The morning started off unbearably hot. The kind that makes it uncomfortable to even stay in bed. Very annoying… We’re not off to a great start today, are we?

  I put on the lightest clothes I had at the dorm. The simplest t-shirt known to man and a plain skirt.

  Putting on something like this makes me think of Miyuki… She had great fashion sense. I bet she’s been rocking all types of crazy outfits now that we’re on summer vacation… What would she say if she saw me wearing something like this? Laugh? Nah… That’s too soft… She’d probably drag me into some fancy shop and force me to wear something that’s way above my league. Terrifying just to think about. But I can use a chill with weather like this.

  Having washed my face, I sluggishly headed downstairs to see what’s for breakfast. Between the stairs and entrance area, the hallway turns twice, and I stopped right before the last corner.

  “There’s no need to show you any further. This is our dorm, and we have five girls who live here. It’d be inappropriate for you to see more than necessary.”

  Katja’s voice came from around the entrance. Peeking around the corner, I saw her speaking with a man in front of the door. He had black hair and was wearing a suit with a pair of glasses. Katja calmly and politely talked to him with her back to the hallway, preventing him from moving around freely.

  “You say ‘girls’, but everyone here is a soldier before anything else. You may not be directly on the PSF anymore, but don’t forget how our organization works.”

  He had the vibe of a know-it-all, with his arms behind his back and almost looking down at Katja.

  “Either way, you admit you’ve been living here, don’t you? Your grandfather won’t be happy. You’d be wise to apologize and make amends. We don’t need Shinji under even more pressure, do we?”

  Grandfather? Shinji? Just what are they talking about? And why does Katja seem so uncomfortable? “That’s none of your…” She held back.

  I don’t like it.

  *Swoop…* It was then that my shirt accidentally brushed against the wall. I was trying to lean a bit closer and messed up. The sound wasn’t that loud, but with how much tension was in the air, they immediately picked up on it.

  “Hmm? Who’s there?” He peeked over Katja’s shoulder with composure.

  “Iroha…” While Katja turned around in a panic. “She’s our newest member. I’ll introduce you. Come here.” She gestured for me to come closer. Her face seemed somewhat relieved, but now I’m involved too. At least she’s feeling better.

  She put a hand around my shoulder, urging me to say something. He’s someone important, isn’t he? I’ve never seen him before, but I guess I should be polite. “It’s nice to meet you. My name is Iroha Shinohara.” I gave a small bow before looking up.

  “Daisuke Kurokawa. Likewise.” He didn’t even flinch. Just who is he…? Kurokawa…

  My head snapped to the side. Katja… Katja Kurokawa… Same family name… Are they family? Or is it just a coincidence?

  “Daisuke-san works for the Paranormal Security Forces. His main job is as an inspector who works with the various squads to find irregularities and occasionally visits the few independent organizations like the House of Imaginary Boundaries.” Katja said it as objectively as possible, distancing herself.

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

  Daisuke nodded his head to confirm everything was accurate. “An inspector…? So… Are we being inspected today?”

  “No… That’s not why I’m here today. Shinji and I will have to schedule a visit soon, but today I’m only here for a friendly greeting.” Friendly? With how uncomfortable Katja looked? I doubt that… He mentioned something about Katja’s grandfather before, but since I showed up, the topic got completely buried.

  He slowly shook his head and continued. “We’re still far too busy at our headquarters to do anything else after your intervention at the mall. If we don’t handle this crisis well, the world might actually suffer some drastic changes.”

  Yet he’s still here? Then again, I’ll give him some credit. At least he knows what’s important…

  “Either way, since this is not an inspection, there’s no point in you staying in our dorm longer than you need to.” Katja put an end to any further conversation with an authoritative tone. She walked over to the door and opened it for Daisuke. “I’ll accompany you to Shinji’s office, so please follow me.” Then faintly smiled my way. “Take the day to rest, Iroha. I’ll see you later.”

  Daisuke passed through the door and Katja closed it on her way out. She was kinda forcing herself, wasn’t she…?

  “I- is that pest gone?” I stood alone for less than a second before someone hugged me from behind. An orange-haired girl rested her chin on my shoulder with her arms wrapped around my tummy. Ahh~ And her chest! Pressing those soft things on my back with no warning is dangerous…

  “Ah! Narumi…” She was glaring at the door like she was ready to bite someone… A face I’d expect from Carol, not this adorable slob.

