••●••

'Hope is being able to see that there is light despite all of the darkness'
— Desmond Tutu

••●••

Ayame joined the Student Council. Rumours spread throughout the school about it all since the empty fourth seat in the SC was finally filled.

Though despite the cheerful environment, things within the CRF became worse than ever, both due to the fact that Ayame had left and also that they were headed nowhere with the case. Ayame was always the one to instigate all of the events and investigations so without her, things were just... dull.

Even after a few days, Yasuo stopped coming because he felt disgusted in that room. Mayumi, Katsura, Haru, and even Ryuu focused themselves on other things. With the way things were, and the feeling of betrayal from Ayame and her "amnesia," everyone had given up on the case.

They all relied on Ayame too much, and they all knew that without her, solving the case would be futile. But what else could they do? It wasn't like they could cure her amnesia; the best idea would be to keep their distance from her and let her remember naturally. So that's why they were waiting. Stuck waiting for their reliable senior to come back.

Seeing everything happen before him, Tadashi knew he had to act fast. He needed to bring Ayame back, and soon. They couldn't stop this case here. They couldn't just give up and wait for something to happen. Maybe it was only because he knew, but if they wanted Ayame to come back, he needed to bring her back by force.

"Hmm~ What do you need here at the SC, Tadashi~?" Hitomi Watanabe stood before Tadashi and he flinched.

"Oh, uh, I..."

The female's chartreuse eyes narrowed in amusement. "Ah..." Opening the door completely, Hitomi held a hand to her mouth and hollered, "Ayame, you have a visitor~!"

No later than a few seconds, said female emerged from the room. Tadashi's heart pounded at the sight of her. Ayame adjusted the Student Council Treasurer armband frowning at him, and even Tadashi had to admit she was in a whole different league. Since Ayame had been ignoring the SC for almost three years, he never really noticed how right she'd look within them. She fitted right in; so much she could even be labelled President and everybody would accept it.

"What do you need, Matsumoto Second Year?" Ayame asked, furrowing her eyebrows. "Make it quick. We're in the middle of having a meeting right now."

"U-Uh..." Tadashi cleared his throat, his nervousness seizing him.

Ayame raised an eyebrow at him, only increasing his discomfort.

Taking a deep breath, Tadashi mustered up all his courage. "I think you should come back to the CRF."

Ayame eyed him incredulously. "The CRF?" Her poise fell. "I already said I have no business with that club."

"B-But—"

"The CRF isn't beneficial. I do not need it. If that's all you wanted to say, I'll be returning." Ayame spun on her heels. Tadashi's eyes barely skimmed Atsushi sitting inside, but his expression was as clear as day. It was wistful and filled with sadness.

Tadashi's eyelids shot up and a new sensation of courage overwhelmed him. "Kobayashi!"

Ayame halted, and Hitomi and Kazuma watched Tadashi in awe to his booming voice.

"The Kobayashi I know wouldn't run away like that." The robot flinched but Tadashi didn't stop. "You probably think you're ignoring the club, but what you're really trying to ignore is the truth! I—"

"Ayame," Kazuma interjected, sparing the two of them a look, "you're excused from this meeting."

Ayame's mouth dropped slightly, and so did a shocked Atsushi's. Hitomi simply smirked in amusement.

Ayame stormed down the hallway after grabbing her stuff. Tadashi raced after her.

"Kobayashi! Wait—"

Stopping abruptly, the violet-eyed female glowered at Tadashi, sending chills down his spine. With an aggravated huff, she exited the building.

Tadashi frowned to himself at his failure. "I need her to hear me out..."

He nodded determinedly.

"If she does, there's a higher chance she'd remember!"

☻☺☻

"Kobayash—" The door slammed closed on the brunet's face, leaving him outside the SC's doors. He sighed loudly. Not today either...

"Tadashi!" Looking back, Tadashi's gaze fell upon Ryuu who was sauntering up to him. He wore a small smile once he arrived.

"Hey." Tadashi walked up to greet him.

Ryuu quirked an eyebrow at him. "Why are you here? This is the SC's..." Words trailed off when his eyes widened. Instantly, he gave him a sour look. "Tadashi, no matter how much you try, Kobayashi—"

"You don't know that for sure," Tadashi cut him off.

Ryuu gaped at how serious he looked. It was the first time he'd seen him like this. "But she has—"

"When we figured out about Chiaki," Tadashi enunciated, his eyes boring into his, "and also when I locked myself up in my room—along with plenty other things too, Kobayashi is the one who helped me get through it. She helped us all get through it. Her presence and her thoughts; it's something we need to move on with this case, Ryuu, and we all know it."

He had a point. Ryuu's head dropped. "Yeah, but..."

"If one of us had amnesia, Kobayashi wouldn't abandon them," he went on. "I know she'd at least try to do something about it, like she does for everything else. I definitely don't want to leave her behind. I want to solve this case..." Clenching his fists, precious memories of his time at the CRF, and all of its irreplaceable members, flashed through his mind. "And we need Kobayashi to put an end to it."

To his surprise, Ryuu exhaled a breath, scratching the back of his head. "I don't think Kobayashi betrayed us either, even though Yasuo keeps saying that this whole amnesia thing's a fraud... Even you're bursting with determination, which is extremely rare, too."

