text38236;"""Monday is always a difficult day.""" text38237;"""One of the first thoughts I had in the morning was about how long it'd take for Kyosuke to spread the word that he'd met Kagome at my place.""" text38238;"""And if only that was the only problem!""" text38239;"""Kyosuke seeing her grandfather meant the story would be painted in totally different colors by his telling.""" text38240;"""Completely Lovecraftian colors that had nothing to do with reality!""" text38241;"""Kyosuke's stories spreading was scarier than the chance that the actual truth might come out.""" text38242;"""Breakfast was already ready when I entered the kitchen, which buoyed my spirits somewhat.""" text38243;"""Good morning.""" text38244;"""Kagome sat at the table with her grandfather by her side, another chair set across from them.""" text38245;"""Against my will, this setup was leaving me the hot seat, like the accused in a courtroom.""" text38246;"""Good morning, Niko-kun. Did you sleep well?""" text38247;"""Pretty well, thank you. What about you? It's not easy to fall asleep in a new place.""" text38248;"""Old people generally don't sleep well.""" text38249;"""He smiled, and his expression was so full of humility that it made me feel a bit uncomfortable.""" text38250;"""He was supposed to be about the same age as Kobayashi Jun, although I only had a very vague idea on how to tell the ages of people way older than me.""" text38251;"""Still, the head of Kobayashi Corporation both looked and acted with much more confidence.""" text38252;"""No offense to Moriyuki-san, but you could say that his life was at its nadir, while Kobayashi Jun gave the impression of a brisk old man, still full of energy.""" text38253;"""What about you? Slept well?""" text38254;"""I asked Kagome somewhat ironically.""" text38255;"""Well enough.""" text38256;"""She was drinking coffee, the smell of it bringing back memories that seemed like they didn't belong to me.""" text38257;"""The instructive tone of my mother and the detached expression on my father's face, the monotonous hum of the television and the noise of the vacuum cleaner…""" text38258;"""When did I last use a vacuum cleaner?""" text38259;"""Casting these thoughts away, I focused on the food.""" text38260;"""…""" text38261;"""Thank you, everything was delicious.""" text38262;"""You are welcome.""" text38263;"""Kagome replied coldly.""" text38264;"""And now we need to go to school.""" text38265;"""Only then did I notice she was wearing her uniform.""" text38266;"""I see you saved what's most important from the fire!""" text38267;"""What do you mean?""" text38268;"""The uniform.""" text38269;"""Of course not! I bought a new one yesterday.""" text38270;"""Aaah, that's where you went.""" text38271;"""What did you think?""" text38272;"""Didn't think a thing!""" text38273;"""I snapped back and stood up.""" text38274;"""…""" text38275;"""We walked out of the house together, but I stopped at the gate.""" text38276;"""Maybe it'd be better if we go to school separately?""" text38277;"""What, are you afraid we'll be seen together?""" text38278;"""I'm not, but…""" text38279;"""I sighed and closed my eyes for a while, as if hoping that the cruel outside world would turn into something else.""" text38280;"""Kyosuke must've told everyone already. So there may be all kinds of unbelievable rumors going around about us at school.""" text38281;"""For example?""" text38282;"""Well, for example…""" text38283;"""Of course, Kyosuke had a much more vivid imagination than I did.""" text38284;"""That you're pregnant, and your grandfather is here to supervise our engagement.""" text38285;"""Kagome blushed, but then giggled.""" text38286;"""If only your Kyosuke knew my grandfather! He's the one who has to be supervised.""" text38287;"""But he doesn't. And what Kyosuke doesn't know, he tends to make up.""" text38288;"""Even if that's the case, I'm not too scared.""" text38289;"""Good for you…""" text38290;"""Truth be told, I had zero interest in catching weird looks and becoming the subject of gossip.""" text38291;"""I had more important things to deal with and I didn't need the extra attention.""" text38292;"""So do we have a deal?""" text38293;"""Kagome looked at me seriously.""" text38294;"""Niko-san, I understand what you mean. But I'm not going to toe the line, hide, or let them control my life!""" text38295;"""Do you understand the concept of a reasonable compromise?""" text38296;"""We aren't toeing any lines, we're just trying not to make the situation any worse!""" text38297;"""It's not like you can explain to every single person what's going on, right?""" text38298;"""Or — I don't know — give a speech in front of the entire school from a podium, like the principal would.""" text38299;"""Common sense! Understand?""" text38300;"""Kagome was looking at me, her eyebrows slowly but steadily drawing together.""" text38301;"""If you don't want to go to school with me, you don't have to. You don't have to go to school at all — what do I care?!""" text38302;"""She turned around abruptly and walked away.""" text38303;"""I'd managed to get what I wanted in the end, but I would have liked to do so a little more peacefully.""" text38304;"""After five minutes I decided Kagome was far enough ahead of me.""" text38305;"""It was quiet in Himitsu's house.""" text38306;"""I wondered how she'd react once she