Sakamoto Mansion

After failing to find Akeno, Reishi returned home. Shima had pledged to keep searching for mina via her digital tracking skills but deep down, both of them knew that finding her this way was a long shot.

She returned to her mansion, where she sat by the koi pond and looked at the sky.

The night's sky had a beautiful tint of blue to it as reishi stared up at it.

Reishi: What a long day.

She sighed as she turned her attention to the pond.

Reishi: (Akeno went missing and mina wanted us to search for her….)

Reishi: (-And to top it all off, we didn't find her at that factory. In fact, the discoveries we made like akeno's digital trail left more questions than answers.

She thought as she approached the pond. The koi in the pond began swimming rapidly when reishi approached.
She took a bag of chopped up lettuce with fish pellets mixed in and threw it in the pond, causing them to scatter and chase them like the animal they are.

Reishi: Gee, for such majestic creatures, you guys sure are ravenous.

She joked.

Reishi: Ah but you are useful distractions.

Reishi: (Akeno's disappearance...)

Reishi: The shadowmancers have been quiet recently. The only hint of them I've gotten has been that weird dream.

Reishi: (I wonder if the two are connected.)

The girl pondered as she fed her fish.

Reishi: I don't know what to do….

Reishi looked up at the sky.

The night had coalesced around one star in the sky, with the star brightly burning. Reishj could tell that maybe this meant something but she could not decipher what.

Reishi: *Sigh*

It was perhaps cliche but reishi sighed heavily. The direction of both her story and her life were getting muddled by more and more grotesque events. She wondered if she could just turn to nihilism.

Neo Domino City - Eastern corridor.

The next day came and it was clear that Reishi had her work cut out for her.

It was a cloudy day, the sun wasn't in sight and rain looked like it was soon to come. A dreary atmosphere clouded the whole city with a dark mood inhabiting the residents... well except for one.

Hattori: *Humming*

Today was Reishi's turn to take hattori to school. She pushed Hattori's wheelchair around the metro path. Hattori began humming loudly as if to get her attention.

Reishi: …..

Hattori: *Humming*

Reishi: (If Akeno was kidnapped….)

Hattori: You know senpai…. I think we should be discussing our future.

Reishi: ...Ah!

Hattori: We gotta plan ahead! Life is gonna fly by us! -And we need to lay out our map!

Reishi: Hattori, can your simping wait for a second? I'm trying to-

Hattori: I'm not a simp senpai! I prefer 'reishi enthusiast'.

Hattori stressed as she looked back at reishi.

Reishi: Fine. Enthusiast.

Reishi: I'm trying to concentrate!

Hattori: Concentrate on what? My breasts?

Reishi: Huh?

Hattori: Don't think I haven't noticed you sneaking some peeks at my chest this entire time~ senpai you perv!

Reishi: You're delusional.

Hattori: Hehe, I know.

Hattori: -But if you wanna look, you can. I don't mind~ : I mean we are going to be wed in a couple of years~

Reishi: Ugh.

Hattori: Hehe…. We'll get married and have 5 babies! Have a dog! Have a HUGE house, I'll be a housewife and you'll be a duelist-

Reishi: Hattori please! I'm trying to think!

Hattori: Ehehe. What you don't want to hear about our future matrimony?

Reishi: No.

Hattori: Gee, You're so cruel senpai.

Hattori: -But I'm gonna tell you anyway. I want 10 kids now. -And maybe a cat and some fish of course, and then-

Reishi: Hattori if I give you a muffin will you shut up?

Hattori: Maybe.

Reishi sighed as she pulled a wrapped up muffin from her bag. It was a blueberry muffin.

Hattori: Ah! Blueberry~ my favorite.

Hattori began munching on the muffin animalistically as reishi slipped back into thought.

Reishi: (I don't want to assume the worst, but if akeno was kidnapped it would explain everything.)

Reishi: (The missing cell signal, The mysterious disappearance. I mean it would all add up.)

Reishi: Hmmm.

She pondered.

Hattori: Is something wrong senpai?

Reishi: Um yes…? (Goodness. She ate that muffin fast!)

Reishi replied. Looking down at hattori's lap where only muffin wrap paper remained.

Reishi: Mina's friend has gone missing and we can't find her.

Hattori: Mina…?

Reishi: (Oh yeah, I don't think she's met mina yet.)

Reishi: She's one of my classmates from Physics.

Hattori: Oh.

Hattori: ….

Hattori: Is she the yellow haired girl with white uniform?

Reishi: Yes? How'd you know that?

Hattori: Just cause I'm in a wheelchair doesn't mean I can't spy on you senpai!

She exclaimed.

Reishi: Creep…..

Hattori: Gee, You better not have a thing for her senpai!

Hattori: I'm your one and only got that?

Reishi: Seriously hattori? I just said that her friend is missing and you're focused on that?

Hattori: Hehe….. I'm a bit sad for shima though!

Reishi: Huh?

Hattori: Her butt is way bigger than hers! Like holy cow! Shima's been beat as our number 1 cake-ster!

Hattori giggled.

Reishi: Hattori, you are incorrigible.

Hattori: I'm serious senpai!

Reishi: Ugh, I don't know what to do with you…..

Reishi continued to push hattori's wheelchair through the streets as the wind suddenly picked up. Reishi covered her face with hands and put a scarf over hattori's neck.

Hattori: So… What were you saying about this mina girl's friend?

Reishi: Her name is akeno and she's gone missing. Me and shima are trying to help find her.

Hattori: Huh. Did you go to the cops?

Reishi: They won't act. Akeno isn't a Japanese citizen.

Hattori: Huh.

Hattori: Maybe she's been taken by the shadowmancers?

Reishi: …..

Reishi: I've thought of that….

Reishi; - But it doesn't seem like their Modus operandi.

Reishi: Each time, someone or something has been taken by the shadowmancers they've usually left someone close to them a note saying that they've been taken and where to find them so you can negotiate.

Reishi: That hasn't happened in mina's case.

Hattori: Hmm.

Hattori: What if she wasn't kidnapped senpai?

Reishi: Huh? What are you talking about?

Hattori: Well I don't know much about akeno but she seems shady.

Hattori: Hehe, she probably sought out the shadowmancers on purpose.

Reishi: What? How do you know that?

Hattori: Well if there was no letter contacting mina afterwards! She went to the shadowmancers on her own volition!

Reishi: (...)

Reishi was going to rebuke hattori harshly but after thinking about it for a second, it made sense in a way. As hattori said, it would explain why there was no message. Plus it would explain the lack of evidence in the case if she went of her own choice.

Reishi: For once hattori, you actually make sense.

Hattori: Hehe, Any compliment from you senpai is worth gold.

Reishi: I'm serious. If your 'theory' is correct then it would explain a lot.

Hattori: No message, no threats, etc right?

Reishi: Yeah…..

Reishi: The problem is that it's not really provable by any standard.

Hattori: Aw….

Reishi: Still though, its the best theory we have!

Hattori: Yay!

Reishi: ( I should tell shima this.)

Hattori: Can I have another muffin as a reward?

Reishi looked down at hattori's lap, where she only saw the wrapped paper, the girl had completely devoured the muffin.

Reishi: Sure.

Hattori: -And a punch too?

She mumbled.

Reishi: What?

Hattori: Nothing.

-And so the two girls kept walking. Hattori had given Reishi some hope for the future but other than that, the path before them seemed dark and hazy - both literally and metaphorically.