  “Can you even say that?” I poked her cheek, which loosened her up. “He seemed like someone important… And… Doesn’t he have the same family name as Katja?”

  “Hmph! So what? He’s still a pest. I don’t care.” Might be bold of me to assume, but I think she doesn’t like him. “Katja doesn’t like him either, so it’s fine.” If it wasn’t clear before, it seems pretty obvious to me now that the girls here have met him before. And I don’t think he was exactly a hit with them.

  “Did she tell you that herself? How much do you know about her situation?”

  Sometimes the House is like a family, but their circumstances are more extreme than normal. There are topics everyone knows not to ask about.

  “Do you think I’m some kind of idiot? Even I can read between the lines sometimes!” Narumi pouted while squeezing me in anger. Why would she even be mad, though? Being an idiot is what she was going for before. “I don’t know everything, but I know enough to know that her family are all a bunch of jerks! All of them! And they all work at the PSF too. It’s so annoying! They’re always the ones making problems for us.”

  “Really?” Seems pretty shady… What was that called again? Nepotism? Oh no… Now I’m the one asking what shouldn’t be asked. “Well, either way, what about you, Narumi? Have you been doing well? You haven’t been having problems keeping your thoughts in check?”

  “Now that I’m with you, I’m much better!”

  She squeezed me again, and this time just for the sake of hugging. It doesn’t seem like she has any plans of letting go, and I’m definitely not going to tell her to stop when it feels so good. Fuck it, we’re getting screamed at by Carol today~!

  “Ahh… But yesterday was the worst…” She sighed. “I went with Katja and Shinji to the PSF and my head almost exploded… It’s too dark…”

  “Dark…? In what way?”

  “It’s too one-dimensional… All they care about is eliminating all monsters and keeping public order. Everything is dispensable… I can’t be there without thinking about everything they discard… Makes me nauseous…”

  “Huh… You did well, though. Sounds rough…” I patted her head, and all the gloom disappeared.

  “I actually made some progress on my own! I figured out a way to not think about bad things too much!” She shuffled from left to right out of happiness, forcing me to shuffle too.

  “That’s nice… What’s the trick?”

  “If I start thinking about you, it doesn’t make me stop thinking, but at least it’s not unpleasant. I can get my head filled with just thoughts of you, which lets me sleep no matter what!” A discovery worth celebrating.

  Wait… Th- thoughts of me…? Does she have any idea of how this sounds? “You gotta be joking… Why are you even thinking about me? That’s embarrassing…”

  “I don’t know why. It just works.”

  “Well… I don’t think it’s a good idea to think too much about a person… Makes you seem crazy.”

  “Crazy?!” She panicked. I’m really being squeezed now… “Don’t say that! If you’re mean to me now that I can’t stop thinking about you, I don’t know what’s going to happen to me! I’ll die! I’ll die for real!”

  Is she blackmailing me?!

  “It’s fine, actually… Think about me if it helps you. I don’t mind.” Can’t say no if she puts it like that.

  “Iroha… Iroha!” She spun me around and gave me a proper hug! “Thank you so much! You’re the best!”

  “Ahahaha… Don’t worry about it…” I might be the one losing sleep now, knowing that she’s probably thinking about me, but whatever. Nothing can be created or destroyed. Things just get transformed into other things. Maybe insomnia follows a similar law and just jumps from person to person. “But why? Do you have to think about me specifically? And what do you even think about?”

  “I’m trying to figure out what you are!” She smugly said.

  “Are you worried I’m keeping secrets from you again?”

  “Ah! No… I didn’t mean it like that… It was, like, your meaning… Like, what is the meaning of your life…? Maybe… Does that make sense?” Not at all…

  I forgot she’s actually smart when she wants to be. Of course she’s going to go into topics like those. Why am I even surprised? “Well… Tell me if you figure it out, okay? Who doesn’t want to know the meaning of life?”

  “Ahem!” We heard a sharp cough from the direction of the room. “How long are you going to hug in the middle of the hallway? You’ve gone way too far this time…” With her arms crossed, Carol tapped her foot.

  I gotta run. “Uhmm… Narumi… I actually have someone I need to meet today, so… I’ll see you later!”

  “Ah! Don’t run!”

  I ran off into the woods with her right behind me. Can’t believe I really got yelled at by her in the end.