How to be Happy Segment #1

Chapter 16: Question After Question

         "Ko? Wait, who do we know who has a Ko in their name?" Akira asked, as one name came to my mind.
"Do I need to say it?" I asked her, as her eyes widened. 

"OH! IT WAS KOUJI!" Akira said, slamming her fist into the table.
"Akira honey you're my best friend and all but you are SO DENSE. WHO THE HELL IS KOUJI?!" I asked her, as we were escorted out of the Cafe.

"Kouji was our bartender in the festival yesterday. He got Okawa super duper drunk, I dunno why. I saw him give Okawa twice as much drinks, so I'm not wrong." She said, as I began checking out the note a lot more.

"What're you doing?"
"The house burned down 2 days ago, so if it was him the note would look clean." I said, as I looked and realized that the note looked new and clean. 
"Well, what about the clothes in the cabinet? Wouldn't they act like a cover for the note?" She asked, as I began to wonder. 

"Hey, I know his bar's open today, so why don't we ask him ourselves?" She asked, as she waits at the bus stop.
"Fine." 

On the bus, we passed a gigantic mansion, it was lit up and glowing, so bright it blinded me. It looked exciting, but we didn't have time to go there. We had somewhere to go first: Kouji's bar.

After getting off of the bus, we began walking to the bar. We decided to have a conversation about people we know, as Akira asked:

"Hey, what do you know about Rhed? I haven't really gotten to know him THAT well, besides.. y'know-"
"I get it. I don't know a lot, besides he has amazing luck and he's a relatively nice guy, I don't know much." I told her, as she began skipping and hopping.

"Whenever we get closer to the bar, I just end up feeling happier!" She said, changing the topic completely, as my eyes widened. 

As we entered the bar, it was empty again, with only one other girl there. She was wearing glasses and had brown pigtails, as she was drinking a beer Kouji gave her. As she turned to us, I gazed into her beautiful blue eyes and noticed she had a sweater and jacket. She took my breath away. 

"Hey! You caught my eye, little missy! What's your name?" Akira asked her, as she tilted her head.

She picked up a pen and a notepad next to her, as me and Akira looked at her, confused. Finally, she wrote her name down.

"My name is Shizuka, nice to meet you! c:" The paper said, as Akira looked at her confused. I realized why she decided to write on her notepad, and so I decided to bring it up.

"Are you.. mute? That's so awesome, I've never met a mute person before!" I said, as her eyes widened. Akira nodded with me, as we sat next to her.
"Yeah, I think that's really cool! You're so pretty too, I want to squeeze you to death!" Akira said, as Shizuka smiled. We began asking her questions about if she could speak and how she was so pretty.

Suddenly..

I saw drops hit the table, and as I looked back up to face her, she was crying.
"W-What's wrong, Shizuka?" We asked her, as she began writing again.
"Everyone makes fun of me for not being able to speak, I only have my boyfriend to keep them from bullying me, but I don't know where he is." She wrote, as Akira and I comforted her. 

"Akira, how about this: I'll help Shizuka find her boyfriend while you question Kouji?" I asked her, as she pouted.
"WHY DO YOU GET THE HOT ONE?!"
"AKIRA COME ON, JUST QUESTION THE BARTENDER."
"FINE."

As I walked her outside, I asked her:
"Where was the last place you saw him?" As she began scribbling, still tearing up.
"At the Lovers Tower." She wrote, as I made a sigh and we began to pick up the pace. 

Meanwhile..

"WHAT DID YOU DO AFTER WE LEFT YOUR DAMN BAR?!" Akira asked the bartender, as he began sweating profusely.

"Oh.. silent type, huh? I'll get you to talk." She said, as she grabbed a bottle of whisky and began throwing it out into the snow, shattering them.

"OK OK FINE, I GIVE I GIVE." He said, as Akira stopped throwing.
"So what's the big deal, big man?" She said, taking a swig of the whisky.

"W-Well.. the truth is..-"
"WELL..?"
"THE TRUTH IS I'VE BEEN SEEING THIS MOM FOR A WHILE AND I'M TOO SCARED TO ASK HER OUT."
"..that is in no way related to a note, right?" She asked, as the whisky began to slip from her hands.

"N-No, I never sent a no-"
"GOD FUCKING DAMMIT!" Akira said, throwing down the whisky in her hands and rubbing her eyes. 

After some awkward silence, Akira looks up at Kouji, worrying and cowering behind the bar's table. 
"I'm sorry for destroying the bar, and as my apology, I'm going to to help you confess your love to that mother, you nice bastard." She says, as Kouji looks up from the desk. 

"...THANK YOU."

Meanwhile..

"Lovers tower is really close ahead! Don't worry, we'll find him!" Yuki said, as Shizuka kept running alongside her. 

Suddenly, 

Okawa and Fruity are at the fountain in the middle, surrounded by buildings as tall as the sky itself. They were dirtied up, both wearing ripped suits and both with cuts on their heads. As I looked over, Shizuka let go of my hand and began running toward them.

Shizuka hugged Fruity, as Fruity hugged back. As I walked toward them, Okawa stopped me from breaking them apart.

"Something tells me from the way they're hugging that you're work isn't done, Yuki." Okawa said, as I stood there confused.

"Wait, how did you kno-"
"Fruity told me about it at the party." He said, as I got EVEN MORE confused.

"Wait, party?"
"I'll explain as we walk." He said, as I overheard Fruity and Shizuka talk.

"You've been gone for a while! I've missed you, Shizuka! How's Kamaye been?" He says to her, as she gives him a thumbs up and they laugh while they walk.

Meanwhile..

"So, we got flowers, we got chocolates, what now?" Asked Kouji, as Akira rubs her chin.
"Well, I don't think we have anything left. Ring the doorbell!" As Kouji gulped and pressed the doorbell.

As the door opened, an older woman was there to greet us at the door, as her eyes widened.

"Kouji?"
"Hi."
"Come inside." She said, as Akira gave him a thumbs up.

Suddenly, a child came running out and asked Akira:

"You're not the one eyed man. Where is he, I couldn't give him my gift!" He said, giving Akira a folded piece of construction paper. 
"Oh yeah, young girl. Tell the one-eyed man I said thank you." The mother said, as Kouji entered the house.

Wait.. Is the one eyed man..

Kokoru?