“To be honest, I feel anxious about these two working together”, Daiki whispered to Amu hoping that the older couple didn’t hear what he had to say. The younger girl just nodded once while watching Kim and Kei get ready to go back to the office to get more information about what happened on the day of Ryosuke’s accident. 

“Anou, Kim-chan…”, Amu tried to catch the older girl's attention, “Do you want me to go with you instead? You and Inoo-chan are not really a good mix”.

“What? No way, Amu. It will be a bit suspicious if they see the both of us sneaking around the building. They know we’re close to Yama-chan so it’s best if we don’t investigate together”, Kim pointed out, “Besides, I don’t think Dai-chan will allow me to put you in danger again. I can tell by his look that he’s against it”, she continued with a tease after seeing Daiki pouting at Amu’s suggestion. 

“It’s not very often that I say this but… she’s right”, Kei spoke next and attempted to mock Kim for the nth time. He handed the couple his laptop and a set of earpiece for them to listen in, “I actually have a job for you two. Thanks to your previous visit, I can gain access to the security room and get the master key to all offices. I’m going to plant listening devices inside each room so we can hear any suspicious conversations. I want you record anything that might be useful”. 

“Copy that, Inoo-sensei”, the two saluted. 

“After this, let’s meet up in the hospital to visit Yama-chan”, Kei continued and soon drove off his driveway with Kim sat on the passenger seat.

xXxXxXxXx

“What in the world are you wearing?” Kim raised one of her brows and questioned Kei’s attire as soon as he got out of the car. She wondered why the boy took his time getting out of his vehicle, but after stepping out, all became clear. She looked at Kei up and down, and judged the boy’s weird character. He watched him wiggle his eyebrows, amazed at his blue overall suit, topped with a cap. The word ‘cleaner’ is printed at the back of his jump suit with his name tag pinned on the right side of his chest. 

“I’m the master of disguise, you know”, he smirked and saw Kim literally face palm herself. 

“You’re gonna attract more attention if you’re dressed like that, baka! Where did you even get a cleaner’s uniform?”, Kim wondered, her eyes rolled after noticing that it is the exact uniform the cleaners in the office wear during office hours. It’s not the fact that Kei is wearing a peculiar suit that makes Kim feel uneasy. It’s the idea that Kei is glowing no matter what he wears. The girl worries that he’ll attract more people because of the amount of pheromones he’s releasing despite his weird clothes. 

“Just admit it, I’m too handsome”, he boasted and earned a light push from the girl beside him. 

“Let’s get this over with”, Kim shoved him out of the way and tried to hide her anxiousness about their mission. However, before she can even make a step inside the building, the older boy pulled her back and did not let go of her hand. 

“Wait… I have something for you”, he fished a long chain from his back pocket and presented it to the younger girl. The silver band twinkled and soon revealed a heart pendant locket at the end of it. The boy then leaned forward, encircling his arm around Kim’s neck, making the latter freeze from her stance. Kei was so close to her that made her system shut down. Her mind suddenly went blank and if it wasn’t for the sound of Kei’s breathing on her neck, she wouldn’t have woken up to reality. It took about 2 seconds to gain her composure back before hearing a *click*, and just like that, the necklace dangled beautifully on her neck. 

“What is this for? Your ‘moves’ won’t work on me, Inuu-chan!”, she countered whilst suppressing the overwhelming feeling inside her chest.

“Look inside the locket. It has a tracker so I’ll know where you are all the time”, Kei prompted Kim to open the pendant where a small red blinking light can be seen. 

“Where the heck did you get all these gadgets?”, amazed by all his equipment, Kim couldn’t help but applaud the man. He may seem simple minded at times but even her stubborn self admits that he’s smart.

“Maa, I have my sources”, he smirked as if proud of his masterpiece. 

“You know this is borderline 'creepy', right? Do you use these to stalk girls?”

“Tsk, just trust me”

—

“Amu had a look at Yama-chan’s calendar and he's supposed to have a meeting with the Board of Directors this afternoon. I’ll crash at their meeting to get clues on what the old geezers are up to”, Kim suggested and the couple walked to the 7th floor before splitting ways to avoid suspicion from familiar colleagues.

“I’ll be listening in through our mics so just call for help if you need it”, Kei instructed before letting Kim go. He made sure that the bluetooth mic is secure on the girl’s ear and slightly covered it with her hair. 

“What will you be doing?”

“I’ll be guarding you, of course. I can’t let anything happen to you”

Kim didn’t let Kei notice her blushing face and led her way towards one of the conference rooms. She took a deep breath before entering the double doors leading to a room full of intimidating men wearing well-built suits. 

“Orihara-san? Why are you here?”

“I’m part of this company as much as my cousin so why are you acting so surprised?”, Kim tried to act tough, hoping to catch them off guard. She eyed all the people in the room and looked for any individuals acting peculiarly. 

“Ah, no… I was just surprised that you’re here. How is Yamada-san doing?”, one of the directors, Mr Takamura asked. 

“He’s doing well, actually. He might come back to the office quite soon”, she lied. She noticed how some of the directors looked at each other as if opposing the idea of Ryosuke coming back. 

“Well, while he’s still in the hospital, I guess myself and Mr Takamura will be taking over. We can’t afford to turn down anymore projects”, Watanabe suggested and passed a few paperworks around the table. This includes a list of suggested projects from different companies. In almost an instant, Kim noticed how most of the business ventures on the list are linked to Miyata Financial Group, owned by the family of Ryosuke’s supposed-to-be fiancé, Satoko Miyata. 

“Wait a minute, this isn’t the list Ryosuke gave a few weeks ago! This is completely opposed to his plans for the next year”, Kim protested. Her voiced was slightly raised and couldn’t stop herself from getting angry. Just because Ryosuke is in the hospital, the Board of Directors are taking advantage of his absence. 

“I’m sorry Ms Orihara, but since Yamada-san is not physically here, we’re deciding for him”,

“You can’t do this!”

“I’m afraid you don’t really have a say in our decisions”, Takamura replied smugly.

Kim took her time to think of better words to counter Takamu