Umi was in the study, reading a mystery novel that Jeff had in his library of books. He had told her earlier that there were lots of books in that room bought by Mr Brocker as he enjoyed reading, and she could go and take a look if she wanted to. She too loved reading since her childhood, so here she was.
The novel was about a plumber who discovered a treasure map after fixing one of the pipes in his customer's toilet. He set out on a journey to find the treasure, coming across perplexing riddles, booby traps, and even monsters. Umi felt that the book had the potential to be an interesting one, but it was ruined by the invincible-hero trope and the unbelievable plot.
"Man, was this really what Jeff read when he was young?" She placed the book away and went to find another one from the shelves. She had planned to stay in the study for a very long time so that she could find a fascinating novel that she could enjoy and love. She had the whole day anyway. It won't kill her to take her time.
After a few minutes, she finally found another book that piqued her interest. Although the cover was just a plain ocean blue, the title was the thing that caught her attention.
'A Journal In The Case Of Worst Times'.
What genre might this book be? Mystery? Thriller? Or horror? Well, actually, scratch that thought. She couldn't take horror too well. Still, she decided to take a look at it. She flipped through the first few pages and stopped at the chapter 'July 25'.
"Today, I have witnessed a very unfortunate event." Umi read it out to herself, "A shopping mall in Tokyo was turned upside down today by a bunch of crooks from the crime syndicate. They destroyed almost all of the shops in it and killed many innocent people by shooting them down in cold blood. This is yet another one of the syndicate's ways to instill fear into the public to show how strong and superior they are. Luckily, I managed to get out of there before they could find me. I've seen shootings in movies, but I've never expected to witness one in my life."
"Isn't this more like a diary than a novel?" Umi thought, "Also, this person who wrote this book, or at least this chapter, seemed to know something about the crime syndicate. Who is this guy? Is he or she still alive? This person would be a help to us if we could find them." Her phone buzzed as she was still thinking about it. She put down the book and looked at her phone. There was a message sent to her from an unknown number.
It read, "A certain officer will suffer at the hands of fate. Go to this address if you want to save her'. When Umi read that, the first person that came to her mind was Kotori. Was she okay? Could she be in trouble? Could she already be... No, that wouldn't happen. That cannot happen.
Umi calmed herself down as she breathed in and out slowly. If this message was proven to be true, then Kotori might really be in danger. However, this could also just be a ruse to lure her out into the open. Nonetheless, Umi didn't want to take chances. She wanted to make sure that Kotori was alright.
Eli was in the living room, resting on the sofa. She was still thinking of her ex after seeing Honoka and Maki, and she couldn't get it out of her mind. She buried her face in her palms and groaned. She can't be sitting here for the rest of the day, lying on the sofa, looking at the ceiling, and sulking over something that happened years ago. She decided to do some exercise in her room and try to distract her from it.
She got up from the sofa and walked out of the living room to the hallway. She yawned, and before she knew it, she bumped into Umi. Both of their heads hit each other, and they fell down on the ground. Eli groaned quietly and rubbed her head while Umi quickly got up. She was about to leave the house when Eli blocked her way.
"Where are you going off in a hurry?" Eli questioned, "You do know we can't just freely enter and leave the house like that. We are wanted criminals. We can't just roam freely as we please."
"I need to save my friend, Eli." Umi replied, "I've received a message that said she might be in peril, so I just wanted to confirm that she's safe. If she's not, I'm gonna save her."
"There's so many flaws in your plan." Eli crossed her arms, "Number one, we can't get out of here unless we have a death wish. If any of the police officers sees us, we will all be in deep shit. Second, couldn't you just give her a call? Third, who sent this message to you?" When Umi told her it was from an unknown number, Eli did a facepalm. Eli couldn't believe Umi, the smartest of the trio, had actually believed something a stranger said.
"Look, hear me out." Umi reasoned out, "I know I should be wary, and that I shouldn't be trusting randos like that, but it felt like they were talking about my partner. Besides, I can't call her because she'll definitely not pick up the phone if I do so"
"Oh, so it's that woman you were sulking over during the barbeque." Eli said, "I get it. You want to save her. That's a good thought, but did you know what kind of predicament we're in? This message from this unknown sender might just be a trick to get you out of our hiding spot so that the police can arrest you. Even worse, the crime syndicate might be behind this to eliminate you."
"I know what I'm doing, Eli." Umi retorted, "In any case, she's very important to me. I can't let anything happen to her, and I won't. I'll save her if I need to. I'll be careful, I promise." Before Eli could stop her, she hurriedly left the house. Jeff and Maki then came out of their rooms and went to the living room, where they saw Eli rooted to the ground and looking at the door.
"I heard a commotion coming from the living room." Jeff uttered, "What's up with you and Umi? Do you guys get into a fight or something?"
"Umi is pretty reckless." Eli sighed, "Just because she received word from someone anonymous that her partner is in danger, she's willing to go all out to save her, even as far as to sacrifice her own life and freedom. I have no idea what she is thinking."
