Chiyoda Ward.
Family Burger.
Kobeni Higashiyama stiffened the moment her phone started ringing. She answered her brother's call like someone hiding a crime.
On the other end, Yori Higashiyama was stammering so badly that most of his words made no sense. He had always been like that. When he panicked, his voice turned into a mess of broken syllables.
Still, Kobeni understood him immediately. Somehow, her brother's panic always matched her own.
"Yori, don't panic. Just stay hidden. I'm coming right now. Stay there."
Click.
Kobeni ended the call and shoved the phone back into her apron pocket.
If it had been any other family member in trouble, she would not have cared. Some of them treated her like she did not exist. Others only saw her as someone who could make money for them.
But Yori was different. He was the only one who treated her like a real sister.
If she had not started working right after graduating from high school, her parents might have sold her to a red light district already. Thinking about it still made her stomach twist.
"Kobeni!" the manager shouted from the kitchen window. "Take this Family Burger to Table 4. Hurry up!"
"Yes!"
She delivered the food as fast as she could, then rushed back to the kitchen, her face pale with worry.
"M Manager, I need half a day off. My brother is trapped in a fire. I have to go right now."
The manager frowned and folded his arms. "Are you a firefighter?"
"N No."
"Then why are you running off to fight a fire?"
Kobeni froze. For a second she almost forgot what she was trying to say.
"But my brother is waiting for me. If I don't go, he might die."
The manager's expression became strangely serious. "Out of everyone working at Family Burger, is one brother more important than the rest of us?"
Kobeni stared at him, completely confused.
The next second, he snapped.
"How many times have I told you not to say 'ah'? Say it properly!"
Thump.
He flicked her forehead hard enough to make her eyes water.
"Remember this pain. This is a Family Burger style lesson. Anyway, if you're going, go quickly. But your perfect attendance bonus for this month is gone."
Kobeni clutched her forehead and ran out of the restaurant.
The moment she stepped outside, tears started falling.
It hurt like hell. But she had no choice. If she left without asking for permission, she could get fired, and she could not afford that. This job barely paid enough as it was.
She reached the parking lot and got into her car.
The hood still looked terrible after the last accident. She had spent 50,000 yen buying a replacement and installed it herself using online tutorials. It was ugly, but at least the engine still worked.
She started the car and drove straight toward Bunkyo Ward.
Fifteen minutes later, she reached Bunkyo Eisei Public High School.
The classroom building was already burning, yet the fire department still had not arrived. Several teachers were standing near the gate, pointing at the flames as if watching a show.
Kobeni ignored them, drove straight into the school grounds, and stopped the car right under the burning building. Then she quickly called her brother again.
"Cough… Sister…"
Hearing his voice made her chest loosen a little.
"Yori, I'm right under Block A. Find somewhere you can jump. I'll catch you."
"O Okay…"
A moment later, his figure appeared on the third floor where the fire was weaker. His clothes were covered in soot, and sparks were already burning the soles of his shoes.
"Yori! I'm here! Jump!"
He leaned against the railing, barely able to stay conscious. With the last bit of strength he had left, he climbed over and jumped.
Thump.
Instead of hitting the hard concrete, he landed in Kobeni's arms.
"I caught you," she said, her voice shaking.
Yori smiled weakly. To him, his sister had always been the real pillar of the family.
Kobeni carried him to the back seat, then hurried to the driver's seat.
"I'll take you to the hospital first. After that, I still have to go back to work."
"Thank you… Sister… you're really…"
He had inhaled too much smoke and could barely speak anymore.
Warmth filled Kobeni's chest. Maybe this was what being a sister was supposed to feel like.
She released the handbrake, started the engine, and shifted gears.
The car was just about to move when a horrible scream suddenly came from above.
A burning figure crashed straight onto the hood.
Bang.
The metal crumpled instantly. Flames spread across the engine, and thick black smoke poured out.
The car died on the spot.
Kobeni stared at the ruined hood in disbelief.
"Are you serious?! What the hell did I do to deserve this today?!"
Friday.
Meanwhile, it was Asa's day.
Cael had accompanied her to Nerima Ward, specifically to Tokyo Fourth Higher Academy, to finish the paperwork for her one year leave of absence.
Asa had skipped classes a lot before anyway. If her pregnancy became public, the rumors would only get worse. Taking time off was the only realistic option.
From Cael's point of view, this was not only good for Asa, it was good for everyone else too.
After all, Asa was not just pregnant. The Gun Devil was completely inside her right hand. If someone pushed her too far, the result would be a disaster.
Makima, on the other hand, was in Shinjuku, helping Cael plan the construction of the new funeral home while buying the necessary supplies.
Reze was left alone at home and looked bored out of her mind. To kill time, she decided to walk Makima's dogs.
Not because she liked them. She just had nothing better to do.
When she returned from buying groceries, she opened the delivery box at the entrance and put away several items she had ordered online.
Then she noticed something else.
An anonymous package.
It had been sent from the Soviet Union.
Inside it was an old stuffed bear named Kuma.