Still

Watching You

Yeet

~'0'~

Drip. Drip. Drip.

His little brother, the little brother he loves with all his heart, is gone. Missing. Kidnapped by a psychopath. Yuuichi wanted to scream at Gouenji when the man came to tell him about the fate of his brother. In that one moment, the navy-haired male didn't care that Gouenji is the one he always looked up to – the only thing he wanted was to scream, to cry, to hide. Yet he did none of these things and instead smiled politely, albeit a little shakily, thanking the man for the information.

Drip. Drip. Drip.

His brother, his precious baby brother, kidnapped. The worry in his heart is all-consuming, the fear and the uselessness taking their toll on him.

Drip. Drip. Drip.

But not anymore. Yuuichi's brown eyes burn in determination as he stares grimly at the window. 'Kyousuke... wherever you are, be strong. I will find you, I promise I will. I don't care what I have to do, I will get you back.' With his mind made up, his eyes fall on the phone lying on his nightstand and he reaches for the device.

Drip. Drip. Drip.

He dials a number, holding the phone to his ear as he waits. 'Just hold on. I'm coming for you, Kyousuke.' Finally, the other picks up. ''Gouenji-san? It's me, Tsurugi Yuuichi...''

Drip. Drip. Drip.

~'0'~

Every Step You Take, I'll Be Watching You

~'0'~

Ayumi takes deep, slow breaths as she stares at the letter that was delivered by the nurse, together with her breakfast. It seems innocent enough, yet it sends her heart racing in fear.

She drops it on her lap and clutches the bedsheet with shaking hands, focusing on her breathing. In and out, until her heart starts to calm down. Even so, the fear does not disappear.

The only sound in the room comes from the television, which is currently on a sports channel. One of the men on the screen is just announcing a match for tomorrow between a school that sounds slightly familiar to the redheaded girl, Mannouzaka Jr. High, and another team she's never heard of before. But Ayumi is currently too caught up in the situation to really care.

Her hands still shaking, she picks up the letter again and swallows nervously. It's a long yet small and thin, white envelope. What makes her so nervous, however, is the light blue lotus flower printed on the back.

She carefully opens it. Inside the envelope is a strip of white paper, a single sentence in black printed onto it. In the lower right corner is a small, blue lotus flower. A she reads the sentence, a shiver goes down her spine.

Voices... shouting... someone is screaming...

Without even a moment of hesitation, she grabs her phone and dials the only number she can think of – the phone number of Fujita Hitomo, manager of Kanashimi's soccer club.

As the dial rings, the redheaded girl sends a silent prayer to whatever deity will listen.

'Please... let my brother be alright...'

~'0'~

''I want to know the truth!''

Kidou narrows his eyes behind his goggles at the man sitting in front of him. The woman next to him lays a hand on his shoulder. ''Dear, please... I'm worried too, but we won't get any further if we can't calm down.''