Chapter CVIII: The Girl From the Dorm
The sun is just beginning to set when Enmei revs up his motorcycle outside Yui's house in the nearby town. Yui comes out, waving with both hands, wearing a flowy peach jacket and skinny jeans, her hair bouncing with every step.
"Hop on!" Enmei grins beneath his helmet, extending a second one to her.
Yui grabs the helmet, buckles it up like she's done it a hundred times, and slides behind him. "You better not drive like that anime you watch!"
"No promises!" Enmei laughs, and they zoom off toward the city.
The ride is short but thrilling, 5 kilometers of winding roads, old bridges, and a few honks from grumpy taxi drivers. They arrive at the old mall, which still has its quirky signage blinking like it's 2007. However, the mall has now a PVC texture wall panels cover with red on the southern part, and a mix of white, red, and yellow on the eastern part.
Inside the mall, they head to the billiards hall. Enmei pretends he's a seasoned player, chalking his cue stick like a pro.
"Watch and learn," he says, missing his shot completely and almost hitting a kid's fries off the next table.
Yui snorts. "Wow. Impressive. Pro move right there."
They laugh, exchanging light-hearted insults, playing a few sloppy rounds, and finally heading to the attached café to grab snacks and recharge.
At the café, they sit in a booth filled with plush cat pillows and neon signs that read Stay Brew-tiful. Yui pulls out a manga volume from her bag.
"So," she begins, opening it to a bookmarked page, "the latest volume of First One Who Confesses Loses the Game! is INSANE."
"Don't tell me he almost confessed again?" Enmei leans forward, genuinely invested.
"He ALMOST did, but then she pulled out a reverse ICHI! card with a fake confession to throw him off. It's psychological warfare at this point."
"Brilliant. Emotional terrorism. I approve," Enmei grins.
They burst out laughing just as their order buzzer vibrates violently like it's having a seizure. Enmei grabs it. "I got this. You stay. Don't read ahead."
As he walks to the counter, Yui pulls out her phone and scrolls through YourBook. Her feed is full of memes, pictures of ramen, and then she freezes.
A post from Asahi: Missing: Kota Mizushiro and Akiko Chisai. Last seen five days ago. If you know any information, please contact us immediately.
Her eyebrows furrow. She quickly zooms in on the attached picture.
Enmei returns with their drinks and snacks, placing them down. But Yui doesn't even glance at the tray.
"Hey, what is this missing Kota and Akiko about? And when was this?" she asks, voice suddenly tight.
Enmei's smile falters. He sighs and sets down the extra straws. "They've been missing just five days ago. And it's... unusual. Really unusual. They always reply, right? Even if they're grounded or busy, they'd shoot a meme back or something. But since they were excommunicated from school two days ago, day one was already radio silence."
"Wait. Excommunicated? Like, religiously excommunicated?" Yui blinks.
"No, no," Enmei chuckles dryly. "Just school-exiled. Some Assistant Principal, a tyrant in a necktie, took over while the Principal was out. Thought they were behind the hacking incident, even though everyone with common sense knew they weren't."
"So what's the worst part?" she asks.
Enmei stirs his drink absentmindedly. "That Hanako and Tengen might be behind this. But something feels off... like they're being manipulated. Not their usual creepy selves. Like... extra creepy."
Yui's eyes return to the photo of Kota. Her lips part slightly.
A memory hits her hard.
Back to when she was three years old again. Their old home engulfed in smoke and fire. The smell of ash clings to her clothes for days. After that, her family moves to a dormitory just a kilometer away from the city.
In the cramped but cozy unit, she often sits on the terrace with their dog, Janeiro, a Japanese Spitz gazing at the stars.
One day, a new family moves in across the hall. The little boy her age has messy hair and a cautious smile.
"Hi! I'm Yui!"
"I'm Kota... Mizushiro."
"Why did you move here?"
He shrugs. "Dad had... drama with Grandpa. Long story."
From that day on, they're inseparable.
Yui visits his unit almost daily. They sprawl on the sofa bed watching cartoons on the cube TV while Kota's mom sweeps the floor with surgical precision.
One afternoon, Kota takes a bath. Yui barges in minutes later.
"Kotaaaa, I'm heeeeere!"
Kota stumbles out of the bathroom, towel barely clinging on. "YUI!"
She gasps dramatically. "You're NAKED!"
"I'M NOT! I HAVE A TOWEL!" he yells, diving into his room.
Yui bangs on the door, laughing. "Let me in!"
"Not until I have PANTS!"
That night, they sit on the terrace again. Kota points to a bright star.
"That one's ours. We'll look at it every night, okay?"
Yui nods solemnly. "Deal."