found out I had another girl living with me…?""" text38307;"""…""" text38308;"""I walked to school slower than usual, changed my shoes, and went up to the second floor.""" text38309;"""It had seemed like nobody was looking at me with particular attention, but everything changed as soon as I entered the classroom.""" text38310;"""Kagome was sitting behind her desk, looking out the window, but it was like someone had set up an invisible wall separating my new roommate from the rest of the class.""" text38311;"""The guys reacted like they'd seen someone from the opposing team in their locker room, while the girls started whispering frantically.""" text38312;"""I walked to my desk and gave Kyosuke a sullen look.""" text38313;"""He was pretending not to notice me.""" text38314;"""Actually, I wasn't too angry at him. It's stupid to be angry with a nightingale for singing, that's just how the bird is.""" text38315;"""I was more annoyed by the need to put on an act, pretend.""" text38316;"""So I was living with a girl — so what? What's the big deal?!""" text38317;"""And why was everyone so interested in other people's lives?""" text38318;"""I could've understood, but… They weren't even my friends!""" text38319;"""Except maybe for…""" text38320;"""Michael approached me.""" text38321;"""Hi Nick. I don't want to start this conversation, but it's better if you hear it from me.""" text38322;"""I'm listening.""" text38323;"""I prepared myself to learn what Kyosuke's creative genius had produced.""" text38324;"""People are saying you impregnated Iwamura-san, got her kicked out of her house, and now she's living with you.""" text38325;"""Maybe I shouldn't have underestimated my imagination after all!""" text38326;"""It was almost the story I had told Kagome half an hour ago.""" text38327;"""Kyosuke?""" text38328;"""I asked in a dull voice.""" text38329;"""…""" text38330;"""He didn't reply, just looked at me sympathetically.""" text38331;"""Kyosuke?""" text38332;"""I repeated.""" text38333;"""I don't know for sure. He swears he has nothing to do with it.""" text38334;"""In any case, Nick, you should know I don't believe it.""" text38335;"""He sounded like Gollum trying to persuade Frodo and Sam that they can trust him.""" text38336;"""Just tell me, how did you find out about it?""" text38337;"""The entire class knows.""" text38338;"""I see.""" text38339;"""I grit my teeth and clenched my fists.""" text38340;"""I don't think it was Kyosuke… At least, not deliberately.""" text38341;"""Thanks, I heard you.""" text38342;"""There were only several minutes left before class — not enough to have a serious conversation with Kyosuke.""" text38343;"""Somehow, my initial good will toward him had disappeared without a trace.""" text38344;"""Maybe it was because the school would eventually find out about Kagome's new living condition.""" text38345;"""And even if not, I wouldn't feel guilty about that.""" text38346;"""But they'd only learn what the bare truth was — not wrapped in Kyosuke's bountiful imagination.""" text38347;"""I knew he could've spiced it up a little, sure, but this was beyond the pale!""" text38348;"""I barely managed to wait until the end of our first class.""" text38349;"""The entire time Kyosuke tried so desperately not to look in my direction that he probably deserved an award just for effort.""" text38350;"""Finally, the bell rang, and I dashed to his desk.""" text38351;"""Let's go and talk, my dear friend!""" text38352;"""I grabbed Kyosuke by the back of his jacket and dragged him to the hallway.""" text38353;"""Nick, I know what you're thinking, but it wasn't me!""" text38354;"""He immediately started offering excuses.""" text38355;"""Good that you know. It'll save us some time.""" text38356;"""I swear! I haven't told anybody that you and Iwamura-san… Well, I mean…""" text38357;"""What me and Iwamura-san?""" text38358;"""I don't know, Nick! I saw you together, but that doesn't mean that you…""" text38359;"""That we what?""" text38360;"""Her house burnt down — and you just offered help. A roof over her head, so to say. Anyone in your place would…""" text38361;"""Kyosuke tried to make excuses, but it was clear to see what he really thought about the whole situation.""" text38362;"""And could I blame him?""" text38363;"""If Kagome's restaurant had burnt down a month ago, would I have let her live at my place while she and her grandfather tried to figure out what to do next?""" text38364;"""I had to at least be honest with myself — it wasn't likely.""" text38365;"""But Kyosuke didn't know about the events of the last couple weeks — most people in his position would've come to the wrong conclusion.""" text38366;"""Look, I know this seems strange from outside.""" text38367;"""I'm letting a classmate I'd barely talked to before live at my home, her grandfather too!""" text38368;"""But she has her own circumstances! And so do I. And there's nothing between us.""" text38369;"""The last phrase felt like it had been said by someone else.""" text38370;"""And, in any case, nobody gave you the right to gossip about it!""" text38371;"""Nick, I swear I haven't told anyone!""" text38372;"""Haven't told anyone probably means you only told a couple friends and asked them to keep it secret, right?""" text38373;"""Not telling anyone means telling nobody!""" text38374;"""And when would I have had the time? It