A cold breeze blew past the open window, pushing past a pair of sheer curtains and heading towards the exposed face of the blonde sleeping on the bed. The sudden chill caused the girl to toss and turn while trying to cover her face with the duvet she was wrapped in. The girl squinted her eyes hoping to sleep a bit more but- 'ring,' the alarm clock sounded, ending all hopes of continued slumber.
Yuzu slowly opened her eyes and reached for the alarm clock that sat on the side of the bed, right on top of a wooden nightstand painted in white. Glancing across the room, she remembered that she was now sleeping in the room that belonged to Mei's father. The other girl had finished cleaning it and Yuzu asked if she could sleep in there instead so that Mei wouldn't have to move her clothes.
The blonde got up and headed for the bathroom to freshen up before heading to the living area where the raven-haired girl was already dressed for school and passing time by reading a fantasy book that Yuzu only knew because it had become a worldwide phenomenon. She even watched the TV show but gave up on it because the themes were too dark for her.
"Good morning, Mei!" she gave the girl a warm greeting accompanied by a wide grin.
"Good morning." the other girl greeted back without lifting her head from the book, "I didn't know you liked that book. I used to watch the TV series but then they kept killing a bunch of characters and it got so depressing and-" Yuzu was narrating the entire story without concern for Mei's progress which annoyed Mei to no end. The blonde had this particular airheaded nature about her most of the time.
"Yuzu." the blonde stopped talking when she heard her name, it was the first time the raven-haired girl was calling her that instead of Okogi, "You're spoiling it." the girl deadpanned with a hint of annoyance at the blonde who apologized profusely before serving breakfast.
"Ah, Mei. Since we only have morning classes today, I'm gonna drop you off at the Aihara residence because I need to meet with Harumi and Goro-senpai after lunch."
"I'd prefer to stay here." Mei placed her book down and started eating.
"But Mei, I can't leave you alone. You know that, right?"
"I'll be fine here."
"No, Mei, that's not how it works. I can't just assume you'll be fine on your own. Geez, why are you being so stubborn today?"
"Because I see no need to stay at the mansion just because you'll be gone for the afternoon."
It was true, the building that Mei lived in was pretty secure, there were security cameras all over and the elevators even required special keycards in order to work. The stairs are constantly locked on the ground floor but were open on every subsequent floor, allowing residents to easily escape in case of an emergency while also baring non-residents from using it.
"Fine, but don't leave the house until I'm back," the blonde sighed in defeat before taking a bite from her toast.
In class, the usual banter took place. Yuzu got to her seat and started talking with Harumi, soon after Kei joins them, "Yuzu, wanna hang out after class?" asked the blue-eyed man with the usual smile on his face, his voice was loud enough that Mei could hear them from where she was sitting and discomfort gripped her heart.
"Ah, sorry. Me and Harumi are going shopping later," the blonde lied since she couldn't tell Kei that they were going to a meeting regarding a serial killer and a bunch of other police-related topics, "Aren't you gonna invite me?" he had a slight pout on his face that Yuzu thought was absolutely adorable.
"Kei-san! That won't do. It's a girls' day out, got it?!" Harumi jokingly saved Yuzu from the situation without making Kei feel left out or unwanted, "Fine but you owe me a date now, Yuzu." He sheepishly smiled at the girl before ruffling her carefully styled blonde hair.
"Stop ruffling my hair!" she protested but the offender just messed it up more to annoy her, "You spend so much time with Mei, spend some with me too!"
"Don't worry, we're coming to your game."
"Good! I'm looking forward to your cheering," he answered with a wider smile and that made the blonde feel excited about the coming weekend.
After school, Harumi went with Yuzu and they dropped Mei off at the apartment. Making sure that the girl knew who to call and what to do before heading to the cafe that they frequently visited with Matsuri and Nene. The familiar scent of freshly brewed coffee wafted in the air as the duo entered.
