Sleuthing

Yua had been acting suspicious for a while. Nanako had first observed it the night Yua left after the mysterious text, but now it happened more often. She was gone for some evenings and came back later than usual. She seemed a bit happier, smiling as she left the house, and her eyes would light up whenever that chime played.

It needed to be investigated; Nanako needed to know who or what made her so happy! But, the young girl's first tactic had failed. On one such night, Nanako asked where Yua was going, but Yua shifted her eyes to the side and said she was going to work or something. An evasive maneuver! A classic tactic of someone trying to hide the truth! Nanako realized she needed to bring out the big guns. It was a big mystery but nothing that TV-famous Detective Loveline couldn't figure out.

After she donned her homemade costume and her official-as-seen-on-TV magnifying glass wand, Nanako headed out into the streets to follow the ever-elusive cousin on her nightly outing. The case of "Yua's Daily Disappearances in the Dark of Night" would be solved. (She got the idea of the case name from one of her favorite episodes.)

Nanako soon realized that following someone was more challenging than she thought. The first time she tried, she got distracted by a dog, and Yua got away. So, the girl retreated to her base and followed her cousin the next day. This time, the junior detective's mind was focused, and she made sure to be extra sneaky, ducking behind bushes and corners to the confusion of bystanders. Nanako continued to follow Yua until they reached a side of town that Nanako didn't go to often. It was far from the shopping center and extended deep into the neighborhoods. Nanako hesitated for a moment. She had always been told to stay close to her house, in the shopping center, or Junes. She wasn't supposed to be this far from home. Nanako shook her head. She needed to know what Yua was doing, so she pressed on.

After reaching the corner of one of the walled barriers along the sidewalk, Yua stopped. Nanako paused too, ducked behind the start of the wall, and peered around it. Yua pulled out some clothes, and Nanako was slightly mortified that her big sis would change in public. To Nanako's relief, she slipped on a little hat, some sunglasses, and a dark cardigan.

Nanako leaned in further as ideas were racing around her mind. A disguise! How intriguing! Maybe she was going to a costume party! Perhaps she was going to visit a friend? Nanako knew she had taken up tutoring at some point. The costume could just be her tutor uniform—did they have those?

The girl almost let Yua slip away again but quickly and quietly ran after her. Finally, Yua made her way toward an apartment complex. Confusing Nanako still, Yua walked up the outdoor steps. Nanako strategically waited around the corner before ascending herself and stopping at the top of the stairs. She then peered around the corner to spy Yua at the end of the floor. Knowing that she couldn't move any closer without being seen, Nanako watched from around the corner as Yua knocked and waited at the front door.

Nanako's mind flashed between parties and friends; tutoring jobs and bullies. The mystery was about to be solved, and she couldn't wait to figure it out! She pulled up her magnifying glass to get a better look—it didn't work. Finally, the door opened.

"Hey," Yua said. "What do you think about my disguise? I thought I should change a bit so no one recognizes me up here."

There was a familiar laugh, "You look like you're an undercover cop, y'know."

Nanako blinked. Adachi-san? She was tutoring Adachi-san! She was sure that it was his voice. She peered around the corner, just enough to look out, and she saw a hand reach out and invite her big sis in. Then the door slammed closed.

After several minutes, it became apparent that Yua wouldn't come out. Nanako was already ecstatic that she had solved the mystery and now desperately wanted someone to celebrate with. Nanako rocked back on her heels and went over to the door. She thought about the ways that she could surprise her big sis. She could jump out and let a catchphrase fly as she wrapped up the case. She imagined Yua would be overjoyed that Nanako figured it out!

The girl knocked on the door.

"Huh, I wasn't expecting a package…"

Nanako's heart immediately sank. She remembered that Adachi was also there. Maybe he'd be mad that she left the house! Then he would tell her father. Then she'd get yelled at for wandering so far from home! Terror shot through her, and her feet carried her back to her hiding place near the stairs before she could think. She reached the cover of safety just as the door handle rattled. The door opened, and she put a hand over her mouth to stop a little squeak.

