“Dunno if you should be saying that out loud,” the transfer student said with a shrug. “We’re supposed to be the ‘florists,’ right?”
“…Right. Pardon me,” Haizaki said, becoming awkwardly polite for a moment before clearing his throat and moving on. “But, umm, you’re…a middle schooler, right?”
“A fourteen-year-old in full bloom.” The girl let out a short, insincere chuckle. “Who better to work with the florists, right?”
“Look, when I—” Haizaki began before taking a deep breath and collecting himself. “…When I was a member, we never sent kids into the field. In fact, I don’t recall us having a single minor even in General Affairs or Data Processing…”
“Goes to show how short-staffed we are these days,” the girl replied. “But also, when ‘the field’ is a middle school, it’s a lot easier for a kid to move around than an old man like you.”
“‘Move around’? What exactly are you here to do, kid?”
“Monika.”
“…What?”
“Monika Asahi,” she said, tracing out her name in the air with a fingertip. “The last name’s fake, though.”
“So…Monika?”
“First-name basis already, huh? Overfamiliar much?”
“S-sorry!”
“I mean, whatever.”
“So do you mind or not?” Haizaki muttered under his breath.
Monika shot Haizaki a brief glare, then resumed her listless expression from before. “I can’t tell you about my job,” she said. “You’re an outsider, so you’re off the need-to-know list.”
“Then…why are you here?” asked Haizaki.
“Just to introduce myself. Seemed polite,” Monika replied before scooting off Haizaki’s desk and heading for the door.
Haizaki’s shoulders slumped. He was about to say, Well, okay. But that seemed like a pretty pathetic way for an adult to address a middle schooler, even if she was apparently working for the Special Affairs Response Office.
“Oh, right,” Monika said, pausing to turn around again. “I figure the chief already told you, but just in case.”
“…Yeah?” said Haizaki. That didn’t feel any more dignified than well, okay, and to be honest, this whole thing was starting to depress him.
“If you don’t feel like helping, then stay out of my way,” she said. “Got it, old man?” Haizaki thought she’d deliberately put extra emphasis on those last two words.
With that, Monika left the janitor’s room.
“Guess an old man like me would just be dead weight.” Haizaki groaned. He set his phone down on his desk with more force than he’d intended. The screen was facing down, and though it didn’t seem likely, he flipped it over to check the damage, just in case. A fine crack had appeared in the phone’s display.
“You’ve gotta be kidding me…”