Kaiya POV
(on the way home from school)
"Pickpocket!" an old lady shouted, as a man barreled past her on the sidewalks and grabbed her purse. I sprinted after the man and tasered him with my wristbands.
"Here you go ma'am." I handed the purse back to the old woman.
"Oh thank you so much dear!" she shook my hands. "I was about to run some errands and I don't know what I would have done without my purse."
"In that case, allow me to accompany you." I offered. "I don't mind helping out for a while before I return home. Call me Kaiya. If you need any help in the future, just let me know."
"That would be much appreciated Kaiya-chan." she thanked me, as she hobbled on her walking cane. "Ever since my son moved away, I've been on my own."
*********
"I'll help you to take these parcels back to your place. Do you happen to live near this post office?" I asked when we were done.
"It's just the next block over." the old lady (who introduced herself as Emi) nodded.
*********
"Emi-san, This place is lovely." I commented when we entered Emi's apartment. Although small, the apartment was neat and refurnished.
"It's quite lovely isn't it. It's cozy and perfect for a woman who's living alone. Why don't you go wash up while I make some tea for us?" Emi said, after we unwrapped the parcels.
"Oh I couldn't possibly intrude." I told her.
"Not at all, Kaiya-chan. Thank you for all your help earlier." Emi said.
*********
The restroom has such a pretty mirror, I said to myself as I washed my hands. Hmm the right side of the mirror seems slightly crooked though. I should fix it for Emi. The mirror creaked when I touched it. What's this? There's a hole behind the mirror! And a cassette tape. I wonder who it is for. I flipped the tape over and my eyes widened. It was from Akemi Miyano to Dai Morobashi! That means... this apartment was Akemi's?!
**********
"Kaiya-chan, you look quite pale, is everything alright?" Emi asked when I came out of the restroom. "Here, have some tea."
"Y-yes." I stuttered and sipped the tea. "Say Emi-san, have you noticed anything unusual about this place?
Emi thought a moment before responding. "Not in particular. I moved into this apartment only about a year ago. The apartment was also refurnished so anything left behind would have been moved to the storage area of the building. Ah that's right! I heard the previous tenant mysteriously disappeared." Emi replied.
"Mysteriously disappeared?" I inquired.
"The neighbors said the previous tenant was a kind dark haired young lady who mostly kept to herself and didn't cause any trouble. " Emi told me. "But I can't seem to remember her name."
"Did you notice anything else out of the ordinary?" I asked.
"Hmm...the landlord was able to rent out the apartment fast because the previous tenant didn't have much personal belongings. I heard she even paid the rent a year in advance before she disappeared." Emi continued. Wow... Akemi was such an honest person.
After a while, I bid Emi goodbye and headed home.
*********
Vermouth POV
"There's nothing much to report, Gin. The new tenant living in Akemi's old apartment is just an old woman after all." I reminded Gin. "Didn't you and Vodka visit the apartment already?"
"Yes, but we couldn't trace the location of Sherry through the phone call last time." Gin said. "I want you to thoroughly check the apartment again." Gin replied over the phone and hung up.
What was that girl Kaiya doing with the old woman? I peered through my binoculars. Kaiya was helping the old woman with groceries. Oh what a kind soul. Unfortunately for people like me... no good deeds could atone for my sins.
(a while later)
Kaiya was leaving the apartment with an uneasy expression on her face. Could she have found something? I'll investigate further.
*********
Shuichi POV
(later that night)
I have to admit, back to back missions along with keeping up my cover as an engineering graduate student can be exhausting at times. The only keeping me awake was the caffiene from coffee, although Kaiya kept nagging me that it was bad for my health. I smiled slightly as I entered the house and saw Kaiya asleep on the sofa. She must have stubbornly waited up for me again despite the fact that often come home past midnight. I shook off the sleepiness I felt. Keeping people like Kaiya safe is my duty as an FBI agent, I reminded myself. As I placed a blanket over her, a notebook and an unopened cassette tape slipped on the floor. I unintentionally caught a glimpse of her writing.
"Dear Diary,
I don't write often but today is an exception. Can you believe I accidentally stumbled upon Akemi's old apartment?! I discovered this cassette tape addressed to Akai-san, and I debated whether I should give it to him or not, because it was a sore subject for him and I didn't want him to be hurt. As I got to know him more, he became more and more of a brother figure. Being an only child, I've always wanted an older brother... I really miss my family and I hope they are alright. In the end...I've decided it's better to give Akai-san the cassette tape... so that he can treasure his memories."
I closed her notebook, not wanting to invade her privacy any further. Even so, what I read so far though was heartwarming to say the least. Turning off the lights in the living room, I went to my room placed the tape in a cassete player.
"Dai-kun, if you are listening to this message, that means something must have happened to me. Seeing as I'm gone, I have a confession to make... I've had to carry out a billion yen robbery. Please don't think bad of me! It was only because Gin told me that he would let me and my sister leave the organization if I successfully completed the task. My feelings for you are real, and I wished we could have spent more time together. Knowing you, you will probably close yourself off from others again... but promise to smile again for me Dai-kun. I will love you always. From, Akemi."
