"Yume de aimashou!"
Translation: "Let's meet in our dreams!"
••••••••••••••••••••
In the 38th cause of effect Holy hall, the remaining participants of the survival game gathered around the God of Space and time, Deus Ex Machina, along with his companion, Muru-muru.
The atmosphere was filled with nothing, but intense bloodlust and the strong will to kill, to eliminate, to win.
Deus felt the unwavering feelings coming from the diary holders; anger, determination, malevolence, fury, bloodlust... fear.
Perfect. Everything is going according to plan. As long as the diary holders are willing to be a part of this survival game, then he need not worry about his successor.
Although it may sound biased, Deus thought of a young, dark-haired teenager, who's suitable to be the next God of Time and space. Then again, the other 'contestants' are eager to become God. Some will mindlessly try to kill the other diary holders just for the sake of quenching their bloodlust. Some might break the rules. Considering the situation Deus is in, he does not have the power to observe the game himself. Muru-muru can be a good substitute, but she might abuse her power as the observer.
That is why, Deus gave the important task to a person who's not a part of the survival game, but is willing to only observe the game by his orders. The Observer, one who must not act on his own accord, but on his master's absolute orders.
However, one eye is not enough to have a perfect view of the game. Such a dilemma is difficult to comprehend. And to think that this Observer might refuse his orders, Deus thought of a solution. He kept that to himself, of course, for it will damage the future that he planned. Not even his trusted assistant, Muru-muru, knows about this. It just shows how contradictory Deus' solution is.
The dignified God stood up from his throne, the diary holders looking up at him behind their dark shadows; he opened his mouth to speak, and no one dared to interrupt him as he did.
"Will you LIVE? or DIE? The remaining 11 people, KILL before you are KILLED!!! And obtain the Throne of GOD!!"
In this survival game, it's kill...or die.
°°°°°°°°°°°°°
The once periwinkle blue sky was no more, and the blinding light of the sun's bright, golden rays are nowhere to be seen. Painted in a dark shade of gray and black, misty ashen-white clouds of wisp crept up into the heavens; the booming sound of the thunder emanated from afar.
Behind the thin curtains of a certain person's room in the Akise residence, is the one and only son that pulled an all-nighter investigating a certain case. Confidential files and papers settled on the study table beside his bed, pieces of crumpled paper scattered on the floor and all over his matress. Papers with black ink smeared all over, and small scribbles of notes in messy handwriting were written at the corners of the papers.
The light-haired latter was in a deep slumber, even though his position is clearly uncomfortable; body slouched to lean on the table, his back hunched over, his bare feet outsretched on the cold, marble floor and his head rested on his bare, pale arms. Not having a blanket to cover himself, he is most likely to catch a cold, especially in this weather.
6:00AM
The digital alarm clock started to beep continuously, as soon as the red numbers on its screen flashed 6:00. The only sound echoed throughout the male's spacious room came from the rectangular digital box, and the rain outside that started to pour. Behind the thin curtains were small droplets of water trickling down the closed window panes of his room.
It took him a few seconds to regain consciousness, and with that, he reached his hand out for the alarm clock, with a deep, exhausted groan escaping his lips, and pressed the button to snooze the alarm. Akise sat upright, slowly arching his back to relieve the tension in his muscles, hearing an unsettling crack at that. He scratched his neck, a loud yawn escaping his lips as it took him some time to fully become awake, his eyelids opening slowly, and leisurely, until his eyesight became clear.
Tired, rose-red irises came into view, as the young latter Aru stared at the mess he made before him. He could make out the words printed in a piece of paper in front of him.
Subject: Amano Yukiteru
Age: 15
Gender: Male
Location: Sakurami City, Amano Residence
Case: #001
A photograph of a young male was printed on the corner of the paper, with long, jet-black locks of thick hair, large, prussian-blue eyes becoming bright behind his youthful expression. Despite the juvenescent demeanor that was produced by the boy in the photograph, Akise knew that this Amano Yukiteru guy is an interesting person, and he wanted to know a lot about him. To meet him in person, to talk to him..
To love him..
The white-haired teen shook his head and closed his eyes. Having a feeling that he is becoming delusional, he exasperatedly ran a hand through his messy locks, and stared at the paper in front of him.
Amano Yukiteru-kun.. Akise thought to himself, deeply, his numb fingers tracing the photograph's surface lovingly, as if he is yearning for a lover who was long gone from his embrace.
"I'm going to see you soon.." He whispered, his voice came out deep and husky, due to the fact that his throat was dry since the moment he had woke up. His eyes bore onto the windows, the gloomy skies of the heavens reflecting on his deep, rose-red irises.
Even if he wanted to stay at home for a while, the time eventually came when Akise needed to prepare himself for school. He is striving to become the world's greatest detective, then again, a fifteen-year-old like him should still be focusing on his studies. He didn't care about studies. He cares about Amano Yukiteru---
". . . . ."
