The manager looked stunned when he saw the tall, unrealistically good-looking Shino getting on his feet. Perhaps due to his line of work, he seemed to notice Shino’s dirty hands right away.
“What were you doing down there? I’ll call the police if I must.”
“S-sorry. This isn’t what you think.”
Masamichi was disconcerted by the disturbing turn of events and tried to come up with an excuse, but Shino was as calm as ever.
“I was just retrieving something I dropped.”
“Something you dropped?!”
The manager wasn’t the only one who was startled. He and Masamichi exclaimed in unison. Shino reached for Masamichi’s bag, pulled out a gauze towel, quickly wrapped whatever it was he had retrieved in it, and carefully slipped it into the pocket of his tapered pants.
Then he picked up the cardigan he had tossed to the ground and calmly put it on.
“What did you lose? I can’t imagine anyone dropping something in this hedge…”
In the face of Shino’s fearless attitude, the superintendent’s voice began to tremble with fear and anger.
Uh-oh. Shino’s always like that, but that attitude is too much for someone seeing him for the first time. I have to do something…anything…or the man will really call the police. What would he possibly drop in a place like this…?!
Masamichi frantically racked his brains and came up with an answer. “A contact lens!”
“Huh?” the superintendent said in a squeaky, high-pitched falsetto voice.
Masamichi couldn’t stand lying, but he had to do everything he could to keep him and Shino safe.
Fortunately, Masamichi didn’t know what Shino had picked up, either.
Figuring it couldn’t have been a contact lens, he felt a little less guilty about lying.
He suppressed the tremor in his voice, putting force into his stomach, acting as casual as possible…though that would never happen…and declared in a cheerful voice, “Yes, that’s it. His contact lens flew off in the wind and fell into that hedge.”
The superintendent looked at Masamichi and Shino as if he had been forced to drink strong vinegar. Masamichi put on an awkward smile as his heart raced, while Shino stood expressionless with his muddy hands.
“Was there a strong wind out here? It’s amazing that you found it, groping in the hedge. Contact lenses are very small.”
“Yes, so we were very lucky! But it got dirty, and he can’t put it back in, which is why he can’t see, and that’s why he looks dazed. We’re, um, truly relieved!”
“Hey, I—”
“So we’ll excuse ourselves now. Sorry for the trouble! He was looking for his contact lens! Come on, Shino, let’s go!”
“Did you really lose your contact lens…?”
“Yes, really! Excuse us!” With that, Masamichi gave the man a bow, grabbed Shino’s cardigan by the cuff, pulled with all his might, and started walking away.
The only thing on his mind was that they had to get away from this scene as soon as possible. “Excuse us. We’re really sorry for causing a commotion!”
The super remained standing on the spot, still looking suspicious, and Masamichi kept looking back and bowing as he pulled Shino by the sleeve and walked away at full speed.
Of course, he wouldn’t be able to take a single step forward if Shino planted his feet on the ground even a bit, but, albeit reluctantly, the specter moved his legs to match the young man’s stride.
Maybe he was amused, seeing Masamichi look at him with a rare hair-raising expression that said they had to go right away.
Whatever, I’m glad Shino’s willing to come with me. We have to get away from here. If the man calls the police, the story would get too complicated and out of my hands.
“Excuse us. Bye!”
Masamichi kept turning around every few seconds, bowing and apologizing as he dragged Shino away, and he somehow managed to turn a large corner and escape from the super’s sight.
He finally stopped after walking furiously along the empty road without slowing down and let out a deep sigh, “Haaahhh,” when he was sure they had managed to get away.
“It doesn’t look like he’s coming after us. W-we’re safe…”
“…Ridiculous. Why do we have to fear some unarmed building manager?”
Shino shook off Masamichi’s hand a little roughly. Masamichi was grateful he had come with him this far without doing that, so he apologized and put his hand to his own chest.
“I’m sorry for dragging you, my master, out here. But that man really would have called the police. It’s a good thing we managed to bluff our way out of there, but what exactly were you looking for? Your hands are all muddy. You have to wash them somewhere.”
Shino didn’t respond. But he looked grumpy and said, “What’s wrong with collecting what’s mine? I shouldn’t be blamed for it.”
“…What’s yours? Sure, that site is where Tokifuyu’s mansion stood, but isn’t it your first time back since they built that apartment building? Why would they have something that belongs to you?”
Again, Shino didn’t answer Masamichi’s question but said, “I’m going to walk a little” and got moving.
“Oh, o-okay. Where to next? But shouldn’t you wash your hands first…?”
Shino didn’t appear interested in answering Masamichi’s questions.
“Ngh… I guess all I can do is go with him.”
Whenever he went out with Shino, Masamichi couldn’t help feeling that he was a baby duckling.
Feeling like a baby bird struggling to keep up with its mother, Masamichi looked back in the direction of the apartment building, wondering if the superintendent or the police would come after them, and followed Shino, a few steps behind him.
A little while later—
Shino dipped his hands in the river and carefully washed off the dirt.
Masamichi sat on the bank of the Kamo River and watched him in silence.
As Shino came and sat next to him, Masamichi apologized for only having tissues to offer and extracted a pack. It was because Shino had taken the gauze towel he carried around to wipe his hands. Shino said, “I don’t need that” but ended up taking it and drying his hands anyway.
“I remember Yoriko scolding me when I said I didn’t need a towel and could use my clothes to wipe my hands,” he said.
“Heh-heh! You’re like that sometimes, acting like a naughty boy. You should clean your hands with these tissues, or you’ll get your lovely new outfit dirty. But the cuffs of your cardigan got a little soiled, since you put it on with dirty hands.”
“It’s no big deal. It isn’t as if I’ve torn it into pieces.”
Masamichi took the tissues that Shino started shoving into his pocket after wiping his hands. He tucked them into his bag and quietly looked at the specter.