Chapter 36

In Common

Chidori kept drawing on her sketchbook.

The Kirijo let the navigator came here and sensed her. Of course, that sensor felt nothing. Chidori was quite surprised she's the one. This Fuuka, the girl Shinjiro had helped at the back alley. The Kirijo talked some more, but Chidori didn't pay attention to it.

Junpei came in and talked to his seniors. He shouldn't be here. He saw it. They were too different. They shouldn't be friends.

"Can I talk to her?"

"Iori... It seems like you're letting your emotions get the best of you. Is everything okay?"

"Not exactly... I mean, I know she kidnapped me, but… I can't stop thinking about her."

Chidori's eyes widened.

"Junpei-kun..." The teal haired girl stood up and backed away.

Chidori was usually being used, according to her foggy memories. She was being injected by needles. Pills were being stuffed into her mouth. She was asked and was strapped to the table. A lot of things happened around her, but it's never about her. No one was interested in her. She was merely someone, something replaceable.

By being in this white room, she must be useful to them, so when the capped teen came sitting near her, she expected an interrogation of some sort or deals of any kind, but...

"You okay?"

He asked about her.

"I'm glad they let you keep your sketchbook." He grinned. "You really do like to draw, huh...? And wow, you keep the flower healthy!"

Putting her under the spotlight like this, it's a weird and unfamiliar feeling but it's not bad.

"It doesn't matter," Chidori said. "No one else but me can understand my pictures."

All she did was talking two sentences, but Junpei smiled anyway. It quickly faded, being replaced by a shocked expression.

"Chidori!" Junpei grabbed her wrist. "Why are you bleeding!?"

"Tch, again?" Akihiko stormed to the bedside table and, without even looking, clicked the nurse call button. He was tired of the word 'emergency' written there.

Chidori kept quiet. No use explaining to them.

"She does it to herself." Akihiko looked around. "I thought I had removed all the sharp objects in here."

"Apparently, we can't leave her unattended for even one moment," Mitsuru said. "But fortunately, she heals at an astounding rate..."

People analyzing her like usual.

Junpei's hand was shaking, and Chidori didn't want that. She didn't get that.

"Then, at the station, you did that to yourself?" Junpei asked.

"I never asked for your help."

"Well, I want you to stop." Junpei looked down. "You can't be doing that, it's not right."

Not right?

"And I won't let you… I won't let you get hurt."

Me...

...

The others left. The nurse came, applied some medicines, and walked away.

Chidori looked out the window. It must be boring, Junpei thought. Being in a small room all day. She had her notebook, but she's not drawing on it. Probably not in the mood.

"They are gone," she said.

"Huh?" Junpei glanced at her.

"Those people." The red haired girl in hospital gown turned to look at him.

From where Junpei was sitting, the orange light reflected in her eyes so perfectly.

"Listen to me, will you?"

"What is it?" Junpei asked.

"I admit, at the station… I did that to myself." Chidori bit her lip but didn't break the eye contact. "And I did it yesterday… but these wounds today… I didn't do this."

"Eh?" Junpei blinked. "Then how did you get it?"

"None of your business…" She whispered.

Junpei smiled. He could always come back here and talk to her the next day.

"Koromaru wants to communicate something to you," Aigis said. "He is tired of eating the same food day after day. I recommend you change his menu."

"I'll think about it."

Minato turned around to face the guy who said the same thing at the same time.

Aigis bowed. "Koromaru seems happy to hear that from both of you. Thank you. I will not interfere with your imminent arguing."

Koromaru ran to the table and sat.

Minato looked up at his senior. "I'll cook."

"I'll do it for Koro." Shinjiro smirked. He was obviously taller than his field leader.

Minato knew exactly what the beanie guy was thinking. "I cook better."

"Shut up. You said yourself Koro likes my food."

"He still likes mine, and I'm younger."

"I've cooked since seven."

"Me too."

"I'm older so I have more experience."

"But if our skill is on the same level, it means I learn faster."

"I'm self-taught."

"Me too."

"Um, should we stop them?" Fuuka asked

Akihiko shook his head.

Shinjiro sighed. "Is everyone eating a well-balanced meal like Koromaru's anyway?"

"They're not," Minato said.

"Feed them, dumbass."

"I have things to do. Do it yourself."

"Cook for these kids? Hell no."

"Shy?"

"No!"

"Thanks for the food," Ken said. It's one of those days Minato took him out to eat.

Wakatsu was quiet at this hour. They were actually the only customers here.

Halfway through the meal, Ken stopped eating, so Minato stopped too.

"It's just not the same," Ken whispered. "When my mom was still alive…"

"She used to cook for you?" Minato asked.

"Yes," Ken said. "She's really good at cooking. That's why we never really went out to eat much. I never knew what it was like, until now, of course... When I try eating box food, they just taste horrible. I never told my mom that she was a good cook... I regret it."

Minato nodded.

"Even if I tell her this everyday now, it's not the same anymore..."

The pencil tip broke.

Chidori sighed and laid the pencil down. They didn't leave any spare for her, and they didn't leave any knives for her to sharpen it, but that's to be expected.

Even if she had something to draw with, she couldn't. The hospital room made her felt uncomfortable, like the walls were looking at her. She was having art block again.

The door opened.

And someone came again.

"Your friend," a tall man in maroon peacoat walked in and smirked at her. "Is stubborn."

"Chidori," she said.

"Aragaki Shinjiro."

A box was tucked under his arm. Shinjiro handed it to her.

Chidori took it and open the lid. She stared at it in awe. It was… colored pencils, sixty four colors with pencil sharpener. There's even a little book teaching some simple techniques on drawing. Her finger brushed against a piece of paper. She picked it up. It was a letter.

'It's me Junpei, Ace Detective! Chidori, I know I'm not good at writing this kind of stuff. Well, I bought it for you. You could say it's a gift. Uh, well, a thank you for being with me on Summer Festival, you know... You—you say things I never heard before, and you make me think—a lot of things. You really are amazing, so draw as much as you want, and think of my face!

P.S. And if you don't like hospital food, tell me, so I can tell Senpai to change it. If you don't eat, your hair will turn white—Just kidding!'

Chidori smiled, then she realized Shinjiro was here too, so she returned to her blank face. "You've done your job. You should be gone."

"I'll say it again," Shinjiro looked at her. "Maybe death is not to be afraid, but that doesn't mean you can do as you please, now that someone cares."

Chidori glared back. "You're the one to talk?"

"Unlike you, I'm not throwing my life away," the beanie guy said. "I actually make the best of it."

"Let him break the law?"

"It's called justice."

Chidori smirked. "Sounds about right."

Shinjiro shrugged. "You said it yourself, when you gain, you also lose. you should know it because I'm your…"

"Acquaintance," the girl finished.

"You know me."

Chidori looked at him. "I know what card you drew that day."

"The Hanged Man of all things. You and me both," Shinjiro said.

Chidori closed the box. "It's the only thing we have in common, after all."

Not wanting to exist.