Chisato stepped out into the light.
The Shiraishi-owned building of business was a large place that did not stand out too much among the other tall buildings and it seemed like the windows were tinted in a way to block from the sun. Only one place had light like this.
...Even if it is an artificial garden.
The garden contained flower beds, a small stream, and a pond.
The sky was replaced by a monitor that recreated the actual sky outside. The monitor was made from several thin panels and it currently displayed the morning sky.
Wind could only enter or exit through the passageway, so the sweet smell of flowers and the clear smell of flowing water both tickled at her nose. She also felt a slight stuffiness, perhaps due to the recreated warmth of the sunlight.
Chisato walked down a gravel path cutting through the flower beds. She walked on her toes so that her heels did not make holes in the path.
"—"
The gravel did not even stir below her feet. She only heard the occasional quiet sound of her feet hitting the ground, but she produced no sound or motion from the gravel, as if walking on a solid board.
She reached a bridge crossing the meandering stream.
"Kotowari."
"Eh? Oh, right, right, right. Chisato-kun, wait just a second. Just a second, okay? I need to prepare the energy I need for this conversation."
A boy with a nice build and a straw hat stood up from the flow bed on Chisato's right. He had removed the shirt sleeves of his inner suit which was printed with the name Kotowari Musashi, he was also holding something.
"Kotowari. ...The main garden is a public space, so I'm not sure you should be planting potatoes in the flower beds."
"What? Chisato-kun, you can't let common sense hold you back. Oh, I'm ready now, so can I release my energy?"
"If you want."
"Then here I go. ...Hey, Chisato-kun! I went to all the trouble of making this wonderful place! We're an 'evil organization' now, so what's wrong with ignoring usual standards and growing some potatoes!? You got a problem with it!? Do you!? I even bred my own cultivar named after its golden color and an Incan king from its native South America! I went all Cusco on this Cápac Gold!"
"You didn't need to add the Gold to the name."
"D-dammit. What's that 'you have no guts' look for!? Just because you decided to keep the all color black for your hair unlike your sisters you think there's something wrong? Ah! No! It's probably because you're higher on the food chain than I am! Well that doesn't matter since I want to sell potatoes until I have enough money for a car or two! Let's make even more potato fields and hide them from the others! That sounds great!"
"What does my hair have to do with anything?"
"Well, that makes you the easiest to talk to. You have all the colors in your hair while your sisters decided to stick with one color using dye."
Musashi shrugged and Chisato frowned.
"All the colors? But isn't my hair just a single color that was just decided when I was-"
"Oh, that is just me using more words. It would be too much trouble if I didn't say all that. You need to get used to how I talk, Chisato-kun. You may be an expert at deflecting things, but you let words get to you too easily."
"Do I?"
"You aren't an elder sister, right?"
Chisato recalled the conversation from before, and...
"That was-...!"
"I never expected one of the sisters to get so confused and let herself be forced into negotiating with others. We should celebrate that you still have a human side left. ...Right!?"
Musashi coquettishly pointed at her, so she stomped diagonally on the blade of a hoe sitting on the ground. The handle shot up and struck his crotch from below.
"...Hh."
He sank into the flower bed while staring up into the sky and Chisato sighed.
"Why not train some? You have been wanting to join Border yourself when you learned about your brother, haven't you?"
A trembling hand rose from the flower bed, telling her to wait. After a while, she heard him slapping his lower belly and then speaking.
"Hn... Yes. I-I'm fine. I'm fine! It still works! It still works!?"
"Why was that a question and why do you sound so effeminate?"
"A-a girl would never understand! Heh heh. Jealous!? That's what you get!"
Chisato opened her phone.
"Nee-san, Kotowari has gone crazy again, so could you do something about it?"
"Chisa-chan, I will have difficulty dealing with the problem unless you are more specific."
"Hmm. I guess it's a problem with his brain."
"Ah! Wh-why are you calling someone else to judge me!? This has to do with our crotches!"
"Then how about I chop yours in two so we can share the problem? I'll throw my half away, though."
"J-just because you don't have one is no reason to suggest anything so frightening! Just so you know, mine just froze over!"
Musashi opened his phone and a note taking application labeled "I'll Never Forget This Notebook" and typed at it as he stood up.
What is with this guy? wondered Chisato before asking him a question.
"Where is Ruri?"
"Eh? Oh, she's over there. Eh? What's this!? You're interested in our division's next leader!? Who gave you permission!? Ow! What kind of girl throws seed potatoes at people at high speeds! You want to fight!? ...I'm sorry, so don't glare at me like that. But those seed potatoes are important. You're not supposed to waste food, you see. You eat them like this... Oh, no! I really did just eat one with eyes! Eh? Ruri-kun? You can go see her! You have my permission! You got that!? My permission!"
