Stalker Actions
After seeing Aju off, I sat down with Daeho to discuss what came next. Specifically, how to deal with Aju's stalker—something I still hadn't witnessed firsthand.
"The most effective solution is obviously the police," I said. "But you mentioned there's no evidence, so that won't work?"
<>
"That means they've been watching her every single day."
<>
The stalker never appeared when someone was around, but the moment that person left, they struck. Without constant surveillance, we'd never catch them.
If that was the case, the stalker had to be someone fairly close to Aju...
"Any suspects?"
<<...Not none.>>
Surprisingly, he did have someone in mind.
"Who?"
<>
"Ah... that guy."
It was probably right before I enlisted. Aju was so cute that she attracted plenty of attention from both girls and boys. One guy became completely obsessed and confessed—only to be turned down, as expected.
"But he never did anything dangerous, right? He kept talking to her after the rejection, but after that he calmed down."
<>
"Don't phrase it like that. People will misunderstand. I just said something because Aju looked so uncomfortable."
<>
What did I say again...? It was a long time ago. Ah.
"You crazy bastard. I've memorized your name and address. If you bother Aju again, your house and everything else will be smashed to pieces. So stop while I'm still being nice... something like that?"
<>
"Huh? I didn't punch him."
<>
He's exaggerating. Among guys, that was practically gentle. Still, now that I thought about it, it did make him a pretty strong suspect.
"You said the stalking started after I enlisted?"
<>
Hmm. So that was how it was.
"Did you look into him at all?"
<>
"What about a private investigator?"
<>
He had a point. To investigate Aju's surroundings, someone would have to stay close to her. In the end, it would just add another stalker to the list.
So what now?
"Is there no other way?"
<>
"I do have plenty of time, but I can't exactly walk up and ask if he's the stalker. And I don't have the skills to tail someone without getting caught either."
That was true. Investigating someone required all kinds of techniques. I wasn't an expert, so I didn't know exactly what was needed, but at the very least, the ability to gather information without raising suspicion would be essential.
"It's not like I can disguise myself as someone else. And wiretapping would be a crime."
<>
"Don't joke around when we're having a serious conversation. Think realistically."
<>
"..." / <<...>>
In that moment, we both realized the same thing.
Our current situation wasn't realistic to begin with, was it?
And if that was the case... maybe we could pull off something magical right now.
"Hey, hey... If it's you, you could get close to him without raising suspicion. Because you're a cat."
<>
Once we realized that, the conversation picked up speed.
"Then it's decided. Starting tomorrow, you'll follow Aju and check for any suspicious movements. While you're at it, look into that guy who confessed to her too."
<>
"We can just leave the window open and say you snuck out."
After all, cats wandering off was a well-known thing. Slipping out through an open window for a walk and coming back would seem completely normal.
"Aju will worry, but her safety is more important right now."
<>
Daeho trailed off for some reason.
Now that I thought about it, the last time I asked Aju about school, her reaction hadn't been bright either.
...There had to be a reason.
I hadn't paid much attention to that question. After all, someone as cute and kind as Aju would get along fine no matter where she went—or so I had assumed.
Once our plan regarding Aju was settled, I immediately started looking for part-time jobs, but nothing felt quite right yet. I wasted time like that until five o'clock, the time Aju had mentioned.
"I'm heading out. What about you?"
<>
"..."
Maybe dying once had made him softer on me. Was it true that people changed after dying and coming back?
<>
"Where do you think you're going..."
Yeah, I hadn't expected anything different. Changed my ass.
That guy would act the same even if he turned into a rat instead of a cat.
In the end, I left the house alone. Aju and Daeho's place was Room 301 in a three-story villa, so naturally there was no elevator—I had to walk up and down the stairs.
Well, for someone who had been an active-duty soldier until three days ago, it was light exercise.
"Come to think of it, it's been a while since I went to Aju's school."
I'd been there several times before. Not just to have a word with that guy Daeho mentioned, but also to pick Aju up after school quite often.
Back then, Aju always seemed to have at least one friend with her.
"Well, Aju is popular, after all."
For the record, whenever I tried to talk to Aju, the kids around her would run away... Probably because of my sharp-looking face. I couldn't help that, but this time I needed to be careful not to scare anyone off.