"Yeah, it's nothing."

The door clicked closed again.

Nanako sighed and worked to catch her breath. Now she knew where Yua was going and who she was meeting with, but Nanako needed to understand why Yua was there—and she couldn't cheat and ask. Tutoring stayed as the primary motive, but she couldn't rule out anything else. Maybe they were planning a surprise party for her or her dad! Oh! She really wanted to ask.

Nanako shook her head. No, she was a big girl who could figure out what they were doing on her own.

She held her plastic magnifying glass as high in the air, struck a pose, and clicked the button, "Stop police!" She made a face and clicked it a couple more times until she got to the one she wanted:"I'm on the case!"

Yosuke was reasonably happy one sunny summer day. He was working but had gotten a good night's rest the day before. Management (otherwise known as "Dad") gave him a little summer bonus in his paycheck for working some overtime. And to top it all off, Rise was stalking him.

At first, he caught her peering around a shelf, which was weird but ok. He thought about greeting her, but when he turned around, she was gone. The next time he saw her was when he was restocking some shelves; she was looking through the rack. This one warranted a question, but again, she disappeared when he recovered from the shock. This went on for a while, and after a couple of hours, he knew it had to mean something.

Now, as much as it was every teenage boy's dream to be stalked by Rissette, Yosuke couldn't help but wonder why. Part of him entertained the thought of her hidden feelings finally being expressed (in the creepiest way possible, but sure, he'd take it). No… He knew he wasn't special, and she hadn't been interested when he asked her out after rescuing her from her shadow. So, this fascination was a surprise and a welcome one at that.

It certainly made work go by much faster and left him daydreaming in a way he hadn't in a while. Finally, he was getting something! Usually, things were bone dry. There were so many cute girls on the Investigation Team, and none of them were into him. Yosuke was a thirsty man at sea, but he couldn't drink any of the water. (Ok, he was a bit desperate, but he couldn't let them know. That wasn't attractive—apparently.)

Rise couldn't have been looking at him with any romantic intent—despite what his wild fantasies insisted. There was a fire behind her eyes whenever he caught a glimpse of her. Maybe he'd pissed her off somehow? Damn, he should set it straight before things got worse.

Yosuke finally decided to confront Rise during his break. He walked out of the employee exit and waited for her to follow him through the door. Sure enough, she tried to sneak her way. Yosuke cleared his throat, and she jumped.

Seeing her scowl at him, Yosuke held his hands in surrender, "Hey—Rise-chan, what are you doing following me around?" She didn't answer, and the scowl only deepened. "You keep looking at me like that, and I'm going to get the wrong idea."

Rise huffed and crossed her arms. Yosuke was going to ask what he did to deserve it when she said, "Already flirting with another girl. You better not break her heart."

"Huh?" Yosuke scratched his head. "Flirt—when I said 'wrong idea,' I meant you looked pissed. What's this all about? As much as it's cool being stalked and all, I'd really like to know."

"Oh, don't act stupid. Of course, I'd have to check for myself. Make sure you're not going to hurt her." When the blank look didn't lift, Rise added, quite proudly, "I know that you're Yua's secret boyfriend."

Yosuke blinked, "I wish—" Something clicked. "Wait, Yua's got a boyfriend?"

The news was a bit of a shock. Yosuke's first thought was that she hadn't told him, which bothered him. The next thought was that it wasn't him! And if it wasn't Yosuke, then why did Rise think it was him? Maybe it was a good thing? Maybe Yua did think they were dating, and she just forgot to inform him? He shook his head as his thoughts raced a mile a minute.

Rise's face fell at the evident confusion, "You mean… you're not… of course, it's not you. I thought she might have been lying out of embarrassment, but Yua's not stupid. It has to be someone intelligent and handsome."

Feeling thoroughly stabbed, Yosuke muttered, "I'm right here."

She smirked, "Jealous, senpai?"