"Okogi-san, Taniguchi-san, long time no see." the man smiled at them, "You too, Udagawa-san. How's business?" the plum-haired girl asked the nerdy looking man working behind the counter, "It's been good. Matsuri-san and Nene-san have been dropping by every day as usual too. So there's always something to laugh about."
Udagawa is a quiet man who preferred working in the background with a smile on his face. Simply listening to the world around him was enough for him to feel like he's socializing. Yuzu always thought that owning this cafe suited the man, "That's great Manager! I'm happy you're enjoying running this place now."
The blonde thought back to when the cafe had newly opened. She was still in high school then and just happened to be invited by her friends to the newly opened Café au lait. When they entered, they were greeted by a younger Udagawa who seemed so awkward at handling guests that he might pass out from the over-energized greeting of Yuzu's friends.
Yuzu became a regular at the cafe since then and eventually, she and Udagawa became friends. The blonde had been the one cheering the cafe owner whenever he felt like giving up on his little shop, often telling him to follow his dreams and never give in, words that she herself lived by.
"Yes, it's quite enjoyable. Anyway, what will you two have today? It's on the house." He gave a warm smile which the two gladly reciprocated with a thank you before heading off to their favorite spot at the corner of the cozy cafe.
The door chimed once more and Goro came into view, completely hiding the two girls that were standing behind him. "Ah! Yuzu-chan!" Matsuri was the first to speak, running towards the blonde and crushing her in a hug, "It's been a while, Matsuri" the blonde answered, returning the hug. She hadn't seen the pink haired girl since the weekend before Aihara Academy started.
"Matsuri, you're as clingy as always." Harumi commented on the pink-haired girl's childish tendencies whenever her 'older sister' was concerned. "Should I tell you a secret?" she made fun of the little devil who retaliated by burning a glare straight into Harumi's hazel eyes, "Taniguchi-senpai, why do you try to look like a gyaru when you're actually a diligent girl?"
A few seconds later and a fight erupts. Harumi and Matsuri started screaming obscenities at each other while Nene and Yuzu tried to subdue their respective partners. Goro sat silently on his seat until he had enough and shouted at the girls to quit their childish banter.
"We're not here to play games." the older man scolded the girls before asking Matsuri to hand over the folder she was holding and beginning, "We found the suspect's identity yesterday. It took a long time because he didn't have any personal items on him but someone reported a missing person and we were able to confirm that it was our suspect." Goro handed out documents to Harumi and Yuzu.
"His name is Homura Makoto, 17 years old and a third-year student at a nearby public high school. He's had a few run-ins with the law, some of which are theft and violence related to altercations with kids of the same age," Yuzu looked at the photo clipped on the file, it portrayed a young man with light brown hair and hazel eyes a few shades darker than Harumi's.
"The person who reported him missing was his sister, Homura Mio, 28 years old. From what she told us, the suspect was a bit of a troublemaker and often got into brawls because of his personality, hence the offenses against him. She doesn't know about the suspect condition yet. Okogi, Taniguchi, I want the two of you to accompany her to the hospital and brief her. Get any useful information from her as well." The two nodded in agreement, "Now, regarding the mobile phone's content, Mizusawa will update you."
"Right, I've collected the call and text logs on the phone. Most of them were personal messages except for one particular number which you'll see at the top of the list." Harumi and Yuzu flipped their documents over and checked on a list of mobile numbers and text messages, "the number 080-xxxx-xx51, there are also messages from this number which confirms that this guy wasn't working alone."
Yuzu looked at the messages received from the number that Matsuri mentions. There wasn't a lot and it was pretty cryptic ranging from 'What are you waiting for?' to more threatening messages like 'You know what will happen if you don't do it, right?' or even 'She won't get hurt and no one will ever know that it's you.' as if trying to wean the boy to the idea of kidnapping the Aihara heiress.
