Hiding In Plain Sight

Spider Maid

Shuichi stared at the papers on the table in front of everyone, although Akamatsu and Shirogane had decided to take care of Harukawa instead. "Tojo lives and works at this home, according to her background, this is the Chief of Police's home, so we won't be able to get to her easily," Kiibo mentioned. I still wonder why she's living there. Kokichi is probably right, it must be a deal, her life for being a maid.

"I'll go," Shuichi offered, "I have a plan, Gokuhara, could you come with me?" This situation is all my fault, Harukawa would be fine if I didn't convince them that we needed that laptop. I should be the one to fix this.

"More people should go with you, in case something goes wrong," Rantaro argued.

"No, the fewer the better, it'll be less likely for someone to be caught. Where we're going is too dangerous." Frowning, Shuichi had no intention of allowing the others to overrule him. "Gokuhara, let's get ready to go."

"Okay!" Gokuhara cheered, the two making their way around the house to pack small bags with food, water and other supplies they might need. Whilst Shuichi shoved a small amount of food that he wouldn't eat into the bag, he heard Rantaro and Kokichi approaching behind him.

"Sai, are you going to be alright out there?"

"How long are you gonna be gone? If you're not back when you should be, we're going to have to search for you," Kokichi frowned. Shuichi slipped the strap of his bag over his shoulder, turning to peck both of his boyfriends on the cheek.

"I'll be fine, trust me. We'll be gone two, maybe three days. Gokuhara and I will be back before you know it!" Shuichi reassured the two, sharing a three-way hug. "See you in a few days," he smiled, turning to leave the home, sneaking outside with Gokuhara. I feel bad leaving everyone like this, especially since they never agreed to the plan, but I need to help Harukawa. If she dies, it'll all be my fault, I will have killed her.

<--o--🩸--o-->

It didn't take too long to reach the target destination on the corner of the street. Noticing guards stationed every metre or so around the property, Shuichi signalled for Gokuhara to follow him towards a gap between the buildings across the street. "What the plan Saihara?"

"We wait. From here, we can see the home easily and remain hidden, so we can watch to see Tojo's routine if she ever comes outside, or if there's an opening to talk to her."

"Wow, Saihara is so smart!" Gokuhara smiled, beaming at the other male across from him. Unsure how to respond to the compliment, Shuichi ignored the gentle giant, squeezing himself into the corner and watching the passersby intently. Nothing could interrupt Shuichi from his mission as he kept his eyes peeled for any hint of a sandy-haired female. Faintly aware of the other male, Shuichi noticed Gokuhara slip into the small shed in their hideout.

Realising he should focus on his surroundings, Shuichi looked around to realise they weren't in an alleyway, but the back entrance of a shop. The shed Gokuhara had made home could also fit the smaller male comfortably, providing shelter for their multiple-day mission. Slipping his bag of supplies into the shed, Shuichi smiled at Gokuhara. "Settle down, okay? We're going to be here a while."

"Gonta want to help!" Gokuhara smiled, exiting the shed behind Shuichi and slipping into the corner with him. 

"Alright, keep an eye out for a female coming out of that home there," Shuichi pointed to the home belonging to the Chief of Police. Gokuhara held his chin for a moment before turning to the smaller man.

"Should Gonta watch from another place?"

"That's a great idea Gokuhara! Please be careful and come to me if there are any problems, alright?" Gokuhara nodded, picking up his personal bag of supplies and sneaking out of the tiny alleyway. I hope he'll be okay. I'm sure he will, Gokuhara is capable of anything, despite the fact he has trouble understanding things sometimes, he's smarter than he appears. Honestly, I'm so glad we have him on our side. Returning to his mission, Shuichi surveyed every passer-by, careful to hide behind whatever cover he could muster up from the damp cardboard and wood around him. The male mentally readied himself to do nothing but watch as the night approached.

<--o--🩸--o-->

Shuichi shook himself awake again as Gokuhara entered the area, glancing around for the smaller male. "Hey, Gokuhara, is everything alright?" Shit, I almost fell asleep again. How long has it been since I've slept?

"Yes! Gonta hear something from guard man at gate!" Gokuhara grinned, proud of himself. Shuichi smiled, glad they had a lead. "He say Tojo will be taking out the trash at five!"

"Why would they talk to each other about stuff like that?" Shuichi wondered out loud. Surely it'd be a regular schedule, right?

"Gonta think man warn friends, others not seem to know," Gokuhara mumbled, his hand on his chin. Glancing at the watch on his wrist, Shuichi realised they only had a few minutes until five o'clock, meaning a few minutes to react.

"Gokuhara, do you know where the dumpster is?" Shuichi asked. Without hesitation, the larger man pointed out a faint blue box hidden by a few bushes. "I hate to ask this of you, but I have an idea to get Tojo to talk to us. Would you be able to create a butterfly and rest it on the dumpster for Tojo to find?" The army-green haired male nodded, standing to race towards the heavily guarded home. "Wait, create it from here, that way you won't raise suspicion if you're seen near the home."

Raising no argument, a glowing gold butterfly materialised in Gokuhara's palm, fluttering towards the street as it made its way towards its destination. Shuichi chewed on his bottom lip as his heart started racing, hoping nothing would go wrong. He let out a sigh of relief as the butterfly took its perch not a second too late, a beautiful woman in a long-sleeved white dress approached the dumpster with a bag of trash in hand, a fabric shopping bag tucked under her shoulder.

"Make the butterfly come over here, but she needs to notice it," Shuichi whispered. 

"Got it, Gonta will try!" Red sparkles flew around Gokuhara's face as the giant knelt next to Shuichi. Watching with a mix of terror and ecstasy, Shuichi watched as Tojo seemed distracted by something, taking cautious steps towards the area where the two hid. Perfect, she's found the butterfly. Wait, what's she doing? Tojo turned to a nearby guard and waved the fabric bag in the air, tucking it underneath her arm again as she continued walking. The moment Tojo almost reached the alleyway, she took a sharp turn and entered the store owning the land where Shuichi and Gokuhara hid. No, oh no she didn't see us after all. "What if we go in to meet Tojo?" Gokuhara asked, slowly standing.

"No, we can't risk being seen. Tojo might have a deal to keep her life, but we don't have that luxury." Shuichi rested his cheek on his palm, the plan a total failure. Everything I do goes to shit, Harukawa is going to die and it's all because I thought this would work. A faint creaking and thud caught the male's attention. Looking towards the building, his eyes travelled upwards to see Tojo sneaking out of a window and down a ladder from the second floor. Carefully dropping to the ground, she put a finger to her lips, signalling for the men to stay quiet as she dusted off her long, black apron covering her attire.