Another time, she turns to Kota's mom and declares, "Mrs. Mizushiro, your son is so handsome!"
Kota, sipping juice, chokes. "YUIII!"
They play piano together in Yui's unit. Or run to the neighborhood garden and pick vegetables. Life is simple. Warm.
But all things change.
Years later, Kota leaves the dorm. He's supposed to say goodbye.
But Yui and her family go out that day, and Kota is told that she had gone back to their hometown.
When she returns and learns Kota is gone, she locks herself in her room and stares at the star they claimed as theirs.
Then in 2018, Yui's family moves to a new prefecture, a staggering 228.7 kilometers south of the city. They're told it's quieter, greener, and "perfect for a fresh start."
Translation: Say goodbye to your childhood friends, WiFi that actually works, and normal accent.
The moment they arrive, Yui's ears are assaulted by the regional dialect. People speak with a nasal twang, vowels stretched into oblivion, and phrases that sound more like pirate chants than Japanese.
On her first day of high school, she says, "Ohayou gozaimasu," only to get a chorus of "Ossu!" and an eyebrow raise from her homeroom teacher who introduces himself as "Sensei Butch."
Butch? What is this, Rumble?
At lunch, she bites into her bento and hears two classmates argue over whether adding ketchup to tempura is a crime or a cultural masterpiece.
"Mom, I want to go home," she texts during lunch break, crying into her tamagoyaki.
But it gets worse before it gets better.
One boring afternoon, as she scrolls through YourBook, watching people post food pics, cringe Chime edits and dances, and unnecessarily deep quotes, she suddenly pauses.
"Wait... no way."
There he is. Kota Mizushiro.
Same name. Slightly taller. New haircut. But still with that signature look of someone caught between deep thought and trying not to sneeze.
ADD FRIEND.
Two minutes of pure suspense. Nothing happens.
Three hours pass. She refreshes like it's a national duty.
Then—
"Kota accepted your friend request."
She lets out a squeal that nearly makes her dog fall off the couch.
They start chatting.
Yui: Hey! Long time no talk! :D
Kota: OMG Yui? It's been foreverrrr.
Yui: Ikr? I miss the dorm terrace days lol. How have you been?
Kota: Good, good. Still adjusting to high school. You?
Yui: Same! We moved like... 228.7km away from the city. Legit. I did the math.
Kota: That's super far. Oof. But hey, hope we get to meet again someday.
Yui: I'd like that. :)
Kota types... then stops. Types again.
He almost tells her about Akiko. But he doesn't.
He deletes it and just sends: "Life's been weird lately, but manageable."
Everything changes when May 2019 hits and it's the very month Kota gets friendzoned by Akiko.
Like a sudden typhoon in July, Kota's chat messages to Yui turn dark. Emo. Confusing.
Kota: Do you think love is just a chemical imbalance?
Yui: ...okay, that's random.
Kota: It's like... what's the point if it just ends?
Yui: Kota, are you okay?
Kota: Do you remember the promise we made under the stars? Was it just childhood BS?
Yui: Wait, where is this coming from??
Kota: Nvm. Forget it. Just wanted to know if I ever mattered.
Yui stares at her phone, creeped out and confused.
Is he okay? Is he drunk? Possessed?
She pulls away, replies less and less, until their chat turns cold.
But she never truly forgets.
In 2020, the pandemic hits. Everything freezes in time due to the virus.
People start baking bread, hoarding tissue, and posting Chime dances in hazmat suits.
Yui and her family move back to their old place, now renovated with better floors, better WiFi, and blessed silence.
Bored out of her mind, she gets into gaming.
And then she discovers Accord.
On a random matchmaking night, she meets a teammate named Enmei. He's got killer aim, a sense of humor, and once rage-quit because a frog IRL jumped on his keyboard.
They vibe.
First friends. Then voice chats. Then endless nights of duo queues and Accord calls.
In 2023, on their first offline hangout, she confesses.
And surprisingly, he says yes.
In 2024, Class 2-B goes and others go on a trip to the beach. The sun's hot, the waves are wild, and the mood is festive.
Yui and Enmei are heading toward the bus for the class beach outing.
Enmei is ahead, chattering with Kota, who walks beside him.
Yui squints at Kota. Wait... is that... no way.
Kota sees her too.
He freezes. Drops his bottle of water. Scrambles to pick it up like it personally insulted his ancestors.
Yui quietly boards the bus, a tsunami of confusion in her chest.
Later at the beach, she ends up seated beside Hanako, Himari, and Natsuki, under a huge umbrella with strawberry-print fabric and snacks that could feed a small army.
Out on the sand, the guys play volleyball. Kota leaps clumsily, almost lands on Gin. Enmei and Asahi laugh so hard they nearly drop the ball.
