Day 2

The pitter-patter of rain on my windowsill brought me back from the unconsciousness of sleep. After getting up, I took a look out my window to see how bad it was. The glass was sprinkled with rain droplets, enough that I couldn't really see what the weather was like. From this, I assumed it was raining just enough to be annoying.

I sighed. Everything has been happening so fast ever since I left Hope's Peak, that I didn't have many of the household necessities, an umbrella being one of them. I'd have to walk in the rain all the way to a convenience store, just to buy an umbrella. It seemed silly, but considering the way the Foundation treated their new recruits, it was understandable. The Foundation gave me this property on account of me not having anywhere else to go. It was barely even furnished when I first entered, and I didn't have the time to furnish it myself. Either way, I didn't need to; I don't spend much time in my house anyways. It's not like I'll ever have anyone over, either...

Ugh. My mind instantly shifted to Izuru Kamukura again. Why did that happen?...

My face turned red at the thought, but I managed to regain my composure. I had an investigation to do. Izuru Kamukura successfully outran me because he got a head start. He was ready for whatever I was going to do. Thus, if I wanted to detain him, I'd have to catch him off guard. And the only place I can do that is in his hideout. It was quite unfortunate that I had to scour the city for secret passages in the rain, but it was the only way. Nothing got in the way of a detective and her work.

Well, almost nothing.

I opened my door and the sound of the rain got louder. My eyes widened as I looked down. To my surprise, there was an umbrella sitting on the walkway in front of the entrance. It was a Monokuma umbrella; almost everyone had one of these. But the most interesting part was that it was open, laying on its side, shielding a note from the rain. Carefully, I leaned down and grabbed both the note and the umbrella. I methodically raised them both at the same rate so the note didn't get wet. Once it was at shoulder level, I started reading.

I've got a feeling you need one of these.

This Shield of Despair will protect you.

I look forward to seeing your progress.

-Izuru

Of course. I knew it was from him ever since I saw Monokuma's face. It's not every day you have a target who explicitly wants you to investigate them...

I took a look at the area outside my house to see what was happening. This part of the neighborhood wasn't that busy, not nearly as busy as the square. I saw a few people walking in the rain, all with matching Monokuma umbrellas. A couple cars were driving past, not slowing down at all when they encountered a puddle. But then my eyes stopped. There was a single Monokuma umbrella in the distance that wasn't moving like all the rest. As I squinted, I could just barely see.

Was that?

The figure turned around and walked away after I noticed. Judging from the large amount of black hair covering the figure's back, my initial assumption was correct.

Typical Izuru. I started to go after him, but I stopped myself. There was no point in chasing him, especially in this rain. He'd just get away like every other time. And as I mentioned before, I'd have to find out where his hideout was to have the best chance of catching him. So, without any further interruptions, I started on my way to the square, where Izuru first disappeared.

The square wasn't much different today. There were less people there, but the Monokuma umbrellas that everyone had covered the extra space so it didn't make a difference. I imagined what it'd be like to get a bird's eye view of the square. So many Monokuma faces… I shivered at the thought. Entering the square looked like way more trouble than it was worth, but it had to be done, because my first order of business was finding out more about Monomart.

The delightful sound of umbrella-scraping-against-umbrella filled my ears as I shoved through the masses to the entrances of Monomart. It looked the same as it did yesterday; except today, everyone had an umbrella in their spare hand. This essentially made fighting over groceries easier, but you could carry less... Hmpf, I really shouldn't be thinking about this. I need to find someone who works here…

There. That woman behind the deli counter.

I carefully walked over to her, dodging any umbrellas that came close to me. These people were fighting over groceries, after all. And I wasn't interfering with them. So there was no reason for them to go after me.

"Excuse me." I said, explicitly to the woman.

Startled, she turned around.

"What? You want somethin'? Well, you can go ahead and take it. I ain't stoppin ya."

"No, I have a question."

"Well, shoot. I ain't busy. I just stand here and call an ambulance whenever I see blood."

"Yesterday, did you see a man with long black hair?"

"Yeah, I saw a bunch of 'em."

"Was one of them wearing all black?"

"Probably. Ya gotta be a little more descriptive, kiddo."

"Well… He was tall… and thin… and he had a pale face… and deep, red eyes…"

I floated away for a bit, until the lady snapped her fingers at me. My face turned red at that...

"Hey, snap out of it! As a matter'a fact, I do remember someone like that…"

I got excited. "Do you know where he went?"

