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Rue's PoV

Ken stands firm at the front of the club's door. We all look at him with shocked expressions as silence fills the room, and why shouldn't we be? Ken said that he's leaving the club the moment he opened the door.

"Why...?" Varu breaks the silence with his shaking voice, "Y-You're joking, right?"

Ken is there like a pillar, not moving, not listening, no emotions. "I'm leaving the club. I had no reason to join in the first place," he says bluntly.

"Then why did you join in the first place?" Riese says, his tone more composed than Varu's.

"I don't need to tell you anything," Ken turns away and proceeds to leave. Varu calls out to him, but it just goes to deaf ears. Why did he suddenly decide to leave... and after yesterday? We promised we'd do our best. Was that just a hollow promise? No, it couldn't have been... right?

And with that, the High Flyers Club has 4 members now. The star that was supposed to symbolize us has lost one side. Should I even call it a star, still?

"Given that he was in good mood yesterday, then it must've happened when he came back home," he is looking down at the floor, thinking out loud before he lifts his head and puts up a smile. "This is good!" Riese says. We all turn our attention to him, confused on what he just said.

"What do you mean 'this is good'? Ken just left the club," Tabitha yells, but Riese just ignores her and starts thinking.

"We've lost one side of our star," I mutter, my voice shaking. I feel the atmosphere dampen, which makes me slightly regret what I said, but it doesn't seem to be affecting Riese.

"We didn't lose one side of our star. Remember when I said each side is each other's story? This is his, and this is the start of the first chapter. We'll find out what's wrong with Ken and help him," Riese says with a fisted paw raised slightly and eyes determined to help.

"But... he left the club," Varu's words shook all of us. It's been repeated several times, but it was still the truth, and nothing can change that. Nevertheless, Riese still brought with him his smile.

"He said he didn't need to tell us anything. That means he has his reasons. That's what I think, anyways. But let's continue this chat later, we need to follow Ken to his home," Riese says excitedly as he rushes to his bag and picks it up.

"Follow Ken to his home?" Varu asks. I also wonder what Riese is up to at this point.

"Ooh, and we can be like spies or ninjas and stay hidden," Tabitha adds with a whispering tone, excitement obvious in her voice.

"I know right! It'll be a fun experience," Riese says with his paws on his hips, prepared.

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Tabitha swiftly grabs her back and puts it on, "Let's go, otherwise we'll lose him!" Tabitha runs outside at top speed.

"Right behind ya," Riese follows, also running at top speed.

"W-Wait!" Varu hurries to get his bag and so do I. I almost stumble down after closing the door then follow Varu who's also following the two runners. Why, exactly, are we going to Ken's home? We don't really need to...

When we reach the front door of the school, we see Ken still unlocking the chains of his bike. We don't see Riese and Tabitha anywhere as we look around, but our attention is turned to Ken's when he notices us. His eyes emotionless along with his face.

"H-Hey, Rue, y-you know that game?" Varu tries to start a conversation.

"What game?" I ask.

"I'm trying to act casual," Varu whispers to me. I glance at Ken and he's still looking at us with emotionless eyes.

"O-oh, that game. Yeah, I know about that game." I try to act as casual as possible, but I get caught in the moment of explaining the game that I didn't realize I was babbling a lot about it. I realize I'm talking about a game about hope and despair. Other students pass by, giving us odd glances, but I'm in too deep about explaining the game.

After a while of me babbling about the game and Varu, who is oddly showing a poker face, listening to me, I hear the sound of pedaling. I take a glance and Ken's already off.

"Ah, he's getting away!" Tabitha pops out on top of a tree near us.

"This is bad," Riese appears from behind the front door, surprising us a bit, then chases after Ken at full speed, "Let's go!" The two of us follow along with Tabitha, who jumps off the tree then lands safely.

"You know... I was gonna play that game... then I realized that you were spoiling me..." at that moment, guilt is making me speechless, "I wish I can unhear what you just said," Varu says, a stream of salty tears flowing from his eyes.

"I... I'm sorry!" I yell back with guilt.