He didn't notice, that in the middle of his reverie he was cleaning up the scattered pieces of papers on his desk, his hands automatically sorting which papers are needed to return to the police station. At the corner of his eye, a certain file caught his attention, that even piqued his interest.
Akise glanced at the fallen piece of paper on the floor, the contents of it were upside down. The latter bent down and retrieved the piece of paper, its edges already crumpled and dirty, but that alone didn't catch Akise's attention. It was the photograph of a certain person, located at the corner of the paper; his eyes scanned the large letters in front of him printed in italics.
Subject: Hitomi [Y/N]
Age: 15
Gender: Female
Location: Sakurami City, Hitomi Residence
Special Case: # ???
The only daughter of Hitomi Kaīru & Sato Akari
Successor of the Hitomi Manufacturing Company
"Hitomi.. [Y/N]-san?" Akise muttered to himself, a warm, fuzzy feeling forming on his chest as he settled his eyes on a photograph of a [H/C]-haired girl with mesmerizing, teal-blue eyes. Speaking her name sounded...perfect. As if his voice was only made to speak only her name, to call out her name.. only hers.
"[Y/N]..." Akise called out again, to no one in particular, his voice ragged and shaky as his mouth pronounced each letter. He felt...overwhelmed. However, he didn't know why.
No. Aru, you must not.
A deep, bombarding voice echoed throughout the room, and in an instant, the young latter felt a nauseous feeling arising from his chest, his head pounding hard while his heart did as well. Fast, and painful. It felt as if he was running out of breath. He can feel the blood running in his veins as he clutched his head, his teeth gritted together as the agonizing feeling became worse, and worse. A loud, crackling sound growled from above, as if it was a fierce beast up in the heavens. But in reality, as exaggerated as it may seem, it was just the sound of the thunder itself.
Don't defy my orders.
The eerie, superstitious voice spoke again, and Akise can hear the defeaning, ear-splitting cries of the tormented. Every ounce of his sanity oozing out of him, and when he's finally lost it, the excruciating pain stopped, the last bit of anguish leaving him.
"I understand.." He huffed to himself, one eye closed due to the sudden pain that he had experienced. Just a while ago he was in the verge of vanishing from existence, but now it seemed as if nothing happened.
A true detective always stays with the case, no matter what. Akise thought to himself. Unknowingly, he balled his fists, crumpling the piece of paper on his hand and tossed it on the trash bin nearby, whilst stacking the files on his table; the famous, mysterious grin now plastered on his face.
"Let's meet him, shall we?" As he gazed upon the photograph of Amano Yukiteru, the crumpled paper of Hitomi [Y/N]'s file settled in the trash bin, dejected, forgotten, disposed of.
•••••
Underneath the nimbus clouds covering the ocean-blue heavens was Japan, the weather itself creating a cool ambience, yet the bustling feeling emanating from the busy streets of Sakurami City was unwavering. Citizens passed by, umbrellas on their hands while the rain continued to shower upon them, footsteps and shoes clicking on the water puddles forming on the once dry streets of the district. Vehicles of all sizes rushed through the intersecting streets, spraying water on the bystanders nearby, thus, creating an unusual demeanor of discomfort within that particular area.
The white-haired latter looked up at the sky, his rose-red eyes dulled at the sight of the grey skies from above. As for a detective like him, a bad weather (such as this) is an inconvenience to his job as one. Good thing he had an umbrella on, minus the hoodie that he usually wore in normal occasions.
Speaking of his hoodie, Akise suddenly remembered where his piece of clothing went. The memories that happened yesterday started to flood in his mind, creating small flashbacks that made him unconsciously smile as a result. But then, that smile disappeared upon realization.
The cold breeze was unsettling. It left Akise a weird feeling settling at the pit of his stomach, wherein, he deducted, must be the effect of not having breakfast this early in the morning. He doesn't have the time to do such, however, a great detective must fill his own stomach before embarking into a full-out investigation about a certified case. With this conclusion in mind, Akise decided to stop at a nearby café to have coffee. Coincidentally, he stumbled upon the café across the school's gates; your family's café.
This bothered him so much. To the point that he experienced new, exhilarating feelings arising within his chest. Why does he experience such emotions? It doesn't feel right.
Ever since he woke up, something just doesn't feel right.
"An espresso and a sugar-glazed bagel please." Akise ordered, wiping the water droplets off his forehead with the back of his palm. Thank goodness that he had an umbrella. If it weren't for the umbrella, he'd be drenched, looking like a drowned rat.
Despite that, the atmosphere in the café was quite pleasant, the young detective felt a little relaxed.
"You're that... boy with [Y/N]-sama yesterday, right?" A female voice said, catching Akise's attention from gazing outside the window. The latter raised his eyebrow in surprise, trying his hardest to remember what happened yesterday. It's not easy to force your brain to process some things when you lack sleep..
