03 June 2010
Yasogami High School, Gymnasium
After School
"Good, you're all here." Morooka said as he paced back and forth in front of the assembled captains of the various sports clubs. They were all varying levels of good people, from the slackers who were disgraces to their teams by not trying their best, to exemplars of good conduct and proper behaviour. He spun around to begin another length. "Thanks to us having a good windfall in terms of finances, all the equipment your teams need has been ordered, and will be delivered over the next few weeks. Everything will be here before the summer break, so I want all of you ready for your teams to get used to the new stuff."
He paused, and looked out over the Captains. They were all glad for the new gear, and he couldn't find fault with that. Having teams share space and equipment was ripe for poor consequences. "Now, with some of you making regionals, or even invitationals," he barely controlled the pride he felt that his prize student, Komaki-chan had gotten one for Tokyo at the end of Summer.
"That's no reason to slack off! Good equipment doesn't mean you automatically become better players!" He spun around again, seeing who was paying attention, and who wasn't. He wasn't surprised at the results, but he kept talking anyways. It would be better for the kids to focus their energy into sports than into something less savoury over the summer. With their beaches, and their camping trips and their 'courage tests'. And he was the right person to make sure they stayed to the better course!
Central Shopping District
Evening
"And he just kept droning on and on and on about 'proper responsibility', and 'ethics' and 'leadership'!" Midori groaned as she and Saki walked to her parent's business, the rest of their friends already having gone their separate ways. "He should have just stopped after 5 minutes!"
"That's the King Moron for you." Saki still couldn't believe that Midori could keep calling the Moron Morooka after all this time. "You should know this by now."
"Yes, yes, I know." Midori shook her head sadly. "So, see you on Monday?"
Skia nodded. "Yep. Listen, are you ready for the Camp?"
Midori thought about that. "The one where we go clean up the mountain for tourist season?"
"What other ones could there be?"
"Camp where everyone goes to the beach and enjoys the sun?"
Saki rolled her eyes. "Silly! Look, my dad's got a spare tent we can use, so we don't have to borrow one of the school's tents. Can I bring it over tomorrow and we can set it up to air it out?"
"Sure," Midori readily agreed. She hadn't really gone on a proper camping trip before, so it was such a novel experience that she was fully expecting to make a really long version of her show to highlight everything about it. She still hadn't decided though if she wanted to play up the 'poor city idol' angle, or the 'nature is awesome!' vein. Probably the latter, knowing she had fans in town, in school and in her class.
"Your dad going to be home?"
"Not this weekend," Midori replied. "He's gone south to talk to some people about something or other.
"Well, my dad is willing to have you over for supper if you want." Saki offered as they reached the store. "He's taken a shine to you."
"Well, helping clean the place is always good for that," Midori responded as she pushed some errant hair back. "But I'd have to bring Amane."
Saki snorted. "And you think my parents wouldn't mind having the local shrine maiden at their table? It would be good luck and good business." She had no idea how Midori and the Miko knew each other, but they were friends, so it was all good.
"She does keep getting free stuff in exchange for blessings," Midori observed. "But this would be personal, not professional."
"Still, she spends a lot of time to herself. She needs to get out of the shrine more! And this is a great way to do it."
"Careful," Midori warned. "She might try to convince you to help out at the Shrine."
"Like she already has you?" Saki teased the smaller girl.
"HEY!" Midori objected, but she knew it was true. She spent one night a week at Saki's parent's store, and another evening helping at the Shrine. "Well, I mean, if you helped out, not only would the jobs get done faster, we could spend more time together!"
Saki shook her head. "Probably not. Look, just invite her, alright? If she can come too, that would be great. Otherwise, it's alright."
Konishi Residence
Evening
Amane and Midori bowed politely as they took their leave of their host for the evening. "That was nice," Amane admitted. "I haven't had a meal like that in some time."
"Sure is better than my cooking," Midori admitted as she and Amane began to walk away. "So, enjoying yourself?"
"I am. Thank you."
"That's good to hear."
"Somethings bothering you." Amane didn't get her position solely because she was her father's daughter. She did have some skill and power of her own. "Tell me about it."
Midori didn't want to. She was the one people talked too, darn it! "It's nothing," she lied.
"Don't lie to me Midori." Amane warned sternly. "You are one of the people precious to me in this world, and I do not like seeing you like this."
The thought that Amane may see her as more than just the usual friend that Midori found and surrounded herself with was just a bit disconcerting. She wasn't certain what, exactly, constituted 'precious', as that word could go in many ways.
