STARLIGHT | krmy ✓

19

CHAPTER NINETEEN —
SAFE.

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MAYA'S PHONE BUZZES. She looks up from her work, anxious, hoping that it was Claudine. But it wasn't: it was Aruru. Odd. Why would she text Maya out of the blue?

She taps on the message. Oh, it was merely a photograph. She'd open it later. Maybe Aruru had found some delightful delicacy and wanted to try it out together — Aruru had promised after all. Not that she was betting on it.

She sighs. She had sent Claudine countless texts after she had waited outside the station for a good thirty minutes, but she had never come. Now that she was at home, the entire apartment felt so cold, so empty.

Should she try calling again? Maya makes for her phone, hand hovering, hesitating. There had to be good reason why Claudine was keeping her phone on silent, right? But what if she wasn't safe? What if Kenjirō tried something again? What if–

Maybe she should stop thinking so much about. Shaking her head, she decides to pop down to Shiori's and get herself some takeaway food. The fridge wasn't empty; rather, she didn't quite know how to cook a decent meal for herself, it had been quite some time.

Shrugging on a jacket (she couldn't find her usual coat) she snagged from the coat rack, Maya picks the house keys off the dresser, and with her feet in comfortable boots, she starts for the grocery store.

Outside, the snow fell in moderate amounts, some landing in the ground, and some getting embedded in her hair. Sighing, Maya starts humming a soft tune to distract herself from the looming thoughts and worries, and for good measure, pulls her phone out from her pocket and opens her chat with Aruru.

Maya opens the photograph. She frowns, slowing to get a better look at its details.

Claudine? And...Kirin? They seemed to be enjoying coffee together, judging by the Starbucks logo on Claudine's cup. And, wasn't that her missing coat?

Maya shakes her head, though she couldn't deny that she liked the sight of Claudine in her clothes.

But 'enjoying' may be over-stepping it; Claudine seemed to be on edge, telling from the look on her face, the way her legs were crossed, back painfully straight. Maya's gut clenches.

Locking her phone, Maya takes a deep breath and continues down the pavement, hoping to buy her dinner as quickly as possible so that she could hurry to Rinmeikan's train station.

"Tendō-buchōu?"

Just as she reaches the little diner, she spots Fumi, who was with Yachiyo, both carting plastic bags in their arms. Maya pulls away from the door and nods in their direction.

Fumi moves past Maya and wrenches the door open with a hand, motioning for Yachiyo to go first, which she does. She looks at her captain. "The usual?"

Maya nods once more, and Fumi disappears into the diner, returning moments after with a takeaway bento in a plastic bag. Maya reaches out to take it.

"Thank you."

Maya turns to leave, but Fumi barks, "Wait."

Maya looks back at her, and Fumi was standing with her arms crossed, her eyes like pinpricks of green in the white landscape, lips in her usual prickled expression.

"Shiori wants some sushi from the grocery." Fumi says, just as Yachiyo calls for her from inside the diner. "We just came from there. Mind helping?"

"What does she want?" Maya asks. Maybe she'd pick something up for Claudine. Might as well.

"Kappamaki." Fumi replies, making to go back in, but does a double-take immediately after. "Where's Claudine?"