"I'm sure she knows how to protect herself." Maki reassured her, "Umi is smart, after all. She wouldn't let herself get caught or killed easily."
"That's right. Besides, she helped plan the routes we took in the ballroom." Jeff added on, "She managed to get us all out without being taken away by the cops. She definitely will have a way to escape should she meet with trouble. Don't worry about it too much."
"I still don't feel good about this." Eli commented, "I'm sure there's a reason that message was sent to Umi, and it's making me feel really uneasy. Surely there's more than meets the eye."
"You know, I just realized something." Jeff said, "Umi's a criminal now. She can't take the taxi. She doesn't have a car to get to wherever she needs, unless…" He went to his room and checked his table.
"I knew it." Jeff shook his head in disapproval, "That sneaky girl. She took my keys when I was bathing. She did know the consequences."
"Well, aren't we doomed now?" Eli asked in an annoyed tone, "We can't check up on her since we have no car to go after her."
"That's where you're wrong." Jeff plastered a mischievous smile on his face.
In the police station, Kotori was at her desk, doing some paperwork. Ever since she took a break from work, she had a pile of papers stacked up, untouched. She knew that the pile would continue to grow taller if she continued staying at home and moping over Umi. Thus, she decided to end her break and come back to the station.
As she was writing a few things down on a piece of paper, the corded landline telephone on her desk started ringing. She stopped writing, picked up the handset, and answered the call.
"Hello, this is the police." She greeted, "You are currently talking to Officer Minami. Is there anything I could do for you?"
"Is this the hotline to report any sightings of the criminals?" The caller questioned.
"Y...yes." Kotori stuttered for a moment, "Do you have any news of them?"
"I think I saw one of the wanted criminals walk into the coffeehouse." The caller continued, "If my memory didn't fail me, it was a...ah, a blue-haired woman! After that, she walked out with a cup of coffee, but then a pickup truck came, and a few masked men took her away."
"What?!" Kotori screamed in shock. She couldn't believe what she had just heard. If her ears were not deceiving her, that meant that Umi was captured. She became extremely anxious about Umi and her safety.
"I could provide you the number plate if you need, Officer Minami." The caller said. Kotori, though, was too busy thinking about saving Umi.
Even after the harsh quarrel Kotori had with Umi in the park, the sleepless nights thinking about her, and the tears shed because of that hopeless girl, Kotori still loved her. Kotori just couldn't let go of her all this time, no matter how hard she had tried. She couldn't live without Umi. If Umi were to die, her whole world would crumble down to the ground.
"Hello? Officer Minami?" The caller called out, "Are you still there? Hello?!" That last scream brought Kotori back to reality.
"Oh, I'm terribly sorry about that!" She apologized, "I wasn't listening to what you said just now. Could you repeat it for me, please?" The caller told her that he had seen the number plate of the van, and asked her if she needed it.
"Okay, I'll take note of that." She replied as she wrote it down on a piece of paper, "Anything else to add on?"
"Yeah, I've overheard one of them saying that they're going to a warehouse located in Narita, where they'll meet their boss, and then they will decide what to do with the woman. I think that it's not gonna be anything good."
"Thank you so much for providing so much information today, mister." Kotori uttered before ending the call. She rested her head on the table and sighed. She needed to save Umi in time, lest the bad guys lay a finger on her. The superintendent came out of her office and went to Kotori's desk before knocking on it. Immediately, Kotori sat upright and greeted her.
"I heard your scream from outside, Kotori." The superintendent looked at the officer with concern, "Are you okay? Did something bad happen to your family members?"
"No, Ma'am." Kotori replied, "Someone called over reporting that they saw Umi-chan being kidnapped by a bunch of men. They're currently heading towards a warehouse in Narita. To my knowledge, there's only one there, so it should be that one."
"I see." The superintendent nodded her head in response, "Since you've located them, that should make your job a lot easier. Please go and arrest Umi Sonoda, and bring her back to the station. However, make sure you save her first, and stay safe. I'll send backup as soon as I can to help you take down the bad guys."
"Got it, Ma'am."
"One more thing." The superintendent turned to Kotori, "I know how hard it is for you to apprehend your best friend. I didn't want you to do this too, but rules are rules. Once someone breaks them, it is our job as the police to catch them. Don't let your emotions cloud your judgement. Understand?" Kotori nodded her head. She stood up from her chair and went out of the office. The superintendent smirked before walking back into her own office.
Kotori quickly rushed to her car and went in it. She stepped on the accelerator and drove off. While she was driving, her forehead and palms started sweating, and her eyes darted back and forth, switching between the phone for directions and her front. She kept thinking about Umi, worried that something bad might happen to her. She grabbed the steering wheel tightly and prayed that Umi would be alright.
Once Kotori reached the warehouse, she saw a pickup truck outside. That must be the baddies' truck like the caller described, she thought. She took her gun and got out of the car in a hurry. She ran into the big warehouse and started looking for any signs of the bad guys or Umi.