Sensing the hesitation, the priestess forged ahead. "It's about Tokyo isn't it?"
"No! No! I mean, I know that sort of thing was possible, and I trust Mari-sensei and Abel and everyone else to do the right thing even without me there," she paused for another moment. Then deflated in the face of a far too familiar gaze of someone who would not give up until she had opened up some way.
"It's what you said about the hair," she admitted softly. "About being demonic."
Amane did the only thing she could do in the face of such worries. She slapped Midori on the back of the head. "Idiot," she proclaimed. "Just because some tales are true doesn't mean they all are." She could just imagine the Fox laughing when she got around to telling her about this event.
"It still worries me!" And she couldn't tell Amane about Personas either, so using that as evidence was right out.
"If it becomes your problem, you can deal with it." Amane countered. "Besides, it's not like you have horns, fangs and green skin right?"
Midori looked down at herself. "No..."
"Then you have nothing to worry about." Amane shook her head. "Besides, how many other people can honestly say they made friends with a demon, based on mutual respect, hrm?"
"Frosty? Black Frost?"
"Of course! You are not so low that you would make issue of the nature of a person before making friends with them." She supported her friend in a manner more accurate than she knew. "Trust yourself."
04 June 2010
Outside Dojima Residence
Evening
Ryotaro stepped out of his house, slinging his jacket over his shoulder. "I'll be back soon, Nanako! You be a good girl!" He cursed himself for leaving his daughter alone at home like this, but the call from the chief had been urgent enough. He wanted to punch something, like his car in frustration, but knew that his daughter was watching, and he couldn't do that.
A flash of colour out of the corner of his eye drew his attention. It was one of the neighbourhood girls... what's her name. She was in high school by the uniform, and that hair...! He recognized her as the friend of the Miko from the Central Shopping district! Memories and his detective's mind fell into place, filling in the gaps of his knowledge. She was one of the better students at the school, lots of friends...
"Excuse me!" He called out, the impulse in the moment forming a plan.
The girl turned to face him, her large bag held some sports equipment sticking out of it. "Yes, sir?"
"I'm sorry to bother you," Ryotaro said, hoping this would work. "I'm Detective Ryotaro Dojima. I got a call from work, and I need to head into the precinct, and it's on short notice." He gestured at the house behind him. "I don't want to leave my daughter alone, so would you be willing to babysit for me tonight? I can pay you." He tried very hard to keep the desperation out of her voice.
"Midori Komaki," the girl introduced herself as she looked like she was thinking about it. "I suppose I could. How old is she?"
"Five," Ryotaro replied. "This won't be an imposition, will it?"
"No," Midori said as she crossed the threshold onto the driveway. "If I can do my homework?"
"Of course!" She was going to do it, and Ryotaro felt a physical sense of relief. "There's some pre-made meals in the fridge, you can heat them up for supper." He was about to unlock his car when he realized that he still needed to let her in. "Come on, I'll give you a quick tour."
He returned to the front door and unlocked it. "Nanako-chan!" He called out for his daughter, who came running.
"Daddy! You're staying!" She jumped into his waiting arms and kissed him on the cheek.
"Not quite." Ryotaro spun around, still holding his daughter to his chest. "Nanako, this is Midori. Midori, this is Nanako. She'll be babysitting with you tonight until I come home."
The little girl took one look at the new person in their house then began to quickly shake her head back and forth in rejection. "No, daddy! I want you to stay!"
Ryotaro let Nanako down gently, both physically and with his words. "I'm sorry, but daddy has to go to work, you know this. Midori will make sure supper is done, and tuck you into bed." He shot a glance at the blue haired girl. "Nine, at the latest."
Midori bowed, still standing in the entryway. "Of course." She looked around and saw the kitchen and living room adjacent to each other, an open gap leading upstairs if she wasn't completely incompetent at knowing how a building was laid out. "Hello, Nana-chi," she greeted the little girl with all the friendliness she could muster, though it may have been too much as she quickly hid behind her father. "I'm Modori. It is very nice to meet you." She bowed very slightly given that she was already kneeling down to get to Nanako's level. "Can you help me with something?"
Suddenly a lot of things her own babysitters said made more sense. How they treated her when her daddy wasn't around, and a whole lot of other things.
"Say yes, Nanako." Ryotaro commanded gently. "I have to go," he then said to both of them. "You can call the precinct if you need anything, the number is by the phone." He gently undid Nanako's grip from his pants, letting her keep one hand in his for a moment. "I'll be back as soon as I can."
