In the midst of a shrouded night, in a particular neighborhood. It's supposed to be a peaceful night, with no residents nor vehicles making any noises along the empty streets. But at such a house, there was a loud nuisance. One that no neighbors would bother nor awake to check. Despite the critters stubbornly creaking throughout the night, it was outshined by the sounds of hitting and beating from within. It was already late night, and most houses had their interior lights turned off, save for one, which is just beyond the front door.

Two men guard, or rather, wait for their leader to come back. They were dangerous looking and had a chip on their shoulders, smoking their cigarettes carelessly on someone's porch. From there, they listen to the beating, bashing, slamming, kicking, whatever else they hear from inside. They wanted to enjoy the sight of the agony of whoever was living within this house, but the leader personally ordered them to wait outside.

Inside the house, in the living room, stood a man looming over another poor man, the house owner. And at the far end of the corner sat a woman, a wife to the beaten man. She shook in the corner, having an uncontrollable spasm of fear, terror, and horror to what is concurrent before her. Seemingly almost paralyzed and can't dare to act.

On the floor, a severely bruised man curled up into a ball with all his dear life. His forehead bleeds as blood is pouring little by little from his mouth. His face, arms, legs, and torso were all turning purple from the heavy beating. Worse of all, he is unable to control the pain convulsing throughout his body.

And the man who has beaten him sneered in cynicism and rage. Rubbing his hair from the top of his black hair down to the purple edges of his afro hair, he gritted his teeth at the poor man as he sweated. Then he rubs his own fists with both open palms. He was angry but also enjoyed smoking him to a pulp.

"I warned ya' there will be a consequence, bitch!" said the man, steaming out of his head. "Ya' think tis' was a joke?"

"P-please…" the beaten man begged.

"Where's the money?"

The poor man could barely look. "W-wha-"

"Where's the goddamn money!?"

"N-no, we don't have-"

"You piece of shit!" *DUKH* the tanned man straight up kicked his back.

"AAAAAAAGGH!" the man screamed. "No more! No more!"

"Please! Stop!" the woman hysterically screamed. "He already had enough!"

"Shut the hell up, woman!" the tanned man yelled, pointing at her. "Or I'm going to mess your mouth up!"

"S-sir, p-please!" the poor man begged frantically, his voice squeaked. "Give me more time!"

"Or what?" the punk asked, cracking one of his fists. "To miss the deadline we promised again?"

The poor man shakily looks up to him. "B-but, you didn't say anything about the deadline-"

*DUKH*

He got kicked once again, and the provoked man was redder than his brown skin. "You shitface! Maybe I should punch your ears in to fix 'em! That's not your money, that's ours! And when you borrow them, you must pay 'em back!"

"But you said that it was free money!"

*DUKH*

He kicked the poor sod again, and the woman cried in her corner. "And you believe in that shit!? I almost feel sorry for you if you weren't such a dumbass."

"No, no, no, no, please, please!" the poor man slowly crawled back. "Don't kill me! Don't kill me! I'll pay it back! I'll pay it back! Just leave my family alone!"

The steaming man had put his hands in his pockets, huffed, and then looked down upon the man. "Fine, I'll give you about two weeks to pay 'em all back. And twice the amount of what you borrowed."

"But… but-"

"I'm sorry, that ain't clear for ya'!?"

"Erg, no, no, no. I got it. I got it. Two weeks."

"Good," the tanned then walked toward the hallway, then decidedly stopped. "But if you miss the deadline again…."

He turned around, and they could see the deadly glare on his face. Just the sight of his gritted teeth and his clinging spiky necklace are terrorizing them since they nearly pissed themselves. Moreover, his eyes filled nothing but contempt, sadistic joy, and rage.

"You gonna know what happens next."

The couple kept shuddering until the dangerous man finally left the house. And the woman finally crawls close to his side, finally hugging the severely beaten man.

The woman sniffs and cries, and they have never felt this helpless before. "What are we going to do…?"

"W-we… we have to pay them back, or else they… they…."

At a loss of words, fearing what he and his men would do against them, they only stay there until the man can finally stand up after the pain begins to ease. But the both of them continued to cry and wished that this day won't get any worse.

Outside, the afro-haired man met up with his men at the car, who happened to litter their cigs to the ground and step on them.

"Done talking some sense to them, boss?" asked one of his goons.

"Sure, homie," their leader responded. "If they're late again, you'll know what to do with 'em."

Both goons snicker, and one of them gives a thumb up. "You can count on us, bro."

"So," the leader digressed. "You did what I told you?"

"Yea, got the girl," a goon of his led to the car's trunk and opened it.

Inside, procures a petite short girl whose skin is pale, whose eyes are large red, and whose hair is dark brown. Now, she is all tied up with ropes constricting her arms and legs and a simple short tape to keep her from screaming for help. She is still in her pajamas. And judging from the looks she made, she is well beyond horrified of the predicament that befell her.

"What a cute thing," the afro man replied. "Don't worry, you little kiddie. I'm gonna make sure that you'll be put to good use. Hope you worth our trouble."

The girl could do nothing but helplessly wiggle to no avail, shaking her head to beg them to let her go. But yet, the men shut the trunk, got into their car, and drove away from the house. When they are well far enough from the house, their chief made a dark grin, happy with how well their…'convincement' was.

"Boss," the driver asked. "How much price could she fetch?"

"Why? Wanna get your hands on her?"

"Just askin', homie."

Their boss only chuckles, deviously rubbing his chin with his thumb while grinning with pleasure. "I know someone that can fetch a high price for us.


End of the school day. Student Council Office.

*DING-DONG-DANG-DONG* *DING-DONG-DANG-DONG*

Sakurako is already in the office early. After putting her bag on her designated seat, she first looked over to see if there were any documents that would be necessary to work. To her relief, there's none for now, until Ayano brought new documents, that is. Without a word, she ties her hair into a short ponytail with a small hair tie. First task of the day in the office, was to start sweeping the office while anyone was not present. The floor has noticeably gotten dirty; at least she wasn't dealing with mud.

