"I'm not staying here."

"Ditto what she said, for once."

"I see the Cooperation Cabin is already affecting you."

Akemi took one big, intentional step away from Moriko, backing away from the cabin and the very displeased camp counselor who had led them here.

This wasn't fair. She shouldn't be forced to move out of Camellia Cabin and into this prison just because of a food fight. Weren't food fights just something that happened at camp sometimes? And honestly, she hadn't meant to hit Moriko. She had been innocently aiming a spoonful of mashed potatoes at Sakura, and Moriko's face had gotten in the way when she accidentally let the spoonful fly. It had been mostly not of purpose. Her fingers had slipped, and the tension she had been placing on the spoon had done the rest of the work.

Plus, it was more Moriko's fault than anyone else's that the entire cafeteria had devolved into a massive juice-dumping, pie-slinging, pea-launching battlefield. Moriko was the one who had poured her ice water over Akemi's head, after all. Which, honestly, seemed aggressive for her, but Akemi guessed getting a faceful of mashed potatoes had broken her.

"Tomioka, don't start with me," the counselor said. Nakime was somewhat terrifying, moreso than most of the counselors at camp. Maybe it was because she gave off ghost lady vibes.

Beside Nakime, Moriko stood like a marble statue but silent anger blazed in her eyes, rising every time she glanced in Akemi's direction. Akemi did her best to ignore her.

Nakime pushed open the door and gestured for both girls to go inside. When they didn't move, she stared at them until they were unnerved enough to zip into the cabin.

It was dark and dingy without a single decoration. No flowers painted on the ceiling or pictures of happy former campers or drawings and paintings from the art shed. Spiderwebs hung from the rafters. Akemi pulled her duffle bag up farther onto her shoulder, resting it against her backpack.

Moriko tensed. "It's a wooden crypt. This is unacceptable."

"As was your behavior," Nakime said. She closed the door. "Pick a bed."

"Nah, no, thank you," Akemi said, not lowering her duffle bag or her backpack. Bad things happened to people who slept in cabins like this. She had watched enough horror movies with Shinya and Hayato to know a thing or two about avoiding lonely cabins in the woods.

Nakime walked past them. Dust swirled behind her. "You'll stay here until you learn to get along. For the next two days, you'll lose recreation privileges and your meals will be delivered to this cabin. After that time, your case will be reviewed and you may earn privileges back as a pair."

As a pair sounded awful. Did that mean she was going to have to do things with Moriko? Who hated her?

"Didn't our parents pay for an actual camp experience?" Moriko asked, rigid.

Akemi nodded. "Yeah, my dad paid for camp. Not forced friendship bracelet-making jail time."

"We're allowed to dole out consequences for poor behavior," Nakime said. She picked up a broom and a mop from where they had been leaning against a wall. A spiderweb clung to the broom, and she swiped it away. "That was in the camp agreement you and your parents signed."

Moriko lifted her chin. "My mother wouldn't agree to this."

Nakime paused in the middle of the room, her dark horror hair sweeping across her face. "I'm certain the camp director will be happy to contact her about the incident in the cafeteria if you would rather endure that conversation over this arrangement."

Akemi could imagine her dad's reaction to her presumably starting a food fight, which would be what the camp director would say. He might be…disappointed in her.

She threw her bags onto one of the beds. A dust cloud billowed into the air. "Can we earn complete freedom?"

"Possibly," Nakime said, "As I said, you'll need to prove that you can get along. Cooperate."

"Hence the name of the cabin," Moriko said in perfect monotone. She rubbed her shoe along the floor, creating a spot with slightly less grime, before she set her rolling bag upright. Apparently she didn't want her mom called anymore than Akemi wanted her dad contacted.

Nakime shoved the broom into Akemi's hand before tossing the mop to Moriko. Instead of catching it, Moriko skipped awkwardly out of the way.

"Your first step toward cooperation is cleaning the cabin together. I'll be back later with your evening meal. I'll inspect your work at that time."

With a gliding step that had an air of finality to it, Nakime left the cabin. It seemed lighter without her.