With that, Ryotaro made his way past Midori and out to his car. After a moment, the sounds of the car's engine turning over gave way to him driving away.
"So," Midori said, turning her attention back to Nanako. "I'm Midori. You must be Nanako." She set down her gym bag and carefully slid it off to one side. "Can I come in?"
Nanako shook her head in the negative. It was obvious she didn't want a babysitter, let alone a stranger in her house while her father was gone. But Midori had made a promise, and she wasn't about to give in to the will of a five year old, especially when a police officer was depending on her. So instead of leaving, she sat down in the foyer, and crossed her legs. "Your father asked me to watch over you, Nana-chi," she switched back to the cuter diminutive to help enforce the idea she was a good person.
Nanako shook her head again, but didn't say anything against Midori or her father.
Midori went ahead with her initiative. "Hey, Nana-chi? If you're going to have supper, you'll need to wash your hands first." She tilted her head to one side, "Can you show me where the washroom is so I can clean my hands too?"
It took a moment for the request to work its way past Nanako's generic rejection of the stranger. Politeness won out in the end, and she nodded. "This way," she said as she turned her back on Midori, giving the older girl a chance to stand up and follow.
The bathroom was functional, though she almost missed the normality of it when she had to stop and count out the fact that there were only two toothbrushes. One was obviously Nanako's by the size and colour, while the other one had to be Detecive Dojima's.
A small pit in her stomach was quickly squashed, and she followed the little girl out to the living room. She let her take a seat first, then sat down, not across from her, but to her side at the low table. Without looking at her, Nanako reached for the remote and turned on the television.
So, playing the ignoring game? Midori could work with that. Do a little bit of homework, prepare supper from the fridge, and use the food to bring the girl to her. It was easy. And it had worked on her in the past.
As she waited for a good hour for it be time to start supper, she worked on her homework with one eye, and made sure that Nanako didn't do anything wrong with the other. Of course, the little girl was watching some marathon of PreCure (which Midori approved of on principle, even if she now knew that fighting in a dress like that was just asking for trouble), and keeping an eye on Midori herself, to make sure she wasn't going to do anything evil.
At six, Midori shut her math book and stood up. "I'm going to make supper now."
Nanako still ignored her, though the marathon was ending, and the channel switched programming to the news. Heading for the kitchen, she saw that it was in serious need of some cleaning, though there was enough to work with to make supper for two. "Do you know when your daddy is coming home?" The question was directed toward the Detective, rather than either of them. Midori's plan was cunning in her own view, and this was just part of it.
"Tomorrow," Nanako replied. Midori wasn't sure if she meant that directly, or if she meant that her father would return after her bed time, and that she wouldn't see him until tomorrow. And that reminded her that she still needed to call Aigis today for their weekly chat.
Supper was made in a pot, soup in a can was so easy even at her worst, Midori couldn't bungle it. But thankfully she was past that stage in her life. After that was done, she set out two bowls, and called Nanako up to the table for the meal. She came, quietly, and the two of them ate in silence before Midori cleaned up and started on the dishes.
Yes, the kitchen really needed to be scrubbed. So she set about that while Nanako returned to her television. Soon, Midori was done as much as she felt like doing for being a babysitter, getting all the dirty dishes clean, and the counter scrubbed down. She almost felt like a housewife for that, and that returned her to the dark thoughts from earlier.
Knowing for experience how bad the question could be asked, Midori looked around instead for signs of a wife. What she saw was far too familiar. There was a picture in a frame on one of the walls with a man who was obviously the Detective, posing with a woman and a small bundle of a baby. It was dated, and that meant that the third person in the picture was Nanako.
Midori honestly hoped that for the sake of the little girl, that it was just a divorce, or a separation, and not something worse. She didn't need to dredge up her own bad memories here and now.
Deciding that it was late enough, Midori returned to the living room table and sat down, drawing a look from Nanako in the process. Pulling out her phone, she called her friend.
It was picked up after the first ring. "Midori, you are later than usual." Aigis spoke before introducing herself.
"That's alright Aigis. I'm babysitting for one of the neighbours, and that meant I had to call later."
"Forgiven."
"Say hello to my friend Aigis, Nana-chi!" Midori held out the phone and waited in awkward silence for the little girl to respond before giving up. "No good," she said back into her phone. "She's giving me the silent treatment as it's my first time here."
"I am certain of your ability to make friends," Aigis replied. "So, how are things progressing for the tournament?"
