{ORIGINAL} "You're Perfect For Me" // A Saiouma Story

I don't know what's wrong with me.

I'm going to get in so much trouble for this.

That's the only thought in my mind as I struggle to find my way around the city. I'm supposed to be in bed, but I can't sit around being useless. I have to be of service somehow. I have to do this-

"Saihara? Is that you?"

I freeze in my spot as I hear a familiar voice call my name. "You can relax, it's just me."

I slowly turn to be met with the pale green eyes of... "Ah, Rantaro?"

"The one and only," he chuckles. "What're you doing around here? I heard you were going to be out for a while."

"I'm alright, though..." I murmur. How long was I asleep for? Who said I was going to be out?

"It's been a bit crazy since you and Ouma have been gone. Harukawa and I have been working on the project, though. If you two are still hurt or sick or out for any reason, we can take over your parts."

"You don't need to trouble yourselves over us... we should be better soon," I reassure him, earning a small smile from the taller.

"So, where are you headed?" Rantaro asks. "I was just about to go to the park. If you're stressed, taking a nice walk there helps lots." He pauses and looks me in the eye. "And you seem pretty stressed."

My eyes widen in surprise. "I-I'm fine, Rantaro. Sorry... I didn't mean to make you worry-"

"Don't apologize for things like that, detective. I'll always worry for my classmates. I just want to make sure you're doing okay."

I smile at the green-haired's words. "Thank you..."

"Of course. I'll see my way out now. That is, unless you'd like to come with me? Everything's more enjoyable with company."

I think about it for a moment. I would like to escape from my worries for a while... and besides, the park is close to that abandoned ice cream parlor. Maybe I can find some clues while I'm there!

"Sure, I'll go with you," I say. "Thanks for inviting me..."

Rantaro lets out a laugh. "Don't thank me so much! It's what friends do, right?"

I blush in embarrassment. I would stop thanking him, but I really am grateful. Besides this, only Kokichi and Kaede have ever invited me out. I feel like I'm making progress. "R-right!"

Rantaro and I make small talk as we walk towards the park. I'm glad I ran into him. He was my partner and classmate, but I feel like I've hardly made an effort to get to know him. He's really nice, but it would be dangerous to go around the city by himself. On top of that, he could've been a target for the kidnappers since he was alone.

Wait... a target?

I'm a target. They said something about their boss wanting me specifically... does this mean I'm putting Rantaro in danger by being with him?

...No. No, don't overthink things. I can't let things get to me. That's what messes me up...

I let out a long sigh, hoping to push away my worries with it.

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When we arrive at the park, I immediately begin searching for signs of suspicious behavior. There aren't many people here, so I try not worry about concerning other people. I walk ahead of Rantaro, who is busy looking around at the nature. It's good that he's distracted... I don't want to get him involved with this case, but I don't want to investigate alone...

"Saihara? Are you... looking for something?" Rantaro asks eventually.

"...You can call me Shuichi," I respond. "And I'm just... on guard."

Rantaro looks unconvinced. He fiddles with one of his rings before looking up. "Ah... look, Shuichi! There's something over here that I didn't notice before."

I hurry to the green-haired's side and look down to where he's pointing. There's a symbol carved into a tree, and a stone with an engravement lies underneath.

This symbol... that's what concerns me. I feel like I've seen it somewhere before. Despite Rantaro just discovering it, the symbol looks pretty old and worn away. The engravement is the same.

"Can you make this out at all?" I ask, picking up the stone and handing it to Rantaro. It was large and somewhat heavy, but nothing too bad.

"...I can understand a few letters, but besides that, no." He sighs. "This is a pretty odd setup. It's almost like... it's marking something for someone."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, those who recognize it probably understand its meaning. This might signal a path of some sort... and this stone may have a message for that targeted audience. Of course, that's just a random conclusion I came to..."

I blink in surprise. He deduced all of that with just two pieces of evidence? How come he isn't the Ultimate Detective?!

"Well, Shuichi?" Rantaro asks expectantly. "What do you think we should do? If we follow this, do we have a chance of finding what you're looking for?"

"I-I'm not...!" I begin. I let out a defeated sigh and look back at him. "I don't know what I'm looking for yet. But I'm sure this will give a very important clue. So, thank you very much..."

The green-eyed grins widely. "It's nothing! I'm glad I could help..."

I move past the tree and examine the forest and undergrowth behind it. The carving was relatively small, so I doubt that we could spot another from afar. The only way to know is to go and look for ourselves...

Well, not "ourselves." I have to do this alone. I can't risk hurting anyone, especially an Ultimate Student who is likely a target anyways...

"Detective, you can calm down." Rantaro's voice suddenly pulls me from my thoughts. "I can tell what you're thinking. You don't have to worry about me... I'm actually quite used to adventures."

"But still..." I protest, but Rantaro has already gone ahead of me. He turns and motions for me to follow. "We just have to follow the symbols, right?"

I let out another sigh. "Y-yes, but we'll turn back as soon as it gets dangerous, okay?"

"Seems fair to me!" He agrees, still walking ahead. I push the intrusive thoughts out of my head and hurry to catch up with him.

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Hi everyone! As always, thank you so much for reading. This story is way more popular than I thought it would ever be. It reached #2 in Saiouma 3 days ago! Thank you all for that <333

Don't forget to check out the QnA Announcement chapter! I'd like to answer as many questions as possible! You can ask over Discord, too. Just DM me and I can give you my user!

Also, I know I said I'd be taking a break, but I've been feeling too unproductive not to write,,, plus, writing is a good coping mechanism, so here's a new chapter! I think the next thing I'll release are the QnA answers, so ask your questions ASAP!!

Thank you for all your support, and have a good day/evening/night!!