I can't believe I didn't prove my innocence. I couldn't call out Grina since she doesn't have her smartphone with her. I don't even have a photo of me and Hunley hugging together or something… … HUGGING?! WHAT'S GOING ON IN MY HEAD NOW?!
"It looks like your alibi wasn't as airtight as you hope it was." Agent 2 said.
"So, that means she's the culprit?!" Agent 1 asks.
"Yes. We have to complete our mission… which is to save the prisoner and arrest the responsible of this mess."
"… working for the Inkopolis Security Team, am I correct?" I asked.
"What-a?! No no no! We, uuuh, are so bad at introducing news and updates!" Agent 1 replied… something odd.
"… she said Inkopolis Security Team, Agent 1."
"Oh, oooh! B-but of course, we work for them! They assigned us this pretty cool rescue mission and I think we completed it, in record time!"
That clue was very important to know. Why? Because…
"If there's a team of that magnitude involved in this case, this means something big is at the stake…" I explained in detail.
I don't think that Hunley himself is considered that important for Inkopolis… unless they are interested in his special ability. Still, I don't think that he's really worth getting a treatment like that… … no wait, that sounds a bit wrong.
I mean, obviously he's worth saving! He's a living being like me and all the others. Life is much more important than success and money. To think he's a prisoner of those monsters… … huh? Suddenly, I feel really worried. Like something is pressing my chest with brute force.
"Uh, duuuh? There's a kid kidnapped! Of course something important is at the stake!" Agent 1 commented.
"… why she's talking like that? Don't you realize, how we don't trust you?" Agent 2 said.
I felt powerless in that moment: I'd never get any help from them and my mind was panicking for no reason. I never had anything like this before. To make things worse, the "pain" was getting bigger and bigger… making impossible for me to think about anything at all.
"MIRII! I'M GOING TO SAVE YOU!"
Oh… I almost forgot about him. He sure took some time reaching me. Not that it's a bad thing: he'd obviously ruin anything like usual, with his antics. I turned my back seeing Bars stop running while panting uncontrollably.
"I hope you have good lungs, Bars. Because you're not going to do anything in this state."
"Huff… puff… m-man, you could have told me that the tool was… huuufff… a tracking device…" Bars complained while taking big pauses.
"If I explained everything in that moment, then those two agents would get away. I couldn't miss that occasion, Bars."
"Occasion you blew it up before…" Agent 2 adds.
I looked at Agent 2 seemingly more convinced about that previous statement she had.
"Admit this: you're the one that kidnapped the boy and trying to get away with an alibi…" She explained "You better surrender now or else we're forced to call reinforcements."
No… could this be the end? I… failed the mission?
"Uh… what?! Mirii kidnapped Hunter? That's stupid, dudette! She'd never do something that atrocious to a guy that she likes a lot!" Bars… … s-said…
No no no no NO! WHY DID YOU INSIST ON THIS STUPID, OVERRATED IDEA?! … that'd be the thing I wanted to say, but he got me off-guard: my cheeks felt very warm and my eyes wide open.
"S-she likes him?! Wait wait wait! Like, for real?!" Agent 1 asked in shock.
"Yeah! She told me about that before and no one forced her to do this! The only one forced here was me: the only Inkinators member available to assist her deeds. Come on please, she really cares about Hunter…"
Bars, you moron… s-stop saying such lies! They don't even care about this!
"Oh… oooh! So, is it true?" Agent 1 is talking to me. "Do you really love him?!"
My eyes become completely white, my mouth was left open and my face was completely red. I lost temporarily my speech abilities: only squeaks could be heard from me. I never felt so embarrassed in my whole life…
"Whoa! Did you see her Agent 2?! She turned into a red neon light!"
"I see… and that's not normal at all."
"Not normal? Are you kidding, right?! That's actually something common! I can already imagine this: at the start, you didn't feel anything in particular for a guy… but then… KAPOM! FSSS!"
"… that's suppose to be the sound of a joke?"
"No, silly! That's the sound of love! It comes down on you, like a lightning! And then… everything feels like a dream… aaah!"
WHAT'S SHE TALKING ABOUT?! I DIDN'T GET HIT BY ANYTHING! AND WHY THIS OBSESSION ABOUT LOVE?! I DON'T LOVE HUNLEY! I'M DOING THIS BECAUSE GRINA FELT RESPONSIBLE FOR IT! THERE ISN'T ANY STUPID REASONS BEHIND IT! I'M GOING TO TELL YOU RIGHT NOW, HOW WRONG AND RIDICULOUS THIS PHRASE WAS!
