Chapter 4

Matsuoka couldn't sleep last night as he still can't believe the fact that Hotaru is actually a girl even though he has doubted it before.

But that would also mean that his feelings aren't wrong.

He wasn't very mad that about Hotaru and Midori meeting up, but jealousy take over his mind.

So he unconsciously threatens her to pick between Team Toy GunGun and Midori.

"Argh..." he scratches his head frustrated and groaned.

He thought 'Maybe I should apologize to Hotaru when I see her later' he sighs.

Just then, Yukimura and Haruki barge into his apartment "Mattsun! Did you see Tachibana-kun?" they were panting heavily.

Masamune looked at them curiously "No, why?"

"Hotaru... is not in her room," Haruki said.

Masamune's eyes widen, he quickly calls Hotaru's phone.

"We already called her many times but she did not answer the calls," Haruki tells him.

Yukimura's face turns pale and stutters "Do you think that Tachibana-kun got kidnapped?!"

"Beep beep" a soft sound comes from the corner.

They turn their head and found a bag.

They looked at it speechlessly.

Yukimura takes the bag and flips through the contents; wallet, keys, phone.

"Ah, I see" Yukimura found the reason why their calls are not answered.

"Didn't you hear the phone ringing this morning?" Haruki asks, Matsuoka shakes his head.

"That's weird"

Matsuoka thought 'My mind was so occupied by Hotaru that I didn't hear anything, even the sound the two of them make when they were barging into my apartment' he gulped but obviously, he can't tell them that.

"Wait, if Hotaru doesn't have her keys with her, where did she go?!" Yukimura realized.

"Could she probably be with Midori-san?" Haruki asks with a look of disgust.

Matsuoka quickly calls Midori with an unwilling expression on his face.

The call was answered after only two rings.

"How unusual for Masamune to call me" Matsuoka was provoked, he clenches his fist and try his best to not end the call for the sake of Hotaru.

He heaved a deep sigh and after getting more composed then he asks "Is Hotaru with you?"

"No wh-" Matsuoka hanged up the call and shakes his head to the others.

"What should we do now...?" They helplessly sigh.

The room becomes silent.

Yukimura lands his eyes on Matsuoka, giving him tremendous pressure as he starts talking in monotone "Mattsun baka, it all your fault for chasing away Tachibana-kun. Knowing that Tachibana is a girl now you still have no mercy on her. What if she is kidnapped, then *censored*... and then *censored* *censored*, or *censored* then *censored*"

Even though they know he was sprouting nonsense, they can't help but worry that Hotaru might get into troubles like what Yukimura has described.

"Ding dong" the doorbell rang.

"Could it be Tachibana?" Haruki rushed to the door but what greeted him isn't what he expected; Midori.

Midori was breathless, Matsuoka was shocked as he thought 'Did he ran here?!'. Midori was still wearing his white coat which he wore during work.

Matsuoka checks his phone, there was almost 60 missed phone calls and more than a 100 messages from him while they were busy arguing and brainstorming about where Hotaru might be during the past half an hour.

"Tachibana-kun what happened-" Midori tries to catch his breath but was too exhausted to complete his sentence.

It was the first time Matsuoka seen Midori so worried and anxious of someone, if it isn't because of the disappearance of Hotaru, he would never found out that those feelings a human have actually existed in Midori!

'Is he really serious about her?' he never sees him like this before; eyes full of desperation, he was so desperate to know what happened to the girl. Something Matsuoka thought never existed in Midori but now it is right in front of his eyes.

He sighs in defeat, 'I should stop behaving like some old geezer, why was I behaving so childish last night...'

"Hotaru is missing," He told him.

"Mattsun..."

Meanwhile, at Hotaru's side.

"Kanae, Tachibana should really call Matsuoka-san and the others, they must be worried"

"No, you can't and besides there is no signal here" Kanae shows her the phone.

She puffs up her cheeks and looks at Kanae.

"No, you can't" Kanae insists, she is already at the maximum level at reading Hotaru's mind.