The four of us follow Ken stealthily, hiding at any possible hiding spot available, including a trash can where Riese actually hid. It's like something out of an anime, now that I think about it. Ken keeps giving glances behind him, which makes me think that he knows we're following him.

"Do you really think he doesn't notice us?" Varu whispers to us. I also have a feeling the he does know, and that feeling was correct when he suddenly starts to pedal faster.

"Wow, I don't know if that was a jinx or coincidence. Anyways, after him!" Riese gives a command, and we do what was told. We run as fast as we can, but I'm starting to lose my breath after a few minutes of extensive chasing. I'm the first one to stop and take a breather, followed by Varu.

"I'm... not... into running," Varu says, panting with paws on his knees.

"It's amazing those two can still run," I say as I watch the Riese and Tabitha still giving chase, and still carrying their bags. "They don't look tired from all this running, it's amazing."

"Yeah, they're quite athletic," Varu sits down, places his bag beside him, then leans on a wall, "I think we should wait here. We can just message them when we need to." I nod in agreement and sit down beside Varu.

We wait for them to come back. Five minutes. Ten minutes. Thirty minutes passes by and they still haven't come back. Varu sent a message twice, but they still haven't replied. We watch the sky as it looks like the sun is gonna set soon, leaving an orange hue above.

"I think we should get going..." Varu says as he stands up. "They still haven't come back... and they didn't reply... maybe we should call it a day and head home," Varu says, a bit uncertain of himself.

"Yeah, maybe we should-- ah!" I just realized! "Dad might still be waiting for me at school!" without second thoughts, I grab my bag and run as fast as I can before I realize that I'm somewhere I don't know.

"Where... are we, anyways?" I look around. I really don't know where I am. I feel a sudden surge of anxiety going through my body. I'm lost... where am I...? I... don't like being lost. I don't want to be lost again. Without knowing, my mind starts to break down. Everything around me starts to turn black, as if a picture is being burned, leaving nothing but ashes. Ashes of those memories that I want to forget. I don't want to remember... I don't want to!

A light touch snaps me out, bringing me back to the place where I once stood. The sidewalk where I ran from, the sky that is turning dark, and the sight of different houses and buildings. I turn my head around and see Varu lightly patting on my shoulder. My anxiety disappears the moment I saw him, but it turns into guilt afterwards. Still, I let out a sigh of relief.

"I'm sorry... I ran without thinking..." I say nervously, pushing my index fingers to each other in guilt.

"Nah, it's fine. I'd be like that if I had someone waiting for me," Varu says, "C'mon, we should get going. I'm kinda familiar of this place, so I think I know where the school is. Even if we are lost, I have a GPS on my phone."

"Oh, right, GPS..." I echo absent-mindedly. I forgot, I don't need to be scared of being lost, anymore. I have my own phone with GPS. When I get lost again, I can just check up on my phone.

"Well, let's go." Varu says, leading the way. I follow him, glad that I finally have a friend by my side now.

Varu and I walk a bit of distance, then we reach the school at last. I see Dad's car in front of the gate. I apologize to Dad for being late, but he says he doesn't mind and that he was able to play the new game he bought the other day. Slightly offended, I retort at him at why he bought a game without telling us, but I'm also relieved that he isn't angry and just lets out a laugh. I say goodbye to Varu before I get in the car, but Dad asks Varu if he wants to take a ride home. Varu declines politely, saying his house is just near. After that, we take off as Varu starts to walk back home.

"Dad," Dad hums in response, "it's not like you to ask someone if he wants to take a ride home, especially since you don't know where he lives. Unless..." I cast suspicion on Dad. It's not like him to contradict himself, and to keep secrets.

"I'm an esper," Dad says bluntly.

"Danganronpa?" I asks, and he laughs in response.

"Of course. She's best girl, you know."

"She's not best girl, and you know what happened to her."

"Same can be told to your best girl."

Dad laughs it off. I smile, but I still haven't taken my suspicion of Dad. Contradicting himself is one thing, but keeping it a secret? We never keep any secret to ourselves, and they won't keep a secret from me... right? Well, I'll wait... maybe if I wait long enough, they'll tell me. I trust them enough for that.

