AN: Oh hello, thank you for the reviews~ I'm glad that I could make you smile and that you think my story is creative. I really apprechiate it :D I've been updating irregularly because of my personal health. In case you want to read up to chapter six, they are already on Ao3. (https(:) / /works/11193042/chapters/24993915) If you take out the brackets and spaces the link will work. Anyhow, hope you enjoy the chapter!
Chapter Two
Schroedinger's Cat
Mei Cheon was sure this was not what her boss had in mind when he sent her on vacation.
Maybe the saying about detectives was true and trouble really did follow wherever they went. At this point in the Case Closed series, Detective Conan must've solved well over three hundred murder cases that happened in his immediate vicinity, which—when looking at the statistics and mathematical probability—might make him the unluckiest teenager turned child detective in history. Of course, the trouble she got into was nowhere near as bad, but it sometimes seemed as though there was a magnetic force surrounding her that attracted danger.
Superstitions aside, maybe it was her self-preservation that really needed an update ... or several.
She stroked her chin in thought and twirled around on the uncomfortable office chair. Her mind was racing at top speed, desperately trying to fit all the pieces of the puzzle together. Every time Mei thought she solved it, the pieces fell apart again. It reminded her of a Rubix Cube. Every time she finished one side, she had to destroy it to complete another colour.
At least, the deserted state of the apartment found a logical explanation. The owner hadn't been home and gotten rid of the dust because she had been dead for one and a half years. Moreover, the young detective assumed it likely hadn't found a new owner because her mourning fiancé was still attached to the place. When she let her gaze sweep over the living room once again, she felt a cold shiver run down her spine.
Every detail was merticulously designed to the point of perfection, yet it was hollow beneath the surface.
It looked as though Rika had set up one of those exterior filmsets, where the facades of the houses were built super realistic, but once you walk through the front door you realize that there is only empty space—or a parking lot—behind it. In a nutshell, it was a strict business environment disguised as a home. Furthermore, she couldn't spot any personal belongings or any other items that would unveil something about Rika's personality. One would expect at least a photo of her family sitting on the designer desk—the ones most regular office workers proudly showed off to their colleagues—but the dead woman didn't seem to agree with the sentiment.
I was odd, considering how beloved she was by her friends.
Then again, Rika committed suicide, which means there must've been some psychological issues brewing beneath the surface. On one hand, Mei's inner detective was excited to analyze the situation, but on the other, the thought of being in a dead woman's apartment in the middle of the night gave her goosebumps.
This was exactly how horror movies started.
A woman follows a stranger to a secluded area, gets trapped and then chased by the monster inhabiting the place. The only missing piece to complete the terrifying scenario was the appearance of Rika's ghost. It might be a weird statement coming from a private eye with a medical background—and people regularly rolled their eyes at this silly belief of hers—but there was no proof that ghost's weren't real, okay?
If there was an afterlife, this one seemed the most plausible.
Mei leaned back in the chair, bending its back, and contemplated whether she should continue investigating or call it a day. V had insisted that she shouldn't touch the drawers that contained classified information on their organization. Of course, that only made her more curious to see its contents. He was hiding something, but her hands were tied without being hired to investigate or the suspicion of illegal activities.
Aside from doubts about their leader, the RFA seemed like a group of genuinely kind people. It had only been an hour since she got to know them and yet she already found them endearing in their own way, if not a little too trusting towards her. And after hearing about their loss and seeing their exitement about holding another charity event, Mei didn't have the heart to turn them down
She knew better than anyone what it meant to lose a loved one.
Once the messages in the chatroom died down, she quickly sent Seven the screenshots. It was a miracle that Unknown didn't get to them. One of Haneul's failsafes must've been triggered and protected some of her data. She'd pay for dinner next time. In all honesty, the detective doubted the screenshots would provide Seven with anything useful, only solid evidence of her stupidity.
707.
When she thought about the self-proclaimed notorious hacker, she felt a smile pull at her lips. Mei didn't know what kind of cyber space villain he was, but he could count himself lucky that she was on vacation. God knows how hard it was to catch hackers these days, especially when they were involved with underground organizations, and most of her collegues would've killed for the opportunity to catch one.