"Unfortunately, that mobile is a burner. We've tried tracing it but it's probably been disposed of at this point." Matsuri continued.
"So, in the end, we can only hope that this guy wakes up, eh?" Harumi repeatedly tapped at Homura Makoto's photo while speaking, "What time will the sister arrive?" she continued, directing the question to their superior, "Around 2 PM. We have an hour to finish this update before she comes," he answered her.
"Now, regarding the matters at the academy," Goro looked at Nene who seems to be too busy tapping on her phone instead of listening to the briefing, "have you two found anything?" he continued right after flicking the raven-haired girl's forehead.
"No, Harumin's been speaking to people left and right and we've been watching movements in the school but there's nothing out of the ordinary and there's no rumor going around or anything like that. Maybe we jumped the gun on the connection?" The blonde felt a little guilty. She had been "playing" around compared to Harumi who had been hard at work forming bonds and gathering information.
"And Aihara Mei? Have you asked her regarding any strange reports around the school?"
"Yes, she was nice enough to let me into the records but we found no recent report of a stalker or any abductions around the vicinity of the school... well, aside from her own." Goro stared at the blonde who shyly scratched her head at the lack of results, "Let's not worry if we jumped the gun on this. It's only been half a month, giving it a bit more time won't hurt." he said.
"Oh! before I forget, Mei managed to convince Momokino-san to give preferential treatment to Homura Makoto. He'll be watched over and only staff trusted by the family would be allowed near him," Goro nodded in acknowledgment and asked regarding the suspect's condition, "... She said that there's a chance he would survive but the possibility of permanent damage would be high."
"As long as his memory isn't impaired, we can work with him and there's one more thing I want to discuss with you, Okogi. The chief is already feeling a little pressure from the public and he decided to bring in a profiler, Shiraho Suzuran. I believe you're acquainted with her?" Yuzu nodded, she knew the older girl since the time she was studying at the police academy.
"Shirapon-senpai," The blonde answered to verbally confirm her nod.
"Yes, she will be visiting you and Aihara Mei at some point in the next week. Chief's orders. He wants to assess her mental state after the attack."
"Why would the old man be worrying so much about a victim?" Yuzu knew the reason behind the venom in Matsuri's inquiry. Matsuri's mother worked long hours and Chief Mizusawa was a man who took his job seriously as such, Matsuri was mostly left alone at home until Yuzu moved into their neighborhood and befriended the girl. She understood the pink-haired girl's frustration.
"Looks like it's a direct request from the Aihara patriarch," Goro answered.
"Why do the police have to do that for them? They have enough money to hire a shrink for that." Matsuri continued to argue.
"Because Aihara Mei would refuse and Shiraho Suzuran is an old acquaintance of hers, not a police asset." The only other auditory sound that passed from Matsuri was the loud flicking of her tongue just before Nene broke out in a loud scream, "AH! I knew that name sounded familiar!" The raven-haired girl spoke.
"What are you on about now lazy bum?" Matsuri stared at the girl who excitedly kept tapping on her phone before showing it to the group, "A couple of months ago someone had called the police station regarding a domestic disturbance. The caller never gave their name and the police who responded had given me the testimony of the woman. I was supposed to file them away and well, here it is."
Harumi took Nene's phone and started reading the incident report, "Possible domestic abuse at xx district, the caller is unknown but the woman who answered the door introduced herself as Homura Mio and stated that she lived in the house with her brother but that they did not know of any domestic disturbance in the area."
"Wow. Nene is actually useful for something," said Matsuri while genuinely impressed at the information provided by the raven-haired girl. Goro also praised Nene, rewarding her with a light pat on the head before reminding Harumi and Yuzu of their meeting with the Homura Mio and excusing himself.
Yuzu looked at Nene and proudly praised the girl for her efforts before excitedly shouting her thoughts, "This might be a lead!"
Notes:
Wants fluff but can't fluff because plot. The incoherent ramblings of my mind at the moment.