Makoto 5: A Housebreaking
Hiroshima; August 10th, 1994

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The next morning, Makoto and Chihiro started to do more work on the power-plant when Yasuhiro suddenly burst in, looking distressed.

"L-Lady Nanami! She's gone! She left in the middle of the night!" He cried out.

Chihiro's eye widened in horror.

"What?" Makoto slowly looked over.

"I went over to her place first thing today since I heard from Yamada-chi two new groups were coming in and you know how she likes to greet them. So I knocked, then let myself in when I didn't get an answer. Since, you know, she might've been engrossed in her video games. I literally turned that house upside down...she's gone, man! Just completely gone!" Yasuhiro carried on. "And I found this on her Super-Famicom system." He pulled out the delicate sheet of calligraphy paper, wincing at how wrinkled it had gotten. "Read this!"

Written in fine, delicate strokes, too small and careful for a blind person, was:

I've gone off by myself. I just have this feeling, a horrible feeling, that something is going to go very wrong in the community soon. But I've been so distracted with everything lately I haven't been able to properly look inside myself. Once I find peace and figure out what it is I've been missing, I'll be with you soon. So please don't worry about me!
-Lady Nanami Chiaki

"Oh man, everyone is going to freak out about this!" Yasuhiro cried.

"Maybe we should arrange a meeting or something," Makoto suggested, noticing Chihiro staring intently at the paper. He finally handed it back to Yasuhiro and shook his head at Makoto's repeated question.

What for? I'm not sure if that'll do anything, Chihiro wrote.

"Well, what about a search party then? Surely she couldn't have gotten far,"

How will you bring her back if you do find her? What if she doesn't wish to come back yet? You...you aren't going to actually chain her up and drag her back here, are you? Chihiro looked concerned, and Makoto gasped.

"No! Nobody's going to be dragged back here in chains!" He declared. "But what of it? She feels like she made the universe upset somehow and wants to isolate herself in the wilderness like a monk,"

That's exactly what she did.

"We have to go after her! She's just a teenage girl, but she might as well be Buddha or God or whoever else around here! People are going to freak out once they learn she's gone! And besides, what about her? She's blind! She might fall down a ditch and break her leg or something and not even realize it!" Yasuhiro said.

We should just...not worry about it. After all, she wanted to go, dragging her back will just make things worse, and the community can adapt to life without her, as mean as that sounds. Nobody's going to leave just because she's gone,

"Fujisaki-san is right," Makoto nodded. "But at the same time...I love her, and that's why I'm afraid of imagining some blind girl out there in the wilderness, all by herself. She might actually get into trouble, or sick or something and wouldn't even know..."

Yasuhiro put his hand on Makoto's shoulder. "She chose to go," He reminded him softly, and Makoto nodded slowly. "I've learned you can test a country's faith by removing their object of worship. Maybe when Lady Nanami gets back, they'll throw a whole parade for her,"

Makoto turned to stare at the mountains in the distance. "I just hope that she's okay..."

Sayaka hadn't even known Chiaki was gone, as she spent her whole morning at the book-store, returning some books and looking for some others. She still felt a bit awkward in the store, dressed in her old uniform of months-past with a bow in her hair, almost feeling like a criminal. But, who would exchange her money for her books? She wasn't the only one around in the store either; a group of teenagers were sitting at a table, poring over house-keeping magazines and textbooks, while an older gentleman read a book on gardening. Sayaka's own were on cleaning and cooking, as well as more traditional arts like sewing and ikebana.

As she gathered up the copies she wanted, she left the library and bumped into someone, gasping a bit. "Oh, sorry, Tayu-san!" She replied breezily. "Afternoon!" She bowed nicely.

"Afternoon yourself!" Tayu bowed back in response. She was one of the girls rescued from the harem several weeks ago; then even being unable to speak but now resembling a healthy teenage girl around Sayaka's age. She wore her hair in a ponytail tied with a ribbon and modified a white nightgown into a makeshift carnation-pink idol gown-lookalike. "Going back home?"

Sayaka nodded. "Yes, you?" She noticed the jade earrings Tayu wore and motioned to them. "I've never seen earrings like that before, are they new?"

