Piening for you

9. Antique

The next morning at the shop, Endou confronted Gouenji and Kira.

"I have been trying to ignore my doubts but I can't anymore. You all are hiding something from me isn't it? "

Kira didn't respond but turned towards Gouenji for his decision. Gouenji had rarely seen him so serious before. He understood that it was time to tell him everything.

They all sat down and Gouenji narrated everything from the beginning. He stared apprehensively towards Endou once he was finished, bracing himself for his reaction.

"You are messing with me aren't you? Kira even you are teaming up with him?" He chuckled.

To prove it to him, Gouenji picked up a dried flower from a vase and demonstrated his powers on it. Endou's eyes widened and he remained staring at him for a while.

"And you did this to Kira?!" He cried out after a few moments of silence.

Gouenji silently nodded.

"And now you can't touch her..." He repeated it to himself, "this is why that day when she fell..." One could tell by his face it had all begun to make sense in his mind.

"Well atleast that explains your behaviour that day. " He seemed relieved about it.

"But you should have told me sooner!" He followed.

"Well, it never came up." Gouenji shrugged.

"Okay now that everyone knows everything," Kira enthusiastically clapped her hands together, "All of you will have to help me get to the antique. "

...

During lunch time Kidou arrived and Kira became the leader of their little meeting.

"The antique looks like this, "She borrowed Gouenji's phone and searched up a picture.

It was a solid gold statue about the size of a film award except with a head of a frog that looked like it was grinning. Behind it was a golden halo with extremely fine details. The outfit of the character was a suit completed with an ascot and a monocle. The clothes and accessories were also finely detailed.

"It usually comes in a sturdy case lined with red velvet on which the statue lies but at this point we don't know what condition it might be in. "

"It's been declared missing. " Kidou added matter of factly. He pulled the headline on his phone that noted the disappearance along with Kira's death.

"As long as it didn't hit the water when I did, it can be found. " Kira said with a deep breath.

"What if it's still on the ship?" Endou suddenly chimed, reminding everyone that he was there too.

"That's silly. " Kidou said, "The ship has made a few journeys since then. People would have known. "

"Not if, say, Kira hid it someplace safe. What if she knew it was in danger and put it somewhere only she could know. " Endou looked towards Kira with a confident smile.

"Kira, do you remember any such thing?" Gouenji asked.

"I don't but that does sound like something I could do. " She contemplated.

"Does this mean what I think it means?" Endou spoke eagerly, "We're going on a cruise ship!!" He celebrated and Kira joined in.

"I can't go. " Kidou said, "I don't want to spend my vacation days on this. No offense, Kira. "

"Oh, it's alright. " Kira said but she was evidently disappointed.

"But a cruise ship is one of the best vacations..." Endou stopped mid sentence as he and Gouenji shared a look.

"Wait a minute, you still...???" Endou yelled excitedly and Gouenji sided with him with an amused look at Kidou.

"You still what? You still what?" Kira was very eager as her eyes rapidly darted between the two

"He thinks he gets seasick. " Gouenji clued Kira in.

"So what? They got medicines for that. You should come with us. " Endou continued.

"Not a chance! I do not want to relive the summer of 2012!" Kidou exclaimed, which made Endou laugh and Gouenji chuckle.

"It was not the boat's fault. We all ate something bad. We all got sick. " Gouenji reasoned, "This is the same thing I told you that time as well. "

"Or maybe we all got seasick." Kidou spoke in a conspiracy theory voice.

"Whatever, man. " Gouenji rolled his eyes and Endou chuckled awkwardly.

"Don't worry, Kira. Gouenji and I will help you. " Endou looked towards her and concluded with his always radiant grin.

...

In the evening, as Gouenji closed the shop Kira fidgeted beside him.

"Umm...I was thinking..." She began when he became attentive,

"I'd like to visit my apartment and get some of my stuff, including my phone. "

"Are you sure this is a good idea? I can buy you a new phone. " Gouenji offered.

"My phone has important contacts and information. " She replied.

Gouenji and Kira made their way to the building where she used to live. They hid in the hallway as Kira waited for her roommate to leave for work. As soon as she left they walked over to the apartment's front door.

Kira pulled out the spare key hidden under a potted plant. With that she unlocked the door and they were in.

"Thank God my stuff is still here. " She sighed in relief as she opened her room and walked in.

Gouenji followed after looking around with a sense of curiosity. He couldn't believe they had lived in the vicinity for so long and never crossed each other's path.

And now when everything had become complicated tenfolds, she was with him. He had to laugh at the cruel irony of fate to save himself from going mad.

He flopped down on the bed and focused on the finer details of the room. He took note of the golden string lights against purple walls, little artworks hanging by clothespin from it in the style of polaroids, a few books stacked on the bedside table among many other mundane knick knacks.

He tried to picture her life before everything. He began wondering again how it would have been if he had been her boyfriend then. They'd hang out in that room a lot and perhaps she would hang some actual Polaroids of the two of them.

"I can't find it!" Kira's worried exclamation brought him back to reality.

"What?"

"My phone!" It's not here. " She shut the drawer loudly and sat down on the bed.

"I want my stuff! I want to take everything from here. " She said, on the verge of crying.

Gouenji didn't have any words to tell her that could make her situation better. So he said the only thing he could.

"Pick everything you like. " He told her gently, "I'll carry as much as I can."