text35552;"""\""The early bird catches the worm\"".""" text35553;"""Yet another one of those proverbs I doubted the truthfulness of.""" text35554;"""For one single reason: even if I ever were to catch \""worms\"" in the morning, it only happened thanks to Himitsu.""" text35555;"""But today I woke up early — it seemed I was forming a habit!""" text35556;"""My stomach was growling – I was hungrier than ever.""" text35557;"""Himitsu almost always made breakfast for me, but had I ever cooked for her?""" text35558;"""Sure, sometimes I'd wake up early and want to eat…""" text35559;"""But like this — deliberately and purposefully?""" text35560;"""After tidying myself up, I headed for the stove.""" text35561;"""I wondered if an English breakfast would be a good choice.""" text35562;"""I seemed to have all the necessary ingredients! Eggs, bread, even bacon!""" text35563;"""I thought there was supposed to be something else… Corn, tomatoes, or beans?""" text35564;"""Well, it wasn't that important — I still had tsukemono from yesterday, and that could fill in for other vegetables.""" text35565;"""I cast a glance at the clock – Himitsu would arrrive soon!""" text35566;"""The eggs sizzled happily in the pan, the yolks like little suns.""" text35567;"""The day seemed bright and fair. I opened the garden door wide, letting fresh air in.""" text35568;"""I heard the sound of the keys clinking the hall, and soon Himitsu entered the kitchen.""" text35569;"""Niko-kun?""" text35570;"""She asked, genuinely surprised.""" text35571;"""You're already up?""" text35572;"""Yes! And I'm almost done with our breakfast! Take a seat!""" text35573;"""I pulled up a chair and invited her to sit down.""" text35574;"""This is so unexpected…""" text35575;"""Better late than never!""" text35576;"""You didn't have to…""" text35577;"""It sounds like you're unhappy about this.""" text35578;"""She waved her hands and smiled:""" text35579;"""No, no, I'm very happy!""" text35580;"""…""" text35581;"""It's really tasty!""" text35582;"""Himitsu tried the eggs.""" text35583;"""Of course, she was exaggerating, but even I couldn't ruin such a basic dish.""" text35584;"""And for the dessert…""" text35585;"""She grabbed some tsukemono with her chopsticks.""" text35586;"""Thanks for that, by the way. They really helped me yesterday!""" text35587;"""Glad to hear it. But prevention is the best medicine!""" text35588;"""So you're suggesting I drink alcohol regularly to develop an immunity?""" text35589;"""Niko-kun!""" text35590;"""She pouted.""" text35591;"""Easy, easy, that was a joke!""" text35592;"""From now on, you're going to make breakfast for me every morning!""" text35593;"""You wish!""" text35594;"""She laughed sincerely and very cutely.""" text35595;"""I noticed that I was staring at her too openly.""" text35596;"""Fine, but you can do something else.""" text35597;"""Like what?""" text35598;"""Clean up?""" text35599;"""You wish…""" text35600;"""I drawled.""" text35601;"""Or, at least, not make such a mess!""" text35602;"""I shall consider your proposition.""" text35603;"""Do be so kind!""" text35604;"""Himitsu took my empty plate, but I stopped her:""" text35605;"""Let me do it!""" text35606;"""I'll cut you some slack, you've already put in too much effort for today.""" text35607;"""Well, hypothetically, if I'm going to cook, what will I get in return?""" text35608;"""We shall see.""" text35609;"""She smiled slyly.""" text35610;"""What would you want?""" text35611;"""I could only think of one thing, and was about to say it out loud, when Himitsu accidentally walked into a bag lying on the floor, dropping the plate, which fell and broke into pieces.""" text35612;"""They say that glass breaks for happiness.""" text35613;"""I haven't heard that before.""" text35614;"""It's true! But it's better not to go overboard, or we'll have nothing to eat from.""" text35615;"""Niko-kun! It's all because your house…""" text35616;"""She kicked the bag up half a meter into the air.""" text35617;"""…is a total mess!""" text35618;"""…""" text35619;"""We were taking our usual route to school, that we had walked hundreds or even thousands of times before.""" text35620;"""And particularly today it seemed the same as it had been a year ago, the same as always.""" text35621;"""Catherine's return, the KGB and Kobayashi Corporation — would it be