Chapter CIV: The Missing
The sun hasn't fully risen yet, but Asahi is already out, trudging toward the convenience store with his hoodie half-on and his hair looking like it lost a fight with a ceiling fan. He walks in, yawning, and makes a beeline for the freezer section.
He opens the glass door dramatically, as if it's the gateway to another realm, and pulls out his usual iced coffee. Just as he turns, a voice behind him nearly makes him drop the bottle.
"Yo," Gin says, appearing like a ninja in slippers.
"GAAAH! Don't sneak up on me like that, bro!" Asahi yells.
Gin grins and grabs his own iced coffee. The two walk toward the counter, their steps a little more in sync than they'd admit.
"Bruh, don't get me started about yesterday," Asahi mutters. "But damn, that punch Tengen threw? That was hard af. I think I still have a dent right here." He points to his right cheek dramatically.
Gin leans in and gently pokes it.
"Damn. Yup. It's still there. Apply some cold compress, man."
"It is cold compress!" Asahi counters, half-offended.
"No, it's ice compress," Gin insists, squinting at him.
"Bro, that's not a thing. It's cold compress!"
"Ice is cold, so it makes sense!"
"Still not the same!"
They continue this completely unnecessary debate as they reach the counter, much to the cashier's deadpan dismay.
Then suddenly, Enmei walks in holding a bottle of milk tea like a peace offering. He walks between the two arguing boys.
"Okay, stop," Enmei says. "It's cold compress. Ice compress isn't even a thing. That's like saying 'hot heat.'"
"SEE?!" Asahi shouts triumphantly.
Gin throws his arms up.
"Okay, okay. I yield to the wisdom of Wikimedia incarnate."
They all pay for their stuff and start heading to school. Midway through their walk, Natsuki joins them, munching on a stick of Pocky like it's a cigarette.
"Morning," she says, cool as usual.
"You look like an anime gangster eating that," Gin jokes.
"It's called fashion, sweetie. Look it up."
They all laugh as they reach school. Inside the classroom, it's quieter than usual. Chairs are still being dragged, students are groggily entering, but the energy is different.
Then the door opens. Ms. Soumei walks in with her arms crossed, scanning the room like a hawk.
"Oh the Kota-Squad. Good Morning."
"Good morning, Ma'am," they all reply, nearly in unison.
She walks to the squad's row and stands right in front of them.
"About yesterday... are you all alright?"
Asahi nods. "Yeah, just a little bruised."
Gin adds, "We're okay, Ma'am. Just... a bit sore."
Ms. Soumei sighs and softens her gaze.
"We'll be checking up on Kota and Akiko, but for now, they're not allowed to come to school for two days. Principal's orders."
Everyone looks at each other, a mix of frustration and worry passing silently between them.
"Well, technically Assistant Principal's order and I think the Principal has already vetoed it" (Ms. Soumei)
"Yeah, we already know it, Ma'am" (The Squad)
She then nods once more before leaving the classroom.
As soon as the door closes, Enmei leans forward. "What do you think those two are doing now?"
"I don't know," Asahi says. "Maybe they're still resting?"
Gin, who's already fiddling with his phone, raises an eyebrow. "What if something bad happened to them?"
"Nah, don't worry man, they got each other," Enmei replies confidently.
"I heard Kota spent the night at Akiko's place," Natsuki says casually, biting into her Pocky stick.
Asahi does a double take. "Well ain't that something! Let's chat them if they're up now."
Gin sends a message to Kota, while Natsuki chats Akiko.
Seconds pass. Minutes. They all keep glancing at their screens.
"Nothing yet," Gin says.
"Same here," Natsuki shrugs.
"Maybe they're still sleeping?" Enmei suggests.
"Let them rest then. They had it rough," Asahi says.
Class starts, and the day rolls on. Still, no replies.
When the lunch bell rings, they march to the cafeteria, hoping food will distract them.
