Bad parents I.

"Echoes of Love: A second chance.    

[Chapter 9 Start]

"I grabbed my bag and went back home"

I locked myself up in my room. I was thinking maybe there was a clue about Aoi's kidnapping. Then it came to my mind. Whenever I asked for her parents, she always dodged that question. Maybe I can find something out.

Last time, she showed me where the key to her house was. Because of that...

Now I'm standing in her house. 

I looked for any clue I could find. Yet there was none to find. There were mangas and novels everywhere. Then I suddenly remembered that compartment of her desk. She told me:

"I keep my most precious things here."

At that time, I thought it would be just some manga and novels. I opened it. 

What the hell!

They are just mangas and novels!

But then I noticed something. The compartment was way bigger than the mangas and novels were there. There was something other than mangas and novels.

I grabbed all the mangas and novels and put them on the bed.

It was a family portrait. A man and a woman were standing with their child, Aoi. She was smiling there. I didn't recognize the man. But that woman. I remember. 

When I was small. Me and my parents went to a party. My father was on rather fair terms with me then. I saw that woman was there. She was my father's friend.

I grabbed my phone and called my father.

"Hello? Iharu, why did you call me?"

"Father. You remember when I was a child and we went to a party?"

"Are you dumb? Do you know how little that narrows it down?"

"We met a woman there. Who you called a friend.  Do you remember?"

"Do I talk like I remember something that far ago?"

"Her daughter's name is Aoi Mei."

"Mei? Mei family? Ah. I remember you must be talking about Rosy Mei. Yeah, I remember her so what?"

"Do you know where they live?"

"Ikebukuro"

"I see."

"Is that all? If that is then stop wasting my any more time."

I hang up.

Ikebukuro huh?

I leave for Ikebukuro.

[Chapter 9 End]