However, Seven seemed like a kind person who cared deeply for his friends, which made her put her intial wariness aside. Moreover, she would be lying if she said that his happy-go-lucky attitude combined with the calm genius hidden underneath didn't intrigue her. She couldn't help but be curious about the air of mystery surrounding him and it looked like he had a similar sense of humor too.
Well, she could simply report him to the KFBI if it turns out she was wrong about him.
Mei squinted her blue eyes at the small profile picture on the main interface of the app and was able to make out messy red hair and a pair of striped glasses. Big orange headphones hung around his neck, paired with a black and yellow hoodie. Mei figured he was a fan of vibrant colours and they suited him. He probably didn't leave the house often, judging by his fair complexion, and the dark circles beneath his eyes made her worry for his health.
Seven was incredibly attractive despite obvious sleep-deprivation, which made her wonder what he looked like in person.
Shaking her head, Mei reminded herself that the picture could be fake and that it wasn't the time and place to stare at a cute guy, who was probably still spying on her through the security camera. She prayed that the surveillance system in the apartment was outdated enough, so he wouldn't be able to spot her flushed cheeks.
A white clock on the wall ticked as it moved its black hands around.
It was already half past twelve and her back was getting stiff. Midnight was her deadline and Kyu wasn't known to be patient, if the nineteen missed calls were any indication. She'd have to call her back soon because Mei was sure the RFA wouldn't appreciate an angry swarm of cops knocking their dead friend's door down.
The sudden ring of her phone startled her and she accepted the call before even looking at the caller-ID.
"Rrrrrrrrrrrrrr. Rrrrrrrrrrrr. Your bank account has been used for a fun prank. Were you aware of this? First, I must confirm your phone number to verify your identity, so please calmly follow the instructions."
Okay, that definitely wasn't Kyung Hyeon. Instead of the expected angry rant from the woman, a voice with a heavy accent rang in her ears. She recognized it from one of the animated emojis in the chatroom, but that didn't make her any less cautious. The detective masked her unease with a smile before she turned towards the security camera.
"Oh my god. What ever should I do?" Mei decided to play along, curious where he would lead the conversation."Do you want me to enter my number or tell you? What prank was it?"
"Gullible customer, please calm down and take a deep breath. Breathe in—Breathe out—!" Seven's voice was melodic and smooth and she felt as though she could listen to it for hours. She took a few exaggerated breaths like he suggested. "You must be collected at a time like this. Now, if you've taken a deep breath, please go ahead and say 'Honey, I love you~' ... You know, like the teddy bear says it."
Okay, that was unexpected.
"Honey, I love you~" Mei cooed and felt warmth crawl up her neck. She thought she couldn't become any redder, but she must've turned into a tomato by now. "Like that?"
"G-good job. God … so cute." Seven said, breaking character, which was followed by a round of nervous laughter. "Now, please tell me your phone number."
"My number is 420 69 360 666," she replied as her unease faded. "Do you need me to repeat it, honey?"
"Nice try," he praised and she could hear the smirk in his voice, "but you can't fool me. Your real number is required, madam."
"Sorry, sir. It won't happen again," she said, thinking that it was about time that he got a taste of his own medicine. "It's actually 1011000011."
Seven burst into laughter at the other end of the line, making her grin triumphantly. It took a few shaky breaths until the hacker regained his composure. "A-ah, you got me. Oh God ... I think that was a critical hit, but you've passed the test."
"Well, you have a strange way of asking a girl for her number." Mei shugged. "If you didn't already have it, I would've considered not giving it to you."
"Good. You shouldn't give your number to strangers," Seven said, suddenly serious. "There are so many scams like this right now, so if you receive a call like that in the future just hang up. And if you're unsure, you can call me, okay? I'll make sure you're safe, even if I'm busy."
"Thanks, Seven." Mei replied, surprise colouring her voice. It didn't happen everyday that a stranger offered help, which made her doubtful of his intentions. "Why would you even do that for me?"
