or regret, just...waiting for the day to pass, week after week." Souji sighed. It was with that phrase that Naoto was aware of just how lonely both of them had been; they both still had friends, yes, but Inaba without Souji seemed to slow time to a crawl, where there was nothing to aspire for but the next day. The detective imagined that, perhaps egotistically, it may have been the same with Souji when he returned to Tokyo.

"I mean, I was similar at one point, too. I wasn't as reclusive, but I never made any effort to know anybody. Often when we had to move it came with little warning, so I avoided being close to anybody, so that I wouldn't be hurt when I eventually left." The silver-haired youth seemed to stare off in the distance.

"I can't help but feel as if Takigawa's the same way. That...he's afraid of having friends, of being close to people, because he doesn't want to feel pain or sadness, or anything at all if he or they end up leaving. I guess that's why he reminds me of, well, me."

"It's difficult to imagine you lacking for friends, Senpai," Naoto said. "You're always so...outgoing and straightforward." It was a particular quality of him that she admired; the detective often missed the social cues that Souji seemed to pick up on immediately. He was always willing to listen, willing to talk, regardless of the expense in time or money to himself. Souji raised an eyebrow at the comment.

"You think so? I wasn't born like this, you know. People change, if you're any evidence." Naoto's eyes widened.

"Wh-what do you mean by that?"

"Well, let's see," Souji said, the wide smile returning to his face. "As I recall, it took you about two weeks before you'd hold hands with me in public, and four weeks before you'd let me kiss you outside the privacy of my room. You also weren't especially receptive to my constant joking. What was it you said during that date in Okina City? 'There's nothing capable of existing in this world that you can take seriously'. I believe that's what you said, or something along those lines.

"For the record, I believe I've simply developed a tolerance for the irreverent fashion from which you approach things," Naoto said, indignant. "It wouldn't hurt for you to take a more serious stance with some things, Senpai."

"In my defense, you didn't believe me when I told you that if there was anything or anyone I would always take seriously, it would be you, Naoto." What had been an irreverent grin had reverted to a loving smile. Souji wrapped an arm around the dark-haired female's shoulder as they walked and kissed her affectionately on the cheek, causing her to blush.

It was a short matter of time thanks to the markers before they reached the base where Takigawa and Makoto were waiting patiently. Well, at least Makoto was patient.

"Oh, there you are. About time. I was just telling Makoto how we shouldn't let the two of you pair up anymore," Takigawa said glibly. The young woman standing beside him hit him lightly in the shoulder. "Kaito-kun!"

"What?" The auburn-haired male protested. "I'm just saying it's a risk, I mean, this is an important case with other investigators here. What if they get too cozy and Arakida catches them in some act of inde-"

"I would refrain from expanding on any lewd comments you may be considering, Takigawa-san." Naoto said lightly, although the tone in her voice was dangerous. Souji merely shrugged at him with a helpless grin, as if to say you're bringing this on yourself.

"You've already seen her irritated, Takigawa. Do you really want to see her angry?"

"Ooh, scary," Takigawa muttered, clearly not taking the detective seriously. Naoto glared at him, but he ignored it and crossed his arms across his chest. "So, I heard something about food? I was thinking about raiding the President's pantry on the way here."

"Nope. You have work to do," Souji said, tossing his clipboard at Takigawa, who caught it deftly.

"What is—oh, what the hell, Seta-san!" Attached to the clipboard were several detailed measurements and to-scale drawings of where Souji and Naoto had explored the second floor of the manor. Written in the margins were detailed instructions for adapting the floor plan onto the computer and various notes. Souji had begin trotting away to the door way, pointing at the auburn-haired young man. "I want everything we've got compiled as soon as possible. I'll be back; I'm going to go ask Arakida-san for his kitchen. Naoto, is it okay if you help out here?"

The sleuth nodded. "Certainly. It will go be faster with more people."

"Great!" The Souji had a cheery smile as he turned to leave. "I appreciate it, really. I'll be back." Takigawa shook his fist at the other male.

"You're a freaking slave driver, you hear me!" He cried out. "Ugh."

"I am assuming it is not too much to expect you to perform a job you were hired for, Takigawa-san?" Naoto questioned as she began to organize the results of their initial sweep.

Takigawa scowled at her, raising one shoulder and lowering the other. "Hnh. Whatever." He tossed the clipboard onto the couch and started to leave the room.

"Kaito-kun, where are you going?" Makoto asked, annoyed at having ostensibly been lumped with all of the work.

"I, uh, need to take a piss," the auburn-haired youth said nonchalantly before leaving the room.

"Kaito, you...! Ugh! Honestly, that man..." Makoto shook her head and picked up the clipboard, taking a seat at the computer.

Naoto glanced at the young woman. From the detective's understanding, Makoto was the first to join Souji's agency and Takigawa had joined a few months after that, and yet they were apparently close enough that Takigawa had allowed her the use of his first name without protest. She shook her head to refocus herself; there was a case to think about. "How did the results of your examination go, Miha—Makoto?" she inquired. Makoto turned to face the sleuth and raised her shoulders.

