Kaho, Doki Doki! – Part III

Three days had passed after the day both Kaho and I were hospitalized. The doctor said that I was allowed to be discharged one day after I got in. Kaho, however, needed more time in the hospital for further checkups.

On this day, my childhood friend, Bento, my cousin, Yamu (though I called her Takashi), my disciple, Amari accompanied me to see Kaho at the hospital.

“GOOOOOD AFTERNOON~!!!” I greeted at the door cheerfully, shortly after, I was hit by Bento on the head, “OUCH!! That hurt alright!!!”

“You were being too noisy that’s why!”

“Hello, Kaho-san! How are you feeling?”

“I am doing well dayo, Amari-san,” replied Kaho on the bed.

“Kaho!! Look at this!! I was the one who chose the colours!! Do you like them?? Do you like them??” I said, running towards Kaho with a bouquet of pink roses.

“They are pretty, but sei-sama, aren’t you suppose to be recruperitaing? Is it alright for you to come?”

“Of course! My wounds are recovering so soon that I think I could go for a game tennis!” I said as I made a pose of serving.

“Are you ok?” asked Kaho immediately. She must have seen me twitched though I had tried to bear with the pain. “Sei-sama is not good at tolerating pain that’s why I could tell the little movement on your face.”

Everyone laughed as we crowded around Kaho.

“It’s really amazing, I think,” said Amari. “That all of us is able to sit here and talk once again.”

“Oh yes!! It’s beyond amazement actually! I could not believe that Bento took so long to solve that code!”

“Ha! That’s so easy for you to say! You don’t even have the basic idea how it was like when I felt that it was my responsibility that you got kidnapped, and I had to work through that code within such short period of time! The worst thing is, the final answer I gave, has to be 200% correct! It was stressful! It felt as though my life has been shortened by half!” said Bento.

“Oh yeah! I forgot to ask! How did you guys eventually know where Kaho and I were?”

“After Kaho left for you, I had looked up on some information in hopes of getting some clues to who the kidnapper was. Here’s where Ms Bel, Annie-chan, Maddy-chan, Yamu and Amari-chan steps in~”

*****

Kaho took the black briefcase and walked briskly to the door.

“So, what should we do now?” asked Annie.

“Loads,” replied Bento.

The last sentence of what Kaho said before she left kept ringing in Bento’s head.

“Oh, and Bento-san, the kidnapper could be a ‘she’. ”

What is that suppose to mean… Bento pondered, it sounded as though Kaho had already knew who the kidnapper is already.

At that instant, Bento ran up to my room and withdrew the largest and oldest-looking book of photo album out from the shelf, which I place all my albums on.

Everyone followed to my room.

“That album contains memories of Kaho and Neechama since she was a kid,” said Maddy.

Bento was flipping through the pages frantically hoping to look for the slightest possible clue she could find in that album. She either saw a group photo of Kaho in it or an individual photo of Kaho and me. However as the pages flipped, nothing suspicious seemed to surface.

“Stop,” said Yamu suddenly as she bent nearer to the album for a closer look.

“Aunt… Katherine…?” said Amari as she read the name labeled just beside the photo.

“She’s one of Kaho’s juniors!” exclaimed Annie.

“You know her?” asked Amari.

“Why, of course! She and Kaho were close friends until Kaho got married with Yukimura-san. They were so close that each time Kaho is not duty; both of them would go out together. That photo is a piece of good evidence,” explained Annie as she pointed to the photo, “the photographer of this photo was me.”

“Hey! It’s not fair!! You guys went out without me!” cried Maddy.

“Argh! Stop whining! That’s not important!” said Annie

“Wait a minute… this woman looks really familiar,” said Bento as she put down the album and helped herself to my laptop to do some research. “I knew it!” exclaimed Bento suddenly.

Everyone moved towards the monitor.

“Man Died from Fatal Fall,” read Bel, “ how is that connected to Kaho?”

“Ah! I know of that case!” said Maddy.

“Yes, the victim was Aunt Kat’s husband,” continued Annie. “Kaho and her husband were present too. The four of them were on holiday about 2 months ago, out of town. I am not exactly sure what happened, but from what I heard, Uncle Chris fell off a cliff when he tried to save Kaho’s pet cat.”

“So that’s it,” said Bento. “She’s the kidnapper!”

“Why are you so sure?” questioned Bel.