"I know I told you that you could release your energy, but how about you calm down a little?"
"Now, now. This is a liberal arts sort of energy. Oh, and Ruri-kun is over there."
Musashi grabbed a leaf and used it like a fan to point toward a cherry tree with green leaves.
A girl was swinging a wooden sword below it. She was somewhat tall and slender.
"Ruri."
Chisato's shoulders relaxed as she walked over and spoke to the girl with the wooden sword.
"You were all right?"
.
Chisato saw the girl turn toward her.
Her sweaty face looked her way.
"Chisato."
Ruri's hair was plastered to her sweaty forehead, so she brushed it up and smiled.
"Of course I'm all right. I'm always safe as long as I'm here, aren't I? Just like you all."
"W-well, that is true."
"Sorry."
Chisato tilted her head as Ruri tied her hair back.
"Why would you need to apologize?"
"Because I've been causing you a lot of trouble by being so worthless."
"It's thanks to you that we can even exist as a business, so we will do anything for you. It's the same as doing it for our own needs, after all."
"...Sorry."
Chisato could say nothing more when the other girl repeated herself with a bitter smile. Ruri resumed swinging her wooden sword.
"Have you seen my father? I haven't seen him all morning. Not even at breakfast."
"Eh? No, your father is-..."
"Chisato-kun!"
Musashi's voice interrupted them.
"Could you help harvest my Cápac Gold!?"
"What? Well, I don't mind helping out a little..."
She saw Musashi crawling through the flower bed with his butt sticking out.
"Now! Come harvest my Cápac Gold! Ahhn, hurry up! I'm spreading it wide! Wait, where did you get that sickle from!? And who would throw it!? Normal people would throw a seed potato! What is wrong with you!? Hmm!?"
"I've been thinking. Maybe I should start telling Kotowari what I actually think."
"You shouldn't do that, Chisato. Kotowari is sensitive, so it would make him even crazier."
"Heh heh heh! See!? See!?"
Chisato ignored Musashi as he began a step dance with his hands on his hips. As if to take her place, Ruri smiled toward him and opened her mouth.
"You're always such an idiot, Kotowari."
"D-don't make it sound like that's a foregone conclusion, Ruri-kun! Rui-kun! Why do you keep talking to me like that!? I need to take my mind off my little brother! Besides, I'm not that far under!"
"Ruri is next for the boss position of your division, so you lose quite spectacularly in rank."
"S-so do you! So do you! Ah, what are you whispering in Ruri-kun's ear!? Ruri-kun, don't smile and nod! Let me in! Pass that comment onto me! And Chisato-kun! Isn't there an unnecessary note somewhere in this building that states that I have some kind of authority? Maybe it's an only-guys type of thing that Boss-kun-san put up after having only a family of girls!"
"Yes, and I'm a girl, so that rules that out. As a boy, you'll have to work extra hard all on your own."
"What's that tone of voice and smile for!? You don't think I can do it, do you!?"
"Well, no. To be clear, it's biologically impossible. Are you saying you can do it?"
"What!? Of course I can! I'll totally do it! Don't underestimate your underling! Y-you won't like me when I'm angry! My favorite spells in RPGs are the instant death ones! I'll play both sides of the Cápac Gold myself! ...Whoa, that was close! What kind of girl throws hoes at people, Chisato-kun!?"
"Ha ha. You're really strong, Chisato."
"Umm." Chisato faced Ruri's slight smile but was unsure what to say. "You shouldn't pay much attention to him."
"You just told her to ignore me, didn't you!? Didn't you!? I'm an actual worker here, you know!? ...Okay, she can ignore me, so can you stop glaring at me...please?"
Chisato had to start from the beginning due to that interruption, so she placed a hand on Ruri's arm.
"Listen, Ruri. You are plenty strong yourself, so don't look at everything so negatively."
"But... Then why am I getting skinnier and weaker every day?"
Chisato wrinkled her brow.
"Even the head doctor won't tell me why. Only that the cause is an illness. ...I supposedly have a strong body like Father, but my body has been so unsteady and I keep getting skinnier."
"Well..."
"What's wrong with me?"
And...
"And if no one knows why, am I just going to keep getting weaker?"
.
Chisato was speechless.
...It's just like Kotowari said.
This was what it meant to let words get to her. In most situations, she could immediately find the optimal response, but she was at a loss when it came at her in the form of words.