If possible, I should only greet her when her friends were still around.
With that in mind, I walked to Aju's school and took a seat at a café a little distance away, watching the front gate through the window.
"Let's see. School should be ending soon, so Aju should come out... Ah, some students are already leaving."
They looked like the type who bolted the second class ended. Every school, every era had kids like that. Seeing them grinning and running off together, they probably had plans to hit up a PC café.
Heh, brings back memories.
"Well, right now I'm more interested in Aju than those kids... The girls are starting to come out too."
I found myself smiling alone as memories of skipping evening self-study with Daeho surfaced, but now wasn't the time to get lost in nostalgia.
Let's see... It should be about time for Aju to come out.
"She's later than I thought. Fewer students are coming out now."
I wanted to wait until I could see Aju with my own eyes so I wouldn't cause her any trouble, which meant I'd been sitting in the café for ages.
Then I overheard a conversation nearby.
"That guy with the short hair over there... He's been smiling while staring at the high school."
"...Isn't he looking at the girls?"
"Really? ...Should we report him?"
Someone was talking about a guy watching girls leaving high school and smiling. Honestly, between Aju's stalker and this, the world had become a scary place.
I didn't know who it was, but they looked like some unemployed guy with nothing better to do. If they were going to bother people, they should just stay home and play games quietly.
More importantly, Aju still wasn't here. Nothing bad had happened to her, right...?
...Right? If something happened to Aju—
"Ah, he just frowned... That's scary."
"Hey, wait. I'll try reporting it."
Tsk, they'd been noisy for a while now. If they were that suspicious, they should just report it already. I didn't want to share space with some pervert either.
Who the hell was it? Let me see their face.
Thinking that, I turned my head toward where the voices had come from.
And then—
"Ah, we made eye contact."
"..."
For some reason, I found myself staring at a woman who had been looking at me, and another woman beside her who seemed about to make a call.
...Huh?
"..." / "..." / "..."
A sudden silence fell between me and the two women.
Let's think about this... So, around the time school ended, I sat at a nearby café staring at the front gate... Then suddenly smiled for no reason... Then frowned...
This... was me?
Now that I thought about it, everything I was doing... wasn't that exactly what a stalker would do?
Then those people right now—they were going to report me... No, no! I was doing this to protect Aju, so it was completely different!
"Tch."
I couldn't exactly explain myself to strangers, so I tried to stand up naturally to get out of the situation, but somehow ended up clicking my tongue.
I even tried smiling once to show I wasn't dangerous, but—
"Eek."
"...Ugh."
For some reason, I heard what sounded like frightened noises. Ah... Come to think of it, Daeho had said something like this before.
"Don't smile carelessly. People will think you're picking a fight."
Back then I thought he was warning me about people starting fights with me, but maybe that had been one of the few kindnesses he showed as a friend. The thought crossed my mind.
"Oh, Riha oppa~"
After leaving the café, I happened to run into Aju just as she was coming out the front gate. She spotted me and walked over with a bright smile, but unfortunately my own expression probably wasn't great.
"Riha oppa? What's wrong...?"
"...Aju. Do I look like a criminal?"
"Huh? Why would you—"
"Never mind. It's just... I'm grateful you're always smiling beside me."
"What?"
Aju tilted her head at me, unable to say that I'd been mistaken for a suspicious person. It wouldn't be polite to keep looking gloomy in front of her either.
"It's nothing. Let's just go home."
"Okay. Ah, can we stop by the store on the way?"
"Sure. But..."
I glanced around Aju briefly. There didn't seem to be anyone suspicious nearby... On the contrary.
"Where are your friends? Did you come out alone today?"
"..."
Aju closed her mouth for a moment at my question.
"Yes, I came out alone today. I had something to do in the classroom."
She said with a smile.
There had been a brief silence before she answered, and the smile on her face right in front of me.
"Really? Got it. Let's hurry to the mart then."
"Okay!"
I noticed it immediately.
Ah, this... She was definitely hiding something.
What on earth had happened to Aju's school life while I wasn't around?
Was it because she didn't want to worry me? Or because she was embarrassed? If it was the former, I'd force the issue, but if it was the latter, asking would just make her feel bad...
For now, I'd let it go. But if this caused problems later... I wouldn't stay silent.