"No!" What was there to be jealous about? He didn't know the dude. It was just—if Yua was feeling those kinds of feelings towards this guy—well, who wouldn't want Yua to feel those kinds of feelings towards—even if Yosuke wanted… He shook his head to quiet his thoughts, "I just want her to be happy."

"Of course, that's all you want."

"It—It is," he sighed, "if Yua has a boyfriend, I'm happy for her. Simple."

Rise analyzed him like an enemy shadow, "Sure…"

"Anyway, how do you know that she even has a boyfriend? Yua didn't mention anything about it to me."

"Oh, she's just shy, is all. You know how Yua is: pretty, stoic, and private. I had to interrogate her to get a peep about it, and I pinky promised not to tell—" she stopped. "Well, dang it."

"Oh, you weren't supposed to tell me…" Yosuke mumbled, feeling even more disconcerted. "Do—do you know who it is?"

"I wouldn't be here otherwise. She won't tell me," Rise shook her head. "I was sure it was you because I went through the whole list."

"Oh—" his bright day seemed much cloudier suddenly.

"Anyway, I've got to figure out who it is. I'm opening up an investigation into it. Later."

Rise started for the door to the inside, but Yosuke caught himself going after her. Yosuke didn't know why… no, that was a lie. He knew exactly why he stopped her. Yosuke wanted to know who it was—even if it hurt.

"Wait—wait, can I come too?"

"I thought you weren't jealous," Rise spun on her heels.

"I just want to make sure that Yua's boyfriend is a nice person."

"Well…" Rise tapped her chin, "you do already know, and I do need help. . . Meet me in the shopping center on Wednesday, and we'll talk."

With that, Rise went back inside, leaving Yosuke in the hot summer sun and with a five-minutes-shorter break. Even though there wasn't a cloud in the sky, it felt pretty stormy to him.

He sighed, "What have I gotten myself into?"

Yua was sitting at the dining table across from her uncle. Nanako had long since been carried up to bed. Two hot cups of coffee sat between them. While Dojima usually didn't indulge in caffeine at this hour, he was drinking regular coffee, and, evident by the bags under his eyes, Yua understood that he was working to be awake for this conversation.

"Sorry, I was a little late tonight," Dojima grumbled; he took a moment to sip his coffee and rub his eyes.

"Don't worry, you came home. That's what matters, and Nanako got to sit with you before going to bed," Yua offered her uncle some cream to dilute the strong coffee, but he declined. Dojima was trying to be home a little more often, even though his schedule didn't allow it.

"I should be getting home earlier now that the investigation is wrapping up. I was planning to bring something home, but—" he sighed. "I had to stay overtime because Adachi was goofing off again and hadn't finished his report on time."

"Oh," Yua muttered. Her heart sank. Hearing the harsh words hurt her spirit, but she understood, "I can see how that would be frustrating."

"Every time we get something done, he always screws something up."

Yua shifted uncomfortably, "I'm sure it's not always."

"That's not an exaggeration. I thought he'd grow out of it, but it's like he's not learning anything. I have to show him again and again. 'Where's that file?' 'How do I do that again?' 'Whoops, I forgot my password!'" The voice he used for Adachi was effeminate and dumb. Yua's hand clenched. "It's fine the first couple of times, but he's been here for a while now. He should know how this works!"

"You could be nicer to him," Yua snapped. Dojima looked back at her with confusion, and Yua changed her tone. "I mean, it sounds like you two fight a lot. If you were nicer—"

"Nice? I—I'm nice!" Dojima protested. "He's just… he doesn't always pay attention. He's lazy at the worst times and competent at what doesn't matter. I have to direct him all of the time. If you don't steer him around, he will wander off somewhere. It's like herding cats."

"So, you think he's hopeless," Yua muttered.

Part of Yua understood where Dojima was coming from; he was upset that he missed time with his daughter because Adachi wasn't working hard enough. But Dojima just didn't understand how much Adachi was going through. He was in a dark place sometimes. While he tried to smile for everyone, he was hurting. He needed help, and, from how often Adachi complained about his head hurting or her uncle, Dojima wasn't helping.

