Campus Sanctuary 1

Suspicious Photos

Ikki meets with Kyoko at the café to celebrate his birthday. Ikki requests to revisit the facility. Kyoko agrees and shows the photos she received during the trip. Many of them have pictures of her in bizarre positions.

Reminder: homework survey to do.

The weather is sunny, cloudy mix.

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[August 16, Thursday - week 3]

Based on yesterday's call, Ikki and Kyoto agreed to meet at a cafe. So, after stepping out of the subway, Ikki encounters Kyoko, and they go together. He hasn't taken his eyes off the envelope she's holding en route, but he also hasn't talked since he's anxious to know. Once they arrive at said cafe, they take their seat immediately.

"You've been very nervous, Ikki. That's a shame because we're here to celebrate your birthday together," Kyoko says.

"I need to know what's inside the envelope."

"I get you, but let's relax a little. Come on, tell me about your birthday party yesterday. I bet it was a lot of fun with just you guys."

Ikki sighs, but he's still tense.

"Well, Seiya baked a birthday cake with the phoenix on it. Also, Shun gave me a birthday present, which is something like a thing to make my room smell good. I think it's something like aromatherapy."

"Really? Shun did that?"

"Yeah, I never expected that from Shun."

"What kind of thing is it?"

"It's a device into which I put some liquid. Then I press the button, and smoke comes out of it, along with a scent. My room smelled like tea."

"Must be a diffuser. I've heard about it before."

"Do you have one of those?"

"No, but I'm well aware of those."

The small chat has calmed him to the point that he's willing to relax, change the subject, and observe his surroundings.

"By the way, what's this place?" he asks.

"It's one of the many cafes here. I've been here because it's close to work. Typically, I come after work and sometimes before."

"Is that so? What do you order here?"

"Latte coffee. Do you like coffee?"

"Yes! It's been a while since I drank one."

"How did you get into it?"

"It was by accident. I ordered a soda at the school's vending machine, and cold coffee dropped instead."

"Really? I never seen that."

"You weren't there at the time."

"I see. It must've been I was studying for finals."

"By the way, what's a latte?"

"A Latte has steamed milk on top and coffee on the bottom. There are many types of coffee. Which ones do you prefer?"

"While at school, I drank iced coffee from the vending machine. While I like it, it is a bit sweet for my taste. I say I want something harsh."

"Perhaps black or espresso would fit."

"What's the difference?"

"Black is just regular coffee, while espresso is stronger, thicker with less water. Because of that, espresso is served in a very small cup."

"Fine! Then I'll do espresso." Ikki points.

With that said, Kyoko asks a nearby staff to order a latte coffee for her and an espresso drink for Ikki. The staff takes the order and leaves.

"This espresso better be worth it," he says.

"It should, although I never tried it because I don't like my coffee to be harsh. Regardless, I think you'll be able to enjoy the espresso."

The waitstaff arrives with the drinks. Kyoko's latte comes in a tall glass, while Ikki's espresso arrives in a very small glass.

"So that's what an espresso looks like..."

Ikki takes the glass and gulps it in one go. Kyoko is surprised and observes him gulping the entire small glass. The concentrated drink flinches him slightly, but he quickly recovers his composure.

"You weren't lying, Kyoko, but I like it. I've been looking for this kind of coffee, but the tiny glass makes it hard to enjoy, so I'll go for black. I can drink this espresso once in a while."

"I'm so glad for you."

As Kyoko drinks her latte, she pulls out the envelope and lays it on the table.

"Here's the envelope and I'm giving it to you."

"Why? Shouldn't you open it?"

"It'll be more of an interest to you than it is to me."

"How come?"

"The thing is I received this envelope. It was mailed to my place and it came with specific instructions to give it to you."

"An envelope was mailed to you so you could give it to me. That doesn't make any sense." Ikki observes the envelope. "I don't see the name of the person who sent it. Do you have any idea?"

"I'm afraid I don't. That's why I haven't opened it, and I called yesterday to meet. There must be something specific if it was tailored to you."

Ikki cautiously opens the envelope, and there are photos—lots of pictures—of the facility he and Kyoko were at a month ago. However, these pictures are about Kyoko's unfortunate clothing malfunction incident. Ikki immediately sweats bullets upon seeing each one.

"What's wrong? You look nervous," Kyoko says.

"Are you free tomorrow? Can we go back there?"

"Lucky for you, I have a day off tomorrow."

"Thank you..."

"Ikki, what about those photos?"

"I can keep these, right?"

"Of course! Think of them as my gift to you."

The photos have left him speechless. Perhaps it was a good idea that Kyoko never saw them because a scandal would've occurred. The fact that they were mailed to Kyoko with specific instructions for Ikki is suspicious enough, which motivates him to return to the facility based on Poseidon's undersea realm to get any clue as to who took and sent the photos. He tells her to meet tomorrow so they can arrive together. She agrees, of course. Ikki's return date is now set in stone.

To be continued...