---

The next day, we assemble at the club room and, as expected, Ken didn't come. I was hoping that what he said was just a joke, but I guess it was not. Still, there may be new information now, like where Ken's house is so we can visit him.

"We weren't able to catch him," Tabitha says bluntly. I guess there's no new information... I can't help but feel down that we weren't able to find where Ken lives.

"But I do have a proposition," Riese says, eyeing me and Varu. Why do I have a bad feeling about this?

"What proposition?" Varu asks. Riese shifts his attention towards me with a stern gaze, then to Varu, then back to me.

"Thing is, we're very easy to sense," Riese says vaguely, but I think I know what he's trying to say.

"What do you mean?" Varu asks.

"When you see a big present box in front of you, you're attracted by its presence, right? But you didn't notice that there's actually a very small present box beside it. It's something like that. Since we went as a group, we were easy to sense--"

"So only one of us should follow him?" I ask. It is obvious where this is going.

"Yes, and I'm counting on you," Riese smiles at me. I stare it him, dumbfounded, not being able to say anything for a while, before going into a panic tone. I was expecting Varu to do it since they probably knew each other better.

"M-Me? But I, I can't do it... I mean, I'm not--"

"If we were giving chase, Tabitha or I would've been the better choices, but we're not giving chase. We are following him, yet we mustn't let him see us. Out of the four of us, you two are the least noticeable, but I chose you because you are the most least noticeable."

I don't have anything to say. Rather, I can't say anything. I am a bit offended that I'm the most least noticeable but that's not the point. A part of me doesn't want to do it, but a part of me does. I don't know if I can do it, but I am being trusted. I have to do it because I'm being trusted by my friends. I take turns looking at them. Tabitha looks at me, then throws a wide grin at me. Riese smiles at me and gives me a thumbs up. Varu, with a faint smile, says, "You can do it."

After looking at them, I feel motivated. They're counting on me, so I can't let them down. As their friend, who doesn't want to break a friend's trust, I'll do my best.

"Okay... I'll do it," I sheepishly say.

"Then that's settled. In the meantime, we'll be making a plan on how to save Ken." Riese says.

"Wait, what do you mean?" Varu asks.

"I've seen something like this happen in an anime. He's probably just hiding something from us that he can't tell even if he wants to. As his friends, we should always be there for him," Riese's words were right. As friends, we should always be there for Ken, even if he doesn't treat us as his friends.

"That was very corny. Where'd you get that from?" Tabitha mocks Riese.

"Animes and games have many great quotes, you know? I just made that myself." Riese lifts his head up high, his tail wagging with pride.

"You're basically contradicting yourself, dude," Varu says. Riese retorts, saying he wasn't contradicting himself, and the three bicker childishly. I can't help but let out a nervous laugh and smile.

I leave the room, leaving behind the imaginative trio to their planning as I pump myself up.

"Yosh, let's do this. If I complete this mission, I'll be able to find where Ken lives. And if we're really planning on 'saving' him..." my mind starts to blank out, "then he'll come back... And then... I'll finally be to know his reason why he left... and then... maybe, I can-- eek!" Riese snaps me out of my trance when he suddenly calls me from behind.

"You forgot your bag. It's not good if you don't remember where Ken lives. Mark it with your GPS on your phone or something. You have GPS, right?" Riese shoves my bag to me then says goodbye before closing the door.

"Uh... yeah..." I don't remember what I was talking about, but there's no time to lose. With high spirit, I run down the stairs and to the school entrance. At least, I was going to, when I accidentally bump into Ken and fall down.

Ken stands in front of me, his eyes emotionless but sends up chills up my spine. He was like a pillar, still, strong, not moving. A pillar shaped like a beast ready to pounce. I can't help but be scared at him without the others with me.

"Why are you so insistent?" Ken says, "You know what? Nevermind. I'm going home. I don't need to know that." Ken turns away and starts to walk outside.

