***
They made it to the market square. Shops had already turned on their lights, as the sun was still going down over the horizon. People buzzed about, attending different cafés and food stands, and milling around with phones in hand.
While walking, Noda and Eiichi had sparked up another conversation between themselves that had become heated in minutes.
“I’m just saying, let me go up to them tomorrow and see if I can work some magic!” Noda stated.
“You’re grasping at straws with that move! How do you know they’re going to suddenly start talking, or even trust you?”
“I could make up a reason! She’ll recognize me anyways! And what makes you an expert? You have no knowledge of how we girls socialize, so what makes you so certain it won’t work out?”
“I’m saying it’s like performing surgery with a mallet. A random girl walks up and starts asking questions. Yeah sure, that doesn’t sound suspicious at all.”
“I’m not just going to start asking personal stuff, I’ll start off with a little light conversation! ‘Hey, remember me from the other day?’ ‘How’re you holding up?’ ‘Did the police find out anything yet?’”
“At that rate, it’ll take forever. We may never get anywhere.”
“Your way sounds like it’ll take a lot longer. Do you have any better ideas?”
“...”
They had calmed down, exhausted and walking in silence around thin groups of people and past the well-lit shops. It was getting dark, and the spring nights could still get chilly.
Eiichi stopped, “Here.”
He removed his peacoat and the wool flourished around Noda’s thighs as he placed it on her shoulders.
Her mouth gaped at the gesture as her eyes laid over the black wool through her lenses. A click receded from her throat.
“Ah...” her eyes shut and then opened on him. That beautiful face melted into an expression of sincere endearment. “Thanks, Eiichi...”
“Sure thing.”
They continued walking.
“Wanna’ get something to eat?”
Noda rolled this around in her head a while. If it was going to be like a date, she should get the full experience. However, the only thing he could afford would be beef bowls.
Just when she was about to say yes, Eiichi sensed that someone was behind them. He had forgotten about this output, which was one he’d seen before, but could still recognize it. It had a curiosity that almost matched Noda’s, and a spunky, rowdy attitude to add to it.
He whipped around and his sharp gaze fell on the pair of pigtails placed on the head of what was Reiko’s friend, whom they had last seen dropping her off at home.
Her large, youthful eyes widened and she panicked. After a little dance of her looking frantically about and making chirpy noises, she jumped behind a nearby light pole against a shop building’s outer walls. He could still see her shoulders and pig tails sticking out the sides.
Noda had turned as well and saw the spectacle. “It’s her friend.”
“Looks like we just might have a lead on all this...” Eiichi stepped forward.
His head curved around the light pole and his yellow eyes glared down at the little ball of a girl, who was crouched now and staring up at him with a nervous grin.
“Ya know, it’s better to hide from the people you’re following before they notice you...”
The girl raised her gentle hand in a wave. “Heh...heh-heh...”
Eiichi P.I., Vol. 1 Page 28