"Oooh... Not as well as I'd hoped. The school got new equipment, but the team is still needing a lot of practice." Midori slouched a little as she delivered the bad news. "I have to train everyone from scratch pretty much."
"I'm sure you're doing a good job." Aigis tried to be supportive. "But remember, this isn't a team event, it's an individual invitational.
"Which," Midori was quick to correct, "was because I only went to that school that I got that invitation."
"No, you are good enough to participate."
"Aigis, there's going to be eight-zero people in attendance. I'll be lucky to be in the top half by the time those four days are done." Midori knew she had a lot of energy, and if she didn't have to ration it for the entirety of the tournament, she was certain she could do better.
"The top half is still a good result," Aigis said. "Are all the arrangements in place?"
"Yes," Midori shuffled through her notebooks for the one she kept the club records and activities in. "Let's see. Daddy arranged for accommodations with one of his co-workers for the duration. They're a twenty minute train ride from the playing fields, so that's not a problem." She had stayed with them before while her daddy was out of town on business, so it wasn't like she was imposing on them, not with a couple months notice. "How about you?" She looked to see that Nanako had tuned her out. "What with your.. condition and all."
"That is being taken care of. Chidori will be my room mate."
Midori frowned. "How are you convincing her to spend so long away from Junpei? They're practically married with all the time they spend together."
"That is the exact phrase used by many of our fellow students," Aigis changed the subject. "They are the subject of a lot of gossip."
"All of it good, I hope?" Aigis didn't get to hear these things from her weekly sessions with the two of them, so it was always good to hear from a second source. "Because I can see a few ways that can go bad."
"give me the phone!" Yukari's voice came over the line before the sounds of an attempt to pry the phone out of Aigis's hands came through. "Come on Aigis!"
"Give her the phone," Midori said, wondering why it took this long for this to happen. "Yukari?"
"Look!" Yukari finally got the phone from Aigis. "Hey, Midori. Look, this thing with Junpei and Chidori, it's getting out of hand."
"It's only been two months." It was an unusual position for Midori to be the one playing moderator, but she wasn't about to fail. "How bad can it be?"
"Bad." Yukari said. "They've got teachers breathing down their necks for being 'inappropriate' around the school and what not."
Midori couldn't see it. Chidori wanted Junpei's presence, not anything else. "So get Mitsuru vouch for them, or something like that."
"She wanted too, but Chidori objected."
"Like that would stop her."
"Actually, she was willing to give the two of them the chance to work things out themselves."
"What." Midori refused to believe that. "She would never give up like that."
"I know!" Yukari agreed. "Look, when you talk to them tomorrow, you have to do something about it!"
"Summer vacation is coming up..." Midori thought hard. "We can use that time to cool off the students who were caught off guard by Junpei coming back with a girlfriend. You know, give people a chance to get used to the idea, rather than having it shoved in their faces?" She looked at Nanako, who was still paying attention to her shows, and not to the conversation taking place at the same table.
"Maybe. I don't know!"
"Put Aigis back on," Midori commanded, "I can talk to her a bit."
"Sure. Aigis!" Yukari's passing of the phone to the robot was a lot more polite than the other way around.
"Yes?"
"I'll talk to Junpei and Chidori tomorrow. You didn't answer my question though – how did you get Chidori to agree to come to the tournament?"
"Junpei is going to a hospital in Tokyo for a follow up from his injuries," Aigis explained. "From there, Chidori agreed to be my roommate, and Rio approved of the order."
"Oh good. For a moment there, I thought you were going to try to have to explain why you needed a room to yourself."
"That was never a problem. I would have asked you."
Midori swelled with pride at the confidence displayed in her, then deflated again. "Alright, so I'll try to reign in those two tomorrow, and get ready to see you and others in Tokyo in August?"
"That sounds about right."
"Cool! See you then!" Midori put down the phone and hung up. Seeing Nanako looking at her, Midori smiled. "When you make lots of friends," she said in order to impart a bit of wisdom to the little girl, "remember that they can be friends with each other too."
05 June 2010
Dojima Residence
Early Morning
Ryotaro got home far later than he intended, so much so that the sun threatened to rise up before he did. He knew he shouldn't be doing these evening shifts like this, but what else could he do?
Unlocking the door, he remembered that he had hired a babysitter last night on the spur of the moment. Suddenly worried for his daughter, he didn't pause to take his shoes off as he ran upstairs and checked in on her.