the same now or ten years from now? What would happen to us in ten years?""" text35622;"""If before I had never considered it, now I could quite seriously imagine a life together with Himitsu…""" text35623;"""Earth to Niko-kun!""" text35624;"""Copy!""" text35625;"""What were you daydreaming about?""" text35626;"""About you!""" text35627;"""What do you mean about me?""" text35628;"""She asked, puzzled.""" text35629;"""I've decided that I could eat your borscht for a while longer. Unless I get tired of it!""" text35630;"""Niko-kun…""" text35631;"""Himitsu grew embarrassed and turned away.""" text35632;"""You're always joking.""" text35633;"""I think I'm pretty good at it. Maybe I should be a comedian.""" text35634;"""Just not a professional clown, I hoped. In the worst sense of the word.""" text35635;"""Are you sure you're gonna be alright at school?""" text35636;"""She suddenly changed the subject.""" text35637;"""Yeah, why wouldn't I be?""" text35638;"""Well, you haven't been there for a few days now, you don't even know what homework they've been giving…""" text35639;"""Not that I did homework even when I got it.""" text35640;"""I'll come up with something.""" text35641;"""Not that any of the teachers would be actually interested.""" text35642;"""Of course, they could expel me, but since I had achieved my bare minimum in terms of attendance and my grades weren't even the worst, it wouldn't be that easy.""" text35643;"""Besides, this was a private school, meaning that it was sponsored by students' parents.""" text35644;"""You know, I'm lazy, not stupid!""" text35645;"""Well, sometimes I forget that, looking at you!""" text35646;"""…""" text35647;"""We came across Himitsu's classmates who greeted her, then crossed to the other side of the road, whispering enthusiastically and occasionally casting meaningful glances over at us.""" text35648;"""What's the matter with them?""" text35649;"""Nothing serious.""" text35650;"""She said, not showing much interest.""" text35651;"""Who are you and where is my Himitsu!?""" text35652;"""I grabbed her by shoulders and lightly shook her back and forth.""" text35653;"""Where had her shyness and embarrassment gone?""" text35654;"""Niko-kun, stop it!""" text35655;"""They're discussing you over there, and you seem not to care at all!""" text35656;"""Well, I guess I just don't anymore.""" text35657;"""We were approaching the school.""" text35658;"""Do you want to have lunch together?""" text35659;"""You've made lunch as well?""" text35660;"""No way, you can't expect that much of me yet!""" text35661;"""So you're counting on my bento, aren't you?""" text35662;"""Can't I?""" text35663;"""She seemed to think a moment.""" text35664;"""I guess you can today!""" text35665;"""See you later then!""" text35666;"""Don't sleep during class!""" text35667;"""The first person I noticed when I walked into the classroom was Michael.""" text35668;"""He tore himself away from one of his ever-present books and gave me a slight nod.""" text35669;"""It's not like I hadn't respected him before, but after what he'd done yesterday, that respect grew a little greater.""" text35670;"""So, did you have a good rest?""" text35671;"""Kyosuke asked snidely once I sat behind my desk.""" text35672;"""I did! I feel great.""" text35673;"""If only everyone could have such a carefree attitude toward life!""" text35674;"""Doesn't seem hard to me.""" text35675;"""Yeah, when you don't give a damn about anything!""" text35676;"""I couldn't understand if Kyosuke was being serious or joking.""" text35677;"""Since when have you become a moralist?""" text35678;"""You know, it doesn't feel great to sit here for half a day then spend another half a day doing homework, while somebody is… having fun!""" text35679;"""You say that as if someone's making you do it all.""" text35680;"""Of course they are!""" text35681;"""Oh come on!""" text35682;"""I grinned.""" text35683;"""Catherine appeared right before the bell and quickly sat behind her desk, paying no attention to me.""" text35684;"""I said nothing — there was no reason to start a conversation.""" text35685;"""Classes went as usual, boring and routine.""" text35686;"""I always found it easier to extract information from books instead of forcing myself to listen to someone.""" text35687;"""In fact, I'd say schools care more about grades