Wide Awake (1)

The delightful morning arrived with the chirping of exotic birds in the suburban area of Kurohashi town. It was still early, with dawn barely touched by sunlight. The boy with graphite-black hair, Seito Shouichi, felt something heavy on his forehead.

"What is that?" He opened his eyes and spotted Ayane's delicate foot resting on him. It looked smaller than expected, considering her tall and slender frame. "It's super soft, but... what am I thinking?!" Shouichi was conflicted.

"Man, I was a bit drunk last night. Good thing I don't have a hangover at all. On the contrary, I feel completely refreshed! Is this the magic of the hot spring? Its rehabilitative power is almost divine!" He got lost in his thoughts.

The girls, Ayane and Momo, appeared to be snuggled together like a cute couple. From a quick glance, anyone would have thought they were best friends. Maybe they had already bonded during this trip, but Shouichi couldn't really tell.

He stumbled out of bed and searched for his smartphone across the spacious VVIP room, trying to be as quiet as possible. He vividly remembered leaving it on the sofa when they were playing the Dare-or-Dare game. Shouichi couldn't contain his chuckles—it was way too hilarious when he thought about it.

"Found it!" He quickly turned on his phone. It was a common ritual for teenagers to check their phones first thing in the morning, and Shouichi was no exception.

Ding! Ding! Ding!

Suddenly, his phone rang. The name "Akiyama Suzuki" appeared on the screen.

"G~good morning, Akiyama-san," Shouichi answered quietly, glancing back at the two sleeping beauties on his bed. Seeing them sleep peacefully was too adorable.

"Suzuki would be mad if she knew about this," he thought. "Wait, why am I even thinking about that? It's not like she's my anything."

"Hello! Shouichi, are you at your house? Where are you?" Suzuki's voice trembled as she fired off questions in quick succession, implying that something was wrong.

"I'm out of town, at a hotel. What do you~." Before Shouichi could finish, the female cop interjected, "I think your mum is in danger!"

It was as though the world had stopped turning. The warning in Suzuki's alarming tone rattled his brain. His mind went blank for a few seconds before he managed to speak. "Yoko-san?! What happened?" His voice shook, and his heart pounded like crazy. His loud and agitated words seemed to wake Ayane.

"Sorry… I saw someone take her. A man," Suzuki replied seriously.

"Why is she apologising?!" Shouichi thought. "That doesn't matter right now. I need to know the details!"

"So what exactly happened, Akiyama-san?" he asked quickly.

"I~I saw a man kidnap her five minutes ago. I'm trying to get to her shop, but I fear it's too late," Suzuki said, her voice quivering.

"Wait, how could you see someone kidnap my mum when you weren't even at the shop?" Shouichi asked.

"...I still have the CCTV app on my phone! I'm sorry, Shouichi-kun. I'm trying to find where he took her and..." Suzuki admitted with a shaky voice.

"I'll head back right now! Let me know if you find anything!"

"Yes! I'm asking the IT guys to track Yoko's smartphone and check the traffic CCTVs. I'm not sure if it'll work, but I'll keep trying!" Suzuki brainstormed desperately.

"Thanks for letting me know, Akiyama-san." Shouichi disconnected the call and quickly turned to brief Ayane.

"I'm coming too!" Ayane insisted, springing up on the bed, still not fully awake.

"No, please stay with Momo and ask Namie to pick you up. I'll get Shinji to escort me; he's the driver," Shouichi hurriedly explained before leaving the room, closing the door behind him.

***

"Damn it! Why did this have to happen at the worst time?!" The silver-haired Shinji sped through narrow countryside roads in his van. The vehicle bounced over uneven surfaces.

"I don't know! But thanks for the ride," Shouichi replied gratefully. Shinji was a reliable friend who'd never hesitate to help. To be precise, Shinji was his best mate, the kind of friend who'd ride or die with him.

"I suspected it must've been someone we know. I checked the CCTV footage; he disguised himself in a black costume, covering his face," Shouichi shared, his heart still racing.

"What else did you see?" Shinji asked, keeping his eyes on the road. He took a sharp turn, the centrifugal force sending them sideways.

"Umm… He was medium height, thin, and I think he wore glasses. And he drove off in a black van."

"I think I know who it is…" Shinji murmured, as if having figured it out.

"Kasunagi Nabe!" They said in unison, as though telepathically linked.

"I'll call Suzuki and let her know right away!" Shouichi fumbled for his phone, his hands trembling.

Ding! Ding! Ding!

To his surprise, his mum's name appeared on the screen this time.

"Yoko-san! Where are you?!" Shouichi screamed after the call connected.

"Ay! Shou-kun…" It was a man's voice. His heart sank, followed by the muffled sound of Yoko in the background. Shouichi recognised the voice from their earlier encounter at the shop. The background noise confirmed it was his mum.

"YOU BASTARD!!! WHAT ARE YOU TRYING TO DO TO MY MUM?!" Shouichi shouted, his anger boiling over.

"Stop with the whining, kid. Your mum and I are about to have some adult fun," Nabe replied in a calm, taunting tone.

"YOU WORTHLESS PIECE OF SHIT! I'LL FIND YOU AND KILL YOU!"

"Hahaha, hear that? Your son's not so nice, huh? He's a bully. Maybe you should teach him better, okay?" Nabe ignored Shouichi's threat, then turned to speak to Yoko in the background.

"Maybe I'll teach him a lesson. A lesson he'll never forget." Nabe continued to taunt.

"YOU~!" Before Shouichi could retaliate, the call was abruptly disconnected. His eyes were filled with fury, and his body trembled with adrenaline. He had never felt fear like this before. This was the most terrifying moment of his life.

"That bastard's trying to get under your skin. Don't fall for it, Shouichi," Shinji advised, his voice slow and steady as he sped along. At this point, speeding tickets were just another bill for someone as rich as him.

"Right…" Shouichi sniffed, refocusing. He had to find a way to save her — this wasn't over.

Shouichi quickly contacted Suzuki to update her on Nabe's involvement in the kidnapping. He brought her up to speed on everything. Suzuki had checked out the shop and tried to track the culprit to his hideout, but without much success. She mentioned that checking the online CCTV from traffic was taking time, as it was still early and not enough people were available to help.

***

When Shinji's minivan finally reached the urban area, Shinji drove aimlessly, hoping to spot Nabe's black van.

"This is hopeless!" Shinji grumbled, scratching his silver hair. He was trying to think of a good strategy, but without more information, even Sherlock Holmes couldn't have solved it.

A new video clip appeared in Shouichi's messenger. His face turned pale as he saw the preview. The cover of the clip made his stomach turn. His trembling finger tapped the play button.

"First lesson, Shou-kun. Watch your mum suck my dick! Hahaha." Nabe's lower half appeared in the video, but Shouichi's mum was clearly visible, her black hair a mess, tears streaming down her face, leaving black mascara trails.

"Do it, or I'll blow your brains out!" Nabe yelled at her, pointing what looked like a handgun to her face.

Yoko started to unzip his pants and stroke his rigid finger, her frail body shaking with fear.

"She knows how to do it! Shou-kun, I bet you didn't know that, huh? I'm doing you a favour!" Nabe mocked, "Hurry up! Stick out your tongue, damn it!"

"Shouichi! Let me see!" Shinji reached for Shouichi's phone, but Shouichi recoiled, his face contorting with repulsion. He bared his teeth like an animal.

"It's not what you think! You trust me, right?" Shinji's voice was sincere, and his serious gaze brought Shouichi to his senses.