"Shiromeguri…"

She continued to stand placidly with a smile as I muttered her name. I didn't know why she was here, and I couldn't make out the reason by examining her either. Nothing on her person revealed any clues to what she was doing outside of the student council room. It felt odd seeing the president outside of her natural habitat, like if I saw a penguin walking around Chiba on a hot summer day. Or that time I saw my elementary school teacher at the grocery store a few years ago. For some reason, she thought right there and then was a good time to talk with my parents about how I didn't get along with everyone in my class. Damn you Shikimori-sensei.

I realized I was staring at her awkwardly, lost in thought. I remembered her question. I hesitated for a moment before answering since I didn't want to reveal too much.

"Club activities," I replied briskly.

"Oh, a request!" she exclaimed. "Hiratsuka-sensei told me a little about your club. I hope I'm not bothering you."

I shook my head. "Nah, I'm done with the request."

"That's good." Her gaze shifted, seemingly going beyond me, like she was expecting something—or someone—to appear. "Is Yukinoshita with you?"

"She's off doing something else." A white lie. Or a white truth, since she was probably doing something else now that club was canceled—maybe studying. Yukinoshita had a reputation for being a workaholic from what I've heard. "What're you doing?" I followed, both curious and wanting to deflect the conversation away from myself.

"Does it look like I'm slacking off?" she teased.

"No, just curious."

"Aha." She gave me a small laugh. "I'm checking the information boards to see if you really got to all of them."

"I see…" Did I seem unreliable? I guess it made sense for her to not fully trust me. It's not like we knew each other well.

"It's not that I don't trust you," she said, apparently reading my mind. "I just needed to validate my trust in you. So far, things are looking good."

I nodded. Blind trust was definitely cruel to those who indulged in it. At the very least, someone should have a reason for their trust. Seeing Shiromeguri out and about restored some of my trust in authority as well. Good job Shiromeguri! Be the change I want to see in the world!

"Want to join me?" she asked.

I shook my head in polite rejection. "I'm about to go home."

Komachi's request was, for now, put on hold. My plan on using Hiratsuka-sensei to do the work for me was an abject failure. And after seeing her on the ground in defeat, I'd feel bad if I asked her to help again. It seemed the request was squarely on my shoulders now. It might not even work out anymore since Kawasaki saw me outside the classroom after that fiasco. I wasn't exactly sure, but she was probably suspecting I had something to do with Hiratsuka-sensei's attempted lecture.

The best—no, the only thing to do now—was to go home and get some more information on Kawasaki, no matter how little information Komachi had left. Komachi had already told me everything she knew. I doubted I'd learn anything new even if I picked her brain again, but there was nothing else I could do.

"That's too bad," Shiromeguri lamented. "Talk to you another time?"

"Yeah, see you."

We both started walking.

In the same direction.

I'd heard of this phenomenon before—when you say goodbye and intend to part ways but you end up going in the same direction. You awkwardly laugh and smile as you continue to walk, but because you've already said goodbye, it's hard to start up a conversation again. Presumably, you said goodbye in the first place because the conversation leading up to the goodbye had fizzled out, so it had seemed like a good time to leave.

Keyword: heard. I'd never experienced it. I never had anybody to say goodbye to outside of my family, and it's not like such a scenario could ever occur since going home meant going back to the same household. Such a stereotypical event was always out of reach for me, since I was missing the ladder meant to boost me to the forbidden fruits of youth.

"I thought you were going home?"

Shiromeguri's fluffy voice broke my depressing train of thought. She was originally walking ahead of me, but she'd paused and turned around, smiling somewhat mischievously.

"Oh, uh, the bicycle racks are this way," I answered.

"Hm? You bike home? It suits you."

What's that supposed to mean?

"Thanks…?"

She laughed. "I didn't mean anything by it. Since we're both headed in the same direction for now, we might as well walk together, don't you think?"

I couldn't argue with her logic. I nodded and walked beside her.

"So what was your request about?" Shiromeguri wondered aloud. "Or is it too confidential to talk about it?"

