I kept pushing down the head of the little toy bird on the desk, making the plastic beak slurp up water. Obviously I didn't want to be here, but I sensed that now wasn't the time to whine. This was serious, and Choro seemed focused, and I was glad I didn't have to be a part in helping his little investigation.
"Osomatsu..." Crap. Now I had to be a part of it.
"Hm~?" I sang, stepping over beside him, reading the screen over his shoulder. I saw the title of the article and wasn't surprised, it had been on the news a thousand times. But what Choro and I were both staring at was the unclean pool of blood on the screen and keyboard.
"She was stabbed to death, I remember, she-" it took me a second to realize the rapid rise and fall of Choromatsu's chest as he took in breaths. His forehead was shining with sweat, and his eyes were transfixed on the crimson stain.
"Hey- It's okay, stay calm..." I reassured him quietly, taking his arm gently. I once again help him in the chair, and turn the laptop away so he didn't have to see it. "It's going to be alright. Just breathe." I found my hand resting on his thigh as I kneeled in front of him, peering up at his face, hoping not to look too worried. His eyes were clenched shut, his mouth open slightly as he took in breaths, occasionally gulping. I felt a clench of pity in my stomach, this must have been way too much for him. Which was understandable, I didn't very much like seeing a possible reason someone was killed, or their blood in a pool on their keyboard. "Let's get out of here for a bit. It was a bad idea to come on the same day. Choromatsu gave me a timid nod as I helped him stand, grabbing his arm and guiding him through.
"W-Wait," he stammered suddenly, searching through the drawers until he found a small dropper, for eye medication. With a trembling hand, he reached over to the blood and sucked the blood up into the plastic, getting a wet wipe to wash the rest off. It was then I realized what he was doing; taking a blood sample. This was a real investigation, but as I saw his arm quiver as he slipped it into his pocket, I knew he couldn't do it alone. I sighed, I was lazy, plus scared easily, but there was no one else who could help this kid. My friend, the only one I have. I didn't know if he felt the same, but I gave his arm a squeeze. "Hey..," His gaze moved up to my calm look, for once I tried to be friendly. But the dark office room around us swallowed my emotions making even me feel a little anxious. If the killer was still in here...
I ignored the goosebumps on my neck and gulped. "You can't do this alone. I know we don't get along, and this is probably a bad decision, but.." I stand and extend a hand to help Choromatsu up. "Partners?" I ask with an easy smile on my face as he stares at me blankly for a few seconds. My eyes widen when he returns my grin; I had never seen that V shaped smile, the way his eyebrows raised in reassurance. He took my hand and shook it as I help him to his feet. "Look, my friend works at Sutabaa. I can get us some coffees, maybe a snack." I earn a small nod as he turns to the door, already advancing ahead of me.
"Good. I need to get out of here." He states, I sigh in agreement as we both walk out to the brisk night, the day had gone so quickly. But I guess that made sense, time flies when you've just witnessed cold blooded murder.
I followed him through the city streets, feeling an odd content feeling surrounding me by the peaceful feeling of strolling through the night with my new partner. My new friend, I reminded myself with a grin.
"This one," I announce, pivoting and turning into the large, modern coffee place. As expected, my friend and roommate waved at me from behind the counter.
"Osomatsu-kun!" His sweet, almost girly voice called. I tugged on Choromatsu's sleeve and lead him to the counter. Luckily it was late at night, so not many people were there, except us and two other students.
"Ay," I greet with a lazy smirk, patting Choromatsu on the back. His whole, scrawny body moves awkwardly, I guess I smacked him too hard because he shot me a glare, which only made me beam proudly. "This is my friend, Choro~" I introduce, Totty glances at him with a knowing look. I don't know why, but I had told Todomatsu about him, and the look in his face was definitely judging.
Choromatsu straightens his thick, square glasses and clears his throat. "A latte, please. And whatever he's having," I grin but put my hand on his, lowering the money he was taking out back into his brown leather wallet. I give him a wink and look back at Totty.
"On the house? He's had a long day."
Todomatsu nods. "Coming right up," he said with a smile like a sideways 3, turning around and starting up the machines.
I lead Choromatsu to my usual spot, in the comfy booth by the window, pillows on the seats and free blankets for the customers.
"So, why are you doing this, anyway?" I ask, curiously resting my head in my hand.
Choromatsu just shrugs, looking out the window. By the reflection, I could tell the excited smile from a few minutes ago had faded, replaced with his usual worried look. "If someone's out there testing this drug, it's likely she won't be his only victim."
"But the drug isn't a knife, Choro," He shoots me a glare, I knew I was being captain obvious, but I had a point to make. "The police said it was suicide. It doesn't matter what website she was on. Maybe it was open from the other day when she was writing an article or something."
Totty sets the two steaming cups of coffee on the table, careful not to disturb our conversation.
"Why would she kill herself at work? It makes absolutely no sense. Not to mention she was always happy, anyway." He takes a sip of the coffee, the steam putting rosy blush on his cheeks.
"A lot of things can hide behind happiness," I comment, not noticing the weird glance he gave me as I gulp down a sip of my drink. "Look, I just think you're putting yourself under-" As I realized what I started to say, I quickly drained the rest of the coffee from my cup and set it back on the table with a sigh.
"I thought that was why we teamed up," Choromatsu reasons, setting down his own cup as well. "Anyway, we should get back home. We still have a week off, which means a week to really buckle down and figure this out. If you're with me." He looks down at me with those pale, green eyes, his eyebrows furrowed in confidence.
I scoff and grin. "You got me there, nerd. See you tomorrow."
