"Tekuteku to watashi no ashi oto tsubuyaita,
Ashita wa hareru kana,
Sou da yo ne nandaka ii koto okoru kamo,
Sou da to ii no ni na,

La la la la la la,

La la la la la la,

La la la la la la,

Hora, haretekita…"

"Hey… I think I recognized that song somewhere."

"I guess it's the mall?"

"Ah yes, the mall. Teku Teku, wasn't it?"

"Correct. You want me to share the song with you?"

"Maybe later after we get home."

"To the phone?"

"To the phone, Sakurako."

The evening is nothing short of tranquility for the two middle school girls. The odd blonde girl hasn't shown her smile yet, but it would be enough to assume that she has a rather joyful day. Hearing her singing was more than enough to feel the cheerfulness and beauty in her tone for the bluenette. Of course, this would prevent her from feeling so lonely. After all, Sakurako hasn't talked much along the way.

They haven't heard the usual chirping birds in the air, so they assumed they might've gone to sleep in their nests this evening. The path they chose to walk is not empty and yet not too rowdy. Some notable people in the path are students from their school and other schools. And Sakurako is quite happy to see students from Nagibara school are on this path, albeit not her friends but still. It's quite remarkable as to how Sakurako able to keep her oblivious façade on her face.

They are at least a few minutes away from their home when Sakurako's phone rings.

*TUNG-NUNUNG-NUNUNUNG TUNG-NUNUNG-NUNUNUNG TUNG-NUNUNG-NUNUNUNG*

Himawari couldn't help but slowly turn her head at the blonde as her hand reached deep into her bag. She thought that Sakurako's just normal as the rest, but the revelation of the ringtone itself begin to emanate the weird side of the blonde. Just from hearing the music itself, she knew it wasn't of Japanese origin. And the acoustic itself wasn't of any known Japanese guitar as well.

Deciding to withheld her question, she lets the blonde answer the phone. "Hello?"

"Konbawa, Sakurako-chan," Sakurako widened her eyes to the voice, one she recognized.

"Misaka-chan, konbawa," Sakurako greeted back warmly. "It's good to hear you again."

"Me too, Saa-chan," she answered back as Himawari looked over with a happy smile. "I hope I'm not bothering you at the moment."

"Don't worry, you called me at a good time," Sakurako replied, unconsciously nodding. "I'm currently on my way home with Himawari-chan."

"Ah, I see," Misaka responded, barely giving out her doubtful tone. "I was wondering. Can I come over to your house for this evening?"

"Well…" Sakurako then diverted her eyes to the curious Himawari. "I have to do some homework with Himawari this evening. But I think I'm free after that."

"Actually, I wanted to come over because I want to do homework together with you," Sakurako can't help but raise her eyebrows at her words. "I was supposed to do some homework with Saoki and Furoda, but they've been busy for now. Saoki is visiting her grandma while Furoda has an appointment with a doctor."

"Really?" Sakurako asked curiously with her eyes bowed. "Then feel free to come over now. I'm almost at home."

"Alright. Arigato, Sakurako-chan!" Misaka was so joyful; Sakurako could swear she barely hears her tapping feet. "Be seeing you!"

"See you too," Sakurako replied with a small smile before she disconnected the call.

Himawari then decides to ask when Sakurako pockets her phone. "She's coming over?"

"She's coming," Sakurako responded flatly. "Maybe I should brew some tea for her."

"I wonder what kind of homework she's going to work on," Himawari wondered, eyes looked up with a finger on her chin.

"Hima-chan," Sakurako called. "Do you think I should put out some snacks as well?"

"I don't think that would be necessary," Himawari replied with eyes closed. "Besides, aren't you always finish off those snacks first?"

"Huh, good point," Sakurako admittedly agreed with her head bowed. "Now that you said it, I haven't asked what her favorite snack is."

"I think she'll be happy if you give her anything," Himawari suggested but then frowned her eyes as if showing her annoyance. "Just don't give her that salty onigiri you made."

"I thought you liked it," Sakurako replied, still flat as ever.

"Hey!" Himawari is now mad. "I did not!"

"I was joking."

Himawari quickly halts her immediate ranting to the response and instead looks away with a scornful face. "You better feel glad I haven't hit you on the head."

"Hm," Sakurako didn't say much but acknowledged her statement.

They are a few seconds away from home when Himawari begins to wonder. "Hey, Sakurako."

"Yes?" Sakurako raised an eyebrow.

"What kind of ringtone you're using?"

Sakurako halts in her tracks as her neighbor follows suit to understand what she meant. It took her a few seconds to realize what she was referring to.

"Oh, my ringtone when Misaka called me?"

"Yes," Himawari nodded. "What kind of ringtone is that? That sounded so weird."

"That… well…" Sakurako paused for a moment, a brief of awkwardness to the song she's going to mention. "It's an Indian song."

Himawari pauses, eventually shaking her head and right before blinking. "It's a what song now?"

"An Indian song."

Himawari's brain seems to halt for a moment. Indian song? Was the song really sounded like that? That train of thought crashes when Sakurako waves her hand in front of her face.

"You're not sleeping now, right?" Sakurako asked, trying her best to actually not sounded sarcastic.

"N-no, I'm not," Himawari shook her head quickly. "Is that song also from America?"

"I'm sorry, Native America?" Sakurako shook her head. "No, it's from India."

"Eh?" Himawari could not stop showing her surprise. "Was that song supposed to sound like that?"

"For this one song, yes," Sakurako nodded before began walking again. "Last I heard, most of the Indian songs are pretty funky, and…"

Sakurako then bows her head, finger on the chin. "What was the word…? Ah, and also too dramatic."

"What do you mean by too dramatic?" Himawari frowned her forehead as she looked forward and rubbed her left arm.

"I can't really explain it to you," Sakurako admitted as she looked over to her. "But I would suggest watching at least one Indian TV show so you can get what I meant."

Himawari then smiles, gracefully covering her laughing and joyful mouth with her right fist. "I guess I can do that one day."

"You sure can," Sakurako replied with a nod. "But don't go ranting on me after you found out Indian TV shows are really that lousy."

"We will see about that, Saa-chan," Himawari then sighed out. "To be honest, you have a weird taste of music."

"Kind of funny that I actually liked it, don't you think?" Sakurako asked in a way to admit her odd preferences.

"Definitely," Himawari suppressed her surprise that she admitted it. "Looks like you've been looking into the internet too much."

They finally reach the front of Sakurako's house. They stop and face each other.

"I'll go back home and get changed before coming over. Just make sure that your homework is ready, and try not to forget it."

"Alright, Hima-chan."

"Okay then," Himawari then left with a waving hand. "See you in a few minutes."

