Seiji knew something was wrong the moment he stepped out of the cab. The front door was open, while he and Shiharu normally took extra care closing it, because the twins had wandered on to the pavement in front of his yard one day when it wasn't closed properly, and it had given them quite a scare. After quickly paying the driver Seiji walked up to the house, and he was faced with a woman pacing in the dimly lit hallway.
"Who are you?" he asked sharply. The woman, who'd just been running her hands through her dark hair startled slightly and turned to him. She was dressed smartly, as if she was some sort of business woman. Somehow she managed to look worried, angry and scared, all at the same time.
"Johnson Midori," she replied absently, before adding: "Shiharu ran away." Seiji forgot all about the hardly satisfying answer about Midori's identity.
"She ran away? But that's nothing like her, what happened?"
"I'm Shiharu's aunt, I was explaining that too her, but she didn't take the news very well," Midori confessed. Seiji took another look at the woman. He could see some similarities, but he still felt suspicious, it wasn't anything hard to fake after all, just straight hair and a comparable eye colour. Walking to the twins' bedroom he grabbed his phone out of the pocket of his jacket, and dialled the number of the orphanage.
After confirming that the twins were fine, still sleeping soundly in fact. Seiji walked back into the hallway, were Shiharu's coat was still hanging on the coat stand. Finally Haruko picked up.
"Hello?"
"I need to know if Nakamura-san has arrived at the orphanage yet," Seiji told her without bothering with social necessities. On the other side of the phone he could hear Haruko talk to somebody and he waited impatiently for her to finish.
"The kids say they haven't seen her yet. Did something happen Matsunaga-san?"
"Some lady turned up on my door step when I was gone, claiming to be Nakamura-san's aunt. She didn't react well."
"So Midori went to see her immediately. But did Shiharu leave the kids alone?" Haruko asked undignified.
"Couldn't you have told Johnson-san to wait until I got home?" Seiji lashed out suddenly. He didn't like the thought of Shiharu having to face life changing conversations like that on her own. He knew how vulnerable she could be from time to time.
"I understand you are upset Shiharu left your children alone, but please calm down Matsunaga-san."
"I'm going to find her." He told the woman before hanging up. He could apologize for his rude behaviour later, finding Shiharu was more important now.
Seiji called Takeru right after he hung up on Haruko , explaining the situation and asking him to come over to watch the twins. Takeru immediately agreed and told him he'd be there in a few seconds.
Walking into the kitchen, Seiji put the chair that was still on the ground back up and started to prepare tea for himself. The cup he normally used was on the table, half filled with cold tea. Midori walked into the kitchen, obviously insecure about what to do now.
Suddenly Seiji could see the similarities between the woman and Shiharu he hadn't noticed before. They both had the same cautious attitude, as if unsure whether it was okay to be there.
Taking pity on her, Seiji turned to face her.
"Listen, I'm going to do my best to find Nakamura-san, but right now there is nothing you can do. If you give me your contact information, I'll be in touch when Nakamura-san turns up, alright?"
Midori's timid demeanour disappeared, and suddenly she looked everything like the business woman he'd expected her to be when he first saw her. After fishing something out of the purse she was carrying, Midori handed Seiji a business card with the contact information of 'Johnson Broadcasting Company'. On the backside the address of a hotel was written in a neat handwriting.
"I planned on giving this to Shiharu so she could contact me. Please find my niece." She said, "Oh, and I'm terribly sorry for intruding." After that she turned around and left.
Seiji grabbed his jacket and was preparing to leave when Takeru and his mother arrived.
"Ah, Miyagawa-san, Takeru," he greeted them a little surprised at the presence of Takeru's mother.
"Mom agreed to watch the twins, I'm going to help you look for Shiharu." Takeru explained, giving his friend a grin.
Seiji immediately bowed to Miyagawa. "Thank you very much."
"Oh no reason for that Seiji, just find Shiharu-chan alright?" The woman waived away his gratitude. Seiji send her a grateful smile before getting ready to go out. He grabbed Shiharu's coat when he passed the coat stand, because it was rather cold outside, and he didn't want her to get sick.
"Are we going to take the car?" Takeru asked, already walking towards it.
"No," Seiji replied, " I don't think she's gone far, and besides, it would look strange if two men picked up a lone girl from the sidewalk with their car."
"You're probably right," Takeru said, sounding a bit dispirited.
They walked a few streets without finding a trace of Shiharu. Seiji felt the worry growing every passing minute but tried not to let it show too much. If he looked at Takeru's knowing smirk, he'd have to say it wasn't exactly working.
"Geez Seiji, how can you be so collected on TV? Everything you think is showing on your face."
Seiji tried to shrug it off nonchalantly, and they continued walking.
"Maybe we should split up? We still haven't found her." Seiji said after a few minutes of silence, apparently Shiharu had gone further away than he had expected.
"That might be be-" Takeru was cut off by his phone ringing loudly. Seiji stared at him in annoyance as Takeru tried to fish his phone out of his pocket.
"Hello, Kiyo-chan? I'm sorry, I don't have time to chat right now." somebody on the other side of the line was talking rapidly, but Seiji couldn't hear what she was saying.
"Ah, thank goodness." Takeru sighed.
"Yes, I can put you on speaker if you want too."A slight pause
"No? Alright, we're coming right now." Takeru replied.
"Yeah, Thank you. Bye Kiyo-chan." He hung up and shot Seiji a bright smile.
"I know where Shiharu is."
A/N: And do you know too? It's probably not that hard, but I liked the idea. I'll try to update in two weeks, but I've got exams first next week, so wish me luck! Thanks to everybody who reviewed, (it's greatly appreciated) I know Shiharu's behaviour is a bit off, but the story wouldn't work otherwise. Anyway, read and review!
Love,
The Young Writer's Apprentice.
