“Don’t ask me anything.” “Don’t tell anyone.” Isuzu was loyal enough that when Seiya told her to keep quiet, she had no choice but to obey. Still, she couldn’t help but spend the night tossing and turning and racking her brain.
She spent a sleepless time alone in the girl’s dorm, her anxious thoughts racing along three general lines:
Number one... Kanie Seiya was dealing with family problems, and was finally making plans to move out of the apartment he shared with his aunt, Kyubu Aisu. The real estate company had called to tell him about an appropriate property.
It was also possible he meant to get a place to live with Isuzu. Though that would be quite sudden, it was the only reason she could think of for why he would possibly want to bring her. “Look, it has a nice big bathroom. We can take baths together. We can start our life together here, right, Sento?” What would she do if he took her in his arms and whispered that to her? But if... if... if he were to make that offer to her, what would become of her oath to the princess?
No, that couldn’t be it. But still... but still...
Number two... Could it be that Kanie Seiya liked older women? That woman on the phone sounded over 40, and she could even be as old as 60. Was their phone exchange hiding some charged yet subtle eroticism that a young girl like her couldn’t comprehend? It wouldn’t be strange for an adult couple, trying to hide their relationship, to put on such an act. It wouldn’t be strange at all.
But in that case, why would he take Isuzu to see his love nest with an older woman? Was it a roundabout way of saying “Get a clue. I’m living with this older woman; give up on me,” or something like that? But it wasn’t as if they had that kind of relationship to begin with. It would be a strange thing to say to someone who was still merely your secretary. But still... but still...
Number three... What if Seiya was actually dating some woman in the park, and he was looking for a place to live with her? What if it was Muse?! No offense to Muse, of course. It was just hypothetical. Purely hypothetical. And then, and then... what if they didn’t want to bear the burden of rent by themselves, and wanted to come up with some... scheme, to pay for it using the park’s finances? That might explain why he wanted his secretary along...
But wait. For matters of funding, it would make more sense to bring the head of the financial department, Ashe. She was the person who held the purse strings in the park, and she definitely wouldn’t allow funds to be used in that way. Unless... Ashe? Was Ashe the other woman? If he was planning to live with Ashe, wouldn’t that explain everything he’d said? Of course. Ashe, was it?
Apart from Isuzu, the woman Kanie Seiya spent the most time with wasn’t Latifah, but Ashe. She was an elite former minister of Schubert, a dark elf-type with blonde hair and copper skin. She was always very businesslike, and wore tight-fitting suits that showed off her nice curves. Ashe was an incredibly appealing woman, and Isuzu knew that she couldn’t compete. But still... but still...
Isuzu ended up spending a sleepless night thanks to these thoughts. She staggered her way through the next morning, arrived at Amagi City’s Inabazutsumi Station at 11:00, and found Seiya standing there in his usual clothes: Jeans from UNIQLO, a parka from The Gap, and cheap sneakers.
Meanwhile, Isuzu had gone all-out, wearing a jersey-knit top with a dropped neckline (emphasizing her chest), a frilly cardigan (emphasizing her femininity), and a pleated skirt with a flower pattern (emphasizing her legs). “So? Where are we going?” Isuzu asked, fighting off her sleepiness and getting herself together. If it was any of her three possibilities, it couldn’t be too far away from Amagi City.