Shiori bounced back into the room and landed on her butt. The tumble causing her to fall into a daze. She shook her head to clear it and then lifted it to see what she had run into. What she saw made her face go ashen. Shiori clumsily got off the floor and brushed the back of her jean shorts to rid it of any dirt.

Suga was positioned right outside the doorway, his eyes hard and jaw set. His entire being radiated anger, so much that it stifled Shiori. The tall man took a slow step inward, clearing the door, and Shiori followed with a step backwards.

"Suga-kun, I-I know you're mad," the brown haired girl stuttered. "But I can explain all of this." A blank expression remained on his face, not a single emotion flickered across it. A sinking feeling grew in Shiori's stomach as she watched the man. The moment Suga moved forward again, she stumbled back. Her heel got caught on uneven ground, prompting the brown haired girl to lose her balance. It didn't register in her mind that she had been falling until she was in Suga's arms, a few centimeters from the floor. "T-thank yo-" Shiori's words of gratitude were interrupted when the darkly dressed man lifted her and threw her over his shoulder. She gasped in pain as the bone there dug into her abdomen. "S-Suga-kun!?"

He ignored her inquiries and effortlessly carried her through the purification chamber and into the cave area. Shiori could feel Suga's tightened muscles moving underneath her hands. The feeling of guilt was really gnawing at her insides now. As they continued onward, the brown haired girl observed water droplets fall from the tips of her hair in short bursts. They landed on either the cracked tile or Suga's clothes, creating darkened splotches. It was at that moment that Shiori realized how cold she truly was. Her hands and legs were quickly losing feeling and her teeth started to chatter uncontrollably.

Several seconds of being in that embarrassing position ended when the two arrived in the library. Suga set her down long enough for him to get a good grip on the rope that was in front of them. In those seconds, Shiori looked around the room for Sakuma but couldn't find any signs of her. Suddenly, without even a word of warning, the tall man picked her up and began climbing. Progress was slow, but Suga didn't falter a single time. "I'm sorry, Suga-kun," the brown haired whispered against his shoulder.

At the top of the rope, Shiori was thrust upwards and passed on to a new set of hands. They pulled her the rest of the way. Once she was settled onto solid ground, a blanket was wrapped tightly around her body. Unfortunately, the blanket alone couldn't warm her up. Shiori watched Suga clamber up from the opening in the floor and approach her. When he was close enough, he scooped her up but gentler than earlier.

Shiori ended up being set on the couch with a piping hot mug of hot chocolate. The steaming mug itself managed to defrost her fingers, but the rest of her body was still practically a chunk of ice. Beside her sat Sakuma, also a shivering mess. In front of the two girls were Mochizuki and Suga, both of which were giving off a frustrated aura. The officer began to pace back and forth, his fingers pinching the bridge of his nose. "What were the two of you thinking?" Mochizuki questioned, his voice taking on an authoritative tone.

Suga was as still as a statue next to the couch, a silent yet menacing presence. Shiori peeked at him from the corner of her eyes but hastily looked away when she saw him staring intently at her. His expression was unreadable, which caused the burning in the back of her throat to intensify. When Mochizuki noticed that neither of the girls were talking, he stopped his pacing and instead sat on the coffee table before them. The piece of furniture groaned under his weight and Suga glanced at it before refocusing on Shiori.

"Well?"

Shiori cleared her throat and all attention was on her. She clutched the mug in her hands tighter. "This was all my idea, Mochizuki-san," the brown haired girl admitted, resting her chin on her chest. "I wanted to check the records in the underground library, and I took Sakuma along with me. "

"But I went willingly!" Sakuma shouted, nearly jumping up and dropping her own hot chocolate. Mochizuki gave her a look that made the middle school shrink back.

A silence filled the room that made Shiori feel less than confident. After some time had passed, Mochizuki released a long breath of air, deflating. "You know how dangerous that place is, don't you Shiori? I'm sure you haven't forgotten what happened there already. And what could have happened."

Shiori's eyes widened and she looked away, squeezing her eyes shut. "Of course I haven't. There's no way that I could." The brown haired girl sensed Suga tensing beside her. "I'm sorry, Mochizuki-san and Suga-kun, for worrying you."

Mochizuki stood up from the small table and smiled weakly. "As long as you promise to never go down there again, okay?" Shiori nodded slowly. "But it was smart of you to leave a note, otherwise we wouldn't have known where to find you." The Officer lifted the piece of paper that Shiori had left behind. "Now," he turned to fully face Sakuma, "let's quickly get you home." When the middle schooler opened her mouth to protest, Mochizuki held up hand. "No arguments, I'm taking you back now. I promise to not tell your parents what happened here today."

Sakuma frowned, tsking as she got off the couch. She set her empty mug on the coffee table and turned towards Shiori. Her lips tugged up into a small smile. "Onee-chan, I'll come back tomorrow."

Shiori returned the smile as best as she could and watched as the middle schooler was escorted from the mansion by Mochizuki. She slumped forward, the remaining energy in her body draining away. The untouched hot chocolate in her hands was no longer hot, so Shiori placed it next to the empty mug. Shivers ran through her body every now and then, so she drew the blanket closer.

All of a sudden, Shiori was lifted up into the air and plopped down onto something warm. She doesn't realize what it was until arms encircled her, pulling her towards the source of warmth. "Suga-kun?" the brown haired girl murmured. She would have acted more shocked had a wave of drowsiness not overcome her.

"Don't...fall asleep, Shii-chan," Suga said against her neck, his nose nuzzling into her ice cold skin. His hands squeezed her arms tighter. Shiori noticed a slight tremble in them. "Shii-chan…" he repeated stronger.

The warmth from the tall man helped, but it still wasn't enough. A chill remained deeply rooted in her bones, making the brown haired girl sleepy. "I'm so tired...Suga-kun." Her eyelids became increasingly heavy.

Suga rubbed up and down Shiori's arms to create friction that would warm her up. "Stay awake, Shii-chan." All his efforts did was jostle her around. As Shiori's head hung limply on the tall man's shoulder, her eyes fluttered shut and she fell into another dream.