"You are a member of the RFA now and I can't let our new party planner endanger our safety." It sounded like he was reprimanding her, but there was an underlying threat to his words that made her shift uncomfortably in the chair. "Following a dangerous hacker to Rika's apartment and all ... you're kind of gullible for a detective. Just because you're working with the police doesn't mean you'll always be safe. You shouldn't fall for stupid traps like this."
"Yeah, that wasn't one of my brightest moments to be honest." Mei admitted with a sigh. He definitely had a point, but she didn't enjoy being scolded by a hacker for being tricked by another hacker. "It worked out better than I expected though, so there's that. Why did you call anyways?"
"I wanted to check whether this is the right number and teach you a little lesson," Seven sing-songed, obviously pleased with himself, before he continued warning her. "You're underestimating your opponents and you could get into danger with that attitude. If this was a real scam, a scary hacker could've taken all your money the moment you received the call."
"Beep beep. We've detected criminal activity on your account," Mei imitated a robotic voice, attempting to change the topic with humor. He wasn't wrong, of course, but she didn't want to dwell on scary alternative timelines where she lost all her money or got kidnapped. "Surrender yourself to the mighty Detective Cheon immediately."
In order to make her act more believable, she stood up and narrowed her eyes at the camera, waggling her index finger from left to right like a mother reprimanding her child. However, her lips twitched into a smile when she heard the startled snort from the other side of the phone. She decided that she liked his laugh. It made her feel warm and chased away the unease.
"Whaaat?! You managed to get into a hacker's account? Amazing!" Seven exclaimed in a dramatic fashion before he added, "I don't really have a bank account though. Anyways, I recalibrated the security system and checked your phone number. I'll let the other members know, so don't be surprised when you get a call from them."
"Okay, thanks for letting me know." Mei fell back on the office chair and relaxed, yet a rueful smile sneaked on her lips. "Actually, I wanted to apologize for causing you trouble. I really didn't mean to intrude and make more work for you."
"Don't worry, it's not your fault! And you joining the RFA might actually be a nice change of pace for everyone," he reassured her, but she still felt bad. "Besides, I'm always buried beneath work."
The momentary silence was stretching out between them, however, neither of them wanted to hang up yet.
"Are you ... really going home now?" Seven asked softly, and the hesitance in his voice almost made her reconsider. "It's dark outside and that hacker might still be after you."
"I know, but I can't leave my sister on her own. She'd probably freak out if I'm not there to make breakfast in the morning." While Hana was used to Mei's wacky work schedules, it didn't stop her from worrying. "I'll come by the apartment tomorrow though and start working on the party from there like V suggested. I still remember the passcode, so I should be able to enter, right?"
"It should be fine since the system recognizes you as a guest." Seven sounded unconvinced. "Are you sure about this?"
"Yeah, I'm sure. I'll send you a text when I'm home." Mei was an independent adult and perfectly capable of making her own decisions. She stood up from the chair with renewed energy, put her free hand on her hip and raised an eyebrow at the camera when he didn't respond. "If you're that worried, we can keep talking until I'm at my place or you can track my phone's GPS signal."
"You shouldn't give me permission to do these things," he warned mischievously. "Once I'm in your phone there's no getting rid of me, Miss Detective."
Mei marveled at the tone his voice adopted, which promised pranks and bordered on flirtation. It was the perfect mixture of molten honey and a spoon full of raspy, making her heart thump against her chest. She wasn't usually this playful with strangers—and she still worried about her private information—but there was something about Seven than made playing along hard to resist. She twirled a strand of hair around her finger and winked at the lens.
"Is that a promise?"
"You can bet your secret collection of cat videos on that." Seven seemed like he was in a good mood until he remembered their original topic. "How are you planning to get home?"
"I won't call a cab or do anything that would reveal the apartment's location if that's what you're worried about." Mei assured and almost missed the offended noise of protest he made. It made her feel a little better knowing that he was actually concerned for her safety and not just the security of their secrets. "I wish I hadn't left my car at work though."
She sighed heavily as she prepared for the long journey home. After she picked up her pastel backpack, she sandwiched her phone between her ear and shoulder in order to strap it on, almost losing her balance in the process. He snickered and she pouted.