However, there was one thing she could say.
Businesses interacting were the rules of this world.
They were how things should be and how things should happen. Everything in the world was to remain in compliance with industry flourishing, so...
"There is nothing wrong with you. After all, you are give me enough freedom to deny working here later on. If there was something wrong with you, you wouldn't have accepted that."
"But...what about Kotowari?"
"Well... There is something wrong with him, but that's different."
"Whaaaat!? What did you just sayyyyy!?"
She decided to ignore him and continue the conversation.
The ends of Ruri's eyebrows lowered and she looked up at Chisato.
"But I..."
"It is true you're losing weight every day." Chisato narrowed her eyes. "But that should settle down before long. Make sure you eat. And...we are here to support you, Ruri. You only have to make your decisions. I will run down that path ahead of you and protect you."
After Chisato said that, she heard a sudden voice from beyond Ruri.
"Well said, Chisato."
It was a woman's voice and she knew whose it was.
"Boss Narumi."
A woman walked in from the garden's opposite entrance beyond Ruri.
She was a beautiful woman, as well as..
...Ruri's mother.
A single mark shown from the right side of Narumi's forehead and she wore a red-dyed worker's uniform modified in a western style. That uniform swayed as she came to a stop seven meters away.
With Ruri between them, Chisato could not do anything from this distance. Of course, she had no intention of anything like that since they were on the same side, but...
...She never lets her guard down in that regard. It makes her difficult to deal with.
Narumi smiled toward Chisato, which made Chisato cautious. When that woman smiled, she was usually plotting something unpleasant.
That was why Chisato made a smile of her own and spoke.
"Boss Narumi? I just finished informing Ruri of my return, so I would like to return to my room before going to see my parents."
"Before you do that, come with me."
It was forceful, but boss orders were absolute for anyone who was not at the very top.
I can't believe this, she thought as Narumi placed a hand on her mouth.
"I would like to speak with you about what is to come."
"What are you talking about?"
"Of course." The woman nodded. "We can make a suggestion of our own concerning who Border will send over, so I would like your opinion now that you have visited them."
Namely...
"Who could we ask for to ensure everything goes smoothly? The odd girl lover?"
Kon awoke to the distant sound of a morning bell ringing at the top of the hour.
She could tell she was lying on her side and she could tell where she was lying.
"...Nn."
She was on a bed. Beyond the warm sheets and creaking bed, her sleepy mind heard the distant sounds of construction. And...
...Oh no. I need to get the food ready.
That thought led her to a realization: didn't she normally sleep with less sheets? The night before, she had stayed at the Main Red Lightning late into the night for their meeting. When Kunichika had invited her to sleep over, her weariness had won out.
"—!"
She trembled, stirred, opened her eyes, and found a face in front of her.
...Jinsei!?
She gasped in disbelief, but then realized who it was sleeping on their side in front of her.
"Kagami..."
Kagami breathed quietly in sleep with her sleeves removed and her inner suit parted at the crotch portion. And occasionally...
"Sniff..."
Her sense of smell must have been reacting to the scent of the sheets and blanket because she would rub her cheek against them, relax her expression, and yet generally give stern looks.
...Jinsei must be causing her trouble in her dream too.
That thought brought some unease.
...Where's Jinsei?
He was not here.
"—"
It made sense. They had stolen his space to sleep.
But his absence still bothered her.
...Is he here?
When they had borrowed his bed, he had been making tea and some late night snacks while speaking with Kimura, Ōji, and the others continuing the meeting. Kon had stayed with them until Yuki, Murakami, Arafune, and Kageura had left along with Hatomi since they were all residents of a different area, but...
"Jinsei..."
His absence brought unease to her heart.
.
...I'm imagining awful things again.
She corrected her fear. He was in the house. He definitely was. He had to be. There was no reason for him not to be. But...
"..."
Kon slowly got up while looking over at Kagami who remained asleep with the sheets wildly strewn around her.
She glanced around and confirmed that this was his room. They would occasionally help the ones with failing grades by bringing them here and she would bring by cooking books from her house, so she was familiar with the Kirikari home.
...But it's been a while since I was inside Jinsei's room.
His room had originally been part of a twelve square meter living room. It had been connected to the hallway without any walls, so a T-shape of curtains had been added in. The space positioned next to the café area was Jinsei's room and the opposite space was a guest room.
Kon stood barefoot on the wooden flooring. She could see plenty of porn game boxes stacked up on the PC desk, but...
"So he's actually playing stuff like that. I should probably tell someone for safety."