And so a few days fly by quickly.

Hotaru has been wearing Kanae's clothes since she didn't bring any along.

After going to concert, expedition and amusement park for the first few days, Hotaru was about collapse from exhaustion but Kanae was still as enthusiastic as ever.

Today, they will be going to the beach so she has no choice but to wear one of the many bikinis Kanae had brought along with her.

Hotaru regrets spending all her time playing the survival game the past few days that she did not notice her hair was growing longer so she had to tie up her hair into a tiny ponytail as it has been getting in her way.

"Hotaru you look great" she has a twinkle in her eyes, Hotaru pokes her head and a bit of her body out from the dressing room.

It was Hotaru's first time wearing something so revealing, it is just like wearing a bra and panty on only.

Right now, she just wants to find a hole to hide in.

"Come out and show me clearly Hotaru!" Kanae encouraged her.

"But" Hotaru looks at her embarrassingly, her face red and her eyes spinning. She tries to cover her body and wonders how Kanae can even wear a bikini with so much confidence and shines so brightly unlike her.

Kanae sensed her insecurity, she dragged her out from the dressing room.

The beach was full of people, together with their friends and families.

"Let's have fun, Hotaru!" Kanae jumped cheerfully as soon as she steps onto the hot sand. Hotaru smiles as Kanae looks like she's enjoying.

After having fun in the sea and on land, they decided to take a break at a nearby coffee house.

Two man approaches them and blocks their way as they were heading to the coffee house.

Hotaru looks up to see their faces, and asks "Is there anything wrong?"

The man standing in front her with mesmerizing dark-blue hair and eyes said, smiling, "We just wanted to join both of you", I am -"

Kanae scowled at them and rejected them. Another man with white hair which is almost touching his shoulders, his dark brown eyes burn into hers intensively as if they are having a glaring match.

Hotaru timidly reaches out her hand to Kanae, attempting to stop her even though she already knew it is pointless; since she is unstoppable during fights such that she might even turn her ally into an enemy.

Suddenly, Hotaru was pulled away by a strong grip on her arm and ended up in an alley.

The dark-blue hair man pinned her to the wall with a devilish smirk, "What are you doing?!" she shouts.

"Can't you see?" he teases her, and sniff her hair.

'Is he going to kill me?!' That was what she thought.

Hotaru froze and thought at the same time 'Tachibana will not forgive such evil acts!' a dark aura appears around her, her eyes changes he noticed and gulped as he sensed the danger coming from her.

Hotaru tries to push him off but it did not budge him at all, Hotaru eyes' opened wide, that was her only way to escape but it is not working at all!. At that moment while she cowered in fear, she could imagine the smirk forming on his face.

She felt powerless against him, she shuts her eyes tightly when she sees him going closer to her.

She then cries out unknowingly "Midori-san!", a wave of energy rushed through her, she can't give up yet because she has one very important reason to continue living, so she tries to resist again by kicking or punching him but stopped she hears a chuckle.

She opens her eyes, the man was still in front of her face but with a smile.

"I'm just joking, actually my friend asked me to bring you away so that he can have some time alone with your friend, I decided to play a little joke but it seems like it got a bit too far, I'm really sorry" The man apologized to her whose legs gave in and was now sitting on the floor with a traumatic face.

The man made an apologetic and guilty look, he offers her a hand to get up.

Hotaru took a moment to realize the meaning of the hand in front her but as she tries to stand with the help given but falls back again when her legs gave in.

The man looks like he is trying to hold back his laughter and Hotaru blushed when she saw it.

The man kneels down, his hands rest on her arms as he tries to help her up.

"Don't touch her!" a loud voice comes from their opposite site.

She saw a silhouette of a person slowly walking over to their side.

"Did you call me just now?" Hotaru can see a smirk plastered on his face with his sadistic look on despite the dim lighting.

"Midori-san..." she muttered, a smile creeps across her face, her eyes never, even once left him.