"Ye-"

I was about to say it was, but I stopped myself. I needed new information. Of course, I doubted Shiromeguri actually knew Kawasaki-specific information since they were in different years, but she could offer a new perspective to the request.

One of the key pieces of information was the timeline for Kawasaki's turn to delinquency. She only started staying out late during second year. That meant she was the same old Kawasaki when she was a first year. If I knew the reason behind her change in behavior, then I might be able to change her back. It was like finding patient zero of a novel disease to create a cure.

Shiromeguri was a third year, so she had the power of hindsight. Maybe some of her friends also had a change beginning their second year of high school. As long as I didn't mention Kawasaki by name, it would be fine to talk about the request. I didn't think Shiromeguri saw Kawasaki and Hiratsuka-sensei leaving the classroom I was in either, so there would be no way for her to deduce who I was talking about.

I cleared my throat.

"Actually, uh, can I ask you a few questions? The request I'm working on right now isn't actually over. I'm just kind of at a standstill, so I thought you might be able to help me." I thought it'd be better to give her some context, so she wouldn't think I was just prying into her life.

Shiromeguri's eyes raised for a split second before falling into a smile. "Sure! I don't mind. What's on yours?"

"Did you know that changed once they became a second year? Personality-wise, I mean."

"I do. Quite a few people actually."

"Do you know what caused them to change?"

"That's an interesting question." She hummed thoughtfully. "Well, it probably has to do with what starting second year means to a lot of people."

"What do you mean?" I asked, not entirely following her.

"Well, have you started thinking about college?"

"I have." I was already looking into summer prep-classes since I was planning on going to a private liberal-arts university. Even though I still had a year of high school left, it'd be foolish not to start thinking ahead.

"It's the same for a lot of people, you know? Once you start thinking about college, you realize, 'High school is coming to an end soon! And when I'm a senior, I'll have college entrance exams to study for!' So really, second year is your last year of high school once you think about it. And that realization makes you want to make the most of the time you have left. Some people change their appearance, some people become more out-going, some people become more reckless, and the real studious ones start prepping for college early."

Of course. Kawasaki changed at the beginning of second year because it was second year. She was probably one of those people who wanted to make the most of her time, so she became a delinquent. With that information, Komachi's friend could probably have a conversation with the elder Kawasaki and come up with a compromise to tone down her behavior.

"Was that helpful?"

"Yeah, it was. Thanks."

She clapped her hands together. "Glad to be of help."

X X X

"What the hell is he doing here?"

After my conversation with Shiromeguri, we parted ways—for real that time—and I called Komachi. She suggested we meet up at Saizeriya. I was confused since we could've just met at home, but I was hungry so I agreed anyway.

We were now sitting in a booth. And by we, I didn't mean just Komachi and I. A middle-school boy around Komachi's age was sitting next to her and across from me. He was dressed in a middle school uniform I didn't recognize. He had short, tousled gray hair and green eyes reminiscent of Kawasaki. Unlike her cold expression, however, his eyes radiated youthful goodwill.

"Nice to meet you, Bro. I'm Kawasaki Taishi."

"Who's your bro? Not me," I snarled. He was the reason why Komachi asked to meet here.

He didn't seem phased by my refutal. "Komachi told me that you know why my sister went bad, so she invited me here."

Komachi? He's on a first name basis with Komachi? I glared at him. "What's your relationship with Komachi?"

"He just started going to my cram school in April, Bro. He's just a friend," Komachi answered for him. "Can you just tell us what you found out?"

"Fine. But we're talking when we get home."

Komachi only sighed, then muttered something under her breath.

"So what did you learn?" Taishi asked me.

I sighed and rested my cheek against my palm. "It's not that I learned something. It's just a guess. Your sister's probably staying out so late at night because it's her second year of high school. With college entrance exams coming up, she's probably using her remaining time to do whatever she wants."

"Oh! Like when those middle aged guys suddenly dye their hair neon colors? A midlife crisis?" Komachi commented.