Yui munches on dried mangoes and asks casually, "So, uh... which one's Kota?"
Hanako points. "That one. Number 5. The one who almost committed manslaughter with a volleyball just now."
Yui blinks. "And who's Akiko?"
Hanaka laughs, "Uhh she's not here. She's our bestie."
Himari nods knowingly. "Ahhh, the tale of Kota and Akiko. Buckle up."
Natsuki adjusts her hat dramatically. "Once upon a time... Kota didn't know what love was. Got friendzoned. Big ouchie."
"Then pandemic hit, they lost contact," Hanako continues. "But somehow, in 2022, they found each other again. Not through fate, but through consistent loyalty and chats that didn't start with 'hey.'"
"Now they're solid. Like, relationship-goals solid," Himari finishes.
Yui stares at the waves.
And feels like a tsunami hit her.
She remembers how she pulled away in 2019, confused and scared. She hadn't known he was hurting.
Had she known he was heartbroken...
Would she have reacted differently?
She doesn't know.
But she feels bad. Guilty, even.
"Yui? Yui?" Enmei waves a hand in front of her face.
No response.
He snaps his fingers. "Earth to Vish?"
Yui jolts. "Huh? What?"
Enmei smirks. "You okay? You spaced out like you saw a ghost made of WiFi bills."
She smiles faintly. "Yeah... I just zoned out for a bit."
But deep down, something is stirring.
Just as Yui and Enmei finish sipping the last of their overpriced caramel macchiatos from the mall café—those kinds that cost more than emotional stability—Enmei stretches with a soft grunt.
"Ack—my back! I'm too young to feel this old."
He stands up, dusting off invisible crumbs from his lap. Yui watches him for a moment. Her fingers twitch slightly against the table. Then, before he can take a full step—
She reaches out and gently grabs his hand.
"Enmei."
Her voice is soft—serious. So serious, in fact, it causes Enmei to stop mid-stretch, halfway hunched like a loading screen.
He blinks and looks back at her. "Yes?"
"I will help..." Her voice wavers only slightly but then steadies with resolve. "I'll help you find them. I'll help all of you find Kota and Akiko."
She gives him a smile—one that's earnest and bright, the kind of smile that belongs in anime ending songs with cherry blossom petals floating dramatically in the wind.
Enmei's heart does a little triple jump. Something about her declaration fills his chest with this floaty, soda-pop feeling. He smiles, nodding.
"Thanks, Vish. You're awesome."
Yui tries to hide her blush behind a dramatic hair flip, though her hair isn't long enough to flip dramatically, so it ends up just sort of bouncing like a dry leaf. "Of course I'm awesome. Took you this long to notice?"
They laugh.
Outside the mall, the scent of grilled squid and fake cheese from hotdogs wafts around the air. Food stalls line the sidewalk like a mini festival exploded. As they walk, dodging random kids with helium balloons and a rogue dog chasing pigeons, their conversation shifts into darker territory.
"Do you think... Hanako and Tengen are really behind all this?" Yui asks, biting into a taiyaki with intense suspicion. "Like, straight-up villains?"
Enmei nods solemnly while munching on a hotdog in a bun. "I'm ninety-nine percent sure. Hanako's been acting sus lately, like last week she wore sunglasses indoors and called everyone 'peasant.'"
Yui snorts.
Enmei continues, "But Tengen... he's different. I think he's trying to make everyone look at Kota like he's the problem."
"You mean like... pin the blame on him?" she frowns.
"Exactly. Paint him as the drama king. Like Kota's out here running wild, committing crimes and breaking hearts—when in reality, he's just trying to live his best loyal-boyfriend life."
Yui frowns deeper. "But didn't that footage you mentioned... the one with the robbery—"
"Oh yeah. Wait." Enmei suddenly pauses mid-step, awkwardly shifting his Takoyaki stick to his mouth while using his free hand to pull out his phone. "I still have it."
He taps rapidly. "Here, look."
He shows her the CCTV clip. It's from a local convenience store that got looted recently. The footage shows two figures—hooded, swift, agile—running in and out like ghosts. Both are seen carrying bags of stolen goods. One slightly taller. The news headline labels them: "Kota Mizushiro and Akiko Chisai: High School Lovers Turned Criminal Duo?"
Yui narrows her eyes, squints at the video. "That's not them."
Enmei looks at her, startled. "Huh? What makes you say that?"
"Zoom in on the faces."
"There are no faces. The hoods cover them."
"No no, not the faces—look at the hair." She taps the screen. "Right there—some strands peek out. Both of them... blonde."
Enmei tilts his head, curious. "Wait... really?"