Ryuu flashed him a smile.

"I'll help you," he relented. "What should we do?"

☻☺☻

Doing what Tadashi never could, the next day, Ryuu brought in Haru, Mayumi, Katsura, and Atsushi. He had convinced them of the idea of Ayame, and that it was up to them to help bring her back.

Even though it seemed like ages, hope was filled within the teens once again.

"So what's the plan, leader?" Ryuu asked, giving him a smile. The other teens spared him interested stares also.

Tadashi blinked rapidly but before he could speak, the door opened, revealing a certain blond.

"Yasu-chin~!" Haru gasped, biting into his snack.

Yasuo Ishikawa glanced away, frowning sourly. "I haven't been in the clubroom for a while so I just came to see how things are going."

Ryuu snickered at his words. "Aww, Yasuo's being bashful."

Yasuo flushed in both embarrassment and anger. "N-No, I'm not—!"

"Enough of that," Katsura cut him off and Yasuo stopped mid-yell. Her dark mocha hues reflected her haste. "We need to bring back Miss Kobayashi, so our focus should only be on that. You could continue with those petty excuses later on, Ishikawa."

"Petty..." Yasuo twitched.

"You don't know what it means?" Ryuu asked him in surprise. He rose a finger. "Petty means of little importance. Basically something that's trivial. So Inohara was saying your excuses—a reason put forward to conceal the real purpose for an action—are worthless at the moment."

A few more animated veins popped onto Yasuo's head and he grabbed Ryuu into a headlock. "You don't have to freakin' explain it! I already knew what she meant!"

"I-I was just trying to be helpful!" Ryuu screamed, clawing at his arm for freedom. "M-Mercy!?"

"Matsumoto, what is the plan?" Atsushi asked seriously, disrupting the facetious tension in the air.

Once more, all eyes were on the brunet.

Swallowing hard, Tadashi told them the plan he had in mind.

"Since Kobayashi has been avoiding me because she knows I'm trying to get her to come back, I know me convincing her into returning to the clubroom won't work. I bet the Student Council has another meeting today, so before she could get there, I need Ryuu to distract her." Yasuo released his hold on Ryuu and after glaring at him and rubbing his neck gingerly, Ryuu nodded.

Tadashi turned his gaze to Katsura and Atsushi.

"From there, Inohara and Atsushi will talk to Upperclassman Kurosaki and Upperclassman Watanabe about what is going on. While that's happening, I need... Yasuo to somehow interrupt Kobayashi and Ryuu while they're talking and lead her to the clubroom where I'll be waiting."

Even though he seemed uncooperative, Yasuo bobbed his head up and down.

"Haru." The orange-haired teen lit up excitedly and Tadashi cracked a small smile. "Keep your distance from us and eat your snacks someplace else."

Haru's jaw fell in disbelief and everyone tried to stifle a laugh — Ryuu and Yasuo failing miserably.

"T-Tadashinn!" Haru cried. "That's—"

"I was just kidding," laughed Tadashi, swinging an arm around Haru's shoulder. He was back, wasn't he. "I need you to do this..." Tadashi whispered it in Haru's ear and a huge grin consumed his face as he nodded his head vigorously.

He mock saluted. "Got it, leader!"

Seeming satisfied with their tasks, Tadashi caught their attention once more before they could say anything.

"Everyone, can I ask for a favour?"

Blinking, the five teens averted their attention to him.

"When Kobayashi enters this room, can I be alone with her, please?" Tadashi inquired, startling them. "Being with a huge crowd with all of us telling her to return will only steer her away. I recommend only one person to talk her into it. Her memory might return that way. Would it be all right... if I was that person?"

Though Tadashi didn't seem to notice, everyone's eyes were as wide as saucers. They couldn't believe what they were hearing. Before one of them could comment, Ryuu held out a hand to stop them. With a short laugh, he gave a puzzled Tadashi a huge grin.

"Got it," Ryuu agreed for the rest of them, "Kobayashi's in your hands, Tadashi."

☻☺☻

With the cooperation of the other members, Ayame entered the CRF clubroom with the thought that Yasuo wanted to speak with her. To her surprise, Tadashi was the one standing there.

Ayame let out a sigh, looking away. "I should've known."

"Kobayashi, will you please just hear me out?" Tadashi pleaded but the female turned the other way.

"No," she stated firmly, turning around and leaving the room. "I have a meeting today so if you'll—"

The door to the clubroom slammed shut on her face, shocking her. Tadashi let out a relieved breath, glad that Haru did it in time. One second later and she would've left.

"What is the meaning of this?" Ayame demanded, masquerading her surprise with a deadpanned expression.

Tadashi narrowed his eyes, even with Ayame's cold gaze locked with his. With the shake of her head, Ayame turned to face him. She crossed her arms, frowning.

"I'll give you ten minutes," she said. "Regardless of whether you're finished or not, I will leave. That's good enough, right?"

