“Good afternoon, Ryūta. The police called me a short while ago. There have been some developments in the investigation. They asked when we might be able to come in person. Would you happen to be free after school tomorrow?”

  The boy hadn’t even realized he had been staring at the message on his phone for several minutes.

  “Did you receive bad news?” Ninel asked with concern.

  “I wouldn’t call it bad news, but I would have been much happier if there would never been a need for this message… Funny, isn’t it?” He looked up at her with a faint, insincere smile.

  The girl immediately sensed this was a sensitive subject for him, so she didn’t press the matter. Instead, she handed him a small slip of paper, on which a string of neatly written numbers was visible.

  “If you ever need anything, or just feel like talking, you can reach me at this number. Please do not hesitate to call, even if it is late at night,” she said, offering a faint smile that brought Ryūta’s own closer to genuine.

  “Thank you. I will,” he replied, but before he could add anything else, Ninel bowed slightly and said,

  “I have finished what I had to do here. I will not keep you any longer. Have a wonderful day.”

  A moment later, she left the apartment and closed the door behind her. The boy glanced at his phone again and began to type:

  “Good afternoon. Yes. I’ll be at the police station at 3:30 p.m.”

  He spent the rest of the day relaxing, or at least he wanted to, but his thoughts kept circling back to what he might hear the next day. Evening finally came, and he went to bed, yet sleep refused to come.

  Then his new friend’s offer crossed his mind. He typed her number into the recipient field, but when the empty message box seemed to stare back at him, his fingers stalled. In the end, he decided not to bother her for no reason and set his phone aside.

  Less than a minute later, the screen lit up. A message had arrived, and the sender was Sanae.

  “Hey! Are you still up?”

  “Hey! Yeah. I can’t sleep,” he replied.

  Then her next text appeared.

  “Did something happen?”

  Ryūta didn’t want to worry her, so he kept his plans for the next day to himself.

  “Nothing special. My body clock must be off.”

  “After the past two days, I’m not surprised. First that drug, then vodka?”

  “Yeah…”

  The girl didn’t reply, only sent an emoji stifling a laugh.

  “So, did you need something?” the boy asked, his face twisting into a grimace. Sanae got straight to the point.

  “I was thinking, since we’re neighbors now, maybe we could walk to school together.”

  He took a moment to consider his response, but decided not to dance around it.

  “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

  “Why not???” she fired back, probably in shock.

  “Do you remember how Shinji reacted when he found out you spent the night at my place? I don’t want to make things even more awkward. Besides, since we live next door now, we can hang out anytime.”

  Although Ryūta had quickly gotten the hang of typing on a phone, and his speed and accuracy had both improved, longer messages still gave him trouble. By the time he was ready to send his thoughts, the girl was already firing off a flurry of anxious texts:

  “Did I do something to upset you?”

  “I’m sorry!”

  “Whatever I did, I really regret it!”

  “Please, answer me!”

  It had taken him quite some effort to send his message, but once he did, she seemed to understand the situation.

  “Oh… Well, if you put it that way…”

  The boy was about to smile at her innocence when another notification popped up on his phone.

  “How about right now?”

  “What?” he typed back, confused.

  “I’m asking if I can come over.”

  “Well, it’s not that late yet… and I can’t sleep anyway,” he muttered to himself before replying: ?Sure.”

  It took only a few minutes before the doorbell rang. When he opened the door, he found his neighbor standing there in pajamas.

  “Bunny-san,” he noted, recognizing the rabbit prints on her outfit, and she returned the gesture.

  “Bear-san.”

  “Alright, this was weird.”

  “Yeah, a little,” Sanae laughed.

  Although he clearly stepped aside to let her in, she didn’t move.

  “What’s wrong? Aren’t you coming in?” he asked, puzzled.

  “I was thinking, since everything goes back to normal tomorrow… just this one last time… could I stay over?” she asked hesitantly.

  Ryūta sighed.

  “Alright. One last time.”

  When he agreed, the girl grabbed her bedding from behind the wall.

  “What the—?! You already decided I would say yes, didn’t you?”

  “I just hoped you would. What I did decide was that I would talk you into it if you said no,” she grinned before finally stepping inside.