hasn't even been a day!""" text38375;"""Rumors spread quickly.""" text38376;"""Nick, I'm serious!""" text38377;"""Kyosuke was speaking so confidently I even doubted myself for a moment.""" text38378;"""Could anyone else have seen us?""" text38379;"""I couldn't exclude the possibility, but it was hard to imagine any of my classmates spying on me on a Sunday.""" text38380;"""Okay, so who could it be then? You said it yourself — it hasn't been a day.""" text38381;"""Nick, I swear I don't know!""" text38382;"""Suddenly, his face brightened up.""" text38383;"""What about Himitsu-chan? Have you asked her?""" text38384;"""Himitsu…""" text38385;"""I said automatically, the name echoing disturbingly in my mind.""" text38386;"""Himitsu can keep her mouth shut, unlike some people. She hasn't even seen…""" text38387;"""And even if she had, she'd talk to me first!""" text38388;"""No, I couldn't imagine Himitsu spreading the rumor.""" text38389;"""Still, our relationship was far from perfect lately.""" text38390;"""Human perception is so strange!""" text38391;"""I'd never thought Himitsu was a bad person, but here I was ready to attribute her with something she'd never do!""" text38392;"""It's not Himitsu!""" text38393;"""And not me.""" text38394;"""He was sticking to his guns, and I had no idea what to do next.""" text38395;"""Kyosuke didn't have a particularly strong backbone, sure, but if he was sure about something, he wouldn't back down.""" text38396;"""But, his visit yesterday and his encounter with Kagome and her grandfather… Could it just be a coincidence?""" text38397;"""Continue interrogating Kyosuke""" text38398;"""Let it go""" text38399;"""Who could it be, then?""" text38400;"""Why do you immediately assume it was me when there are no other suspects?""" text38401;"""Because you miraculously dropped by my place yesterday and saw…""" text38402;"""It sounded like I was ashamed of the fact Kagome was living at my home.""" text38403;"""…what you saw!""" text38404;"""He only sighed heavily in response.""" text38405;"""I'm not angry at you.""" text38406;"""I tried to say it as gently as possible.""" text38407;"""I just need the truth.""" text38408;"""If I had really told everyone, I would've told you so already! Don't you think?""" text38409;"""That was a valid point — of course, Kyosuke was a blabbermouth, but not a slanderer.""" text38410;"""He could've let it slip when talking to someone, but he would've immediately confessed to it.""" text38411;"""I guess.""" text38412;"""But if it were you, you would've told me, right?""" text38413;"""Of course, Nick!""" text38414;"""His expression was so genuine I even felt ashamed for being suspicious of him.""" text38415;"""Then who could it be? I doubt there's someone watching my house 24/7.""" text38416;"""Except, probably, for the KGB and Kobayashi Corporation…""" text38417;"""But I couldn't imagine organizations like that spreading rumors at my school.""" text38418;"""And the pregnancy…""" text38419;"""I added in a softer voice.""" text38420;"""It's not just someone saying that they saw Iwamura at my place…""" text38421;"""Maybe someone wanted to hurt you.""" text38422;"""Perhaps he was right.""" text38423;"""And if I thought about who I could consider my enemies…""" text38424;"""Just then Kagome appeared from around the corner, walking straight for us.""" text38425;"""There you are!""" text38426;"""She immediately jumped on Kyosuke.""" text38427;"""Mind telling me if I look pregnant?!""" text38428;"""Kagome, wait…""" text38429;"""I tried to stand up for my friend, as I wasn't so sure about his guilt anymore.""" text38430;"""Niko-san, I can handle this myself!""" text38431;"""She cut me off, once again showing her unwavering tenacity capable to tear down anything and everything on the way to her goal.""" text38432;"""So, answer me, what the hell were you thinking?""" text38433;"""Kyosuke was a sorry sight.""" text38434;"""Iwamura-san, I've already explained to Nick that it wasn't me. It was pure coincidence that we met at his place, I haven't told anyone a word about it! I swear!""" text38435;"""Just a coincidence, you say? How convenient!""" text38436;"""Iwamura-san…""" text38437;"""I don't believe in coincidences.""" text38438;"""God, what else am I supposed to do to get you two to believe me?""" text38439;"""He looked away from her and to me, looking for support.""" text38440;"""I really think that…""" text38441;"""But Kagome didn't even look at me.""" text38442;"""And you call yourself Niko-san's friend! You're ready to sell anyone for your fifteen minutes of fame!""" text38443;"""Even if Kyosuke actually was at fault here, he hadn't done it out of malice.""" text38444;"""Wait, just hold your horses…""" text38445;"""And you, Niko-san? You're perfectly happy to let anyone walk all over you!""" text38446;"""No wonder you nursed such a snake on your chest!""" text38447;"""Kagome, enough! You're taking it too far!""" text38448;"""And you, know that I won't leave it like this!""" text38449;"""She kept attacking Kyosuke.""" text38450;"""I… I…""" text38451;"""Kagome was panting, but seemingly couldn't come up with a realistic enough threat.""" text38452;"""In the end, she scoffed, turned around, and all but ran in the direction of our classroom.""" text38453;"""Nick, what did she mean…""" text38454;"""Kyosuke looked genuinely scared.""" text38455;"""She's