I was a stray cat feeding other stray cats whenever I threw a homeless person a coin as I passed by. At least, that was what Gakupo said. I usually only gave away three as the maximum per day, but that morning walking to the bakery, my absent-mindedness cost us five. I hoped today's batch gave me enough to purchase the medicine.

Instead of Yuka inviting me in, when I knocked on the dreary back door, she joined me in the alley. The trust she had in her parents was overwhelming.

"How did it go? I heard there was an accident of some sort," Yuka said.

"It well fairly well, I think. Nobody recognized me except for Miku Hatsune, and she can keep a secret."

"Are you sure about that?"

"Yes! Listen, I got to make this quick since I'm late already to the corner."

"Spare no detail."

"I won't."

I kept my word, sort of. After what she said about staying away from the rest of the Kagamines, I omitted any mention of Len from the story, which was a great deal of it. She could sense there was something more, but did not inquire further.

"You had a nice time, then?" she asked.

"Yes."

"That's good to hear. You need a relaxed time every once and a while."

"I'm not sure 'relaxed' is the right word for last night, but thank you. I really must be heading to the corner now. I'm a bit low on money." She opened her mouth. I cut her off. "No, you may not lend me any."

Taking the basket of sweets she was cradling in her arms, I readjusted my hood and headed out. The air seemed colder today. The streets seemed emptier. The sky seemed farther away. For the first time in a while, my mind was free from the stress of buying an apartment, of living a happy life the way the world told me to live it. Maybe I should not have been content with my place in the world. Why should I have to be forbidden to see who I please? Why should he have to marry a woman he hardly knows? If society truly believed money did not equate to happiness, the affluent would have given up their riches long ago.

My corner seemed more pathetic today. I put on a smile and spoke in whatever accent the passersby seemed comfortable hearing, and they bought every last cake and cookie. I stared down at the pile of coins in my hand and felt nothing. If Gakupo were here right now, he would have yelled at me for such queries. If there was nothing to be done, then brooding would accomplish nothing.

I was halfway up the street when I noticed the piece of paper lying at the bottom of the wicker basket. "Strange," I mumbled under my breath. "Don't remember that being there before…" Picking it up, I could see it was a card about the size of my hand. Sturdy paper, rich person paper. Nothing was left to do but open it up. Inside was a single number.

5.

The ink was cyan, such a strange color to be writing with. The digit itself seemed to strike me and leave fear in its wake, but it was so unexplainable that I forced it down. I would ask Miku what she thought of it when I arrive at the clinic, but Yuka was the one I really wanted to interrogate. You would think that homeless people had plenty of time on their hands. A common myth.

The Hatsune Clinic seemed grimmer today. As I stood staring outside, I tried to put my finger on why, but could see nothing tangible. Maybe I drank too much wine the previous night. Maybe that was why I felt a shift in my view of this world and city I lived in. Tomorrow, I would be back to normal.

Before I could take a step closer to the practice's front doors, a force slammed into my shoulder and toppled my thin frame to the ground. A dozen little clinks resounded around me as the rain of coins followed my collapse. Looking up, I could see the little boy running away, turning and mouthing a small "sorry," before driving on full speed ahead.

Cursing and hissing anyone who dared go near, I collected the coins and found that only one had rolled off into an arcane abyss. It wasn't until I brushed some of the dirt off my dress that I noticed the card with the 5 on it had vanished as well.

The lobby was empty, save for Gumi playing with medicines strewed about, so out of place on the secretary desk. She seemed to have been in deep concentration, but broke out of her trance as soon as my footsteps echoed down the room.

"Are you here for the medication?" she asked. By the normal way she was acting, I could assume Miku did not tell her of my part in the events of last night. I was so glad my trust in her was well-placed.

"Yes. Is Miku in?"

"Yep. She's free right now, if you want to head in."

"Okay, thanks!" Maybe Gumi was the only ordinary person I knew.

Miku sat at her desk, hunched over a single paper, face contorted in thought. I had to call her name several times before she noticed I was there. "Mayu, hello."

"Hello. How's it going?"

"Not the best, to be honest. We'll discuss it after I get you your friend's medicine."

Once the serum was in my hands, she leaned against the walls and closed her eyes for a few seconds. "Please explain to me why you were at the party last night."

I proceeded carefully, wary of this serious side of Miku I had never witnessed before. "Rin Kagamine made a bet…" The story went on, once again missing the finer details of my conversation with Len. I was afraid if I spoke of it too much, I would start to remember it. If I started to remember it, then I might convince myself to do something stupid.

"I see. As long as nothing illegal was involved, I will keep your secret," Miku said.

"Thank you! Thank you so much."

"However, I would like to ask a favor. It is a hefty one, but you are the only one that can do this. You are my only friend Kaito doesn't know about."

"What is it?"

She sauntered over to her desk where the paper she was looking at laid. When she handed it to me, I could see that a single name loomed at the top along with an address. Miku Taro and the address of their home.

"What is this?"

"A list of every named woman to my knowledge that my husband has had sexual relations with. I am not blind. I know that he is unfaithful. I ask that you find every other woman there has been in his life and write their information down for me."

"Why do you want this?" I asked.

"I want to talk to them."

"Just talk to them?"

"Yes, what else would I do?"

I sighed, peering down at the almost blank sheet of paper and imagining the dictionary-length book that could be filled with the names that Kaito Taro had sex with. Back up at Miku. Did I really have a choice?

"Okay. I'll do it. Only until this page is full, though. I hope you are prepared to face them." The women, the sins of your husband.

"I am a grown woman. I can face anything."

I found Gumi with her ear pressed up against the door. She jumped and apologized. Too depleted of energy to be upset, I merely asked her if she had any information I could start out with. Gumi gave me a first name and an address. Whoever this "Meiko" person was, I hoped she and Miku would resolve their differences, and if she was a member of the upper class, have a little information on the soon-to-be-married Len Kagamine.