  “Unbelievable…” the boy smiled, then added, “Guess I’m sleeping on the floor again tonight.”

  Once the lights were off and they had settled in, he made an unexpected discovery.

  “What’s with this rug? It’s even more comfortable than my old futon.”

  He didn’t have long to dwell on it though. Sanae suddenly spoke.

  “Ryūta…” she began.

  “What is it?” he encouraged her to go on.

  “We’ll always be friends, right?”

  The question struck him like a bad omen, and an uneasy feeling swept over him. Trying to chase away the unpleasant thoughts, he forced a smile and replied,

  “Yes, we’ll always be friends.”

  “I’m glad to hear that. Good night, Ryūta!” she said with a warm smile.

  “Good night, Sanae,” he answered in kind.

  Morning found him in his bed. When he recalled where sleep had claimed him the night before, the memory of the morning, when the girl had left him with nothing but a farewell letter, flashed into his mind.

  As his head cleared, he rolled over in alarm. To his surprise, his face pressed against her chest.

  “Ah!” she gasped, equally startled. “Good morning, Ryūta.”

  “Sanae…!”

  “Yes?” She looked at him with puzzled eyes.

  Realizing his mistake, he tried to act as if nothing had happened and returned the greeting.

  “Good morning.”

  But his effort was cut short by another voice behind her.

  Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.

  “Good morning, Ryūta-sama.”

  When the boy looked up and the girl turned around, they saw Ninel standing beside the bed, casting them both the faintest glances of disapproval.

  “Forgive me for the early disturbance. I only wanted to ask what you would like for breakfast, but… it seems I should prepare for two.”

  “An intruder!” Sanae teased.

  “You’re the intruder! What are you doing in my bed?” Ryūta shot back, then caught himself. “Wait, wrong question… What am I doing in my bed? I remember clearly I slept on the floor.”

  “You did, but you looked so lonely that I felt sorry for you and let you up.”

  “No way that happened!”

  “Just kidding,” she said, her playful smile shifting into a sly grin. “Well… half kidding.”

  “What do you mean, half?” The boy raised a brow, and the girl puffed out her cheeks.

  “Fine, I was the lonely one, so I dragged you up here while you were asleep. Besides, what’s the point of me sleeping here if we’re so far apart…” she muttered, her voice dropping to a whisper by the end.

  Ryūta’s expression softened, but before he could respond, Ninel cleared her throat.

  “Ahem… Shall I come back later?”

  The two high schoolers suddenly remembered they weren’t alone. The boy quickly blurted out,

  “No, Sanae is just about to leave, right?” He looked awkwardly at his classmate.

  “Yeah, I’m on my way!” she laughed, then jumped up, gathered her bedding, and rushed out the door.

  “Your girlfriend?” Ninel asked, curiosity lighting up her face.

  “No, we’re not that close,” Ryūta replied, still clearly embarrassed.

  “Then your lover?” she continued, her tone growing increasingly cynical.

  “I would never do something like that with her,” he said again, a bit annoyed. Seeing his reaction, the girl hesitated for a moment, then pushed a little further.

  “So, just a one-night stand?”

  “That’s even more out of the question! Why are we spiraling in such a negative direction?”

  Instead of answering, Ninel simply smiled.

  “My apologies. I crossed a line.”

  “On purpose, didn’t you?”

  “May I be honest?” she asked, tilting her head slightly. The boy gave her a surprised look.

  “Yeah…?”

  “I was testing you. I was trying to judge what kind of person you are, based on your answers.”

  “And what did you figure out?”

  “I could not decide. But from my experience, that is already a good sign.”

  With that, she left him scratching his head in confusion and headed into the kitchen to start making breakfast.

  Once Ryūta finished getting ready, he glanced at the clock and realized he still had plenty of time. His new home was much closer to school than his old one.

  Still, he didn’t feel like waiting. One thought kept echoing in his mind:

  “Today, I’ll finally learn what happened.”

  So absorbed was he in that idea, he barely noticed the smell spreading through the apartment. He only became aware of it just as he was about to step out the door and Ninel called after him.

  “Please, wait!”

  He turned back and pressed his hands together in apology, knowing she had gone to the trouble for nothing because of him.

