Chapter 3 (Dai 3-shō)

Chapter Three of Our story Hashigo

I got home and immediately jumped into the shower. My hands trembled as i brushed my hair. Red locks fell down onto my tank top. I heard my phone buzz and ring a couple times but I didn’t bother to check who it was. I decided to leave my hair down as I slipped the brush back into the draw beside me. I paced to my closet, shuffling through pounds of clothes. I slipped a pink t - shirt over my head and pulled on some blue skinny jeans that hugged me tight. I shoved my phone back into my pocket and stuffed at least three pieces of gum into my waiting mouth. Red flats glided on my feet and a matching scarf wrapped around my neck as I ran out of the door. The cold air of the cafe hit me like a kick to the stomach. Goose bumps formed across my arms and the hairs on the back of my neck stood at attention. I searched the multiple round tables scattered throughout the small cafe. It smelled quite nice in there. Coffee fumes penetrated my nose while the sweet aroma of bagels baking entered next. I finally spotted what i was looking for. Makishima Saito.

 

 He had been a close family friend ever since we had moved in. He mainly only played with my brother but we developed a slight interest for each other as the years went by. While my brother buried himself in his studies ,he ignored his best friend. So came up to the plate and we developed our own friendship.  I don't know what I would have done with most of my life without Maki-Chan and Kyo-Kun by my side. He apparently met my gaze because he smiled directly at me. I gave a sheepish smile back. I stammered over to him and took a seat in the cold steel chair. ‘’ Konnichiwa utsukushī.’’ I nodded at him nervously. ‘’ Yo.’’ I said several seconds later. A waiter came and gave us menus. We looked over the flimsy piece of paper in front of us. ‘’How was your day?’’ he asked peeking up above the menu. ‘’ It was fine.’’ I smiled and looked back down at the list of mediocre meals. ‘’Working on any cool cases? Serial killers? Professional robbers?’’ I giggled at his remarks. ‘’No no. Missing Persons case.’’ He chuckled a little. I looked up curiously. I placed my menu on the table. ‘’What is so funny about hundreds of missing people?’’ He shook his head and placed his menu down too. ‘’Nothing, nothing at all. I just never knew the sweet little Akane from so long ago could grow up to be working on such big cases as this one.’’ I blushed at his comment; my cheeks were burning and cold sweat was forming on the back of my neck. He smiles wide at me and at the same time his eyes twinkled. It was a magical

moment.

 

Eventually we ordered our meals and ate the Dango that we had ordered. We caught up on our work and personal lives. He seemed very interested in how my father was doing. He also asked how the family has been since mother was gone. I told him that we felt a little empty but other than that, all was good. Alarmingly, my phone  rang and vibrated frantically in my pocket. I jumped at first, startled by my loud ringtone. I got up and slipped my phone from my pocket as i went outside. I leaned my back against the wall and answered the call.

 

‘’Hello?’’ I breathed into the phone with a sigh. ‘’Akane,can you come over my place?’’ The voice was small and sweet. I realized it was Kyoko. ‘’Um, Kyoko. Is everything ok?’’ Muffled sounds boomed in the background. Her breathing was loud but calm. I waited patiently for her reply. ‘’I just need you down there. Please?’’ I paused and looked through the window at my date who sat by himself at the table. My head thumped against the wall as i gave my answer. ‘’Ill be there in twenty minutes.’’ She said thank you and hung up. I didnt want to interrupt our lovely evening, but if it was related to work, it was serious. I slipped in through the glass door and walked over to collect my things. Kyoko's house was surely not in walking distance and my bus ticket was at home. I placed my hand on his after he finished filling out the check. The waiter came and quickly swept it up into her hands. ‘’Can you drive me somewhere? A friend from work called and she needs me at her house.’’ He seemed a bit surprised but that soon passed. ‘’Yeah, sure. Come on, i already payed.’’ I thank him and we left the Cafe with full stomachs and repressed memories of our so called date.

 

The car came to a stop in front in front of the slim, three story brick foundation Kyoko shared with two other residents. I thanked him again, feeling guilty about the whole thing. He told me that it was alright and that it was getting late anyway. He would be happy to drive me anywhere at anytime. He smiled so sweetly at me. All of a sudden, he leaned his head it. I followed after him and soon our lips were pressed together. His lips were soft and warm. I could feel him breathing through his nose and his breath brushed passed the sides of my nose and cheeks. It tickled a bit and our lips parted with an audible click. My cheeks flushed with red and burned holes in my skin. I nodded at him, thanking him yet again. I got out the car and closed the door behind me. I quickly trotted across the street and to the front door of the house. I was about to buzz in when i decided to look back. I waved at him in a short burst and he returned the wave. Then he drove away. The butterflies in my stomach did not settle down and the blushing on my cheeks intensified. For a moment I forget where I was. My fingertips trailed over the button on the buzzer and clicked it a few times. I waited for a moment or two then i heard the staticy voice coming through the rusty speaker. ‘’Come up.’’ I opened the door and was met by a flight of stairs. I jogged up the stairs until i got to room 127 on the second floor. I knocked gently and listened closely through the door. In a split second, the door flew open and a slender hand wrapped around my for arm, sucking me into the room. I breathed in heavily and squealed with terror. Kyoko didn't stop to explain herself. She pushed me through the narrow hallway, the kitchen, and finally into the den where she pitched me forcefully onto the sofa. I looked up at her with wide eyes and parted lips. ‘’Sekai de nani ga anata to machigatteiru ka!?’’ She looked wild. Her doe like eyes were feral and her breath ragged. ‘’You will not believe what I saw today on my way home from work.’’ I first felt curiosity. ‘’What?’’ I asked quietly. ‘’There was a car accident so I had to stop the car and I saw this school girl walking near a deserted alley. She sat down at  the entrance and stared off in the distance. Into the street. ‘’ Soon, my curiosity turned into rage. ‘’You made me leave a date to come over to your house so you could tell me about a girl in some stupid alley?!’’ I sat up from the couch, clenching my fist at my sides. ‘’Not just any girl or any stupid alley.’’ She stated as she stood by my side. ‘’I took pictures. They're on my laptop. Let me show you.’’ She skipped off down the hallway to her bedroom. The door was only a couple of yards away. I could have easily left, but i decided to stay and give her a chance to explain herself. I dragged my feet to her room and sat on her tiny bed. She was pulling pictures up on her laptop. She had effectively gotten my attention with that act of hers.  “Okay look at the video first”. I gave her an odd look. ‘’I got a new camcorder and I decided to test it out.’’ I watched silently as she played the video.  