"Why did you leave?" I shout at him without thinking. The moment he turned his head to me, giving me an emotionless, spine chilling glare, I freeze on the spot. He turns away again, theb proceeds to leave.

"He's leaving," I tell myself, "Chase after him." I keep saying to stand up, chase after him, but I can't seem to. It's like his glare actually froze me. My whole body became numb that I can't move. No matter how what, I can't seem to move until I remember the word "trust".

They trusted me. They trusted me that I can do it. If I can't do this, I'll break their trust. I don't want that. I don't want to break anyone's trust. I don't want them to know what I felt back then. Someone whose trust is broken, left with no one to trust, and finally being able to trust again. I have to be strong...!

With all my might, I slowly stand, unfreezing myself and finally being able to move. I can do this. I will do this! After a while of encouraging myself, I manage to fully stand up. I feel happy, my tail wagging strongly, that I was able to break free but I know it's not the time for that.

I rush towards Ken, forgetting that I actually just need to hide and follow him, but he doesn't seem to notice me so I'm able to hide behind the tree where Tabitha hid yesterday. I wait for the sound of pedaling before making my move.

*creak*

Not yet... it only made one sound. If I know better, I think he was testing to see if I rush towards him afterwards. I wait, and then the sound of pedaling continues and starts to fade. Now.

I look out slowly and he's not there. I'd have been at a disadvantage if I didn't know where he'd go first. I manage to remember what directions he went to first yesterday, before forgetting to keep track when he started to speed up. He went right first.

I go right, running to keep up my pace with him. He's there. So yesterday, he was really planning on going home but decided to lose us after a while. And there's something... something isn't right, ever since yesterday.

I manage to hide when he was about to turn to his back. I think he didn't notice me as I hear him pedaling afterwards. Something is wrong, and it's not because of the coincidence of there being a lot of hiding places. Most definitely not, it's something else.

I continue following him stealthily. He never seem to notice me after the last time. I guess what Riese said about us being easy to sense was true, but it also means that it supports the fact that I'm the least noticeable. There's nothing wrong with that aside from the feeling of mockery.

After a long while of following, he finally reaches his house. I'm more amazed on Ken's house rather than me being able to follow him without getting caught. I just stare at how amazing and huge his house was. Now that I think about it, Ken is the son of the famous businesswoman, Minami Aki. I shouldn't be surprised, but I still think the house is amazing. It's more of a mansion, really... I realize I've been staring for so long and snap myself out.

"So this is where Ken's house is..." I think to myself. After saying that, I remember when I bumped into Ken. He said why we were so insistent. How did he know that? Was he, maybe, eavesdropping? That's the only thing I can think of.

"Now, to mark where Ken lives," I murmur to myself as I get my phone from my bag and mark it. "Mission accomplished. I was able to follow him..." it was then I realize what was wrong. I was able to follow him. Rather, I was able to follow him while he's riding a bike. Logically, riding a bike is faster than following someone while also hiding. Same can be said yesterday.

Yesterday, we were able to follow him. When I think about it, his movement was slow, as if he wanted us to follow him. It was after a while when he suddenly goes faster. As for today, he was slow enough that I can follow...

"What does this mean, Ken...?" I ask, even though Ken's not here. I shake my head, "There's nothing to worry, we'll save you." I say to myself. No matter what, we'll be there for you.

*beep!*

"WUNYA!" I let out an unnecessarily high-pitch scream I shouldn't have. I blush in embarrassment, knowing that that scream was probably heard by nearby people. Uguu... who would... that's Dad's car... there's no denying it, that small fake license number with the characters "LL ILY"... now that I think about it, how is that possible?

"Hey, Rue, watcha doing here in front of Minami Aki's home?" Dad yells at me. I rush to him to shut his mouth with both my paws

"Shh!!!" I look back at the mansion, thinking if someone is watching us. Luckily, there's no one, but I immediately run inside the car and shakes my dad violently. "Dad, what did you think you're doing! You scared the living heck out of me!"

"I thought your scream was rather cute," Dad says bluntly with a smile. I can feel myself blushing and let go of Dad.

