Chapter Text
The city streets of Osaka, Japan were certainly busy, especially at this time of year. Everyone was preparing for the coming holidays and there was so much to do, such as shopping for presents, decorating their homes, and everything in between. However, as people were out and about, one young woman was standing out on the streets, holding a stack of fliers.
Her black leather jacket with the dark brown faux fur collar, black buckled boots, and sheer leg tights were the only thing shielding her from the cold winter snow. Her bob-cut black hair with dark red highlights dyed at the tips whipped about in the wind, but she didn’t let it deter her as she held out fliers to passersby.
“Excuse me?” she asked in a slightly desperate tone as people continued to walk past her, some waving her off as if they couldn’t be bothered. “Excuse me, can you help? Please?”
As one woman walked by, holding the hand of her 4-year-old son, the girl held out a flier to her.
“Excuse me, miss?” the woman asked. “My name is Seiko Hajime. I’m looking for my younger sister.”
The older woman took the flier, which held the face of a teenage girl with dark brown hair that covered her right eye. Her visible dark red eye seemed rather dull and sad, even though she had a smile on her face. However, there was something about it that seemed like she was forcing herself to.
MISSING GIRL
NAME: YUUKI HAJIME
AGE: 16
SCHOOL GRADE: 1ST YEAR HIGH SCHOOLER
LAST SEEN: SEPTEMBER 18TH
“My sister ran away from home 3 months ago and she’s been missing ever since,” Seiko said with worry. “If you happen to see her, please call the phone number on the bottom.”
“Well, I haven’t seen someone like this, but I’ll certainly keep an eye out,” said the woman. “I do hope your sister returns safely home. Until then, Merry Christmas and happy holidays to you.”
“Thank you, ma’am,” Seiko replied with a grateful dip of her head. “Thank you, thank you!”
The woman walked away with her son in tow while Seiko continued to hand out fliers. As she did, the 19-year-old young woman heard the chirping of her phone, causing her to sigh as she reached into her pocket while also still holding on to the fliers, then she pulled the device out and slid her thumb across the screen before holding it up to her ear.
“Hello?” she asked.
“Sis, it’s Kenta. How’s it going? Any luck?”
“No,” Seiko answered while she kept the posters tucked under her arm. “I only managed to hand out a few fliers to some people, but others act like they don’t care. What about you? Have you had any leads?”
“So far, none. I asked those two girls that are in Yuuki’s class, but they said they hadn’t seen her since they tried to go to their houses. She was gonna try and stay with them, but they told her to go back home. They said that they didn’t want Mom to come to their places to look for her.”
“Did you talk to the police?” Seiko asked.
“They said they still haven’t found any clues. They might have to put a close on this case because they can’t find any leads.”
Seiko didn’t even attempt to stifle the growl in her throat as she clutched at her phone.
“This is all Mom’s fault,” she hissed. “If she didn’t try to stifle Yuuki all the time, this wouldn’t be happening! She wonders why I moved out, long ago!”
“I’m mad about this, too, Seiko. Mom keeps saying she’s just hiding somewhere, but if that were the case, how come she’s been gone for 3 months?!”
Seiko sighed, her shoulders sagging and her arms dropping at her sides, nearly letting the stack of papers slip out of her grasp. “I can’t believe we’re gonna be spending Christmas without Yuuki. Shou is gonna be so devastated.”
“I know… a-anyway, I gotta go. Dad’s calling. He’s probably out there, looking, too.”
“Okay, see you,” Seiko said as she hung up, then sighed heavily as her breath came out in a misty puff. She pulled out another one of the fliers from the stack in her hands, her eyes softening at the picture it held.
“…Where are you, Yuuki?” she asked, sadly. “Wherever you are… please be safe.”
~TWST~
“Yuuki!”
“Huh?” Yuuki muttered as she was soon roused from her stupor by her friend, Ace Trappola, who had leaned over his desk to give her a gentle but firm shake. Grim sat next to her, holding a pen in his paw as he looked up at her with mild concern. Deuce, who was holding his textbook, glanced down at the Prefect, who looked around and realized that she was sitting in Professor Mozus Trein’s magical history class.
“Jeez, daydream much?” Ace asked with an annoyed frown. Of course, Yuuki knew that he only did that to hide his concern.