Enmei pokes Gin with a fry. "Brooo, have they seen your chats?"
"Wait, I'll just..." Gin pulls out his phone. "Nope. Not yet."
"Me neither," Natsuki frowns.
Asahi lowers his spoon dramatically. "Do you think something bad has happened?"
Everyone looks at each other. The tension suddenly creeps back in.
The food on their trays remains untouched as the possibilities spiral in their minds...
Something's definitely off.
The four look at each other, unease and silent alarm settling in. Before anyone can speak, Ms. Soumei returns to the room, her usually composed face now sporting a hint of panic.
"Ma'am? Are you okay?" Natsuki asks with concern, adjusting her collar nervously as she senses something's off.
Ms. Soumei exhales sharply. "Guys... I think I have bad news."
The squad collectively stiffens.
"I-I can't contact Akiko and Kota," she admits, eyes darting from one student to another.
"W-what?" Enmei says, glancing toward the others.
Asahi slams his hand on the desk, making a poor nearby pencil jump in fear.
"Then we'll do it ourselves, ma'am. Don't worry, we'll take it from here."
The four huddle like a low-budget detective agency trying to solve a mystery with two clues and a packet of mints.
"Who should we call first?" Natsuki asks, already pulling out her phone.
"Let's try Kota's parents," Asahi suggests.
"Isn't that too early?" Gin raises an eyebrow.
"Too early? Bro, they might be missing! This ain't a casual no-reply-at-3AM moment. This is different," Asahi argues.
Enmei suddenly pops in. "Wait, what if we try one of Akiko's guardians? Maybe her mom."
"Good call," Natsuki nods and dials Akiko's mom.
They wait.
And wait.
And the phone remains as silent as a broken karaoke machine.
"She's not picking up," Natsuki sighs.
"Kota's parents it is," Asahi says and dials. A few seconds in, someone picks up. It's Kota's mom.
"Hello Mrs. Mizushiro? Is Kota there?" Asahi asks.
"Oh yes, he's here. He's been in his room since last night. It's like he is on house-arrest or something," she says cheerfully.
Asahi covers the receiver and whispers to Natsuki, "Wait, wasn't he supposed to be at Akiko's?"
"Maybe there was a change of plan?" Enmei offers, scratching his head.
Back on the line, Asahi says, "Ma'am, can you check on him if he's in his room, just to be sure?"
"Alright, you guys wait as I'll check on him"
There's a bit of background noise, footsteps, and then suddenly—
A scream.
Everyone jumps.
"Kota?! Where are you?!" she shrieks. "Son?! He's not here! He's not here in his room! He's not anywhere in this house!"
The squad's collective hearts drop all of a sudden like a foot stepped on the ground.
Then her voice softens, shaken. "There's a letter here. Written in... Latin?"
"Latin?!" Gin exclaims. "Boy, that's so Kota."
"Can you please read it to us, ma'am?" Asahi insists.
She clears her throat. "Fui alicubi, Mom. Quaeso ne lusus, redibo mox spondeo. Indica quaeso amicis meis quoad."
"Wow. That's... unnecessarily classy," Enmei mutters.
"Do you know what that means?" Kota's mom asks, still frantic.
Asahi fakes confidence. "Uhm, I think so... kinda. I mean, Boogle exists. Don't worry Mrs. Mizushiro, we'll find him."
"Please do," she says, voice cracking, before the call ends.
The squad slumps.
"Another Latin line? Boy, Kota loves Latin," Gin says, shaking his head.
"Maybe Latinas," Asahi adds with a grin. "Akiko would be pissed."
"Wait, wasn't that Italian?" Enmei argues, lifting a finger like he's about to start a TED Talk.
"No, bro, that's Latin. The ancient one, not pizza-and-pasta version," Gin says, scoffing.
The two begin their linguistic wrestling.
"Latin evolved into Italian! It counts!" Enmei declares.
"So did French, and no one calls a baguette a Caesar!" Gin fires back.
