In Gentle Tones of Warmest White | Oumami

Chapter 10

Yet, there was something that felt off about the room. And now, while Rantaro was sure to be away for at least ten minutes, was the perfect time to explore. Kokichi slipped out of the bedroom with ease, stealthily making his way into the office. (It wasn't as if any of Rantaro's sisters would see him anyways- it just felt fun to sneak around as if he were in a spy movie of sorts.)

As expected, the office was in the exact same condition as it was the last time he saw it- clean and orderly; not a speck of dust in sight on the shelves that lined the entire right wall. There was a sofa tucked away neatly in the corner, a stand with a small lamp atop it sitting next to the sofa. There was a desk next to the bed, and a closet in the corner.

Everything looked right. Except for three things.

The first thing Kokichi noticed was that if some of the shelves were replaced with dressers or straight up removed, it'd make a perfect bedroom. There wasn't necessarily anything wrong with that, it just irked Kokichi more than it should've, especially with the other two things he had in mind.

The second offsetting thing in the room was the fact that all of the bookshelves were empty, except one directly across from the desk. The bookshelf that wasn't empty was loaded with books and files for the most part. One of the shelves towards the middle had random memorabilia scattered about, such as pictures and little trinkets.

The third and final object (the most obvious out of the three) that caught Kokichi's attention was a map, with a bunch of pins and strings concentrated near one area in the Caribbean.

Despite the map sticking out like a sore thumb, Kokichi decided to save that for last. Instead, he opted to get a closer look at the sofa. There wasn't really much to look at, but there was one thing in particular he wanted to know.

He knelt down, eyes landing on the part where the cushion met the base of the couch. There was a handle there. Kokichi pulled on it, moving out of the way as the couch expanded into a bed.

"So this room does double as a bedroom~" He hummed to no one in particular, folding the sofa back together. "But if it's a guest room..." He grabbed the pillows that fell to the floor, placing them back in their respectful places. "Then why couldn't I have just stayed here?" Kokichi stood up, taking a few steps back from the sofa and admiring his work. It looked exactly as it did when he first found it. Perfect.

Kokichi took a moment to listen for the shower. It was still running.

Turning around and letting out a mischievous giggle, Kokichi made his way to the bookshelf.

He wished he hadn't, really.

The first thing he noticed was the shelf full of various trinkets. More specifically, one of the pictures near the right corner.

It was a family photo- probably taken ages ago. Right away he recognized the little Rantaro, standing in the middle with a tall man looming behind him; the man was probably his dad. There were a few others in the photo- he recognized Fuyumisa and a baby Hikari. The rest were people he didn't know (although there was someone who looked like Hikari.)

In the left corner was a more recent photo- Rantaro was holding two infants in either of his arms. He recognized the tufts of brown hair and blonde hair instantly. That was definitely Airi and Eri. There were others around them, like Hikari and Fuyumisa, and even more unrecognizable children.

There was a photo in the middle, as well- the most recent out of the three. Standing in front of the house he was in now was Rantaro, Hikari, Itsuki, Airi, Eri, and Fuyumisa. Unlike the other two photos full of erect poses and stoic expressions, this was a photo full of life.

In the back row were Hikari, Rantaro, and Itsuki. Rantaro had his arms wrapped around his sisters' shoulders, a big smile on his face. Hikari was ruffling Airi's hair with one hand, winking at the camera and holding up a peace sign. Itsuki had her hand resting calmly on Eri's shoulder. Airi and Eri were making a random silly expression as they hugged a kneeling Fuyumisa, who wore a tired yet delightful smile.

Kokichi recalls what he saw last night- The five of them (Fuyumisa was nowhere to be found) in the living room chatting with one another.

They all fit together perfectly- like one of those big stereotypical unreasonably happy families you'd see on a random TV show. Kokichi didn't fit in at all, and it brought a frown to his face alongside a strange sinking feeling in his gut.

Kokichi grabs a random trinket to distract himself. In his haste, he accidentally knocks over the photo frame to the left, the frame opening and the photo fluttering down to the ground.

The item he's holding in his hand is a little necklace, made from shells and random beads of all shapes and sizes. He doesn't pay it much mind, though, as he kneels down to grab the photo.

Kokichi freezes. There's two photos in here. One is the family portrait with Airi and Eri as infants, and the other is... a bit more strange.

It's a small photo, a headshot of a single, smiling toddler. Her hair is short and black, similar to Hikari's (only this girl's hair is straight, as opposed to Hikari's unruly hair). She had the same green eyes as four out of the five siblings Kokichi knew (Itsuki was the odd one out here, with light pink eyes.)

What made the photo rather peculiar- aside from the faded colors that made for a dreary look- was the necklace around her neck, made from shells and random beads of all shapes and sizes.

Kokichi looks down at his hand, at the necklace resting in his palm. It's the same necklace in the photo.

He sets the necklace down as quickly as he had grabbed it. He puts the family photo back into the frame, sticking the other photo in behind it. There was a date on the back with a name- the former of which was illegible the the latter he could read clear as day.

Amami Haruka.

Kokichi puts the photo frame back up where he had found it, taking a step away from the shelf. He looks up at the files above it, his hand reluctantly reaching up to grab one.

...

...He can hear the shower turn off.

Kokichi listens for a moment. That was most definitely the sound of the shower turning off. How long had he been in here?

He swiftly makes his way to the door, opening it slowly and peering out.

He can see the bathroom door from here- it's still closed. He didn't have much time before the door would open, and Rantaro would emerge from it.

Kokichi immediately exits the room, closing the door behind him before quickly entering Rantaro's room. He made sure to close the door as Rantaro had done before he left to take a shower, wasting no time hopping onto the bed and rolling into a lax position.

That wasn't just an office, and it sure as hell wasn't an impromptu guest room.

That was a bedroom, reserved for one of Rantaro's sisters.

Just what in the world had happened?

~1.9k Words

Author's Note: What? A chapter not posted at 11:50pm EST on the third day of the schedule? Insane. We're officially two thirds through with the story! And I finally got to reveal the little subplot I had planned :D It's so hard to come up with names though... I hope you enjoy this chapter that's out at a decent time! (Though, if I'm being honest, a bit of this chapter was part of my original draft for last chapter, so that probably helped in getting this chapter out faster;;)