"No, no, I just—I'm just venting. He's not hopeless," Dojima sighed. "It's a double-edged coin, or—two-sided sword—you know what I mean," he rubbed the sleep from his eyes. "I see a lot of potential in him. He could be a great cop. He's friendly enough and not as stupid as he wants you to believe. I think he plays it up, so he doesn't have to work hard. But he doesn't have the motivation, and I have no idea why. Why is he in the police? It's a job servicing the public, yet every time I ask him to write a report or talk to a witness or help someone on the street, he rolls his eyes and acts like it's the toughest job in the universe."

"Maybe he's just not a people person."

"Then he really shouldn't be a cop."

"Could you help him?"

"I have been, dammit. I've been trying to set him straight for months now."

"He needs real help," Yua weighed her words to avoid revealing her connection to Adachi. "He sees you more like a boss than a partner. You're a taskmaster. Maybe building some comradery will help."

"I mean; I try. I invite him our to drink and to the house every… y'know, every now and then. That should be enough."

"Don't hit him."

The directness caused Dojima to set his jaw, "It's not like I do it that often. It's just—I get mad, and he gives me that stupid face and—he's not listening, and I don't know how else to fix it."

"That wouldn't be an excuse if Nanako or I hit someone."

"I don't do it hard, no matter how much he exaggerates," Dojima waved it off. "It's for show. He knows I don't mean it."

"Hurt or not, it shows that you don't respect him. It's embarrassing for him when you do it in front of people. If he doesn't think that you respect him, he won't be motivated to do his job," she saw that Dojima was really thinking now. "It doesn't have to be much. Focus on little things, bring him coffee, or ask him about his day. It shows that you care."

"I guess you're right. I could be a little . . . uh… nicer to him."

Yua smiled in victory, "That's all I ask."

Dojima snorted a little, "You and Nanako are so mature sometimes… It makes me wonder who the real adult is."

"It's you."

"Oh yeah?"

"You pay taxes."

"Is that how low the bar is for adulthood these days?"

Yua just smirked and started gathering the now empty coffee mugs for cleaning. Just as she was about to leave for the kitchen, Dojima's expression hardened, and he held up a hand.

"Wait," Dojima ordered. "Don't leave just yet; I need to talk to you about something." Yua sat back down, and he furrowed his brow. "Is there something you want to tell me?"

Yua blinked, "Umm… no?" The hint of a question lingered at the end of the sentence as his frown deepened. "Not that I know of…"

"Really? I'll give you a minute," Dojima had fully switched into interrogation mode.

Yua searched for an answer. She thought back to the investigation. Dojima didn't bring it up much, but she always felt on edge when he did. Dojima was always a short lie away from the truth of the matter, and Yua never felt like she was the best liar. She wanted to be honest with Dojima, but who would believe her? What would he do if he did? She wished Nanako was there to cut the tension with her crusade for a peaceful household. But this time seemed different. He was looking at her with more condemnation. This was something recent, not the investigation.

Yua started to consider her doomsday scenario. Had he found out about her and Adachi? Had she given it away somehow just now? Had she just confirmed his suspicions by defending Adachi? Everything started cascading in her mind, and she couldn't stop some fear from entering her eyes.

"You really thought I wouldn't notice," Yua's heart sank into her stomach as her uncle spoke with a disappointed growl.

She thought about saying something. She wanted to defend Adachi immediately but stayed quiet, choking on an answer.

"You didn't think that I would find out that you've been going behind my back. Do you know how it would reflect on me if someone saw you in public?" He sighed, seeing her worried expression. "I know you want to 'be an adult,' but, believe me, you're not ready for it yet. Give it a few years; if you still want to, you can smoke a little here and there. It's a nasty habit, though, and terrible for your health—"

"Smoking?" Yua's mind had stalled for several moments as she processed the newfound safety.

"Yeah, you've been stealing my cigarettes," Dojima said with less conviction as he saw relief wash over her face.

"Uncle, I don't smoke," she sighed.

"Then where the hell are my cigarettes going?" His eyes flashed over to the stairs that led up to Nanako's room.

