It's been several days since Nagisa went over to Angel's house. Since then he has been more supportive of Angel and tried to win others over. It hasn't gone well of course, but he is still trying. Today though Angel hasn't shown up for class. Nagisa finds himself looking at her seat now and then, wondering what might have happened. When lunch comes he stands to go eat outside like most everyone else.
"Nagisa, do you have a minute?" Korosensei asks.
"Ah, yeah." Nagisa stays behind while the others leave. When no one is left Korosensei starts talking.
"You and Angel seem to be friends now." Koro says.
"I guess."
"Tell me, how did you do that?" Koro pulls out a notepad and pencil, ready to take notes.
"Oh, uh..." Nagisa smiles nervously. He doesn't understand what this is about. "I went over to her house and talked with her. We played some games and I guess I just saw her a little differently."
"Differently?"
"Yeah... S-she wasn't so uptight at her own house and we got along pretty well."
"Hmm..." Koro writes on his notepad, making Nagisa worry a bit. "Alright, I think thats enough information for now. Enjoy your lunch Nagisa." Koro smiles.
"Thanks..." Nagisa says as he hurries outside. When out her finds his usual group of friends and joins them.
"So what did Korosensei want?" Sugino asks.
"He was asking about Angel. I don't really understand what he wanted to hear, but I guess he got what he was looking for." Nagisa says.
"Who cares about her?" Kaede says. "That big breast brat is nothing but annoying. I wish she would just stay gone."
"Kaede, that isn't right." Nagisa says.
"Why do you care about her so suddenly? I get you wanting her and Karma to get along so you don't fail the assignment, but she's been just as rude and uppity with you as she has with us." Tomohito points out. "Why do you stick up for that stuck up?"
"Because I don't think that's all there is to it. Angel isn't bad. She just isn't used to being actually friendly."
"Why do you mean actually friendly?" Kaede asks.
"I mean we see her when she's pretending to be nice so we can make assassination attempts as a group, but that isn't her normal personality. She only has practice with pretending. It's never been important for her before."
"How do you know all this?"
"I went to her house and talked with her for a while. I even talked with some of the servants that work as her house. She wasn't so mean and distant then... It was kind of fun, playing card games and talking."
"What, you think we should all go over and play card games with her like little kids?" Sugino questions.
"No, just... I think we need to look at her a little different." Nagisa looks down as his untouched lunch. No one has moved during the whole conversation. It's tense between them all now.
"I think you're too kind Nagisa."
"That girl is stuck up and heartless." Nagisa sighs as his friends continue their criticism of Angel. Clearly he isn't going to get anywhere with them. Instead his mind wanders to Angel herself, and the possible reasons she would be missing...
Nagisa finds himself standing outside of Angel's home. He looks up at the the tall building, wondering how much something like this must have cost.
"Sensei's snack money would never run out if he had this kind of money." Nagisa jumps slightly and looks around. Finally he spots Korosensei in some bushes, trying to hide using some branches on top of his head.
"What are you doing here?" Nagisa questions as he takes a few steps closer to Koro.
"As a teacher it's my job to know why my students are missing from class and ensure they're still getting everything they need to continue learning."
"What about Karma?"
"Karma has the means, but Sensei can't force him to learn." Nagisa looks at the house again. "You go in Nagisa, then report back to me." He looks up at Koro to see him holding some binoculars and a notepad. Nagisa turns and heads to the house, wondering if he could sneak away later without Koro noticing. It'd be good training. He knocks on the front door, and a few moments later the doors are opened by a butler.
"Hello, how may I help you?" He says.
"Hi. I'm Nagisa, a friend of Angel. I was wondering why she wasn't in class today." The butler's face goes a little pale.
"A friend?" He hesitates. "Please, come in." Nagisa walks in. "Follow me." He leads Nagisa into a short hallway with only a couple of doors. They enter the furthest one and find themselves in a large, lovely dining room. "Please wait here. There are always snacks set up, so feel free to have whatever you'd like." He then quickly leaves. Nagisa looks around, wondering what might have happened that the butler wouldn't tell him anything. She can't simply be sick, not like this.