than how useful or practical the knowledge they teach their students is.""" text35688;"""Because grades are the only measure of the quality of education at the moment.""" text35689;"""You can say a kid is talented or has potential as much as you like, but how can you actually express that potential?""" text35690;"""Is the kid at seven out of ten on the talent scale?""" text35691;"""We had managed to split the atom and start building spaceships, but it seemed to me sometimes that the social sciences lagged further and further behind the technical ones.""" text35692;"""Perhaps in the future teachers would be replaced with soulless robots — precise, faultless, and emotionless.""" text35693;"""Just like production lines had replaced menial workers.""" text35694;"""Wouldn't that lead to a future where scholastic production lines produced identical parts for society? Parts with no feelings, passion, ambition, creativity, compassion, or morals?""" text35695;"""…""" text35696;"""During break, Katya quickly walked out of the classroom, and I headed for lunch with Himitsu.""" text35697;"""We sat down in the yard, on our favorite bench.""" text35698;"""A classmate asked me to go to karaoke.""" text35699;"""Karaoke? Sure, go, might be a good idea.""" text35700;"""Don't you want to go with me?""" text35701;"""Me?""" text35702;"""Usually she didn't invite me to these events and didn't often go herself either.""" text35703;"""Yeah, is something wrong?""" text35704;"""Nothing, just… Will Saya-chan be there, too?""" text35705;"""I guess so.""" text35706;"""Himitsu smiled.""" text35707;"""Aren't you afraid that we might have a fight?""" text35708;"""I hope you won't start bullying girls!""" text35709;"""Then we're on unequal grounds – she can bully me…""" text35710;"""Nobody's bullying you, Niko-kun!""" text35711;"""Alright, if you say so!""" text35712;"""…""" text35713;"""I was walking back to our classroom and thinking about Catherine.""" text35714;"""I wondered what she felt about these new circumstances.""" text35715;"""The excitement of the first few days had faded, and we all knew we needed to get on with our lives.""" text35716;"""First there were emotions, demands, rejection of any compromise, and the inability to think about consequences.""" text35717;"""And then came the realization that life went on and everything remained the same.""" text35718;"""We shouted at each other, broke some dishes, then sat down to have dinner in the five square metre kitchen of a Soviet Khruschev-era apartment, as we had nowhere else to go!""" text35719;"""It was quite a crude analogy for Japan, but Catherine and I had to, if not in the same kitchen, at least spend time in the same school.""" text35720;"""Something struck at my chest from inside — I realized I'd never thought about what would come next, what I would do and feel if everything remained the same.""" text35721;"""…""" text35722;"""Classes finally ended and I ran out of classroom in anticipation of karaoke.""" text35723;"""My singing abilities left much to be desired, but at least it would be a change of scenery!""" text35724;"""Outside I was met with an unexpected twist — Kagome, standing at my locker.""" text35725;"""How did she manage to get there faster than me?""" text35726;"""We need to talk!""" text35727;"""I'm in a hurry, actually.""" text35728;"""It's important.""" text35729;"""So what do you want to talk about?""" text35730;"""Not here.""" text35731;"""I figured I still had some time. Besides, I was interested in what Kagome wanted to talk about.""" text35732;"""…""" text35733;"""Lead the way!""" text35734;"""We went to the roof.""" text35735;"""You could set up an office here.""" text35736;"""I smirked, but Kagome got to the point immediately:""" text35737;"""What's going on?""" text35738;"""What are you talking about?""" text35739;"""Stop pretending! I know everything!""" text35740;"""Know what?""" text35741;"""This tone right off the bat meant it was something serious, at least for her.""" text35742;"""I know that you're connected to Kobayashi Corporation!""" text35743;"""Me? The fuck are you talking about?! I haven't even graduated yet!""" text35744;"""Kagome clearly wasn't a Corporation agent, and she didn't look like she was with the KGB either, but her words sent a shiver down my spine.""" text35745;"""It took considerable