An elated smile lifted up on Tadashi's face and he nodded. Ayame took a seat while Tadashi began to explain everything to her, all to jog her memory. The first Crime Games. About Moriko Kitoshi and Izumi Shinzo. About Iori Yutaka and Kiyoshi Oogawa and their gamble. About Katsura Inohara's duty. About Mr. Nobuo and Yasuo's declaration of the CRF history. About Ryuu and Saya and Chiaki. Tadashi's personal stage of woe. Everything.

Tadashi believed himself to be imagining things because as he went on with each and every one, Ayame's eyes had begun to soften in great interest. She even began asking questions as well. Once he hit the ten minute mark though, Tadashi stopped midway through Mayumi and Mayuki's event. Ayame's gaze never left him, as if she didn't even realize it herself.

"U-Um..." Tadashi stammered anyway, his gaze shifting between Ayame and the floor beneath him. "The ten—"

"Matsumoto."

Ayame's voice jolted him and Tadashi blinked rapidly. Ayame closed her eyes as she put her hand under her chin, in a way of thought she always did.

"It is odd..." she went on, opening her eyes again. "But it does seem somehow familiar... Maybe this information has already been implanted into my previous database?"

The white-haired female rose to her feet, her eyes locked with Tadashi's.

"I really didn't want to listen to you at first. Don't get me wrong, Matsumoto, I do believe your words are true. I do, but..." She struggled to find the words. "In my database, you aren't above average nor below average, yet you still possess everyone's trust. And even though this is the first time I've properly spoken to you since my data was reset, I could feel a strong sense of nostalgia... Even those stories...

"However." Ayame's face hardened, causing Tadashi to lose all the hope he was beginning to have. "Regathering lost data in my system is impossible. You may know who the previous Ayame Kobayashi was, but I do not. So even if you tell me all this, I can't help in this case now. Even if I wanted to, this case is too much to handle at the moment, and honestly, it doesn't seem like it's my responsibility and obligation to help. Right now, the Student Council is the right place for me and it's a place I want to stay."

Tadashi's face fell.

"I do wish you all luck, and if Kurosaki is involved with this all, let him in with whatever information you can. It is unfortunate, and it would be a lie for you to think that I can't help, so instead I'll say that I will try my best to fulfill what you guys want of me. Approach me whenever you would like."

Ayame was just about to exit the room, but Tadashi's next few words stopped her.

"You're wrong, Kobayashi."

"Huh?" Ayame questioned, rotating her body to face him.

Tadashi clenched his fists. "We don't want you back in this case only because of your sharp deductive skills, or your intel and ideas, we want you back because you're you!

"Everyone in this case has played a major role in it all, but if we lose you, this case won't go on any further. It may be selfish of me to say this, but... it doesn't matter to me that you're an android, Kobayashi. Sure it does explain a lot, and it makes sense how you gathered information so fast, but I'm saying this because I know. To put an end to this case, we need our Ayame Kobayashi back."

Tadashi's eyes shone with strong sincerity and honesty, it made something in Ayame stir.

His expression softened with remembrance to what she had told him.

"The Ayame Kobayashi I know isn't someone who would run and hide when something out of her reach happened. Her motto was to stand up, get something done, and to never give up."

Ayame's eyelids shot up and her eyes shrunk back exponentially. Her head dropped, her mouth agape, as everything hit her like a brick to the face. She staggered backwards. That... she thought in disbelief.

"I want to still believe that the Ayame Kobayashi we met is still there and isn't gone."

Ayame peered up into Tadashi's straightforward look. Seeing his face sent a flood of emotions through her.

"We need you, Kobayashi." He shut his eyes. "Please—please come back—"

A small chuckle snapped Tadashi's undivided attention to Ayame, who was staring at the ground. "You really are full of surprises, Matsumoto..."

Tadashi's pale green hues shrunk back. "H-huh?"

Raising her head, Ayame's smile made Tadashi's heart stop. "You never do know when to stop or give up. But, I suppose that may be the reason why I'm charmed by you. You're like the others, but unlike them at the same time."

Behind Ayame, the door to the CRF open, and in poked in Ryuu's head.

"Is it over?" Haru asked while his and the other club members' heads poked in as well.

Tadashi and Ayame faced the group, clearly not expecting their entrance.

The door opened completely, and Ryuu looked at Tadashi, concern obvious on his face. "Is she back?"

Tadashi flinched and his eyes drifted onto Ayame again. Was she... back? he thought with a gulp.

Before he could dare reply, Ayame faced the members before her. She crossed her arms. "Shouldn't you be asking me that yourself, Sasahara?"

Ryuu's mouth dropped along with everyone else as Ayame's one-of-a-kind smiles was back again. A true, genuine one.

"I'm back."

☻ ☺ ☻

Ugh, I hate myself. My most cheesy few chapters of all so far, lol. What do you guys think of those two together huh?

As for a shipname, courtesy of one of my readers, would be 'Tadame' ha ha. (These chapters are for you ♥)

Anyways, next chapter's gonna be back to finding the big culprit because I have detoured this story enough~!

Once again, comment who you think the mastermind could be! Or their right-hand man? A little hint?

One (or maybe even both(?)) are characters mentioned in the story so far!

Any guesses yet?

Vote, Comment, Read On ❤

-Misty