*Media of various blushing Mamoru ^.^*

Mamoru's PoV

Director Sakai is the second uncle of Minami, on his mother's side. And since he was also in the detectives' field, we met eventually. He quit being a soldier and took on the place of director at that Academy after he retired.

As an excuse to go see how Kyoko was doing, I head over to the main school building to see Sakai.

"Kishi!" he says awkwardly as soon as he saw me, it was as if my surname reminded him of someone, "glad you came by! Did you need something?"

"Actually...." We exchange a pat on the shoulder before I got down to business, "I need a favor."

He raised his eyebrows a little. I never asked him for help before.

"It's about my daughter." I blurted out.

His mouth opened, then closed. Then opened again.

"Yeah, yeah, it's surprising." I ran a hand through my hair.

"Was it... Kyoko Kishi?" He clearly remembered the name the first time he saw it. "She's out on a special mission today."

I couldn't help but feel slightly disappointed, but at the same time curious on what her mission was.

I cracked the smallest smile, "Do me a favor, and double her training menu, yea?"

Jayden's PoV

"Eh...but Kyoko's the only girl in our year." Yoshiro says. I told them my story as we drove to the hotel, "What did you say her appearance was like again?"

I frowned a little in thought, "Straight, jet-black hair. At that time it was to her waist. She almost always wore skirts. She seemed quite high-class and elegant, now that I analyze."

Yoshiro laughed, "that is definitely the exact opposite of our Kyoko. I'm sure if she had a choice, she'd wear track pants every day."

"I see." I murmured. So then...can she be older than me?

No matter, I'm going to find her.

"By the way, where is she?" I asked. The suits they made me wear was getting uncomfortable.

"She said there was no way in hell she'd ever wear a dress again, so she's hiding inside somewhere, somehow."

From what I've heard so far, this Kyoko girl really sounds like a tomboy. The three of us split up as we head into the hotel lobby. Takumori covers the ground floor, Yoshiro will travel around the floors, and I will head straight up to the VIP floor.

When the double doors opened, the first thing I did was slip through the opening and crotch down behind a large pot plant. Hey, it's what they do in movies!

The hotel staff around were all too busy preparing to notice me anyway.

Takumori told me Kyoko would probably meet me up here, but I don't see her anywhere. She must be a good investigator if she's this good at hiding.

Um...what do I do now?

Let's see...if they want the entrance to be hidden... it's only logic that they locate it at the back of the room, furthest away from the elevator.

My heart rate increased slightly from the nerves, but I tugged on my suit collar to smooth out any possible creases. Alright, my entire life experience builds up to this point.

I stood up, as if I just got out the elevator. I open my eyes half-liddedly, and a small half smile played on my lips. All those years of drama class really paid off now.

"...Who is that...?" Very soon I hear murmurs as I stride boldly right across the room.

"E-Excuse me!" a rather high voice called out. I tried my best to make my hair sway naturally out of my face as I turned to that voice.

A young hotel maid blushed furiously as I made eye contact. Some other maids around her turned.

"Y-You can't...be up here... until the IVC s-starts."

What do I do...what do I do...what do I do...what do I do...!

I chant in my head but I only smiled sheepishly on the outside.

"I apologize, this is the first time my father actually allowed me here on my own. He's rather protective." I realize that sounded a bit forced after it came out, but the women around didn't seem to think so. "I mean, I don't blame him." I made my tone sound just right as if I'm from a very wealthy family who might face kidnapping issues. "Even though I'm already twenty-two. I guess it's just fatherly love, huh?"

It wasn't that hard to strike up a conversation with them after that. Their eyes literally shined when they heard my made-up age. I suppose they're around the same age.

Now...how do I get myself out of this mess...?

"Hey...what's your name?" one of them asked. So many options but my actual name ran through my head that I was literally caught up.

Just then, the elevator door opened with a small ding.

Thank Neptune.

I pretend to be distracted by the elevator when I'm really begging Yoshiro for help. He didn't need to be speechless for more than three seconds as he walked up to me with a big grin.

"Kaede... You've chatted up some pretty ladies already?" He lightly punched me on the shoulder. How dare he give me a fake name that means a leaf....

"Kaede... that's such a cute name...!" I fail to see how, but I've officially got them wrapped around my finger. Now I just need Yoshiro to continue that.

"You ladies keep talking with my friend, Itsuki, here, a'ight? He's a year older than me." I left with a small wink to the girls before Yoshiro could say anything in protest. I felt satisfied now that I gave him a name that meant tree.

Gosh I need to sharpen my acting skills.

Now that most people on the floor were distracted, I roamed down the hall freely until I came up to a small bar stand at the very back of the floor. It was really unnoticeable.

I walked around the counter and saw a door. It was locked, and only a key card can open it.

I looked around, a woman who looked like the head maid around here was carrying a lot of folders from the other side of the room. Target secured.

