*** Sorry for the wait! And thanks for the PMs! /o/ So... TODAY'S 10/13! HAPPY BIRTHDAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY PIKO! TODAY'S PIKO'S BIRTHDAY IT'S UTATANE PIKO'S BIRTHDAY /dances /waltz /jumps up and down fwaahh May there be more Piko users and love in the future /o/
/o/ /pikopiko/pikopiko/ /uwu/ Please enjoy this chap with a Piko song / cover as the background music /o/ ***
Chapter 24: Suspicion Confirmed
Any other day under different circumstances, if Rin encounters someone like Piko she'd be… She'd be really glad and happy. They'd just met the day before and it felt like she could talk to him about everything. Well, maybe not everything. They'd passed the introduction phase of the friendship, and… She thought he was sweet.
So, very, very, sweet it seemed impossible that he was hiding something. After talking to him and spending most of the day with him he didn't seem like a bad guy. Still, the more she felt comfortable with Piko, the more she felt… Anxious? She wanted to laugh at herself for doubting someone like him, and herself too for worrying about nothing.
'If I'd met you last month before all of that happened, I think I'd be less… Paranoid.' It's after she'd met Piko that Rin had realized it was hard for her to trust people like she used to before. And in a way, it made her guilty. He hadn't done anything wrong and there she was, staring at him as they walk back to Kaito's house; as if he'd done something wrong.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" He asked without turning to look at her. "Don't answer 'it's nothing' because it clearly isn't."
"It's…" Nothing. She wanted to say it's nothing so badly. So, Rin gave it a thought for a second... On a scale of one to ten, how rude would it be to tell him ever so straight forwardly, 'you're so kind it's making me very suspicious and uncomfortable.'? It'd probably be fine to say it when they'd first met, not after they'd gotten to know each other.
"It's just really nice that you're… Uhm, nice, to me. And Kaito too!" She knew the 'suspicious stare' she gave to Piko earlier didn't really match her words… But what she said wasn't really all that far off from the truth. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to stare."
"I already told you it's not a bother at all. I know it might be weird for you to suddenly be accepting a… bit of warm neighborly greeting." A bit? Really? He thought it was a bit? What kind gesture would not be a 'bit'?
"If you need anything then I'll be happy to help. I don't want to be indebted to you forever." As Rin gave him a small smile, she figured… She really didn't have much of a choice. The only solution for her is to just to suck it up and get over that small trust issue of hers. Kaito seemed fine with Piko, so why should she be worried?
'This… Uncomfortable feeling though…' The man she'd just met yesterday who volunteered to be her and Kaito's serv-, friendly helper, who saved her earlier, who gave her cake she had her eyes on, that uncomfortable feeling was…
"Are you hiding something from me?" She covered her lips the second those words came out; nearly dropping her bag of cleaning supplies. Why in the world did she say that out loud? What's wrong with her? Was she just thinking too much? Was the summer heat getting to her? It's…
"What?" He looked surprised for a second; and the one who gave the suspicious glare was Piko now.
"No, I'm sorry! I'm not sure why I said that out loud… It's…" Admitting that she had said it out loud means she was thinking about it. Rin sighed. "Ignore what I said earlier, I don't really know myself but… I don't feel like myself. Does that make any sense to you? Ah…"
"We've just met so of course there are a lot of things we don't know about each other."
"I'm sorry… I'm not thinking all that… Clearly? I'm not sure why. Something feels… Weird. When I'm around you I feel lik-" Rin stopped. "Never mind what I said, look home sweet home!"
That was probably the most awkward conversation Rin had for a while. She wasn't sure why, but the words just flew out of her mouth like that. It was weird, and she wouldn't be surprised if Piko would think the same as well. 'What happened to the nice girl I had a quiet normal conversation with a few minutes ago?' Rin wasn't sure either.
"Please pretend I didn't say anything." Rin knocked on the door and waited.
"Which part do you want me to forget?"
"Ah, I guess…" The ones after she started feeling 'anxious' and went over her trust issues in her head. "The weird ones."
