red string || sano manjiro/ mikey

chapter xxxvi: clue

people would think they were nuts for riding bikes through the snowy weather, but do they really have the time to worry about that when their mutual friend could possibly be in the hands of danger?

no, of course not.

mikey didn't even worry about the police that could arrest him for illegal driving. his mind has been constantly worrying over sada kazua, the person he holds dearest in his heart.

if something happens to her, he's sure as hell that he's going to lose it.

she's the last string of sanity he has left, and though it may not be obvious, she's all he ever thought about for the past three years they have separated.

urges to check up on her that he tried so hard to suppress always left him with an uneasy heart, sleepless nights, and sunken eyes in the morning.

sada kazua was his lifeline, and being too far away from her brought nothing but pain to him.

"was she acting different when you two were walking home?" mikey asked through the wind, assuming that senju can hear him pretty clearly from behind.

"what do you mean different?" senju asks back.

"i thought you're her friend? you should at least know when she's acting differently." mikey scoffed back at her. "were her eyes darting around cautiously? was she stuttering over her words? that kind of different."

"oh," senju looked up at the dark sky, lips pouting in wonder as she tried to recall three weeks ago when she was with kazua last.

"go lock your door. i'm not leaving until you do."

senju's eyes widened. "she told me to secure the house when we got to my home." she says.

"turn your phone's location off too."

"and told me to turn my location off."

"if something ever happens to me,"

"wait!"

mikey skidded the motorbike to a stop. luckily, he stopped by the sidewalk to avoid an accident. "can you warn me the next time you're gonna scream like that?" he glared back at her over his shoulder, obviously not amused. mikey can be childish and carefree when he wants to be, but this is not a situation he can risk being laidback on.

he's mad enough that baji only told him about kazua's situation about an hour ago.

mikey doesn't need another reason to finally snap.

"kazzie told me something before i went in my house." senju tightly closed her eyes, fists knocking lightly on the sides of her head in an attempt to make her remember. "if something happens to her...ah, what was it?"

"say, if you don't hear from me for awhile..."

kazua stops on her tracks, turning around to face mikey with a cheeky smile on her face. he hums at her, pulling his lollipop out of his mouth. "don't say stuff like that." he said. "you sound like something bad's going to happen to you."

she chuckles, shaking her head lightly. mikey walks up to her and patted her head with his free hand, a gentle smile rising from his lips.

"you can't really tell." she said. "so if it does happen and i was able to do something about it somehow, i'll find a way to warn you discretely."

"aren't you a smarty? why can't you just call me before you get in danger?" he huffs.

"gosh, let me be cautious, dumbass." kazua takes his hand from her head and intertwined their fingers, pulling him along as she continued to walk. "go to the bakery near my house."