¹ eliminate | the soldier game trio ✓

"A Regular Day"

"Kousaka Bakery---Kotori-chan?"

The grey-haired girl was panting slightly, her hand on the door frame, dressed in her night gown and hugging her favourite yellow pillow, her chest heaving up and down with the effort she had put in to rush there.

"Ho-Honoka-chan..."

She raised her head and stared at Honoka with panicking golden eyes.

"Umi-chan..."

"What happened, Kotori-chan?"

After bringing her in the bakery to have a seat on the sofa, she brought out a cup of hot tea for Kotori and handed it to her.

"I...I woke up to have a drink of water but when I got off the bed...I realised that Umi-chan wasn't there..."

Honoka just sat in silence, listening to whatever Kotori was saying, while slowly grabbing her house phone off its place on the mantle.

"Normally, she would be sleeping face up, but there was just a depression in the bed, and I couldn't find her anywhere in the house...so I came..."

"I know that she came home, because I waited for her to come back and we went to bed together, so it's impossible for her to be anywhere else unless..."

Unable to bear it anymore, she broke down into tears and Honoka patted her back comfortingly.

"I don't think that she ran away, Kotori-chan. We know that Umi-chan won't ever do a thing like that,"

Kotori nodded slowly.

"Besides, I think she loves you too much to do that."

She nodded again.

"I guess you can stay here for tonight, Kotori-chan, or probably until we find Umi-chan. Seki-chan is here, so everything will be alright. If you need anything, just call any one of us."

Honoka then escorted Kotori up the stairs to the spare room she kept for Yukiho whenever she came for a visit.

She tucked the scared girl in and turned off the lights, closing the door softly behind her.

She had to stay strong for Kotori, moreover when Umi's whereabouts were unknown.

"Honoka? Why are you up so late?"

Hoseki had come out of her room, clad in a turquoise singlet and shorts, clutching a mug of milk.

"Kotori-chan just popped in, and she told me that Umi-chan disappeared,"

Hoseki's bronze eyes widened and her face paled. Sweeping her hair behind her back, she straightened.

"We'll have to tell the police."

"I was planning to,"

Honoka held up the cordless phone.