"I don't think you've said anything weird at all." Somehow Piko could read the face Rin was giving off. 'You're saying that just because you're a nice person.' "The weird one here should be me, right? The overly kind neighbor."
"Unh…" It's hard to say no to that. And in the end, it's better to just leave it at that. It's time to focus on to another problem. Kaito's house was dirty and it was their job to help him clean everything up.
'That's right, focus on that. Not that other thing.' That… Uncomfortable feeling.
After a while, there was still no answer. Rin knocked again, pulled the handle, and tried to open the door. To their surprise, it wasn't locked. Which was… Odd. Maybe Kaito had forgotten to lock it when they left earlier?
"Kaito?" Rin called out as she entered the empty house. It didn't look like there was anyone there. "That's weird… Didn't he say he was going to stay here the whole day?"
"That's what he told me." Piko checked the living room. It was empty… He really thought he'd listen to him and stay there until they were back. Well to be fair, Kaito seemed like one of those people who gets bored easily so maybe… He went for a walk? So… An excuse like 'it's going to rain later' shouldn't work on him.
That's when he discovered a note on the table.
'Off to the train station with Len. Not sure when we'll be back. Piko, I'm leaving my sister in your hands. ;)' He read.
What's that bit at the end...? He tilted his head slightly in confusion, and for some reason he had a image of Kaito winking appearing in his mind.
"I'm a bit worried…" Rin said from the other room. Piko quickly crumpled the note, put it in his pocket and walked to the kitchen where Rin was. "He said he'd be here all day, right?"
"You're over-thinking things again. He probably just wants to skip this spring cleaning; even though I told him its fine if I do it alone."
"I wonder about that…" She scratched the back of her head. "No use worrying over it, right? I'll start with the kitchen."
It was obvious that Rin was worried sick over it, it was obvious that she was trying to bury said feelings away by distracting herself with cleaning until there's nothing left to clean. She looked clueless but Piko could somehow guess what had happened while they were off to buy the cleaning supplies. That Mayu girl he met that afternoon was looking for Kaito so… He was probably with her, and that guy.
'I told him to just stay here…' Piko also guessed earlier that… Kaito and Rin's sudden vacation to that nameless town had something to do with it. 'It's just a feeling but... If Rin and Kaito really went all that trouble to move to this kind of house to avoid that Mayu girl then...'
"I'll go look for him." He sighed. Before Rin could even open her mouth, and Piko knew she wanted to look for Kaito too; he continued. "There's a chance that he'll be back soon so you can just stay here."
To avoid any arguments or buts and ifs, Piko left the kitchen immediately and out of the house. If the weird conversation he had with that girl, and that guy was true… It should be better for Rin to stay as far away as possible from it, right? Especially since it involved… Death threats. Of course there was also a chance that the whole thing might be a big joke.
So many ifs.
'Wait so… Why should I get myself involved in this again?' Without slowing his pace, he asked himself. It might not even be a big deal and Rin's worried and pale expression was just for nothing. 'I just need to ask Kaito what this message mean that's all. If it's possible I want to drag him back and convince Rin that everything's alright and she shouldn't worry about anything.'
It was the first thing that came to his mind, there were a couple more reasons: His gut was telling him to just do it. It's never a start idea to just blindly follow your gut, but hey, it's not just his gut, he was still curious. The questions he had earlier at the pastry shop were still there it didn't just disappear out of thin air. It's not like the questions would be answered if he goes to the station, it's just… It felt like if he'd just ignore the chance of catching up to them, he'd never get another chance.
'I mean, they are going to a train station. That means they'll go someplace far and… He doesn't even know when he'll be back.' And he expected him to take care of Rin until he was back? That's one… Responsible big brother. 'To go off on a vacation to this part of town, and suddenly leaving his sister to a neighbor he'd literally just met it's… Weird. Among other things.'
