A/N: Hello there! This chapter is a bit shorter than usual, but I thought the place where I ended would be a good place to wrap up the chapter. ^^ I was stuck in a rut for how to continue the story a bit since I technically have an outline but I'm not very satisfied with it... So this chapter was a lot of improv writing (? if that's a thing?) before some more planned out scenes ("planned out" haha). Anyway, I really hope I can finish this story soon! And that I can end it well!
Thank you so much for reading and keeping up with this story for so long! I'm very grateful. :)
Thanks again and see yall soon!
~LavenderIceCream
"... That's a gamble."
Alice stared down at Megumi with narrowed eyes. "What if they're somewhere else. By the time we finish looking around Tootsuki, if they're somewhere else they could be in even more trouble. How will you take responsibility for that, huh?"
Megumi bit the inside of her cheek. She felt her shoulders hunch. "U-um, I-I, well… " Luckily Hojou came to her rescue. "What, do you have a better plan? You said it yourself that you don't know where they might be."
"... Hmph." Alice tossed her hair and crossed her arms but backed down. "... Fine. But we better have at least some idea of where to look."
Megumi pointed to the library. "Erina-san… A couple days ago, she thought I was somebody dangerous so her bodyguards knocked me out. I woke up in a dark room at the basement of the library; I think… maybe she was afraid of someone on her father's side coming to take her away. And I don't think he would know about the library basement room, especially if he doesn't like books or checks them out."
She turned towards Alice again, her eyes flickering between uncertainty and determination. Her fingers hesitantly stayed in the air, pointed towards the building. At last, Alice made a frustrated grumble.
"Alright alright, I'm sorry, I'm just… worried," she muttered ill-temperley but Megumi broke into a relieved smile. "Lead the way."
The group made their way into the library, following right behind Megumi.
Thankfully, there was almost no one inside. A couple particularly studious students were hunched over heavy-set texts but they were oblivious to the ragged group. Megumi lead them through the towering stacks, chock-full with book after book on cuisine, when Alice paused.
"Hm? What's the matter, Nakiri?" Souma peered over as Alice's gaze fixed on a small desk near the window. The curtains were only partially pulled, and a bright full moon peeked behind it. The lamp was turned off in that corner, and the moonlight lightly washed the shadows in dark silver.
"Suwen. 'Questions of Organic and Fundamental Nature,'" Alice said so quietly, it was almost lost. Her eyes narrowed.
"What? Did you say something?" Takumi turned and furrowed his eyebrows before Alice shook her head. "No, let's go on." She gave a dismissive flick of her hand and marched past a slightly miffed Takumi. Ryo blinked slowly before lumbering after her.
"I think, I think we go down these stairs. It was underground… " Megumi lead the group down the emergency fire exit stairs.
"But, why would there be a hidden room in a place where a lot of people could come through?" Houjo asked before Megumi finally stopped at the very bottom.
"Because… there's a password lock. I think it might be this door."
Everyone squeezed forward, staring at a tiny corner behind the stairs. A dull, metallic door, almost like one for a cleaning supplies storage, stood solidly in place. A heavy-set lock hung from the doorknob.
Houjo still looked unconvinced. "How do you know that this place is really Nakiri-san's room though?" she insisted. "It looks every bit like an ordinary storage closet. With a suspiciously large lock, but still… "
Megumi tugged at her braids. "This part… I'm not entirely sure," she admitted. "But, I was thinking, the door must be in a place that's easy to access from the outside. Otherwise, I don't think the guards could have kidnapped me and put me in the room before I had woken up. Although I guess it wouldn't matter if they had drugged me strongly… " Her voice trailed off.
Megumi stared down at her feet, her ears burning. "I-it's all a lot of conjectures, I don't know, this was the most I could think of since I'm not- I don't know-"
"Are you kidding?" Megumi blinked and looked up to see Nikumi staring at her, jaw slightly dropped. "This is a good lead; stop selling yourself short. I'm honestly shocked you thought it out that far this fast."
"That's right, Tadokoro-san," Takumi added, Izumi giving a hearty nod. Even Houjo looked appeased, and Alice gave a more curt nod. Ryo stood by with an unreadable look.
Souma grinned and gave her a warm smile. Megumi swallowed hard. "I just- I just hope it'll give us a clue," she stammered, a blush beginning around her cheeks.
"Let's try the lock, shall we?" Alice slipped forward and peered at the lock. Megumi peeked from behind her. Nikumi managed to elbow Takumi and he muttered a sharp curse.
The lock was a generic number lock for four numbers. Alice's eyes narrowed. "It can't be this easy, can it?" she murmured and punched in some numbers.
Beep! Error; two tries left.
"Alice-san!"
"Oops I guess not, sorry." She gave a childish giggle at Megumi's look. "Oh wait! What about this?"
She punched in some more numbers before Megumi could snatch the lock away.
"Ali-! Wait!"
Beep! Error; one try left.
"... Milady, you should not try this." Ryo managed to drag away a flailing Alice. "What! I order you- Hey!"
Souma sighed. "Well, looks like we have only one shot at this now." He turned to Alice, who was sulking by the stairs. "What did you put in anyway?"