To make her work more manageable, she places the vacant chairs upside down on the table so she can sweep under the tables. Don't even forget to sweep every inch of unreachable corners of the room, including gaps between cabinets and the fridge. Five minutes in, she has gathered a moderate amount of dust and soon swooped them into the dustpan. The trashcan was thankfully available in the office, so she dumped the dust away and even hit the dustpan against the open trash can to force the leftover dust to jump.

Sakurako lets out a quick sigh, eventually wiping the sweat off her forehead with her two fingers. The blonde Oomuro examines the floors again and reassures herself that the floors do not require moping yet. She's about to place the equipment back to where it is when the door slides open. Turning around, she sees Himawari, Chitose, and Ayano entering in order and is surprised at her handiwork.

"Oh," Chitose looked at the floors. "Have you finished sweeping?"

"Yes," Sakurako nodded as she placed the broom and the dustpan into a cabinet.

"It's rare to see you doing chores without being told," Himawari pointed out.

"Rare?" Sakurako asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Yes, it's rare," Himawari replied as she put her bag down. "Did something happen?"

"I just noticed the floors were getting a little dusty," Sakurako replied. "Figured I should do it before you came."

"How responsible," Ayano commented happily. "Have you checked with the documents?"

Sakurako stands still for a second, then turns around. "What documents?"

"Eh?" Ayano stared at her, then realized something. "Ah, right, I forgot. We don't have any documents to work on yet."

"We don't have any meeting, right?" Sakurako asked as she sat down in her chair.

"I don't think we will have another meeting aside from that one for the preparation of the competition," Ayano replied, rubbing her table with a single swipe. "Why'd you ask?"

"I'm just curious," Sakurako leaned against her chair. "That's a relief then."

Himawari gives a curious look. "You find that boring?"

"I find too many things to remember and understand," Sakurako rubbed her closed eyes.

"Don't worry, I'm also finding it hard to understand too," Chitose humbly added.

"Ah, right, now that you mentioned it," Ayano then turned to Sakurako's neighbor. "Hima-chan, Tsubasa-sensei requested us to approve her documents to supply the Track and Field club for the upcoming competition. Can you get the documents for us?"

"No problem, Ayano-senpai," Himawari nodded before she stood up. "I'll be back in a moment. Sakurako."

The said blonde nodded back, then Himawari left the office. As they remain in their seats, Sakurako unconsciously reaches for her throat and realizes a small need for sustenance.

"Do we have any drink in the fridge?" Sakurako asked.

"Oh, we do," Chitose replied. "I think the fridge should've been replenished since break time."

"Hmm…." Sakurako stood up, went to the fridge, and opened it up. "Huh, there are sodas, coffees, juices, teas, and energy drinks."

"Is there grape soda?" Ayano asked her.

"There is," Sakurako then looked to the four-eyed student. "Chitose-senpai?"

"I'll take yuzu tea, please," Chitose kindly replied.

"Got it."

Sakurako soon handed Ayano a can of grape soda and Chitose a bottle of yuzu tea. She returns to her seat with a cold drink in her hand. The student councils had expected her to drink some kind of juice. But they were slightly astonished that Sakurako's choice of drink is a can of cappuccino coffee.

"You're drinking that?" Ayano asked as she popped her can.

"Yes," Sakurako simply replied.

"My, you already looked so mature for you to drink that beverage," Chitose complimented, her open hand touching her chin.

"Huh?" Sakurako gave a perplexed look. "How does drinking coffee has anything to do to look so mature?"

"W-well, drinking coffee is an adult thing to do, Sakurako-chan," Chitose happily replied.

"Oh," Sakurako sipped her coffee. "I just like it."

Ayano smiles. "Are you going to buy a coffee for George?"

"Maybe one day," responded the blonde before sipping her coffee again.

"How's your short film, by the way?" Ayano asked curiously.

"We're still working on it," Sakurako replied. "But we think the movie would be finished maybe a day or two before the competition."

"Wow, you both must be working hard on the movie," Ayano clasped her hands.

"Ah ha ha," Chitose replied. "You could say that."

"So, Chitose," Ayano said. "Can you tell me what the movie is about?"

"I'm afraid I cannot tell you, Ayano-chan," Chitose kindly replied.

"Aw, come on!" Ayano pouted, leaning at her. "A little spoiler won't hurt!"

"No, Ayano-senpai. We rather not," Sakurako replied.

"Why?" Ayano asked.

"I like to keep it as a surprise," Sakurako replied. "I just don't want you secretly spoiling our movie to anyone else."

"Oh, that's a shame," Ayano then leaned against her chair. "That's alright, I guess. I can wait until the competition. Oh, Chitose, Sakurako."

"Yes?" Chitose asked.

"Are you planning to work on the movie after this?" Ayano asked.

"Um, no, I don't think so," Chitose replied as she looked at Sakurako. "Nishigaki-sensei said that we're taking a break for a today, didn't she?"

"Yes, she did," Sakurako nodded. "She wants to fix and discuss the script with Shiba-sama and Sumida-sama."

"And we can start filming again tomorrow," Chitose added. "Hopefully without any interruption."

"Hmm," Sakurako nodded as she sipped her coffee.

The door slides open, and she sees that Himawari is back with the documents. "I'm back. Did I miss something?"

"Oh, we were just talking about the short movie my team is working on," the blonde Oomuro replied.

"Is that so?" Himawari raised an eyebrow as she sat down. "What is the movie all about?"

"I cannot tell you, Himawari," Sakurako replied.

"Why is that?" Himawari asked.

"We don't want to give you any spoiler, Himawari-san," Chitose answered on her behalf.

"Not even a brief spoiler?" asked the bluenette.

"All you need to know is that we're working on an action-themed movie," Sakurako sipped her coffee once again.

Himawari made a gentle frown, then placed the documents with a slight disappointment. "Whatever you say, Sakurako."

"Don't worry, Himawari-san," Ayano assured with a tiny wave. "We can get to watch them during the competition."

