— — — — — —
"My name is Kawasaki Taishi. My sister is a second-year at Sōbu High… Her name is Kawasaki Saki. Recently she's started going down the wrong path. Or… maybe it's more accurate to say she's become a delinquent."
"When my sister was in middle school, she studied really hard. That's how she managed to get into Sōbu High."
"She was really good to me back then too. She cooked for me all the time. Nothing really changed during her first year of high school either… until recently."
"Lately she's been coming home really late. Sometimes not until four or five in the morning. And when she's home, she always seems distracted, like her mind's somewhere else."
Oikawa frowned.
He knew Kawasaki worked a part-time job at night and usually didn't get home until after eleven.
But four or five in the morning?
That was news to him.
No wonder she had looked so exhausted lately. She practically slept through every geography and history class.
"The only thing I know is that Kawasaki works at a hotel," Oikawa said. "She told me her shift was from six to nine in the evening. The four or five in the morning thing… I didn't know about that."
Everyone had turned to him with questioning looks, so Oikawa shared everything he knew.
"A part-time job? Is Kawasaki-san really that short on money?"
Yui asked the question with her usual innocent bluntness.
"She told me she wants to go to university," Oikawa said. "That kind of thing costs a lot. I'm guessing she's trying to save the money herself."
In Japan, tuition at a public university was at least 500,000 yen per year.
Private universities were worse, starting around a million yen annually, and some of the prestigious ones charged even more.
Oikawa suddenly felt a little annoyed at Kawasaki.
That girl was unbelievably stubborn.
If she needed money, she could just say so. Why bottle everything up and struggle alone?
"When your sister comes home that late, don't your parents say anything?" someone asked.
"My parents both work," Taishi said quietly. "And we have younger siblings at home, so they don't really keep track of her schedule. Plus, when she gets home that late, she hardly runs into them anyway."
"And when they do see each other, they just end up arguing. If I try to talk to her, she always insists it's none of my business…"
Taishi's shoulders slumped, his face full of frustration.
Oikawa felt a pang in his chest. Suddenly he wanted to be a little kinder to Kawasaki.
"There's something else…" Taishi added. "Lately I've been getting strange phone calls asking for my sister."
"They're from a place called something like… 'Angel.' The manager who calls sounds like those yakuza guys you see in movies."
Hey now, don't judge people by their voices.
Before Taishi could go further, Oikawa interrupted him. "Don't worry. Your sister hasn't turned into some delinquent."
"I've been tutoring her recently. So relax. I'll talk to her and convince her to quit that job. She won't keep working that late."
Once again, everyone looked at Oikawa.
"Really, Oikawa-nii?" Taishi asked hopefully.
"Yeah. I'll make sure the sister you remember comes back. I promise."
Oikawa wasn't sure why he added the word promise. It really wasn't his style.
"Thank you! Thank you so much!"
Taishi practically cheered, bowing over and over.
Before leaving, Oikawa pulled Yui aside.
"Can I ask you a favor? Don't spread what we talked about today. Okay?"
"Of course! I won't say a single word. But Oikawa-kun, do you really trust me that little?"
Yui looked slightly offended.
Then she asked, "Why did you only ask me? Why not Hachiman or the others?"
Because they definitely wouldn't say anything anyway.
Oikawa didn't answer.
Yui glared at him, clearly irritated now, then turned and walked off.
---
Inside the convenience store.
Oikawa was explaining a problem to Kawasaki.
He spoke casually, as if the thought had just occurred to him. "Kawasaki-san, I feel like you've been really tired lately. You even have dark circles under your eyes."
"Oh no. Don't tell me you've been lying awake at night thinking about me."
Kawasaki shot him a cold look and said nothing.
She still hadn't decided whether she was ready to make up with him.
"Oh right, I forgot to ask you the other day," Oikawa continued. "Do you have a university you want to go to?"
"It's fine if it's not as good as the University of Tokyo. I promise I won't laugh at you."
"Come on, tell me. I really want to know which university you're aiming for. If we both end up in Tokyo, maybe we could still run into each other sometimes."
Oikawa had already decided that if she kept ignoring him, he would simply keep talking.
"Ochanomizu Women's University. History and Culture."
Maybe he had finally annoyed her enough. Or maybe a certain phrase he used struck a chord.
Either way, Kawasaki broke her vow of silence.
"History and Culture, huh?" Oikawa said. "That actually sounds perfect for you."
"Is the tuition expensive?"
The tip of Kawasaki's pen scratched quietly across the paper as she answered without looking up. "About 650,000 yen a year. Compared to other universities in Tokyo, it's actually on the cheaper side."
"I see."
Oikawa nodded thoughtfully.
Then he didn't say anything else.
Time slipped by little by little.
Soon the two of them were walking down the quiet sidewalk again. Neither of them spoke.
They simply walked forward.
"You're supposed to turn there."
At a crossroads, Kawasaki suddenly pointed it out.
"Really?"
"Guess I spaced out for a moment. You look pretty tired today. Want me to walk you home?" Oikawa smiled at her.
"No."
Kawasaki replied coldly.
Moments later, her figure disappeared from his sight.
---
1:00 AM.
Yawning, Oikawa arrived at a hotel called Royal Okura.
The building practically radiated luxury. Standing there, Oikawa couldn't help feeling a little out of place.
He could count on one hand the number of times he'd been somewhere this high-end.
He stepped into a glass elevator.
As it rose, the entire view of Tokyo Bay spread out before him.
The lights of ships drifting across the water, the red taillights of cars along the bay highway, the glittering towers of the city skyline.
All of it together formed a dazzling scene that could only be described as neon decadence.
When the elevator reached the 24th floor, the doors slid open.
A dimly lit, ritzy bar filled the space, called the Angel Ladder Café.
On a small stage under warm spotlights, a white woman played smooth jazz on a piano.
Oikawa glanced around appreciatively before heading toward the bar counter.
Behind it stood a tall bartender with neat features. There was a small beauty mark beneath the corner of her eye.
Seeing Kawasaki like this gave him a strange feeling.
She looked… more mature somehow.
"Excuse me," Oikawa said. "One cocktail, please."
His footsteps had been so quiet that Kawasaki didn't even notice him until he spoke.
Their eyes met and Kawasaki froze like someone had cast a petrification spell on her.
"What a coincidence, Kawasaki-san."
A sly smile spread across Oikawa's face.
.
.
.