Sakurako's response is only a nod as she watches her childhood friend left. With a relaxed sigh, she turns around and enters her front door. It wasn't locked as usual, and the shoes of her family are placed formally before the wooden floor. She begins to take her shoes off and also tell the whole house.

"Tadaima!"

Just after placing and tidying her shoes, her eldest sister came into view from the doorway. "Oh, Sakurako. How was your school?"

"Could be better," Sakurako responded with a shrug.

"What do you mean by that?" Nadeshiko asked with a stern, narrowed eyebrow.

"Homework," Sakurako continued to stare at her sister like a statue.

Nadeshiko lets out a sigh. "Don't try to complain about it on me."

Sakurako raises both of her eyebrows. "N-no, I wasn't going to complain."

"Then you should start working on it anyway," Nadeshiko crossed her arms with her bored eyes lingering on her second sister.

"I know," Sakurako put down her bag and opened her jacket. "Himawari is coming over."

"To do the homework?" that's the usual thing to see for Nadeshiko.

And Sakurako nods for the reply. "But Misaka is also coming over as well."

"Oh?" the eldest sister grew to wonder. "Your friend from Nagibara School?"

"Yes, she just called," Sakurako then put her jacket on her shoulder and grabbed back her bag. "She wants to do homework with us as well."

Nadeshiko stares at her with a small smile. "Hm. I'm pretty happy that you have some friends from another school."

"Well… what about Sumida-san?" Sakurako wondered if what she did at the time was rude or wrong.

"I think she's nice enough," Nadeshiko replied with a shrug. "I was a bit worried that you're just walking around with some stranger and led them here. You better be careful next time. You should count yourself lucky that she's a detective."

"I know," Sakurako nodded. "By the way, do we have tea?"

Nadeshiko tilts her head. "Yes, why?"

"I want to make them for my friends," Sakurako replied. "I'll go get changed first."

Nadeshiko raises her eyebrows before smiling again. "Okaa-chan said that Sumida-san is coming over."

Sakurako tilts her head and raises an eyebrow. "What for?"

"She just wants to hang out with us," Nadeshiko then pointed her head at her. "You really don't mind it, do you?"

"Not really," Sakurako was honestly happy to know that; she doesn't show it, though. "I probably ask her for help if I need to know something."

"Just don't end up asking her to do the whole homework," Nadeshiko reminded her. "Go get changed. I'll get the teapot ready for you to brew."

"Thanks, Onee-chan," the second sister then made her way upstairs uninterrupted.

Sakurako was quick to make her way back to her room. After shutting the door close, she hangs her usual brown jacket back in the closet and puts her bag on the desk. Sakurako takes little time to change her uniform to her casual light blue shirt and yellow shorts. She then grabs a couple of books from the bag and another couple from her shelf before grabbing her writing utensils. Her uniform she didn't forget and held them on her left arm.

Convinced that everything is in order, she left the room and shut the door behind her. Along the way, she puts away her dirty uniform into the container, prepared just outside the bathroom. The blonde continues on her way, eventually walking down the stairs at a calm, steady pace. She makes her way to the living room to meet with an appealing sight. There was Hanako at the table while Nadeshiko sits beside her.

"Hm?" Sakurako then tilted her head. "Do you have homework too, Hanako?"

"Yes, I have," Hanako replied with a nod.

Sakurako then puts down her books and utensils on the table beside Hanako's. "What subject?"

"Maths and arts," Nadeshiko replied, playfully tapping onto the table where she rested her crossing arms. "The teapot is on the counter, Sakurako."

"Okay," Sakurako then makes her way into the kitchen.

There's the empty teapot, along with four individual teacups. The first thing she does is to grab the thermos and pour hot water into the teapot. She then takes a teabag and dips it into the teacup. Now, it's a waiting game for her. Hopefully, the tea has given enough time to turn the water brown before her friends come by-

"Sumimasen!"

Sakurako instinctively turns her head at the doorway. That is Himawari for sure.

"One moment," Nadeshiko left off for the front door.

The blonde girl then turns her head back at the teapot. Somehow ecstatic for her to watch the color of the water into golden brown. It feels like a couple of minutes had passed before noticing to hear footsteps from the doorway across the kitchen. She turns her head in that direction and saw the familiar face of her friendly neighbor, uniformed in bright yellow buttoned shirt and magenta skirt. In her hand is a satchel that contains her homework.

"Hello there," Sakurako greeted first.

"What are you doing there, Sakurako?" Himawari asked as she walked over to the table across Hanako.

"I'm making tea," Sakurako replied flatly.

Himawari sits down and notices the books beside Hanako. "So you didn't forget."

"Forget what?" Sakurako asked with a raised brow. "The homework?"

"Yes," Himawari then smiled back. "I'm kind of glad you're not that easy to forget."

"Hmm," Sakurako then looked back at the teapot to notice the tea is ready.

Sakurako picks the teabag and puts it away in the litter bin. She then grabs a jar of sugar and a long teaspoon before pouring at least four teaspoons of it into the teapot. She then stirs the tea until the sugar is blended with the tea. Once the sugar is no more, she shuts the teapot and places it onto the tray Nadeshiko also provided on the counter. Of course, she paid attention to make sure the teapot didn't crash onto the teacups on the tray.

Her soft hands then pick the tray up and slowly makes her way towards the living room, eventually putting the tray down on the table. She then sits down just next to Himawari. Her eyes wandered over her little sister working on her homework. The sight alone sometimes made the blonde wonder if she could go back to elementary a few years back.

"Where's Misaka?" Himawari asked her.

"She hasn't arrived yet," Sakurako replied with a shook. "But at least the tea's ready when she arrives."

"Thank you, Sakurako," Himawari then poured herself some tea into the cup. "What tea is this?"

"Rose-flavored tea, I think," Sakurako answered, huddled her hands together before her. "It's mom's favorite."

"Actually, Okaa-chan's favorite is Jasmine tea," Hanako corrected, looking up from her homework.

"Oh," Sakurako then looked over to her sister's homework. "Do you need help with your homework?"

"Not for now," Hanako shook her head. "I'll ask when I find it difficult."

"Okay then, Hanako-chan," Sakurako nodded.

"Let's get started then," Himawari then grabbed her books. "We'll finish a couple of homework, and we'll be done in a jiffy."

"Sakurako."

The said girl looks over to the doorway and sees Nadeshiko standing by the post. "Yeah?"

"Your friend is here," Nadeshiko replied. "Along with Sumida-san."

As if in a cue, both Misaka and Sumida show themselves into the doorway next to the eldest sister.

They both stand there, and Misaka waves a hand. "Konbanwa, Saa-chan."