"I guess I'm okay with that," Himawari then smiled a little. "I hope your movie will be excellent, Sakurako."

"I will make sure the movie is excellent, Hima-chan," Sakurako added.

"You don't have to assure me, you know," Himawari chuckled a little. "Just knowing you're working on the movie is enough for me."

"Hmm," Sakurako nodded again as she sipped her coffee again.

As Himawari hands out each document to every student council, Sakurako just realizes there's this empty feeling in the office. She turns her head to her right and notices the currently empty desk, who belongs to none other than the student council president.

"Something's up?" Ayano asked her.

Sakurako turns her head. "Where's Rise-sempai?"

"Oh, right, I heard she's absent for today."

Sakurako narrows her eyebrows. "She's sick?"

"I don't know," Ayano shrugged. "Nishigaki-sensei and I tried to call her, but she didn't answer our call."

"That's odd," Himawari commented in concern. "She's usually punctual and let us know if something happened."

"I hope it's nothing bad," Chitose placed her fist on her chin. "Should we come over to her house?"

"No," Ayano shook her head. "Nishigaki-sensei said she'll come over to her house after her work."

"I see," Chitose sighed out with slight relief. "Let's work on these documents."

Sakurako was about to work on it when her phone suddenly chimed. Everyone looks up as Sakurako turns on her phone to read a message. Without a word, she sips her coffee again on one hand and texts the message on the phone with the other. Sakurako then turns the phone off and lays it on the table with the screen facing it. Himawari raises one of her eyebrows to the peak.

"Who was that?" asked the bluenette.

"Misaka-chan," Sakurako wrote her document, then halted. "Are you free for today, Himawari?"

"Hmm? Yes, I am," Himawari replied as she couldn't help but slightly turn at her. "Is there something that mattered?"

"Actually, I was wondering if you can come over to my house today this evening," Sakurako explained formally. "Misaka-chan and her mother are coming over to tidy up our garden."

"Ah," Chitose raised an index finger. "It must be that small garden next to your house."

"It is," Sakurako nodded. "Do you want to help too?"

"I think I'm free for today," Chitose happily replied. "I can come over to help."

"What about Chizuru-san?" Sakurako asked.

"She's busy for today," the kind Ikeda replied. "She promised to bring our grandmother to the hospital."

Sakurako then looks at the vice-prez. "Ayano-senpai?"

"Um, I'm afraid I can't," was the maroon-haired girl's reply. "I have to study for today."

"You're so diligent, Ayano-chan," Chitose complimented.

"I see," Sakurako absentmindedly sipped her coffee. "That is okay."

The blonde then looks at the bluenette. "Himawari?"

Her childhood friend exchanges a gentle smile. "Of course, I can come over, Sakurako."

They then continue to work on the documents. However, Sakurako's job was easy enough. Her job is to stamp the papers and tidy them up into one neat pile. Occasionally, Ayano, Chitose, and Himawari had discussed whether they have enough budget to purchase the needs for the club other than the Field and Track Club and whether a couple of proposals regarding the school policy is satisfactory. Sakurako stayed out from the discussion, opting to listen, but failed to pay attention to most of the things they talked about.

During this moment, a new guest enters the office. It was a certain redhead holding a piece of paper in her hands. They all recognize her straightaway.

"Oh, hello there, Akarin," Himawari greeted.

"Hello, friends!" Akari greeted with a bow. "I hope I'm not interrupting your work."

"Don't worry, we're about to finish up," Ayano assured. "Is there something we can help you with?"

"Well, I have Chinatsu's mock-up test with me," Akari replied. "It fell off when she submitted it."

"Oh, no wonder we're short of one paper," Ayano stood up and received the paper. "Thank you, Akaza-san."

"No problem, Ayano-senpai," Akari's bright demeanor was too blind to look at.

"Are you going home after this?" Chitose curiously asked.

"I'll be in my club in a moment," Akari replied. "How about you?"

"I'll be coming over to Sakurako's house to help her to clean the garden this evening," Chitose replied.

"Really?" Akari looked at the blonde. "Can I come over, Sakurako-chan?"

"Yes, Akari-chan," Sakurako simply nodded.

"Yay, I can't wait!" Akari cheered. "I'll see you at your house."

"You too, Akari."

Akari then left, putting a small soft smile on Sakurako's face. But now, she turns her attention to the documents in her hands. Their work will be done in a jiffy. And then, she will try her hands at being a green thumb.


A couple of hours later. Sakurako's house.

Sakurako had already changed into her casual clothes, a yellow T-shirt and orange short jeans. It is not the time to take a bath, yet, since she'll do dirty work in the yard. She's already waiting outside near the garden with Hanako, just sitting near the garden on the outdoor chairs their mother had provided. Looking over to the garden, they stared at the obvious tall grasses and entangled vegetation plants that produce flowers, not forget to mention the thick shrubs in front of the porch.

The two younger sisters only mess around the grasses when they hear someone called Sakurako. They turn around to see Akari and Chitose just arrived at the house, waving at the sisters. Sakurako waves back while Hanako greets her familiar guests with a bow. Not soon after, Himawari shows up, and they greet her. Apparently, she had brought some bread she made back home, and Sakurako volunteered to bring them into the house.

The blonde Oomuro heads to the kitchen where her mother and eldest sister are busy concocting a couple of trays, one for snacks and the other for drinks. When she puts the loaves of bread on the counter, the two of them are honestly surprised.

"Huh? Did you just come from the convenience store?" Nadeshiko asked.

"No, Himawari just brought some bread she made."

"Oh? You can leave it there," their mom said as she prepared the snacks. "So, is Misaka already here?"

"Not yet," Sakurako shook her head. "Himawari, Akari, and Chitose are already here."

"Okay," Nadeshiko is preparing a jug. "Grab me some glasses from the cabinet."

"The one next to the stove?"

"Yeah, that one."

She opens that cabinet, grabs a couple of clear glasses, places them in the tray Nadeshiko used, and grabs another couple of glasses. As she places those glasses on, Nadeshiko adds some sugar for the tea inside the warm tea and stirs it. After that, Nadeshiko pours a considerable amount of ice cubes into the jug. Nadeshiko then holds the tray and exits the kitchen.

