Chapter One

The soft sound of rain pattered outside, as calm and gentle as music. It was a thankful sight to behold in the blistering days of August. Mayumi watched the rain, placing her hand on the apartment window. It's almost September… Maybe this last week will be better with the temperature.

"Mayumi! Come help with dinner!" Her mother called from the kitchen, interrupting her trance.

"Yes, Mom." Mayumi backed away from the window, letting the curtains slide back to envelope the glass. The journey to the kitchen was a mere few steps in their small apartment building. Her mother was crammed in between the kitchen and the bar table they sat at every meal. Her black hair was tied in a quickly done ponytail and an apron was tied around her waist. She didn't even look back at Mayumi, who had propped herself up on the table in wait, her gaze focused intensely on the contents of her frying pan. "Can you prepare the rice for me? Four bowls should suffice. Your father can have some whenever he gets back." She requested, briefly glancing at Mayumi. "Where's Aya?"

"She's doing homework in our room." Mayumi replied, carefully pouring a box of rice in the glass bowl her mother had laid out in advance. She avoided looking at her mother, feeling the heavy weight of guilt from lying. Her twin sister and her would help their mother with dinner every night before doing their homework afterwards. That much was true, however, Aya had requested Mayumi to lie for her with the promise of taking over her chores the next day. All that over a TV program… Mayumi sighed, tucking a long fringe of her bangs behind her right ear. Aya had wanted to watch an idol group perform at a concert she was unable to attend, something she'd complained about for days. She acts like such a child sometimes… Their mother had scolded Mayumi before for letting her sister talk her into things, but it still hadn't sunk in completely. Aya was the younger of the twins, so Mayumi wanted to take care of her.

Once the rice was finished, she placed equal portions in each bowl. "Can I take Aya and I's dinner to our room?" Mayumi asked as her mother added the katsudon onto the rice.

"Yes, just make sure to clean after yourselves." Her mother replied, finding more ways to keep herself busy by cleaning her utensils.

Mayumi picked up the two bowls and two pairs of chopsticks, leaving the small kitchen and ascending the stairs to their room. She carefully maneuvered her hands to open the door, making sure not a single bowl fell. Aya quickly changed the channel at the sound of the door creaking open, quickly turning around. She sighed with relief when she noticed Mayumi instead. "I thought you were Mom…"

"I already covered for you, you're fine." Mayumi reassured as she kicked the door shut and sat the bowls down onto the small table in the middle of the room. "You really should do your homework though. You're already a day behind and Mori-sensei has got onto you twice now."

"But English is too hard! When am I going to use it anyway?" Aya complained as she picked up a piece of katsudon and placed it into her mouth.

"You still have to take it. You need to study more." Mayumi lectured her sister in mild annoyance. The two of them were twins despite them being complete opposites of each other. They were identical in appearance, the same black hair, dark blue eyes, and facial features. Aya had longer hair and was an inch taller than Mayumi, though they were still misidentified by students who didn't know them. Personality-wise, they were nothing alike. Aya was more sociable, active, and participated in several clubs and sports, all of which Mayumi had no interest in. She preferred to be by herself, tending to other things that suited her more. She took her school work more seriously than Aya, constantly having to scold her for her procrastination.

"I know…" Aya sighed, staring into her bowl. "I'll do it after dinner, alright?"

"We have some breaking news to report." A female news reporter broke into the conversation, her face serious on the TV. "Two arrests have been made following the disappearance of a teenage boy earlier this month. The two juveniles were reported with various stolen objects at the time of their arrests and had been seen with the victim earlier the day he went missing. No body has been recovered and a police investigation is underway."

Aya changed the channel back to the concert she'd originally been watching. "Another missing person…" Mayumi muttered grimly, half to herself. "There's been so many lately."

"Yeah, but they've all been considered runaways or the investigations are dropped. It happens all the time." Aya looked at her, trying to be reassuring. "Anyway, you probably should start eating before it gets cold, because I'll take it if you don't."