"Konbawa," Sakurako replied with a nod. "You too, detective."

"Hello there, blondie," Sumida greeted back with a smile and eyes closed, albeit waving a hand to her. "I hope I'm not bothering you."

"Don't worry, we like extra company," Sakurako replied, barely refrain herself from smiling. "By the way, which one do you mean by blondie?"

"Eh? Isn't that obvious?" Sumida jokingly asked as she scratched her head.

"Eh-hum."

Everyone in the room then looks at the unamused Nadeshiko, who is also a blonde like her.

"Oh," Sumida then chuckled to herself. "I need to be specific, don't I?"

"Maybe call us by name for now," Nadeshiko stated as she crossed her arms.

"Aight, sorry, sorry," Sumida apologized before both she and Misaka walked over to the table. "Looks like you are busy. Homework?"

"Yep," Sakurako huffed out a sigh. "Social studies and… science."

Himawari then frowns at her sentence. "What's with the last word?"

"Well…" Sakurako paused as she opened a book. "Sometimes wondering if Nishigaki-sensei is immortal."

"Huh? Immortal?" Hanako has never been so curious to ask that question.

"Uhm, who's Nishigaki-sensei?" Misaka asked. Apparently, Nadeshiko, Sumida, and herself shed a sweat of confusion.

"She's our science teacher in Nanamori," Himawari replied before looking at her neighbor blonde. "And I think you are just exaggerating about her."

"What do you mean? I'm still surprised she's not in the hospital," Sakurako's statement, unsurprisingly, nearly offended everyone in the room.

"Hey, don't talk about your own teacher like that," Nadeshiko strictly responded, eyes frowned and closed.

"You're just giving your little sister a bad habit there," Sumida added, even pointing out the pouting face of both Hanako and Himawari.

"I'm sorry, but it's not that I'm insulting Nishigaki-sensei," Sakurako then turned at Himawari. "She did blow up the student council's office again yesterday, right?"

"Ah- well…" Himawari paused, and her expression changed from anger to a suspension of disbelieve. "Yes, she did blow up our office, again."

"Wait, what do you mean by that?" while it is obvious what they're talking about, Misaka doesn't think it literally happened.

"Literal explosion," Sakurako shook her head and raised her hand a bit. "And that teacher was still standing there like it's Tuesday."

"Hang on, are you telling me she's making a bomb in a public school?!" everyone except Sakurako and Himawari was taken aback by Sumida's outrageous anger.

However, they are a bit dumbfounded by the fact that Sakurako is just indifferent to the question. "No, she was just making some chemical mixtures in our office. And she usually messed up."

"Usually?" Nadeshiko asked back with her eyes frowned. "Why I haven't heard about this from you both?"

"That's just because we thought her explosions are harmless and not worth mentioning," Himawari can't help but shrug. "I mean, she often blows up by herself and still alive. All she got was only ashes all over her clothes."

"But that doesn't mean it's safe, Himawari-chan," Misaka counterpointed with concern.

"Just to let you know," Sakurako added without bothering to look at them. "I have found out some of her explosions could rip people's clothes off on the spot."

Everyone had blank stares at her, and even Hanako looks pretty disgusted to hear that.

"Sakurako, we don't even need to know that."

Sakurako only looks back at the eldest sister. "I just want to let you know about it."

"Anyway, I need to go upstairs a bit," Nadeshiko pointed her finger above her. "I want to clean up my room."

"Okay, Onee-chan," Sakurako replied with a nod, to which then Nadeshiko left the living room.

"Where's your mother?" Sumida asked with a raised brow.

"She's still cleaning her room," Hanako replied as she halted writing. "She'll come down eventually after that."

"Aw, that sucks," Sumida then turned her attention to the teapot. "Is that tea?"

"Rose-flavored one," Sakurako replied, pouring the tea into a cup before giving it to Sumida. "Here you go."

"Ah, thanks, Sakurako," Sumida then noticed something in the teacup. "Isn't this too full?"

"Ah… forgive me," Sakurako somehow felt disdainful for herself. "I still can't measure how much I need to fill that well."

"Even you found the simplest thing to be difficult for you?" Misaka was concerned but smiled to found Sakurako's frowning face adorable.

"I am that despicable, don't I?" Sakurako asked as she bowed her head down.

"Sakurako… don't say that," Himawari momentarily looked down as she scratched her head. "I'm sure you're just trying your best."

Sakurako gives a slight nod before looking at them. "So, homework?"

"Alright," Himawari then opened her book as she noticed Misaka brought out her books. "What kind of homework you have, Misaka?"

"History," Misaka then looked at her other homework. "And math."

"Agh, dammit," Sumida swore lowly.

"Language, Sumida-san," Sakurako reminded, which kind of surprised Himawari.

"Sorry, sorry," Sumida apologized with an open palm. "I just hate math."

"I know why you hate math," Himawari replied with a nod. "But that doesn't mean you don't have to learn it just because you hate it."

"Spare me the lecture, Himawari," Sumida then slumped her head back. "At least I still remember the formula on integral."

"What's integral?" Hanako asked with a raised brow.

"Too early to ask that, kid," Sumida asked with a flat smile. "It might take you four days to two weeks to understand it."

"Oh, I see," Hanako then looked back to her homework. "I'm still working on math."

"Really? Let me see," Sumida then sat next to Hanako and looked down at her homework.

Sakurako and Himawari first open their science books and begin their homework. Their science homework contains ten queries both on biology and nature. Sakurako answered six questions by herself and even helped Himawari to answer she didn't understand. In turn, Himawari helped the blonde to answer the last two questions. Sakurako then turns her eyes at Misaka, who seems to find trouble in her history homework.

"Is there a hard question, Misaka-chan?" Sakurako asked with a raised brow.

"Kind of, a question about the American Revolution," Misaka paused with a scratch to her cheek. "I'm not even sure why that topic is even in the lesson."

"Huh...?" Sumida massaged the back of her neck lazily. "I never learned about it."

Sakurako pauses on her writing, seemingly her brain is processing. "Oh, that one?"

"You know about it?" Himawari asked, both eyebrows raised in curiosity.

"Only a little," Sakurako responded. "What's the question?"

"Well," Misaka then looked back to her homework. "On December 16, 1773. There is an incident in Boston committed by the Sons of Liberty to boycott British goods by throwing crates of tea into the waters of Boston Harbor. The incident is known as…"

"Hm," Sakurako stared at her boringly. "I thought that is obvious."

Everyone is perplexed by her words, that even Hanako narrowed her eyes to her second sister. "I don't understand what is so obvious about it."

"Hanako," Sakurako called back obliviously. "The incident was known as the Boston Tea Party."