"Come on, Sakurako," Nadeshiko invited as she left.

Sakurako instead looks at her mother. "Do you need any help, mom?"

"No, Sakurako," the blonde mother replied. "I'll handle this one."

"Sakurako!"

The said girl turns around to see Hanako just by the doorway of the kitchen. "What is it?"

"Misaka-nee-chan's here, Onee-chan," the brunette little sister replied.

"Go on, Sakurako," the mother said. "I'll catch up."

"Okay."

Sakurako leaves the kitchen, following her little sister outside the house. Aside from Nadeshiko, who puts the tray of iced tea on the foldable outdoor table, Misaka and her mother are greeting her friends and her neighbor. Behind Misaka and her beautiful mother is a white pickup truck parked across the road, just off the pedestrian pavement. Sakurako comes over to greet them.

"Sakurako, konbanwa!" Misaka joyfully greeted.

"Konbanwa, Misaka-chan," Sakurako then turned to the mother. "Konbawa, Okaa-sama."

"Konbanwa, Sakurako-san," the dark purple-haired mother greeted back. "I see you have brought a lot of friends."

"They wanted to help," Sakurako replied. "I hope you have enough tools for us to use."

"I think we brought enough tools for all of us," the mother replied. "Let me get them first."

Sakurako nods as the mother walks, then looks over to Misaka. "How was school today?"

"Pretty uneventful," Misaka then rubbed her forehead. "But the meeting was a headache."

"Oh?" Akari raised an eyebrow. "Is it about the upcoming competition?"

"No, not really," Misaka shook her head. "It was about improving health standards in the cafeteria."

"Is that so?" Chitose asked back. "It must be quite strict policy if you had that kind of meeting."

"It's nothing urgent, to be honest," Misaka shook her head. "Well, we had that meeting because we had a couple of cases in which some of our students suffered food poisoning."

"Someone must have forgotten to wash their hands," Sakurako remarked, though, sarcastically.

Himawari simply glares at her, although she realizes it was a sarcastic remark. "I doubt most students would forget that."

"That wasn't the issue, though," Misaka added. "Some of the food and ingredients were found spoiled, so we needed to resupply the cafeteria within our budget. And we also have to update the policy for the kitchen staff to avoid that very same thing from happening again."

"I am guessing it was pretty strict," Hanako said.

"A little strict," Misaka nodded. "But most of the students approved of our new policy."

"That's great then," Himawari said with a smile as they spotted Nadeshiko passing by them. "Oh, by the way, have you made up your mind about what contest you will participate in?"

"Ah, that. I think I'm joining marathon," Misaka happily replied.

"Well then, good luck competing with Yui-senpai," Sakurako replied.

"I'm looking forward to that, Saa-chan," Misaka agreed with high confidence.

Misaka's mother and Nadeshiko come back to the group with the tools now littered in one spot on the grass: rakes, shears, pruners, Japanese sickles, and small trowels. Several pairs of gardening gloves are placed on one chair, and while the girls and the sisters didn't mind getting dirty, Misaka and her mother had prepared their aprons specifically for gardening.

"Okay, everyone," the purple-headed mother announced. "Let's start gardening."

"Hai, Okaa-sama!" all the girls responded, except Sakurako, who slightly nodded.

The girls, including Sakurako, wear the provided gardening gloves. As they are about to grab the tools, the Oomuro mother happens to step out the door with a tray of snacks in her hands. She places that tray next to the iced tea tray. That blonde mother wanted to help, but she had to do some laundry first, so the girls started gardening.

Sakurako was given the task to clear the grasses with the sickle, assuming that she won't hurt herself as she did with the knife. Misaka and Hanako help her with the same task, which does her job to finish a bit faster. Nadeshiko and Himawari are shearing the tree shrubs by the porch. Akari, Chitose, Misaka, and her mother are working to clear out the weeds strangling other beautiful flowery plants. The gardening was quite fun, but Sakurako had realized that she had a little problem cutting the grasses efficiently. However, Misaka teaches her a couple of techniques to quickly cut off the grasses, especially on the use of force.

"Oh, that is how you do it?" Sakurako asked.

"Yeah, it's easy," Misaka handed the sickle back. "Now try it."

Sakurako then tried to cut the grass, but it resulted in some of the grasses are still standing.

"Um, you're holding it a bit wrong," Misaka corrected her hand, so it's in a horizontal position. "Keep your hand in that position and cut them."

"Okay," Sakurako then slashed the grasses, resulting in almost a patch of grass before her neatly cut.

"That's it," Misaka said. "You need to watch where you cut it, though. You almost hit Hanako."

Sakurako flinches and looks to her left, where her youngest sister is crouching. "W-watch it, Sakurako!"

"Sorry," Sakurako immediately replied. "I'll be more careful."

"Well, we're halfway finished with this patch," Misaka added. "Let's keep working on them."

After a moment, the Oomuro mother comes out of the house and begins to help with clearing out the weeds. Looks like it was fast laundry that she did. Makes things easier for Misaka's mother.

"Wow, Oomuro-sama," Misaka's mother remarked. "For how long you didn't take care of your garden?"

"A few months, I guess?" the blonde mother replied. "Why'd you ask?"

"There are a lot of weeds here than what you told me!" Misaka's mother complained. "Did you even call a gardener?"

"I did long ago," the Oomuro mother replied. "I guess the weeds were growing too fast."

"And not because no one bothered to take care of it?"

All the Oomuro members stare at her. Aside from Sakurako, they were a little embarrassed about this. The other girls find the atmosphere a little uncomfortable.

The Oomuro mother awkwardly cuts off a weed. "W-well…"

"Are you serious?" Misaka's mother sighed. "Well, I can still be sincere with this. I've seen a garden worse than this."

"Worse?" Akari wondered. "Like leaving the garden overgrown?"

