STRANGERS FOR YEARS, THREE NIGHTS AS FRIENDS

˗ˏˋ PULLED BACK WITH SCRIBBLED VISIONS 'ˎ˗

"Seven? Are you okay?"

...

"Dude! Hellooo?!"

Seven stood in front of the cruise map poster, flinching at the abrupt sounds. There weren't many decorations on the map for some strange reason. His finger was still on the hard surface of the poster, and his obsidian, empty eyes opened slightly.

Seven quickly backed away from the poster before tripping and falling on the floor. Seven's spine was tinged with ache, but it didn't matter. What was important was...

What was he doing standing there?

The detective rubbed his temples, confused. Why was his memory now foggy? His gut told him there was an important thing he saw, but what was it? Trying to recollect his memories felt like such a difficult task. Seven remained silent, his head down.

Prosper knelt and observed Seven's face, hoping to read his body language and understand what he was thinking. But, of course, Prosper failed. Instead, he approached the detective. "Seven? Are you...okay?"

Kenji spoke out after Prosper asked, but it was hardly audible. It was almost as if his voice was fading...in a manner.

But Seven nodded and sighed deeply before looking at Prosper with void eyes. His brow furrowed and daggers flashed in his eyes.

Prosper was caught off guard and hastily backed up after witnessing their irritated face. The fancy-dressed boy watched him slowly rise, his furious frown remaining on his face.

On the other hand, Kenji stood behind Prosper, watching Seven's expression. The black-and-blonde boy raised an eyebrow at the black-haired with a judgemental look. "Why are you looking at us like that? You were just standing in front of that poster all quiet n' stuff..."

Seven continued to rub his temple before touching the sides of his pale neck. It didn't hurt or anythi–

...

Why was he touching his neck again?

Letting his arms fall, daggers in Seven's eyes were gone and he appeared like the normal and plain guy he was. But the sense of confusion lingered. "I thought...I was staring at a...uhh..." Why can't I remember?

The memories he was trying to recollect felt extremely important. Maybe it was crucial to his case, acting as a clue. However, it was out of the ordinary for it to be that important. Standing in front of a random poster, finger pressed against the poster, feeling somewhat important?

Nonsense.

Kenji and Prosper nodded before a loud grumble came out of Kenji's stomach. "...Uhm," he awkwardly said, swaying his arms from side to side while turning his head around as if he was lost. It was obvious that he was hungry.

Prosper sighed, his hands doing gestures as he commented, "...How about we get some breakfast together? I heard the special for today is French Toast. The self-serve gallery is somewhere nearby."

The detective shook his head, rejecting their offer. "I'm fine. Maybe you could get some bottled water for me later when we meet up?" After all, I seriously need to search through every corner of this cruise, "I'll be exploring around."

Both Prosper and Kenji nodded before running off to the self-serve gallery. Seven could've asked them to get a piece of French Toast as well but it was too late now. The sad thing is, it won't be served tomorrow. He might as well ask for a slice of cake later.

Before turning around, Seven caught one last glimpse of the poster with a suspicious look. What was connected with him and the poster?

Thump!

A well-dressed man accidentally bumped Seven on the shoulder, yanking him back. Even though the bump was...light, the stranger quickly let out a sharp hiss of pain. He continued walking as usual, staring at Seven with knives in his eye. The man didn't apologize at all.

As his charcoal eye twitched, the detective cast a sidelong glance at the passing man. Of course, it's normal to apologize after accidentally bumping into someone, but what he did was entirely different. A harsh, irritated expression with no apology? Unbelievable.

Seven rolled over his eyes as he hustled around the main lobby. His mind screamed curse words at the man.

What a fucking nuisance. I hate rich people.