"That's right." He replied, rather groggily, though unintended. Akise stared at the brunette in front of him, wearing the staff's clothes and who seemed to be a cashier. The girl smiled, slightly surprising the latter and started to rummage underneath the counter, as if reaching for something from below. Akise tilted his head in curiosity, but he couldn't see what she's doing from where he stood. So instead, he fixed his gaze at the small television and listened to the news.
"Headline for today's news: Notorious bomb terrorist Uryuu Minene has entered Sakurami City. Please take caution and be wary. Police officers started to roam around the city and searched for her sightings.." the voice from the television spoke, accompanied by small static, and the constant pattering of the raindrops outside. Akise had a small grin forming on his face as he twirled a strand of hair on his forehead in amusement.
So she has entered the city now, huh.. Just as I predicted.
"[Y/N]-sama left this for you. She arrived at school quite early, and she thought that you might come here for a bit.." His attention from the television was swept away, yet again, and fixed his calm gaze at the cashier, the grin on his face not faltering. There she stood, with a brown paper bag on her hands outstretched to him. Akise hesitated for a bit, but the girl insisted on shoving it to his arms instead.
"What's inside?" He asked, blinking. The girl chuckled and gave him a sly wink.
"Why dont you take it out as I prepare your order?" And with that, she left him with the package on his hands, and with an amused grin forming on his features.
He opened the paper bag, only to see what seemed to be a black hoodie, neatly folded and seemed to be brand new. (Not to mention that it reeked with the smell of the fabric.) A small frown graced his visage, pulling out the clothing from the paper bag. The white-haired latter peeked inside, and at the bottom, he saw a small, piece of paper folded into half.
It was a note.
Opening it with his fingers, Akise mentally read the neat handwriting on the piece of paper.
Thank you for lending me your hoodie the other day.. I'm sorry if I couldn't bring it today, since I forgot to wash it..
So, instead I bought you this one, as a thank you! I hope that this will suffice.
~[Y/N]
Akise couldn't help but stifle a small chuckle at the process, but he swallowed it down and tried to return his stoic demeanor. Failing to do such, he slipped the hoodie on carefully. The fabric was soft, and it made his chest fuzzy and warm..
Though is it really because of the clothing? Or the fact that it was his first time receiving this from a girl..
It felt unnatural, since that hoodie was almost like a part of his body now.. But this... made him feel much better.
"She was last sighted at a street near Sakurami High School by a passing vehicle. Police Officer Masumi Nishijima and his colleagues are now here live outside the said school.."
Akise glanced up at the television again, only to see a certain brown-haired man around his thirties, wearing a suit and seemed to interact with some of the cops with him. He grinned, shoving his hand in his pocket just in time when he felt a small buzz protruding from it.
Reading the text message, the young detective was amused to see Nishijima's contact info in his phone's screen. It turned out that his instincts are always right.
From: Nishijima-san
Subject: Come here
We almost got Uryuu cornered. I need you present in Sakurami High School, Akise-kun.
With an excited look lingering on his face, Akise typed his reply, not caring about what's happening in the world around him. Why is that? Because the case that he's working on is making progress, and this will give him a huge opportunity in becoming a famous detective.
The thought of it made the latter motivated. With a smile on his face, Akise pressed the send button. (Re-reading his message beforehand)
To: Nishijima-san
Subject: Okay
I'll be there in five minutes.
"A sugar-glazed bagel and an espresso~!" The cashier caught Akise's attention once more, startling him. Why does she suddenly appear out of the blue like that..?
The white-haired latter smiled, shoving his hands in his pockets in search of spare change when the girl suddenly waved her hands frantically in the air.
"It's on the house, Akise-san!" She exclaimed, loudly, causing some of the customers to glance at her way. The brunette flushed, bowing her head in apology. Seeing her like this made Akise infer that she is, indeed, flustered. If you look at her closely, she's still new in this field of work by the way she acts and speaks. Not that Akise minded though, it's an instinct for detectives, like him, to observe other people's actions and to conclude.
"Please come again!" And with that, Akise hesitantly took the take-out, not before flashing her an amused grin, and left the café.
Must be [Y/N]'s doing.. There's no way that I'd get these food for free.. Akise thought to himself, walking on the pavement with an umbrella on his hand, and the take-out on the other. He doesn't have the right to complain, considering that he had free food, was invited by his superior in the police station, and had his hoodie back. In short, Akise's having a great day.
"Well.. if the weather isn't like this, then.." As if on cue, the latter glanced up at the skies, expecting foggy wisps of grey clouds and smoke, but what met his eyes was the golden-yellow rays of the sun behind the thin, snow-white clouds above the clear-blue skies.
It was his ideal day for a perfect case.