Yumiko's Freaks and Creeps – 2

The Cultural Festival was nearing. Hikigaya Hachiman and Yukinoshita Yukino with Yuigahama Yui's support were busy with the committee.

This left Miura Yumiko to herself while the class were preparing for their cultural festival skit.

She had just finished her Bunjinkan Ninjutsu session and was in the changing room. She had finished freshening up and changed back in her school uniform. The other ladies were chatting amongst themselves.

As Yumiko had finished packing her bag, the others wished her farewell, "Great job today Miura-san. Good night."

"Good night." Yumiko politely smiled and waved them back. Things were wrapped up in the dojo, and it was time for her to leave as well.

The area she was at was in no way a school zone, the train station was about a ten-minute walk away from the dojo. The streets were relatively busy, civilians were going in both directions making their way home for the evening.

Approaching to her side as she kept down the path was a gaming arcade.

"Uh excuse me? "A voice called to her, she noticed someone was waving her way in a somewhat frantic manner. A woman looking about her late twenties, wearing glasses and hair tied in a bun, she wore a black blouse and brown dress.

Yumiko was not exactly keen on meeting a stranger on her way back home, naturally so as anyone else. But the frantic look the woman was giving was compelling Yumiko to at least hear her out.

"Uh yes?" Yumiko greeted.

"Pardon me but do you have a moment?" The woman asked. "You're a Sobu High student right?"

Yumiko guessed that she recognised the uniform. Yumiko said, "Yeah, I am."

"Ah I hear they are all very kind students." The woman said.

"Well uh I try to be." Yumiko shrugged.

"Listen, I could really use your help." The woman hurriedly said.

"Oh great." Yumiko dreaded inside. "What is it?"

"My husband is missing. I could use some help to find him." The woman explained. That got Yumiko to pay attention.

"Missing?" Yumiko inched a bit closer.

"Yes, oh it's horrible." The woman shook her head in worry.

"Alright calm down." Yumiko told her, "Call the police."

The woman immediately gripped her shoulders, she said exasperatedly, "No, no police. No need the police."

"Hah?" Yumiko raised her brows.

"I uh don't need something that extreme. At least not yet." The woman explained. "It wasn't that long."

"How long ago was this?" Yumiko asked her.

"It's been about almost twenty minutes."

"So why don't you call him?"

"Uh h-he doesn't have a phone." The women admitted.

"Great, wonderful." Yumiko grumbled, she then asked the woman, "Where were you two earlier?"

"We were in the arcade. I was having fun in the kart racing games, my husband was watching me while I play but after a while…I…lost sight of him then."

Yumiko took the lead, "Alright why don't we start at the kart racing game, maybe I can find something."

"Oh thank you so much, you're such a sweet girl." The woman bowed at Yumiko in gratitude.

"What does he look like? You have a picture of him?" Yumiko asked, playing detective.

"Um, well…no." The woman was stuttering, "He's on the short side actually, shorter than me." The two entered the arcade. Yumiko said to her, "Maybe we should uh split up? You uh check the crane games side, I'll check the racing and shooter games."

As the wife parted from her, Yumiko made her way to the racing games. There was nothing out of the ordinary for her. Just middle-school students and youths playing and competing. Area holding the shooting games were no different, albeit maybe the people were a little rowdier.

"She said that she last saw her husband when she was playing the kart racing game." Yumiko got over to the mentioned racing game. Still no sign of the husband.

Yumiko recalled that the wife said he was on the short side, shorter than her. But even with that information no one around fitted the description. Yumiko's scrutinised eyes scanned all over.

"How does someone go missing in this crowd?" Yumiko began to wonder. She eyed the kart racing game, another middle-school student was using it at the moment. "It should not be that difficult in finding an adult male around here. She said he's shorter than her…so is he a midget? If he is there's nothing wrong with that. But still, how do you lose your husband in a place like this?"

Yumiko decided maybe she could wait at the entrance, maybe he'll come out from anywhere looking for his wife as well. She was starting to regret wasting her time for this, but she shook her head dismissing that thought.

"Someone's missing, do the right thing…" Yumiko thought. From the crane games, the wife came back looking even more worried.

"I could not find him girl." She said, she held Yumiko's hand for comfort. "Please tell me you have found him."

"N-No Ma'am. I-I'm sure he's fine ok?" Yumiko took her hand as well for assurance.

"Oh God, Kaito-kun where are you?" The wife bit her lip, as she turned around to survey the arcade one last time she finally spotted something.

"Kaito-kun!" She yelped, pointing at the back door of the arcade. Yumiko turned her head to where she was pointing at. At the poorly lit back door, Yumiko barely caught the glimpse of three middle school boys seemed to be stuffing a figure into one of their duffel bags.

"You brats! What are you doing?!" The wife shouted at them which got their attention. The middle-school boys quickly bolted for the exit. "Stop!"

"What the…stuffing a midget into a bag?! This is criminal!" Yumiko got ticked at these boys' actions. "Hey! You!" Yumiko shouted and some of the customers were looking her way from her loud voice.

