𝐈𝐍𝐃𝐄𝐁𝐓𝐄𝐃

XXVII - daydreaming

"I'm sorry, but as of right now, I don't have any leads. I'm obviously going to keep you updated on the situation, but the official investigation has been going pretty much the same way. It's like he vanished off the face of the earth."

You blinked, eyes glassy and dim. When Kosuke had texted you that he would be escorting you for the drive up to the hostess club, you'd been foolish enough to feel a bit hopeful. Even though you knew just how much of a long shot all of this was.

"It's fine," you just nodded, pressing your lips into a thin line. It was hard to keep yourself from looking completely and utterly defeated. You couldn't afford to give up yet. You owed it to Rintaro to keep trying.

Kosuke's silvery-blue eyes were slightly crestfallen. "I'm sorry, [Name]. I really wanted to bring you some good news. But I'm not going to stop looking. It just might take a bit longer to find some actual evidence. Do you have any idea what kind of places he liked to frequent? The officers already asked his family and other close friends these kinds of questions, but it's possible you might know something they don't."

"Not really," you admitted. "He always asked if I was free to hang out with him outside of school... but I couldn't do that, for obvious reasons. I really don't know where he could've gone, or where he was even last seen."

"Yeah, that makes sense. You'll just have to keep being patient, okay?" He squeezed your hand in reassurance, even offering you a faint smile. "I know it doesn't sound too promising right now, but there's all sorts of cases where people go missing for long periods of time and end up getting found in the end. This could very well be one of those cases."

"Okay. Thank you again, Kosuke."

"Like I said, save the appreciation until I find your friend, alright? Then we can celebrate." He smiled again and lightly patted you on the back, ushering you inside the car. "Come on. You don't want to be late for your shift."

Besides laying low and staying alive, Rintaro was your biggest concern right now, but you were also really dreading having to see Ekaterina again. You could still remember how furious she'd looked when she'd pinned you against the wall and slapped you repeatedly. Every so often, you could vaguely feel the hot, stinging pain that had ensued every time her palm struck your skin.

You just hoped something like that was never going to happen again.

"I'm going to stick around for a little while," Kosuke grinned. "Can I book some of your time tonight?"

"Yeah, of course," you smiled back. "Just give me a minute to get changed."

"Okay! I'll go grab a seat."

It wasn't like Kosuke and Ekaterina were particularly good friends, but they were obviously familiar with one another, and they would chat from time to time. You wondered if Kosuke had already picked up on the weird vibe going on between you and Ekaterina, because the second you stepped into the building, you could swear you felt your heart get caught in your throat.

Ekaterina stared at you for a good while, her eyes as chilling as always. Before, you'd thought that those ice-blue eyes of hers were striking and beautiful, but right now, you were actually a bit afraid of them.

"Hello," you greeted timidly. You didn't know what else to say. It wasn't like you had any reason to feel bad in the first place, but you still felt uneasy, almost as if you were somehow to blame for this entire situation.

No, I can't think like that. I did nothing to deserve being hurt by her.

If Ekaterina felt the slightest bit apologetic, she certainly didn't look it. "Hurry up and get changed," she said flippantly, and even Kosuke seemed to pick up on how frigid her tone was.