effort to remain outwardly calm.""" text35746;"""Or your parents were.""" text35747;"""Watch your words!""" text35748;"""It really wasn't very polite of her, but I shouted so loudly Kagome shuddered and shrunk back.""" text35749;"""My parents are dead.""" text35750;"""I'm sorry, but that doesn't change anything.""" text35751;"""Doesn't change what? Yes, they worked for Kobayashi Corporation, so what? Tens of thousands of people do.""" text35752;"""You know it's not that simple.""" text35753;"""What isn't that simple?""" text35754;"""I raised my voice again.""" text35755;"""Stop pretending.""" text35756;"""Look, Iwamura, are you alright in the head?""" text35757;"""Kagome frowned but kept sticking to her guns:""" text35758;"""You're lying, it's written on your face!""" text35759;"""The only thing written on my face is that I don't understand a thing you're talking about!""" text35760;"""She paused.""" text35761;"""Maybe you really don't know anything.""" text35762;"""Then this conversation is over.""" text35763;"""Hey!""" text35764;"""I called after her.""" text35765;"""Of course, Iwamura was a weird girl, but to hear about my parents and Kobayashi Corporation from her…""" text35766;"""I could have stopped her and interrogated her about everything, but I felt it'd be too much.""" text35767;"""After all, we were at school — she'd scream, and then what?""" text35768;"""They would definitely believe her over me, whatever she came up with!""" text35769;"""Rapist — be my guest, serial killer — no problem!""" text35770;"""Most teachers probably wouldn't even be surprised!""" text35771;"""Maybe Kagome knew something or was involved somehow, but she clearly didn't pose any threat herself.""" text35772;"""Besides, Himitsu was waiting for me!""" text35773;"""It was surprising how for the past couple of days, thinking about her caused all my other problems to fade into the background.""" text35774;"""…""" text35775;"""At first, karaoke felt pretty awkward and even tense.""" text35776;"""I had no issues with Himitsu's other classmates (at least, I thought so), but Saya-chan…""" text35777;"""At first she wouldn't even look at me, but an enclosed space can work miracles.""" text35778;"""You either need to kill your enemy or learn to co-exist with them.""" text35779;"""So after a couple of songs she seemed to come to peace with my presence.""" text35780;"""I didn't have much fun though, I could only think about Kagome's words.""" text35781;"""What did I know about her? Well, absolutely nothing!""" text35782;"""Meanwhile, she knew about my parents, about Kobayashi Corporation?""" text35783;"""Perhaps she was also a victim?""" text35784;"""This conclusion sounded more logical than any other, so I decided to stick to it and ask her about it openly at first opportunity.""" text35785;"""When we left karaoke it was already evening.""" text35786;"""Time passed so quickly!""" text35787;"""You can say that again!""" text35788;"""Saya was walking with us, while the others went in another direction.""" text35789;"""Do you also live nearby?""" text35790;"""No, I'm going to the station.""" text35791;"""Oh right, it's on the way…""" text35792;"""I felt a bit awkward around her — after all, my past behavior wasn't exactly up to Japanese standards.""" text35793;"""But Saya, in turn, wasn't displaying any open hostility toward me.""" text35794;"""Maybe because Himitsu was around.""" text35795;"""Singing isn't my thing, after all! If only I had my bass…""" text35796;"""I totally agree with you there, Anokhin-san!""" text35797;"""About the bass?""" text35798;"""About your singing!""" text35799;"""Well it's not like you exactly have the greatest voice either.""" text35800;"""Never claimed to.""" text35801;"""Enough, both of you!""" text35802;"""Himitsu laughed.""" text35803;"""Look who's talking! Your singing is pretty alright.""" text35804;"""I'm not even sure whether that was a compliment or an insult…""" text35805;"""From Niko-kun, it's a compliment.""" text35806;"""Some girls did indeed sing better than her, but compared to Saya and me, Himitsu sounded like a primadonna.""" text35807;"""Well, to each their own.""" text35808;"""Can you really play the bass?""" text35809;"""Are you really interested?""" text35810;"""So, is he any good?""" text35811;"""She turned to Himitsu.""" text35812;"""Well…""" text35813;"""Say