Mayumi gave a half smile, clearing her thoughts of the missing boy. "Worry about yourself. You're already halfway done, you'll get sick eating that fast."

After dinner, they sat down at the table, a textbook laid onto the table. "I can't even read the first sentence… can't you do it for me instead?" Aya complained, laying her head on the table. Mayumi sighed and hit her sister with the flick of her finger. "Ow, what was that for, sis?!" She demanded.

"Remember the last time I did your homework?" Mayumi reminded her. "Mori-sensei clearly knew it wasn't you and we both got in trouble. They'd know this time too."

"He won't know the difference." Aya shrugged nonchalantly as she spoke.

"Yes, he will! Here, I'll help you, okay?" Mayumi offered. She wanted Aya to learn for herself, not to have her do all the work. She'll fail the exams for sure if she keeps relying on me to do all her work. She can't afford it when we have two years of high school left. It was only their first year of high school, though Mayumi still thought their academic performance mattered greatly.

"Okay." Aya agreed. Mayumi went through each sentence with her, reviewing each question carefully. To her relief, that was the only thing Aya had trouble with. The two both excelled at math and science, easily going through it. It was at least 11 pm by the time they finished, spending almost three hours with it.

"Ughhh, my head's spinning now… two days of homework is too much for me." Aya sighed as she collapsed onto the bottom bunk of their bed.

"Maybe now you'll listen to me." Mayumi pointed out. "And why are you on my part of the bed?"

"Because it's softer here. You have better blankets anyway." Aya replied. "Can't I stay in your bed tonight, sis?"

"Huh? Fine, I'll take the top bunk tonight, but only tonight!" Mayumi knew that probably wasn't true, but she wouldn't say that to her sister. She climbed up the ladder to the top bunk. She says mine is better but we have the same beds…

That night she found sleep difficult. She listened to the soft rain outside, tapping on the window outside gently. Anytime she'd hope to slip into sleep, she'd find her dreams haunted by the news report earlier. That's been the fifth disappearance since the one two years ago. It's been too frequent. Every case that occurred nagged at her endlessly, though she kept it to herself each time. None of the bodies are found if they are dead… every investigation ends. It's always the same. No one spoke about any of them, not even at their school. It was as if once the investigation was over, it disappeared forever, never to be brought up again. It makes no sense… What could make them forget about these things? She sighed, forcing herself to clear her thoughts. Instead, she focused on the sounds of rain and closed her eyes, hoping she'd soon drift off to sleep.

"Kinoshita-san." Yuuko Yamazaki, the girl's gym teacher for the past 10 years, called Mayumi's name. "Kinoshita-san!" She called again more sternly.

"Hm? Ah, sorry, Yamazaki-sensei!" Mayumi quickly adjusted her school shoes and stood up to attention. I've been too distracted this morning… She didn't eat much breakfast that morning nor had she focused properly during her first class. Her mother had fretted she was sick and suggested she'd stayed home, but Mayumi quickly dismissed it.

Yamazaki gave her a stern look through her frameless glasses before returning to her clipboard. She was always a stern instructor, wanting Mayumi to be more akin to her athletic sister. She continued her roll call until all of the girls were present. "Today, we'll be organizing pairs and doing some exercises. Then we'll run some laps around the track. Tomorrow we'll be starting volleyball indoors as our next sport."

Of course it's the sport my sister plays… Mayumi thought with slight resentment. She was never interested in sports like Aya, which had proven an inconvenience to her in gym. Mayumi had gotten decent at volleyball, she admitted, but only during helping Aya practice after school. But, this is playing with a team… I could never do as good as I could with one person. Times like this made her envious of the girl sitting on the bench next to the dirt track. Sakai-san… I think? She recalled the girl's name.