"Good going, Moriko." Akemi slapped the broom against her bed's mattress, blowing more dust into the air. "This is awesome, totally how I wanted to spend my summer."

"I do understand sarcasm, you know," Moriko said. She ran her finger along the metal bedframe.

"I was hoping," Akemi said. She took a deep breath and immediately regretted it as she started coughing. When she recovered, she could've sworn that Moriko was smirking.

"We should beat the dust out of the mattresses outside," Moriko said. She picked up the mop. "I'll help you carry them out there, and then you can take out your brutish aggression on them."

Akemi rolled her eyes. "And I understand your big words."

Moriko nodded. "I was hoping."


Shinobu dropped her lunch onto the staff room table. Fury raged under her skin, making her feel like an inferno as she popped the lid open.

"Bad day?" Tamayo asked calmly, her chopsticks hovering over her own meal. She was a critical care medicine specialist who seemed to live at the hospital. Shinobu wasn't even sure when the other woman wasn't on shift.

In the other seat at the small circular table, Obanai glanced up, met Shinobu's gaze, and then became much more interested in a nearby painting than his smoothie.

"No, everything's perfectly fine," Shinobu said, whipping out her chopsticks. She had everything under control. And she wasn't going to seek retribution against the white-haired sixteen-year-old brat in emergency bay five who had a superiority complex. She was some kind of up-and-coming idol who thought that the nurses and Shinobu were either a part of her entourage or possibly new servants.

The girl was claiming that she had twisted her ankle during a dance routine, but she wouldn't let anyone take a close look at it. She would start wailing when anyone came close. When Shinobu had brought it up to the director, he had dodged her questions and mumbled something about the patient's very scary brother.

Tamayo nodded. "If you say so—"

"I do say," Shinobu said, stabbing her chopsticks into her lunch. "But I also, on an unrelated matter, think we should be able to sedate particularly aggravating patients."

"Become a surgeon," Obanai said quietly, still looking at the painting. "Other people do that for you."

Shinobu picked up a bit of chicken. "But then I don't get to do it. And I think I would mentally benefit from it."

Tamayo's voice was calm and soothing. "Is this about Miss Shabana?"

"Of course not," Shinobu said with fake cheerfulness, feeling like the vein in her forehead was ticking. "It's hypothetical."

A small smile lit onto Tamayo's face. Obanai coughed.

Shinobu stabbed her lunch again. "I'm simply saying that it should be an option if a patient is harassing the staff and being unreasonable and also demanding we get her a venti caramel frappe with extra caramel and extra whipped cream layered."

"I know someone who would like that," Obanai said.

"I'm not saying she shouldn't get it, I'm just not getting it for her," Shinobu said. "But she thinks that's my job."

"Like I said, surgery is a better field," Obanai said. "You chose wrong."

"Thank you, so much, for your input," Shinobu said, shooting Obanai a glare.

"You're welcome," he said, turning his attention back to his smoothie.

Tamayo put a gentle hand on Shinobu's arm. "You could ask for her to be switched to another doctor's care."

"And force someone else to put up with her mess?" Shinobu shook her head. "I'll deal with her. And her brother, who may or may not be a criminal." Seeing how he had the E.R. director intimidated, that might have been the case.

A knock on the door made all three of them look up. One of the nurses was standing in the open doorway, looking peeved. "Dr. Kochou, Bay Five is asking for you."

Shinobu let out a long breath, gathering herself and plastering on the cheerful façade she tried to keep up for patients. Even the aggravating ones. "I bet she is. I'll be right there."

"Thank you," he said, looking relieved before he disappeared.

She got up and put the remainder of her meal back into the refrigerator, hoping she could come back to it later.

"Good luck," Tamayo said kindly.

"Remember," Obanai muttered, "You can always go back to school to become a surgeon."

Resisting the urge to smack him on the back of the head, seeing how he was her brother-in-law's best friend and her own friend's husband, she straightened her shoulders. When she stepped into the hall, she could hear her patient shrieking.

"I said cold water! This has ice in it. That's not cold, that's freezing, you tasteless cretin."

Ugh. Maybe Obanai had a point.