it like it is already!""" text35814;"""I don't know much about music.""" text35815;"""My thoughts exactly!""" text35816;"""She didn't say I'm bad!""" text35817;"""She didn't say you're good either!""" text35818;"""So am I bad at it or not? Don't be afraid to upset me!""" text35819;"""Yeah, tell the truth!""" text35820;"""Come on, guys…""" text35821;"""Himitsu begged.""" text35822;"""Soon we approached the station and bid farewell to Saya.""" text35823;"""Niko-kun…""" text35824;"""Himitsu grabbed me by the hand.""" text35825;"""Like when we were little!""" text35826;"""And smiled.""" text35827;"""I didn't say anything, just squeezed her little hand in mine.""" text35828;"""At the same second, I found myself feeling good, even somehow peaceful.""" text35829;"""Maybe I hadn't sorted myself out fully, but at this moment I wanted to be right there. With her.""" text35830;"""To some extent, I owed a debt of gratitude to Catherine, the KGB, and even Kobayashi Corporation for that.""" text35831;"""But no — not the Corporation!""" text35832;"""Today has been perfect!""" text35833;"""Himitsu finally broke the silence.""" text35834;"""Yeah, it's been nice.""" text35835;"""I wish we could always have days like this!""" text35836;"""I sighed.""" text35837;"""What's the matter, Niko-kun?""" text35838;"""I was thinking that we used to have a lot of days like this, we just never paid them much attention.""" text35839;"""But we've never gone to karaoke with people…""" text35840;"""It's not about karaoke. There's even a proverb…""" text35841;"""Enough of your proverbs!""" text35842;"""Anyway, it's true. We need to cherish the moment since we can never know what tomorrow will bring. Especially in my case.""" text35843;"""Himitsu lowered her head.""" text35844;"""You mean, in terms of… your circumstances?""" text35845;"""Yeah, of course.""" text35846;"""Has anything new happened?""" text35847;"""N-no…""" text35848;"""It was too soon to tell her about my conversation with Kagome — nothing about her was clear.""" text35849;"""Do you still think that we're going to be alright?""" text35850;"""We've been alright so far. Which means we've been acting as we should.""" text35851;"""But, if something happens, will you tell me?""" text35852;"""Of course!""" text35853;"""No, promise me!""" text35854;"""Himitsu exclaimed anxiously.""" text35855;"""I promise!""" text35856;"""There we go. And don't forget about it. To help you, I need to know everything that happens with you!""" text35857;"""Shall I provide daily reports for you to sign every evening?""" text35858;"""Sounds like a great idea!""" text35859;"""Speaking of the evening… Today went way too quickly, don't you think?""" text35860;"""No… Although yeah, maybe.""" text35861;"""There's a film I wanted to watch on TV…""" text35862;"""Oh, Niko-kun, I'm sorry, I completely forgot! Tomorrow my father and I are leaving to visit my grandma for the weekend, so tonight I need to pack everything.""" text35863;"""For the whole weekend?""" text35864;"""Yes.""" text35865;"""She replied sadly.""" text35866;"""So, all Saturday and Sunday?""" text35867;"""Yes.""" text35868;"""When are you coming back?""" text35869;"""Monday morning.""" text35870;"""I see.""" text35871;"""The thought that Himitsu would leave for two entire days made me feel off.""" text35872;"""Even though she used to spend the entire summer at her grandma's while I was melting in stuffy Tokyo.""" text35873;"""Well, I had gone with her a couple of times, but only for a week.""" text35874;"""I didn't even know why — maybe because of some mysterious Japanese tradition or something.""" text35875;"""Well, okay, bring me back some fruits then!""" text35876;"""I'll bring a full basket!""" text35877;"""Also, I wouldn't mind a couple of her nikumans.""" text35878;"""I'll ask her to make some just for you.""" text35879;"""Alright, then I don't feel that bad about you leaving.""" text35880;"""What are you going to do?""" text35881;"""Nothing, I guess. Do you have any suggestions?""" text35882;"""Well, you can do your homework. It never hurts to improve your grades.""" text35883;"""I'll think about it.""" text35884;"""I replied in a serious tone.""" text35885;"""We approached the house. Himitsu looked cautiously around and kissed me on the lips.""" text35886;"""It was so sudden that I didn't