The man who made away with the gang’s stashed rifle was in a sorry state when Chisato and Takina were done with him. They handed him over and returned to Itou’s home with the seized AK. It wasn’t an Izhmash, but an unlicensed copy made somewhere else. It didn’t have a serial number, and it looked quite old. The wooden handguard showed signs of wear, and the metal parts were sticky from grease, which had been generously applied to prevent corrosion… All in all, it was perfect for Itou’s manga.
Now the problem was how to bring the assault rifle into the nice, safe apartment building without raising anyone’s suspicions. The girls promptly removed the magazine and squeezed it into an empty compartment of Chisato’s satchel bag. She found a discarded newspaper outside the apartment building and wrapped it around the rifle’s body, securing it with the paracord Chisato always carried. With a trash bag on top of that, the gun was concealed.
“Doesn’t it look even more suspicious like this…?”
“High school students walking around with a rifle doesn’t happen in real life, right? It’ll be fine.”
“It’s even more suspicious for underage girls to be out late at night.”
“I’d call it early morning, not late night. And being out early in the morning is totally wholesome!”
“Ah, like sports club members doing morning training? What sort of drill involves carrying outsize trash around?”
“You’d be surprised! Anyway, let’s hurry! Ms. Itou’s waiting!”
Itou’s apartment was on the fourth floor. Given what they were smuggling in, it’d be awkward to share the elevator with anyone, so they took the stairs to be on the safe side.
Itou had left the door unlocked. Chisato flung it open.
“Sorry for the wait! Your AK’s here! Enjoy!”
“Chisato, what time do you think it is? You’ll wake up the neighbors!”
From the hallway, they saw Itou, who’d fallen asleep at her desk, startle awake. She turned toward them. There was an imprint from the corner of her tablet on her cheek and dark circles had formed under her eyes. The imprint was obviously new, but so were the circles… Or had they just been concealed with makeup earlier, which came off when she splashed her face with water to keep the sleepiness at bay?
Itou trotted over to Chisato like a puppy, happy to see its owner come back. And when Takina handed over the parcel, Itou tore through the trash bag and newspaper like an impatient doggie given a wrapped treat.
“Whoa! It’s an old model, like you see in the movies! But…why is it so greasy…? It smells like some factory machine…”
“Oh, um… We borrowed it from a gun-enthusiast friend who likes the models to look super realistic!”
“Ah, makes sense. But…there’s no magazine?”
Takina got the magazine out of Chisato’s satchel. Hidden behind Chisato, she swiftly removed the remaining bullets. Luckily, there were only three.
“Here it is.”
“Thanks! Wow, old-style magazines have a rugged look to them. Why’s it so light…?”
“It’s empty,” Takina explained. “It weighs about one hundred grams. Fully loaded, with thirty rounds, it would weigh about six hundred grams. Although it can vary depending on the type of ammo… What is it, Chisato?”
Chisato had been poking Takina under the ribs. She lifted the finger she’d been poking her with to her lips. It seemed she wanted Takina to shut up.
Itou was too preoccupied with the rifle to notice Chisato’s hushing. She asked Takina to repeat the earlier pose with the gun, took new photos, and returned to her desk.
Shooting a look at the artist, who was busy drawing, Chisato put her hands on her hips and breathed a sigh of relief.
“Problem solved. To be precise, problems solved.”
“Yes. Should I make us something to eat?”
“Oh, yeah! Ms. Itou seems to be on her last legs…”
“Of course,” Takina said with a smile. “I’ll make something easy on the stomach…”
“Protein feast time!”
“Huh?”
The girls looked at each other blankly.
“Hold up, Takina. Ms. Itou’s battery’s out. She needs something nutritious to recharge her!”
“Sure, but what were you thinking of feeding her in her weakened state?”
“An extra-large serving of meat! With…garlic! And loads of ginger! We need vitamins, too, so fruit with a heap of whipped cream for dessert!”
“That’s pure abuse.”
“What?!”
“An exhausted person should be served something easy to digest and gentle on the stomach.”
“Hmph. Like what?”
Takina touched her fingers to her chin, thinking.
“For example… Hmm… Rice porridge?”
“A hospital meal? Nope, nuh-uh! That’s a massive, gargantuan no! Not enough calories and not satisfying at all!”
“And how is your thoughtless suggestion better than mine?”
“Just look at Ms. Itou! At her fierce determination! What she needs isn’t a dish that’s like a comforting hug. She needs a dish that’s like a big, friendly push toward her goal!”
“What you suggested is more like a punch in the gut, not a friendly push.”
“And your idea is just plain useless!”
Chisato was getting on Takina’s nerves, and Takina was about to snap back at her when she noticed with surprise that Itou had come over to them.
“Girls, I’m very grateful that you’re trying to help, but…can you please keep it down? It’s late.”
““Sorry,”” they said in unison.
After Itou sat back down in her chair, Takina and Chisato conspiratorially brought their faces closer to each other.
“I say each of us makes a meal, and Ms. Itou will be the judge!”
“That’s fine by me.”
“Okay! And when Ms. Itou rejects whatever you cook for her, I’ll eat it!”
“Huh… Er… Ah, of course. Better than it going to waste.”
At first, Takina wasn’t sure what Chisato was getting at, but with some effort, she managed to understand her rationale. And then she thought more about the implications. Takina was confident she was going to win, which would presumably mean she’d have to consume the violent assault on the digestive system that Chisato made. They were finished with work for the night, but still, Takina wasn’t looking forward to having such a heavy meal.
“All righty! Now, what will I cook…? Ms. Itou, can I see what’s in your fridge?”
“Sure. Use whatever you want.”
“Great… Huh? Wait a minute…”
When Chisato opened the fridge, she was shocked to see there wasn’t much food inside besides a wide range of condiments, yogurt, natto, kimchi, and cheese. Clearly, Itou liked her fermented foods. Oh, and there were eggs, too—at least they could be used as an ingredient.
Chisato opened a cupboard next to the fridge. Inside, she found a big stash of ready-made rice pouches, cup noodles, more instant noodles in square packets, and dry pasta.
Was the occupation of manga artist so demanding that it was impossible to find time to cook proper meals, or was Itou simply not the type to spend a lot of time in the kitchen? Either way, Takina and Chisato were speechless for a moment.
“I think the only dish I could make with these ingredients is an egg rice porridge.”
“Yeah… Wait, you’re going to use the ready-made rice?”
Takina thought for a beat. Somehow, she, too, felt a bit repulsed at the idea of turning ready-made rice into rice porridge, but why? She couldn’t articulate it.