“Yuuki, the professor called you, like, three times, already,” Deuce answered. “He was asking if you knew the answer.”
“Oh,” Yuuki realized as she looked toward the aforementioned teacher, who was holding his precious pet cat, Lucius, in his arms as he still held that icy stare. “I-I’m sorry, professor. What was the question-”
“Never mind,” Trein interjected. “It seems your mind was elsewhere.”
Yuuki sighed as she dropped her hands in her lap, causing Grim to blink at her with worry, as well as Ace and Deuce. Before any of them could ask what was going on, they heard the bell ring, signaling the end of this period.
“I suppose this concludes today’s lesson,” said Trein. “We shall continue tomorrow, class. Remember that tomorrow is the last day of classes before winter break starts!”
As the students filed out to head to the cafeteria for lunch…
“Miss Hajime,” Trein called, causing her to freeze in her tracks before she turned to face the Magical History Teacher. “If I may have a word with you, please.”
“Y… yes, sir,” Yuuki replied as she dropped her shoulders.
“Uh-oh…” Grim muttered as he flattened his ears. “Not good.”
“I think you’re in trouble,” Ace whispered as he walked past her.
“You want us to stay here with you?” Deuce asked.
“No, he just asked for me,” Yuuki answered. “Look, you guys go to lunch. I’ll catch up with you, soon.”
“If you say so,” Ace shrugged. “Just don’t be mad if we got all the good grub before you do.” With that, he, Deuce, and Grim walked out, leaving Yuuki alone with Trein and Lucius, who let out a yawn as his master placed him on his desk.
“Miss Hajime,” said Trein as he approached the girl, who had her head bowed as she folded her hands together. “I can’t help but notice that for the past few days, you seemed rather distracted.” That’s when the usual coldness of his wrinkled face seemed to disappear, his eyes softening with warmth and concern as he looked at her. “You’re usually so diligent and though you have no magic of your own, you’ve done quite well in my class.”
Yuuki bit her lip and clenched her hands tightly together. It was true that lately, she had been rather distant, not really paying attention to her surroundings or not engaging in conversation with her friends. She would just stare off into space, not at all like her usually vigilant self.
“…Gomenasai,” Yuuki apologized in her native Japanese as Trein noticed her wincing ever so slightly, almost as if she was expecting to be yelled at. “I’m sorry, Professor Trein.”
“I’m not reprimanding you if that’s what you think, my dear,” Trein reassured as he placed a gentle hand on her shoulder, causing her to look up at him. “I only ask because I am worried. You see… I almost see as if you are my granddaughter. I remember how alone and timid you were back when you first started attending my class, but as the months went by, you started coming out of your shell and making friends. However, it’s as if lately, you’ve regressed into that shy, soft-spoken girl that I met.” He paused. “Yuuki, my dear… is there something troubling you?”
Yuuki thinned her lips and furrowed her brow, and meanwhile, Ace, Deuce, and Grim peeked into the room, waiting for her to say something. However, the teenage girl quietly sighed before she raised her head, revealing a small… but forced smile.
“I’m fine, Professor,” she said. “Really… please don’t worry about me.”
Trein could only stare at Yuuki, his concern growing deeper. Before he could attempt to press further, she turned and walked out the door.
“I’ll be here for class tomorrow,” she said as she left, causing Trein to sigh and shake his head, not angry, but not really disappointed, either. He was just worried for her well-being. He knew that Yuuki was only trying to hide her own suffering. He noticed how she always tried to put on a brave face and tried to make it seem like she was just fine on the surface… but he was no fool. He didn’t live as long as he had only to ignore the signs that he knew for so long. After all, he had raised two daughters on his own.
As Yuuki headed outside, she was soon joined by Ace, Deuce, and Grim, the three of them looking at her with genuine worry.
“Yuuki… are you okay?” Deuce asked.
“I’m fine,” Yuuki answered as she turned to face him. “Why wouldn’t I be?”
“Yuuki, cut the act, okay?” Ace asked as he crossed his arms. “Come on, we’ve known you for 3 months, now. We practically know you like the back of our hands by now.”
“Yeah!” Grim agreed. “What’s with ya?!”
Yuuki didn’t speak. Instead, she quietly grabbed at her arm and cast her eyes to the ground.
“Yuuki?” Ace asked.