going to ambush you after school and stab you in the back with a knife.""" text38456;"""On the other hand, if Kagome really is pregnant, she wouldn't risk the child.""" text38457;"""Then she'll send her grandfather after you instead. And he's a black belt in karate — don't be deceived by his feeble appearance!""" text38458;"""So you're joking, right?""" text38459;"""What do you think?""" text38460;"""I asked wearily.""" text38461;"""Iwamura-san can be very persuasive when she wants to be.""" text38462;"""That she can.""" text38463;"""This words made my heart respond with a warm feeling, as if it was someone close to me being praised.""" text38464;"""So she really won't do anything to me?""" text38465;"""He kept worrying.""" text38466;"""Calm down, she won't. I'll see to it.""" text38467;"""But we still don't know who's spreading these rumors and why.""" text38468;"""Someone must benefit from it.""" text38469;"""Benefit from it…""" text38470;"""I returned to the thought that had been interrupted by Kagome's appearance.""" text38471;"""If I had to name the people in this school I could call enemies, they'd be Asakura, Kawashima, and the rest of their gang.""" text38472;"""Asakura?""" text38473;"""She hasn't been at school this morning.""" text38474;"""That means nothing.""" text38475;"""I guess.""" text38476;"""I wanted to ask something else, but the bell rang.""" text38477;"""Asakura wasn't there by the second period either.""" text38478;"""Of course, in itself this wasn't any more unusual than my constant truancy.""" text38479;"""She could've spread the rumor yesterday over the phone — I was sure she had enough connections at school to do so.""" text38480;"""But I couldn't just sit and do nothing.""" text38481;"""If it wasn't Asakura, that must've been Kawashima!""" text38482;"""Naturally, I couldn't just run into their classroom and start accusing her.""" text38483;"""But I could talk to Ellie!""" text38484;"""I barely waited for the break and hurried to the old music room.""" text38485;"""I hoped Ellie didn't believe the rumors…""" text38486;"""Actually, even though yesterday's conversation hadn't ended well, I'd still managed to explain everything to her.""" text38487;"""It was quiet in the old wing.""" text38488;"""I hesitated at the classroom's door for a moment, but then got it together and pulled on the handle.""" text38489;"""Fortunately, Ellie hadn't changed her pattern and was there today too.""" text38490;"""She was just sitting behind the piano looking out the window.""" text38491;"""Hello.""" text38492;"""I greeted her politely.""" text38493;"""Ah, Nick… I thought you wouldn't come.""" text38494;"""She replied phlegmatically.""" text38495;"""Sorry for yesterday.""" text38496;"""And then I stopped myself.""" text38497;"""Although, you know, I have nothing to apologize for. I haven't done anything wrong.""" text38498;"""Yes, you're right.""" text38499;"""The sadness in her voice sounded unusual.""" text38500;"""But I still need to talk to you.""" text38501;"""Ellie, you've probably already heard what they're saying about Iwamura and I?""" text38502;"""I have.""" text38503;"""And hopefully you don't believe it?""" text38504;"""Iwamura-san didn't look pregnant yesterday.""" text38505;"""She smiled — but it was like she was a defendant in court who, despite long fighting to overturn her conviction, had finally realized how powerless she was to change it.""" text38506;"""I wanted to joke about Kagome's pregnancy being in its early stages, but changed my mind at the last moment.""" text38507;"""I'm glad. But I'd really like to know who's spreading these rumors.""" text38508;"""…""" text38509;"""Ellie, apparently, took my question for a rhetorical one.""" text38510;"""That's why I wanted to ask you… Maybe, Kawashima said something?""" text38511;"""You think it's Marie?""" text38512;"""She asked very calmly — I hadn't expected this reaction.""" text38513;"""Well, considering her relationship with Iwamura… And let's be honest, I've also had some disagreements with her.""" text38514;"""I don't know, Nick. Everyone was talking about it. Marie as well. But I have no idea who started it.""" text38515;"""I see…""" text38516;"""I drawled, moved a bit closer to the piano, but suddenly felt like I was crossing an invisible line and returned to the door.""" text38517;"""What are you so worried about? You and Iwamura-san love each other — what do you care about other people's opinions?""" text38518;"""Lo… ve?!""" text38519;"""I exclaimed.""" text38520;"""There's nothing between us! Things just turned out like this, that's all!""" text38521;"""Right, you let a perfect stranger live with you. There's nothing to be ashamed of, Nick.""" text38522;"""I'm not ashamed of anything!""" text38523;"""But the thought that Kagome and I could be in an relationship actually made me uncomfortable.""" text38524;"""And the feeling was nothing like the one you'd have when being pushed to get together with the ugliest girl in class.""" text38525;"""If there were something between us, I would've told you!""" text38526;"""A light of hope seemed to glimmer in Ellie's eyes for a moment, but then it went out.""" text38527;"""I just couldn't say no to her! After everything that happened… Her father went missing, her house burned down.""" text38528;"""And it was also their only source of income! All their money went