Chapter 18 Aquarium Date

Aquarium Date

The date finally began.

We drove Rumi’s car to the aquarium at the harbor, which took about 30 minutes.

It’s the largest aquarium in the area.

We went inside, paid the entrance fee, and admired the huge aquarium.

“There are tons of fish swimming around.”

“This is so awesome. The turtles swim gracefully.”

It’s not a bad idea to interact with marine life this way.

Most importantly, Rumi was in a good mood and I was happy.

We hold hands and are so close that we forget we are step-siblings. I wonder if we look like a couple to the people around us.

We walked slowly around the aquarium and down the last corridor to the exit. We’ve been walking for about an hour.

“It was nice to see different sea creatures.”

“Yes, we saw many amazing sea creatures, and I’m very satisfied.”

“Shall we have lunch?”

“Yes, sure. It’s after lunch, let’s do it.”

But Rumi wants to go to the bathroom first. Do I have to take her?

Five minutes later.

I waited, looking at the screen of my phone.

Ten minutes passed.

There was no sign of Rumi’s return. It’s late, but the girls have a lot of things to do, so I decided to wait a little longer.

Twenty minutes passed.

Wait … this is strange.

I was curious and decided to look for Rumi.

I walked around, but I couldn’t see her.

Was she in the ladies’ room?

I tried calling her on the phone, but it didn’t connect.

What was really going on?

Worried, I worked up the courage to ask the visitors around me about Rumi.

“Um, excuse me. Have you seen a woman who looks like a young girl?”

“Um, no, I haven’t seen her.”

“Oh, I see. … sorry, thank you.”

I asked a few people, but there were no references to Rumi. In that case, I’ll have to try the last resort … and ask the receptionist.

I never thought I would report a missing child.

“Can I help you, sir?”

“Oh, um, my friend … is missing.”

“Please give me her name and description.”

I’ve already explained the details.

The Aquarium staff began searching immediately. It should be easier to find her if there are more people.

I tried searching outside the area.

Rumi had probably gone back to her car.

I went to the parking lot and looked for Rumi’s car. But the car was locked and there was nothing out of the ordinary.

Damn, where did she go?

While I was confused, I suddenly heard a conversation. Two women were discussing something.

“Hey, have you heard? There have been a lot of cases of girls being kidnapped lately.”

“Oh, I heard that. I heard that they kidnapped elementary and middle school girls and did terrible things to them. Recently, a man who looks like the culprit also appeared in this aquarium.”

… What?

Don’t tell me the kidnapper took Rumi!

Maybe they’re still in the parking lot.

I circled the parking lot, looking for any obvious clues. There were ten or twenty cars parked there, so it was hard to find them. But when I thought Rumi might have been taken, I couldn’t stay still.

I watched carefully to see if there were any suspicious cars parked there.

Then I saw a Hiace parked in the corner.

It was the car that had been parked there since we arrived. No, it couldn’t be. …

But as I approached, I noticed that it was a bit worn out…and the license plate was a bit strange. Out of curiosity, I checked out the Hiace car.

When I knocked…

There was no answer.

However,

“… ugh!”

What?

I thought I heard a voice.

“…help!”

It sounded like someone was holding her down to keep her voice from coming out. I also heard fragments of the word “help”.

When I opened the door, I saw a fat man in the back seat turning toward me.

And … Rumi!

Her hands and feet were bound and her mouth was taped shut.

“Rumi!”

“…help!!!”

Rumi cried out for help with tears in her eyes.

“You, what are you doing to Rumi!”

“… Damn it. I got caught!”

The fat man pulled out what looked like a weapon. It was a … kitchen knife!

“Give Rumi back!”

“Give her back? It’s been a long time since I’ve seen such a cute middle school girl. This girl is mine! I’ll dye her body and soul with my colors, then I’ll tear her apart and throw her away.”

This man is a s🬀xual predator!

I can’t believe there’s someone like this out there!

“F🬀ck you! I’ll arrest you!”

“Kid, don’t come any closer. I have a knife!”

The kidnapper brandished his kitchen knife.

But the aquarium staff sensed something was wrong and came to us. The three of them came? Thank God!

“You there, what are you doing?”

“Hey, there’s someone with a knife!”

“Call the police!”

There’s nowhere for this guy to run!