Eventually what started as a walk became a jog; the distance between himself and the station grew closer. Even though it was unlikely, from time to time Piko would turn around and see if Rin was following him. If she was really worried she would follow him, wouldn't she? There was no Rin at sight though, which was good.
Piko entered the surprisingly quiet (not that it had ever been full before to his knowledge) station and walked past the ticket booth and on to the platform where he tried to catch his breath. It wasn't all that hard to spot the three people he was looking for.
"Isn't it nice that we're all back together again?" Mayu clapped both of her hands together in excitement. "My bestest friends!"
"…Yeay…" Kaito didn't even try to hide it. He was not happy.
"Oh that's right you're not a big fan of train stations, huh?" She said it in such a cheerful tone. It's easy to ignore such a comment since… Well. Another way to interpret that sentence from someone like Mayu is: 'Take the bait! Be angry at me so I could punish you later!' And then, another distraction came.
"Hey look it's Rinny's boyfriend!" Mayu pointed at Piko. Unlike Kaito and Len who greeted him with a shocked and confused look, she greeted him with a big smile and wave. With heavy steps Piko walked over to them; he thought he could eavesdrop for a little while longer. How did she spot him so quickly anyway?
"Boyfriend?" It was clear Len was the least happy to see him there. And to hear that word too, for some reason. "Never mind that, what do you think you're d-"
"Oh, don't be so bitter!" She laughed. No, the boyfriend part wasn't the part that made Len give his sour look it was… Seeing that guy there again. That was all. Mostly. "What brings you here? Here to see us off?"
"No, I'm here to…" He looked at Kaito. For a second it felt like Kaito was trying to tell him something telepathically. Unfortunately they'd literally just met so it was hard for him to figure out what that look meant and what was going on in his head. And unfortunately he wasn't some sort of psychic. "Ask Kaito something…"
"I think you should leave." That was probably what Kaito was trying to tell him telepathically; Piko figured.
"Oh, come on! Look how sweaty he is, he ran all the way here, at least hear him out." Ironically the only one who was trying to be nice there was Mayu. And… She was supposed to be the bad one there, right? "Behold my deducing ability! Let me guess. You went home with Rinny, and once you're there you found this mysterious note Kaito probably left behind and you're trying to figure out what's going on!"
"That's…"
"100% accurate, right?!" She didn't want to accept no as an answer; not like she was wrong anyway. "I spent a whole day with a detective and my power of deduction has increased from zero to one hundred!"
"I didn't leave behind some mysterious note!" There wasn't anything weird about it. It wasn't worth chasing him all the way to the station, right? The only thing odd about it was… How he didn't put much background into his note. Like why he left, how long he was going to be away… That's it. "I just told you to keep an eye on Rin until I'm back!"
"You left Rin in that guy's hands?" Maybe to Kaito it'd be better for Rin to be with someone but to Len who actually knew Piko for more than a day or two thought it was just absurd.
"Oh get over it, he's a good guy and he probably has some sort of crush on Rinny." Mayu laughed again. It left Len to wonder, what part of that did she think was funny? "If you're really worried about Kaito leaving why don't you take his place instead?"
"What are you talking about?"
"Poor Rinny's probably worried out of her mind that Kaito suddenly disappeared. Since she's not here with you that means she doesn't know that he's at the station with me, right? You know what could fix the problem? If I just let Kaito go. Or, you know. You could tell Rinny we're all here and she can come with us on our mini adventure too!"
"Adventure… Huh…" Piko definitely wasn't going to go get Rin and drag her there, he definitely couldn't just walk away from the station like nothing happened (even though he technically could, would anyone try and stop him?) "Then I guess… I'll go."
"I can't believe I'd just changed my perfectly planned plan… This'll be fine too I guess, better even." She mumbled to herself. "By the way, Kaito, you're fired. If I see you, even if you're anywhere near the city I'm at, you're dead!"
"Uh…Sure?" He just got fired and somehow... That was the only reply he could think of. Should he be... Happy? No, he shouldn't be. Nothing good ever happens to to those who're fired by Mayu. Nothing good ever happens to those who works under Mayu either, so... "I guess I'll leave you three now?"