Every gym period, Sakai would sit on the side during class with Yamazaki's approval, under the agreement she'd be in charge of the equipment. She rarely spoke to anyone, or even spoke at all. The other girls would glare at her enviously, often complaining about her. Mayumi heard them doing it now.

"She never does anything. She's clearly faking it!" One of the girls was whispering to her friend, loudly enough for anyone to hear.

"Yeah. She thinks she can get anything she wants just because Mommy and Daddy said so." Her friend replied. "She's such a freak."

The two laughed in sync as they mocked her.

They don't even know her… how could they be so cruel? Mayumi thought solemnly. She herself didn't know Sakai well, she couldn't even recall her first name, though she'd never make fun of her. She glanced at Sakai, who was focused on something she was writing in her notebook. If she'd heard the girls, she ignored them.

Yamazaki, however, didn't ignore them. "If you're quite done with your gossip, I'll organize you in pairs."

She organized each pair, assigning each one by their individual skill. "Kinoshita-san, you'll be paired with Nakano-san."

Asami Nakano, a fair girl with brown hair and brown eyes to match, was never good at sports just as much as Mayumi. They weren't friends exactly, but they were in the art club together and had shared a few conversations together. At least I get someone I know… maybe this won't be too bad.

Their exercises lasted 20 minutes of class, consisting of various stretches and push-ups, while Yamazaki instructed them anytime they slowed their pace. The remaining 30 minutes was devoted to running around the track. Mayumi was normally good at track, the one thing Yamazaki praised her for with her high stamina, though she'd succumbed to her exhaustion by the 5th lap.

"Kinoshita-san!" Yamazaki called, her voice mixed with concern and irritation. Mayumi had stopped running, aware of the glances at her as she panted heavily. Her head felt dizzy from the heat and sweat trickled down her cheek. "Are you alright? Come sit down." She guided her to the bench where Sakai was still sitting.

"I'm fine, Yamazaki-sensei… I must have overdone it in this heat." Mayumi reassured her. She couldn't afford to leave school early.

"You've been distracted all day. Whatever you have going on in your head, you need to let it go! Just rest for the remainder of class. If you don't straighten up soon, I will call your parents and make you see a doctor."

"Yes, Yamazaki-sensei…" Mayumi sighed. Why can't I stop thinking about the missing boy? She cursed herself angrily. It'd plagued her all morning, enough to make her nauseous and she couldn't think properly.

"Here." To her surprise, Sakai handed her a bottle of water.

"Thank you, Sakai-san…" Mayumi replied with an awkward tone. She took the bottle hesitantly.

"Yamazaki-san is really strict when it comes to students' health, but she doesn't mean it… you won't be in trouble." Sakai never looked up from her notebook as she spoke, her voice quiet. That was all she said, however, returning to her work shortly after. Mayumi didn't try to start a conversation with her, unsure what to even say. Instead, she quietly took a drink of water, her mind buzzing with thoughts. This isn't normal… five disappearances in the course of a few years. Surely someone notices this?

Mayumi was thankful to finally leave school. She'd finished her part of cleaning the classroom and left before Aya could join her. There should be a library here somewhere… There's surely some news about these cases. Despite the rural area they lived in, the streets were bustling with people. Some were men and women in suits, calling their families to let them know they were returning home, some were students from other schools, making plans to go somewhere that afternoon. The library was a fair walking distance from her high school, the only one in town to be exact. It was almost empty inside other than an elderly lady at the front desk and two small children reading some elementary school books.

"Excuse me," Mayumi gave a respectful bow to the lady. "May I use your computers?"

"Of course, dear." The librarian replied with a cheerful smile. Mayumi had guessed she'd noticed her school uniform from her quick acceptance.

"Thank you, ma'am." Mayumi left to the same corner of computers, covered in dust from lack of use. She wiped off the dust covering the screen with her sleeve before sitting down. The computers themselves were old, taking a few minutes to boot up before turning on. Would these even have anything of use? She wondered as she opened up the search engine and began to type. She wasn't even sure what to look up other than the recent news about the missing teenager. The first article she'd clicked on was updated from the previous night, displaying the boy's name and class photo. They revealed his information that easily? How could they do something like that…?

