The message had gone out on a Tuesday.
Not from Kaito this time. From Saki.
House meeting. Saturday, 4PM. Living room. Attendance mandatory.
It had been sent to the family group chat with the formal precision of someone who had been planning the wording for several days. Nana had looked at it twice. Hana had asked what "mandatory" meant and then, upon being told, had asked if she could still attend even though it sounded boring, which had answered its own question.
By Saturday at three fifty-five, the living room had assembled itself with more punctuality than any previous house gathering. Nobody wanted to be the reason Saki's meeting started late.
Saki stood at the front of the room with her notebook.
She had, Kaito noted, dressed for the occasion — not formally, just deliberately. The expression of someone who understood that presentation mattered.
"Thank you for coming," she said.
"You said it was mandatory," Riku said.
"Thank you for coming anyway," Saki said.