"Public transport at night? You like living on the edge, huh?" It looked like he got a kick out of teasing her, but the concern underneath his words rang clear. "Urg. I don't want to think about you being alone in the dark among thugs for an hour."
If Seven knew how long it would take her to get home, then he already knew where she lived.
Mei was somewhat bothered by this revelation as well as the casual way he brought it up. It was intimidating. He had mentioned that he performed a background check on her earlier, so he probably knew a lot more about her than her home address. Her unease was quickly overshadowed by a fresh wave of concern over how much he actually digged up about her. She knew there were more pressing pieces of information to worry about, but she prayed that that one super embarrassing cooking video of hers wasn't still floating around in cyber space.
It was a guilty pleasure of hers to narrate her culinary adventures, pretending to be the host of a TV show. She usually only did it when she was alone, but there was one time where Hana had caught her insanity on tape. Her sneaky sister had saved it as blackmail material and still kept it privatized somewhere on her Twitter account. If he saw that video, he'd think she was a lunatic.
"Wow, okay … how much do you know about me?"
"Hmm~ I know basic information like your occupation, hobbies, personal interests, favorite places, shopping habits and your measurements." Seven said cheerfully, attempting to get a rinse out of her. "Kinky stuff—those police officer outfits"
"Sounds like you're enjoying yourself," Mei huffed, cheeks flaming. "Also, don't kink-shame me. I happen to like that outfit and it was only for a themed party. H-how did you even find all of that?"
"I went through your social media accounts and your phone," he replied, upbeat, yet the nervous laughter that followed sounded forced. Guilt and regret were tangible, but she could only guess the reasons behind his subtle change in demeanor. "I haven't looked through your friends' profiles in detail yet and I haven't gotten to your browser history either, if that makes you feel any better. I would apologize, but I'm not sorry. It's my job to make sure the RFA is safe."
Her anger faded a little. "You didn't happen to see ... a weird video?"
"What video?"
"What?" Mei feigned ignorance as she performed a victory dance in her head. "What were we talking about?"
"Hehe. I see what you're doing, but you can't hide anything from God Seven!" Seven had regained some of his usual exuberance, leaving almost no trace of the previous strain in his voice. "There are some things you can't find out by hacking though ... hmmm ... for example the reason lemon ice tea is someone's favorite drink."
Closing the door behind her, Mei walked towards the luxurious elevator as she mulled over how much she was comfortable sharing with him. It arrived with a quiet ping and she stepped inside, determined to cheer the hacker up even at the cost of a little information. Trust didn't develop from nothing, it had to be earned, and she was willing to take the first step.
"It's only 1,850 won—an unbeatable two-for-the-price-of-one deal—available at the tteokbokki* shop across from SIDA HQ. Makes your taste buds explode in pure freshness," Mei imitated the voice of the vendor who advertised his drinks on a daily basis. "Reminds a certain detective of laying in the grass on a sunny day with her sister."
"Oh, that sounds nice. I wanna try it some day." Seven laughed in response, which made her more confident that her decision had been the correct one. "My favorite is Dr. Pepper, the Lord and Savior of sleep-deprived hacker Gods. It is made of sweet, carbonated goodness—"
"That will surely bless you with a 26% chance of type two diabetes and 23% chance of heart failure." Mei rolled her eyes, the idea of drinking liquid sugar made her toes curl in her boots. "I thought hackers living unhealthy lifestyles was a cliché."
"Looks like the medicine student is coming out to play~" Seven hummed, pleased, and that was all it took for another round of warmth to rise to her cheeks. "However, your diagnosis doesn't matter, Doctor, I just can't resist the sweet lure of the caffeinated Godness. I'm like Odysseus sailing in a sea of , fated to crash into the pointy rocks of heart failure that the advertisements lured me towards."
Absorbed in his words, Mei almost didn't notice the automatic doors slide open in front of her. A light evening breeze caressed her skin and the cooling touch on her flushed cheeks made her close her eyes in bliss. When she tilted her head to the sky a moment later, she found stars peeking out from behind voluminous clouds, which were lazily drifting across the sky. She could make out a few constellations that reminded her of clear nights when she used to go stargazing with her parents.
