Hearing the chaotic footsteps outside, Yuu immediately began the "cleanup." He knew Serena and Ran were back, and judging by the number of people, they weren't alone.
With the bride missing for so long, everyone—Kiyonaga Matsumoto, Toshihiko, and Kazumi—was now gathered outside, growing increasingly anxious.
Yuu scrambled to open the window for ventilation and straighten his clothes while thinking of an excuse. Hiding the truth seemed impossible; Sayuri was a virgin, and no matter how careful he was, the "aftereffects" were glaring. Even with the wedding dress's wide skirt, walking down the aisle would be a struggle. Moreover, since she was his now, he had no intention of letting her marry Toshihiko.
He was also confused. In his memory, the "incident" should have happened by now. He looked at the lemon tea sitting untouched on the table and realized the timeline had shifted. There was no second bottle of tea, and Sayuri hadn't taken a single sip of this one. Even if Toshihiko had poisoned it, as long as she didn't drink, there was no crime.
A cool breeze blew in through the window, carrying away the scent of sex and shocking the disheveled Sayuri back to reality. The wind hit the wet, sticky area between her legs, giving her a sudden chill.
As the overwhelming pleasure subsided, her twenty-seven years of emptiness finally filled, Sayuri regained her composure. She didn't have time to clean out the cum filling her belly; she just pulled up her panties and adjusted her skirt, using the dress to hide her stained thighs and messy lower half.
Fortunately, Yuu hadn't touched her upper body, or they would have been doomed.
Just as they finished tidying up, the group outside reached a breaking point.
"You can't find Ms. Matsumoto?" Serena's loud voice pierced the door. "Ran and I just left her here!"
"But I've been knocking for forever..." the coordinator said nervously. He didn't dare force the door, knowing many high-ranking officials were attending.
Serena, however, had no such reservations. She tried the handle and found it locked. "It's locked! And my camera is still in there!" She waved the fresh batteries, looking for a key.
"Forget the camera, we need to find the teacher!" Ran said, exasperated by her friend's flightiness.
The coordinator was sweating bullets. The ceremony had started; the priest was already at the altar. If the bride didn't show, his career was over.
Kiyonaga Matsumoto, sensing something was wrong with his police instincts, ordered his men to search while he prepared to kick the door down.
In a corner, Toshihiko and Kazumi shared a look of grim satisfaction, assuming the poison had worked.
As Kiyonaga raised his leg to breach the door, Ran stopped him. "Superintendent Matsumoto, wait! She's probably fine!" She remembered Yuu had stayed behind. If there was danger, Yuu would have stopped it.
She didn't realize that when there was no danger, Yuu was the danger.
The lock clicked, and the door swung open. Yuu Hoshimiya and a visibly flushed Sayuri Matsumoto appeared. Yuu had realized they couldn't stall any longer once Kiyonaga started positioning himself to kick.
The atmosphere turned icy. A man and a woman, alone in a locked room for fifteen minutes... the implications were obvious.
"Sayuri! Are you alright?" Kiyonaga rushed forward.
"I'm fine, Father."
Once he saw his daughter was safe, Kiyonaga turned his suspicious gaze toward Yuu. But the coordinator spoke first. "Ms. Matsumoto, thank God. We're out of time. Fix your makeup and get to the stage, now!"
Sayuri didn't know how to explain herself. Now that she was rational again, she felt a pang of regret, but there was no going back. She used the coordinator's rush as an excuse to avoid her father's interrogation.
"Right. I'm going," she said, hurrying away.
Nearby, Toshihiko and Kazumi froze. They expected to find a corpse, not a blushing bride. They instinctively looked at the lemon tea on the table. Yuu caught their gaze and narrowed his eyes.
Kiyonaga slammed a heavy hand onto Yuu's shoulder. "Kid... I've heard of you."
Yuu wasn't as famous as Kudo or Richard Moore, but within the Tokyo Police Department, he was a legend. After the Moonlight Sonata case, Megure had told his boss everything. Kiyonaga knew Yuu was brilliant, but he also knew the boy was a bit of a rogue.
The locked door, the lack of response, the flushed daughter... Kiyonaga's gut was telling him something scandalous had happened.
"What were you doing in there with her? Why was the door locked?" Kiyonaga lowered his voice, but it was still loud enough for everyone to hear.
Kazumi and Toshihiko stared at Yuu, realizing he was the reason their plan failed.
Sayuri stopped in her tracks, looking back with a mix of fear and concern. She was the one who initiated it, after all.
However, Yuu didn't offer an excuse. Instead, he smiled calmly. "Before we talk about what happened between us, I think we should cancel the wedding. It can't go on anyway."
"Nonsense! The bride is here!" the coordinator yelled. He was terrified of the fallout.