"Yeah! Got them from that jewelry store in town. Dangly earrings are popular. You should get a pair, I think Makoto-san might like them," She teased.

Sayaka blushed. "I actually have a few pairs at home already..."

"Speaking of which, did you hear?"

"Hear what?"

"Miss Chiaki is gone,"

Sayaka gasped. "Gone?!"

"Yup. I've been polling people about when they think she'll come back. You?" She looked away boredly.

"I didn't even know she was gone...I spent my morning at the book-store..." She admitted softly.

"She was discovered missing this morning by Hagakure-san, with a note on her Super-Famicom system that said she'd return soon once she finds her inner peace," Tayu relayed excitedly. "So I'm sure she'll be back in a week or so, tops,"

"Yeah..." Sayaka just nodded a bit, feeling numb. "How are you doing? Any headaches or night terrors?"

"Nope, I feel perfectly fine! Anyway, I gotta go. I'll be voting for you!" She flashed her a peace-sign.

"Huh?!" Sayaka stared back at her, making Tayu pout in annoyance.

"For the permanent committee!"

"Oh yeah...I'm still not sure if I want to be on that or not,"

"You'll do great, I'm sure of it! You and Asahina-san both. Okay, bye!" They both bowed to each other before Sayaka continued to walk back to her home.

Chiaki being gone filled her with a sense of unknown dread. With her gone, the council had no higher moral guardian to send their ideas to for additional thought, like the one about sending out spies. Chiaki would know the right thing to do, the right thing to say. Well, there was always Makoto to comfort her, at least. He'd know what to say.

When she arrived back at their house, however, everything was silent and she paused a bit. "Makoto-kun? Makoto-kun!" She called out, running into the kitchen. Left on the table was a note that said: Gone out with Kaito and Hifumi. Be back by nine-thirty, don't worry about me! Makoto,

She felt a sudden chill go down her back, one that her short-sleeved blouse couldn't contain. But why? Why was she suddenly worried for Makoto? Nothing bad could happen to him. They'd all just be hanging out in Hifumi's house, that little doll of his making them all tea, and she would've been worried for no reason...!

He stole your diary and read it though. A man like that wouldn't respect what's another's property. If he truly hated someone, he'd wait until they were alone, then push him off a cliff or stab him or shoot him.

Sayaka shook her head as she went to their bedroom, telling herself it was just her pregnancy talking. Besides, Hifumi was no fool. He knew if he did something horrible like that, he'd be kicked out of the community, and then where would he go? Remembering what Tayu told her earlier, she clipped on a pair of red earrings she thought matched her bow she thought Makoto would like, then headed outside where two shiny red bikes were parked; owned by the house's previous owners.

She carefully settled herself down on one and supported her small bump awkwardly with a hand before she started pedaling off the sidewalk and into the road, making a beeline for Hifumi's place.

They'll be there, and you'll feel like such a fool for overthinking this, She thought to herself.

Except Hifumi's fenced-in house was completely silent when Sayaka arrived. She always found it strange how he moved so out of the way compared to everyone else in town; sure, Aiko lived with him, but he had no other neighbors to speak of, and the stores he lived around saw such few guests. Hifumi never struck her as the kind of guy who preferred the quiet, but he was a fanfic writer at the same time. Maybe he liked total silence to better concentrate and some doll to give him sandwiches and tea so he wouldn't have to break that hard-earned concentration. Still, he was a respected member of the community, he had people who'd consider themselves to be his friends. Why did he insist on living all alone out here?

She slowly got off her bike and jiggled the door, gasping a bit when she heard the signature click of a lock behind it. Nobody locked their doors at Hope's Peak; they were all trusted friends and thus anyone could just walk into someone's place anytime they wanted. Well, surely that girl he lived with wouldn't stay behind a locked door?

She kept jiggling it for several more seconds before giving up, wandering around the outside of the house more. She wasn't a lockpicker, so surely there must've been some other way inside the house...yes, there!

She squatted down and pulled open one of the open basement windows a little more with a grunt, dropping onto her side and wriggling her way through, gasping when she hit the top of a closed box hard.

"Ouch..." She sighed, pulling herself back up.