immediately realize what happened, and only when she was a few metres away did I feel blood rushing to my face.""" text35887;"""Like an eighth grader, damn it!""" text35888;"""Himitsu's boldness was even more surprising…""" text35889;"""See you on Monday!""" text35890;"""See you!""" text35891;"""I walked into the yard and saw…""" text35892;"""Kagome, sitting on the porch.""" text35893;"""It's you again!""" text35894;"""I exclaimed.""" text35895;"""And immediately turned around. Luckily, Himitsu had already gone home.""" text35896;"""We haven't finished.""" text35897;"""I'd say we never even started. And I don't have any desire to change that.""" text35898;"""I tried to enter my house, but Kagome stood stubbornly in my way.""" text35899;"""I'll tell you everything, but you have to hear me out first!""" text35900;"""\""Everything\"" being…?""" text35901;"""Everything about your parents.""" text35902;"""I hesitated for a while, glancing around and listening to my surroundings.""" text35903;"""If this was some plot, the point of it was beyond my understanding.""" text35904;"""How did you find out where I live?""" text35905;"""You think it's that difficult?""" text35906;"""She smirked.""" text35907;"""I don't know, that's why I'm asking.""" text35908;"""The school has files on everyone, and I'm a class rep, meaning I'm a regular visitor to the teachers' room.""" text35909;"""Is that even legal? I think I'll report you to Kiyama-sensei!""" text35910;"""You can report me to the Pope if you want, just hear me out first!""" text35911;"""Well, fine, come in then.""" text35912;"""I opened the door and invited her to enter.""" text35913;"""Kagome hesitated a moment, then stepped inside.""" text35914;"""Do you want something to drink? Tea? Sorry, I don't have coffee.""" text35915;"""Do you live all alone in a house this big?""" text35916;"""She completely ignored my hospitality.""" text35917;"""As you can see.""" text35918;"""That's not very cost-efficient.""" text35919;"""So, what did you want to talk about?""" text35920;"""I sat opposite her and looked at her intently.""" text35921;"""My father used to work at Kobayashi Corporation. In fact, he used to work on the same project as your parents.""" text35922;"""This project is classified, and I don't really know anything about it.""" text35923;"""But then they fired him, and my father had to help my grandfather at our restaurant.""" text35924;"""Such rank ingratitude for such a talented scientist!""" text35925;"""Kagome said viciously.""" text35926;"""The details of her family situation didn't interest me much.""" text35927;"""So, what then?""" text35928;"""A few days ago he was kidnapped! By the Corporation's people!""" text35929;"""Why are you so positive they were the Corporation's people?""" text35930;"""Muscled men in black suits barged into the restaurant in the middle of the day and took my father away — who else could they be?""" text35931;"""Did you have any business trouble? Maybe debts?""" text35932;"""No!""" text35933;"""That got Kagome worked up immediately.""" text35934;"""Our restaurant might be small, but we do honest business!""" text35935;"""Honesty is irrelevant in this case. You can be as holy as a hermit and have a million dollars in debt.""" text35936;"""She gave me a dreadful look.""" text35937;"""What do you know?!""" text35938;"""Hey, this isn't about me at all!""" text35939;"""We're doing alright, or at least not badly!""" text35940;"""Kagome finally answered my question properly.""" text35941;"""Did you try the police?""" text35942;"""Yes, but they just politely waved me away! Isn't it obvious that they even have the police in their pocket?""" text35943;"""Maybe, but — sorry! — I still don't understand, what does your story have to do with me or my parents?""" text35944;"""They all used to work on this project together! Maybe they were killed because of it!""" text35945;"""I didn't need Iwamura to tell me that, but I decided to keep my mouth shut.""" text35946;"""It was all very weird, sure, but on the other hand, even the secret Project had to have had more than two people working on it.""" text35947;"""My parents, Kagome's father, Ichinose, however many more?""" text35948;"""Maybe the Corporation was just trying to eliminate everyone involved.""" text35949;"""They weren't killed… They died in a car