"Erina's birthday then Hisako's birthday," she grumbled. She puffed her cheeks and blew a raspberry. "And those were good guesses, admit it!"
"Right but you should have asked us first," Houjo replied exasperatedly. She rolled her eyes before facing the others. "This is ridiculous, it could be anything. Not to mention, we still don't even know if it's Nakiri-san. I'm with Alice-san on this, we're just wasting time-"
Click.
The other students stared as the door swung open. Megumi turned around, giving a bashful smile. "Um, it's just- we were talking about birthdays and I remember Erina-san liked the same manga as me and I was wondering what only Erina-san and Hisako-san might know so I tried the protagonist's birthday… "
Everyone stood speechless until Souma shook his head, a look of wonder on his face. "Damn Tadoroki," he said simply, summing up the general feel. "Seriously-"
Megumi flinched as a flash of silver ripped through the air, hissing so close to her ear she could hear the wind. Megumi froze, her heart thundering.
Thwump.
Megumi's eyes slowly traveled downward to stare at the stump of hair on the ground. She only realized a couple seconds later that the dark clump was her own hair. The other braid began to unravel in spiraling strands.
She gulped when a dark streak zipped past her. It took Megumi a moment to realize who it was. She had almost forgotten, due to how quiet she had been.
"Sadatsuka-san, no-!" Megumi whipped around before she stopped, blinking.
Standing before them, eyes wild, with Sadatsuka practically purring at her feet, was Hisako. Her hands shook violently as the kitchen knife glinted off the dim light in jerks. Megumi stared at the other girl, who seemed almost like a different person entirely: her usually neat hair was matted and frizzy, her uniform was wrinkled everywhere like a raisin, and…
Megumi sucked in her breath at the horrible look trapped behind Hisako's hazel eyes.
Clatter.
"Hisako-san!" Megumi reached out but Souma was faster, leaping forward as the other girl collapsed. Her knife gleamed almost maliciously on the floor.
"Hisako!" Alice rushed over as everyone else crowded around the shivering girl. She bent down on her knees, staring at her morosely. "To be this bad off…" she murmured. "Damn it, I knew something was going on- why didn't I do anything before it came down to this?!" She closed her eyes but her fists were clenched tight.
Souma gave Alice a sympathetic glance before staring down at Hisako, his expression darkening. "This… isn't right."
"Just what… "
Megumi gently wiped the thin sheen of sweat on the unconscious girl's face when Hisako's eyes snapped open. Megumi flinched as Hisako sat up abruptly and collided with Alice.
"Ow!"
"Ack!"
The two cringed, holding their heads, before Alice began to wail. "Ryo! Hisako just hurt me, why didn't you stop her?! Now my forehead hurts! What are you gonna do about this, huh?! I should sue you, what kind of bodyguard are you!"
Ryo raised an eyebrow as Alice complained loudly before peering behind her to glance at Hisako.
"I apologize- huh?" Hisako slowly blinked, staring back at everyone. She gave another confused look. "Why- what-"
"Hi… Hisako-san, you fainted when we opened the door," Megumi said gently. She gave a final expert wipe on Hisako's cheek before smiling with relief. "I'm glad you're… well, that you're at least conscious now."
Hisako nodded again, still with a bemused look before she suddenly gasped. She scrambled to her feet, her eyes wide. "Where-what- Erina-sama, is, is she alright?! Where, where is she?" Hisako quickly scanned the group.
"Nakiri-san's missing from Tootsuki actually, we're looking-" Takumi began when Nikumi shoved him, her eyes frantically darting to Hisako but it was too late.
"M… mi… missing…?"
Megumi tried to alleviate the situation. "I-it's only been a day-" she began when Hisako whirled around and snapped, "Only a day?! How can you say that, have you ever seen Erina-sama miss a day of school at Tootsuki, ha-" The girl stopped at Megumi's very still body.
Hisako sucked in a breath and let it out slowly. "Ta… Tadokoro-san, I'm. I'm sorry, this, none of this is even your fault, I'm just lashing out. I'm sorry. I'm… so sorry… everyone, for bothering… " Tears wavered unsteadily in Hisako's eyes before she roughly brushed them away.
"Arato…" Souma caught glimpse of Megumi's stricken expression, unchanging even after Hisako's apology. She gripped the hems of her uniform and Souma blinked.
Oh… she's blaming herself too. He looked over at Alice, who met his eyes and let a haunted look pass through before quickly, carefully, guarding her expression again. Like Alice.
"Arato… No, it's not anyone's fault. Not anyone here." He looked up at the low ceiling. "We… have to stop blaming ourselves. We have to be content with not making the same mistakes. Otherwise, how can we move on?"
Souma turned towards Hisako. She was staring at the floor. "Arato. Hey Arato, look up." She slowly raised her head, and the motion caused the welling tears to final run down her cheeks.
"... Happy?" she managed to say sarcastically, even as her voice trembled.
"Very." Souma gave a wry smile. "Listen. You're the only one who really knows what's going on. You have to tell us. Tell us what Azami's thinking.
Tell us how we can save Nakiri."