"Oh no, worse," the beautiful purple head mother replied. "I've seen a man's rich garden trashed so hard; there were a lot of dirt holes, broken and dying plants, and broken fences as if someone is using a bulldozer and run all over the garden."

"Oh, yeah, that house," even Sakurako and Hanako found Misaka's pained face a bit morbid. "I'm not into gardening, but I swear an oath to God to not step into that house again."

"I imagined they had a party there," Nadeshiko guessed as she cleaned up the shears.

"I don't think that sounds like that was just a party, Nadeshiko-chan," Himawari disagreed as she grabbed a drink of tea.

"Well, they thought it was a good idea to have an alcoholic party in the middle of the garden and have a little fun with the car," Misaka's mother replied.

"I think we can see where this is going," Chitose added with sweat on her forehead.

"Yeah. Thankfully," the beautiful Kirata mother wiped a sweat. "I charged him a high price for that."

"For how much?" Hanako curiously asked.

"Well…" Misaka's mother placed an index finger on her chin, and her eyes looked up. "Do you know how much a Ferrari costs down in Tokyo?"

"Oh, that?" the Oomuro mother abruptly leaned her head forward. "I heard it costs about 39 million Yen tops."

"Well," Misaka's mother replied. "Triple the price of that."

"Eh?"

Before the mother could count, Sakurako immediately answered. "1 billion 170 million Yen."

The girls, including the other Oomuros, deadpan at a price. "Holy crap, that much!? Aren't you also rich?!" the Oomuro mother asked aloud.

"In a sense," Misaka's mother replied. "And no, I don't just splurge that money on something stupid."

"Em, I think you mean unnecessary," Akari reluctantly corrected.

"You could say that," Misaka's mother replied.

"Hmm," everyone turned at Sakurako, who was processing the information. "It must be nice to get that much money from that again."

Misaka's mother slowly, then violently shakes her head as she points at her. "No, uh-uh, Nope. I'm not stepping into that nightmare again!"

"You sure?"

"Please, don't tempt me," Misaka's mother sighed. "But that amount helped me boost up my botany business."

"I'm glad to hear that, Okaa-sama," Hanako happily replied. "I can get to see more flowers from you."

"Oh, she's such a good dear, Oomuro-sama," Misaka's mother complimented endearingly. "I wish there were other people who like such a thing."

"Don't worry, okaa-sama," Chitose assured her. "She's not the only one."

Sakurako works on the grass for a while before looking over to Nadeshiko and Himawari. "Are you done with cutting the shrubs?"

"Almost," Himawari responded, shearing the last shrub with Nadeshiko. "Have you done cutting the grasses?"

"We still have a quarter left to cut," Misaka replied before looking over to the watching Hanako. "Hanako. Can you collect these grasses into plastic?"

"Yes, I can," Hanako nodded before proceeding with what Misaka ordered.

At one point, Sakurako had stated that she was feeling thirsty and went over to grab a glass of iced tea. Akari, Himawari, and Nadeshiko are currently eating the snacks available on the table. Drinking the glass of tea, she could feel the absurd breeze from her throat down to her stomach. She had taken another two full glasses of tea to relieve herself from tiredness. As for the snacks, Himawari politely gives her one of her homemade bread, and Sakurako eats it.

Sakurako widens her eyes while her mouth savors the taste of the bread and the contents within. "Is this pineapple jam?"

"Yes," Himawari nodded, and her golden eyes leered over to the eaten bread. "Do you like it?"

"I really loved this, Hima-chan," Sakurako then took another bite. "It really goes well with bread."

"I'm happy to hear that, Saku-chan," Himawari gladly nodded.

Sakurako nods back and takes another bite of the bread. "You should invite Yui next time to cook something together."

"Is she a good cook?" Himawari asked, tilting her head a little.

"She is," Sakurako almost finished her bread. "We made soup mushroom pie together, and it was amazing."

"Oh really?" Himawari wondered with a raised eyebrow. "You both know the recipe?"

"I remember the recipe," Sakurako went into a trance, then looked up at her. "You want to make it together one day?"

"I love to, Saa-chan," a big smile formed on the bluenette's face, like a mother's joy to watch her baby finally making his first steps. "I'll be looking forward to that."

"Hey, don't forget us," Nadeshiko added with a raised hand; Hanako is crossing her arms by her side.

Sakurako turns around and exchanges a small smile at her sisters. "Don't worry. You'll get your pie too."

As they are about to continue gardening, a car pulls up and parks in front of Misaka's mother's car. Sakurako had immediately recognized the car, the marvelous bright, metallic sedan that barely shames the pure color of metal. Her friends and family stop their work as they watch a figure emerge from the right-hand side of the car. Pear colors her long-sleeve shirt and barely blueberry jeans being almost tight to suffocate her waist. The woman neatly reforms her ponytail light brown hair, her fringe still slick and polished as ever. Her smile greeted the families and friends.

"I see you are busy with the garden," the detective commented. "About time, if you ask me."

"I don't really need to hear that, y'know?" the Oomuro mother complained, though shamefully shut her eyes.

The detective then looks over to the purple head mother. "Oh, is that your mother, Misaka-san?"

"Yes, she is a botanist," Misaka replied as her mother walked over to the detective.

That mother then bows. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

"It's nice to meet you too, Kirata-sama," Sumida returned the gesture, then looked over to the redhead and the whitehead. "Oh, you're also here Chitose."

"It's nice to see you here, detective-san," Chitose then gestured to Akari. "I believe you haven't met Akari."

"Konbanwa, detective-san," Akari politely bowed.

"You too, Akari-san," the detective bowed back.

Sakurako pours a glass of iced tea. "Already finished from work?"

"Yeah, pretty much," Sumida nodded as Sakurako came over and gave her the tea. "Thanks, Sakurako."

"You're welcome," Sakurako replied with a nod. "You didn't get shot?"

Sumida chokes on her drink as the girls and the mothers deadpan at her. "N-no, I didn't. Jeez, do you always have to ask me that?"

"Yes," Sakurako admitted nonchalantly and continued before Sumida could cut her. "You want to play with mom again?"