'Takeshi Sakata (18) was presumed dead after a three week long search for the missing teenager. A native of the Hokkaido prefecture, Sakata-san was reported to be visiting some friends in the local area at the time of his disappearance. The two juveniles were the last ones to see Sakata-san. Police are currently interviewing the juveniles and the case is still under investigation.' The first article read. Mayumi turned her gaze to the picture of Takeshi. He had a different school uniform than her and his appearance was unfamiliar. The boy looked plain, nothing standing out about him. He had neatly combed black hair and brown eyes, his lips in a professional frown. If he really had come here, he wouldn't have been in town for long… Her town was a small, rural area, not the ideal place for tourists. If Takeshi was murdered, there was no way the other two did it. She scrolled through each article, most saying the same thing, until one caught her eye. It was a forum post, an inaccurate website, but one comment of the recent disappearances was strange to her.

'This case is similar to the cases from that area five years ago.' A comment from an anonymous user wrote. 'Yeah, it's creepy. You wouldn't pay me to go to that forsaken house.' Another commenter stated in reply.

A house…? Mayumi narrowed her eyes, scrolling through more comments.

'I thought those cases stopped two years ago. How scary…' Mayumi exited the website after this. She couldn't recall another group of disappearances from years ago… except… That's right. Back in middle school… There was a classmate who went missing and they never found her either. What was her name….? She suddenly remembered it, a pang of guilt stabbing her for forgetting.

She quickly searched up 'Taeko Iwanaga disappearance', gazing at each article. Most of the articles were from two years ago, like the commenter said, but still useful.

"Sis?" Aya's voice startled her. Mayumi quickly turned back to look at her, deleting the tab she was on.

"Aya?! What are you doing here?" Mayumi asked, trying to steady her voice.

"I was checking out some books. They added some new manga and I wanted to check it out. What're you looking at?" Aya asked, glancing at the computer.

"Oh, it's just some research for a project… nothing big. Ummm… if you're finished, why don't we go home together?" Mayumi suggested, picking up her school bag that she'd left on the floor and standing up.

"Sure, let me just check these out." Aya replied, walking up to the elderly librarian. "… are you alright, sis?" She added to Mayumi as she handed the lady her library card.

"Of course, I just didn't think you'd be here." Mayumi replied, trying to sound more calm. "Actually, you reminded me. There were some books I wanted to check out last time we were here. Can you wait for me?" Aya nodded, allowing Mayumi to head to the rows of bookshelves. She quickly found the book she had been looking for last time and returned to her sister.

"A felt craft book? Why did you want that?" Aya asked as she examined the book.

"I've been wanting to try it. There was also one for how to make pom pom cats, but it was taken." Mayumi replied. Truthfully, she was more a fan of smaller animals, but she had wanted to try pom pom crafts previously.

"Well, maybe you'll get it next time." Aya gave a polite bow to the librarian before they exited the building.

"Can I borrow your book when you finish with it, sis?" Aya asked as they walked through the streets.

"Sure, if you let me borrow yours. The last manga you read was interesting enough." Mayumi replied. She and Aya had some things in common, including similar interests in books or movies, though most didn't look at that when comparing the two.

For the first time that day, they talked on the way back to the apartment.

"It looks like it's going to rain again tonight. We probably should get home soon, Mom would get upset if we don't help with dinner tonight." Aya pointed to the graying skies.

Mayumi glanced up at them, though she didn't really mind the rain. It'd fit the atmosphere of the situation… She'd adopted a persona to not worry her family anymore, though her mind was whirling with thoughts that caused her head to throb. I need to try again soon… I need to find out about those missing cases. This is clearly not a runaway case, it has something to do with that house, wherever it may be… I need to know what happened there.