 

I could hear the soft rumble of Kyoko's air conditioning system. She was breathing frantically into the camera, creating an undelightful scratchy sound. I could see that she was pulled over to the right of the street and multiple cars waited in front and behind her. She focused the camera on a girl standing by the alley. She wa still in her school uniform; green and white collared shirt and green skirt. She was a pretty girl. Her hair looked like soft yarn and was woven into two pigtails. If flowed freely down her back and shaped her face holding her bright blue eyes. Her skin was pale and she seemed to be looking off into nothingness. She clutched her gym bag tightly against her person and her legs seemed like the were glued together. I could tell that behind the camera, Kyoko was staring in wonderer. The car fell silent and Kyoko opened the door slightly. The girls head jerked and she ran off. In Tokyo, the alley ways throughout the cities end in a large brick wall. Kyoko filmed her as she disappeared behind the corner. Her foot steps were heavy and followed to a beat. I was shocked once Kyoko stood in the center entrance of the alley. The girl was gone even though there was nowhere to go. No gate, wall, ladder, door, or window. Kyoko whispered into the camera in terror. ‘’What the f**k?...’’ She went into the alley deeper. Nothing. Stunned, Kyoko ran back to her car and tossed the camera back into the seat. I heard the rumbles of the vehicle once again and thats where the video stopped.

 

‘’Wow...’’ was the only thing i could manage to say. “See! And when I went in there was nothing, no one. No way to get out or in and it was so dark and I-” Kyoko was the most fearless person I knew and it hurt to see her near tears. “I came straight home and called you.” You didn’t answer, I felt lost. I just needed to tell someone.” “Im sorry. I was kinda...on a date?...’’

“How about we go back and check it out, I think this may be linked to the disappearances that have been happening recently.” Kyoko stiffened. “The case that Kou assigned to me today?” I was surprised, I thought the people at the meeting were the ones on the case. “I couldn’t make it to the meeting so I may need your notes.” “Nakamura”  Kyoko and I sat in silence for several long moments. I pulled out my phone,I had a few important calls to make. If what Kyoko saw related to the case, I needed to get there before any evidence went stale.

  

As we exited Naomote, Kyoko shivered. The night had indeed gone very cold. I hesitated and we had decided to park the car a ways down from the alley and I was suddenly weary. What I had seen seemed dangerous and it was beginning to make me lose my tanryoku. I looked around to see many of our colleges surrounding the area. The wind blew strong and I attempted to wrap my neck up with my scarf more. I greeted everyone in the circle that accumulated at the entrance of the alley way. ‘’Akio, it’s nice to see you out here.’’ He smiled at me sweetly and focused his attention back on the notepad help in his gloved hands.

 

Akio was a quiet man. We rarely saw him in the office areas of the building we worked in. He was always downstairs in his secluded office and lab. He came up for paperwork but nothing else. He wore a nice lab coat and his hair was always neatly combed. His smile was warm and gentle and his voice had a masculine rumble to it. He has two degrees from a big university just outside the western part of town. He is usually the last one to leave the building. One of the most interesting things about him was his eyes. They were red and blue.   I’ve always wanted to get to know him more. Apparently he is working on this case so this might just be my chance.

 

I greeted others that were at the meeting as well. I felt a rush of embarrassment as their eyes half glared over me. Cop cars were parked a furthers way down the street. Through the blinding lights, I could make out my fathers figure in his large trench coat. I ran up to him and turned him to the side. ‘’Father...What are you doing here?’’ He chuckled and kissed my forehead playfully. ‘’I could ask you the same question.’’ I pulled him to the side. ‘’Kyoko showed me something rather...odd...and she feels like it has to do with this case. We came to check it out. Why are you here?’’ He cleared his throat in a hefty huff and looked around at the scene. ‘’A woman had called in saying that someone was hurt in an accident on this street earlier. She said that it was a girl who was reported missing a month ago. We came to investigate but we got stuck in traffic. This is where the woman said she saw her last.’’ I perked up at his comment. ‘’Kyoko has a video of the girl.’’ My father seemed joyed. He thanked me and went to talk to Kyoko.

 

I walked back to Kyoko’s car. I would leave everything to them and get as much as I could out of them the next day. It was too cold to stand outside and all I had was my scarf. I sat there and about twenty minutes later Kyoko got back in. ‘’He told me to email the video to him. Didn’t even question me for taking the video.’’ I nodded in agreement and asked if she could turn the heat on. We drove down the road silently while blaring lights past us by. ‘’I dont want to deal with this stupid case anymore.’’ Kyoko laughed in short huffs. ‘’What the hell Akane. Wheres the girl who never turns down a risky opportunity? Toughen’ up a bit. You're very ganjou. The case will blow over soon.’’ I gazed out the window and thought about that. Maybe it would blow over and hopefully soon.