"A-at any case... we should leave here..." I say sheepishly. With that, Dad steps on the pedal and the car starts to move. I message the others that I found Ken's "mansion" and am already going home since Dad was on his way home.

"So, what were you doing there?" Dad asks. "Were you stalking someone?"

"N-No! Of course not! I was just following someone and finding out where he lives..." my voice starts to fade at the end because I just realize that it just sounded like I was stalking. "But it's not like you think! We're just worried about him!" I try to correct myself.

"Worried about him? Who?"

I hesitate in speaking. I don't know how to say it. Rather, I don't know if Dad'll understand, but he's an understanding dad, so maybe he will. I tell him about Ken, how he suddenly just left the club, how we tried to follow him and why I was very late when Dad picked me up, and how I tried to sneak my way to find Ken's house. He listens intently on all the words I say, humming and nodding from time to time.

"You know, you could've just told me this sooner. I know where Minami Aki's house here so I could've have you guys take there," he tells me, but I'm honestly not surprised.

"Well, you did pass by it," I think out loud. I could've told him, but I wouldn't have been able to experience something like that. It sounds creepy, someone following you without you noticing, but I'm doing this to find where Ken lives so we can save him. At least, I'm not someone useless anymore.

---

"Ohoho, nice work, Rue!" Riese pats me strongly at the back, making me gag. "With this, we'll be able to execute our plan. Operation: Break Down Door; Get Ken Back!" he says with pride, along with some air punching gestures

"Honestly, we never did anything. Riese actually got bored and just slept. He probably just made that on the fly," Varu chimes in with a nervous smile.

"I was sleeping, too," Tabitha says with a wide grin.

"Well, I now know that Ken lives in his mom's house, Minami Aki, so that's something, I guess?" I say weakly, but Riese's sharp ears perk at what I said.

"Did you say, Minami Aki?" Riese asks. "Haha! Then this makes it SO much easier! Operation: Break Down Door; Get Ken Back will be cancelled! I'll make up a plan and by Friday, we'll be able to execute it. Kehehe, this plan will definitely work, since I made it," Riese says with a fisted paw raised, his eyes sparkling with excitement.

"Hey, I'm rather not that confident with your plan. I mean, you just slept yesterday," Tabitha chimes in.

"This plan will involve me sleeping the whole night and make up the plan the moment I wake up, so don't worry. My plans are the best, you know," Riese says, filled with pride.

"That makes me more worried, actually," Varu nervously smiles as Tabitha and Riese bickers about Riese's plans. I stand beside Varu, watching the duo stretch each other's cheeks as they continue their bickering. I smile at the sight and think about Ken. If only he were here...

The next day, Riese says it's okay to not go to the club today. He says it's a rest day and we'll have to prepare for what we're going to do tomorrow. I'm kind of excited, yet nervous at the same time. Nonetheless, we're still going to save Ken... I think... Well, it's Riese. Based on what I've been seeing, he's rather random and kind of weird, but he'll always do what he wants to do and continues with it. He's like a happy-go-lucky character you see in animes. Very annoying to be with, but the moodmaker of the group.

Friday is here, and instead of going to the club room, we go straight to Ken's house. Riese comes, carrying with him what looks like a large scrolled paper. He unrolls it and reveals a map of what looks like Ken's house, complete with the ventilation shaft and... those arrows mean the route we're going to take, maybe? And other stuff that are unrelated.

"Where'd you get this?" Varu asks. I'm more on thinking on how he got it.

"I know someone whose father is the architect if this very mansion. He's still got the blueprint of this beauty and I copied it. Anyways, he told me that the ventilation shaft can also be used as an entrance of some sort, so he made it a bit bigger. I don't know why, though, but he said that that's what they wanted. I'd rather not go into detail. The point is, one of us, so that we won't make a ruckus, will go inside the ventilation and find the room where Ken is. After that... I guess we'll run somewhere far away with him?" Riese just shrugs it off with a smile. The three of us were rather expecting a... better idea?

"Dude, even if we run somewhere far, we're technically kidnapping someone...," Varu says with an annoyed face.