Yua jumped to the defense, "I did take them, but it was for a friend."

"It's that Tatsumi kid isn't it; he put you up to this. You know he's underage too."

"No, it wasn't for any of my school friends. I got them for—" she thought quickly, "—miss Sayoko. She's a nurse at the hospital. I thought I could give her some cigarettes as a thank you for showing me—" (What did Sayoko do other than pry into her personal life and moan about sleazy men?) "—around the hospital. She's tight on money. Has a smoking habit. I thought I could buy her some, but y'know, so I took them from you. I'm sorry. I'll pay you back."

Dojima rubbed his palm into his forehead, "Well, I get it. You should have asked, but I get it." He flicked his hand. "Pay me back, and don't take anymore. She's an adult; she can buy her own cigarettes. I know you're trying to be nice but find a legal avenue for it. Ok?"

"Ok," Yua nodded.

Dojima smirked, "Look, Yua, you're a good kid. I know that, and so do a lot of other people. Just don't let that kindness get out of hand, alright? Not everyone needs your help. They see someone like you and think you're an easy mark, someone they can manipulate. I don't want that happening, ok? So just make sure that they don't take advantage."

Yua nodded. She remembered that Adachi had said something similar not that long ago. Now she was even more sure that he was looking out for her best interests.

"Don't worry," she smiled. "I won't."

"The killer could be anywhere plotting our demise! Keep your eyes peeled," the man on the TV shouted right before the channel jumped to a nature documentary and then a news report.

Adachi was bored, again, and he'd run out of things to play with as he laid down in front of his TV, flipping from one stupid channel to the next.

Yua was hanging out with her friends for the next couple of days. It couldn't be helped. Summer was coming to a close, and her friends were dying to hang out with her. He knew it was best to monopolize her time so that she had little say in the investigation, but he also knew that restricting her too much would arouse suspicion. So, he let her go with the promise that they would meet up right after.

Adachi tried to manage his boredom in the way he used to before spending time with Yua. He had already cleaned his makeshift pistol—which had a screw loose and a wobbly firing pin which he fixed. But once everything was cleaned and repaired, it lost his attention. There was only so much time he could spend on the pictures of Yamano and Saki, and now they held lesser importance than his newest infatuation. He checked for Yua's texts but didn't send them himself because he worried one of her friends could snoop through her phone. And there was nothing good on TV—not that much of it was good anyway.

As his boredom grew, he grazed the TV with his fingers. The glass seemed non-existent as it rippled around his fingers like water, opening the portal to the other world. He teased it for a second, making patterns and painting frowny faces on the newscasters. Finally, he plunged his hand all the way in, waiting for that familiar feeling before it struck him. It felt like the fingers of a million small hands gripping his arm and coaxing him in. It was a constant tug that would slowly start to pull more and squeeze his arm like a python. He would have panicked, but there was nothing there pulling it. The feeling was just a natural law, like gravity.

A couple of months ago, he had stuck his head in to see if there was something on the other side, but he was met with a thick fog that obscured his view. He hadn't done it since. When he was looking out into the fog, he found a new sense overtake his mind—a feeling that he needed to let go of the edge of his TV and plummet inside. That sent a wave of panic through him as if he were on a cliff's edge, and he threw his head back out of the TV to avoid the fate of his victims.

Even now, he felt that the tugging was psychological. He was staring at the abyss, and something primal wanted him to fall in. It had once deterred him from sticking his hand in, but now that he knew that the TV didn't always spell death for those who entered, he felt a little more at ease dragging his hand around inside, though it was squeezing his hand tighter than before. He let his mind drift and was reminded of a very different night not too long ago.

Adachi didn't know what he expected to happen when he shoved Yamano into the TV. Part of it was the heat of the moment adrenaline. He would never have thought to push her in if he hadn't been so angry and desperate for her to shut her mouth. He had toyed with the idea of keeping her in there as a prisoner, maybe throwing in some food every now and then to keep her alive. But the TV had a will of its own and a sense of justice and condemned her to the wire.