"I guess that's one way to say it," I said, confident in my deduction.

"But Bro, big Sis is working at night. Why would she work if she's having a midlife crisis?" Taishi said.

"Huh? She's working?"

"Yeah, I found out the angel call was from a manager."

That definitely contradicted my deduction. Except for the faint minority, I seriously doubted there was anyone out there who'd spend the little time they had left working. If the studious wanted to prepare for college they wouldn't be working, either: they'd be studying.

I sighed. "Alright, take out your phones."

Taishi looked at me, puzzled. "What for?"

"Every time you try to talk with your sister she just brushes you off, right? If you find out where she works, you can force her to talk with you. Working past 10 pm is in violation of labor laws, so she's probably lying about her age. You can blackmail her."

"Bro…" Komachi mumbled.

The younger Kawasaki didn't meet my gaze. His eyes were downcast, staring at his lap in silence.

"…I won't… her," he mumbled.

"Sorry, I didn't hear you."

He looked up with a determined glint. "I won't blackmail her. I'm not going to force her to quit. I just want to talk with her. I'm sure she had a good reason for everything."

I shifted my gaze. That was definitely admirable of him, but, "Well, whatever you choose, you need to get her to talk with you. I don't see how you can do that without knowing where she works at least. She'll just brush you off again if you go at her blindly." I pulled out my phone. "C'mon, there are only so many places with 'angel' in the name that are open so late."

I started searching and they followed suit. It didn't take long until we came up with two businesses that fit the mentioned criteria: Maid Cafe Angel Tale and Angel Ladder Cafe.

A maid cafe, huh? I couldn't see Kawasaki working there; it didn't fit the image she put up at school. But at the same time, the image she had now wasn't the one she had a year ago. It was pointless to try and guess which business she worked at based on her personality. Besides, there were only two businesses to check. There wasn't much reason to try and narrow the choices down. Also, the juxtaposition of a cold Kawasaki working cheerfully as a maid wasn't bad. Wasn't bad at all…

I looked at the maid cafe's website. They allowed girls to try on maid outfits. Seeing Komachi in a maid outfit was an opportunity I couldn't pass up!

"Let's head to the maid cafe, Komachi."

"Eh? You're so creepy, Bro. Besides, is she even working right now? She usually starts work later in the evening, right Taishi?"

"Their website says girls can try on maid outfits. You can check the shifts and see if Kawasaki has one today once you've changed."

"I see," Taishi commented with a thoughtful expression. "Let's get going then, Bro."

"Oi, who says you're going?" I wouldn't let any other guys see Komachi in a maid outfit! "And who're you calling your bro?"

"But what if my sister is working?"

"Hah? Didn't you just say she usua—"

"I have to go!" he exclaimed.

This kid… He just wanted to see maids, didn't he?

The blazing sun was still high in the sky when we reached the maid cafe. I adjusted the collar of my shirt, trying to air out some of the sweat I'd accumulated during the journey here. Although we took the train to Central Chiba where the business was located, we still had to walk there once we got off the station. Hopefully I didn't smell too bad.

"You smell like sweat, Bro."

Thanks, Komachi. I needed that.

The cafe was one of many storefronts that framed the street we were standing on. A neon flashing sign made the cafe stand out, shouting, "CAFE ANGEL TALE." There was even a sandwich board off to the side that said, "WELCOME BACK-WOOF!" emblazoned with an illustration of a girl with generic animal ears. Another poster on the wall confirmed the information I saw online, that girls could wear maid outfits if they wanted. Overall, the place looked pretty sketchy.

Komachi stared dubiously at the neon sign while Taishi's eyes darted across the storefront, taking in the sight. It was definitely his first time at one of these places. Hey, it was my first time here too! Stop looking at me like that, Komachi!

"Let's go inside. The sooner we get this over with, the better," I said, and we entered the cafe. A maid was waiting for us inside. She gave us a standard greeting and led us to our table.