And yet again, everyone stares at her and feels unamused by the answer.

"Sakurako, please don't joke with me," Misaka bowed her head with eyes closed and a frown.

Sakurako narrows her eyes again with her head leans back a bit. "I'm not sure which part of my answer is a joke."

It stuns Misaka for a while, and Sumida can't help but ask. "Wait, that's what they really call it?"

"Yes, the Americans were the ones who came up with the sarcastic name for the incident," Sakurako then shrugged. "Well, if I remembered correctly."

"O-oh, they did?" Misaka then wrote down the answer Sakurako said. "T-thanks for the answer, Saa-chan."

Himawari looks over at her indifferent face, can't guess if she's happy or just calm. "Looks like you look into the internet too much."

"Can't be helped," Sakurako shrugged before finally finishing her homework. "I was too curious about how the world goes."

Sumida nods at her before looking back at Hanako's homework, at which she spots a couple of errors in her work. "Hanako, number eleven and fourteen are wrong."

"Really?" Hanako then looked over the said numbers and notice her equations are wrong. "Oh, I count them wrong. Arigato, Sumida-san."

"No sweat," Sumida then looked over to Sakurako. "How are you doing there?"

"Working on social studies," Sakurako then looked over to the current question. "The meaning of globalization… I see…"

Even the fact that Himawari is happy that Sakurako is severe and silent with her homework sometimes bothered her not to have Sakurako goofing around for no reason to lighten up everyone's mood. Nevertheless, Sakurako also helped her with social studies. It's a bit surprising for both Hanako and Himawari that this blonde also knows other countries' currency, especially smaller nations' currencies. Sumida only smiles at the blonde's answer, whereas Misaka, who knows Sakurako was an idiot at that time, is impressed.

As Sakurako is halfway finished with her homework, she asked Sumida without looking. "How's work?"

"Excuse me?" Sumida asked back, misheard.

"How's work?"

"Oh," Sumida then slumped back and supported her back with both hands on the ground. "Pretty fine, I guess. I didn't do much for today."

"And what kind of work is that?" Sakurako asked with a raised brow.

"I kinda helped an officer to patrol around the city," the detective replied with a shrug. "His partner was off sick with a cold."

"Huh," Sakurako tilted her head with narrowed eyes. "That's kind of odd."

"What is so odd about it, Sakurako?" Misaka didn't quite understand about a detective's work.

"Detectives usually investigate cases like murder, theft, arson, and more," Sakurako then paused to look at Sumida. "Not going on patrol without a case in hand."

"You're right, but I was just helping out a friend too," Sumida added with a nod. "Besides, it's not always a good idea to patrol around the town on your own, right?"

"I guess I can agree with that," Sakurako then looked back at her homework. "You didn't get shot, too, did you?"

"Oh, don't even start, blondie," Sumida slumped her head again with an annoyed sigh. "Do you really think I enjoyed getting shot at?"

"No," Sakurako shook her head. "But I would imagine you are having fun shooting a gun at everything."

Sumida then chuckles as she bows her head. "I'm not that kind of spirit animal, Sakurako."

"So…" Hanako then paused to thought out her words. "You're not working on any cases for today?"

"Actually, I did work on a couple of cases," Sumida then leaned forward onto the table. "But they are all just dead-ends either way. Can you imagine how hard it is to find a single clue?"

"I'm not sure I could imagine it," Himawari admitted with her fist on her chin.

"That's like finding a needle in a haystack," Sumida then looked back to Hanako's homework. "And sometimes you might miss a clue that is so obvious right in front of you, but then you just forget about it because you think that clue is not worth for your time."

"Eh..?" Misaka then lazily rested her right cheek on her fist. "No way, Sumida-san."

"Hey, I mean it," Sumida let out a sigh again. "A clue might be on a knife, spoon, clock, rubric cube, and even on a pencil. It's so easy to ignore them than looking for a gun in a car."

"Sometimes the smallest details are easy to miss," Sakurako added, still busy with her homework.

"Ah, see?" Sumida pointed her open palm to the blonde. "Even Sakurako understands what I meant."

"I'm not even sure if Sakurako-chan actually understands your job," Hanako doubted with frowning eyes.

"At least Sakurako understands it a little," Sumida then looked at the blonde with a smile. "Ain't that right, blondie?"

"Yes," Sakurako then finally finished her homework. "And I'm done."

Himawari then looks to her book instinctively and predictably, though it brings a smile on her face. "Good, wait for me to finish mine, and I'll look over if there's anything wrong with your answer."

"What about Misaka?" Sakurako then leaned back to look at the said girl.

"I'm nearly finished with my math," Misaka replied with a smile. "But I don't mind the extra help."

Sakurako looks away awkwardly with her eyes shut. "Uhm… I can't help with that. I think Himawari could."

"You're saying that because you don't like math?" Himawari asked with an unamused look.

"No," Sakurako slightly shook her head. "I just found it difficult."

"Lemme take a look," Sumida then shifted over to Misaka's side. "What did you find difficult?"

"Erm, I just want to make sure," Misaka then pointed at one of the queries in the book. "Is this formula right?"

"Let me see…" the detective looked over to her answers before she pointed at one particular question. "You count this one wrong. I thought algebra is a bit easier for you."

"Ah… is it?" Misaka then erased the answer and re-wrote on it. "Arigato, Sumida-san."

Sakurako then looks up to Sumida again wordlessly, eventually having the detective herself notice her oblivious stare. "Are you always staring at people like that?"

"What?" Sakurako blinked to snap herself out.

"Are you always staring at people like that?" Sumida asked again. "'Cause, you'll just be making people uncomfortable."

"I'm sorry, I was just thinking of something," Sakurako then looked down before looking up again. "Was there a new case in your work?"

"Why are you askin'?" Sumida asked back with a raised brow.

"Just curious," Sakurako then looked away. "But if you don't want to tell me, then okay."

Sumida then sighs out sincerely, leaning her upper body to the left and rests her neck on her open hand. "Shouldn't you be sticking at the TV news?"

"I just thought your cases are more interesting than the news has to offer," Sakurako then crossed her arms on the table.

"Hey, Sakurako, I'm not sure if you even want to hear about the cases I have," Sumida doubted with eyes frowned.

It's funny for the blonde to assume that Sumida will explicitly tell everything about her cases. "Did I even ask to tell everything that we don't want to hear?"

"Ah," Sumida looked away to consider it and then looked back at her. "I guess that will work too."

"But Hanako is still here," Himawari reminded, then continued by Misaka. "What if she gets nightmare?"