"Not as well as I'd have hoped, honestly. This manor is so odd. You always think you're going down the right hallway and you just end up somewhere completely unfamiliar, or back where you started. It makes you wonder what the architect was thinking when he was constructing this place." The brunette heaved a weary sigh. "The rooms weren't much better. Most of them were empty, but some of them had hallways too, which lead to other rooms. It's as if this house is just one giant Matryoshka doll."

"The situation was similar with Souji and I. It is no wonder that the President does not spend much time residing here," Naoto agreed. The layout of the house was many things—odd, unusual, strange—but perhaps the factor that stuck out most of all was that it was simply impractical. This didn't seem like a house built with the intention of living in it, with its multiple superfluous rooms devoid of any sort of furniture and meandering hallways that were extremely easy to get lost in. If anything it seemed more like a tourist attraction or something built to encourage superstition rather than an actual house built for permanent residents.

"Do you think that—maybe Kaede did get lost within this manor and simply didn't know how to get out?" Makoto seemed concerned. "How dreadful...to be stuck here all alone for who knows how long."

"It's doubtful Kaede-san simply lost her way," Naoto said. Call it instinct or gut feeling, but something was telling the sleuth that Kaede's disappearance was anything but natural. There was no proof or reason so far to believe it, but Naoto could feel that someone or something was keeping Kaede here—assuming she was still in the house and still alive. And those were very large assumptions. "Had she legitimately been lost, one of the staff surely would have found her by now, or she would have reached a window or similar exit if the situation warranted it."

"Y-you don't think she's..." Makoto suggested fearfully. Naoto sighed, flipping through more of the sketches and measurements of the first floor.

"It's impossible to judge anything thus far, although the chances of finding Kaede Rokujin alive grows slimmer with each passing day. Time is of the essence, and yet rushing the process will only invite mistakes and unfavorable circumstances. We still have one more floor to cover that we have yet to touch."

"Then, what would your recommendation be?"

"We should be careful. There are many questions surrounding this house that have yet to be answered. Making efficient use of our time would be the best option; we can't afford to look anything over in a case such as this. All of the details need to be accounted for. Beyond that, the only thing we can do is to proceed as we have been." Naoto sighed, rubbing her forehead. What we are lacking is information, she thought. Perhaps tomorrow it would be possible to arrange for an interview with Arakida-san. "Once this floor plan is complete, it should be a relatively simple matter of organizing a sweep of the manor to look for any clues as to Kaede's fate or whereabouts."

Makoto clasped her hands together. "Wow," she breathed, evidently impressed. "You're amazing, Shirogane-san."

"Really, I am not responsible for anything extraordinary," Naoto said modestly, although she smiled at the acclaim. "I am just one detective, after all."

"But it seems like you've got a lot of things sorted out," Makoto said earnestly. "It doesn't take a genius to figure out why the President asked you to come. You're great at this."

"Perhaps, although I am simply doing my job." Naoto shrugged. Makoto merely smiled and returned to her work in adapting the incomplete floor plan onto the computer, while Naoto studied the areas she and Souji had examined. While they hadn't taken any specific exterior measurements, all of the contradicting numbers on the floor plan indicated that the house was—or at least seemed to be—larger on the inside than it was on the outside, which should by all rights be impossible. However, the discovery of the trap door only reinforced the idea that there was much more to this house than what could be seen. There was more to it than simply old rooms that had been built over during renovations.

It was at that moment that Takigawa entered the room, with Souji in tow. "I swear, man, you're going to get us booted off this case before we even get started..."

Both Makoto and Naoto turned and looked surprised that Souji had returned so early. "Seta-san? Did something happen?" Makoto asked, a look of concern on her face. The silver-haired male looked somewhat guilty. "Arakida-san is...very protective of his kitchen, so it would seem," he said, seeming shaken from the experience.

"What did he say?" The detective asked curiously. Souji looked rattled as if Arakida had suddenly exploded into Izanami and devoured all of the staff.

Takigawa slapped him on the shoulder. "Enough to put my colorful vocabulary to shame. Even I didn't get the old twit worked up in such a storm. I was just coming back from the washroom when I found Seta-san getting all of his major organs yelled out of his body by Arakida, I guess after he had asked the secretary to use the kitchen. I couldn't even make out half of what he was saying but he was screaming about this and that and eventually just yelled at Seta to get out of his sight."

That was a strange reaction, to say the least. Arakida had so far presented himself as a polite yet mostly emotionless person; certainly aspects of his personality or feelings bubbled to the placid surface from time to time but to go from calm to screaming within a second was a very large contrast.

"All I did was ask if I could use the staff kitchen," Souji said glumly. "I guess that wasn't the right way to ask."