She nodded in satisfaction that her efforts were paying off.
...W-wait, there's something wrong with this! Oh, but he actually has the nunchuck device connected! Is shaking it up and down really supposed to be fun!?
She figured people shook it a lot while testing it. But...
"Kunichika...?"
She pushed aside the dividing curtain to check the guest room.
Kunichika was sleeping inside. She was naked, wrapped in her blanket, and embracing a body pillow, which had a questionable image on it. It almost looked like a child and their toy.
...Although I'm afraid to see that whole image.
Seeing that brought some peace of mind, but the previous unease only grew.
...Where is Jinsei?
She pushed aside the curtain bordering the hallway and peeked out.
The hallway continued to the left and right. The left led to the bath and the right led to Jinsei's parents' room and the café.
The left seemed deserted, as did the right.
...He wouldn't be in his mom's room. Too many bad memories for him...
After some hesitation, she opened the curtain and stepped out into the hallway. She thought about putting on her shoes, but she would be doing her habitual morning cooking afterwards anyway. She was only checking to see if he was here.
She placed her hand on the door to the café.
"..."
She hesitated and wondered what she would do if he was not in here.
"He is, isn't he?"
She recalled a time in the past when she had felt this same unease.
...Back when he lost something important...
.
She opened the door.
The Main Red Lightning was dimly lit by the artificial sunlight entering through the narrow window.
They had all had fun and discussed a number of things the night before and the smell of eaten pizza lingered inside. But...
"Oh? You're up early, Kon-san. Did we wake you?"
"Good morning. We started eating already."
"Oh, you want something to eat too, Yuka?"
She saw three people there: Kimura, Oshiro, and...
"Oh, you like cooking a lot, don't you? Sorry about that. I'm too use to doing it around here, so you can go take a bath, if you want. Yuu will probably unlock the door and interrupt, though."
He was there and he spoke to her.
Kon was relieved by that fact, but she did her best to keep it from showing. After all, Kimura and Oshiro were here as well. She started by interpreting what the idiot had said.
"D-don't be ridiculous..."
She imagined the scene of Kunichika interrupting while she was in the bath and she felt some heat in her cheeks.
Then Oshiro gave her a smile while cutting into an omelet with a knife.
"Kon-san, you get along quite well with Kunichika-san and the spirit, don't you?"
She wondered who "the spirit" was, but she decided to abandon that line of thought when the idiot puffed his chest out proudly. However, she did take a breath and released the tension from her shoulders.
...Honestly...
Good, she thought. This isn't like those years ago.
"Jinsei?"
"Yeah? What is it? Boobs? You want even more than you've got?"
She didn't know what he was talking about, but she did know he was there.
Never again would she not know what had happened to him and never again would no one be able to reach a hand out to him or head out to save him.
Good, she thought again.
...Ah.
Drawn by her relaxed shoulders, droplets spilled from the corners of her eyes.
.
She unexpectedly began crying.
When the other three noticed, Kimura was the first to speak.
"Kirikari, what did you do to Kon-san? She's Suzunari's valuable Yamato Nadeshiko Operator, cooker who keeps Betsuyaki in check, and someone Krümel likes! As the current holder, I'll be forced to use my special attack: That is Most Regrettable!"
"That's way too long, Kawa! A-and I didn't do anything! I mean, did you see me do anything!? Hey, Yuka, I didn't do anything to you, right? Please tell them I didn't."
"No, that isn't it, is it?" Oshiro gestured to the empty seat in front of him. "I don't really know why, but something made you happy, didn't it?"
Kon nearly nodded at that quiet question, but...
...W-wait, if I agree, they'll ask me what made me happy.
She had recalled the past, compared it to the present, and involuntarily been so overcome with relief that she cried. They would not understand and it would be too embarrassing even if they did.
"Um," she hesitated. "S-sorry, Oshiro-kun. I need to take a bath before eating, a-and I didn't put any shoes on, so, um..."
"Sure. I'll make you something that should be ready at about the right time, so hurry on up."
Why did he read so much into things in the weirdest ways? At any rate, Kon used his words as the cue she needed to turn around, but...
"Um, what are we doing today? Are we having a meeting before going to school?"
"Yeah. We need to decide who to send out with the information. At the earliest, they could be sent out today, so I want to get that done now. ...Now, Captain. Where are 'Yuki' and Tachikawa-san?"
"Onii-san had some thoughts about the offense last night, so he went out to examine the site. Tachikawa-san was up early dragged away by Tsukimi-san. I chose not to go to that since I have heard things from Narasaka and Yoneya."
"Good call."