up in the fire, too.""" text38529;"""Yes, we have something in common, I won't deny that. But love! Ellie, you got it all wrong!""" text38530;"""You're explaining yourself like I'm accusing you of a crime.""" text38531;"""I guess I really was trying too hard to justify myself.""" text38532;"""But, to persuade someone else of something, you have to convince yourself of it first.""" text38533;"""Wasn't that exactly what I was doing?""" text38534;"""I have nothing more to say.""" text38535;"""I totally forgot that I had wanted to talk to her about Kawashima.""" text38536;"""But it seemed that Ellie knew nothing more than what she'd told me.""" text38537;"""I understand that you're no longer interested in playing bass?""" text38538;"""Ah, right, about that…""" text38539;"""Naturally, I hadn't been thinking about that at all.""" text38540;"""It's just not the best time right now. I'll think about it when everything is sorted out.""" text38541;"""No need.""" text38542;""" No need for what?""" text38543;"""Music isn't something you should be forced to do.""" text38544;"""Yeah, but…""" text38545;"""I felt like a lazy student, afraid of dropping out only because his parents had spent a lot of money and effort to get him going into university.""" text38546;"""I understand, Nick. No worries. I'm not upset. Iwamura-san is more important to you now.""" text38547;"""Only then did I notice that Ellie was constantly calling Kagome Iwamura-san.""" text38548;"""She'd never referred to her so politely when talking alone with me before.""" text38549;"""I'm telling you—""" text38550;"""I get it.""" text38551;"""She interrupted me, steely notes in her voice.""" text38552;"""Well, since she \""got it\"", what was the point in arguing?""" text38553;"""Well, fine…""" text38554;"""I really doubt that I can help you two with finding Iwamura-san's father…""" text38555;"""But feel free to turn to me if you need help.""" text38556;"""Ellie stood up and walked past me.""" text38557;"""I could see both sadness and determination on her face — like she'd made an important, but very hard decision.""" text38558;"""Thank you…""" text38559;"""I said to no one, when I was left alone.""" text38560;"""…""" text38561;"""Perhaps somewhere deep inside I could guess what Ellie felt, same way you can sometimes guess that the next card will be an ace.""" text38562;"""Except that with the hand I had at the moment, an ace would be too much. I didn't even want to think about it.""" text38563;"""It seemed like our acquaintance would end here — and that would be better for everybody.""" text38564;"""She really couldn't help with finding Kagome's father, but she was capable — even if unintentionally — of making the situation worse.""" text38565;"""I looked at Asakura's empty desk.""" text38566;"""If they'd managed to get away with everything up to this point, spreading a rumor would barely warrant mentioning!""" text38567;"""That was for sure!""" text38568;"""Anyway, if Kagome and her grandfather left for Hokkaido, this incident would quickly be forgotten.""" text38569;"""Teenagers yearn for new experiences, and have trouble with consistency.""" text38570;"""The thought that I'd never see Kagome again made me feel uncomfortable — as if I were losing a close friend, or…""" text38571;"""In the end, I wanted to get to the truth too, and learn the real reason for my parents' deaths.""" text38572;"""I was going to talk to Kagome during the next break, but our inescapable English teacher took her away immediately.""" text38573;"""Michael approached me.""" text38574;"""Nick, do you have plans after school?""" text38575;"""Not any I can think of, is there something you wanted to do?""" text38576;"""Do you want to walk home together? I've got something to talk about, it should take fifteen minutes or so.""" text38577;"""Okay.""" text38578;"""Once classes were over, we left school and casually headed for my house.""" text38579;"""Michael was quiet, as if he'd forgotten that he meant to have a conversation with me.""" text38580;"""Well? I'm all ears.""" text38581;"""Nick, have you found out who was spreading rumors about you and Iwamura-san?""" text38582;"""No. I'm still on it.""" text38583;"""So you have suspects?""" text38584;"""Asakura, Kawashima — who else would be interested in doing this?""" text38585;"""And do you have any evidence?""" text38586;"""Even if I did, what of it? You can't put a person behind bars for being an asshole in Japan.""" text38587;"""But you don't think it's Kyosuke's fault anymore?""" text38588;"""I guess not. I don't know. The lard-ass has a big mouth and all, but pregnancy…!""" text38589;"""When would we have time for that? Just yesterday I had no idea what Iwamura's first name was.""" text38590;"""But now you do.""" text38591;"""From anyone else I would have taken that as an taunt, but Michael's face bore his usual ambiguous expression of both concentration and thoughtful detachment.""" text38592;"""Do you also think there's something between us?""" text38593;"""Is that the case?""" text38594;"""No, it's not.""" text38595;"""I sighed, too weary to even get angry.""" text38596;"""The restaurant she lived in burned to the ground. She asked to stay at my place for a time, I agreed. That's it.""" text38597;"""I see.""" text38598;"""At least he wasn't going to interrogate me.""" text38599;"""And that's what you wanted