Eight

Makoto wasn't hard to find. That is, if you knew where to look, like Naseru did. 

He hadn't meant to find him, not at first, but there was something unconscious that made Naseru seek solitude at the back of the school in the dark but long art room, mostly used for storage, and student portfolios. It was unlocked, as good a place as any to eat; it was warm, with electricity, and a table with a few chairs. It wasn't cramped, rather dark, and smelled of spilt paint, like the odour had been absorbed by the hardwood floors. It was the only room Naseru had come across that didn't have varnished flooring. 

It was also the only room in the school where Makoto went for lunch, especially since Hikaru had been on a mission to find out anything he could about Sayuri. 

On the first day they'd eaten together, neither spoke. It had been a weird coincidence, a day after Naseru had dismissed Makoto's invitation to give him a tour of the school, it was supposed to be Sousuke's job anyway. But, despite Sousuke being the class representative since his first year, and his inevitable win in the class election, Hiro Sensei had fobbed Naseru onto Makoto. It had been awkward. Silent.

The next day, when Naseru arrived, a can of coffee had been waiting on the side of the table furthest away from Makoto. Clearly a peace offering if they were to cohabit in the art room. 

On Thursday, there had been a can of coffee waiting for Naseru, and in exchange, he handed Makoto a banana. He'd thanked him and said he preferred apples. So, when Naseru was finally dismissed for lunch, he had two apples, one red and one green, for Makoto to choose from. Makoto had put his sketchbook away and selected the red apple. He gazed at its waxy, crimson skin and sighed. 

"I know who has her, and I couldn't tell Ueno. Hell, I don't know why I'm telling you," Makoto said, "Why would you believe me?" 

Naseru shrugged and bit into his apple, "If you told someone else, someone who had known you longer, they'd probably think you'd lost your mind. But for all I know you're the son of a Yakuza mobster and the king of the criminal underworld."

Makoto snorted, "That makes me feel so much better."

"As it should," Naseru shrugged, "So, why do you think you know where she is?" 

Makoto sighed, "I don't know where, if I did, I would have gone and found her by now. Everyone thinks Hikaru did something to her, and it's not fair. He hasn't done anything to her. I've known them forever, I'd be able to tell." 

"It's okay," Naseru said tentatively, "She's going to be okay, I'm sure the cops will write Hikaru off when they realize he couldn't have done it."

"That's the thing," Makoto sighed, his head in his hands, "The police think he did it because he was home alone. Nobody can vouch for him. His mum works nights at the hospital and his dad spends the week in Tokyo at this big office doing some job none of us understand. Since junior high, Hikaru has been home alone." 

Naseru winced, "Yikes."

"Yeah yikes," Makoto said, running a hand through his hair. He sighed, looking up at the ceiling, "If I find her, then he'll be off the hook. But I don't know where to start."

"Isn't that Sato girl convinced something happened to her friend? Maybe you could talk to her?" 

"I think she's right, but it would break her heart," Makoto said, "She's been really weird since Mae left. If she really transferred away and didn't say goodbye that would be cold. They met in kindergarten. You don't just up and leave without saying anything when you've been friends that long."

"So what do you think?"

"I think there's a connection. But no way am I going to say that to her. It would kill her if I gave her that kind of hope. I don't know anything about where Kibata Mae is. But I know who has Sayuri, and he might have had Mae before."

Makoto got to his feet and paced the length of the pokey supply room, "I just wish I could help."

"Hey," Naseru said, swallowing the guilty lump forming in his throat, "Don't say that. You are helping."

"No I'm not! Helping would have been giving Hikaru a bullshit alibi or something, helping would be following the creep that has Sayuri and getting him to let her go."

"Makoto," Naseru frowned, "No offense, but you are probably the least intimidating guy I've met in ages. Do me a favor and give me your phone."

Makoto frowned and handed it over. 

Naseru slid his finger across the screen and unlocked the device, "You should put a password on this. Your whole life is on your phone, you know?"

Makoto nodded. Naseru punched something into the keypad and handed the phone over. 

"You've got my number," he said, "I'm in your corner – in his corner. I've got no reason to think he did it, and I have no reason to think he didn't. But if you believe he's innocent, I do too."

Makoto smiled, his eyes were glassy, welling with tears. 

"Thank you, Matsuoka."

"Call me Naseru, yeah? That's what my contact is saved as."

"Ah, okay, uh, thank you Naseru."

Naseru smiled, "Do you want to come back up to class? The warning bell will ring soon."

Makoto shook his head, "I'll be in here. I'll give the hall pass back at the end of the day."

Naseru nodded, returning to his half-eaten apple.

"Oh, uh, Naseru. Please don't tell Ueno what I said. Promise me you won't. We're not supposed to be talking about it. Ayami is going to be in huge trouble for meddling in an investigation like that, but, but, I could be too, you know? For telling you it wasn't him."

