As Manamis tears keep falling, Yukiko shakes her head in disbelief.
“Y-you did what?” -she stammers, fear clear in her voice
But suddenly, cars pull up at the end of the alley, and people start getting out. Manamis eyes widen, and she grabs Yukikos arm, sprinting toward the other side of the alley.
“Fuck! I cant believe they found us!” -she says, anger sharp in her voice
“Are those people… are they from the family?” -Yukiko asks, her voice trembling
“Yes!” -Manami confirms as they run.
Looking around for a place to hide, they run to a house. Manami tries the doorknob, and it opens. Silently, they slip inside, shutting the door behind them.
“Stay here and dont make a sound.” -Manami whispers, moving quietly through the house to check for occupants
Yukiko stays by the door, nerves on edge as she imagines what might happen if the owner is home. Suddenly, she hears a womans voice.
“Who the hell are y—?” -The womans question is cut off by a loud thud. Yukiko rushes into the living room to find an elderly woman on the floor, Manami standing over her, fist raised to strike again
“Manami, what are you doing?!” -Yukiko asks in disbelief
Manami glances back.
“What does it look like, huh?” -she delivers another blow, making the woman go limp
“STOP! Youre killing her!” -Yukiko shouts, trying to pull Manami away
“No, idiot! Im just putting her out cold!” -Manami shrugs her off
“Now find some rope or something. And duct tape.”
“What the… no, I wont! We cant do this!” -Yukiko shakes her head, horrified
Manami grabs her shoulders, locking eyes with her.
“Dont you want to live? Do you think Im doing this for fun?”
Yukiko gulps, realizing she has no choice, and sighs heavily.
“Fine… fine, Ill do it.” -she runs a hand through her hair in frustration
After a little while, she finds duct tape and rope, which they use to bind the woman, covering her mouth with the tape.
Once finished, Yukiko sinks onto the couch, holding her head in her hands. Shes reeling.
'What are we doing?'
Manami stands over her, looking down.
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“Listen, I get how you feel, idiot.” -she says, leaning close
“But we had no choice. Theyd never look for us in some random house.”
Yukiko nods slowly.
“Yeah… I know.” -she pauses, a worried look crossing her face
“But what about the woman? Whatll happen to her when we leave?”
“Nothing. Even if she talks to the police, it wont matter. We dont have to shut her up.”
Yukiko meets her gaze.
“What? You mean… if it did matter, youd… youd kill her?” -she asks, fear evident in her voice
Manami leans back, expression unreadable.
“What do you think?”
___
Meanwhile, Yuuji and Kaito arrive at the scene, where several investigators are already at work.
“So… can you fill us in on what happened here?” -Yuuji asks, lighting a cigarette as he eyes the beaten men
“The girls… they beat these guys up... for cash.” -the investigator replies.
“For cash? Youre telling me two girls beat up three men for some money? That sounds… ridiculous.” -Yuuji raises an eyebrow
“Thats what they said happened. Apparently, the men approached the girls, asking if something was wrong, beacuse they seemed to be in a hurry, tensed up, and the girls attacked them.”
Yuuji scratches his head, taking a deep drag on his cigarette.
“Huh… we should talk to those guys ourselves.” -Kaito suggests
“Theres no need for that. This case is closed. You can head home. Weve got it under control.” -the investigator responds firmly
“What? So we came here for nothing?” -Yuujis asks with confusion and frustration on his face
Kaito puts a hand on his shoulder, sighing.
“Let it go, Yuuji. Just leave it.”
Yuuji stubs out his cigarette, nodding reluctantly as they return to their car.
“This is ridiculous. Theres no way thats what really happened.” -Yuuji says, voice tense with frustration
Kaito shakes his head, remaining silent.
“Come on, say something!” -Yuuji presses, irritation in his tone
“I know, but what can we do? We have to follow orders. Thats all there is to it.” -Kaito replies quietly
Yuujis expression hardens.
“No, Kaito, we have to do something. Theyre putting everything on the girls. Im sure of it.”
“Yeah, its obvious theyre lying. The whole case is rigged, but we cant do anything. Our hands are tied.” -Kaito sighs, leaning back in his seat
“How is the family doing all this?” -Yuuji seethes
“Well were talking about the Narita Family here, Yuuji. You know they pull the strings. They control the police. Were just pawns in their game.”
Yuujis hands clench around the wheel.
“No… I wont let them get away with this. We have to stop this.”
“No, we wont. I wont.” -Kaito crosses his arms
“Huh? So youre leaving me to do this alone?” -Yuuji asks, shocked
“I dont want to, but I have to. This isnt a fair world, and I suggest you let it go. You know i have a pregnant wife back home, and you have a family too. Do you want to put them at risk?” -Kaitos voice rises with anger
Yuujis eyes widen as he looks away, muttering.
“Damn it…”
___
Yukiko is still on the couch, still in shock. Manami has gone to take a shower, and Yukiko stares at the unconscious woman on the floor, raking her hands through her hair in frustration.
Manami soon returns from the bathroom, wearing her hoodie, the familiar fabric covering her body.
'Wait... have I ever seen her without her body so covered up? I mean shes even sleeping like that.' -Yukiko wonders, a flicker of curiosity breaking through her daze
'Its like she’s hiding herself…'
Manami stretches and walks over to Yukiko, yawning.
“Alright, now its my turn to rest first. Wake me up in two hours, and well switch. Got it?”
“Yeah… got it.” -Yukiko replies
Manami heads to the bedroom, leaving Yukiko alone in her thoughts.
'I dont know anything about you Manami... And theres so much I want to understand…' -she sighs casting one more glance toward her before settling in for the watch
'Why are you hiding your body so much?'