Koyuki Hiyama

"Huh?"

She stepped out of the shop and I followed her.

In front of the shop, "Um... do you have time to meet up? For dinner... or maybe drinks?" Koyuki asked me in an awkward manner.

Wait, hang on a minute. Was she asking me out on a date? It was Saturday after all. I didn't ask her out. She was the one who was coming to me! What was I supposed to say? "Yeah sure, sounds great!" That was it.

Right, okay.

"Sure," I nodded my head in response to her question and asked her back in a neutral tone, "Where do you wanna meet up?"

Koyuki said, "My shift ends at 6:00 pm today. Do you mind picking me up from here? We can have dinner somewhere nearby if you don't mind."

I agreed without giving it much thought. After all, it was not every day that a girl asked you out. And, to top it off, it was a cute girl like Koyuki Hiyama.

Koyuki smiled and said, "I'll see you later then." She turned around and walked back into the shop. She left me standing outside by myself, looking at the ramen shop door.

Kouichi, Kouichi! Stop this now! I told myself as I tried to calm down my nerves. I had never dated anyone before so I did not know how I should act. What did I need to do? How would I behave? Should I talk to Koyuki? Should I just listen to her and let her do most of the talking? Or should I keep quiet so that she doesn't feel uncomfortable around me?

These thoughts were swirling in my mind and I felt so nervous that I could not even speak. It's not every day that you get asked out by someone you fancy. I had never imagined that this would ever happen so I wasn't quite prepared for what was going to happen.

I was still in a daze when my phone vibrated in my pocket and I pulled it out. A text message was sent to me. It was from Kyougo.

"Hey, how did the meeting with the police go? Did they believe you?"

I should have been annoyed that Kyougo chose that specific time to text me. But not even the topic of 'Guropeji' could do anything to spoil my mood.

I replied to him absent-mindedly, "They're investigating. They seem to be taking it seriously."

"Great! Keep me posted with any news on this," he texted again.

"Sure."

I ended the conversation. Since there was some time left, I decided to head home and changed to a nicer outfit. I wore a pair of dark jeans and a light-colored shirt. Then I applied a bit of deodorant and put on my shoes. Once I had finished dressing up, I checked my appearance in the mirror and took one last look at my reflection before leaving my room.

After informing my parents about my plans for the evening and telling them that I would be back late at night, I left my house and headed back to meet Koyuki.

***

It was 5:45 PM by the time I arrived back at Daishi Ramen. I saw Koyuki waiting at the entrance of the ramen shop. She was wearing a light blue dress which she paired with white stockings and black boots. She also wore a dark brown cardigan over her shoulders to cover her shoulders which exposed her neckline. Her hair was tied into a ponytail, exposing her slender neck and collarbones.

She had changed into a different outfit compared to the ones she was wearing during the afternoon while she worked. She looked more mature than usual and she exuded more confidence. She must have been really excited about our date.

When Koyuki saw me, she approached and greeted me with a smile, "Welcome back."

"Thanks for waiting." I smiled back at her. "You look amazing" I complimented.

"Thank you." Koyuki said with a blush in her cheeks, "Sorry for asking you on such a short notice."

She apologized with an embarrassed smile on her face.

"Don't worry," I replied with a smile. "I'm happy to spend time with you."

She didn't say anything and just nodded. It seemed that she was still feeling shy around me. But then she finally spoke up after a few moments of silence. "Shall we go?" she asked with a hopeful expression on her face.

"Yeah," I replied with an equally hopeful smile. "Let's go."

***

We walked towards the direction of the bus stop in the area. It was getting darker as the sun was setting behind the buildings in the neighborhood.

"Where are we going?" I asked Koyuki.

To be honest, I hadn't given much thought about the destination of our date. All that mattered to me right now was that I could spend time with Koyuki alone.

I didn't expect Koyuki to answer me right away. In fact, she was quiet for several minutes. As if she was thinking deeply about something. Eventually she answered me with an uncertain voice.

"Um.. umm... well..." Koyuki started speaking hesitantly.

"What's up?" I asked, trying to sound as nonchalant as possible. I could sense that something was wrong but I didn't want to push the issue until it's necessary.

"Umm... do you mind if I ask something?" she asked me nervously.

"Sure," I replied without batting an eyelid. I waited patiently for her to continue.

Koyuki continued, "Do you mind if we don't eat out?" she asked me as she stared intently into my eyes.