"Even if it's a psychological addiction rather than a physical one, I'm not gonna let you die on my watch." she promised as she headed towards the subway station. "Prepare yourself for getting nursed back to full health. After all, it's going to be difficult to find someone who can replace you and hack into my social media accounts in case of emergency."
"Gah, dammit. You're so cute. It's not fair." He sounded genuinely upset by the discovery. "If you continue saying these things, I might get heart failure just by talking to you."
They continued their light-hearted conversation while she walked through the night. Seven must've taken her suggestion to keep talking until she was home serious and she wasn't complaining. In the past one and a half years, there had been a series of kidnappings in Seoul that increased in number over the last couple of months.
SIDA were working on it together with the police, but so far without results.
The tall stack of files on her desk had an ominous presence and it wasn't just her instinctual fear of paperwork that caused it. Missing people reports were piling up, spilling over and gaining a new addition every few weeks. While the more recent cases were hot topics in the media, the older files were slowly but surely growing cold, pages clinging together as though they didn't want to be solved.
Recently, the police department started demaning that they finally closed the case and accept defeat. One of their main reasons was that prolonging the investigation would give the victims' families false hope, which would only hurt them in the long run. It was a reasonable argument, yet SIDA refused to yield.
Insisting that the cases had to be connected, Kyu had ordered Mei to collect every piece of information available. And lo and behold, after they compared all the individual disappearances, a pattern emerged.
It always happened during nighttime, there were time skips in security feeds, mysterious exchanes of emails prior to the kidnapping and traces of illegal substances at the crime scenes. Moreover, the victims showed similarities in their behavior. Most suffered from severe depression, had other mental illnesses or were generally unsatisfied with their lives.
Despair had coloured their world black and white, making them easy targets for manipulation.
Mei and Kyu had only circumstantial evidence, but they came to the conclusion that an underground organization, which targeted people who were at the lowest point in their lives, was behind everything. Unfortunately, they knew very little about the enemy they were facing and had yet to unearth useful clues. In the end, they didn't even know whether the victims were still alive after all this time.
It reminded her of Schroedinger's cat. They were stuck in limbo, where both conditions—alive and dead—held true until they managed to open the box.
Once again, Mei realized how lucky she had been today and was suddenly very keen on observing the pedestrians around her. "Mission report. Detective Cheon's current location is the subway station. No suspicious activities detected. Request to continue with the mission."
"Permission granted. Continue your journey, Miss Detective."
Seven's melodic voice calmed her down and she wished he knew how grateful she was for the distraction. Thinking about the kidnapping made her anxious ... and reminded her that she had forgotten to call her fierce partner. Kyu didn't react well to being neglected. It was five minutes to twelve, according to the station clock.
Mei groaned and ran a hand across her face. "Lord have mercy on me. She's gonna kill me."
"What?! What's happening?" Seven asked, alarmed, the volume taxing the speakers. "Are you alright?"
"My partner is happening. Sorry, I need to hang up and call her." Mei really didn't want to. "I'll text you when I'm home, okay?"
"Okay, but don't forget!" His concern warmed her heart and brought a smile to her face. "Bye, bye~"
As soon as he ended the call, the detective jumped through closing doors of a train and apologized to the passengers she had accidentally bumped against. Luckily, she exercised from time to time and went on long jogs through locals parks, otherwise she wouldn't have made it in time. Picking an empty window seat, Mei read through the shitstorm that was Kyu's very one-sided conversation with was a lot of swearing involved. She was kinda afraid of answering.
Mei: I'm so, so, so sorry. I'm still alive and ready for a good ol' scolding.
Mei: Lots of stuff happened. I'm gonna fill you in tomorrow.
Kyu: Idiot, I was about to send a search party for you.
Kyu: You know how many kidnappings there have been recently.
Mei: I'm sorry（﹏）
Kyu: How about instead of apologizing you stop being such an idiot?