"I await your orders, Masters," the maid sang as she handed us menus. I looked at the drinks section. I doubted they'd let Komachi try on a maid outfit if we didn't order anything.

"Just a coffee for me. Thanks," I said as I handed her back the menu.

"Juice for me, please," Komachi ordered, and Taishi followed with his own. The maid disappeared with our menus and left a time estimate for our orders.

"Alright Komachi, go get changed."

"This better give me a lot of Komachi points!"

Komachi stood and walked to a nearby maid. They talked for a few seconds before walking through a door to the staff-restricted parts of the restaurant, leaving my sight. Now, all I had to do was wait for Komachi to return with the knowledge of Kawasaki's shift, if she really did work here.

I was left alone with Taishi. It didn't feel that awkward when Komachi was still here, but now that she was gone, I had no idea how to interact with him. Yeah, I was also a middle school boy before, but I doubted that'd help me now.

His eyes were darting all around the cafe, eyeing the maids.

"You should stop ogling them."

He twitched, his eyes meeting mine. "O-oh, right. Sorry."

I grunted. Silence filled the space between us. Maybe it would've been better to let him ogle the maids. It was somewhat suffocating. Come back soon, Komachi!

Taishi cleared his throat. "Did you come here before?"

Huh? Did I give off that image? "Nope."

"Oh, okay."

Silence once again.

"So, um…" he began once again… "What's my sister like at school?"

I blinked. "Oh, um, I don't really know. We're in the same class, but I keep to myself, so…"

"Oh, okay."

"…"

"…"

I let out a long and hefty sigh, making him focus on me.

"I know it's hard, but try not to worry too much. She's probably not doing anything that dangerous."

"Huh?" he said with wide eyes. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, sometimes you just do things on impulse, you know?"

"I guess…?"

His tone made it seem like he didn't actually know what I was talking about. Honestly, I didn't really know what I was talking about, either. I just felt like I should've said something to try and assuage his worries.

He went silent, as if thinking. Then, without any more words from me, he started talking again.

"I have a big family and my parents are always at work, so for as long as I could remember, big Sis was the one who took care of me and my younger siblings. I can take care of myself now, but she still takes care of my little sister and brother even though she's in high school. Maybe her change now has something to do with that."

"It could be," I acknowledged. "Won't really know until you talk with her, though."

He shrugged. "Have you ever done anything like what she's doing?"

I took a moment to think.

"In my third year of middle school, I skipped a lot. I had some stuff going on. But I stopped eventually." I couldn't have made it to Soubu if I hadn't.

My oversimplified past piqued his interest. "What made you stop?"

"I met someone by complete chance when I was in the middle of skipping. She just listened to me rant about my problems, and that made me want to go back to school." I felt my lips curl upwards despite myself. It was definitely cliche, but they're cliches for good reason. "I doubt my situation applies to your sister, though," I added.

He nodded silently in thought.

"What do you think, Bro? Don't I look cute?!"

Taishi and I turned around to find Komachi dressed in a caricature of a maid outfit. Overtop her black button-up dress was a white apron outlined with fluffy frills that followed the curvature of the dress. The dress stopped above her knees, so it was acceptable in my eyes. A crested white headband adorned her head, contrasting against her black hair.

"You're the cutest," I said monotonously. You'd think seeing a cute girl in a cute maid outfit would make me feel something, but this was Komachi. I guessed the maid outfit was negated by the wearer being my little sister.

"Y-You look great…" Taishi sputtered, his face red with blush. I resisted the urge to poke his eyes out and wipe his memory with a taser.

"So did you find Kawasaki on the shift schedule?" I finally asked.

"Nope. That means she's working at the other place we found, right?"

I nodded my head. "Well, since we're here, we might as well get something to eat. Can I get an omelet?"

"Oh, you'll need an actual employee to get you that," she said with a deadpan.

X X X

I stepped out of the shower and immediately reached for a towel. Thick steam filled the bathroom and fogged up the mirrors, so I wiped clear a section of the mirror. Usually I would do some skincare after I showered—like using a basic cleanser—but since it had a tendency to give my face a temporary red hue and I was going out again soon, I opted against it.