"Don't worry. I'm not going into detail with the cases I have," Sumida assured her. "But… I'm not sure I have something noteworthy to tell you, except for a robbery and a homicide."

Hanako stares at her with confusion. "What is homicide?"

"Murder."

Everyone looks back at the blonde, who answered the question, and it did nothing but bring horror to the little sister's face. "Let's just start with robbery, Sumida-san."

"Okay then," Sumida then looked up to remember. "There was this family who got their house… well, it was a mansion, robbed by a single guy. But, at the time, that thief didn't steal money, jewelry, or even a laptop."

"Eeeehh?" Misaka lazily leaned forward as to stretch her arms. "He could've been rich if he stole those."

"I suppose there's something else he found like a secret document or something?" Himawari guessed with a raised brow.

"No, there was no secret document or files of some sort," Sumida pointed her index finger at her with a happy-trigger smile. "Even better."

Sakurako notices the wondering look Hanako had. The little sister then answers. "He found diamonds?"

"No!" Sumida waved her hand as she cheerfully looked away. "He didn't actually rob the mansion. But he went around to the back and stole three sacks of sands and got away in his car!"

Like Sumida expected, nearly everyone laughed at her expense. But it still puzzles her that Sakurako was the only person in the room to look so confused instead of finding it hilarious.

Himawari calms down her laugh until she can speak properly. "W-why does he need the sands for?"

"He didn't steal them just because he wanted to make a sandbox, right?" Misaka even wept a tear from her eye.

"Um, the thief wasn't that desperate to play with sand, was he?" Hanako asked with a raised brow and an innocent smile.

No one expected the blank, expressionless look she had on her face. Her look somehow turns their face of ridicule slowly into an incredulous one. However, Sakurako thought there's another reason he stole those sands but decided to withhold her words.

"Erm…" Himawari barely shed a sweat at her stare. "We're not wrong, right?"

"Well…" Sumida then nodded and shrugged. "That's not just any sand."

Silence engulfs the room as everyone continues to stare at her awkwardly.

"I don't understand," it's pretty understandable in Hanako's case.

Sumida sighs out with a smile. "What he stole at that time was high-quality sand bought from a legal sand mining in China. The thief was planning to sell them off to a sand smuggler in Hawaii for millions of yens."

"Millions?!" Misaka's eyes are glimmering to hear the numbers. "Wow…"

Such awe that is apparent on her face is undoubtedly for Sakurako. "You like money so much, Misaka?"

"Of course, I do, Saa-chan," Misaka clasped her hands on her chest with joy. "Do you know when it comes to money, it's always not enough?"

"Hmm…" Himawari thought to herself before replying. "Sometimes, I guess."

Sakurako leans her head back a bit with a tilt. "If you had twenty million yens, is it enough for you?"

"That's a lot of money," Sumida replied with a smile. "But… that won't be enough for me."

Despite the honesty she expressed, Hanako is eager for the next case. "What about the murder case?"

"Woah, kid, are you sure you want to hear that?" there's no need to question why she doesn't want to tell her. "It's not a happy story."

Hanako is too eager even to say no, and she gives the nod to the Detective. Sakurako, Himawari, and Misaka are also concerned. But if that's what she wants…

"Alright, I'll keep it short," Sumida replied with a nod. "A couple of days ago, there was a murder that happened in a hotel. The funny thing is… the only victim who was murdered was the killer herself."

"EH?"

Sakurako didn't feel surprised but had to jolt her eyes out a bit. The blonde girl remembered that very fateful day.

"There is a girl who is a murderer snuck into a hotel, and then to a room on the fourth floor," Sumida then bowed her head down for a moment. "Typically because her boyfriend is cheating with someone else, the only difference is that this murderer is a serial killer."

The girls were understandably taken aback by what they just heard. To show she is also surprised as well, Sakurako had to widen her eyes to convince Sumida.

"Wow," Misaka simply cannot cease the horror she had on her face. "I did not see that coming."

"According to the witness's testimony," Sumida began. "The murderer brandished her knife and about to attack the witnesses when somebody suddenly shot her through the window. The serial murderer was killed after receiving four shots to her body."

While the facts are graphic to comprehend, Hanako remains curious as ever. "Who shot the murderer?"

"Nobody knows who," Sumida could only shrug with an exasperated sigh. "But one thing we do know is that the shooter is a sniper, given the weapon used in this murder was an American rifle based on the bullets we got."

"American bullets…" everyone turned their heads at the only blonde in the room. "Is it 7.62?"

Hanako, Himawari, and Misaka didn't react much, save for the confusion they had on their faces. Entirely another story for Sumida, who is currently staring at her with such dumbfounding look of interest.

"7.62x51mm NATO rounds, to be exact," Sumida paused as she stared at her with seemingly empty eyes. "How did you know about that?"

"I'm curious about weapons," Sakurako simply shrugged.

"Ah, right, you did say you were a gun enthusiast," Sumida shut her eyes for a while as she looked away. "But I never thought you would research that far."

"What is it with you and your interest with weapons?" Himawari asked with frowned eyebrows. "I think you're playing that game too much."

She is clearly unamused by what she said. "Do I even play that much?"

"Sakurako nee-chan didn't play that game a lot, Hima-chan," Hanako assured her, much to Himawari's surprise.

"You know, from the start, I thought you would be addicted to that game for the next couple of days," Misaka commented, her head leaned a bit towards the table.

"I think you mean obsessed."

"Obsessed might be an understatement, Sakurako," Sumida awkwardly responded with eyes closed. "Are you really that curious about firearms?"

"That depends on how curious I am."

That really can't be helped with. A teenager's curiosity can sometimes be… complex than an adult's.

"Anyway," Sumida got back to the topic again. "We can't find out who's the sniper is. My best assumption is that someone hired him, or he is a vigilante. The case is still ongoing."

"I'm sure you can find the sniper in no time," Himawari assured her with a smile.

"I know," Sumida leaned back and supported her back again. "But without hard evidence, the case might go cold again."

"Is that all?" Sakurako asked with a raised eyebrow.

"That's all for now," Sumida then looked over to Misaka. "Are you done with your homework?"

"Just one more… and…" Misaka then finally shut the book. "Done!"

"Me too," Hanako added, letting out a relieved sigh.

Sakurako pours tea into a cup and hands it over to Misaka. "Here."

"Arigato," Misaka drunk the tea with such joy on her face. "So delicious!"

The redhead sister then looked over to the blonde. "Do you want to play something, Sakurako nee-chan?"

"We have cards, scrabbles, chess, videogames," Sakurako then paused. "Which do you want, Misaka?"

"I think I'll go with cards," Misaka answered, sipping at least half of her tea.

"Alright," Sakurako then stood up from the table. "Where did I put them-"

"Sakurako."