"I hope she's alright." Nagisa quietly says to himself as he sets his backpack on the table and grabs a cookie. He starts nibbling on it, still looking around, taking in the subtle beauty in the room. The colors white, light blue, and black. They blend well, and the room has a calm feeling to it.
"Pardon me." Nagisa turns around to see the butler as he walks back in. "The head of the house would like to speak with you. Would you please follow me?"
"The..." Nagisa trails off. He knows he's going to see a mafia boss. It's a bit unnerving. He grabs his backpack and follows the butler. They head upstairs and down the opposite hallway from Angel's room. They reach a large dark colored wooden door and the butler knocks.
"Send him in." A voices calls. The butler opens the door and holds it for Nagisa.
"Please go in. Mr. Chi is waiting for you." Nagisa hesitantly walks in. He sees an older man with black hair smoothed back sitting behind a desk. He has brown eyes and a slim but athletic build.
"Please, take a seat." The man says. Nagisa sets his backpack down next to a chair then sits in the chair. Mr. Chi looks stressed, and Nagisa can't help but feel nervous being around such a man. "So, you're Nagisa, correct?"
"Yes." Nagisa nods slightly.
"My daughter was very happy after spending some time with you... It's been a long time since she really smiled so genuinely." He sighs. "I'm sure you're wondering why she wasn't at school."
"Yes." Nagisa says with another slight nod.
"Do you know much about what my daughter does for me?" Mr. Chi asks, his eyes locked on Nagisa's.
"Ah, yes... She told me." Nagisa responds. The longer he sits here the more conflicted he feels. This man has a strong, dark atmosphere around him, making Nagisa more nervous. And yet, as he looks into the face of this man the reality sets in more and more, this is just a man.
"Then, as her only friend, I can trust you with this information." Mr. Chi finally stands. He's tall. Nagisa starts to stand. "Please, I just need to grab something." He walks over to a cabinet and opens it. "Do you know what my daughter was supposed to be doing within these last few days?" Nagisa thinks a moment.
"Oh, the letter... She had a target." Nagisa says as the memory pops back into his head.
"Yes. But..." Mr. Chi closes the cabinet and walks back holding a small file. He sits down and hands the file to Nagisa. "This is the man she was meant to rid me of. His name is Mori Yama. He was a business partner of a construction business that had betrayed me. We're already rid of that construction fool, but Yama... He was a bit more tricky. It took us a little time to notice, but he stole quite a deal of money using back doors and paying off some people. He took advantage of us, and I wasn't going to simply let him get away with it. Angel started working on her plan after you went home, but when she left to meet with Yama..."
"What?" Nagisa is worried. Did she die? Is she hurt?
"She never came back." Mr. Chi puts his head in his hands. "She was captured by Yama. He hasn't made any demands yet, but we haven't a clue whats going on. For her to suddenly fail like this... I don't know what happened. She's so careful, and plans for emergencies. It'd be fine if she couldn't kill him and just escaped back home, but for her to be captured..." Nagisa sits there, watching the distressed man contemplate all the terrible possibilities of what his daughter might be going through. Nagisa looks down, then he smiles at Mr. Chi.
"Don't worry." Nagisa says sweetly. "Angel will be just fine."
"How can you say that?" Mr. Chi looks at him.
"Trust me." Nagisa stands. "Angel, even if she's captured, is very resourceful. She'll be fine." Mr. Chi stands, his expression not exactly cheerful, but no longer pained.
"Thank you. I can understand why Angel trusts you enough to be friends. Please, If... When she returns, continue to be her friend and take care of her."
"Of course." With that the two part ways. Nagisa quickly leaves, going to talk with Korosensei. Mr. Chi sits back down in his chair and sighs.
"He was a good kid... I hope he's as trustworthy as Angel thinks he is..." He looks at his desk, then frowns. "Where did that file go?" He looks around. "That kid couldn't have taken it..."