I ran the towel through my hair to absorb a majority of the moisture. I then opened the medicine cabinet, grabbed a cylinder of shaving gel, and dispensed a quarter-sized amount of gel into my palm. I drew circles on the gel with a finger and it quickly transformed into a white cream. I applied the cream liberally around my mouth and chin.

With an electric shaver, I made circular paths where the cream was before finally applying a thin layer of moisturizer to the entirety of my now freshly-shaved face.

With a towel draped around my waist, I stepped out of the shower and quickly walked to my room. Inside, Komachi was turned away from me, looking over an assortment of clothes she'd picked out from my closet and dad's that she'd laid out on my bed.

"So what am I wearing?" I asked her.

"Everything on this side," she replied, pointing to a sectioned off array of clothes. She turned around and squinted. "You know, for somebody who takes such good care of himself, you'd think they'd know how to dress."

I frowned. Back in middle school, I used to get called Hiki-smelly-gaya, so I put a lot of emphasis into personal hygiene. Of course, I later found out that I smelled completely fine and I never needed to change anything, but I kept the habit up anyway. I never had any reason to find out how to dress, though, since I never hung out with friends and I only ever wore a uniform to school, so I never did. But obviously I couldn't tell Komachi all of this.

"Uh huh. Mind getting out now?"

Komachi promptly left the room and I examined the clothes she'd left for me: a formal charcoal coat that belonged to dad, a black collared shirt, and black chinos. Angel Ladder Cafe was located atop Royal Okura Hotel in the more expensive part of Chiba. Since it had a dress code, I had asked Komachi to pick out some clothes for me. Though I would be the only one going to the cafe since Komachi and Taishi were too young and would draw too much attention.

I changed into the clothes and checked myself out with a mirror. Although the coat belonged to my dad, it fit my build perfectly. Overall, I didn't think I looked bad at all.

"Komachi! Come take a look!"

She came back inside my room and looked me down with a grin. "Not bad! But…"

"But…?"

"Let me add some finishing touches." She disappeared for a minute before reappearing with a blow dryer, some hair spray, a comb, and a pair of glasses. "Take a seat, Bro. I'll style your hair."

I sat at my desk as Komachi did her magic. My hair was still damp from the shower, so it didn't take much effort for her to make what I assumed to be a part with a comb. She finished the part with the blow dryer and a quick spritz of hairspray. Finally, she gave me a pair of prescriptionless glasses. "So your eyes don't look as bad," she explained.

I looked in the mirror once again. Komachi had made an off-center part but still allowed my bangs to flow downwards without looking unnatural. The glasses she gave me did indeed do their job, taking away attention from my eyes. I almost looked like a riajuu.

"You actually look nice for once, Bro! Let me take some photos!" she exclaimed as she circled me with her phone in hand. "Oh yeah, make sure you wear dad's old loafers. The brown one's."

"Mhm," I hummed in acknowledgment. "Send those to me later, will you?"

"Huh? Sure, I guess. Did you remake your Instagram account?"

"Nah, I just want the photos for myself," I corrected. "Did mom and dad come back from work yet?"

"Mhm, but they went straight to bed as usual."

I nodded in approval. I didn't need to worry about sneaking out or coming home late after all.

I slipped on my loafers and autopiloted to the station. It didn't take long before the train arrived. I boarded and easily found an empty seat, where I sat watching videos on my phone until the train slowed to a stop and I left through the sliding doors. I weaved my way through the clusters of people that dotted the station until I found myself on the street. According to Google Maps, the hotel wasn't far from where I was, only taking a few minutes to walk there.

The once bright sky had darkened into an inky black, but although the sun had set, it was still a comfortable temperature. Perks of summer, I guess. It was cool enough to where wearing dad's jacket wasn't uncomfortable despite the season's reputation for shorts and t-shirts.