Nanako was asleep, curled up on her futon and under her blankets. She was safe and sound. With a sigh of relief, he walked downstairs, wondering where the babysitter was. What was her name again? It was a colour, wasn't it?
He stopped at the bottom of the stairs, his question answered. The girl – Midori! That's what her name is! Midori! She was asleep on the couch, wrapped in the quilt that normally hung over the back of said couch.
It was obvious that rather than put Nanako to bed, then call for permission to go home, she had decided to wait for him. He was impressed with her dedication, although judging by the stack of school books on the table, she had also availed herself of the time to study.
Deciding against waking her to tell her she could go home, Ryotaro found a piece of paper from her books he could remove, and borrowed a pen.
Thank you for staying so late. I was caught up at work. I am now at home and probably asleep. Here is your pay, you can let yourself out and do not need to announce it. He put the note on top of her books, and left some cash notes from his wallet with them, hoping it was enough.
Satisfied, he went back upstairs to go to bed himself.
Afternoon
Ryotaro picked up the note left on the table in place of the school books. Midori Komaki here! Here's my phone number. Call me next time! There was a cute little drawing of her bowing, it even had the right coloured hair.
Accepting the offer, he put the note by the phone, making sure to write "Babysitter – reliable overnight" on it.
07 June 2010
Yasoinaba Highschool, Gymnasium
After School
Midori plucked the cellphone from her bag, seeing that there was a message on it. "Go ahead Saki," she bid her friend head out to the practise court before her. "I got to check this in case it's my daddy."
"Sure, see you in a couple minutes." Saki walked out, tugging at the hem of her skirt, causing Midori to plan out some modifications needed to make it comfortable for her friend.
Punching in some numbers, she called up her voice mail, and listened to the message.
"Hello, Midori-chan? Um, this is Detective Dojima again. You watched over Nanako on the weekend? Would you be able to come over tonight? Hopefully you won't have to sleep over this time. Give me a call back if you can. Here's my number..."
"SAKI!" Midori yelled out, hoping that she could hear her. No response came, so she stepped out of the change room and into the gym. "SAKI?"
"Yes?"
"Hey, you mind going with me to a babysitting job tonight instead of my place?"
"No. Who's kid?"
"Detective Dojima. He lives, like, three houses down from me."
"A detective?" One of the other girls in the tennis club, Eri, said. "Hey, isn't he the one whose wife was killed in a hit and run, like, last winter?"
Midori suppressed a wince. She really didn't want to know that. But if that was true, then it was all the more important that she babysit for little Nanako. "So, you in or out?"
"I suppose I can. But I still have to go home by nine." Saki agreed as she lifted a couple tennis balls. "So, you going to come out and lead the team, Captain?" She said with a grin as she got ready to serve.
"I'll be out in a minute. Let me agree." Midori quickly dialled the number, and informed Detective Dojima that she would be there by six.
Dojima Residence
Evening
Midori rang the doorbell, noting the other car that was parked just on the street. Saki was behind her, completely ambivalent to Midori's third part-time job. After a moment, the door was opened by an elderly gentleman. "Ah," he said with aged voice, "you young ladies must be the sitters that Ryotaro has for his little Nanako." He invited them in with a sweep of the hand. "Forgive me, I am Detective Kodai, the young man's partner."
"Midori," she introduced herself, "and this is Saki."
Ryotaro appeared from the staircase. "Oh, thanks for coming like this." He bowed to the two girls. "I should be home by ten, eleven at the latest."
"You will be home by ten," Kodai said firmly. "I'm sorry girls, but my young partner here is sometimes enjoys his work too much, and I have to remind him to head home now and again."
Aghast at being embarrassed in front of the babysitter, the middle-aged man shook his head. "Kodai!"
Laughing, the elderly detective waited for the two girls to clear the front entry. "I'm sorry. Look, I'll make sure he gets home on time. No repeats of last time."
"Last time?" Saki whispered, curious.
"I stayed overnight," Midori admitted as the two men passed them by.
"Oh, I forgot, I left some food in the fridge for supper." Ryotaro said as he put on his shoes.
"Don't worry about it," Midori hefted a bag in her hand. "I brought some to cook."
"I think Nanako will appreciate a home-cooked meal," Ryotaro admitted. "She's up in her room right now." He opened the front door. "Nanako! I'm leaving! The sitter is here!"
"Kay," the young voice came from upstairs.
Satisfied, the two detectives bowed to the two girls, then stepped out for work.
"So," Midori said as she set down her school bag. "I'll start supper. You want to clean off the table?" She wondered just how a mess like that could occur in two days.