That foolish woman... taking on such a dangerous task. It's all my fault that Gin killed her. I flipped open my phone and read her last text again.
"Dai-kun, If I am able to leave the Organization, will you go out with me as my real boyfriend? ~Akemi. P.S. Whatever happens, please protect my sister Shiho. Shiho is the only remaining family I have and I know she will be in good hands."
I promise you Akemi... I will protect Shiho.
********
(the next day)
"Eh? You already to listened to the cassette tape?" Kaiya asked in surprise. "Well see... I found it Akemi's apartment and I meant to give it you yesterday but I fell asleep..." she said sheepishly.
"Akemi's apartment..." I trailed off.
"On my way back from school, I helped out this old woman so she invited me over to apartment to show her gratitude." Kaiya explained. "It was there I found the cassete tape hidden behind the mirror in the restroom." Ah that would explain everything.
"It's so like Akemi to hide trinkets in various places." I said reminiscently.
********
(a few days later)
Vermouth POV
I sighed as I pulled on my disguise as the old woman Emi. As much as despised this particular disguise it was only the way to investigate Akemi's old apartment. I had already sent the real Emi to a doctor's office under the excuse that she had an appointment this morning.
"Good morning Emi-san!" Kaiya greeted me (Emi) on my way to the apartment. I interally groaned at the possible interference of my mission. Apparently Kaiya was on her way into the library and out of all the days she had to bump into me.
"Kaiya-chan, I was planning on getting some groceries, and I could use some help." I lied. It wasn't the best cover story, but it would it get me inside the apartment without suspicion.
"Of course." Kaiya nodded.
********
"Apples... they remind me of someone." Kaiya muttered as we passed by the selection of fruits.
"I'm not sure I follow." I said, slightly intrigued.
"Oh it's nothing much." Kaiya brushed it off. "There's just this woman... people nicknamed her Rotten Apple... but I don't think she's a bad person at all despite what they say."
"That's quite an interesting nickname." I replied. Yet it sounds familar... ah I remember now, Shuichi Akai called me by that nickname before.
"Somehow... I do want to meet her." Kaiya continued. "Wait I've said too much." she suddenly panicked. "Please keep this between us, Emi-san."
"I'm sure you'll meet that woman someday." I reassured Kaiya. Kaiya doesn't know that she's talking to that very person right now. "And don't worry, my lips are sealed."
********
Kaiya POV
As Emi and I were walking on the sidewalk, a car suddenly swerved towards the curve.
"Watch out, Emi-san!" I exclaimed, and gently moved her out of the way in time. "Are you alright?" I asked her. Emi nodded. "I'll be right back!" I told Emi and ran after the car. The car was still accelerating, so I shouted to the driver to stop. But as I looked through the window, I saw that the driver was unconscious for some reason. Is it even possible to stop a moving car?! What should I do? I hit the tires with my tasers to slow the car down, and smashed the window to grab the driver out. We both tumbled onto the ground as the car crashed into some trees. Sighing in relief, I called an ambulance who took the driver to the hospital. They also treated my elbow that I scraped earlier.
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Vermouth POV
That girl... she saved me from that car. Not that I couldn't dodge the car... it's just that I would have blown my cover if Kaiya saw me move more quickly than possible for an old woman. It's unfortunate I didn't get a chance to investigate Akemi's apartment, but I should leave the scene now before I draw more suspicion. I took off my disguise of the old woman.
********
Kaiya POV
"Emi-san!" I called for her. "Emi-san?" I looked around the streets but she wasn't there. Maybe she went home already since I took so long? I looked on the ground to see her groceries still there. How odd. Picking up the bags, I went to her apartment and knocked on the door.
"Oh Kaiya-chan! Good morning!" Emi smiled when she opened the door. "Oh goodness dear, are you alright?" she looked at my disheveled appearance.
I stared at her in confusion. Wasn't she there with me earlier?
"My, we both must have had crazy mornings." Emi continued and ushered me inside. "I got an email reminder that I had a doctor's visit this morning, but when I arrived at the doctor's office, the front desk told me that my appointment was not until next month!"
My eyes widened. Does that mean the Emi I met earlier today wasn't the real Emi?
"T-that must have been frustrating." I consoled her. "If it's any help at all, I have bought some groceries for you (I didn't know what else to do with them).
"Oh you're too kind, dear." Emi said happily as I helped her place the groceries in the fridge. "I always dread having to go out to get groceries by myself at my age."
********
Vermouth POV
"You're late as always, Vermouth." Gin said, annoyed.
"How impatient! There was nothing else to report. I told you earlier, it was just an old woman living in Akemi's old apartment." I told Gin.
"What was the commotion earlier?" Gin questioned.
"Nothing of concern, just a driver who lost his grip on the wheel." I said.
Perhaps I'll keep Kaiya's involvement a secret for now...