Mei: I'm afraid I cannot do that, ma'am. It's just who I am and I must be true to myself へ(´д｀へ)
Kyu: It won't hurt you to be a little less true to yourself from time to time.
Kyu: Give us all a break.
Kyu: Anyways, screw you for worrying me! I'm gonna go to bed now.
Mei: Sleep well ( ´3｀)
Huh. The conversation with her superior went over surprising well and quick, however, Mei knew that the moment she showed her face at the precinct she'd be in for another long lecture. She put on a pair of white headphones—because train rides without music are super boring—and opened the RFA messenger. After studying the app, she found a way to set a profile picture and suspected that Seven had unlocked the other features only after she had decided to join their organization.
Swiping her thumb over the glass, Mei dismissed most of her photos with a frown on her face.
There wasn't a single picture she was happy with. She was making a duckface in most of them because she hated how awkward her smile looked in photos. However, duckfaces were annoying and she wanted to make a good first impression on the RFA. Why was this so difficult? Mei glared at the inanimate object in her hands. It was the source of all evil despite pretending to be innocent.
In the end, she decided to go with a picture that her sister had taken when she was unaware.
They had visited a park a couple of days ago, simply watching the clouds and guessing their shapes. Hana had stolen her phone and taken a couple of pictures of her while she smiled over a cat-shaped cloud. Unaware shots were the best, unless you're eating a burger then they really weren't. The ketchup smears, bread crumbs and stuffed cheeks were super attractive without a doubt. Luckily, Hana had taken the pictures before they ate lunch.
After she changed her profile, a couple of text messages popped up on her screen, waiting to be answered. Mei narrowed her eyes once she spotted a familiar username.
Unknown: It'll be really fun from now on. Enjoy your time with everyone. I'll come and get you soon.
MC: That doesn't sound ominous at all …
MC: Mind telling me who you are or are you just gonna keep being cryptic?
The detective gave him a couple of minutes, but the reply never came. Well, she hadn't expected an answer in the first place. Instead of getting worked up about it, she busied herself with the remaining texts.
Yoosung: Hey, Mei. I don't know if you remember me, but I'm Yoosung. I can't wait to get to know you and have another party. Seven gave me ur number, so lets talk sometimes, okay? ヾ(´▽｀*)ﾉ
MC: Of course I remember you, almighty LOLOL guildmaster. Sure, I don't mind talking to you.
Yoosung: Oh? Are you a fan of LOLOL?! We should totally play together sometime. And yay, can I call you in my break tomorrow?
Yoosung: I wanna know what your voice sounds like.
Yoosung: Omg, that was creepy, wasn't it? I didn't meant to sound creepy. Please believe me (_ _|||)
MC: I think you're a sweet person, don't worry lol
MC: Thanks for being so welcomingヾ(＾∇＾)
Yoosung: (/)
MC: I'm not a big fan of LOLOL, but I'm always up for a Mario Kart race.
Yoosung: You have a Switch? (ﾟ□ﾟ*川
Yoosung: Yes! Yes! Yes!
Yoosung: I'd love that!
MC: I'm not sure our blossoming friendship would survive a match though;;
Yoosung: You're competitive?
MC: A little?
Yoosung: That's so cute ヾ(＾∇＾)
Yoosung: What's your account name? I'm totally going to add you later!
His frantic messages made her giggle and while he came off a little desperate, she could tell he didn't mean any harm. They chatted for a while with Yoosung mainly talking about the video games he played in order to avoid his responsibilities. Sweet procrastination—the curse of every college student. Mei could see where he was coming from and if she had the choice back then, she'd have holed herself up indoors during rainy days with a bowl of chips and a good indie or strategy game, instead of going to university as well.
After several long apologies, Yoosung had to leave because his guildmates were waiting on him for a raid, which she didn't mind at all since there were other messages sitting in her inbox.
ZEN: Mei, it's me. Zen. I just wanted to tell you that I'm glad you joined. Can't wait to talk to you some more~
MC: Aw, that's sweet. I'm excited to talk to you too (▰˘◡˘▰)
ZEN: Heh. Saw your profile pic, you're a cutie
MC: I'm not cute. Detectives need to be scary. Fear me. Rawr.