"Well, it's not as bad as my place can get," Saki agreed as she rolled up her sleeves. "So, what's Nanako like?"
"Quiet, and sad." Midori observed. "Eri said her mother died a few months ago, and I think she's still mourning." She had confirmed the accident after practise through her connections at school, as well as the knowledge that the driver of the car was still at large.
"Ouch," Saki replied as she gathered up the dishes. "Nothing we can do about that."
Midori disagreed. She knew she could be of help to the little girl, but there was no need to let Saki know that. "Well, good food is always a start." She pulled out the necessary pots and refreshed in her mind what she needed to do.
Soon, supper was ready, and Midori decided to go upstairs to collect Nanako, rather than call her down. If she did the latter, she would never come, so she had to go to her instead. Leaving Saki to deal with the details, Midori made no attempt to sneak up the stairs, long experience told her that was the wrong thing to do.
Knocking on Nanako's door, she waited for a response. "I'm not hungry," it came.
Oh, she was going to play it that way. "That's sad," Midori said. "I made real food this time, not the store-stuff your dad usually gets."
"Not hungry!" The door remained firmly closed.
"It's got real meat! And veggies for a growing young girl!" Step one, don't make it about either of them. Make coming out about the food and nothing else. "And milk is good for you!"
She could hear Nanako come to the door, still hiding. "Can I have ice for dessert?"
Midori tried to remember if there was any ice cream in the freezer, but couldn't. "I don't know if your daddy has any, but if not, I think we can go out and get some before bed time."
The door cracked open just an inch. "Chocolate?"
"Only if you'll let me have strawberry." Midori smiled gently, knowing step two was to let the girl know that she was in charge, not Midori. "Oh, and I suppose we'll have to buy some for Saki too."
"Saki?"
"She's my friend from school. She'll be helping me do homework."
"..." Midori was surprised that Nanako could emote like that. "al'right."
"Good!" Midori stood up as Nanako stepped out of her room. "~Time to wash our hands~!" she sing-songed as she led the way to the washroom.
Night
"She's in bed?" Saki asked as she gathered up her stuff. It was coming on nine, and she still needed to head home.
"Yep."
"Cute child," Saki said. "I remember when Naoki was like that."
Midori couldn't relate, being a single child.
"Well, thanks for the help with the homework. I'll be off then."
"Night Saki! See you tomorrow!"
"Remember, dad needs the back room swept and mopped properly tomorrow night."
"Would I ever do a half-job?"
Saki thought for a moment, parodying the concept of hard thought with a finger on her chin. "Well, I suppose you do do a half job..."
"S~aki!"
"But only after you've done a full job. A job-and-a-half, you might say." Saki left the grinning Midori behind to her job, heading down hill for home. "Night!"
"Night!"
Now alone on the first floor, Midori knew it was time to take Nanako seriously. She had done enough of the fun routine. Now it was time to be serious.
And she only had an hour to do it in.
Climbing the stairs, she didn't creep, but she didn't stomp either. She was an intruder now, so she had to act like it.
In front of Nanako's door, she paused and took a breath to try to steady her beating heart. She failed. Turning around, she slumped up against the wall beside the door. "Nanako..? You awake?"
A moments silence, then a muffled 'yes'. She was awake, but still under her covers.
"Hey, I'm sorry." Midori apologized for all slights real and imagined. "I haven't been a proper big-sis to you."
Nanako didn't respond.
"I know it hurts. Mommy not being there. She's in heaven, isn't she?" Those were the hardest words to say that she had ever done. Lying about how good the realm of angels must be in order to protect a child from the vile truth. "So's my mommy. She left me when I was a little older than you. She was sick."
She could hear movement from in the other room. Good.
"You see, as a big-sis, it's my job to protect and help all the little girls I meet, and I haven't done that with you. I can't because you're still hurting, and so is your daddy. And every night he leaves you alone is a night you're afraid he's the one not coming back."
Her own fears, made manifest. Reaching into a pocket, she pulled out Frosty's card, summoning him into the real world for the sole purpose of being someone to hug as she tired to save Nanako from Midori's own failings.
"Mommies are special. There's no one like them, and because of that, I know what you're feeling." She wiped away tears she didn't know she still had. She thought she got rid of them years ago when she dedicated herself to Love and Justice. "So all I'm going to do is wait out here. And I'll wait as long as I need to until you want to tell me what your mommy is like. And I'll tell you about mine."
The door never opened.