Imperfectly Perfect (MiChaeng SaTzu)

59 : Tzuyu's Case

Mina is now back in their dorm room. She is lying flat on her bed. Her arms are raised above her shoulders and her hands are intertwined right above her head. She has already changed from her college uniform to a comfortable oversized shirt and pajamas.

After dinner, Mina walked back directly to the Junior dormitories together with Dahyun and Chaeyoung. The council secretary walked with her since they belong to the same dorm building while the soccer ace of course firmly insisted on walking the council president back.

She glances at the direction of their room's mini kitchen sink. She sweetly smiles as the memories with Chaeyoung early this morning on that spot floods back onto her mind.

Then, keys were heard jangling outside before the door to the studio type room opened softly.

Sana consecutively entered the room and tried to cautiously walk inside. It is currently a bit dark since Mina didn't bother to open the main light, but only the night lamp on the bedside table.

When the cheer captain was right beside Mina's bed, the council president suddenly uttered unamused. "Don't even think about it, Minatozaki."

Sana only replied with frisky giggles as she lay beside her roommate and wrapped her arms around Mina's torso.

"Tsk. I already warned you." Mina playfully rolls her eyes as she stifles a smile.

"Oh, come on. Just because you got back with Chaeyoung, you don't want me anymore?"

"I think your memories are jumbled. When did I want your aggressive cuddles that could pass for sexual harassment, huh?"

Sana simply giggled again and quickly stole a kiss from Mina's cheek.

Mina shots her eyes to the girl beside her. "Minatozaki, I'm telling your Tzu about this."

"Hey! Don't you dare, Myoi."

The council president chuckles. "I think you should start behaving now. For one, you already gave my poor Chaeng some kind of trauma when you're near me. And as for Tzuyu, she seems to be a very good kid. Even if she would feel jealous, I don't think she would even try to open it up or condemn you for it."

"Hmm..." Sana shifts on the bed and also lies flat on her back. "Mina."

"What?"

"You're smart, right?"

Mina scoffs. "What kind of question is that? And so out of the blue?"

"You're a law student. I'm giving you a case. Tell me what you think about it."

"Okay." The council president glances to find her roommate with an oddly serious expression. "A— Although... I can't promise you that I would give some actual essential conclusion like a professional could."

"That's fine. I just want to hear your thoughts. Since you just mentioned Tzuyu... I remembered that this has been lurking in my mind lately." Sana heaves in a deep breath. "So, the thing is... I can't ask Tzu directly about this but— Hey, don't get me wrong about this, okay? It's just—"

"I'm your best friend, Sana." Mina flashes a reassuring smile. "Just tell me what it is. I will never judge you."

The cheer captain lets out a sigh. "So... the thing is... When I learned that Tzu never forgot about me and my full name all this time... I was just wondering. The Chous are really rich, right? Like super rich. So— so why didn't Tzuyu even try to hire a private investigator to find me? Or someone like that."

"Then, why haven't you also done that?"

"You know that I only remembered her nickname!"

"Sana... I know it might be confidential but someone like a private investigator definitely could have ways to procure that information." Mina gestures her hand in the air as she tries to explain. "You know... like tracing each of the kids that went to the grade school you graduated in... Or check the families who resided in the house where the Chous lived that time when you were younger."

"Ahh." The cheer captain awkwardly smiles. "Well, it may still sound lame to you but... I really trusted Tzu that she'll find me."

"Sana—"

"Plus! A private investigator would also cost a lot."

"Now, that's a better reasoning."

Sana rolls her eyes. "So what do you think? Why do you think Tzu didn't hire someone like that and purely depended on fate or life's chances like me?"

"Hmm..." Mina gets up and sits on her bed. "When did Tzuyu get back here again from Taiwan?"

"I think it was when she graduated from grade school."

"Oh, really? Since she's just a year below us... then, that's when we were first years in Junior High School?"

"Yep, that's right."

"Hmm... that's about seven years from now." The council president scrunches her eyebrows. "That was really quite some time that lapsed."

"I know, right?" Sana also moves to sit on the bed.

Mina smirks in tease. "Maybe, Tzuyu isn't that into you like you thought."

"Hey!" The cheer captain playfully hits her best friend's arm. She pouts and mumbles, "I know Tzu likes me so much."

"Wow! Talk about confidence, huh?"

Sana continuously hits Mina's arm while the latter just chuckles in response.

"Hey, Sana." The council president's tone shifts into something more serious.

The cheer captain stops her movements and looks at her roommate. "Wha— What?"

"You have to promise to take my inference about this so-called case with a grain of salt, okay?"

Sana slowly nods.

"I think..." Mina inhales deeply. "Even though Tzuyu's family is rich, that is still her parent's wealth. If we're going to talk about technicalities here, while her parents might have easily funded a private investigator, Tzuyu herself cannot."

The cheer captain is just attentively staring at her best friend.

Mina continued to elaborate. "So... given that logic, the only reason why someone like Tzuyu who loves you so much did not try that method to find you is because— Wait, promise me first that you won't take this seriously, okay?"

Sana eagerly nods. "I promise I won't!"

"Okay. I think... given that Tzuyu is also a smart kid and that there is no way that she hasn't thought about trying every possible way to find you. Maybe—" Mina glances at the girl who is still in full attention to her. "Maybe, she tried bringing it up with her parents. Hiring a private investigator and all. But—"

"But Tzu's parents were against it?" The cheer captain butts in to complete Mina's sentence.

The council president nods. "That is a possibility. That's why she wasn't able to do anything but stick to what a normal high schooler could do at that time, which was to rely on fate or luck in hoping to find you one day."