The room she was in was an obvious rec-room, quite clearly used even though she knew for a fact Hifumi didn't own any of that stuff. A giant leather couch with a colourful quilt thrown on the back was in front of a tiny TV that had a shelf across from it painted purple. Sayaka looked over curiously and saw a massive collection of anime and Disney movies all on VHS. There was also an air-hockey table with a crate of Diet Cokes settled onto it, a few mannequins with half-finished dresses on them-too elaborate to be anything other than cosplay, but Sayaka couldn't recognize them by sight alone-and a few movie posters placed on the walls. One was of the Nagoya skyline at night and she found herself sniffling. She missed her home suddenly; with the beautiful coast and the roller-coasters and the accents. Oh how she missed the familiar accent of her home. She was all-too-aware of how strange she sounded compared to everyone else at Hope's Peak; the way she shortened her phrases and added emphasis onto everything...she sounded like an absolute ditz and newcomers often had to ask her to repeat what she said. They all spoke Japanese, but she might as well have been speaking something else for the looks they gave her.

She sniffled again and walked up the stairs quietly, having taken her shoes off in front of the box already. She wasn't about to just desecrate someone else's house, even if it was Hifumi's.

The kitchen smelled faintly like chicken and she clutched her stomach, noticing a piece of paper left under the sugar bowl; empty. Curious, she slid the note out and skimmed it:

Master Hifumi! I may be back by the time you actually find this, but just in case! I went out shopping to get more fabric for my kimono. And a cute little matching bag too! Don't worry, I locked the door behind me just like you told me to do! -Aiko

Sayaka left the note where she found it. That explained why the house was empty, but she'd have to be extra careful that Aiko didn't come home early and spot her.

There was nothing else of interest in the kitchen, so she headed into the living room, feeling around as the blinds were tightly closed and pulled down so not a crack of sunlight showed.

"Why? Normally we do that for houses that we can't have because they have dead people in them..." Sayaka wondered to herself, looking over the large bookcase in the room. A few books were haphazardly placed near the middle, and she grew curious and started to reach for them when she heard the quick and neat sound of someone knocking on the door.

In an unthinking flash, she pressed herself up against the side of the bookcase, covering her mouth up as her heart thundered in her ears and her own breath grew heavy. She remained perfectly still and stiff, even as she heard the quiet, tell-tale dribbles of urine patter onto the floor from under her skirt.

The knocking came again, more uniform and louder that time.

In a panic, Sayaka wondered if the houseguest was going to sneak in around the back and recalled her bike being parked out there; anyone who went by the basement windows would likely see it. At least the blinds were closed.

"Anyone home?" The voice, a woman's, called out, knocking once more before she evidently turned and started walking down the concrete sidewalk. Sayaka allowed herself a sigh of relief and slinked out from the side of the bookshelf, silently pulling down one of the blinds in a fit of morbid curiosity.

The owner of the voice was a thin woman with freckles and black hair, a pink plastic barrette in her hair, the oddest and girliest thing about her appearance. She got on her own blue bicycle and pedaled away rapidly, and Sayaka felt her eyes widen.

"That's Ikusaba-san! She came over with Leon-san, didn't she? But why is she trying to talk to Hifumi-san? I never knew they were close,"

You barely talk to Hifumi though. They could be very close and you wouldn't even know it. She frowned.

Feeling too startled and sick to continue searching, she treaded back down the stairs and glanced up at the window, finding it level with her eyes. Needing a way out, she noticed another box tucked into the corner and slowly dragged it over, placing it on top of the first box. It seemed tall enough then.

"Master Hifumi! Are you back yet? Are you downstairs?" A childish and cheerful voice called out, and in horror, Sayaka threw herself onto the boxes and scrambled out the window, nearly getting herself caught in the frame before she eased herself out with a groan. Not stopping, she sat down hard on her bike and pedaled out of there rapidly, breathing heavily.

She didn't fully recover until she got back to her place and thought of the oily stain in her diary, and Makoto being with Hifumi for the night.

Please be safe, and please come back soon. I miss you. I need you, She thought to herself. She looked at herself in the mirror and started to take her earrings off, pausing when only one came off. Did the other fall off? Where?

She suddenly froze.