"I want to," Sumida then pointed at the garden. "But it seems I have to wait till you finish that."

"Oh, don't worry. We're almost done with the garden," Misaka's mother assured her. "We just need to deal with a couple of potted flowers and some remaining weeds."

"That's cool then," the detective then walked over to the chair.

"Hey, can you guys handle it from here?" the Oomuro mother asked. "I'm gonna take a rest."

"Go on ahead. We'll wrap this up," Misaka's mother replied. "Come on, Misaka."

"Okay, Okaa-chan," Misaka obediently replied.

"I'll help," Chitose volunteered, whereas Akari decided to relieve herself.

They sat around the tables, drinking and snacking galore. Aside from candies and snacks bought from the store, Akari, Sumida, and Hanako are well-happy with Himawari's homemade loaves of bread. Nadeshiko, Sakurako, and their mother are well thirsty and end up with a small amount of tea in the jug. The eldest sister volunteers to refill the drink and goes back into the house, yet Sakurako is still thirsty from drinking about three glasses of tea. Never bothered by the amount of sweat, she simply leans against the chair as the rest fan themselves with their hands. The blonde Oomuro looks back to the garden, watching the two Misakas and Chitose shearing and removing the last weeds and overgrown plants.

Sakurako then turns her head to everyone around the table. Himawari talks with the Oomuro mother about some clothes either wanted to get while Akari plays a little game of slipping words with Hanako. All those smiles all bring visual warmth into her chocolate eyes. Those indescribable feelings of absolute joy tingled the back of her skin up to her head. Those pleasing visuals had coerced her into creating a smile after an evening of work.

She also expected to see Sumida smiling. When she turned in her direction, she was surprised by the lack of smile and instead greeted with a frown. Sumida didn't even talk, was stuck in an unreadable reverie of complexity, probably about investigations. Sakurako leans forward as she still eyes on her.

"Sumida-san."

"Hmm? Yeah? What?" Sumida snapped, looking back at her.

"Are you still thinking about investigations?" Sakurako asked, despite the flat smile, still showing her curiosity.

"Mm… kind of," Sumida sighed, catching the attention of the girls. "I'm… I don't think it's wise to talk to you about it."

The wording she uses creates such uneasiness among the girls. "Is it about homicide?" the mother asked, which Sumida shook her head.

"Well…," Sumida covered her mouth with her fisted fingers. "Nishigaki-sensei called me."

Whatever snacks and drinks in their hands are now placed back on the table, Akari and Himawari are well concerned, especially the foreboding look on Sumida's face. The mother and Hanako stare at each other, uncertain that Sumida has something good to say. But the most notable from them all, Sakurako, seemed unfazed, but the Oomuro sisters nor even Sumida has ever seen her glowered like that.

"Did something happen to Nishigaki-sensei?" Akari asked, a bit alarmed. "Is she hurt from her experiments?"

"No, it has nothing to do with her experiments."

"Then what is it?" Himawari asked, perhaps rephrased to not expect the worse.

Sakurako had known Nishigaki for a while, along with her antics. She's quite an optimistic science teacher with such brilliant yet absurd innovation. But she never heard nor seen her worried as far as to call a member of the police department. She doesn't know anything that could have made Nishigaki anxious, aside from the conjecture of getting shot at. Nothing would make her concerned. Except….

Sakurako perks up at her. Before Sumida could answer, she spoke what was in her mind.

"Something bad happened to Rise-senpai?"

The girls, including the sisters, turn their heads at her, clearly don't like that idea. But Sumida takes a deep breath and lazily drops her arm on the table.

"Sharp," Sumida complimented despite the poker face, then scanned her surroundings with wariness. "Can you call the others? We need to talk inside the house."

"I'll call them," Hanako stood up and went to get Chitose and the Kiratas.

"Sumida," the Oomuro mother called. "What's going on?"

"I'll explain when we're inside the house."


Five minutes later.

"She has been kidnapped!?"

The declaration that no one wished to hear boomed throughout the entire house. Chill and spook are running up their spines. They were already beyond horrified by the fate that had befallen one of their friends. Having felt their legs weak and their hearts were torn out, they couldn't stand up from their seats in the slightest. And Himawari was having none of it and broke her character.

"Yes, that's what happened to Rise," Sumida remained to compose, an open palm gesturing to the bluenette. "Please, calm down."

"I'm- I'm sorry," Himawari chucked a fist on her chest, still fidgeting. "I acted on-"

"That's alright."

Sakurako wishes she could react the same way as Himawari. But she stifles herself, clenching her fist tightly and looking down to herself. The blonde managed to compose herself, but she is well indignant. Her narrowed eyes were evident, and her eyebrows had that flurry wrath upon them. Although, no one had noticed such an expression she made. However, it seems Misaka just noticed it but didn't comment about it.

That pain is coming back again. Worse of all, it felt as agonizing as that affliction as that store. Admittedly it was beyond that. She nearly gasped when her heart immediately throbbed. With what little energy she had upon hearing it, she managed to look back at the detective.

"W-well, before I go on about this, I just want to ask a few questions, if you don't mind," Sumida added, already preparing her notebook.

"That's fine, Sumida-san," Chitose nodded.

"Okay," Sumida pondered for a moment. "How well do you know Rise Matsumoto?"

"We know her well as a friend," Himawari answered. "As our senior nonetheless. Although, I think she doesn't really talk to us that much. But she's an excellent student council we ever had."

"Also, she mostly interacts with Nishigaki-sensei, especially doing those experiments," Chitose added. "She's quite fond of her."

"I see," Sumida wrote on her notebook. "Do you know why Rise is usually mute when talking to people?"

"Ah, well, we have no idea," Akari uncomfortably replied. "I think Nishigaki-sensei knows about that."

"Okay. Are there other friends who know her?"

"Um, I don't think I know other friends who know her," Chitose replied. "It's just us student councils and Akari's club."

"I see. Have you noticed any strange behavior from Rise?"

The girls shake their heads as Sakurako answers. "No. I have never seen her acting oddly during the school day, during work in the student council's office, and during our short film project."