Natsuki slams her hand on the table. "OI! Can you two shut up?! It's Latin. Just search it up."
The two blink.
"Y-yes, ma'am," they mumble in unison.
Asahi types on his phone like a hacker in an action movie. "Okay, here it is! 'Fui alicubi, Mom. Quaeso ne lusus, redibo mox spondeo. Indica quaeso amicis meis quoad.' It means..."
He squints at the translation.
"'I vent somewhere, Mom. Please be worried, I'll bang her soon, I'm not joking. Please scrub my underwear, okay?'"
The room falls silent.
"WHAT?!" The squad has their whole faces in question marks.
"No wait, buffering again", Asahi responds back. Then Enmei translates and reads,
"I'll be banging my alibi?"
"Hmmm, lemme try," says Asahi, leaning back in his chair and dramatically adjusting imaginary glasses. "Fui alicubi... My alibi?"
Gin throws his head back. "No, no, no. It's 'alb.' Like albino. Bro, maybe he dyed his hair!"
"What? That doesn't even make—"
"You don't know that! Maybe Kota has always wanted blonde hair like that mystery guy!" Gin retorts.
"Guys," Enmei raises his voice. "He said 'alicubi', not 'albie'! What if it means something like... 'I fought a cube'?"
"Oh please, what is this? Craftsburg fanfic?" Gin rolls his eyes.
Asahi dramatically slams his forehead onto the table. "We're gonna fail Latin if this keeps going..."
"Bro, Latin is the mother of all languages!" Enmei yells.
Natsuki, whose brain is slowly liquefying listening to the trio, silently opens her phone, types furiously, and says in a deadpan voice, "Here."
She flashes her phone at them. The screen reads:
"I've gone somewhere, Mom. Please don't freak out, I'll be back soon I promise. Please tell my friends in regards."
"...Oh." The boys blink.
"Yeah, we totally knew that," Asahi says, sipping his coffee like nothing happened.
"You literally thought he fought a cube," Natsuki mumbles.
"Cubes are scary, okay?!"
Before any of them can throw their wallets or their coffee cups at each other, two familiar faces approach from the side of the classroom—Toshiro and the Class Rep.
"Yo," Toshiro greets casually.
The squad straightens up. "Hey!" Asahi waves. "Everything okay?"
"We just wanted to talk," Class Rep says, folding her arms. "About yesterday."
Tension tightens the air. But Toshiro immediately adds, "Don't worry. We know you guys didn't do anything wrong. That's why we stood up for you during the faculty meeting."
The relief on Asahi's face is like a beach ball slowly deflating. "Bro... You have no idea how much that means."
"You're the MVP," Gin gives Toshiro a mock salute.
"Really. Thanks," Natsuki says sincerely.
"Of course," Toshiro nods, then begins to walk away—but Enmei raises a hand.
"Wait! Before you go, we just wanna ask something."
Toshiro stops and turns around. "Yeah?"
"Have you asked Tengen and Hanako about the situation?"
Toshiro looks at the Class Rep, who nods somberly.
"We wanted to," she says. "Since, frankly, they're the ones who accused Akiko and Kota."
"And?" Asahi leans in.
"They're absent today too."
The whole squad exchanges glances.
Toshiro sighs. "We expected that from Akiko and Kota since they're excommunicated. But the fact that both Hanako and Tengen are conveniently missing today? It's suspicious."
"Agreed," Class Rep nods. "We'll try reaching out to them and monitor their behavior."
"Thank you," Natsuki says, bowing slightly.
Asahi puts his hand to his chest.
"We will build a shrine for the two of you one day."
"Please don't," Toshiro says, walking away.
Afternoon rolls in, but the clouds outside seem heavier than usual—as if they too are worried about the missing duo.
At their lunch table, the squad quietly nibbles their food.
"Okay. I'm gonna try Hanako," Natsuki says, taking out her phone and tapping on her chat box.
