So it really is Hane-oka.
That girls' school with the incredibly stylish uniforms. Exactly as the simulation described…
Sherlock Holmes once told Watson: when you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth.
So Yoshiiro Chiose ventured a bold hypothesis: this Sakiko Togawa must be a young lady from a fallen wealthy family!
The type who was forced to move somewhere like this, yet still carries every last shred of her inborn pride! Why else would she dress so well just to step outside?
Couldn't bear to let go of that dignity — it's practically carved into her bones.
Heh heh.
A gleam of delighted surprise lit up Yoshiiro Chiose's wine-red eyes.
Sakiko's situation could wait — what mattered most right now was this: if Sakiko was real…
Then Takamatsu Tomori absolutely had to exist in this world too!
[Tomori…]
My dear big sister. My dear senpai. My precious little weirdo who collects the strangest things.
The era you're living in right now — is this the painful chapter of your youth you'd weep about someday?
It really is…
"This is wonderful!"
If Tomori existed for real, that meant her life would unfold exactly the way the alcohol lamp had narrated it — which meant there was still time to change everything!
Having already witnessed Takamatsu Tomori at six and at twenty-six, Yoshiiro Chiose swore she was going to have a hand in Tomori's sixteenth year too!
"What?" Miss Togawa set down her teacup with a puzzled tilt of her head.
"Nothing! I just remembered — there was somewhere nearby that was hiring, wasn't there? Let's go check it out in a bit!"
"Oh? Sure." Sakiko blinked in mild confusion, but didn't think too much of it.
She couldn't quite put her finger on why, but Sakiko Togawa sensed something strangely layered lurking beneath Chiose's warmth.
Probably just her imagination.
Chiose was a good person. Like a little angel, really.
...
Were there really companies willing to hire girls who were barely sixteen — or possibly not even that — still on their way to high school?
Not many, surely. If something went wrong, who would be responsible?
"Why won't anyone take us… ugh. Hey Sakiko, where have you worked before?"
"I've tried a few places, but never stayed very long before quitting."
Since the Yoshiiro Chiose standing before her knew nothing of her past, Sakiko Togawa didn't bother hiding her more humbling experiences.
The girl was someone to be pitied — and she'd been kind enough to sew a button back on. Definitely the type who could become a true friend.
Also, hadn't Chiose mentioned something about playing guitar half an hour ago? Hmm…
Sakiko Togawa touched the button at her collar — it almost seemed to still hold some warmth from Yoshiiro Chiose's hands.
"This one won't work for me — though Sakiko might find it interesting? But the hours are too long; I wouldn't have time to look after my sister."
She wore a soft-hued blouse on top and a youthful short skirt below.
Yoshiiro Chiose felt a peculiar, welling joy — like a critically ill patient suddenly told it was all a misdiagnosis and they had plenty of time left to live.
"This one won't work either. Hmm…"
Sakiko Togawa studied the job listings in Chiose's hand and shook her head with measured dissatisfaction.
The jobs listed were passable enough, but they were too close to the area where she used to live.
If someone recognized her one day — caught her in the act — then the life of Sakiko Togawa would most likely be over.
"Chiose… it must be exhausting, taking care of your sister every day," Sakiko said, watching the cheerful Yoshiiro Chiose with quiet admiration for her optimism.
To stay so lighthearted in circumstances like these — this girl was no ordinary person!
"Hmm? Oh, that… I don't know, it's fine. I've been doing it for years. I'm pretty used to it by now, I think."
Getting used to something like that… was exactly the tragic part!
"Is it just the two of you?" Sakiko Togawa knew she probably shouldn't pry this much, but the words were already at her lips and couldn't be taken back.
"Yeah. We were technically taken in by some relatives, but they went abroad years ago and have been completely off the radar ever since. The apartment we're living in now was one our parents bought when they were still alive."
"Ah… I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to—"
"Sakiko! Don't apologize, come look at this — this job actually looks pretty great!"
Having deliberately let slip most of her personal history — the unimportant parts, anyway — Yoshiiro Chiose pointed a finger at a job listing posted on a utility pole nearby.
"It says right here: all you have to do is serve the master of the house tea, pour his drinks, and give him massages — and you can earn a million yen a month! Though they're only looking for young, attractive women, and you can't have ever been pregnant."
As Chiose read the ad aloud, she kept sneaking sidelong glances to gauge Sakiko's reaction.
Heh heh… Sakiko Togawa, faced with an ad this obviously sketchy and this aggressively predatory — what's your read going to be?
And if your reaction turns out to be mild… what will you give me after I say what I'm about to say next?
"It sounds amazing though! Sakiko! I want to try applying — and then maybe we could…"
Just enough of a hint. Leave the rest unsaid.
"Absolutely not! This is obviously some scheme to keep a young girl as a — ahem, that was a bit blunt, but I personally cannot recommend this sort of work. Isn't it obviously suspicious?"
"You're so right, you're so right!" Chiose blinked with wide, guileless eyes and looped her arm through Sakiko's, pressing herself warmly against her.
"If Sakiko hadn't been here, I would've been in real trouble."
A lie, but a sweet one — nobody could dislike hearing it.
See, look at that — were Sakiko Togawa's cheeks just the faintest shade of pink?
This girl's not so bad, Chiose thought. Might she be a good kid, just like Tomori?
Hard to say. She'd need to observe a little more.
What exactly was it about this person that had left Takamatsu Tomori so heartbroken and unable to forget?
Sakiko Togawa tore the predatory job listing from the pole, crumpled it into a ball, and tossed it in the trash.
That was admirable — it said something good about her character.
But was kindness, pride, and good manners all there was to Sakiko Togawa? Surely she had other qualities Yoshiiro Chiose hadn't uncovered yet.
Wait… why was she thinking so much about this?
Was it the simulation? Had she spent too long inside it?
"Haah…"
"What's wrong, Chiose?"
The nickname 「Chiose」had gone from foreign to familiar on Sakiko Togawa's tongue — it came out quite naturally now.
"Nothing. I was just thinking — if something has more pros than cons, but the cons aren't negligible either, what's the best way to handle it?"
"That's a bit abstract, but… I do actually have some thoughts on that."
"Oh really! Sakiko is so impressive — tell me, tell me!"
"Well — my father likes to smoke and drink. Both help him forget his worries, but both are bad for his health. So what he does is space them out — he lets some time pass before having another one, to cushion the negative effects."
"Space them out? I see."
Yoshiiro Chiose took Sakiko Togawa's small, delicate hands in hers and smiled, her eyes curving into warm crescents:
"Sakiko is so reliable. What would I ever do without you?"
A lie — but a pretty one, and nobody in the world could dislike hearing it.
Look at that. Were Sakiko Togawa's cheeks just a little bit red?
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