ZEN: Oh, you work for the police? Interesting~
ZEN: I mean ...
ZEN: I'm shaking in fear. I'm sure it'll ruin my perfect face. What are you gonna do about that?
MC: Maybe I'm gonna cheer for you at your next performance? ┐(´∀｀)┌
ZEN: Yes, please come! I'd love to have a cute girl cheering me on!
Mei didn't know much about him, but Zen was an upcoming musical actor with an unhealthy but not unfounded amount of confidence in his looks. Hana constantly bugged her to watch his movies, yet she never really had time to join the binge-watching and had always been a little distrustful towards the entertainment industry. However, after talking to him directly she had to admit that once you looked past his conceited nature, he was awfully nice and easy to get along with.
She vowed to give into her sister's demands in the future.
MC: Actually, I've heard of you ... can't say I ever watched your performances though;;
MC: But my sister is a huge fan of yours. She swears your acting skills are through the roof (≧◡≦)
ZEN: Really? What else did she say?
It felt counter-productive to inflate his ego, but Mei suspected that there were more reviews on his good looks than his performance on stage. It must be frustrating when you want people to recognize your skill and look beyond the surface, but they focus on appearances. Interviewers generally asked more about celebrities' skin care routines than the deeper meaning behind their performances.
MC: She didn't say much more tbh
MC: However, I found her crying in front of the TV once, watching ur revamp of Romeo & Juliet.
MC: Got worried, but she was crying because she was happy lmao
ZEN: Omg, I'm glad she liked it! ~꒰･◡･๑꒱
ZEN: I remember shooting the death scene. It was dramatic yet beautiful.
ZEN: Just like me (｡•̀ᴗ-)✧
MC: I have heard tales of your beauty and grace. How could I ever live without it?!
ZEN: You can't! But don't worry, princess, your knight in shining armor got you covered.
Mei wasn't a fan of knights in shining armor—their attire seemed heavy and hard to move around in if it came to actual combat. The detective didn't like the protagonists in those fairy tales either because they were too dependent on their prince. Mulan, on the other hand, was someone she could get behind.
[ZEN has sent a picture.]
Mei didn't expect him to sent a selfie. He must've missed her sarcasm or chose to ignore it. She opened the picture and found Zen, who was winking at the camera with a towel around his neck. Silvery white hair was dripping wet as though he just got out of the shower and his lips were pulled into a seductive smile.
Wow, he really was unnaturally handsome.
MC: I was just quoting a series, but hey look, I got a selfie out of it.
MC: Not complaining ╮(─▽─)╭
ZEN: Rude. I'll get you back for that~
Suddenly, a robotical female voice announced her stop and Mei quickly said goodbye to Zen before she got up from her seat. Weights were pulling on her eyelids and she felt the exhaustion of the day settle into her sore limbs as she made her way home. Luckily, they didn't live far from the subway station. She only needed five minutes to reach the tall building made up of fire brick.
Keys jingled against each other when Mei pushed the glowing elevator button with her right hand. The rickety machine sprung to live, moving down the shaft towards her like an elderly man on his last legs. Clattering, it arrived and squeaked loudly when the doors opened. She pushed herself into the tiny space and whispered a little prayer to the elevator deities, hoping this old grandpa would carry her weight safely to the top floor.
It went back to sleep once the detective exited on the top floor.
Hana had painted their front door light gray and covered up sections were the colour was flaking with funny stickers. Inside their apartment wasn't much different since they had the freedom to design it however they wanted—one of the few perks of living without parents. Once she entered Mei noticed that her sister had added a couple new art projects to the kitchen walls and the hallway.
She kicked her boots off while a black cat circled around her. Loki was hot on her heels when she made her way across the polished floorboards. He had always been an attention seeker.
It didn't take long to find her sister.
Mei simply followed the trail of chips that had suffered a few nibbled from the cats towards the still running television. Hana was sprawled across the comfy sofa, legs and arms spread apart as though she was trying to become a starfish. Messy brown hair stuck up in every direction and her gray cat, Siri, lay comfortably on her stomach, rising up and down with every breath.
