There was a certain procedure when entering the Tsuwabuki nurse’s office, and following it was a matter of grave importance. First: Turn on the lights and open the curtains. Then blow out all candles (because of the fire hazard, obviously). Don’t forget the mood lights. Those had to go out too. If possible, check for cameras. When speaking to her, it was always best to do so in the company of another, but failing that, ensuring there was at least a table between you would suffice. Always take the seat closest to the door.
Then, and only then, was it safe to interact with the entity known as Konuki Sayo.
“Some herbal tea. Drink while it’s hot.” She placed a teacup in front of me.
“Thank you,” I replied carefully. “May I ask what this concerns?”
“Do I need to have a reason to chat?”
“Ideally, yes. I’m busy.” I took a sip.
“Time certainly hasn’t mellowed you out. How’s your tea? You drank it, didn’t you? Or do you have a particularly strong stomach?”
“Did you spike this with something?”
She smiled. Time to retreat. But just as I made to stand, she pointed a long, slender finger at me. “Let’s talk about how recruiting has been going.” There it was. I settled back into my chair and took a breath. She lowered her voice to a cloying purr. “How are things?”
“Well, er…”
Before I could come up with an explanation, she continued, and what followed stunned me. “I can introduce you to someone who might be willing to join, if you’d like.”
It was so unbelievable, and yet so perfectly timed, that I practically flew from my chair. “Yes! Thank you! We’ll take anyone and everyone!”
“Well, that certainly makes my job easier.”
“Wait. Can I consider first?” There was no such thing as a free lunch. Maybe this wasn’t as perfect as it sounded. Beggars couldn’t be choosers, but still. “Who are they exactly, and why the literature club? The way you phrased it, it doesn’t sound like they’re the one who wants to join.”
“She’s just having trouble fitting in is all. I want to be there for her, but, well, circumstances.”
“Circumstances.”
Konuki-sensei parted her lips for a second, then closed them again. Picking her words. “She’s the little sister of a friend. I’ve known her a long time, but that friend’s a teacher, see. There’s concern of favoritism. I was hoping you kids could step in for us.”
Circumstances, indeed. I didn’t doubt that she was genuinely concerned for this girl, and given her status as faculty, I could see how paying her any special attention wouldn’t go over well. Especially if they already knew each other outside of school.
A friend of Konuki-sensei’s. Right.
“And this friend of yours is…?”
“Not a man, rest assured. I don’t make friends with men. Would you like to know why?”
“I’m good, actually.”
She explained that it was a friend from her college days. She’d been a year below Konuki-sensei and Amanatsu-sensei, but the three of them had been, and I quote, “locked at the hips.” The potential recruit was the friend’s little sister, a first-year named Shiratama Riko. She was a bit of a misfit among her peers, something Konuki-sensei hoped the lit club might remedy.
“You sure that’s a good idea? I wouldn’t exactly call us normal,” I said.
“Well, I trust you and the girls, and that’s what matters. Also, I think you two actually share some things in common.” She lifted her cup of tea and smelled the fragrance while I wondered what that could mean. “Riko-chan’s very protective of her sister. It’s caused no shortage of problems for her.”
“I’m not protective of my sister.”
Konuki-sensei smiled. “I’m told she’s fond of you in a similar way. Given your firsthand experience, I think there’s a lot about Riko-chan’s situation you can relate to.”
“Oh. Well, I guess. Sure. I’d say my sister and I are on pretty good terms.” I wasn’t sure I totally followed what she was getting at, but I definitely knew about clingy siblings. Honestly seemed like an occupational hazard for all little sisters at this point. “All right, yeah. We can meet her in the club room tomorrow. No harm in that.”
Konuki-sensei shook her head and handed me her contact details. “She’s actually been suspended, so she won’t be here. You’ll have to go to her yourself.”
“Can I reconsider?”
I held the contact details back out to her. She took my hand, closed it over the paper, looked into my eyes, and shook her head again.
✦ ✦ ✦
The next day after school, Yanami and I took a brisk, twenty-minute bike ride to Aeon Toyohashi Minami, colloquially known as Nan-JUS. The food court, to be precise. Why had we gone so far out of our way? Why else? To interview our curious candidate, Shiratama-san. Komari had weaseled out.