Enmei, chewing on his onigiri, follows suit.
"I'll ping Tengen. Let's see if they respond."
One tick. Two ticks. Seen? Seen? ...Nope. No reply.
"They're not even online," Natsuki murmurs, her lips curling downward.
"Maybe they're just hiding under a rock somewhere," Gin shrugs.
"Or plotting a sequel," Asahi says grimly, chewing on his beef noodle soup like it's the last meal before a funeral.
The air turns heavy again. A chill slides down Natsuki's spine.
Suddenly, Asahi claps his hands. "Okay. Let's not freak out. I mean, we still don't have proof that they're up to something."
"Except for the fact that they threw our friends under the bus and dipped right after," Enmei mutters.
"Details, details," Asahi waves off. "Point is, let's not lose track of what's important—finding Akiko and Kota."
"True," Gin nods. "We've been too focused on debating Latin and ignoring our anxiety through food."
"Speak for yourself," Natsuki says. "I multitask."
They all chuckle, albeit nervously.
"I say we do what every emotionally unstable high schooler does in times of crisis..." Asahi smirks.
Gin tilts his head. "Which is?"
"Post on YourBook."
Later that evening, the squad sits huddled in Enmei's living room. The TV blares an anime movie in the background—a classic shounen film filled with punches, explosions, and villains with dramatically long monologues. Gin is halfway through a bag of chips, while Natsuki has a notepad filled with different theories about where Akiko and Kota could be.
Enmei slouches on the beanbag, throwing popcorn at the screen every time the main character shouts about friendship.
Asahi types furiously on his phone.
"Done," he says. "Posted on YourBook."
He passes the phone to Natsuki. The post reads:
MISSING: AKIKO & KOTA
Our dear friends, Akiko Chisai and Kota Mizushiro, haven't been seen since yesterday. Contrary to the rumors, they did not commit any crime. They were falsely accused, excommunicated for something they didn't do, and now they've disappeared.
Please help us find them. If you have any info, DM any of us.
FYI: There were people at school spreading weird nonsense and being suspicious about the incident. We're not pointing fingers yet, but things aren't adding up.
#JusticeForAkikoAndKota #MisunderstoodNotMissing #NotTheBadGuys
"Nice," Enmei nods. "Very professional."
"And heartfelt," Gin adds.
"Let's just hope it gets traction," Natsuki mutters.
They each share the post to their own pages. Within minutes, the post garners likes, reacts, and comments. A few classmates comment things like "OMG where are they?!" and "I knew they were innocent!!"
Someone named TakashiTheMemeDealer comments:
"Bro this ain't funny fr. They better be okay. Also who tf started the fake news??"
"Thank God for meme dealers," Asahi wipes an imaginary tear.
"Wait, look!" Gin points at the screen.
A comment appears from Ms. Soumei herself:
Thank you for doing this. I will do what I can on my end. Please stay safe, all of you.
"Whoa, she really typed with punctuation," Enmei says.
"You know it's serious when a teacher uses periods," Gin says.
They all nod solemnly.
Later that night, the four of them lie awake in their group chat. None of them can sleep. The image of Kota and Akiko wandering off into the night continues to haunt their thoughts.
Asahi posts a meme in the group to try lightening the mood:
A screenshot from the anime they watched earlier, with the caption:
"When your friends disappear and your teacher says it's chill but the vibes say otherwise."
They all react with laughing emojis, but the tension remains.
Eventually, Gin messages:
"We'll find them. We always do."
Natsuki replies:
"And if anyone tries to mess with us again..."
Enmei sends a photo of Zenitsuka shoes.
"They're catching the bigger boots."
Somewhere, beyond their knowledge, the moon watches over the town. The streets are quiet. The posts are shared, reshared, whispered about in DMs and group chats. Questions rise. Suspicions boil.
The squad doesn't know it yet—but they're closer to the truth than they think.
And the game is only beginning.