“Because this woman graduated from the same school which Kaho-san, too, graduated from. Kaho-san is not that kind of person who would go looking for trouble. She gets along well with almost anyone and everyone in the house. The only person who seems to be the enemy is none other than this woman,” answered Bento.

“Let’s go,” said Yamu, as she was about to walk out of the room.

“Wait,” said Ivy, standing at the door.

“Obaa-chama,” said Bento, standing up.

“We can’t just go like that! We need the police,” added Ivy.

******

“Here you go, Sei-sama,” said Kaho as she passed her a plate of cut apples.

“Ah… thank you…” I felt my cheeks glowed as I took over the plate of apples.

“I can’t believe I am seeing this,” sighed Bento slapping her forehead.

“Wha…What…? It…it’s common to get cut, right? Takashi?”

“Ah,” replied Yamu as she helped me with a plaster on my finger.

“You are suppose to take care of Kaho now! Not the other way round, Miss!” said Bento.

Just as I was about to reply,

“Hold it hold it, both of you,” said Amari calming the both of us down.

“Humph! So baa-chama decided to call the police because she thought it would have been safe to since it has past 1pm ne…” I said, taking a bite out of the sliced apple.

“Had it not for the gunshot, it would have taken us a much longer time to reach you! I had not expected that the place where you were captured in a storeroom of a school hall that was so tough to see,” said Bento.

“But we were more shocked to see both you and Kaho-san in blood,” added Amari.

Looking up at Kaho, “I am sorry, Kaho.”

“Speaking of which, Sei-sama,” said Kaho, grinning with that smile I never liked. I sensed trouble. “Have you realized who’s fault was it that all of these happened?”

Oh no, I knew this would come. Trying hard not to look at Kaho, “Ah… ah! Oh my goodness! Look at the time! It’s almost time for Ms Bel’s class! And my homework is still undone!! You know, the homework piled this high up when I was away dayo!! Better be going~!!” I said as I put the plate of apples on the chest of drawers and turning my back at Kaho.

“Sei-sama, I hope you’re prepared,”

“O…Oh yes! I am!” I replied, smiling at Kaho. “Hee~ well, we better be going now! Get well soon na!”

All of us left the ward, leaving Kaho with a bewildered look on her face.

“Sensei, I have always wondered though, why do you sometimes sound afraid of Kaho even though she’s smiling?”

“Amari,” said Yamu, putting her hand on Amari’s left shoulder. “You know, I would not ask that question if I were you.”

******

Everything seemed to have fallen back to normal after several days had passed since the kidnap case. Servants in the house were busy with decorations. A “Welcome Back” banner was clearly seen hanging from at ceiling in the doorsteps.

The house was once again lively and noisy and perhaps with little hints of annoyance in the air.

“Huh? So Sei baked this cake?” said the oh-so-annoying neighbour, Eien after looking at the cake in the kitchen. “No wonder it’s all pinky.”

“Ah... haha… isn’t it because this is a strawberry cake?” said Amari emphasizing on the word, strawberry.

“Isn’t it precisely this looks something that she would do? A strawberry cake?” shot back Eien.

“Er… yeah...” replied Amari, looking at the all pinky and red cake that is almost filled up with strawberries, except at the middle, that says ‘Happy Birthday, Kaho!’

This cake spells sensei na, Amari thought.

“How’s everything going?” I said happily at the kitchen door.

“I’ll bring this cake outside,” said Amari as she walked out of the kitchen with Eien following behind.

“Ah… Thank you…” I said while I gave way to the both of them, wondering what had happened before I came.

“Ooo~ps!” said Bento as she almost knocked onto Amari. My heart skipped a beat.

“Girl, you don’t know how much you can pay me if that drops,”

“Sorry sorry~” Bento apologized teasingly, “ but honestly, no matter how I looked at the cake, it can never occur to me that Miss Princess baked it na…”

“Hey hey, so long as I have the will, nothing is impossible,” I said as I bang the fridge’s door shut with my back and holding two bottles of drinks on my hands.

“Girl, you better let me hold those!” said Bento running towards me. “You know you’re not allowed to hold anything heavy!”

“Yes ma’am, yes ma’am, here you go!” I said as I tricked Bento that I was about to throw the bottle at her.

“Thanks, that was not funny,”

I chuckled as Yamu came into the kitchen. I was relieved that she had not seen what I just did.

“Kaho’s back,”

Upon hearing that, I hurried out of the kitchen to greet her.