to talk to me about?""" text38600;"""Not just that. I wanted to inform you that I've asked Catherine out.""" text38601;"""Inform!""" text38602;"""I smirked, but his information echoed with dull pain somewhere inside.""" text38603;"""And did she say?""" text38604;"""She agreed.""" text38605;"""Well, you aren't going to get any congratulations from me, but let's say I'm happy for you.""" text38606;"""Nick, I just want you to know…""" text38607;"""That you did your best to make it right, sure, I get it.""" text38608;"""My blatant sarcasm rang in the air.""" text38609;"""I didn't mean anything like that.""" text38610;"""Sure thing!""" text38611;"""Michael's latest attempt to make himself seem like an honest friend didn't make me as wildly indignant as the last one.""" text38612;"""What was the point in berating a person when they don't understand what they're doing wrong?""" text38613;"""And was I really one judge wrong from right?""" text38614;"""Alright, I don't want to discuss Catherine. I'm just too preoccupied for that.""" text38615;"""You see what's going on around me, right?""" text38616;"""Michael stopped and offered his hand.""" text38617;"""Take care, Nick.""" text38618;"""You too…""" text38619;"""I responded hesitantly.""" text38620;"""…""" text38621;"""And yet, this conversation woke up feelings I really could live without at the moment.""" text38622;"""I wondered how Catherine would react to the rumor that I'd gotten Kagome pregnant.""" text38623;"""I hadn't looked at Katya once the entire day, and seemed to even have forgotten she existed.""" text38624;"""Kagome occupied not only my house but also my thoughts.""" text38625;"""She made her problems mine and forced me to look at things from new angles.""" text38626;"""Including things that had seemed unshakable to me.""" text38627;"""Of course, it was clear that Catherine wouldn't believe such nonsense, but there's no smoke without fire…""" text38628;"""You wouldn't spread rumors if there wasn't any substance to them at all.""" text38629;"""I really had been spending a lot of time with Kagome lately — that much would be hard not to notice.""" text38630;"""But should I even worry about Catherine's opinion?""" text38631;"""It's not like I expected us to ever get together again, right?""" text38632;"""Things we no longer need are hard to throw away because we've become too attached to them, and feel like we'd lose something important by throwing them into the garbage.""" text38633;"""We like to think they can still be used somehow, coming up with absurd uses for an old pan or a broken pair of scissors.""" text38634;"""The irony is, we totally forget their existence a minute or two after finally throwing them away.""" text38635;"""Of course, I didn't want to compare my feelings for Catherine to an old pan, but in a sense the analogy was appropriate.""" text38636;"""…""" text38637;"""Coming home, I found Kagome's grandfather in front of the TV.""" text38638;"""Sorry, Niko-kun, I couldn't find anything to do. I'm used to working at the restaurant during the day, but now…""" text38639;"""It's alright. I understand.""" text38640;"""I sounded annoyed despite myself.""" text38641;"""You're holding up just fine.""" text38642;"""Once you reach my age, you understand that all material things come and go.""" text38643;"""But, I still feel sorry for the restaurant.""" text38644;"""Kagome still hasn't come back from school?""" text38645;"""I haven't seen her…""" text38646;"""The old man replied hesitantly.""" text38647;"""He had it good — wouldn't have noticed even if war broke out!""" text38648;"""As it often happened at this time of the day, hunger occupied all my thoughts.""" text38649;"""Moriyuki-san, would you like to have lunch? I don't think Kagome will be upset if we eat without her.""" text38650;"""Of course, Niko-kun, of course!""" text38651;"""He livened up, stood up with some effort, and walked to the fridge.""" text38652;"""…""" text38653;"""The old man cooked well, but his dishes missed something special.""" text38654;"""His rice tasted somehow dusty, or maybe the smell of senility confused my olfactory receptors.""" text38655;"""The restaurant wouldn't have lasted long with a chef like this.""" text38656;"""That made me respect Kagome and her contribution to the family business even more.""" text38657;"""Moriyuki-san was eating slowly and looked like a meditating Buddhist monk.""" text38658;"""I didn't want to interrupt his thoughts, but also couldn't bear to remain silent.""" text38659;"""Kagome must be… have been helping a lot at the restaurant, right?""" text38660;"""Oh yes, Kagome-chan takes every job very seriously. When she only just started living with us, three years ago, Kagome-chan couldn't cook at all — can you believe it?""" text38661;"""Barely, to be honest.""" text38662;"""Cooking didn't seem to me like some sort of forbidden art that would take a lifetime to master.""" text38663;"""But coming so far in such a short amount of time — that I was worthy of respect.""" text38664;"""After all, Himitsu had been cooking for as long as I knew her.""" text38665;"""She would spend many hours in the kitchen, in the evenings, after work, and in the early morning, until she learned.""" text38666;"""That sounds like her.""" text38667;"""I realize that she never wanted to spend her entire life over a stove or serving food to tipsy