"What's with you and sleeping in strange positions …" Mei murmured, fondness softening her features.
She barely managed to hide her laughter behind a hand before she decided to snap a picture. After admiring her work, Mei tiptoed to the other side of the couch and covered her sister in a thick blanket. It wasn't cold by any means, but she knew Hana preferred the weight and having something to cuddle.
Loki started pawing at her leg and before his insistant meows woke her sibling, Mei picked him up and hurried to her room. She collapsed on her cozy double bed while her cat curled into a ball next to her stomach and began purring. Remembering her promise to Seven, she pulled out her phone for the last time that day.
MC: Calling the mothership … Beep. Beep.
MC: Space Cadet Mei has completed her mission and arrived at home safely.
707: Mothership to Space Cadet Mei.
707: Keep up the good work and maybe you'll get a reward.
MC: Sweet! A promotion! (･◡･๑)
Mei laughed lightly. It was confusing, but she really enjoyed talking to him.
707: Ahh, what is this? The mothership has detected an anomaly.
707: Can this be true? How could you lie to me about your identity?! (⌐▨_▨)
MC: What?
707: You never were one of our soldiers. Mayday, maday we need backup. A space alien has infiltrated us lolol
MC: An alien? Me?
MC: How did you know? (ﾟ□ﾟ*川
707: Nothing goes unnoticed by the amazing God Seven hehehe
MC: Now all of my plans have been ruined (๑•́ ₃ •̀๑)
707: Seven-Zero-Seven has saved the universe once again!
MC: Hurray (´⌣`ʃƪ)
707: How do you intend to defend your crimes against the mothership?
MC: I have important information to share.
MC: ... I'm actually serious;;
Mei sobered quickly when she remembered the weird message Unknown sent her earlier. It was pretty clear that they were targeting her—the phrase 'come and get you' wasn't really open for interpretation—but she wondered why. Didn't they know she was a detective?
MC: I got a text from Unknown on the RFA app.
707: The hacker again?! What did they say?
MC: They told me to enjoy my time and that they're gonna get me soon.
MC: So I was like "uuhm no?!" and tried to find out who they are but they didn't reply.
707: There are no traces of the message on my servers. I'm worried.
MC: I believe in you, Seven, but maybe we should take this to the police after all? I mean there have been lots of kidappings lately and this might be connected.
707: For now, I don't think that's wise. It might agitate the hacker and force them into action.
MC: Hmmm, I don't like this.
707: Me neither.
707: Do you have any idea why they're targeting you?
MC: Not in the slightest. Sure, detectives make enemies and even get targeted, but its kinda roundabout to involve the RFA when they could've just gotten to me directly ┐(￣ヘ￣)┌
707: Good point.
707: I promise I'll find them as fast as possible, so that you're safe!
It bothered her that she was in the dark about Unknown's identity and their intentions. However, Seven had proven to be capable thus far and while the detective still wasn't very supportive of the idea to keep this from the police, she'd give him a chance. According to the chatroom earlier, the other RFA members thought he was reliable and she was a little touched that he cared about someone he only met a couple of hours ago.
Mei smiled gently at his profile picture and petted her purring cat absentmindedly.
MC: Don't overwork yourself and stay up the entire night, okay?
707: Sleeping is totally
707: overrated lolol
707: BUT
707: Thanks for trusting me, Mei.
MC: Sleeping detoxes your brain. Not sleeping is torture for humans;;
707: I can't relate to mere mortals since I'm the amazing 707 ヾ(≧∇≦)ゞ
707: The defender of justice never sleeps, so everyone can sleep without worries!
MC: Well, thanks for making sure the world is safe.
MC: Good night, Seven.
707: Sweet dreams (･◡･๑)
Blue eyes finally gave into the weights that were pulling on them as Mei drifted off to sleep with the cellphone in her hands. She wore a smile on her face when she dreamed of mysterious aliens and gigantic spaceships, of floating in space and visiting distant stars, of constellations twinkling in the night-sky ... and of an astronaut with red hair who took her hand and showed her the universe.
To Be Continued ...