Twelve

Officer Ueno held an assembly for every last student at Hanagawa High School, insisting on a self-mandated curfew and travelling in groups, especially among the female students, since, there was clearly something amiss. Three girls had gone missing now. 

Kaho had been sitting beside Makoto when Ueno held her assembly, clutching her hand in his. Beside him, Emi's face turned crimson, she was a volcano of emotion, unable to release it. 

Three girls. Finally, Emi's claims about Kibata Mae were being taken seriously. After seventeen days. She balled her fists on her laps, crescent moon crevices carving into her palms. 

Maki rubbed Emi's shoulder on the other side of her, a scowl on her face as Ueno started offering half-baked insight into what had happened to those second-year students. 

Naseru sighed and lowered his head. They needed to work out what was going on, he did, or Makoto, or Maki or Emi. They had to work it out and how to help those girls. 

But, Makoto wasn't speaking to him. Which meant he needed to come up with an idea on his own. Maybe it was naïve of him to seek help from someone else, when the second he indicated Makoto could have been related to the kidnapping, whether an active participant or not, Makoto had left him in the lurch. Perhaps it was even stupid to consider talking to someone who only introduced himself the previous day, but, if anyone was going to have dirt on other students, and potentially be willing to share it, it was a delinquent. 

Naseru rolled up his sleeves and stretched his legs out, slouching in his seat as Ueno continued to spout off information about what they knew about Michimori Sayuri's case, the one with the most data. He wondered if they would be cancelling classes to interview Watanabe's classmates like they had done before, but doubted it. The school administrators would be livid.

He sighed. 

When Officer Ueno dismissed the students to their classes, she started at the back of the room where the second-year students sat. Followed promptly by the second years, Mamoru and Kikiyo were the first out the door. The 2A students were probably equally as worried for Watanabe as they were about losing another day of learning. 

Ueno dismissed 2B next. Naseru hung back, trudging from his seat slowly. Once he left Ueno's eyeline, he tucked himself in the corner of the hallway and crossed his arms across his chest. He watched the rest of his straggling classmates flock out of the assembly hall and let his eyes scan over the remaining students in the back. A few looked in his direction, most seemed focused on the exiting students beside him, but one nodded his head, a smirk crossing his lips. Just the guy he wanted to see. 

"Well, hello there, Matsuoka."

Naseru turned his head, "Hey, Kurosaki, let's walk."

Katsuo nodded, matching Naseru's pace as he made his way toward the staircase. They ascended the steps as they chatted. 

"Do you have a job, Matsuoka?"

Naseru shook his head. 

"I do," Katsuo said, "It's a part-time gig, involves a lot of chasing other people for my employers. If you catch my drift. But there are some real rewards. A new product just came on the market, and I'm inviting you to come on the test drive. It's a good thing us strong guys don't have to worry about being hunted as easily. Ehhhh- Matsuoka? The attitude changes when you see them in different settings. "

Naseru frowned. He didn't catch Katsuo's drift. Was he that brazen when the police were still on campus, or was Naseru overthinking? He paused for a moment and looked at Katsuo. He had his sleeves rolled up, that same fine white scar was on display as he walked, hands behind his head. Brazen. But maybe not about what Naseru was thinking. 

Was there a car dealership in Hanagawa he hadn't heard of? He'd suggested he apply to part-time at a garage washing cars and cleaning tools but his brothers wouldn't have it. Maybe Katsuo was working at a chop shop? They hadn't spoken before yesterday, for all Naseru knew, the Kurosaki family ran an empire of used car dealerships all along the prefecture and surrounding cities. 

"Oh come on, Matsuoka," Katsuo said, elbowing him in the ribs, "She's a real hot ride."

Naseru frowned again and nodded tentatively. He lingered outside the door to his classroom, and was beckoned inside by Hiro Sensei. Just because Officer Ueno's assembly had taken up their homeroom period, and the smallest slither of first-period mathematics, didn't mean that he could linger in the hallway. 

Naseru bowed his head and apologised promptly. He caught Makoto's cold glare as he passed. 

"Ahem," Hiro Sensei said, walking to the chalkboard, "I am sure Officer Ueno will want to speak with some of you, today, but not en-masse like last week. She hasn't said otherwise at least. We are obviously incredibly concerned about the wellbeing of our missing students."

Hiro Sensei wrote a sum on the chalkboard, and quickly turned around to face his students. 

"We are going to all say a quick prayer," he declared, clapping his hands together, dropping the piece of chalk, "Come now, everyone."

The class followed his lead, putting their palms together and lowering their heads. 

"We are all praying for the health, wellbeing and safe return of our missing students, Kibata," he said her name quietly, barely a whisper. 

Naseru peeked his eyes open and saw the scowl on Emi's face. 

"Michimori and Watanabe," Hiro Sensei's voice returned to the normal volume as he recited the other two girls' names. 

He opened his eyes, and as expected, Officer Ueno, wearing the same sardonic expression on her face. She crossed her arms and raised her eyebrows as she crossed the classroom, "Sato. Come with me."

Emi rummaged through her school bag, producing four sheets of crumpled pieces of paper. The same ones she and Maki had been organising on Friday. She didn't even deign to look at Hiro Sensei, or Officer Ueno as she left the classroom, papers in hand, her long black hair swishing as she walked. 

"Yes Emi," Maki whispered, "You show her."

If Naseru had thought that Makoto and Hikaru had long interviews with Officer Ueno the previous week, Emi was some kind of record. Even as the class was dismissed for lunch, she hadn't come back. Maki had taken both of their bags and walked to the poky silent study room where Ueno was hosting interviews, just so Emi could eat. Obviously, considering not only how blatantly the department, and the school had dismissed Emi's claims about Kibata Mae, she had a lot to say to Ueno personally before she even began to talk about the case and shared her notes for the second time, when they would finally make sense, and be taken seriously. 

Makoto had watched Maki go, even contemplated inviting her for lunch with him, but instead, he went to the art department alone, hoping, somewhere, deep down that maybe Naseru would come. Maybe they could build a bridge.