fishermen…""" text38668;"""But her mother, Yuuno-san, left us too early…""" text38669;"""What happened to her?""" text38670;"""His eyes became cloudy, and the old man stared at his plate, as if forgetting my presence.""" text38671;"""Moriyuki-san?""" text38672;"""Kagome-chan will tell you herself when the time comes.""" text38673;"""That \""when the time comes\"" sounded pretty menacing, but I couldn't just keep prying, right?""" text38674;"""Thank you, Moriyuki-san, it was delicious! I'll wash the dishes.""" text38675;"""Thank you, Niko-kun… For everything…""" text38676;"""The old man got back to his TV, while I went to my room and grabbed a random book from the shelf.""" text38677;"""It was Golding's novel, The Spire.""" text38678;"""I didn't even remember where I'd gotten the book from.""" text38679;"""I'd read Lord of the Flies once but didn't get much out of it beyond the message that leaving teenagers without any supervision wasn't a good idea.""" text38680;"""People unrestrained by an external force — be it law, religion, or morals — sooner or later degrade to a primal form.""" text38681;"""To what extent were Kawashima and Asakura similar with the protagonists of Lord of the Flies?""" text38682;"""Unlike Ellie, I doubted anyone expected anything great from them.""" text38683;"""Consequently, there was no pressure from above.""" text38684;"""And their wealth removed any pressure from below.""" text38685;"""Of course, their parents might have provided a moral compass instead, but, judging by the girls' behavior, they had failed at that.""" text38686;"""Maybe Kawashima and Asakura would get their wits about them when they entered adult life, or maybe as they got older, the societal norms from which they would no longer be able to escape could clamp down on their primal instincts.""" text38687;"""But for the time being we were all shipwrecked together on the same island, a school for rich kids.""" text38688;"""And I felt as if they were worshipping a pig's head on a stake, expecting to get pleasures in return, but, more importantly, reassurance and security.""" text38689;"""Evening came, but Kagome still hadn't returned.""" text38690;"""I began to worry and was pacing from one room to another.""" text38691;"""Meanwhile, Moriyuki-san was peacefully sleeping in front of the working TV and didn't seem to be concerned at all about his granddaughter.""" text38692;"""After it had long gotten dark outside, I made a simple dinner and invited the old man to join me.""" text38693;"""When you sleep like this all day it's hard fall asleep at night…""" text38694;"""Moriyuki-san, do you know where Kagome is? Is it normal for her to be missing like this the whole day?""" text38695;"""I don't know, Niko-kun… Kagome-chan is a big girl already, and I'm too old to be watching her. When Shinji was with us… Right…""" text38696;"""I hope he'll be found.""" text38697;"""You know, when Shinji was about your age, I was so happy that he enjoyed studying and that he was planning to go into science…""" text38698;"""But, in the end — was it worth it? I always knew Kagome-chan wouldn't want to run the restaurant after my death either.""" text38699;"""And the whole thing was a nothing but trouble. I couldn't just drop it, of course, but why would the young ones need it?""" text38700;"""And now there's no restaurant anymore.""" text38701;"""I remained silent, and Moriyuki-san didn't seem to expecting any sympathy.""" text38702;"""We simply ate in silence.""" text38703;"""If I knew where to find Kagome, I that's what I would be doing right now.""" text38704;"""But why would I be worried about her absence in the first place?""" text38705;"""I already let them stay at my place and now I was going allow Kagome to rule my life?""" text38706;"""Somebody knocked on the door loudly.""" text38707;"""There she was!""" text38708;"""I dashed to the entrance so quickly it was like I'd been waiting for this the whole day.""" text38709;"""Where have you been?! We were worried!""" text38710;"""Kagome was standing on the porch, and she looked tired.""" text38711;"""Who's we?""" text38712;"""I was. And Moriyuki-san…""" text38713;"""I'm sure grandfather didn't even notice I wasn't there.""" text38714;"""To some extent, she was correct.""" text38715;"""So will you let me in?""" text38716;"""I stepped aside, allowing her to pass.""" text38717;"""Kagome-chan!""" text38718;"""The old man had begun to fall asleep again.""" text38719;"""Since you're home, I'm going to sleep. Goodnight.""" text38720;"""He stood up slowly, his joints cracking like he was about to come apart, and slowly dragged himself to the room he shared with Kagome.""" text38721;"""You know, we have a saying: don't bring your rules to a stranger's house!""" text38722;"""While you live here, please be so kind as to tell me when you'll be back.""" text38723;"""It's just natural, after all! You don't even have any keys.""" text38724;"""My granddad is home.""" text38725;"""Kagome replied angrily and walked to the stove, where the leftovers from dinner were waiting for her in a pot.""" text38726;"""I see you weren't starving.""" text38727;"""It's not my stomach you should be worried about…""" text38728;"""Niko-san, stop being hysterical. I was looking for my father.""" text38729;"""Fine, but you could have warned me?""" text38730;"""I guess I could.""" text38731;"""Kagome