"Someone stole Chinami's panties?!" Kenya's shout was very loud that it embarrassed Chinami.
"Don't shout it!" Chinami hit him with the paper fan right on the head, not happy with the turn of events.
Within Shitenhouji, there were many victims who got their panties stolen from the said thief. The girls were all talking about it and many were very worried and very freaked out. The thief targeted for only panties but many were scared it will escalate to something much worse when stealing panties were not enough.
Chinami and Zaizen were in Shiraishi's and Kenya's classroom during lunch break. Like everyone else in school, they were talking about the panties thief.
"I really don't want to talk about this..." Chinami said with a slightly shy look, "Isn't it weird for us to talk about this?"
"Nonsense! It's because we are friends that we should talk about this!" Kenya reasoned, "For now, you shouldn't hang your panties out to dry."
"I wish someone told me that before we went to camp..." Chinami felt very embarrassed but Shiraishi was quick to comfort her.
"Don't worry! It will be fine! Besides, I am sure the police will do something about it."
"They better. I will kill him with the paper fan if I catch him first." Chinami was serious about killing the thief; who knew what sort of perverted thing the thief was up to with the stolen panties?! If she got her hands on him, she will kill him with the paper fan!
She's got the looks of a killer in her eyes now, it's so freaking cool that Zaizen just had to take a picture of it.
"Hikaru?" Her face softened to innocence the instant she noticed Zaizen's phone was facing her.
"You looked really cool before."
"Eh..."
"Seriously, are you sure you are okay home alone? I don't like the idea of you being home alone while there is a thief."
"I don't know what I can do about it. I mean, I can't leave my house empty."
"Do you want me to stay over?"
"But you have babysitting duty."
"Shit..." Zaizen was to care for his baby nephew while his brother and sister in law were on holiday for a week. His parents delegated the duty for him because they feel they have spoiled Zaizen too much. The last time Zaizen went for a stay over and taking his nephew along got him grounded for a week with no electronics so he knew better than to do it again.
"It will be fine!" Chinami smiled at him to assure him it will be okay but Zaizen frowned.
"It won't be fine, what if the thief visits you and hold you hostage?"
"That won't happen because I would have killed him in my own home."
"This won't do. Tell you what, we should have a secret code between us. That way, if you're in trouble, you are able to tell me."
"What sort of code?"
"Hmm...tell you what, if you end a phone call or a message with 'I love you too' after I say 'I love you', that's how I know you're in trouble."
"You're really clever, I didn't even think of it."
He raised an eyebrow; how can she not read between the lines? Wait, was it because he suggested it as a code in the first place that she took it in a literal sense? Okay, he will keep in mind he can't be too direct.
"The code is a little embarrassing but what if you're serious in the future?" Chinami asked him.
"I'll add a heart at the end of the message."
"You're clever, Hikaru. Eh? But you can't write a heart at the end of your words...what if you're serious?"
"Then I will say I really love you." It was a very simple code between them. Zaizen found it amusing that she took it in a literal sense and completely unaware of the romantic intentions behind it.
"I'm glad you're looking out for me all the time." Chinami then looked at Shiraishi's and Kenya's direction to listen to their conversation.
"That thief better not steal the pink one! I will chase him to the end of the world if he steals it!" Kenya clenched his fist, on the urge to kill to the thief if he stole from Chinami again.
"Should we tell her to hide it more secretly?" Shiraishi asked him, unaware Chinami whipped out her paper fan.
By the time they noticed the paper fan, it was too late...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The panties thief has yet to be caught and some time has passed by. The tennis club were as busy as ever, preparing for the Kansai Regional Tournament but they didn't stop looking out for their manager. They decided to take turns walking her home from school
"Chinami, has everything been okay?" Kenya was responsible for walking her home today and he was so happy it was his turn.
Even though Kenya would make the fastest way home, he found himself enjoying her company when walking her home.
"I have been okay. Thanks for asking, Kenya-senpai."
"No thief?"
"No thief."
"Phew. I wouldn't want you to encounter such a thing. I will protect you, okay?"
"You're so dramatic, Senpai." It was good to see her laugh.
Kenya wanted her to smile more often since she's always hiding her own problems. He wanted her to rely on him if she ever had any problems. Should she have anything going wrong in her life, he wanted to be there to make sure she was smiling again.
Their walk home soon came to an end but something interrupted them; the panty thief walked out of her house with Chinami's pink panties as Kenya and her turned a corner.
Kenya noticed the pink panties before the thief.
"Hey! Give them pink panties back!"
Seeing that Kenya was giving chase, there's no way the thief was just going to stand there! He needed to escape!
"Come back!!" Kenya dropped his bags with Chinami and he chased after the thief.
"Kenya-senpai!" Chinami did not think twice and she quickly enter her house and leave the stuff behind before chasing after Kenya.
At the same time, Shiraishi has finished reading in a local library and was on his way home. Along the way, he can see a man holding a pink panties in his hand and Kenya chasing him.
"Give back Chinami's panties!!" Kenya's shout triggered Shiraishi to give chase too. He decided to take a shortcut and ambush the thief; how dare he use his grubby hands and touch Chinami's panties?!
Kenya chased the man without stopping and he sped up when he saw Shiraishi ahead, serving a powerful serve to hit the thief. The ball hit the thief, making it easier for Kenya to grab him. When he was within arm's reach, Kenya grabbed him and tripped him to the floor. The man was very strong and nearly overpowered Kenya but luckily Shiraishi made it in time and he helped Kenya pin down the thief.
"This belongs to Chinami!" Shiraishi snatched the pink panties from the man.
When Chinami caught up, she was out of breath.
"You bastard...don't you touch my stuff!!" She's tured but she has enough strength to hit the thief with a paper fan...
"I don't want it." Chinami refused to take her panties back.
The thief was arrested and now the only thing left to do was for the two of them to give back her panties.
"Why not? We got it back just for you!" Kenya really wanted her to continue to wear them; if the great lord would blow her skirt up and let him see it on her, he can die a happy man.
"You can just wash it if you're afraid of the thief's germs on it." Shiraishi was thinking the exact same thing as Kenya.
"I said no! And stop holding it, it's creepy!" She blushed at the fact Shiraishi was still holding it, "Get rid of it!"
"But-!"
"NOW! OR I WILL KNOCK OFF YOUR HEAD!" Shiraishi doesn't really have a choice there so he sadly threw it into the trash can...
When they got to her house, Chinami made them wait outside while she gathered Kenya's bags.
"Shiraishi, those pink panties are gone..." Kenya sulked.
"It's there only in our memories..." They sighed at the very same time.
"Sorry for the wait. My Dad was in and we talked for a while.
"Your Dad? He's finally back, huh?" Kenya was happy for her; she missed her Dad so much and now he's finally back!
"Yeah. Thank you for today. I'll see you too in school." When she turned around to return, the wind picked up and blew her skirt up for them to see her baby pink panties.
'It's baby pink!!!' Shiraishi and Kenya were literally screaming in their mind as the image engraved into them.
"Shiraishi, did you see that?!"
"I did..."
"A miracle happened!"
"Ah..."
Chinami told her Dad a lot about what happened ever since he was away working. She told him she was enjoying her school life, her friends, the tennis club, and a lot of things. She was happy right now and there's nothing that can ruin it.
When she decided to go down the stairs, she felt a powerful force kick at her from behind, making her fall forward and hit the many steps. When she landed on the floor, one thought came to mind...
'Did Dad...kick me?'