"Still, I suppose that rules out one room we have to measure for the floor plan, since I doubt he'll let us into the kitchen after that. So less work for us," Takigawa said, sighing. "Although that raises the question of what we're going to do about dinner. Ugh, the only thing I had to eat since we arrived was a granola bar I found in my pocket. We're not going to starve here, are we?"

There was a knock on the door. Souji opened it to be greeted by the elderly butler who had shown Naoto into the house, who gave a deep bow.

"Secretary Arakida wishes to send his deepest apologies; he has been under a great deal of stress these past few days, and I am afraid he had reached his limit."

Souji offered an understanding if weary smile, seeming to have recovered quickly from Arakida's explosive episode. "It's alright. It can't be easy, taking the brunt of all of the heat from both us and the President."

"Indeed. The secretary is also responsible for by order of the President to divert the attention of the media. In any case, Secretary Arakida would like to express his sincere regret at his behavior and wishes for you to take advantage of the meal the staff has prepared in the first floor banquet room at your discretion. That is all. I apologize for bothering you." The butler excused himself.

"Best news I've heard all day. I'm starving," Takigawa said, exiting the room as well.

"A meal sounds good right about now. Did you want me to bring something back?"

"I'll accompany you, Senpai," Naoto said, standing up.

Makoto waved her hands. "I'll pass, if you don't mind. I'm not particularly hungry." Souji looked at her curiously.

"Are you sure, Makoto?" She gave Souji a faint smile.

"I'm fine, really. I will get something later. Please enjoy yourselves."

As they all left, the young woman sighed and turned her attention back to the computer.


Sunday, January 19th
8:52 P.M.
Rokujin Country Estate

After the meal, it was decided that they should rest and rise early in order to finish the floor plan by tomorrow so that the search could begin in earnest.

Naoto's sense of direction within the bewildering configuration of the manor had improved greatly since the day's events, and while it was still somewhat difficult to tell where exactly one was going within the hallways, she was at least able to navigate well enough to return to her own room. Souji had opted to walk with her anyway, insisting on it "for old time's sake", as they made idle small talk, catching up on what the other had been up to in the past nine months.

Both were quiet when they stopped outside of her room, both wanting to ask but neither willing to vocalize it.

"You know," Souji said, breaking the awkward silence. "I'm, ah, sharing a room with Takigawa."

"H-huh?" Naoto was slightly startled by the sound of his voice in the empty hallway and the seemingly irrelevant comment. What does he mean by that? Souji gave her a small smile.

"I'm...sure he wouldn't miss me if he had the room to himself, even if just once."

The sleuth turned scarlet, somewhat hesitant and flustered by his proposal. This wasn't Inaba, this was the manor of a VIP and they were in the middle of the case. To say that it wasn't necessarily the time or place would be putting it lightly. "Y-you want to stay?" She asked, as if she didn't quite believe what she heard. Even so, while the logical part of her mind was instantly denouncing it as a bad idea, Naoto couldn't stop herself from secretly yearning for it.

"I..." Souji hesitated, looking weary all of a sudden. "I'm sorry, that was...inappropriate of me to say. You must be tired; it's been a long day and we have much to do tomorrow. We're in the middle of a case, and we are guests in this manor. I...I don't know what I was thinking-" His sentence stopped as Naoto clasped his arm and leaned against him, her shoulders trembling ever so slightly.

"You were thinking that you were lonely," Naoto said softly. Souji slowly wrapped his arms around her, resting his head on hers. "I don't know how you put up with me, Naoto," he murmured quietly. She cupped his face with both of her hands and tilted it down to face her. Their eyes met, the cool irises of Naoto meeting Souji's silver gaze.

"...stay with me, Souji," she said, her voice barely above a whisper.

Souji put his hand under her chin and lifted her head towards him. She leaned forward, intercepting his lips with her own.

They entered, and the door to Naoto's room shut behind them.


Monday, January 20th
1:01 A.M.
Unknown

A figure was stalking down a dark, metal corridor, their shoes softly clanking against the metallic surface of the floor. Soft lights shimmered along the walls, but provided no real illumination to the inky blackness permeating the entirety of the corridor. The passage was unnaturally tenebrous, as if it wasn't a mere absence of light but rather an organic substance pervading the metal corridor.

The figure stopped and came to a large room. A quiet sob was heard in a corner.

"You're still here," a male voice intoned flatly, a mix of surprise and umbrage in its tone. The figure turned away to face the seemingly sentient darkness that swirled between the walls.

"Why?" the figure said with clenched teeth. "Why are you not taking this one? What are you not telling me?"

The figure no received no response.

"This was our agreement. I have fulfilled my part thus far. Dare you renege on yours?"

Again, there was no response.

"Understand this. They're getting closer. They don't know about you, not yet. But if they stay here, they will find you, and our deal will be over. Regardless of your fate, I am still expecting you to release her, because if you don't..." The figure's fists tightened. "You will face the consequences, from them and from myself. She will be free, one way or another."

The figure retreated, leaving only the oppressive presence of the churning gloom.