sighed and put the lid back over the pot.""" text38732;"""But didn't think it was necessary?""" text38733;"""I saw you leaving school with that American…""" text38734;"""Michael! His name is Michael!""" text38735;"""Whatever.""" text38736;"""She was cold and even hostile.""" text38737;"""Maybe something happened while she was looking for her father, but I'd gotten to fired up that I couldn't stop.""" text38738;"""Listen, if there's something you aren't happy about, nobody's keeping you here.""" text38739;"""We'll be leaving soon.""" text38740;"""She said very calmly.""" text38741;"""And for now — I'm sorry, but I'm very tired and going to sleep, too.""" text38742;"""So what happened?""" text38743;"""What do you mean?""" text38744;"""Well, you were looking for your father — did you find anything?""" text38745;"""Nothing is something too.""" text38746;"""Kagome was looking at me attentively, not moving from her place.""" text38747;"""I seem to remember someone asking for my help just recently?""" text38748;"""The events of the last few days had pushed the fact of her father's disappearance somewhere on the back burner.""" text38749;"""That was the case for me — but what about Kagome?!""" text38750;"""Yes, sorry. I should've to warned you.""" text38751;"""Her mood suddenly softened.""" text38752;"""I tried to find Nishimura-san. But to no avail.""" text38753;"""I'd imagine so. He turned pale as soon as he saw the papers.""" text38754;"""By the way, the papers…""" text38755;"""Only now did I remembered the documents that had gotten Ichinose taken by the KGB.""" text38756;"""Kagome didn't reply, just lowered her head.""" text38757;"""I see…""" text38758;"""\""You should have left them at my place\"" — I almost said.""" text38759;"""The overall situation seemed to be grim.""" text38760;"""Kagome couldn't stand alone against the might of the Corporation — did she realize that?""" text38761;"""Niko-san, can I go to sleep?""" text38762;"""Of course, I'm not holding you…""" text38763;"""In reality, I wanted to ask her about a lot more, but the right questions refused to come to mind.""" text38764;"""Goodnight then.""" text38765;"""Goodnight…""" text38766;"""Kagome hesitated.""" text38767;"""Niko-san, what do you want for breakfast? Maybe it's not obvious, but I'm grateful for what you're doing for us.""" text38768;"""There's no way I can pay you back, but I can at least cook.""" text38769;"""I don't need anything special. It's not like I expect you to make borscht.""" text38770;"""I smirked.""" text38771;"""Borscht? What's that?""" text38772;"""Well, it's a soup. Includes red beet, cabbage, carrots, meat broth, maybe something else, I don't even know.""" text38773;"""Bo-ru-schi-te…""" text38774;"""Kagome tried to pronounce it — a difficult word for a Japanese person.""" text38775;"""She smiled and went to bed.""" text38776;"""She closed the door to her room, while I long remained in the kitchen, accompanied by the sounds of the TV, thinking about how my life had ended up like this.""" text38777;"""Could things have gone differently?""" text38778;"""In other words, could I have just closed the door on Kagome and her grandfather as they smelled of smoke?""" text38779;"""Leave them on the street and just go on with my life without a second though, forgetting about that unfortunate incident?""" text38780;"""Kagome basically left me no choice!""" text38781;"""After all, I did have a lot of free space at home, and she asked for nothing more than that.""" text38782;"""When a person receives a demand to give up something insignificant to meet social expectations, they usually agree.""" text38783;"""Kagome wasn't demanding money, she just moved into the room next to mine and began to cook breakfast, and occasionally, lunch and dinner.""" text38784;"""To an extent the situation resembled my relationship with Himitsu, but with her I could always lock the door from the inside, pretend to be sick, or just ignore her.""" text38785;"""But it's not so easy to ignore someone you live with.""" text38786;"""And the strangest thing was that it was the loss of an ephemeral sense of control that bothered me more than the fact that Kagome and her grandfather were living with me.""" text38787;"""Moriyuki-san was, in fact, a lovely old man who wasn't causing me any trouble.""" text38788;"""As for his granddaughter…""" text38789;"""I still couldn't decide how I was supposed to feel about Kagome — and how I wanted to.""" text38790;"""Under different circumstances, we would've graduated in half a year without saying a dozen words to each other and would've never seen each other again.""" text38791;"""Of course, me meeting Ellie was also random to a degree, but at least we had something in common — that being music.""" text38792;"""In the case of Kagome, we were only connected by the fact that Kobayashi Corporation had caused pain to us both.""" text38793;"""And, as is widely known, feelings born from a stressful situation rarely last long.""" text38794;"""But then again, feelings?""" text38795;"""Of course, it could well be due to the rumor that I'd gotten Kagome pregnant.""" text38796;"""Whether I wanted or not, it made me imagine how my life would pan out if that really happened.""" text38797;"""\""Don't think about a polar bear\"", huh? Or was it a monkey?""" text38798;"""My head full of albino animals, I went to bed."""