A buzz knocked him off memory lane. Adachi pulled his hand out of the TV and reached for his phone. Yua had texted him. He looked at the time—that late already? He must have been in a trance with the TV longer than he thought. He opened up the message and found that there was an attached photo. He opened it up, half-expecting a cat picture but was pleasantly surprised.

Now he was really sitting up. It was pixilated to hell, but still an image of Yua sitting on the beach in a flattering two-piece. The bathing suit met all of her curves perfectly, and she posed in a way reminiscent of a model. Well, he wasn't bored anymore.

He was so entranced by the lovely photo that he almost forgot the accompanying message.

Hey! Had a great time out at the beach! Wish you were there. Kanji lost his bathing suit for a sec. Didn't want to see that. Yosuke shielded my eyes pretty well, though. I miss you. We need to meet up after this craziness is over. Thoughts?

There were a lot of thoughts going around his mind. Her male friends were with her. They got to see her in full HD, and he was here in his shitty apartment, stuck with a low-res photo. Then one of them exposed himself to her. It sounded like a fiasco—something that wouldn't happen if she only had female friends… Why did she have male friends anyway? Were they just there to dog at her heels? Mindlessly compliment her every move? Did she even realize what she was doing?

As he stewed in resentment, another text came in.

Maybe we could go on a date during the fireworks?

Loud, obnoxious: no, he didn't want to go.

We shouldn't meet then.

This text took longer than the others.

Oh? I guess not. It's public.

Don't worry; it's not my scene anyway. Have a good time with your friends. He hesitated before sending the next part. But, send me more pictures.

There was a pause long enough that he wondered what she was doing. As his imagination wandered into lewd fantasies, Yua finally responded.

Oh, sure!

Adachi's excitement peaked and disappeared in the same instant. There came a flood of texts with pictures of her friends and her male friends. They were smiling and running around like a bunch of idiots. What was she doing? Trying to make him jealous? (No, he wasn't jealous; he decided. Jealous of those morons? Hell no.)

Adachi clarified: Of you. Like the first one you sent.

Sure!

More photos. This time with only part of her in them. The best one had half of her face as she failed to take a selfie with the rest of her friends. Adachi was about to express that he never wanted to see Tatsumi in a speedo ever again when his phone buzzed.

Just kidding.

Oh, she was sassy when she wanted to be. It made it even harder to catch when she was being seriously stupid. He was about to write more clarifying instructions when she responded.

One sec.

Yua sat in her room debating what to do. She didn't take pictures of herself often and wasn't sure what he wanted. That was the only picture she had from the beach, and it was taken because Rise insisted that she send it to her "secret lover." (And Rise wouldn't leave her alone until she did.) Now it was backfiring. Send more pictures of you? The rest of her phone was filled with images of her friends and cats. He wouldn't appreciate that.

Yua tried a pose and snapped a photo of herself. She checked the picture; her thumb was in the way of the lens. She tried again with a similar pose. An uncomfortable feeling wound its way into her chest as she analyzed this new picture.

She deleted it.

Without Rise's expert coaching, nothing looked right, but it shouldn't be this hard. She just needed to be cute and—her phone chimed.

Stop teasing me~. Just send it over.

Teasing… what did he mean? "More picture, like the one before." She checked back at the picture she had sent earlier. It wasn't like she was dressed as a monk, and Rise made sure to get a very flattering angle. Maybe that's what he expected. A little skin… She wasn't trying to get him to think about her that way… right? She was the one who wanted to take it slow. What if she sent him the photo and he was shocked by her? Adachi was a nice guy—it would be weird to send pictures like that.

Yua shook her head. She was overthinking it!

Yua sat up, pointed the phone at herself, made a peace sign, and took a picture. She looked at this one. Better… The sea salt was still in her hair, and she had a slight tan, but she looked good enough. She pumped her fist in the air and sent the photo.

After a minute or two, a message came back, Very nice.

Yua shut her phone and laid back on her couch, her heart racing and her cheeks warm. Success!