HSV Battle 4: At the Dango Man's Shop

Koume actually didn't want to be here. She had an headache and felt sick. Looking around the dango store and taking in all the odors of the dango didn't make her feel any better at all. In fact it made her feel worse.

“Are you feeling okay, miss Koume?” Maiha stood before her now and looked at her with worry.
“Yes, I'm fine, Maiha, don't worry about me.” She smiled and looked at her remaining team members. Suzume was checking out the drawers at the counter, looking for clues in there, while Kiyoshi was checking out the ingredient supply. His family had a business in sweets, so he knew what he was dealing with. One look at Irori made Koume shake her head. She was stuffing herself with dango.
“Irori, you're not supposed to eat everything.”
With her mouth full she looked up at Koume. “Iwoughtweweresupposetoinvesigate.” She mumbled.
“...” Koume couldn't make any sense of that. “What did you say?”
Without looking away from the stock cabinet, Kiyoshi spoke up. “She said: I thought we were supposed to investigate.”
Koume sighed, her hand resting on her belly. “Eating all the shop's contents isn't going to help us any further. Why don't you and Maiha check out the backroom of the store?”
“What are you going to do, miss Koume?”
“I'm going to check outside, and see if there's anything in the bushes.” She could use some fresh air. “Let me know if you find anything suspicious. And Irori?” She looked at the red-haired girl, who was ready to take another bite. “No more eating until I say so.”
“But what if I find anything suspicious?”
“Ask Kiyoshi, he knows all about sweets.” Her eyes shifted towards the girl behind the counter. “Any questions regarding suspicious paperwork and items you can ask Suzume.”
“Won't you come back, miss Koume?”
“Of course I will, but I need some time to check outside.” She smiled at them. “Can I count on you?”
“Yes, sure.” Only Irori looked a bit ticked of.
“When all of this is over, I will get all of you some ice-cream, okay?”
Irori narrowed her eyes. “Can it be any size I want?”
“Of course.” Koume sighed. She didn't care anymore. All she wanted is to get away from this space and the odors that made her feel nauseous.
Irori's eyes lit up. “Okay, we won't let you down.” Taking Maiha by her wrist, she hurried into the backroom.
Suzume looked up at Koume. “Take your time, miss Koume. We got it covered.”
“We will keep an eye on them.” Kiyoshi added.
“Thank you. I'm nearby when you need my help.”

She stepped outside into the fresh air. Just what she needed.
If the remaining eight months of her pregnancy would be like this, she had a rough time ahead. It was important for the town and all its people to find back lady Eimi, but there was also a personal matter attached to it. She wanted to clear Taira's, her husband's, name, so they could celebrate and welcome their child in peace.
Feeling determined she rushed into the bushes. If there was a clue, she would find it...