Makoto, Kaito, and Hifumi had spent the majority of the day biking and walking around the hills leading up to the mountains, communicating through Walkie-Talkies. It had been several hours already and Hifumi felt himself starting to get spent. They had been searching all day! He deserved a little break, so he asked to investigate the shortest stretch of land after he took the long way around. That was what sapped up his energy. Heck, he could barely bike that whole length, and they're thinking a tiny blind girl could? He leaned back on his bike slightly, hearing the static-y voice of Kaito coming through as he ate some chips.

"I'm up by the amphitheater...she's not here...it looks like it's about to storm though..."

"I didn't see any sign of her either." That was Makoto's end.

"I'm going to head back...dark soon...don't wanna get lost..."

"How about you, Hifumi-san?" Makoto asked seriously; he was closer to Hifumi so his voice came out clearer.

Hifumi sipped at his soda, feeling a sudden twinge of guilt. He shouldn't be sitting there relaxing, he should be busting his butt off trying to find Miss Chiaki, the girl who brought them all together! She was just as defenseless as he was several weeks ago and is counting on him. A real girl was counting on him to save her life! How the tables have turned. Not to mention, Chihiro seemed very stressed over it that morning. If he rescued Chiaki, Chihiro would apologize for even daring to think he wasn't council material! Yes, he'd bring her back and carry her across the threshold of her own house while the community cheered him on. It was perfect!

He stood up and wiped the oil off on his pants, perking up when he saw a discolored lump sprawled out in a nearby ditch. Eagerly, he hurried over to it, calling her name all the while, only to frown when he saw it was just an old jacket.

"Hifumi-san? Are you still there? Have you found anything?" Makoto asked in concern over the speaker. Hifumi glanced at it as he walked by, feeling a sudden prick in his heart. This wasn't the pang of guilt he received earlier, no...this was a different kind of prick, a more delicious and evil kind. He could almost feel her finely-manicured nails reaching around his neck to caress it. Why were they purple today and not red...?

"Hifumi-san!" Makoto called.

He rolled his eyes at the tone and pressed the button, subtly giving him a rude gesture behind his back.

"I'm still here. I was too far away to hear you properly at first," He rolled his eyes again.

"That's okay. Have you found anything?"

"Just an old jacket in a ditch," He feigned disappointment, though he couldn't help some of his actual disappointment trickling in there. He wanted to help Miss Chiaki...

"Looks like all three of us came out empty. Oh well...there's always another day. Meet us in the park at the edge of town, okay? Meet me there, Hifumi-san. We'll wait for Kaito-san," Makoto relayed.

"Yes, Sir Makoto!" Hifumi nodded, getting back onto his bike.

"Did you hear that, Kaito-san?!" Makoto yelled loudly into the speaker, making Hifumi wince. He somehow suppressed the urge to make yet another rude gesture again and just kept biking. Stop yelling so much, you're going to blow out someone's eardrums. You're just trying to compensate for the fact you were a loser before. Not all of us are divinely-gifted from the get-go.

He then turned his own Walkie-Talkie off and ran a hand along his heavy green jacket; from an outfitter's store. The atmosphere grew chilly even in August at certain altitudes, but that wasn't the main reason why he had it. No, that was to hide the shiny black gun he secretly brought.

Did he mean to bring a gun? No. But a dark, sick feeling similar to the one he had just a few minutes ago whispered in his ear, telling him to take it just in case. And so he did. That dark feeling remained quiet in his system after that though, and he had no clue why he was meant to bring a gun. He kept it hidden though, afraid of self-righteous Kaito or goodie-goody Makoto learning he had it.

He continued to pedal, feeling suddenly sick at ease.

Makoto heard Hifumi's bike long before he saw him and gave him a friendly wave over in his direction, having finished setting up a fire pit. Hifumi pedaled over and placed his bike next to Makoto's red one, letting it tip over slightly.

He had to admit, Hifumi's idea was a great one, even if nothing eventually came of it. He suddenly felt a twinge of guilt over the thoughts he and Sayaka had been having over Hifumi lately; the guy was probably genuinely trying to turn over a new leaf and was just awkward and unsure of how to go about it. There were plenty of other people who led questionable lives prior that were still welcomed because they wanted to genuinely change and had goodness in their hearts. Hifumi was the same, Makoto just knew it.

"Nothing either, huh?" He asked as he caught the other's frown in the light.