accident.""" text35950;"""I said, uncertainly.""" text35951;"""Do you really believe that?""" text35952;"""I'd like to help, but you do know my parents are already dead…""" text35953;"""So you know nothing?""" text35954;"""What could I know?""" text35955;"""I grinned wearily.""" text35956;"""Besides, what else do you know except what you've told me already?""" text35957;"""Kagome bit her lip and clicked her tongue, annoyed.""" text35958;"""I don't believe in coincidences.""" text35959;"""I don't think it matters what you believe…""" text35960;"""So nobody from the Corporation came to you? Never asked you anything?""" text35961;"""What about you?""" text35962;"""Don't just repeat the question!""" text35963;"""Nobody from the Corporation.""" text35964;"""So from somewhere else?""" text35965;"""For a moment I even wanted to tell her everything — maybe just to have another ally.""" text35966;"""However, thinking about it rationally, I had to admit Kagome wouldn't make a good one. She was too unstable.""" text35967;"""Not that I knew her that well…""" text35968;"""No.""" text35969;"""Something tells me you're hiding something!""" text35970;"""As people in my country say: \""When something occurs to you too often, you should cross yourself!\""""" text35971;"""Do you really think I'd joke with something that might be related to my parents' death?! Would you joke about your father being kidnapped?""" text35972;"""No, of course not, sorry…""" text35973;"""She grew embarrassed and looked away.""" text35974;"""It's fine, I just really can't tell you anything else.""" text35975;"""By the way, how do you know about my parents?""" text35976;"""My father's friend told me everything.""" text35977;"""Did this friend also work on the Project?""" text35978;"""Iwamura might be useful after all.""" text35979;"""No… I don't know… He's in danger too, so he didn't tell me much.""" text35980;"""By the way…""" text35981;"""The thought had been nagging at me for a while already.""" text35982;"""What's your father's name?""" text35983;"""Akira Shinji, why?""" text35984;"""Akira Shinji… Pretty common name. It's nothing, I just wanted to know since he knew my parents.""" text35985;"""Does the name mean anything to you?""" text35986;"""Nothing at all.""" text35987;"""Of course it did! It was the person Ichinose had mentioned to me.""" text35988;"""But no matter how entertaining or curious this was, I hadn't learned anything new in the end.""" text35989;"""Well, yeah, he used to work on this Project, yeah, he was kidnapped… So what?""" text35990;"""Ichinose had said he was probably killed already.""" text35991;"""I looked at Kagome's tense face and couldn't find the courage to tell her that.""" text35992;"""Not just out of concern for my own safety, but also because I couldn't destroy the last hope she had.""" text35993;"""I'm sure your father will turn up!""" text35994;"""How can you possibly be sure about that?""" text35995;"""Fine, I just wanted to cheer you up, happy now?""" text35996;"""Kagome stood up.""" text35997;"""The best thing you could do would be to give me information! So if you learn anything, let me know right away, got it?""" text35998;"""Got it, got it…""" text35999;"""I saw her to the gate and returned to the kitchen.""" text36000;"""I'd learned so much about my parents' life and death recently…""" text36001;"""As hard as it was to acknowledge, it seemed I hadn't known them at all!""" text36002;"""At least, I hadn't known the truth about their job.""" text36003;"""According to Catherine, they were suspected of espionage, weren't they?""" text36004;"""No, I couldn't believe that — I clearly remembered how we left the USSR, even if I had been only a child.""" text36005;"""When you're seven years old, it's difficult to comprehend what adults feel and think, even to interpret their facial expressions, but a little person always has some sort of intuition — he or she just knows when something isn't right.""" text36006;"""And I did.""" text36007;"""…""" text36008;"""My cold dinner, made from leftovers found in the fridge, seemed even more tasteless eaten alone.""" text36009;"""Something hurt in my chest, and I shivered as if cold, although it was pretty warm inside.""" text36010;"""The reason was obvious to me — I was used to Himitsu always being around, and now I could feel how much I missed her."""