“Ah… Yamashita-chan!” Hakuba gasped, standing in the doorway to his bedroom. His hand hovered over the light switch and, for a moment, he considered turning it off and walking right back out the door. But, even though he wanted to flee, he remained frozen in place, staring with jaw agape. 

“Just… just how did you get into my bedroom? What are you doing here? And for God’s sake, why are you all tied up?” He paused, then shook his head. “Nevermind; you can’t answer that. Nor do I want to know. Oh god, why does this sort of thing continue to happen to me?!”

He managed to take one step forward, brows furrowed in concern. Did he dare attempt to untie her? No… no, that would be unwise, given the circumstances. It seemed that he was in a bad spot no matter what he did. Really, given the situation, there was only one thing that he could do.

“DAAAD!”

The frantic teenage detective turned and yelled into the hallway, only to be rewarded with silence.

“SIR! I need your help! PLEASE.”

He knew that the Superintendent General was home; he’d managed to finally have dinner with the man for the first time in weeks, so he couldn’t have gone far. It’d only been five or so minutes since they’d left the table together.

Then again, the Hakuba Estate was large and roomy, so there was no guarantee that he’d hear him even if he screamed bloody murder. Unsettling thought, that. 

“Ah, ah… st-stay there, Yamashita-chan.. I’ll… I’ll get help!”

Goal in mind, Hakuba was finally able to turn and sprint into the hallway, grimacing at the way his socks slipped on the polished marble flooring. Damn this excessive living space! 

Nevertheless, he made it to his father’s study with only one or two minor mishaps and slid to a stop just past the doorway. 

“Ah… Dad?”

The older man glanced up from the paperwork on his desk to offer a tired smile, curious and puzzled by the frantic expression on his son’s face. “Yes, Saguru?”

“There’s a… well, I need your help, if… if you can come. It might only take a moment? Oh, god, I left my door wide open…”

The Superintendent General blinked once or twice, brow slowly lifting in confusion. “What’s wrong, son?”

Hakuba took a deep breath, forcing himself to adjust his posture, hands running over his pockets briefly as he collected himself. “There’s a… a girl tied up on my bed, sir. Blind folded, gagged… I… ah, I don’t know how… or why, but…”

“There’s… what?”

“A girl. Yamashita-chan, in fact. She’s a high school detective. And for some reason she’s on my bed. Blind folded, gagged, and tied up.”

Silence followed as Hakuba Sr stared at younger Hakuba, giving himself a moment to comb over the information again in his mind.

When he’d still said nothing after a few seconds, Hakuba shifted his weight from foot to foot and glanced back over his shoulder. “Perhaps I should call the police? Do you suppose that would be a good idea?”

“You have a girl in your bed… while you’re both under age… and you’re telling me about it?”

Hakuba stared. “Well, she’s… not supposed to be there.”

“Dare I ask what you mean by that, son?”

“If she were supposed to be there, I wouldn’t be coming to you for help.” Hakuba blinked once or twice more, watching his father, now feeling equally as confused. “Because… I wouldn’t need help, you see… So this is rather awkward…”

“Do you often have people tied up in your bed?”

“Ah…. … no… no, I don’t.” It’d really only happened once or twice and, honestly, it had never been intentional. Somehow. Huh. Either way, his answer wasn’t technically a lie, so he offered a small, apologetic smile. “I just… need your assistance with removing this one, if you please.”

The elder Hakuba pushed back from his desk and stood, sighing. “So let me get this straight; my seventeen year-old son, promising young detective who chases down serial killers and has been hospitalized on more than one occasion from skirmishes with criminals… is afraid of a girl that ended up in his bedroom.”

“Ah… yes. Yes, that sounds like a fairly adequate assessment, sir. She’s not supposed to be there. I have no idea how she got in, how she got tied up, who helped her, or did this to her, or what the design of this… this… whatever this is was. Or is. Wait. No, what I mean is, I don’t know why she’s there, but I’d really like her to not be there, and I’m not certain what the best course of action from this point would be.”

After tiredly rubbing his forehead, Hakuba Sr stepped around his desk and came to put a heavy hand on his son’s shoulder. “Son, are you trying to tell me something?”

Hakuba tilted his head, blinking once more in confusion. “Ah, yes… yes, that there’s a person in my room and I’d very much like there not to be…”

“No, I mean… are you trying to tell me something about yourself?”

The younger Hakuba stared, expression growing increasingly worried as the seconds ticked by. “…Huh?”

“Son, don’t tell me that you think that girls are… icky.”

“Icky? Why would I think that?”

Hakuba Sr set his jaw. “What I mean to ask, son, is… … and please don’t take this the wrong way… are you gay?”

Uh.

“Gay? No… no, I’m not, Dad.” Hakuba had long since decided that his father was not among the people who needed to know anything about his somewhat ambiguous sexuality. But again, technically speaking, his statement had not been a lie. “I’ve been out with plenty of girls. But I don’t see what this has anything to do with the one that’s currently in my bedroom. Will you help me or not?”

After giving a sigh of relief, Hakuba Sr patted his son’s shoulder again and nodded. “All right, all right… lead the way, let’s take a look at this hostage situation you’ve got going on.”

“Should I call for backup?”

“I… somehow don’t think that will be necessary, but if it makes you feel better, have your cellphone at hand.” He pushed past him and started down the hall, much taller son trailing closely behind him. 

“All… all right! I have my phone. I’m ready.”

“And for God’s sake, Saguru, stop acting like there’s a spider on your ceiling or something. Have a little dignity.”

…

This is ridiculous… and he wonders why I’m never home…