"Nope," Hifumi looked away from him, his hands stuffed into his pockets.

"It was a good idea nonetheless, and I'm really proud of you for thinking it up. We can always try again tomorrow," He offered him a smile, but got no response. "Hey, why don't you come over to my place for dinner? Sayaka-chan would be happy to see you too, I bet. Maybe you could even bring Aiko-chan and make it be a double-date of sorts," He teased easily.

"No thank you. I realized that...yes, I had a thing for Sayaka-sama. A major thing. But...you two are perfect for each other. The star couple. You'd be like the kind and heartfelt poster boy who saved her, the pretty and sweet idol girl, from getting hit by a car with toast in her mouth. She's so honored she dates you and the rest is history," Hifumi stated. "So I think it's best to just let it go, Sir Makoto. That's the best option any of us could agree with,"

"Well...I hope you'll reconsider. And I also want to thank you again for this idea. Nobody else seemed to be as hopeful as us that she was worth looking for..." Makoto bowed. "So thanks again,"

"Yeah," Hifumi stood there for a few more seconds before he slowly removed his hands and placed them at his sides, bowing as well. Makoto noticed his right hand got caught on something-the zipper.

"Oh, Kaito-san is coming down the hill! Thank goodness, I didn't want him to get into an accident! And someone's with him too!" Makoto called out, shielding his eyes.

"Huh?" Hifumi craned his neck to look, seeing indeed two flashing headlights coming down the hill towards them. "Oh, yeah. Another motorcycle," He waved his hand dismissively.

"Are you alright?" Makoto blinked.

"Don't worry about me, Sir Makoto! I'm just tuckered out after so much biking,"

The second motorcycle light belonged to Yasuhiro, while Chihiro was riding on the back of Kaito's, grabbing onto him tightly.

"How are things here?" Kaito asked breezily. "One of my first times driving one of these things, but I think I did alright! What do you think, Chihiro-kun?" He glanced back with a grin, which Chihiro answered with a thumbs-up and a sickly smile. "Disappointed that the search was a bust though..."

"There's always tomorrow," Makoto reminded him nicely. Chihiro took a shaky hand to his notebook and wrote something down, showing it to everyone:

Who wants to go to mine and Kaito-san's place? We could have coffee or beer...or both I guess, but that doesn't sound very good. The girls are going to try and make the coffee fresh.

"That sounds good! Want to come with us?" Makoto addressed Hifumi, but he was already walking towards his bike. "Hifumi-san?" He tried again but got waved off.

"I'm just feeling very beat tonight! I think I'm going to go straight home and fall asleep the second my head hits the pillow! You know how it is some nights!" He got back onto his bike and pedaled off.

When Hifumi returned to his house, he slowly opened the door and jumped a mile when he saw Aiko in the kitchen; making her scream, then he screamed.

"Jeezh, don't sneak up on me like that!" He scolded without thinking. The gun felt like molten rock in his pocket.

"I'm terribly sorry, Master Hifumi!" Aiko bowed deeply, wearing a frilly pink apron and matching slippers.

"Right, sorry. I'm just tired tonight," He originally planned to write in his journal and even looked longingly at the bookshelf, but found it too risky with Aiko as cheerful as she was that night. No, he'd have to wait until the very early morning when she was still asleep.

"I'm making cupcakes, want some?" She asked without missing a beat.

"No, I'm going to bed," And he started to do so, turning out two of the gas lamps in the living room but leaving a third one on just so she'd have a bit more light to see. No sense in her accidentally burning herself or otherwise making a mess. The gun felt ready to burn a hole in his pocket at that point and he quickly locked the front door, briskly walking into the hallway.

He had almost shot Makoto. He really had that thought in his head at one point! Him! Shooting Makoto! While the guy easily wasn't one of his most favorite people, he was attempting to make his peace with him, and even so, he wouldn't actually shoot him! No way! The she-devil wouldn't win...

He lit a candle and carried it with him to his bedroom, pausing as he noticed the door to the rec-room opened.

"Aiko-chan? Doll? Did you go downstairs today?" He called out, freezing when she cheerfully answered in the negative. He tightened his grip on the candle and went downstairs himself, feeling his skinny body tremble greatly as the shadows grew larger and longer in the dim light.