"It's been nice working with you! I'll send your pay check for that last cruise next month!" Mayu waved a small bye-bye. "You two! It's time to start our adventure! Together, the three of us! Come on, let's get in now~"
'Let's see. Mayu wants to be alone with the two of us in this train. It looks like there's no other passengers in it, and if I'm not mistaken, there's only one train in the platform. There's nothing wrong with that, right? Besides, what's the worst that could happen? Torture?' He doubted it. Mayu seemed like she's in a good mood because the way she smile didn't seem so menacing.
"I reserved this whole train." Mayu answered the question Len had in their head; Piko's too actually. "Isn't it great? It feels like we're riding our own private train!"
"…Why?" Len asked as they took their seats. "You wanna kill us in private or something?"
"Don't be ridiculous." She took that joke literally and gave him a confused look, as if saying 'come on, do you think I'm that stupid? I could do waaaaaay better than that'
"Then what's with this private train? It's not something you do every day." To his knowledge, at least. "And why is he here?"
"I just feel like it." Len knew that was Mayunese for 'there's probably a reason for it, but this is as far as I'm going to tell you.' "And why not? Didn't you pay attention to our conversation at all earlier? Piko's worried 'cause Rinny's worried that Kaito's gone. I don't want it to be a two-person-journey… I want three people! So Piko's a part of our team now."
"Why does it have to be three people?" It was Piko's turn to ask.
'Oh sure, leave me with her. I'm sure you'd like that.' Len rolled his eyes. He knew it wasn't a stupid question; he was wondering the same thing. It's just… Once you hate someone literally everything they do become downright despicable.
"Because if it's only two people it'll feel like a date!" She put her forefingers on her cheeks. Like, she was saying that a girl like her couldn't possibly be seen with another man without others thinking that they're dating, and that's just wrong. Or, she was trying to be cute. "Besides, it's funny how you two just hate each other."
"It's not funny." The two said it simultaneously; it disgusted both of them.
"Alright, story time!" Well, Len guessed that was inevitable. "Tell me in absolute detail what happened between you two. It's gonna be a super long train ride after all."
"I've told you my side of the story, it's his turn now." Len sighed. Maybe it wasn't such a bad idea, he was finally able to hear that guy's side of the story. It's hard to say no to Mayu so Piko shouldn't have much of a choice.
"What if I ref-"
"If you refuse I'll hurt everyone you love!" Mayu cut his words. That's right… Piko hadn't seen that other side of her, huh? The threatening, disturbing, side of her. "And yes, I do have that power."
"I don't have anyone." She squinted her eyes. Oh, really? At first glance Piko does look like one of those anti-social types. Regardless, it's impossible for someone to live that long and not have someone, anyone in their life.
"Family members?"
"None."
"Friends?"
"None."
"Colleagues?"
"None."
"I'll hurt Len, then!" Mayu gave it more thought and that was the only solution she could think of. And the most convenient too; Len was sitting right next to her.
"What-"
"I don't mind." Of course he wouldn't mind, what was she thinking?
"No, I can't do that right now. The train hasn't even moved yet, it's too early for a bloodshed here. It's our private train after all! Uhm… I got it!" She was saving the best for last, of course. "Friendly neighbors?"
"…"
"Ready to tell your story now?" Mayu thought she should get some snacks ready or something. It looked like Piko was still thinking over it though. "Tick, tock, tick, tock."
"Trust her when she says she has the power to hurt basically anyone, anywhere." Len didn't want him to refuse, it felt like he wasn't all that convinced that Mayu could do some damage. "Just tell her already."
"No, I want to make an offer instead. You like stories, don't you?"
"I love stories!" Her face lit up. "Is it a juicy one? Does it have angst in it? Despair? Love? Is it based on a true story?"
"I'll tell you, but I don't want him to hear any of it." Without giving a single glance to Len, Piko said. "That's my only condition."