"Those things don't even compare, it's interesting that one of the students was used to feed false information and check reactions" Naseru said, taking another bite. He wiped the juice off his chin with his hand again, "But I will, I promise you. Not a word to Officer Ueno."

"Thank you," Makoto said. His shoulders sagged and he lowered his head. 

When Naseru returned to his classroom for his last few lessons, some of his classmates were whispering to each other, conspiring, sharing secrets and observations they were probably exaggerating now, trying to fit even a morsel of information into the investigation; blindsiding the officers looking into whatever had happened to Sayuri. 

What surprised him was that Maki and Emi had returned to class; sheets of paper were strewn across their desks, which they had sandwiched together. Kaho, the girl who sat behind him, was wide eyed, gawking at them. Were they not friends? She seemed to care enough during class earlier, then again, he couldn't recall them talking before then. 

"Matsuoka!" Maki said, fastening her hair in a ponytail, "Just the guy we wanted to see. Have you seen Makoto anywhere?" 

"No," Naseru lied, "What do you need him for?" 

"He's a bit of a bad guide buddy, isn't he?" Maki remarked, "We need to talk to him."

Naseru furrowed his brows. Emi raised her hands in mock surrender.

"No, not about what you think! Promise. I don't think Hikaru would do that, ever! In first year he beat up a guy who took pictures up the girls' skirts," Emi was babbling, speaking a mile a minute, her eyes trained on the papers in front of her, cheeks flushed crimson, "He's always been a bit of a hero to me since then. Because he made sure the pictures were gone and the guy left us all alone." 

Naseru hummed, he hadn't known that. Makoto hadn't mentioned that. Surely that was something the police ought to know, maybe not that he assaulted a guy a few years ago – that could prove detrimental to his defence, it implied he was violent. But he clearly had a strong sense of justice. Naseru probably would have done the same; pummelled a guy for taking pictures up girls' skirts. Was it worse it was happening in a school? The girls were underage, and known to him. Not that he would condone it happening to strangers either. 

"I'm worried about Sayuri. And I know I got angry this morning, but, I want to talk to him, because I'm afraid."

"She means," Maki said, "That she's afraid whatever happened to Sayuri happened to Kibata Mae, the girl who used to sit next to her."

Naseru pursed his lips, "I'm sorry, maybe you can message him on social media or something, because I have no idea how to find him."

Emi nodded, "Thank you, Matsuoka." 

She turned back to Maki and the sheets of paper. Naseru watched them fumbling through pieces of paper for a few moments, before Officer Ueno came back in and called Emi for her interview. Maki handed her four sheets of paper and Emi left with Ueno. 

Naseru raised an eyebrow at Maki. She made a face at him. He copied her and Maki sighed.

"She is convinced. And if she could smack Ueno I'm sure she would. She told me she reported something was up with Kibata during the break and the cops did nothing. She's really angry, says she can't trust them as far as she can throw them."

Naseru snorted, "That's very um, punk rock of her?" 

Maki laughed, a loud, frantic laugh, punctuated with snorts. She clutched her sides, "You have no idea how ridiculous that sounds. Sato was the biggest wet blanket last year, and now she has this blatent disrespect for authority because of Kibata. I never – I never would have expected this from her." 

"But you're helping her?" Naseru asked, raising a brow. 

Maki nodded, tightening her ponytail. He caught a glimpse of the girls beside her, Ayami, who started the witch hunt about Hikaru, and Shizuka. They scowled at the back of Maki's head.

"It's the right thing to do," Maki declared, "I'm trying to uh, do better this year." 

Once Emi was finished with her interview, she was red-eyed, and scowling, her papers crumpled in her fists. She shut the door in Officer Ueno's face and slumped in the chair that faced Maki. Maki furrowed her brows, leaned forward and gingerly reached to squeeze Emi's trembling fists.

"Right," Officer Ueno said, glaring at the class, "Anyone else who goes into these interviews with the intent to actively waste our time will be taken to the station and issued with a fine. Do I make myself clear?"

Maki hissed through her teeth. Naseru scowled. Ueno really wasn't receptive about this being a pattern, was she? But hadn't Makoto indicated something similar? He didn't want to say anything about Mae because he didn't know, and he didn't want to give Emi false hope, but it did sound suspicious, almost like a pattern. Two high school girls from the same class had disappeared. Whether Ueno wanted to acknowledge it or not. How could she be so blind; spring break was only ten days long, and Mae disappeared off the face of the planet fifteen days ago, max. 

Naseru made a fist and got his phone out of his pocket as Ueno called for the next person to leave; Itou Maki, forcing her to go ahead and abandon Emi as she festered in rage. He sent a hasty text to Makoto.

'We'll find them. Both of them. Sayuri and Mae.'