Her mahjong skills have improved yet again! But that's normal for Chiori, girl genius.

[player]Your mahjong skills have improved yet again! But I'd expect nothing less from Chiori Mikami, girl genius. As soon as I say this, Chiori Mikami immediately looks at me as she gets off the mahjong table. She walks toward me with an expression of "I know it's you." [Chiori Mikami]You don't need to tell me that. But I'm afraid time's running out today, and you'll just have to wait until next time for me to bully you. Let's go, Riu. [Riu Kujou]Yes, Miss Chiori. [player]...Riu? When did you sneak up on me? The girl who silently appeared at my side is Riu Kujou, Chiori Mikami's maid. They're like sisters, despite one working for the other. As Chiori's personal maid, Riu Kujou excels at forcibly defending her lady's honor, punishing anyone who disrespects or even has inappropriate thoughts about her. I've tasted the power of those iron fists myself on several occasions, when I've dared joke about Chiori Mikami. Glad I didn't say anything stupid just now. Dodged a bullet. I watch Chiori Mikami and Riu Kujou leave the shrine, then turn to see Ichihime staring at me, lost in thought. [Ichihime]...A little strange, nyaa. [player]What's strange? [Ichihime]Just now, Riu quietly approached you like she had something to say, but didn't say it, nyaa. [player]Riu? [Ichihime]It had to be to ask what tasty food you brought! It smells so good, nyaa! [player]...I think that might be what you wanted to ask... Hey hey hey, I'll give it to you later at a restaurant, don't just waltz over here in broad daylight and start sniffing... let alone digging right in!!! ...Raising a cat really is a matter of patience! After feeding Ichihime, we play a few rounds of mahjong before the sky darkens and I leave the shrine. In the cool evening air, I keep replaying the day's matches in my mind, and then without even realizing it, I find myself near Chiori Mikami's house. Speaking of which, compared to Ichihime's unorthodox, intuitive style of play, it's a pity that I couldn't see Chiori Mikami's matches just now. She'd probably be more tactical. Bzzz-- The phone rings. Is it actually Riu Kujou? [player]Hey, Riu? [Riu Kujou]Have you seen Miss Chiori, PLAYER? [player]Didn't she leave with you? [Riu Kujou]Yes. We went home after leaving the shrine. I was just preparing a meal when she said she was going to the nearby park for a while, but she still hasn't come back. [Riu Kujou]Isn't she with you right now? [player]I'm afraid not. However, if it's that little park close to her house... I happen to be in the neighborhood. [Riu Kujou]Eh? Really? Great! In that case, could I trouble you to look for her? I'm on my way out the door too! [player]Not a problem at all, but... calm down, let me get this straight. When did she say she was heading out? [Riu Kujou]At 17:31. She said she'd only be gone for half an hour. [player]Is being so frighteningly precise a quality of being a professional maid?... Hang on, it says here that it's exactly 18:00, which technically means it hasn't yet been half an hour. [Riu Kujou]She's not in my field of vision, which means there's no way Miss Chiori could get home in the next one minute. And she didn't take her phone with her either. This all makes me worried. [player]Very rigorous deduction. However, there are loads of reasons why you may not have heard from her for half an hour. One Han City's a pretty safe place, and this sort of thing isn't like having an accident or going missing, so why don't we wait and see? [Riu Kujou]Impossible! What if she did have an accident?! [player]...Riu, do you think you might be a little overreacting? [Riu Kujou]... Riu Kujou pauses for a moment. I hear her take a deep breath, and her suddenly raised voice returns to its usual calm. [Riu Kujou]Oh, I'm sorry. I'm a little nervous as it's not safe around Miss Chiori these days. [player]What? Then, Riu Kujou tells me something I didn't know before on the phone. [Riu Kujou]To be specific, a week ago I had finished preparing dinner and gone to call Miss Chiori down, when something strange happened... One Week Earlier, Chiori Mikami's House [Riu Kujou]Dinner's ready, Miss... Miss Chiori? Surprsingly, Chiori Mikami's bedroom is completely empty. Riu Kujou's just about to go looking