Everyone turns their heads at the doorway leading to the stairs. An elder sister, Nadeshiko, is seen standing by the post with her arms crossed. However, there is an unmistakable frown on her face, both of her eyes narrowed down at the particular blonde. Everyone didn't realize that she's upset. But for Sakurako… that could mean one thing.

"We need to talk."

Sakurako raises an eyebrow. "About what?"

And then, her mother shows herself and stands beside the eldest sister, showing what she had in her hand. "What. Is. This?"

To Sakurako's horror, her mother holds the bottle that is none other than the renowned whiskey. Her friends, Hanako, and Sumida were speechless and shocked by the sight alone.

"I found this under your bed, Sakurako," the mother's tone was rough and merely enough to shook Sakurako's spine. "Explain."

Everyone's eyes are now onto Sakurako. She knows from this moment on. She'll be having a rough time with her family. Alas, she couldn't react much but to take a silent deep sigh.


Himawari, Misaka, and Hanako had moved themselves up to Sakurako's room. The reason being was this is the only room that is farthest away from the kitchen. That's assuming the Oomuro mother's voice wasn't loud enough, to begin with. Hanako reckons that her mother's voice wasn't too loud, something to be thankful about when she's having a fit of rage to the probably ignorant, foolish daughter.

Misaka and Himawari still felt unbelievable that Sakurako would do such a thing. Buying the alcohol was enough to be outrageous. Himawari felt so angry to hear it that she didn't want to bother to hear the dumb blonde's reason and went upstairs. However, Misaka remains content and optimistic about Sakurako, which is something people usually rare to have.

"Misaka-chan."

"Hmm?"

Hanako looks down at the cards they have. "We're sorry about that."

"No, no, it's fine," Misaka awkwardly waved a hand. "But I wondered how she could buy one."

"She better have a good reason for it," Himawari sighed in disappointment. "I guess she's going to get yelled at a lot."

"You know?" Hanako added in. "It's been a while since we yelled at her for doing that stupid during her friends' sleepover."

"She told me about it," Misaka then looked at the door before looking back to Hanako and Himawari. "Do you think she'll be okay?"

"I don't think so," Hanako shook her head.

Himawari sighs, bows her head down, and frowns her eyes. "They'll be too hard on her."

Misaka then looks down at her cards. "How many cards do you have?"

Back in the kitchen, Sakurako has been sat down across the two adults and a young adult eldest sister. For now, the mother is still off her chair and yelling with every word that came up in her mind while Nadeshiko and Sumida sit silently in their chairs, and their flared gazes do not cease to exist. Nadeshiko shuts her eyes for a moment to tolerate how loud her mother is screaming. Sumida looked away for a few seconds at the mother, and she had to admit that the way their mother screams is like her old boss who got fired for overuse of his authority. The detective does feel mad about Sakurako's action, but the screaming mother really unnerved her too much.

"I know you wanted to be an adult but not like this!" the mother screamed that she didn't realize the neighbor next door might hear her. "What the heck were you thinking!? Buying alcohol out of nowhere without my knowledge and even snuck this into your room!?"

While the whiskey bottle is placed in front of the blonde, Sakurako remains silent and maintains her eye contact with her mother. Sakurako usually bows her head down to the embarrassment she has created for herself and her family. But now, Sakurako sealed her mouth shut, and her whole body is frozen, both arms lie on the table and unmoving, and she tries her best to hold back the emotion flowing into her mind, a behavior that contradicts her old one. What she can do as of now is to listen to every word that comes out of her mouth.

"You little damn to no-good brat!" another 'friendly' swear came out from her mouth. "Do you even think what would happen to Hanako if she sees it and asks to have a shot of it?! Do you ever think about that!?"

Sakurako stays quiet, but she didn't think that her mother wanted her answer right now. "Say something, Sakurako!"

Her backs jumped a bit, but she managed to speak back correctly. "No, I didn't. I only thought about that to myself."

"What are you planning with that?!" the mother shot back. "Do you want to get yourself drunk in view of your own family!?"

"No," Sakurako responded with a slight shook. "I need it to help me sleep."

"Sleep?! SLEEP?!" the mother shook her head many times that her head looked like a bobble-head. "Why would someone like you need alcohol just to sleep?! A girl like Hanako can even sleep with just milk!"

"I…" Sakurako trailed off quietly. "I…"

"You what?" the mother hastily sat down, corrected her seat, and leaned forward on the table. "Go on ahead, tell me. You better have a good reason why."

Sakurako takes an uncomfortable deep sigh and bows her head down before looking back at their glares. "I have insomnia."

A surprised expression colored in Sumida's and Nadeshiko's faces. Alas, not for the mother, who bowed her head down in annoyance and let out a sigh. But it looks like the answer alone was enough to calm the flaming mother down.

"Is this about the nightmares you have these days?"

Sakurako didn't say a word but nodded in response to her mother.

The mother doesn't have anything else to say, to which Sumida added. "It's illegal for you to drink, you know? You must be at least 20 years old to drink alcohol."

"I know," Sakurako stooped her head low. "I was… desperate."

Nadeshiko was a bit suspicious at first. "Do you know how did you get insomnia in the first place?"

They notice that her eyes look down at the table for five seconds. "I don't know. I tried to remember what it was. And…"

Sakurako could only shrug. She doesn't have much to say. "I forgot what it was…"

Her answer is unsatisfactory for the two family members and the detective. But Sumida was feeling the same suspicion that Nadeshiko felt.

"You really forgot what it was, or you don't want to talk to us about it?" Sumida asked, her eyes have a stern look.

Her eyes give away for Sakurako but could only express natural indifference. "I really forgot what it was. My memory wasn't that good."

Nadeshiko then straightens her back. "Well, I agree with you. You always forgot everything, even small things, a while back."

"She ever ended up lost at the city's outskirt because of that?" Sumida asked the two members, which could do nothing but to feel embarrassed for this dumb blonde.

"Yes, she would be lost for hours if she hadn't her phone with her," the mother covered her face to stifle her indignation.

"But now your memory is not that bad now," Nadeshiko added to Sakurako's silent frustration. "Which is kind of suspicious if you ask me."

Sakurako sighs again. Not that she felt disappointed in herself. "Look, I don't know what else I can say for you, alright?"

"What about from where you find this bottle?" the mother asked, pointing her finger at her.

"I bought it off from a man in the back alley," Sakurako replied, not caring if she'll be scolded about it. "Six blocks away from that park, I think."

"Wha- for how much?!" Nadeshiko is already alarmed to know she bought it.

"8.000 yens."