“I… I’m sorry,” Yuuki said before she walked away. “I just wanna be alone, right now.”
With that, she walked away while Ace, Deuce, and Grim looked at each other as they felt their worry and unease grow. Despite knowing that Yuuki wanted to be alone, they just couldn’t help but feel concerned for her. Giving a simultaneous nod, the boys and cat monster followed after her.
~TWST~
“Yuuki!” Ace called as he, Deuce, and Grim walked near Main Street, trying to find the female Prefect in question.
“Yuuki! Where are you?” Deuce called out.
“Hey! Yuuki!” Grim shouted. “You here?!”
There was no answer. The only sound that met them was the sound of students chatting with each other about plans for winter break next week.
“Where could she be?” Deuce asked as he surveyed the surrounding area. “She’s the only girl in Night Raven College! She should be able to stick out like a sore thumb!”
“Man… when Yuuki makes herself scarce, she sure does a good job at it,” Ace said.
“I can’t even sniff her out, y’know,” said Grim as he crossed his paws.
“Hey.”
The trio turned to see none other than Jack Howl approach them, having just gotten out of class himself. He seemed to have his usual serious expression, but when the Adeuce Duo and Grim saw how his tail was bristling a bit, they knew something must have been up. After all, Jack’s body posture and mannerisms often betrayed how he would speak, so they knew how he would be feeling instantly.
“Jack, what’s up?” Deuce asked his fellow Track & Field Club member.
“You guys looking for Yuuki?” Jack asked, causing the boys to gasp. “I saw her heading to the Ramshackle Dorm. I tried to ask her what was wrong, but she didn’t say anything. She looked upset, though.”
“Yeah, I thought so,” Ace said. “Thanks, Jack.”
“Well, I just figured I’d tell you,” Jack answered as he crossed his arms. “I wasn’t worried about her or anything like that.”
“Yeah, sure you weren’t,” Ace said with a roll of his eyes. “Deuce, Grim, let’s go.”
“Right!” Deuce and Grim exclaimed as they ran after him.
“…Good luck,” Jack muttered under his breath before he walked away.
~TWST~
Hidden under the shadows of the gargoyles, there was Yuuki, sitting curled up in a ball with her arms wrapped around her knees. It was like she felt a great, crushing weight on her body that made her feel like she couldn’t even stand, right now. Her dark red eyes were glossed over, and underneath were the faint traces of dark circles forming beneath.
Yuuki was exhausted .
As the wind blew, it brought with it a cold chill, causing her to shiver as she hugged herself and rubbed her arms for warmth. That’s when she felt something gently draped on her shoulders, causing her to look up and see Deuce, who had taken off his blazer as he looked at her with a gentle stare. Standing behind him were Ace and Grim, the latter looking very concerned for the Prefect.
“Hey,” said Deuce as he sat down beside her. “You looked a little cold, Yuuki.”
“Yuuki… you’re clearly not okay,” Ace said. “Seriously, what’s going on with you?”
“Yeah… you can talk to us, y’know,” said Grim.
Yuuki bit her trembling lip and screwed her eyes shut, but it was too late. Her eyes were already welling up. Before she knew it, she threw her arms around Deuce, who let out a startled yelp, and as she buried her face in his chest, she let out a muffled sob as she clutched at the back of his vest. Ace and Grim both glanced at each other before they soon went over to join her side. Slowly, Deuce embraced Yuuki, who kept sobbing as he held her close, while Ace placed a hand on the girl’s shoulder, and Grim soon wormed his way onto her lap. They didn’t have to ask her what was wrong, anymore, because they knew instantly.
Everyone was going home for winter break… except for her.
Crowley kept telling her “I’m working on it” or “Being the headmaster of such a prestigious school, I’m quite busy, after all”. There was never any word on his progress, if there was any at all. It had been 3 months now since Yuuki had appeared here at Night Raven College, way back in September. Through every misadventure, every class, and even every dangerous battle that she had with Overblotted students and even monsters, the self-proclaimed gracious headmaster still did not give her the answers she sought… and the more the days went by, the more hope that Yuuki had begun to lose.
“…I’m never going home… am I?” she asked in barely a whisper.
Ace, Deuce, and Grim didn’t answer her, causing her to sniffle and sob even more. All they could do was stay by her side and let her know that she wasn’t alone… at least for the time being.