"Okay, Sakurako," Sumida wrote in her notebook, remembering that herself also presented during the project.

Nadeshiko places a hand on her shoulder, and it only eases Sakurako a little. Hanako, the Oomuro mother, and the Kiratas remained silent during the whole questioning.

Sumida clicks her pen. "Has she ever mentioned any problems to any of you?"

"Not that we know of," Akari replied. "Even if she tells us about it, we couldn't understand her."

"Because she's mute?"

"Well, you could say that," Chitose reluctantly replied. "The only people who can understand her are only Nishigaki-sensei and Sakurako."

"Huh, I still can't understand how you can understand her," Sumida commented. "But did she say anything off?"

"She never mentioned any problems to me," Sakurako replied. "I don't think there was something that made her worried."

"Are you sure?"

"I'm sure."

Sumida writes again. "Did any of you call her since last night?"

Again, the girls shook their heads, and Chitose answered. "Ayano and Nishigaki-sensei had tried to call her since this morning, but she didn't pick it up."

"Understood," Sumida nodded, then closed her notebook. "That would be all for now."

"Will you tell us what happened?" Misaka dared to ask with concern for Sakurako.

"Okay…" Sumida took a long sigh, clasping her hands together, and placed them on her lap. "Where do I start…? Right."

"Last night, three men were coming over Rise's house; one of them was the loan sharker. That loan sharker has beaten her father so severely that he had to visit the hospital for internal injuries. It turns out her parents had taken money from that loan sharker who told them that the money was free to use, then decidedly to flip the rules and threatened them to pay the debt owed to him at such a high price. When the loan sharker left with his goons, they then checked on their daughter and found that Rise was no longer in her bedroom. Signs of a struggle were evident on the damaged carpet and her bedsheets. The parents assumed that the loan sharker kidnapped Rise, and that's why he warned them not to call the police.

Due to the nature of the case, I have decided to overtake this investigation myself and a trustworthy colleague of mine. And the fact that this 'loan sharker' has been a person of interest for us for a long time, it would be unwise to spill out to the public and the department as well."

Everyone that is listening to this had a bitter taste in their mouth. But Sakurako is the bitterest of all. Her fists clench much tighter like a strained rubber. And a new feeling finally struck her heart.

Guilt.


22:00 PM.

Nadeshiko is on her phone, talking to a person. It was just an uneventful conversation with someone she dear most, a girlfriend. Pretty much a norm between the two, but after hearing what happened to Rise, her tone had become more… solemn.

"Nade-chan, you alright? You sound pretty down."

"Did I?" Nadeshiko asked, a little surprised she noticed.

"Yeah, your tone sounds heavy. Did something happen?"

"Well…" Nadeshiko turned on the bed, facing the wall. "I'm worried about Sakurako."

"Did you do something obnoxious to your sister?"

"No, I didn't. But…," Nadeshiko pondered for a moment. "A friend of ours who is a detective told us that Sakurako's friend has been kidnapped."

"Oh my, that is bad. How is she coping?"

"She managed to gather herself, surprisingly," Nadeshiko replied. "But from what I see, she's losing herself a little tonight, and I think she felt guilty."

"Did you try to comfort her?"

"I told her it was out of her control and assured her that she'll be fine," Nadeshiko replied. "Nevertheless, she remains rigid and kept thinking it over."

"Poor Sakurako."

"I know," Nadeshiko then turned toward the door. "What do you think I should do?"

"I think it's best for you to stay by her side for a while. Until she calmed down, at least."

"Hmm…," Nadeshiko thought for a moment. "I'll try that tonight."

"Okay, it's getting late here. I'll call you tomorrow, Nade-chan. Take care of your sister."

"Alright, I'll see you tomorrow."

"See you. I'm hanging up."

The eldest sister looks down on her phone, watching the call finally close from the other side. She then drops it on her bed. Still lying there, her eyes blankly stares at the door. A few seconds of boredom later, she decided to get up, exit the room, and head for Sakurako's room. In front of her door, she knocked.

"Sakurako. Are you in there?"

*CLAK*

She heard a small metal drop from her side.

"One moment."

Less than a second later, Sakurako opens the door. "Oh, Onee-chan. Is… there something you need?"

"I just want to check up on you," Nadeshiko replied. "What was that sound?"

"Oh," Sakurako looked at her desk. "I was just checking my shotgun."

Nadeshiko widened her eyes, astounded that Sakurako had disassembled her BB gun. If she were to ask about that, she already can guess what Sakurako would answer.

"I guess I shouldn't be surprised," Nadeshiko replied. "How are you feeling?"

Sakurako looks away. "I'm fine."

Nadeshiko sighs, crossing her arms. "Sakurako, I know you're not fine."

"Then what should I say to you?" Sakurako shook her head. "I just don't know what to say."

The two stay silent as Nadeshiko stares with uncertainty at her sister. Nadeshiko then looks towards the empty hallway, giving herself a thought for a second.

"You're going to sleep after that, yes?" Nadeshiko asked.

"Yes," Sakurako whispered weakly. "After I drink whiskey, that is."

The last notion had bothered Nadeshiko much. But it was a little relieving that she wasn't an alcoholic. "Sakurako, how about you sleep in my room tonight?"

"Wha-?" Sakurako seemed a bit disoriented. "What is it?"

Nadeshiko reiterates. "How about you sleep in my room tonight?"

"Your… room?" Sakurako hesitated. "You don't-"

"I don't mind," the bang-haired blonde replied immediately.

Sakurako bows her head, losing herself momentarily before looking up. "Let me clean up my shotgun."

Sakurako then walks back to her desk and assembles the shotgun back to its normal state. To see that she's using more miniature, specific screwdrivers to assemble it back just shows how dedicated she is to her gun. With all said and done, Sakurako then stores the Shotgun in her closet and locks it. Sakurako is already in her shirt and shorts but saw no need to use the pajamas.

"Alright, come on now."