I pulled out my phone and stared at the screen, reading it was a little past 10 pm. I opened Google Maps and a route highlighted in blue greeted me. I began to follow it like a robot. I couldn't remember the last time I'd walked around Chiba alone at 10 pm—which probably meant I hadn't. But despite that, I didn't feel anxiety walking alone. The streets were lit and there were other people still out and about for whatever reason, so while I was alone, I wasn't actually.

It didn't take long until the hotel came into sight. It climbed the night sky with lit windows like a beacon, though some dark windows dotted the building. Double doors marked the entrance where I could see a glimpse of the lobby glowing through the glass.

Walking in, I saw the elevators and made a beeline toward them. I already knew the cafe was located at the topmost floor of the hotel from looking at its website. I pressed the button to its corresponding floor and the elevator began to ascend smoothly, numbers representing the floors increasing by the second.

When the elevator doors opened, a scene foreign to me unfolded. The cafe was faintly lit as if using candles instead of modern lights. Filling the space were circular tables surrounded by leather chairs that were occupied by high-class looking people. A foreign-looking woman played the piano under a spotlight, filling the cafe with ambience. At the back of the cafe was the bar where a female bartender polished glasses. She looked tall and slender, wearing a vaguely sorrowful expression. Kawasaki Saki.

I sat down at the bar. Kawasaki simply set out a coaster, not saying a word. I thought she'd give out a menu or something, but she simply stood there in silence.

"Kawasaki," I called out softly. Her sorrowful expression flickered with confusion.

"I apologize. To whom am I speaking?"

Right, she probably didn't recognize me with the way I was dressed. I took off my glasses and rummaged my hair. It seemed to work, as Kawasaki narrowed her eyes.

"I thought it was you," she said.

"Then why did you act like you didn't recognize me?"

"What I meant was, I thought you were the one who told Hiratsuka-sensei about me. You being here confirms it." She picked up a glass and started polishing it, clearly not intending to serve me anything. "So? Was it Taishi who told you?"

I nodded and she heaved a sigh.

"I don't know how you know him, but stay away from him from now on. I'll talk to him myself."

"That's fine with me. That's all I wanted, anyway."

"Then why did you come all this way? Alone at that."

"Alone? Who else would I—" I stopped myself. "Look, I'm not here to lecture you. It's not like you would listen to me anyway."

"Then what are you doing here?"

"If I weren't here, you wouldn't talk with your brother. Am I wrong?"

Kawasaki only continued to stare at me.

"He's worried about you. I doubt you didn't know that already. I don't know what kind of problems you have and why you have to work, but I'm sure your family can help you if you talk to them."

She scoffed. "Do you think all families are like yours?"

I blinked. "What?"

"You're dating Yukinoshita, aren't you? Your family must be like hers. But let me tell you that not everyone's family is like that. Especially not with money."

I narrowed my eyes, glaring. "You got it wrong. My family is just… normal."

And that wasn't the only thing she got wrong, but I bit my tongue.

Kawasaki looked at me dubiously, then sighed. "If you're not going to order anything, then leave. You're taking up a seat."

There was no one else at the bar, but I got up anyway and left as quickly as I came. There wasn't anything else that needed to be said.

X X X

Komachi was waiting for me when I got home. As I slipped off my loafers and hung my coat, she rushed over and started asking for details like a hyperactive chihuahua. Sometimes I wondered how our personalities were so different when we grew up in the same house.

"Well, she's working there ," I said flatly.

"What did you guys talk about?!"

I shrugged. "Nothing much. Taishi's the one who has to do the talking—not us."

"Ehhhh? You're so lame."

I frowned. "The only person she'll listen to is someone she's close with. There's no point in me talking to her. You know that."

"I was hoping for one of those 'girl meets boy who cares about her' plots, like in those light novels you read!"

"Hey, not all of them are like that," I grumbled. Well, some of them. But that wasn't the point. "Anyway, you should tell Taishi I found her."

"Yeah, I will," she said plainly, and gave me a smile. "Thanks for helping out, Bro."

I returned her smile and ruffled her hair. "It's late. Get to bed soon."