"… n-no, t-that's not true at all…"
… too embarrassed to say it. I wish to hide in a pile of ink and stay there for one year…
"Oh, don't be shy! There's nothing bad to fall in love at your age! You should open your feelings more!"
"B-but… I said n-no…"
Agent 1 seems to think about something.
"You know Agent 2, maybe you were a bit too harsh on her."
"W-what?!"
"Yeah, I mean of course she's not the culprit! How can someone with a face like that kidnap people? It seems impossible!"
"I can't believe this… are you trusting her just because she's blushing?"
"Not for that! She demonstrates the true sign of love…! And I can't stand seeing her loved one imprisoned, in a cold, ugly and stinky cell!"
"Uh… now you're the one exaggerating."
"We're going to help you!" Agent 1 is talking to me now. "Your boyfriend will be soon with you again, don't worry!"
… yes, you heard that right. I don't know if I should be upset or grateful about this. One thing for sure: I'm not letting this opportunity escape.
"Do you know… anything about this case?" I asked to the two agents.
"Unfortunately, no." Agent 2 said. "We wanted to investigate, but you were already there…"
"So you assumed how me and Bars were prime suspects."
Agent 2 nods.
"I see… then we can't do nothing but to search more that area."
"Wait a sec! Actually… there IS something interesting to address!" Agent 1 interfere.
"Which is…?" I asked.
"While we were getting to the underpass, we saw a really cute box! It was like a coral ornament!"
"Agent 1… what's the point of that?"
"I want to help this girl, the best I can! Soooo… I said something new! Maybe it's related to the case, somehow!"
"How? It's completely unrelated…"
Coral ornament? Box? Wait… didn't Grina's friend mention something like that? Could it be…?
"Coral ornament, huh… where did you saw that?"
"Hmm… gee, wasn't there like near the park entrance?"
"Yes it was… but not anymore." Agent 2 replied.
"That could be a very important clue: according to a witness, Hunley was trapped in a cage resembling a coral."
"R-really?!"
"Yahoo! Look at that! My fact wasn't that helpless at all!"
"At least he wasn't imprisoned in a cold, ugly and stinky cage…" Agent 2 commented while rolling her eyes.
"H-hey, that doesn't count!"
"Anyway, we have a route to follow now. Shall we go now?" I proposed.
"Well, I'm ready! What about you Agent 2?"
"… yes, but remember that this girl is still a suspect. Love reasons or not, you can't access to the underpass normally…"
"Aw Agent 2, that was so mean from you! What about we give her another chance to prove herself innocent?"
"… we'll see."
I'm still able to solve this case… thanks to a great stroke of luck. I can't believe how Bars's idiocy helped a lot this time. Looking my back, I noticed how Bars was crying from laughter for all this time… I got near him, with the serious intention of making him cry for real.
"Bars, the show is over. We have business to deal with."
"O-oh, really? Pfff, shucks! I was really enjoying that scene!" He said giggling a lot.
The two agents passed me pretty quickly.
"Come on, we have love to save!"
Bars laughed again, while I was blushing a bit… I guess that talking about love in general, makes me blush. It has to be… i-it can't be caused by Hunley, right? Anyway, me and Bars followed the girls but I forced Bars to stay in a certain distance, since I wanted to say something nice to him.
"So, did you enjoy all that?" I asked.
"Yeah! I never saw you like that! Truly awesome, man! Wish I could record it…" He responded.
"Good. Because later we'll play my favourite game…"
As I suspected, he reacted in complete panick.
"W-what?! No! I didn't ruined anything this time!"
"That's my way to say thanks… for all the lies you said before."
"W-why you keep negate this?! You never blushed like that before!"
"Bars… do you want me to use the Homing Charger?"
The Homing Charger is an illegal weapon, used to analyze the execution of each shot. I also use it as a punishment for Bars…
"Gulp! O-ok, I-I'll shut up! … but you should be at least honest to yourself!" Bars insisted. "It's going to hurt ya a lot, if you keep denying it."
I'm always been honest to myself. No way I'm going to like a guy that ignorant! But love in general… pfui, nothing special. I have achievements to get, not to waste my time thinking about his cute smiles… a-and his cute voice… …
What's happening inside me, now?