Source
https://kakuyomu.jp/works/16818093094088809262/episodes/16818622171714079632
The air in the boss’s office instantly froze.
Aira’s words, “Rinoha’s…! She’s gone !” echoed in my head along with the scream of the rusty hinges.
I involuntarily stood up and stared at Aira’s panicked face.
She is usually calm and never makes a single unnecessary movement while working, but she is breathing heavily.
Sweat was dripping on her forehead, and I could see her eyes were shaking.
“What’s the matter?”
The boss pressed his cigarette into the ashtray and frowned. His voice was low, but somehow calm.
“Rinoha, she…! I was off today. While I was at the convenience store, she was gone before I knew it…!”
Aira’s voice was broken, and it sounded as if her chest was choking every time she spat out a word.
“Akino san…”
I interrupted, and Aira turned to me and gave a small nod.
Aira kept her eyes downcast and continued in a trembling voice.
“Recently, she’s been acting a little strange…. So when I took my eyes off her…”
The boss leaned her elbows on her desk and sighed.
“Yamasaka, you can leave for today. Go with Aira and find this Akino girl.”
“…..Are you sure?”
“Just go.”
I immediately nodded at those words.
“I understand. Thank you very much. Aira, let’s go.”
As I left the boss’s office, I turned around to see him holding a cigarette in his mouth and lighting it.
The smoke spread into the dimly lit room, thickening the grimness of the old building.
◇
The three of us get into the car.
I in the driver’s seat, Aira in the passenger seat, and Yua chan in the back seat.
The engine of the old sedan rumbled and roared as we pulled out of the parking lot.
It was cloudy outside, and gray clouds hung low in the sky.
Aira was in the passenger seat, hands on her knees, staring out the window.
“Rinoha, I wonder where she went… When I came back from the convenience store, the room was quiet and her shoes were gone…”
Her voice was quiet and I looked at Yua chan through the rearview mirror.
Yua chan was looking worriedly at Aira’s back and seemed to be asking with her eyes, “Are you okay?”
“Let’s just go to her ex-boyfriend’s house for now. Aira, do you know the address?”
I asked, and Aira nodded and mumbled the address.
I punched it into the navigation system and started the car.
◇
When I arrived near her ex-boyfriend’s house, I scurried around.
But there is no sign of her.
I knew it would be troublesome if that guy found out, so I watched for a while from a slightly hidden place, but there was no sign of Akino san.
In the end, however, I couldn’t find any clues at her ex-boyfriend’s house, so I went back to my car.
Aira bit her lip in the passenger seat and muttered, “Where should we go next…?”
“For now, let’s go around to places that Akino san seems to frequent.”
“Rinoha said she likes quiet places, so…parks, cafes…”
I nodded and started the car again.
As the day turned to evening and then to night, I could not find Akino san.
We walked around the park, looked in cafes, and went to every single place Aira remembered.
Even though Yua chan looked tired, she encouraged me, saying, “Yuuto kun, let’s try a little harder.”
Aira silently continued to sit in the passenger seat, staring out the window.
The nighttime streetlights flickered on in the car, and all three of us were at the peak of our fatigue, when my phone rang.
It was Soichi.
“Yuuto, where are you? Akino san, she’s with me. I’m at the park, come here.”
My heart jumped at the sound of his voice.
“Seriously…well, okay, I’ll be right there.”
Aira says, “Is that Rinoha !?” shouting.
“Soichi found Akino san. It’s in the park, we’re on our way.”
Aira’s eyes flashed for a moment, but then she quickly turned anxious.
◇
We hurriedly drove the car and arrived at the designated park.
The street lights were sparsely lit, and a bench could be seen across the dark lawn.
Soichi and Akino san were sitting there.
Soichi was wearing his usual leather jacket, and Akino san was lying on the ground next to him.
Her long hair hid her face, and even from a distance, I could tell that he had a vacant look about her.
We stopped the car and the three of us rushed over.
“Rinoha !”
Aira shouted and hugged Akino san, who looked up slightly.
But her eyes were vacant and empty, reminding me of the old Yua chan.
I looked at Soichi and asked “What happened?”
Soichi shrugged his shoulders and began to explain.
“I happened to be at a café when I saw Akino san walking outside with a man holding her hand. She was acting strangely, so I followed them. And the guy seemed to be in a bad mood. I pretended to be a thug and got involved, but the guy ran away.”
Soichi grinned at me, but I could see the anger in his eyes.
“So I brought Akino san here. He may not have been her ex-boyfriend, but he was certainly a suspicious one.”
“I see. I’m glad you’re there, Soichi. Thanks.”
I said, Soichi laughed lightly, “Of course.”
Aira was still holding Akino san’s shoulder and mumbled, “Rinoha, I’m sorry…if I had watched you properly…”
Akino san didn’t say anything, just kept lying still.
Yua chan gently approached and held Akino san’s hand.
“Don’t worry…we’re all here.”
Akino san’s shoulders trembled slightly at the sound of her gentle voice.
“There’s a possibility that Aira’s house has been found out. Wouldn’t it be better to keep her at Soichi’s house for a while?”
I suggested, and Aira nodded.
“I think so…can you take care of her, Soichi san?”
“Oh, leave it to me. You’ll be safe with me.”
Soichi tapped his chest and agreed.
◇
Soichi’s house was an old house on the outskirts of town.
The wooden exterior walls were peeling and the garden was overgrown with weeds.
But the inside was surprisingly tidy, with a rugged atmosphere typical of Soichi.
Akino san sat on the sofa in the living room and Aira snuggled up next to her.
Yua chan was fetching water from the kitchen and handing it to Akino san.
Soichi and I were a little apart, leaning against the wall, talking.
“Soichi, what was that guy like?”
I asked, and Soichi thought for a moment before answering.
“He was in his thirties, wearing a suit, but it was shabby. He looked kind of dangerous.”
Did her ex send her another rental boyfriend?
At that moment, I heard the sound of a car engine outside my living room window.
The light from the headlights pierced the curtains and cast a sharp shadow on the wall.
Soichi muttered, “Who is it?” approaching the window.
I followed behind him and looked out through the curtains.
A man got out of a black sedan parked there.
His face, illuminated by the streetlight, was unmistakable.
It was Shindo.
Behind him, a subordinate gets out and walks toward the entrance of Soichi’s house.
Shindo’s eyes were shining sharply, as if he had caught his prey.
“Soichi, this is not good…!”
I turned around and saw Soichi’s face harden.
Aira and Yua chan in the living room noticed and looked up.
Akino san’s vacant eyes shook slightly in response to the light outside the window.
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