"Yeah, I'd rather not risk going to jail," Tabitha adds, leaving Riese in a state of overdramatic shock.

"But... but I made this plan so we can save Ken! Why hast thou forsaken me?" Riese fakes a tear and it rolls down his cheeks down to his paw holding a bottle of eye drops. "At any rate," Riese wipes his eyes with a smile, "we're still gonna do it. Let's change it a bit, then. Once the person finds Ken's room, he'll confront him and we'll talk through the phone. Sound good?"

It was definitely better than the last one, and with a higher probability of success. Tabitha, Varu and I agree with a nod.

"Good, alright then," Riese extends his paw containing an earpiece at me, "let's start."

"W-Wait, me again?" I yell. I cover my mouth in reflex. I hope no one heard that. I've been through enough embarrassment as it is. "W-Why me?" I want to save Ken, but I honestly think that someone else is better at this.

"Well, for one you're the smallest of the four of us, you're the most least noticeable, you're voice can be low enough that they won't hear, and that's about it. You're perfect for this," each adjective Riese says was like a heavy rock was dropped above me, but he continues afterwards, "and, because we trust in you. I feel like you and Ken would be able to understand each other more. Last week, Ken was talking about games that interests you, so maybe you can relate to him more than us."

I don't know why, but Riese's compliment made me feel stronger. Like something out of an anime where a character was given inspirational messages that he was able to win a fight. I guess they do work. With a deep sigh and determined eyes, I sheepishly nod and accept the earpiece.

"I won't let you guys down...!" I put on the earpiece and suddenly, a large burst of noise makes my ears rings, making me lose balance. I see Riese talking to me, but I can't seem to hear him. After a while, the voice starts to become blurry, then finally becomes clear.

"Dude, you made him deaf," Varu says at Ries nonchalantly.

"Hey, I'm sorry. I was just eager to test it," Riese says nervously. "Anyways, it looks like it worked since he became deaf, right? Okay, Operation: Bring Back Ken starts now!" Riese says, and we all raise our fisted paw. My ear is still ringing a bit, though.

Riese unscrews the grilles I enter the ventilation shaft quietly. Riese was right, it was big enough that I can move my tail without making much of a sound. It really was meant as an entrance, but why would the architect make something like that? I remember that they wanted to make this entrance, but doesn't that mean it'll be easier for a criminal to get inside? It's weird when I think about it.

"Mic check, mic check-- hey, you don't need to do a mic check, we know it's already working-- I think we still need to, to check if it's working even at a distance," I hear Riese's, Tabitha's, and Varu's voice respectively from the earpiece. "So, anyways, you'll need to climb a ladder to reach the second floor. It should just be straight ahead, over," Riese says.

"Copy that, over," I find it funny that I'm actually acting like this. But I can't smile yet. Not until we get Ken back. There's a ladder just up ahead, I just need to climb it to the second floor, right? Once I reach the end of the ladder, I hear someone talking. I can't tell who, the voices were unclear. "I'm gonna go check something, over."

I follow to where the voice came from, and later know that it was from two people, both female. They seem to be talking... fighting, about something. Their voices were raised, or rather, one of them has their voice raised. I'm able to find where it came from, and it leads me to a part where a light shines from below the grilles.

"You know he's not doing well already, but why do you continue to do this? Hasn't he suffered enough from this?" a woman, with voice raised, asked. A moment of silence came until one with a more composed voice spoke.

"I'm doing this for the sake of the Aki legacy. If he were to be dependent on someone, he'll be dependent on others. You should know this, right?" her voice is that of a professional, and it sends chills up my spine. I wonder who she is. I try to peek to see who they were, but my vision suddenly blurred.

"What's... going on..." I feel my eyelids getting heavier and heavier, my movement becoming numb. Everything is blurry until everything turned pitch black. I don't know what happened, but I feel very weak. I try to open my eyes, but they just wouldn't. With the last of my strength, I try to go back, but my body is so tired that it won't move. I fall flat on the cold metal of the ventilation shaft, and that's all I can remember.