Yanami, sitting next to me, one elbow rested casually on the table, looked up from her phone. “Hey, so I get ‘Nan’ is ‘south,’ but what’s the ‘JUS’ part of Nan-JUS?”
“Used to be called JUSCO before we were born or something. I assume it comes from that.”
“Oh, so kinda like how my gramma calls APiTA ‘Uny.’”
“She calls it what?”
“I dunno. Apparently there used to be a Uny.”
Had to have been twentieth century. Before our time. We kept rambling about this and that while I kept my eye on the people passing by. Lots of students, but no one from Tsuwabuki.
“She’s coming in her uniform, right?” Yanami asked. “Wonder who exactly this girl is.”
“The school year’s hardly started and she’s already suspended. Feel like that paints a clear enough picture.”
She crossed her arms and smirked knowingly. “Sukeban. I know the type. Rough and tumble. Bet she throws a chain around and everything.”
“You’re stuck in the wrong century, Yanami-san.”
At least I hoped so. I was starting to feel like pulling a Komari. Yanami’d sacrifice herself for me, right? I started calculating viable escape routes.
Then something started beeping.
“Be right back!” Yanami darted off with one of those wireless pager things. The kind for telling you when your food was ready.
She’d ordered something? Literally when?
She sauntered back carrying a tray, placing one of the items on it in front of me. Steam wafted from the white broth (how you knew it’s legit). Tonkotsu ramen from Sugakiya. Returning to her spot next to me, she took up the fork-spoon hybrid utensil appropriately called a “ramen fork” and started slurping noodles.
“Why did you order this for me?” I asked.
“It’s rude to sit in a food court without food, Nukumizu-kun. Plus, Konuki-sensei lent me some money for drinks.”
“So you bought ramen.”
“It’s got broth.”
I silently agreed to disagree and picked up my chopsticks.
That was when she nudged me. “Hey, isn’t that her? Tsuwabuki uniform.” Slurp.
I followed her eyes to a small girl looking a little lost outside the food court. Sure enough, she wore a Tsuwabuki uniform. She looked about as tall as Yanami actually, but her willowy limbs gave her a more petite frame. Fine hair hung just past her shoulders. From afar, she almost looked like a doll.
Whoa. She was cute. Like, seriously cute. No way this was our delinquent.
Relief visibly filled her expression when she spotted us. She tried to make her way over, fighting against the tide of local students going the other way, but it wasn’t much of a fight really. She lost it in no time flat.
“Think she’ll be okay?” Yanami asked as the current continued to sweep her away.
The sight of a frail girl being consumed in a sea of human bodies did not inspire me with that confidence. Yanami had to go drag her back over, and by then the girl’s head was spinning.
She collapsed into a chair. No one send this girl to Tokyo.
“You okay?” I asked.
“Y-yes. Thank you.” The girl lowered her head. “I’m Shiratama Riko. From class 1-E.”
“I’m Nukumizu. The club president. This is—”
“Yanami-senpai. Right. Thank you again for coming to my rescue.” She lowered her head.
Her savior shot her a thumbs-up as she scooped a menma shoot into her mouth.
I studied the stranger closely. She looked pretty darn innocent to me. Girly girl. Cute as a button. Emphasis on the cute. I’d come to know many a good-looking girl recently, but when it came to sheer “must protect” vibes, no one inspired me to crusade on their behalf quite like this one did. She’d been suspended? As if she could hurt a fly.
“So, um, I heard a little bit from Konuki-sensei,” I said.
“Right. She wants me to spend some time with you all in the literature club.” Shiratama-san turned her eyes up at me. “But I don’t know a lot about books. I hope I won’t be a burden.”
“Oh, no, that’s not—”
“Yeah, books are hard,” Yanami interjected. “Took me a while to find my footing, but you’ll get there.” She twirled her fork-spoon with the great smugness of a senpai.
More beeping.
Yanami raised the pager high as she stood. “Hear that? It’s time for dessert—I mean, Shiratama-chan’s welcome party!”