Night tales

Part 3

Yamada ignores his cell phone that has been ringing since the past one hour. He knows Yabu, Hikaru and Takaki must have noticed that he's not around.

Gomen ne minna. I need to find the truth myself.

"Are you sure you don't want to pick up your phone?" Tackey speaks as he drives.

"Un... no..."

"Then you should just switch it off."

"No... I'll just put it in silence mode," Yamada quickly changes his phone setting.

Tackey smiles. "You want them to find you right?"

"Find me?"

"If you turn off your cell phone your GPS will be deactivated too. Isn't it a little strange for someone who is running away not to switch off his GPS?" the man tries to pokes the boy's guilt.

"I'm not running away!" Yamada denies.

"Really? Then what were you doing on the highway?"

Yamada keeps silence. He isn't sure whether to call it his luck or not to meet his senpai when he was wandering along the highway in hunger and thirst. His ultimate plan was ruined because he carelessly left his wallet at the manor.

How embarrassing! Now there's no way I can execute my plan.

"Care to tell me where you were heading?" another leading question comes out from Tackey's mouth.

"JUMP house," Yamada gloomily replies. "I wanted to go back to JUMP house."

Tackey sighs. "Johnny-san made it clear that you guys are forbidden to go there until further notice."

"But why? I don't see any clear reason why we need to vacate."

"Why? The frantic stalkers were trying to kill all of you!"

"That was just one incidence, and it happened before Keito disappeared. That doesn't really explain anything. Plus, we have already captured the culprit right? Ne Takizawa-kun, I know you must be thinking the same."

Tackey didn't reply. In fact Yamada is correct. He himself finds Mr. Johnny's sudden order a little bit strange.

"Two weeks is enough. If the police couldn't find Keito then I'll do it myself. There must be some kind of clue left in his room."

"Such heroic thought proves how childish you are," Tackey stops at the traffic light.

"Don't you want to know the truth?"

"Listen Yamada Ryosuke. I know you are very concern about your friend but I have to say that what you are doing is wrong. Have you ever thought how your group members might be feeling? How worried they are that you are missing? I was crazily worried when Tsubasa didn't return my call after an earthquake once, and I'm sure your group members is feeling the same now."

"Takizawa-kun..."

"I'm sorry but I can't let you go alone," Tackey presses the pedal as the traffic light turns green. "You are under my care now. I'll go with you."

Yamada's face brightens. "Arigato Takizawa-kun!"

"But I'm calling your parents and Yabu. You'll go back to the manor with them afterwards if we didn't find anything."

"IF we didn't," Yamada looks straight into Tackey's eyes. "But I'm sure we will."

______________________________________________________________________________

It's almost midnight, but neither Yabu, Hikaru, Takaki nor Yamada have come back since they left this morning. Not even a single phone call coming from any of them.