He replays the footage, pinches the screen like a boomer discovering touch tech for the first time, and adjusts the brightness. The overexposed footage sharpens, revealing two very visible blonde strands from under each hoodie.
"...They are blondes," he mutters.
"And as far as I know, Kota and Akiko don't suddenly wake up looking like bleach bottles. Kota has blue hair, while Akiko has purple long hair." Yui says confidently, arms crossed.
Enmei almost drops his phone. "Bro, you're a genius."
Yui smirks. "Told you. I'm awesome."
Then something stirs in her mind—an old, dusty memory shelf getting rattled.
"Wait... I remember something."
Enmei blinks. "Huh?"
She taps her temple. "Back when I visited Shinomiya High... like, months ago. I was wandering the old third floor—you know, the one that smells like expired printer ink—and I overheard something."
"Go on," Enmei urges, now fully invested. He's even stopped chewing mid-bite, which for Enmei is serious.
"There were voices. Two of them. I didn't recognize the voices, but..." she hesitates, "they were using a vocoder. Like, full-on robot voice. Autotuned."
Enmei's jaw drops.
"I didn't hear everything clearly," she continues, "but they mentioned names. Kota. Akiko. And something about 'replacing them.' It was like... they were planning something."
"They?" Enmei echoes. "Wait, you think that was Hanako and Tengen?"
Yui nods solemnly.
Then she pulls out her own phone.
"I recorded it. I was going to post it as part of a 'weird school sounds' compilation on Chime but forgot."
She taps her gallery. A few seconds of awkward silence later—Yui scrolling past hundreds of selfies, four videos of her cat knocking stuff over, and a random K-pop fancam—she finds it.
"Here."
The voice recording begins:
[Vocoder Voice 1] "They'll never suspect. All we need is the footage."
[Vocoder Voice 2] "The city will believe anything we feed them. Especially if it comes from them."
[Voice 1] chuckles "Kota will look like the traitor. And Akiko..."
[Voice 2] "...will be erased. Just like the others."
[BEEP—Recording ends.]
Enmei stands frozen. The Takoyaki stick in his hand now just a sad empty toothpick. His eyes widen like someone just dropped all the plot twists from a K-drama into his brain at once.
"Yo..." he breathes. "This. Is. GOLD."
"Not gonna lie," Yui says, puffing her chest slightly. "Kinda feel like a detective right now."
"New info for the squad!" Enmei fist-pumps. "Nice one, my AI!"
Yui blinks. "Your... AI?"
"Yeah. You know, Ai—love. And AI—artificial intelligence. You're both."
Yui blushes furiously. "That's the nerdiest pick-up line I've ever heard."
"Thank you. I'll be here all week."
"Wait, what were you doing at our Highschool at that time?", Enmei snorts and raises his eyebrows
"I was about to visit you, you idiot. But some gay guy just spilled his drink on me", says Yui.
"You could have told me about it", says Enmei with concern.
"I could have, but you would have jiggle the wetness dry out of me", Yui laughs and slaps his back.
They both laugh, but the mood turns slightly more serious as they begin walking again, towards the edge of the food stalls where the lights dim and the scent of grilled meat gives way to the quiet hum of night air.
Yui looks up at the darkening sky. Clouds drift lazily past a soft purple gradient. Her eyes reflect determination—no longer clouded by past misunderstandings or misjudgments.
"Kota..." she whispers, her fists clenched. "Akiko... wherever you two are..."
"We're coming," Enmei finishes, standing beside her like a dramatic anime co-protagonist.
They stand there a few more seconds before a random seagull swoops down and steals the remaining Takoyaki ball from Enmei's paper plate.
"HEY—"
Yui bursts out laughing as Enmei flails his arms like a rejected Color Ranger.
"You're lucky that wasn't my meat-on-stick, bird!"
"Tragic," Yui says between wheezes. "We lose a Takoyaki but gain a lead."
"Rest in peace, Takoyaki. Your sacrifice will be remembered."
The duo starts heading toward the nearby train station to regroup with the rest of the squad.
Enmei texts the group chat:
"Yui cracked a code. Blonde impostors. Vocoder villains. CCTV deception. We got leads, boys.
Yui has the recording. We movin."
As they reach the platform, a train arrives with a perfect ding! like it's syncing with the story. They step aboard.
Yui takes the window seat, stares into the blur of lights outside. A fire burns in her chest—a new mission.
This isn't just about correcting a misunderstanding. It's about saving two people who stood by each other when no one else did.
Two people who were painted as villains... but are actually victims.
And Yui? She's no longer the girl who ran from weird feelings.
Now? She's about to run towards them—with Enmei at her side, and justice in her playlist.