Chapter 5: Abundant Scarcity【P3】
Sayoko
“Are you really the type to take people at face value?” Her tone mocks me. “Full of surprises.”
“…”
“Tsk. A single entity holding all the power. It does not exist. They who manage the most friction are the ones holding the power you are looking for…”
“And here I was hoping you would just tell me who holds the baton. I suppose I will just have to keep my head low to avoid its swing for the time being.”
Silence follows me to the stairwell entrance.
Click.
“Miss Kirishima.” I side-eye her.
She barely turns her head.
I flash a gentle smile at her turned back. “Free them.”
“Eh?”
The stairwell door shuts behind me. The bar door follows soon after.
Click.
Miss Kirishima, you do not like to disappoint, do you? Pride is such a shameful emotion, yet it shines brightest when working from the shadows.
Like an illusionist, her words shift, leaving the audience guessing if its merely the setup or the finale.
Her phantom stare presses against my back, assuming she still stands on the roof watching down. I suppose checking would spoil the final trick.
I sigh into the cool night air.
Piecing this information with my earlier findings will take some time. Double words, single meanings. Especially her phrasing of—
“Sayooo!” a high-pitched voice chirps from behind.
Loud. That loud.
Click.
I jab the folded frame backward, turning with its momentum.
“Do you have any concept of time, Fukimi?” I poke her cheek with the ferrule, but each stab only brings out a fresh, pouting smile. “Do not blast my name like that.”
Fukimi covers her mouth with both hands, feigning innocence.
“Sorry, sorry,” she whispers, but the already returning grin says otherwise.
You cannot be sorry if your crimes are premeditated.
Click.
And so, another energetic foe challenges the quiet night’s victory over the day. Though this one is less bright, perhaps.
A small smile tugs at my lips.
She tilts her head into my view. “Eh? Did I say something wrong?”
I deadpan at her. “How did you find me?”
“How—um… Well.”
Her eyes slowly trail upward—though I am not— “Let’s just say we have a strong connection, yeah!”
“Right.” I turn away. “If the connection is so strong, use a different protocol. I could not find you guys anywhere.”
“Were you even looking then?”
I resume my pace. She falls into step beside me, uninvited.
“Why are you walking all alone at night? You know, at this hour, the most dangerous—” I side-eye her.
Actually…
“Me? Getting late-night snacks, of course!” She bounces on her tiptoes, patting the umbrella’s dome. “And you? Did the hidden nature lover inside you secretly decide on an evening walk?”
I jerk the umbrella upward, lifting the dome just out of her reach. “I was on business, if you must know.”
“Awh, are we in the mysterious phase again?”
She simply jumps higher to reach it.
Genetics…
Click.
“Could you not—”
She pats my defenseless head and jogs forward before I can strike. Keeping an umbrella’s length away, she struts backward to face me.
“Seen the lake yet? It’s easily ten times larger than our hometown.”
“No. But… I did see a monkey on a leash today.”
She blinks. “A… monkey?”
“Of a sort, yes.”
“Why… do I get the feeling you are just going to leave it at that and—”
“Jerome?” I slide my hand out of my pocket, presenting my student ID card to the air without looking.
My fingers grasp nothing. A small chime follows.
“Yep, found him all washed up fresh on the dock. I can give you his student ID number if you—”
“Thank you.” I hold out a palm.
The card returns to my hand.
She drifts ahead, droning like a background radio. “...and the dorms! Have you seen how small they are? And my roommate, argh. A third-year who thinks he knows it all—”
“Walls… Yes,” I blurt out, tuning back in a moment too late. “Great thing, walls.”
This is… definitely not the way to a supermarket.
I shift the umbrella to look her in the eyes. “Actually, I am heading to my dormitory right now. And I do not want to keep you from your… crucial errand.”
“Alright, alright, I get it.” She slowly veers off, swirling her hand lazily through the darkness. “I’ll call you tomorrow to tell you where we’re gathering. Don’t stay up too late!”
“Right,” I murmur, the sound so low I doubt the signal ever reached her before she vanished into the dark.
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Discover what happens next in: Chapter 6: Planned Regret【P1】
Written by Limited_Infinity. Extras, official publishing platforms and updates are publicly available only on the Patreon page “_Limited_Infinity_”
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