"Consider it done! Let's go talk about this someplace else! See you in a bit Mr. Detective!" As the two left to the other cargo, the train started to move and Len waited.
'Why is it so hard for him to tell us his side of the story?' Len thought to himself. To be fair he'd never told anyone until Mayu brought it up, still. 'What is he hiding?'
'This is probably a good time to figure out… What had happened so far.' It wasn't a bad idea. 'Let's start from the beginning.'
'From what Kaito told me… He and Rin moved in to that dusty house yesterday, met that guy, and rested for the day. While that was happening I was… Out cold from that 'antidote'. The next day Mayu and I visited that one pastry shop, and that's when I met him. He complained that someone dumped water all over him, and it turns out someo- Kaito paid him as a test to figure out whether he's a good person or not.' Len stopped.
'It was a stupid test.'
'…Moving on. Introductions aside, that guy left and told Kaito to stay home. He went to do an errand with Rin, and while that was happening I was out looking for Kaito. After I found him, it turns out Mayu was there too, and somehow we were dragged into that plan of hers.'
"I can't believe I'd just changed my perfectly planned plan… This'll be fine too I guess, better even."
'So, the original plan was supposed to have me and Kaito on this train. In the end, our small search for him earlier today… Was it just for nothing in the end? Would it still be fine if it was Kaito and that guy instead? It's hard to expect what'll happen from here on. One thing for sure, after Mayu said…'
"By the way, Kaito, you're fired. If I see you, even if you're anywhere near the city I'm at, you're dead!"
'She's trying to leave Kaito out of it… Why? He was supposed to be a part of the 'original' plan, right? If he's involved, could it ruin the plan?' It felt like… He was forgetting something important. Something…
'Ugh, I'm tired.' Len sighed. 'Just give me back the life I had before any of this happened already.' He dozed off for a second, thinking... Why did that wish Feel like a joke? It's sad to think about it. And he wanted to laugh about how pessimistic he sounded.
'Wait a minute…' He did forget one important thing. '…The pastry shop…'
"I HAVE TO TELL HIM!" Len heard a loud shout from the other side. Before Len could even blink, Mayu came running, closing the door behind her. "Mr. Detective Len, you have to hear this!" She tried to hold the sliding door from opening, but it was hard. It's a sliding door after all.
"… What?" He could hear someone from the other side of the door; that guy probably. Len stood up from his seat, unsure whether to help Mayu close the door or just… Stand there. "Are you two done with your story already?"
"Mr. Baker there knows who Rin was before she lost her memories!" She whispered. "That's what he told me!"
...
'What?'
"I haven't told him anything important I swear!" Mayu lost her grip on the door and Piko came right in. "Honest, I'm telling you the truth!"
"You're lying." Piko looked so serious, no... Threatened. Worried, even? It felt like he was ready to strangle Mayu in seconds.
"Okay, fine. You caught me. I told him the reason you don't want to tell that story you shared with me before is because… You know, because… You have your reasons." She shrugged. "Honest!"
"…Yes, reasons." It wasn't Mayu's… 'Explanation' that bothered Piko. It's the fact that… That guy was frozen at his spot. "So? Why does he look so shocked?"
"She suddenly came in here running and told me 'I can't tell you because of reasons'. How else am I supposed to react?" Len snapped out of it. It wasn't the time to be... Shocked over something Mayu'd just say. It might not even be true, why did he have to be so shocked? "I know there's something you two aren't telling me so let's just leave it at that."
"See, see?! I haven't told him anything important! We have a deal after all, and I don't want to be the first one to break it." Mayu nodded. "Come on, let's just return to our seats and enjoy the beautiful view outside."
Piko sat the furthest away from them, and as much as Len wanted to avoid sitting next to Mayu… He needed to sit next to Mayu. For a minute or two, at least. There was no way he could sit next to her for more than ten minutes without going a little bit insane.
"Were you serious?" Len whispered; he was surprised at how low his voice was. With a wide smile and a small teehee, Mayu replied.
"Why would I lie?"