"Kaito-kun!" The wife called and tried to chase after them. But wearing heels and a general lack of fitness was slowing her down. Yumiko took it upon herself to pursue the kidnappers.

With greater speed than the wife, Yumiko dashed right to the back of the arcade. Bursting through the backdoor, the middle school students were caught surprised by Yumiko. "Let him go!" She shouted.

"Shit! Run!" One student said, they all ran off down the back alley. The last one had the duffel bag, and it seemed to be weighing him down. Yumiko chased after them, her training over the months was putting to the test.

Yumiko running after the middle school boys gave another shout, "Get back here you kidnappers!"

The boy carrying the bag was straggling behind, and he was not careful enough as he stepped on a littered beer bottle. In a comical display, the boy slipped, his leg swung back and he fell right on his face. The kidnapper groaned in pain, rolling side to side cupping his face. The others had already fled out into the public.

Yumiko seized the moment rushing in she yanked the duffel bag away from him. She had saved the midget husband.

"You bastard! Kidnapping someone's husband!" Yumiko spat. Behind her, the wife was catching up to Yumiko.

"H-Husband? Kidnap?" The middle school boy wheezed out. "What the hell are you talking about?"

Holding the duffel in one hand however, Yumiko realised something was not right. The bag was way too light to have a kidnapped midget stuffed in it. The boy stilled groveled in agony.

This was getting even more confusing for her. Yumiko placed the bag down, she slowly unzipped it. "What the hell is this?"

Yumiko pulled out what was really in the bag, she stood up and took a good look at the thing in her hands. A large thick cylindrical device, black with cyan outlines and hollow in the middle along with speakers on the sides. "What is this thing?"

"Kaito-kun!" The woman behind Yumiko called and she finally caught up with her. The outline of the device glowed blue. In the hollow part, someone appeared like a hologram.

An idol dressed looking kind of guy, like an anime character with dyed blue hair styled up nice. The hologram of this anime character filled the hollow portion of the device.

Yumiko looking completely baffled stared at 'Kaito-kun'.

"Hello darling, did you enjoy yourself earlier?" Kaito said to Yumiko with a vocaloid voice. "I hope so. I love you, I needed to say that hehe."

Yumiko blinking dumbly could not even register what she was looking at. The woman snatched Kaito from Yumiko, checking every part of the device.

"I'm out of here! You're all crazy!" The middle school boy got up and ran off with what strength he had left, leaving Yumiko with the reunited 'couple'.

"Kaito-kun my love! You're ok, oh thank heaven!" The wife said, looking lovingly at Kaito. A bead of tear nearly escaped her eye. Kaito did not respond to his wife though.

Yumiko's eyes darted from her to Kaito, then back to her, and back to Kaito. Her jaw hung low and she did not even realise it.

"Hah?!" Yumiko blurted out. She pinched her brows and then pointed at the two. "W-Wait, your husband is a vocaloid hologram?!"

For some uncanny reason, Kaito responded to Yumiko. "Welcome back darling, I missed hearing your heavenly voice." Realising her vocaloid hologram was responding to Yumiko instead, Kaito's wife got upset.

"Oi, why is he responding to you?" She snapped at Yumiko. "Don't talk to him girl."

"Hah?!" Yumiko raised an eyebrow, "What are you getting mad at me for? I got your property back, and why would you bring this damn thing outside to begin with?!"

"Are you heading out? It may rain, please take an umbrella darling." Kaito said a line stored in his databank, his software must have been damaged from the fall he took in the duffel bag not registering his wife's voice.

Kaito's wife got even more hysterical, and Yumiko got even more creeped out. "You better leave girl, leave my husband be." Kaito's wife hugged the device close.

Yumiko, at last, grasped the notion, she was wasting her time. And watching the woman so possessive of a vocaloid hologram was so sadly pathetic Yumiko could only pity her.

"I'm done, I am so done. So gross." Yumiko said and shook her head in complete disbelief and turned away.

"I love you darling." The damaged vocaloid said to Yumiko, and unfortunately for her the jealous flame in his wife cranked up to the max.

"Kaito-kun! What's wrong with you?!" She shook the device trying to get her husband to hear her voice. As she took a step, however, she was not careful and stepped on the same beer bottle.

"Whaa!" Kaito's wife took a fall in the same comedic appearance and the hologram device slipped out of her fingers and hit the hard floor. And Kaito disappeared and shut down.

"Ow, ow, ow." His wife rubbed her bum, recovering from her fall she saw what happened to Kaito. "Ahh! Kaito-kun!" She rushed over to pick up her broken device.

Yumiko was not even bothered anymore, she left the alley and head for the train station. "Someone's missing I said. Do the right thing I said."

Yumiko kept shaking head, she could not even feel angry. It was just unbelievably sad for Yumiko, seeing someone ending up like that. She could only hope to God no one she knows would become like that obsessed lady.