“Welcome back, Kaho!” I said as I flew my body at her.

“I am home, Sei-sama,” replied Kaho.

“I have a surprise for you! Come in! Come in!” I said as I pulled Kaho into the living room.

“Happy birthday!” shouted almost everyone in the living room with Yamu pulling off a cracker, Annie blowing a whistle and Maddy waving a pair of poms poms.

“Wow…” said Kaho in awed.

“Kaho! Kaho! I baked this for you! Like it?” I said running towards Kaho with the first cake I ever baked in my entire life, with pride.

“Sei…sei-sama baked this,” said Kaho unbelievably at the sight of the cake.

“Ahh~ this is nothing at all~” I said with confidence.

“Ah…” said Kaho, still suspecting.

“I said I baked it! Believe me!”

“I… I know… it’s obvious ne,”

“Then…”

“Ah… I am not sure if this is edible…” came the reply.

“AH!! Kaho you’re being mischievous na!! Humph!”

“You know I am joking, I like this very much! Thank you!” said Kaho with a smile, the smile that I always loved.

“By having the energy to joke means you’re all well and kicking already,” said Baa-chan, as she decended down the stairs.

“Obaa-chama!”

“I was doing busy doing something in the study, I was not aware that you’re already home until I heard the crackers and thecheering,” added Baa-chan as she approached Kaho.

“I am sorry to have let you worried,”

“No, no. Don’t be sorry. Thank you. You deserve this,” said Baa-chan as she pressed a white envelope into Kaho’s hands. “Open it.”

“O… Obaa-chama, this…” said Kaho, not believing the amount she saw on the cheque.

“I thought it would be better if I passed this personally to you,” explained Baa-chan. “I have been wanting to increase your pay but I could not find the right timing so I thought it would be good to make use of this chance to increase your pay.”

“Thank you, Obaa-chama,” said Kaho thankfully.

“Does it mean it’s my credit?” I said, holding the cake with both of my hands turning from Baa-chan to Kaho continuously.

“Yeah, you wish,” said Bento not forgetting a punch on the head.

“Hey watch it!” I gasped and held firm to the cake. “I am with a cake!!”

“Yea, yea, all of us know you ARE with a cake. And apparently we can do nothing with that cake if you’re just holding it,” said Eien.

“Oh…oh yes…” I replied. “Let’s start the celebration then!”

Together, we sung Kaho a birthday song, took the most number of photos that I could.

Over at the garden where Bento, Amari and my sisters gathered for a small conversation while Yamu and Eien helped themselves with more food, I asked how the cake was at Kaho.

“Hmm~ it’s unexpectedly delicious!”

“Kaho…” I sighed.

“ But come to think of it, Bento-chan, you’re really something! You were just like Kindaichi! ”  Said Amari after popping in a portion of her slice of cake. “What made you solved everything?”

“Yea! I agree! To be able to solve the mystery behind that note when we had almost an hour before the time limit!” added Maddy as she bit half of a strawberry.

“Haha~ all thanks to Everyone’s Baker Master I guess?” laughed Bento.

“Everyone’s Baker Master?” said all the other three almost together.

“You mean that shop that sells baking materials down town?” asked Annie.

“Yup,” replied Bento. “You see, when we were in Junior School, our class were required to bake cookies for one of our Home Econs class, so together with Sei, we went down to Everyone’s Baker Master to shop for the materials.

“Then, while we were queuing to pay for our stuffs, I saw her giggling…”

******

“What? That’s disgusting,”

“Hee~ I can’t help it dayo! Thinking that we’ll make the best cookies tomorrow during class just makes me excited!” I replied excitedly.

“Huh? Just because we are buying stuffs from Everyone’s Baker Master?”

“Yep! Just because we bought stuffs from Everyone’s Baker Master!”

“I don’t get you…”

“See? It’s just like the name suggests!” I explained pointing to the signboard. “It says Everyone IS Baker Master! Get it? Heee~”

******

“She’s impossible,” commented Annie breathlessly and helping herself to another spoon of cake.

“I agree. But thanks to that, I was reminded of hidden meanings in words and shortforms. And so I was able to solve the mystery,” said Bento.

“You know what? Perhaps, she’s the real Kindaichi,” commented Maddy, fnishing her last bite of the cake as everyone turned and looked in the direction of the living room, when I was about to drop one of the strawberries into my mouth.

END.