Nadeshiko leads her down the hall and soon reaches her room. She opens the door but lets Sakurako enters first. Her second sister awkwardly looks around the room, noticing the nice bed, the clean desk, assortments of knick-knacks, the white clock, and the polish cabinet. Locking the door behind her, Nadeshiko watches her sister finally sit down on the edge of the bed. And she's not expressing anything aside from that empty look.

"Something caught your attention?" Nadeshiko asked as she sat next to her.

"Your room is so clean and tidy," Sakurako looked around her again. "Did you also use an air refresher?"

"Yes, I did," Nadeshiko climbed onto her bed.

Sakurako turns her head around. "Are you about to sleep?"

"No, not really," Nadeshiko replied and kept staring at her. "I know you're still worried about your friend, Sakurako."

Sakurako sighs yet cannot tell if she is irritated. "You want me to not worry about her?"

"I'm not saying that," Nadeshiko placed a hand on her shoulder. "I'm just telling you to calm down."

"Calm down?" her ragged voice surprised the eldest sister. "Rise-senpai is kidnapped, and you want me to relax?"

"That's not what I'm trying to tell you," Nadeshiko reasoned. "Look, I'm saying this because you're not yourself. Okay?"

Sakurako snorts and looks away. But after a moment, she slightly nods to acknowledge her sister. "I know you care about me. But I just wanted to be alone."

"Sakurako," Nadeshiko called, forcing Sakurako to turn at her. "It's not healthy to keep your feelings bottled up in yourself."

"So it's fine for you if I want to destroy everything we have in the house?"

Nadeshiko widens her eyes once again, nearly leaning her head back and dropping her hand. Even with her stupid antics, she has never seen her as the violent type, but her admittance had caught her off-guard.

"Then why not scream your feelings out?" Nadeshiko asked her.

"I'm already too tired to scream," Sakurako replied. "And I don't want to annoy my neighbors."

The fact that Sakurako is also considerate of other people's comfort is pretty amusing. "That's what you worried about?"

"You want people knocking on our door?"

"Alright, alright," Nadeshiko sighed, lying flat on her bed. "Tell me what's on your mind. Anything."

"Hmm…" Sakurako pondered for a moment. "I wished I had asked if something is troubling her. I should've paid more attention if Rise is troubled about something."

"You didn't know, Sakurako," Nadeshiko softly replied. "It was out of your control."

"I know, it's just…," Sakurako paused, looking over her own fist. "I just felt like I should have seen it coming."

"Even if you have seen it was coming," Nadeshiko added. "What can you really do about it?"

Sakurako immediately glares at her, though it wasn't the usual glare she gave out. Nadeshiko didn't feel comfortable in the slightest with how sharp her eyes were.

"I'm sorry for sounding so cold, but can you stop them from kidnapping her?" Nadeshiko softly asked, correcting herself on the bed. "You're just a girl, and they are thugs who are adults. How can you fight them off?"

Sakurako looked away again, then raised her fist close to her chest. "I guess you're right, Onee-chan."

"I'm sure Sumida-san will catch the culprits," Nadeshiko assured.

"I hope so," Sakurako replied, albeit sounded a bit hesitant. "And as soon as possible."

By this point, she finally lies down on the bed, exasperated primarily from overthinking. "I wished I could help her on investigating."

Nadeshiko smiles. "You want to be a detective too?"

"If she doesn't mind about it," Sakurako flatly replied.

"If Sumida managed to catch the ones kidnapping Rise," Nadeshiko asked out of curiosity. "What are you going to do to them?"

Sakurako ponders for a moment. "I think it would be too far if I said I want to kill them."

This had Nadeshiko interested. "What makes you say that?"

"I'm… I'm just too angry, you know?" Sakurako wasn't aware that her fists were finally easing. "I would've done it on impulse given a chance."

She could assume this is an overreaction, but seeing that she's in possession of flashbang grenades, this had Nadeshiko a little concerned for her causing bodily harm. However, Nadeshiko decidedly pushes that thought out of the way, thinking that no way a girl like Sakurako could've done something in her words. The look on Sakurako's face was empty as the void, but her eyes told her what Nadeshiko really needs to know how she is feeling. However, she was slightly perturbed that there was no longer that childish cheer in her eyes. Or maybe it was just her imagination. As Nadeshiko smiles, Sakurako finally rubs both of her eyes.

"Are you tired?" Nadeshiko asked.

"I think so," Sakurako feebly replied.

Nadeshiko chuckles, earning her attention. "What's so funny?"

"You said you need alcohol to sleep," Nadeshiko stated.

"Only if I sleep alone," Sakurako replied. "I feel sleepy when I'm with you or Hanako, and I don't know why."

"I see," Nadeshiko got up to turn off the light. "Turning off the light now."

"Okay," Sakurako covered themselves with the blanket once Nadeshiko was back on the bed. "Umm, Onee-chan?"

"Yeah?"

"Can I hug you?"

Nadeshiko stares with wonder then smiles as she opens her arms. "Come here then."

With no hesitation, the second sister went into her hug, her arms clinging around her back affectionately. Nadeshiko her tightly close to her chest. Now her nose is kissing her hair, and she could smell the distinct aroma of particular citrus. If Nadeshiko had to be honest, catching the two of them hugging like this would be extremely embarrassing. And if it was Himawari who happened to step in.

"Onee-chan," Sakurako whispered. "Your small boobs are soft."

After three seconds of processing, she flustered. "W-what? Just get to sleep already."

"Okay, Onee-chan… I'll sleep…," Sakurako trailed off in her low voice, half a minute later, she finally slept.

She could hear her pacing breath, and when she leaned her head back, the visual proof alone was enough to know that. Nadeshiko then combed her hair with her left hand. Silky, wavy hair sliding through her fingers was just overwhelming to touch. Nadeshiko only hums, smiling to herself at the sight of the adorable sleeping sister who is now not the cheerful, energetic girl she used to be.

"Oh, Sakurako. I'm glad that you're my little sister."

Not soon after, Nadeshiko soon followed her into the dreamlands in the silent, peaceful night.