It's great to know that, but still, they can't believe what they just heard. Sakurako then crosses her arms tightly and looks away to take a deep sigh. Five seconds she looked away before she faced forward. Her family and the detective remained silent, whereas Sakurako continues to stare blankly forward. All that she had on her face was either insentient or obliviousness.

"What is my punishment?"

A supposed dumb second sister sincerely asked for a punishment, very rare to hear that even her mother was taken aback by the question. As much as they want to punish this girl, they admit that Sakurako is pretty honest for herself despite her unreliable memory. Sumida, however, retains her suspicions against Sakurako to herself and remains to show her understandable expression. The mother could only massage her forehead with both hands to relax her frustration.

The mother lets out a disappointed but sincere sight; she then could look up to her second daughter. "I really, really, don't know what to do with you, Sakurako. I don't even know what kind of punishment I should give to you for this one bottle."

"Chores, confiscate gaming devices, don't let me go play with friends, no more yogurt for me, corporal punishment," Sakurako was relatively quick to list the punishments. "There are other punishments to do, but that's all I have in mind."

The room has been pretty silent for the moment; the atmosphere became more uncomfortable that Sumida had to break it up. "You know, as a detective of the Toyama PD, I should take away your alcohol before you're going to do something stupid about it."

Sakurako reluctantly looks away to the consequences. "We're going to pay a high fine for it, right?"

Sumida sighs with sincerity for the girl. "No, I'm not going to report you for possessing alcoholic beverages."

All eyes turn at her with perplex as hers look at the mother. "How about this, Oomuro-sama? You keep the bottle and lock it somewhere safe, so we can see if Sakurako is honest about her insomnia or not."

"Bu- wha-?!" the mother is already bewildered for the outcome. "I'm not going to let her drink whiskey! That's the last thing I want to happen!"

"Hey, calm down. I'm not asking you to let her drink the alcohol so she can be drunk," Sumida assured her. "I'm just saying that you should check on her at night to see if she's sleeping or not. If she really can't sleep, just give her a shot to help her."

"I'm not sure that's even a good idea," Nadeshiko agreed with her mother.

"I know," Sumida nodded in understanding. "If Sakurako is indeed lying about her insomnia, I'll come back tomorrow and confiscate this bottle straight away."

From its looks, the mother could only let out her defeated sigh, whereas Nadeshiko, concerned, looked at Sakurako. Sumida continues to observe the mother's reaction until the mother blinks twice. She finally speaks out to her second daughter.

"Alright, we'll do what Sumida-san said," Sakurako wasn't precisely surprised; she just didn't think this would be the outcome. "You paid attention to it, right?"

"Yes, Okaa-chan," Sakurako then paused for a moment. "What about my punishment?"

The mother leans against her chair and crosses her arms. "You're not getting any for now. Besides, your friend is still here. I don't want to make everyone feels restless, especially Sumida-san."

The mother went ahead to take the bottle and stored it in the kitchen cabinet before locking it up. "You can go now, Sakurako."

The said girl stands up from her chair and halts herself from moving just yet. "Do you need any help before I go up?"

The mother hums as she looks around the kitchen for a couple of seconds. "No, there's nothing else I need your help with."

"Alright, Okaa-chan," Sakurako nodded, then looked over to the detective and her sister before leaving the kitchen altogether.

After she left, Sumida then turns her head at the mother. "I think you were too hard on her."

The mother sighs. "How I cannot? She causes trouble too often before. But now…"

Sumida then shrugs tightly to stretch her shoulders. "How about we play chess for a moment? You need to let out your stress."

The mother sighs but then nods with an agreement. "I guess that'll work."

Up in Sakurako's room, the owner of the room has returned. All eyes are on her, but they are also surprised to see that she still has her oblivious expression. Her head looks around the room before she sits down with them in a circle. A sigh lets out as her eyes shut for a while.

"Did I miss something?"

Himawari frowns at the question. "How are you so unconcerned after you get yelled at for bringing that dangerous beverage?"

"I'm barely surprised that my mom didn't give me any punishment."

It is kind of shocking for them that Sakurako managed to get away scot-free after doing something stupid.

"Wha-? Did you beg her not to punish you!?" Hanako is bewildered with indignant eyes.

"No, I asked her what my punishment is," Sakurako responded with an empty stare.

Misaka frowns her eyes to the reply. "Sakurako, this is not a joke."

"Excuse me, but I don't understand which part of my answer is a joke."

"Sakurako, just-" Himawari halted herself to calm her nerves. The last thing she wants is to hit her in the head, "Why did you even buy alcohol?"

Sakurako only stares at her for a few seconds before replying. "I have insomnia."

The bluenette's face changes from an upset one into a concerned one. Hanako doesn't know what insomnia means, but Misaka covers her mouth to the revelation.

"Why you haven't told me about it?" Himawari asked with a pitiful tone.

"I didn't know about it until I looked it up," Sakurako bowed down for a moment. "I was desperate, okay?"

"That was a bad choice to take," Misaka commented.

"I know," Sakurako then looked at every girl in the room. "I'll be fine... Can I play too?"

"Um…" Misaka looked over to the cards they have in their hands. "You can play with us after this one."

"Okay, I'll wait."

The evening went on uninterrupted. Despite the scolding that Sakurako suffered, she is quietly joyful with her friends and sister. But Himawari is pretty uncertain with the mask that covers Sakurako's feelings. Despite that, Himawari did not dare to push much out of her. For now, they enjoy the evening by playing with each other.


23:00 PM.

At the almost dead of night of the day, the certain blonde girl is lying in her bed. A blanket rested above her, and a pillow being squished by her head. While the night is calm and peaceful, it was the night of agitation for Sakurako. Her head shifts left and right in an attempt to comfort herself so she can sleep. The attempt came to no avail because until now, she is unable to sleep, or at the very least, feels pretty sleepy.

Not a word comes out of her mouth when she gets her back off the bed. Rubs her eyes once before she turns and stands off the bed. She might go ahead and play games, but that would be unproductive in the eyes of her mother. So what she does now is to make sure her door is locked before turning her attention to the closet. She then pulls out the bulky black bag from underneath other bags, jackets, and shirts.

The next thing she knows, her desk is littered with magazines and bullets. An empty AK-103 is lying in front of her as her hands are examining over the used P99 Pistol. She tries to disassemble it but found it a bit difficult; she nearly reached for the phone when she found out there's a couple of levers underneath the front slide. Both levers are pressed using her intuition, and the slide is pushed forward as her index finger unknowingly pressed the gun trigger. The slide opened forward, and she examined the inside of the gun's slide.