"Huh? You mean, do I mind if we don't have dinner?" I asked.

"Yes." Koyuki nodded and looked down at the ground.

"Why? Don't you want to go out together? Is it okay if we have dinner at your place? Or do you mind if we have dinner at another restaurant?" I said in confusion.

"No no.. it's not that..." she stammered. "It's just... the reason why I invited you out is because... umm..."

She paused and hesitated for a moment as she tried to find the correct words.

"Is it alright if I tell you? Are you sure you won't get angry?" Koyuki asked me with her eyes downcast.

"Sure. I'll listen to anything that you have to say," I said, still smiling.

Koyuki took a deep breath and then began to speak in a shaky voice, "The reason why I asked you to come here today is because there's someone who might hurt me."

I was completely taken aback by her confession.

"What do you mean?" I asked, my heart beating faster than before.

Koyuki took a step closer towards me and whispered into my ear, "There's someone who is stalking me for the past several days after work."

I could feel her breath tickling against the nape of my neck. I shivered at the sudden contact with Koyuki's warm body. My body felt electrified as Koyuki moved even closer to me and whispered, "He watches me when I leave Daishi Ramen and follow me to wherever I go. I don't think he knows that I realize he is following me because he always keeps his distance. But I know."

My mind went blank. What did she just say? Who was this person? Was he a stalker or a kidnapper?

What did he plan on doing to Koyuki? Did he intend to harm her? I couldn't help but thought back to the events of these past few days: of the cases of people disappearing, of the gruesome video clips I had watched, and ultimately - of the website 'Guropeji'.

Was this all connected to the website that had been haunting me since I was introduced to it by Kyougo Aramaki a couple days ago? But why was Koyuki involved in this matter? Did someone target her? Requested her to be tortured and murdered on 'Guropeji'? Was she being stalked and watched because of that?

All of these thoughts raced through my mind in an instant. I couldn't help but wonder whether Koyuki would be safe.

"Are you okay?" Koyuki pulled back and asked in concern, sensing something amiss in my demeanor.

"Y-yes," I managed to reply. "I'm fine. I was just surprised."

Koyuki smiled weakly at me and patted my back. She then turned around and faced the direction that we were heading. She put on a brave face. It seemed that the news that Koyuki shared with me made her uncomfortable. However, it also made me feel relieved. Koyuki was in danger and it seemed that she needed my help.

"Have you told this to the police? Or to anyone else?" I asked.

"I've already told the police, but they said that as long as the person hasn't done anything wrong, there's not much they can do. Other than that I haven't told anyone else yet. Except you, Kouichi-kun," she replied quietly.

I sighed inwardly in exasperation. It was such a shame that the law in Japan wasn't able to do anything about this matter. It would be too late when something happened to Koyuki.

"Let's just go home. It's getting dark anyway. I will walk you home," I suggested.

"Okay," Koyuki replied, "I'm sorry that I dragged you into something like this," she apologized with a small sigh.

"Don't worry about it. It's alright." I reassured her with a smile.

Koyuki looked at me with a hesitant smile which slowly transformed into a genuine one. I smiled back at her.

***

As soon as we arrived at the bus stop, I looked around for the person who was stalking Koyuki. He must have been hiding somewhere nearby because he didn't show himself. After waiting for a few more seconds, I decided that he had probably left already.

The bus arrived and we boarded it together. We sat on a bench seat near the window and waited for our destination to arrive. As we were sitting side by side, Koyuki reached out her hand for mine and squeezed it tightly. She didn't say anything. Her hands were small and warm. I could feel her warmth seep through my fingers.

At that moment she looked so fragile. The feeling came over me unexpectedly and it caught me off guard. Suddenly I realized that I wanted to protect her. To keep her safe. That I would do anything to make sure that nothing bad happens to her.

As I was thinking about this, the bus finally stopped and we got off the bus together. We walked towards the direction of her apartment building. As we walked along the sidewalk, it started to rain. I took out my umbrella as and held it over Koyuki's head. Koyuki looked up at me and gave me a shy smile. My right arm were wet as the umbrella was not big enough for the two of us but I don't mind.

We walked towards the apartment building in silence. Eventually, Koyuki stopped in front of the apartment entrance.

"This is it," said Koyuki as she pointed towards the entrance of the apartment building.

"See ya later then," I nodded to her and waved goodbye.

As I prepared to leave,

"Wait, Kouichi-kun, you are soaked. Come up to the apartment with me," she said to me.