Who Is She?

7. shuichi and kyoko

"Saihara."

The cold, unforgiving voice behind him made him jump out of his skin. He jolted awake, noticing a hand on his shoulder and trying to properly regain consciousness. "M- Miss Kirigiri, I.. I'm sorry," He quickly mumbled, glancing around and back to his work. He hadn't been assigned to any cases or anything.. He couldn't help but wonder why Kyoko was going easy on him. She never had before.

"You fall asleep much more than usual." Kyoko quietly removed her gloved hand from his shoulder, folding them in front of her on the desk as she leaned over it. "What is going on?" She wasn't just concerned with his work performance, but she was concerned with what his issue was, too. He was always like this while he threw himself into cases.

"It's nothing, Kyoko.." Shuichi sighed, stacking his papers and trying to pretend as if he wasn't working on a case. One he shouldn't have been working on at work, but.. A case nonetheless.

Kyoko didn't answer, only reached her hands down to take the papers from the desk. "Miss Layka Takahashi." She said, tapping the paper and trying to decipher his writing. "Who is that?"

"She- Kyoko, please don't take my papers," Shuichi stood up, holding a hand out. "They're important.." Laced in with the papers of his leads were small papers, discrepancies and information on a strange country connected to hundreds - thousands - of murders all around the world. "I need them."

"For what?" Kyoko flipped through the pages, pausing as she saw a picture of a miss 'Layka Takahashi'.. and Haruka. The girl who'd sometimes bring them coffee, and who'd try to eat lunch with Shuichi each day.. "..Saihara."

"She's missing." Shuichi spilled out, shaking his head and running his fingers through his hair. "Please, Kirigiri, she's all I even ever had.." He knew he'd get in trouble for using their database for an unrelated case, for something personal..

"I'm well aware, Saihara." Kyoko set the papers down again, taking his mouse and clicking out of the database. She sighed, looking at him after a long time of pondering what to do. It couldn't hurt.

"How can I help?"