At the same time, Umi was in the same place, scanning her surroundings to see if Kotori could be in here. No matter what, she couldn't let Kotori get hurt in any way, or she'll regret it. However, the more spots in the warehouse she went to, the more she panicked when she couldn't find a trace of Kotori.
Umi was afraid that she might be too late to save Kotori. Still, she didn't want to give up yet because she was determined to find her crush. She started running to cover more areas in a shorter time. As she was searching among the spots, she knocked into someone. That person fell down with a thud and let out a small whimper. Umi, out of instinct, took out a gun and aimed it at the individual. When she realized it was Kotori whom she bumped into, she was astounded.
"U...Umi-chan?" Kotori was just as flabbergasted as Umi.
"K...Kotori." Umi helped the police officer up, "Are you okay? Did the bad guys lay a finger on you or something? Where did they go?"
"There wasn't any bad guy after me to begin with." Kotori looked at her with a worried face, "I've heard you've been taken away by the baddies in a pickup truck. I saw it outside, and I thought you were held captive here. Are you okay? Did they hurt you in any way? Where did they go?"
"Uhh, that pickup truck outside is my friend's." Umi replied, "Also, where do you hear that from? That's definitely not true. I came here because I thought you were in trouble."
"Me too." Kotori crossed her arms before looking away, "You got me worried sick." The both of them then stayed silent for a few seconds.
"Thank you for worrying about me, Kotori." Umi voiced out, "And I'm sorry too. You made a wasted trip here because of me."
"It...it's my duty as a police officer to protect the civilians!" Kotori retorted, "If any...anything bad were to happen to you, I would have to answer to my higher-ups!"
"Then I'm glad Ma'am isn't going to scold you." Umi grinned, "How are you? Are you doing well?"
"I'm doing fine, thank you for asking." Kotori answered almost immediately and coldly. She should be arresting Umi now. She needed to follow the police's protocol. However, she couldn't bring herself to even take out the handcuffs, much less arrest Umi. The blue-haired woman walked over to Kotori and grabbed hold of her hands. Kotori glanced at their palms before looking up at Umi.
Umi heaved a sigh, "You know, Kotori, I…" As she was about to continue, she heard several guns reloading. She stopped talking and looked around. From the corner of her eye, she caught a glimpse of two masked men with pistols hiding behind a wall.
"I what, Umi-chan?" Kotori asked curiously.
"I think we're being ambushed." Umi quickly pulled Kotori to a stack of boxes. They squatted and hid behind it.
"Stay here, Kotori." Umi told her, "I'll take care of them." She then ran off. Kotori slid to the side of the boxes and peeked out to see if anything was happening. True enough, it was just like what Umi had said. They were being entrapped by a group of masked men, most probably from the crime syndicate.
Umi was shooting some of them down with her gun. There were a few times where it seemed like she was about to get shot, but she somehow dodged the bullets either by hiding behind other boxes or by shooting their heads first.
As time went by, more men started storming into the warehouse. Umi was starting to lose momentum as masked men appeared everywhere around her. She quickly ran to a wall and hid behind it. She tried to reload her gun, but realized she had no more bullets left. She grumbled and scratched her head in frustration.
Seeing that Umi had run out of bullets, Kotori decided to help her out. She got out of her hiding spot and started shooting some of the men down. She was doing fine for a while before someone from behind hit her back with a rifle's heel. Kotori groaned in pain as she fell onto the floor.
The man who held the rifle was about to strike her again with it when Umi threw a stone rock at his head to distract him. Using this chance, she quickly got up and kicked his crotch, forcing him to drop his rifle as he held his groin to try and ease the suffering. She then took her pistol and shot his arms and legs. He plummeted down onto the floor with a thud, defeated.
Just when she was about to turn around to shoot more bad guys, a muscular masked man rammed into her, making her fly all the way to the back of the warehouse. She didn't even have a chance to stand up before the man carried her up high and slammed her onto the boxes nearby. She whined in agony as she tried to get up, but she didn't have the energy, so she fell back down to the floor. Her back was in excruciating pain, and it would take a while for her to recover, but by then it would have been too late.
He took out a revolver and aimed it at the vulnerable Kotori. Umi was shooting other masked men down when she saw the muscular man reloading his handgun and Kotori injured on the floor. Umi quickly sprinted to Kotori and shielded her just as he pressed the trigger.
To Kotori's horror, Umi got shot thrice in the chest, the bullets piercing through her body. Umi stood still for a moment, grabbing her chest before she collapsed onto Kotori's lap while blood gushed out rapidly from her wounds. As the man was about to shoot Kotori, he realized his gun was empty. Kotori quickly took Umi's pistol and fired a bullet at his head, killing him instantly. She then looked at Umi with tears in her eyes as she shook the latter's body.
"Please wake up, Umi-chan!" She sobbed as tears ran down her cheeks, "Please don't die on me. You can't leave me just like that. I still haven't got the chance to love you yet. I love you, Umi-chan. Please stay with me…" She hugged Umi's head as she cried uncontrollably.