The VHS tapes, the posters, the costumes, the air-hockey table...nothing seemed to be out of place. Perhaps he truly had just left the door open earlier in his rush to leave. It happened to the best of people-

He caught something shining on the floor next to a stack of boxes by the window and headed over there, bending down and picking up a single red earring shaped like a jewel.

Definitely not Aiko's; her old school had a very strict 'no pierced ears' rule. And she wouldn't wear such a deep shade of red anyway.

He slipped the earring into his pocket, at first just thinking some girls had gotten together to watch movies and gossip and giggle and do whatever else it was girls did; Aiko likely invited a huge group over and one was just unfortunate enough to drop her earring, it happened to the best of people.

Except he recalled his journal. Could someone have-

No way. If not even Aiko knew of its existence, then he was sure nobody else knew.

He slinked back into the living room, shutting the rec-room door behind him and carefully watching Aiko. She was adjusting a pair of headphones on her head and was holding a cassette up to the light curiously.

Feeling relief in knowing she was distracted, he grabbed his journal from the bookshelf and ran to his room, shoving both it and the gun underneath his pillow. He blew the candle out and stripped down, crawling into bed and trembling as he thought of what to do about the journal.

He couldn't just burn it; some of his best writing was in there; he couldn't just hide it in a bank safe as he wanted to freely look at it, so the next step was to hide it somewhere in the house again, someplace better. But where?

It needs to be practically invisible...nobody should be able to find it...Sayaka...if she had taken that advice...if she had hid hers better than I would've never known...

He suddenly sat up with a gasp. Sayaka had pierced ears. His sister often swapped earrings with her and even gifted her a pair on Sayaka's thirteenth birthday. Was that earring hers? Did she wear such deep shades of red? Did she know about his journal?

He finally fell into a fitful sleep, often yelling out into the dark at the accursed she-devil. Aiko stared at him secretly through the doorway, a deeply concerned look in her mismatched eyes.

Makoto got back to the house at around nine-forty-five, finding Sayaka already tucked into bed and reading a book on calligraphy. She was wearing a shirt of his that rode up on her thighs and went halfway up her elbows due to their height difference. When she noticed him, she closed her book and got up.

"Where were you? I was worried!" She exclaimed.

Makoto quickly explained about Hifumi's idea that him and Kaito help search for Chiaki, sighing as he admitted they found nothing. He pulled off his shirt. "I would've taken you with us, but we couldn't find you,"

"I was at the book-store," Sayaka stared at Makoto's body, noticing the outlines of where he was developing a few muscles from the extensive and grueling work. Almost every guy was getting muscles though; even tiny, doll-like Chihiro was beginning to show the signs of bulking up.

She then turned her thoughts to Hifumi reading her diary again and pondered on that thought. Originally she had been worried that reading it would turn Hifumi on Makoto, but...he seemed to be perfectly fine. And what if she truly was over-thinking it? What if he read her diary and saw how pointless chasing after her was? And Makoto would just grow angry at Hifumi and make the problem worse? She was being silly...maybe there really was nothing to worry about after all.

"So, no sign of her?" She asked after a time.

"No..."

"How was Hifumi-san? Did he take it well?"

"Yeah, actually. I felt pretty bad for him since it failed...I actually told him he could come over here to dinner with us any time he wanted though," Makoto started to take off his pants. "Could even bring that girl of his, make it like a double-date. I felt you'd be okay with it, but let me know if you're not,"

"That sounds fine. Aiko-chan is quite dear to me as you already know," Sayaka smiled warmly.

I must be losing my mind, inviting him over for dinner like this,

"We'll have another search party tomorrow. Hifumi-san seemed to be pretty keen on the idea. Only if she's not back by then, of course,"

"I'd like to come too. And there's some other people around town who don't think she's dead yet, like Leon-san or Ishimaru-san," She nodded.

"That sounds great! The more people we have, the more area we can cover," He got into bed next to her. "Hey, that's my shirt...!"

"Yes, yes it is," Sayaka teased, blushing.

"Doesn't fit you very well...are...are you covered underneath?"

She giggled. "You still sound like a blushing school-boy over this, Makoto-kun. Why don't you see for yourself?"

She was, in fact, not covered underneath at all.