"Nope. Listen, kiddo. When ya gotta watch out for injuries, you can't pay attention to everythin'"

Ugh, she got my hopes up for nothing…

"Well, is there anywhere he could have gone? Like a secret passage?"

The woman looked at me scornfully, then answered, "There ain't no secret passages in Monomart, kiddo. There's only the front door, and the back exit. Nothin' else."

"I see. Thank you." I nodded and went on my way. He must have left through the back door, then.

Avoiding many more umbrellas, I pushed open the back door of Monomart. The rain didn't block out the sounds of combat until the door closed behind me.

I put up my umbrella and took a look around. On one side, there was an alleyway. And on the other, at the corner, there was a small coffee shop. It seemed to be less influenced by Monokuma than the other establishments around the area. Outside, there was a man sweeping the pavement under the shop's overhang. Maybe he knew something…

The concrete splashed under me as I walked to the man. As I got closer to the building, I noticed that there was music coming from inside. It was slow jazz; the perfect accompaniment to a rainy day. The saxophone was so inviting that I was tempted to go inside. But there wasn't time for that. The man turned to face me as I approached him.

"Excuse me, sir."

"Hm?"

"Yesterday, did you seen a man with long, black hair?" I controlled myself this time.

"Erm, what was he like?"

Ugh. Not this again. "He was probably running out that door, the back exit of Monomart. Did you see him?"

"Oh, that guy? Yeah, I see him pretty often. Always comes from the same exit. He waves to me every time, nice fella."

What? Who knew Izuru would do that…

"Well, which way does he normally go?"

"Down that way, away from here. Turns left every time." His arm pointed the way.

"Thank you."

"No problem, miss."

I quickly walked in the direction he pointed me in, making sure to observe my surroundings. I got to the intersection, and turned left.

It was just another alley. At least, that's what it looked like from my vantage point. Time to take a closer look…

I attempted to avoid as many puddles as I could, however, I was forced step in one or two. It was a small price to pay for a thorough investigation. I felt along the walls for secret switches, bricks, doors, anything. There was nothing. I moved all the trash bags; there was nothing under them either. I was losing hope by the time I reached the end of the alleyway; there sat a single, large, green trash bin. It was conveniently open, so I took a look inside.

Absolutely nothing. Well, besides pooled up water from the rain.

Wait… Why would they leave the bin open when it was raining outside?

I unleashed a swift kick to the side of the trash bin. It was just enough to shift the lid a bit before it fell over with a thud.

Behind the trash bin, there was a small indent in the wall. But it was just big enough to be a door.

I wedged myself between the trash bin and the wall. At least the rain would wash out the smell of trash…

There was some sort of small doorknob on the door. I grabbed it and pushed it aside. Luckily, and to my surprise, the door moved with ease.

I couldn't see what was inside. The bin was blocking whatever light the clouds in the sky didn't block. So, I turned on my flashlight again.

Shining it against the walls of the room, I came to the unfortunate conclusion.

This room was completely empty. I checked the floor, the walls, the ceiling. It was just an empty, square room.

Where could he have gone…

I double checked and triple checked everything. Still nothing. Eventually, I got tired of searching, and made my way out. I needed to clear my mind. Maybe I'd get a chance to stop in that coffee shop after all…

As I walked over, the man was still standing outside, sweeping the ground.

"Excuse me, again. Are you sure you saw him go that way? And no other way?"

"Every time he took that exit, he always turned left. Didn't see him go anywhere else."

"I see…"

Concluding that this man wasn't going to give me any more valuable information, I entered the coffee shop and walked to the back of the line. I got lost in the music, and by the time it was my turn to order, I haven't even thought about what I wanted to order. Between the rain, the jazz music, the letdown in the alley, and the fact that he entered my thoughts yet again (don't ask me why, I didn't know either), I didn't feel like doing anything. I just felt… tired for some reason. Tired, and wistful.

I ordered a small coffee and a croissant. Maybe the coffee would help, for once.

There's a first time for everything, as this investigation has surely proven to me.

Taking my order back to my seat, I stared out at the rain as I ate my croissant and drank the coffee. The jazz permeated my ears and engulfed me. Much to my disappointment, the coffee only slightly improved my condition. I was alert and energized, yes. But there was nothing to use that energy on. That room was completely empty, and that was my only lead.

Maybe I'm losing it. Maybe I need a break…

Argh, but I don't have time for a break! There's never enough time…

But, for now, there's nothing to do. Odds are, if I'm correct, Izuru will show up again. Eventually. And then I'll get my lead. He's borderline obsessed with me…

To be honest, I was starting to feel that the same could be said the other way around…