While the lot of folders were slightly blocking her vision, I walk right into her blind spot. The stack of folders perfectly hit my shoulder, some fell.

"Watch—" the lady in her 30s was about to scold me until she saw me, "I-I mean, sorry, I wasn't having the clearest view behind all this stuff, haha.."

I did my best to smile at her awful personality and bent down to pick up the few folders on the ground. I stood on her right side while giving her back the folders, meanwhile, my other hand snatched her worker ID card off the left side of her jacket.

"I'm the one who's sorry to bump into such a lovely lady." I bowed a little at her with the most gentlemanly smile I could muster.

"It's totally fine!"

I walked away with a final smile as fast as I could. That was creepy....

After making sure she was out of sight, I tapped the card and unlocked the door. Then, I tossed the card to where she just passed by, so then she'll later think she just dropped it along with the folders.

Entering that door, I was faced with a small room full of mirrors. There was literally nothing else in the room but walls of mirrors.

There was no reason for them to lock the door to a room like this. There has to be more to it.

First, I took up my camera and took a few photos.

Uhh...now what do I do... gosh I don't know anything about these detective stuff! Am I supposed to pull a magnifying glass out of nowhere and start looking for footprints?

The door already automatically locked behind me, so no one other than head staff can get in now.

I walked by all the mirrors and tried knocking on some of them.

The one at the back felt just a bit hollower than the rest. I knocked on it a few more times before pushing on it by various spots. Finally, one of them moved.

"Ohh this is it!" I exclaimed when the glass door slid to the side, revealing the hidden elevator I've heard so much about.

The excitement of actually making a discovery spread across my face as I took up my camera to snap a photo.

There was only one button in the elevator, which proved that this was used only to get to the auction hall. I pressed it.

The elevator leads directly underground many, many levels until I was sure I was more than five floors below ground.

As soon as the doors open, the first thing I saw was two rays of strong light shining onto a large stage.

However inexperienced I am, even I could tell this was an auction.

Looks like this auction goes on in day time while IVC is under preparation as well.

I grinned, this might be our biggest accomplishment yet. As soon as I get a clear shot of this hall, the picture will automatically transfer to my laptop, then even if the one on my camera was forcefully deleted, I'll still have proof on my laptop.

I walked to the edge of the balcony, and focused my lens on the stage, where a statue was being auctioned off.

All of a sudden, a hand grabbed the front of my camera, blocking off the shot completely.

A shiver ran down my spine when possibilities ran through my head. This could be an illegal participant of the auction, or worse, an auctioneer.

Who knows what they can do to—

I lower down my camera to see a girl. In a pair sweat pants and dark green hoodie. I'm positive I've never seen her before, but I knew who she was right away.

"You've pretty good to have made it all the way here, for someone who doesn't even want to be a detective or investigator." She forced me to put my camera down.

"...What about you?" I said, any tone of light emotion gone in my voice, "If a hotel hiding something as big as this wanted to, they can get rid of your friends up there as soundlessly as they want. And what're you doing? Having found this black market but not helping them?"

Instead of answering my question, she asked something totally off topic, "Do you have a family?"

"What?"

"Even if you're not all that close with your parents, there will always be that undeniable blood relation there. Therefore, it's only humane to look out for them, right?" I could tell it took all she's got to say that.

"So basically, your parents are involved with these auctions, and you're hiding the entire thing because of that?" I ask in a bewildered and angered tone.

But she stared at me right back with blank eyes, "Yes."

However, I didn't expect that answer.

My mind processed quickly. It's most likely that she didn't find out about this either until just recently. Since Yoshiro explained to me how just yesterday she was analyzing carefully the secrets about the auction, and most of her predictions turned out to be true. If this is where she's going at, she wouldn't have let out those important secrets in the first place.

"I heard you're here for a specific reason. And by here I mean Japan." She says, "I have much more police experience than you do, don't you think I'd find a person much faster than an amateur photographer?"

Her words were insulting, but she's trying to negotiate.

She's got a fair point, I just found out she wasn't in the same year as me. It's completely possible that she can be anywhere in the country. Besides, just because she has an acceptance letter, doesn't mean she actually plans to attend that school.

I'm starting to doubt the amount of information I actually have.

She pointed to me, "You keep this a secret, and cooperate with me to tell all the others, including Takumori and Yoshiro, that this hotel has no illegal secret as such." Then she pointed to herself, "in return, I'll put my best effort in finding the person you're here for."

I swallowed. Is it that much that I'm willing to hide an illegal black market auction..?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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To all those people who won't stop asking 'when're you updating next?'

Here's your answer:

When I feel like it.

K? Stop asking that now pls. I appreciate the "plz update soon" and "can't wait for the next update" but not when am I updating next.

Aliiiiight my last exam of the semester is on Wednesday ^^_^^ I'll be free soon

OHSHC Confession: I don't like Haruhi LOL

January 25, 2016

Thnx for reading

-Lily ❤

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