Chapter 1
A dark figure sat in a corner, waiting silently. As the umbral apparition shifted slightly, a splash of moonlight penetrated the cloud cover and crept steadily up the figure’s bare legs. As the dim light cast itself sparingly onto the newly exposed face, the darkness stood up and moved towards the door, allowing a grim smile to ply its way over its features. It knew what was coming would cause disarray, but it caused no distress. In fact, it relished in it. The door to the figure’s future would soon open, and nothing could ever hold it back from attaining its full potential again. The shadow began to laugh softly, before opening the door and stepping forward into its destiny.
*
Maimi was graduating. The shock of this announcement tore through the ranks, working its way like a knife through hot butter to the heart of the project. The members of °C-ute seemed to be declining at an alarming rate, and no one was entirely sure why. Kanna’s bunion had been blown out of proportion, so it was likely the scandal she had become embroiled in that had pre-empted her removal from the group. Erika was another case entirely. Her modelling career was all too sudden, and surprised even those closest to her. Now it was Maimi’s turn. Why she would abandon those in her care, no one could even hazard a guess at her reasoning. The leadership would fall to Nakki as the next oldest, but as one of the usual centres of the group, Maimi’s absence was likely to cause a huge gap. This meant that either the group would become equal, or one certain member would be pushed even more to the front. That particular member was currently begging Maimi not to leave.
“Don’t worry, Airi,” Maimi said, patting the younger girl on the head as she virtually wailed into Maimi’s knee. “I’m sure you’ll do just fine without me, and I can’t spend the rest of my life as an idol.”
“B-but…” was all Airi could strangle out before she began sobbing again.
This time, the other members of °C-ute joined in with the sobbing, causing such a cacophony that one of the Morning Musume members in the dressing room next door decided that enough was enough, and barged in.
“What the hell’s going on in here, dammit!?” Reina yelled, causing the members to stop and stare, though not perhaps for the intended reason. Reina continued. “I know your leader is leaving you and all, but in case you’ve forgotten we have a show tonight, and I’d rather like to be able to prepare in peace than having to listen to you idiots whining. I would like to shower in peace, dammit! Stop being emo!”
Her rant finished, she stared at each member in turn, noting that none of them would meet her eyes. She was about to turn and walk out when she realised they were all staring at the same place. She looked down and realised that, as she had been yelling, her towel had slipped and fell to the floor, leaving her completely exposed. She turned a bright shade of fuchsia, quickly grabbed her towel, wrapped it around her in dismay, and dashed out.
Three seconds later, the crying was gone, replaced by a sense of utter hilarity at Reina’s expense. They were winding down slowly when the call to go to the stage went out. They stood up slowly and began to warm up, in preparation for their final event together. As they finished stretching, for the last time as leader, Maimi lead them in their chant, and off to the stage they went.
*
The knife flashed silver in the slender hands of the shadow. The blade reflected the callous brown eyes of the wielder, so eager to kill, matching the blade’s desire to bite into flesh. There was no rest, no play, nothing more important than this mission. The figure moved stealthily along the hallway, making barely a sound. The human shape heard the target stirring within, sleeping soundly. The figure grinned. This would be much easier than foreseen. The umbra crept into the gloom, adding its life energy to that of the victim. The two sparks met. One faded, never to brighten again, whilst the other silently made its exit, dragging the empty shell behind. The apparition had achieved its mission.
*
“Truthfully, we have no idea where she is,” Tsunku told the detective sitting in his office. A bead of sweat worked its way down his forehead, pooling over his eyebrow before splashing inconsequentially upon his desk.
“If I’m not mistaken, this is now the third former member of this particular group that’s gone missing, correct?” The detective spoke in a measured tone, not allowing suspicion to cloud his voice or manners. No matter how guilty someone looked, it was never certain beyond doubt until all evidence pointed to one person.
“You’re correct.”
“So, Arihara Kanna. When did she disappear?” The detective looked at the fretful producer over the rim of his glasses, and was satisfied to see the man looking through his notes to provide an accurate date.
“It was March tenth, 2009,” Tsunku replied after a few minutes. “She left to undergo bunion treatment, and contact ceased on this date. After four months of no contact, we decided enough was enough and terminated her contract. We assumed she was determined to return to her private life. It was only recently when the bodies of her parents were found we realised she was even missing.”
“I see…” the detective looked intrigued. “And Umeda Erika?”
“It was a few weeks after she left °C-ute. We received a call from her parents asking if we’d seen her. We hadn’t, so we assumed she’d merely eloped with some boy, hence why she’d left the group in the first place. However, now it looks like they’re both connected.” Tsunku looked slightly worried about how this might reflect on him if the story leaked to the tabloids.
“Then, Yajima Maimi disappeared last night, correct?”
“Correct. She finished her graduation concert, went home, and her mother told us she was exhausted and went straight to bed. Then, this morning they couldn’t find any trace of her, so contacted us, and we got in touch with you. The disappearance of three girls is more than just a coincidence.” Tsunku glared at the detective, challenging him to be contradictory.
Instead, the detective just closed his notebook and stood up. “Thank you for reporting this matter to us, delayed though it may be. We’ll need to interview the other girls in your agency at some point, though rest assured we’ll conduct the interviews quietly and as far from the press as possible.”
Tsunku breathed a sigh of relief, then faced the detective and offered his hand. “Thank you for your hard work. I’ll contact you if I hear anything important.”
“Please do. Promptly, I would hope.” The detective shook the proffered hand and walked out the door. Tsunku sank down into his chair and buried his head in his hands. He could see this becoming a very bad year.
But I'm glad I read this all the way through! I love a good mystery.
I guess this is where H!O witnesses my skill at procrastination. Anyway, 11 months later, Chapter 2.