For the AK, she had to look up a couple of videos on the internet about disassembling of the gun. The blonde managed to open the top cover just in front of the stock by some miracle and started to examine from there to see if there's any damage or fouling. Satisfied with her examinations, she assembles them back in order and then turns her attention to the magazines. She has a long quiet night and began to fill those magazines with bullets, one by one.

The silent night is much of enjoyment for the blonde. It also took her a while to do all of that. After her little business, she stuffed her equipment back into the bag and hid it back in the closet. She returns to her desk and checks into her phone; the time is shown to be ten minutes before midnight. However, it also annoys her to the fact that she is unable to sleep nor even feel sleepy. For six times, she tried to sleep for the past three hours and failed. She should be sleeping right now.

To see that there's nothing else to do in the room, she proceeds to unlock her room and exits. Sakurako goes downstairs and heads straight for the living room, and the lights are turned on. She could watch TV, but that might not be helpful for her, not because she worried that her mother would scold her to do so. Something dawned in her mind when she remembered there's something else in the living room. Her head turns left towards the shelf where there is a collection of books lined up.

Once at the shelf, her index finger slowly lingers at every book available for her. Her finger immediately halts at one such book before her eyes, "Lush of Roses." If memory serves her right, it's one of her mother's favorite novels. Sakurako does not mind the factor of romances, even though her favorite genre is comedy. The book takes off from the shelf and now lies down on the table. However, before she starts to read it, she went off to the kitchen first to make some tea for herself.

A mug of sweet, warm tea is ready at the table, and the second sister is ready to read the book. One page is flipped open, and she went straight reading the foreword, remarking on how the writer phrased his written words. From there, she went onto the first chapter of the book, or to be precise, the prologue. Even in the prologue itself, she is already intrigued to keep reading despite not being a fan of her mother's choice of books.

Numbness takes over as time flies unnoticed for the blonde girl. Her tea is already a quarter empty, and her eyes did not fall bore to the book. Her back leaned against the couch, and her legs huddled together to the side on the cushion. Sakurako halts, reading for a few seconds to look into her phone. She is a bit surprised to know that another three hours have passed, right after reaching at least the tenth chapter of the book.

She then goes back to reading the book with compelled peacefulness. However, that peace was suddenly interrupted by a faint noise of footsteps in the distance. Her head looks up from the book and instinctively turns to her left. An individual shows herself from the dark hallway into the light at the doorway. The person was none other than her own mother.

With such surprise, the mother looks up to see Sakurako is reading one of her books for the first time. Her main concern wasn't about that, though. She can't believe her eyes to see Sakurako is still awake at this hour. Nevertheless, she felt so glad that she's not decided to spend hours watching TV or playing games.

"Why are you still awake at this hour?" the mother for now.

"I told you before in the evening," Sakurako then redirect her question. "Why are you also awake at this time?"

"Ugh…" the mother then rubbed her forehead. "I just got a headache. I'm going to take a pill before I sleep again."

"I see…" Sakurako nodded slightly before reading back to her book.

"Also, Sakurako…" the said blonde looked back to her calling. "Which book are you reading?"

"Lush of Roses," Sakurako replied as she looked back to the book. "One of your favorites, right?"

"I never knew you also like other books than those mangas," the mother said as she walked over to her daughter.

"I was just curious why you love this book," Sakurako responded, still glued into the book. "Still, I can't tell if I like this book more than Nadeshiko's book."

The mother raises an eye. "Which book is that?"

Sakurako has a blank look in her eyes. "Polished Lavender."

Both exchange empty looks until the mother suddenly realized what kind of book that is. "Wait, you read that!?"

"Yes, entire of it," the blonde girl didn't seem to be fazed about it. "Why?"

"That's an adult book!" the mother sighed out with frustration. "Did she give it to you on purpose?"

"No, I borrowed it without her permission," Sakurako shook her head. "But it's a good book."

"Do you even realize that's an adult book?" the mother wasn't felt so compelled to yell at her in the middle of the night.

"I know about that, and I don't mind it either."

She would assume that Sakurako's being ignorant, but that would also mean underestimating her knowledge and interest.

Deciding to change the topic, she asks her. "For how long are you unable to sleep?"

"For five hours, I guess…" her eyes looked up from the book. "I think I started reading this from twelve."

The mother left her mouth opened a little as her eyes opened wide. "You should sleep now."

"I know, but…" the daughter stared forward blankly forward before looking back to her mother. "I wish I feels sleepy now."

A quick skim on her face is already evident that her current appearance does not contradict the statement she remarked. The mother falls upset about this condition.

"I can see why you really need that alcohol."

The daughter didn't say a word and instead continues to read the book, clearly doesn't have a proper reply for her remark. The blonde mother combs her hair to the left from her eye with her finger. She stares towards her daughter wordlessly before letting out a sigh.

"Alright…" the mother then headed towards the kitchen. "I'll get the alcohol for you."

"I don't need it, mom."

The mother halts and turns around at her. "Not yet. I want to finish reading this book."

"Are you sure?" the mother was concerned about her decision. "You could be sleepy in the morning."

"I'll be fine," Sakurako assured her. "A coffee would do the trick. I don't want to stop reading now."

This might not be the best time to force her to sleep. Then again, she's doing something productive for the night. "Okay then."

The mother enters the kitchen, leaving Sakurako for a while in the room. For the next few seconds later, Mrs. Oomuro exits the kitchen and once again walks over to her daughter. To see that her second daughter is still serious, reading the novel was aspiring at best, probably more severe than reading lesson materials. Of course, she hopes that Sakurako will stay healthy for the incoming day.

"Are you sure you'll be fine for tonight?"

Sakurako's eyes fill with confidence. "I'm already prepared for the morning."

"Okay, if you say so, Sakurako," the mother replied with a nod. "Just promise me, you'll be wide awake in the morning. I'll head back to my room."

"All right," Sakurako nodded with a small smile. "Good night, Okaa-chan."

The mother smiles warmly at her lovely daughter and gently rubs her head. "Good night to you too, Sakurako."

The mother then leaves the daughter alone and finally exits the living room. From now on, she would spend the rest of her hours reading this single book until it's finished. All that's left for her to enjoy is solitude, peace, comfort, and joy. She continues reading her book and takes her cup of tea for another sip—nothing else to do for tonight than reading the book. Do not even mind the upcoming day that is right around the corner.

Hopefully, that day is full of jolly.


Author's note:

What a jellicle day to make it this far- dang it, that Cats movie affects me again.

Anyway, good day dear readers, how are you liking the story so far?

Please leave some comments if you are liking the story so far.

As usual, I'll be taking a break for a moment so I can go ahead draw something.

That is all for now, may you all have a great day, and pray we'll push the Coronavirus pandemic back to where it came from.