elsewhere, when creak a noise suddenly comes from the balcony. She looks over to see the sliding glass door open a crack, letting the sultry summer heat seep inside. And the noise sounded like a creak from somebody on a swing. [Riu Kujou]What are you doing on the balcony in this heat? Miss Chiori? Umm? Thinking she's found her lady, Riu Kujou goes to the balcony, where she's left shocked and surprised. For there's no sign of Chiori Mikami, only the swing, moving by itself. The air is so dry and still, without even the slightest breeze. She steps forward and touches the seat of the swing, and finds it still warm. Riu Kujou picks up a teddy bear that has fallen beside the swing, her expression serious. [Chiori Mikami]Nice, big win! I knew I couldn't lose on my home ground! Riu... Just then, Chiori Mikami's voice comes from outside the bedroom, revealing her actual location to be the small study next door. Riu Kujou clears her head, hurriedly replaces the teddy bear onto the swing, and then runs out of the bedroom in response to Chiori's call. [Riu Kujou]I'm here. [Chiori Mikami]I just played a South Wind round, and am so hungry I think I could eat even more than Ichihime. [Riu Kujou]Pff, I hear you. Tonight I've prepared beef pizza, and sour and spicy prawns, with a mango crepe cake for dessert. If that's not enough, I can also rustle up some pasta. [Chiori Mikami]Wow! Are they the sour and spicy prawns we had at the restaurant last time? You learned how to make them, Riu?! [Riu Kujou]I hope the taste will be as you remember, Miss. [Chiori Mikami]Have some confidence! I'm sure what you make will be even better than the restaurant! [Riu Kujou]With those words, Miss Chiori, I'll definitely make something more delicious. [Riu Kujou]That was the first time I learned of their existence. Afterward, whenever I was out with Miss Chiori I felt several times like someone was spying on us from the shadows. [player]Does Chiori know about this? [Riu Kujou]No, she doesn't. I don't want her to get scared over potentially nothing. Oh, I'm just not good enough, so I've already enrolled in the latest Special Maid Training class to sharpen my anti-surveillance skills! [player]You've already done really well, Riu, and I think I have a grasp of the situation. She said she was going to the park, right? Then that's where I'll start looking for her. [Riu Kujou]Thank you so much! Given that it's dinner time, there aren't many people in the park. I search the square dancing team, the public mahjong tables, and the children's playground, but find no glimpse of Chiori Mikami anywhere. I have to expand my search to include areas near the park. Since she was only going for half an hour, and didn't take her phone, Chiori Mikami couldn't have gone far. The fact that she's nowhere to be found is a little worrying, but... something's not right. I look around and find the source of the weirdness - I'm clearly the only one nearby, but I feel like I'm being watched. I'm suddenly reminded of the strange event Riu Kujou had told me about... What if it's that mysterious scoundrel? But whoever that is wouldn't have a reason to follow me, surely? I calm the goosebumps across my body, then suddenly rush to where I feel the strange feeling of being watched is coming from. [player]Who's there?! Come out! A figure flashes by in a split second, running to a different area. While I didn't get a good look... there's something familiar about that red hairband poking out from the bushes over there. [player]...Chiori? Is that you? Whoever it is goes quiet for a couple of seconds, then suddenly reaches out and pulls the hairband down. [player]... ... That's not very subtle!!! I advance a few steps toward where they're hiding, only to hear the bushes rustle and see the person who seems to be Chiori Mikami run farther away. [player]...Is Chiori playing some weird version of hide and seek? Why not come out? Riu asked me to find you! [???]... ... [???]Meow. The other person doesn't reply directly, but from a distance responds with a surprisingly realistic meow. Why would Chiori Mikami rather use the hackneyed method of imitating a cat to hide herself, instead of just coming out? This is just too strange. The situation is so weird that I can't act rashly. I need to figure out a way to get her to come out first.