  “Sorry, but I’m not really hun—”

  Before he could finish, the girl stepped in front of him, holding out a box wrapped in a fabric cloth.

  “Do not forget your lunch!”

  Hearing those words, the boy’s eyes welled up. No one had ever made a bento for him before. He used to watch his classmates with quiet envy whenever they opened a lovingly packed meal from a family member.

  The cloth wrapping the homemade food bore the same patterns as the girl’s outfit.

  “Thank you... so much,” he murmured. Ninel was nearly moved herself.

  She quickly brushed away the single tear that had escaped down her cheek, smiled at him just for a moment without saying another word, and then returned to the kitchen.

  Upon arriving at school, Ryūta was once again among the first students. Only the student council members and a few teachers had gotten there before him.

  As he walked in, he immediately spotted Shinji and Nao.

  When they started toward him, the girl picked up her pace, overtaking the boy by a few steps. As she passed Ryūta, barely slowing down and not even glancing at him, she muttered,

  “Don’t say a word to Takeda-kun. Just nod and go along with whatever he says.”

  He watched her for a moment, but since she kept walking without looking back, he finally turned to his friend, who was now eyeing him suspiciously.

  “Good morning,” Shinji greeted him.

  “Good morning...” Ryūta echoed, a bit uncertain.

  “You look all right,” the boy with glasses noted, then continued, more firmly, “So, what the hell happened? Nao said a lot of things, but I can’t tell if the truth is among them.”

  “What did she say?” his friend asked, surprised.

  “That some former students planned the whole thing against her. They wanted revenge for being expelled on her recommendation, so they tried to make people believe she was the head of some criminal group, just to ruin her reputation.”

  “What a lousy cover story…” Ryūta thought to himself with a faint grimace, glancing again toward the student council president still standing in the hallway, just as she shot him a sharp look. “You would be surprised what people can come up with,” he added with a nervous laugh, which, fortunately, seemed to ease the tension.

  “Alright, if you say so...” Shinji finally relented. “As long as you’re both okay… Though, I wouldn’t mind hearing your version too.”

  “The truth is, I don’t remember much of what happened. Probably a side effect from getting hit on the head. I slept a night or two and boom, gone. Just like that. Great, now I’m talking nonsense too. Is this contagious?”

  “That’s exactly what Nao said.”

  “Safe,” Ryūta breathed a quiet sigh of relief and Shinji nodded.

  “In that case, let’s not push it. Case closed, anyway. Starting today, things go back to normal.”

  However his friend’s expression darkened.

  “Actually... I’m not sure about that. Apparently, there’s been a development in Hime’s case. The police are going to brief us this afternoon.”

  “That’s strange. My uncle didn’t mention anything about it...” The boy with glasses paused, looking puzzled, but Ryūta remained optimistic.

  “Maybe he’s working on a different case and hasn’t gotten the news yet.”

  “Maybe...”

  Despite the uncertainty that morning, their spirits lifted soon after.

  By lunchtime, they were sitting together as usual, like any normal day. But when Ryūta pulled out his lunch, Shinji couldn’t help but notice.

  “That’s not the usual store-bought sandwich you always get. Did you make it yourself?”

  The president had told him not to say anything, but he couldn’t bring himself to lie.

  “No, a friend did.”

  He untied the embroidered cloth from around the small box and removed the lid, revealing a toasted sandwich with a faint reddish sheen of grease glistening on the bread.

  As he pulled the two slices apart, the other boy immediately recognized the contents.

  “Egg salad, salami... and mayo?”

  They both raised an eyebrow, not at the ingredients but at how they were arranged.

  The mayonnaise, though slightly smudged in places, clearly spelled out Cyrillic letters:

  “Хороший человек”

  “Is your friend Russian?” Shinji wondered aloud.

  “Yeah,” Ryūta replied firmly and his friend squinted at him.

  “Should I ask?”

  “Better not.”

  Honoring the request, he let it go and turned his attention back to the sandwich.

  “What do you think it means?”

  “No idea...” Ryūta admitted. The boy with glasses pulled out his phone and snapped a photo of the message. “What are you doing?”

  “If I started decoding it now, you wouldn’t get to eat.”

  “That’s fair.”

  They reassembled the sandwich and finally began their lunch.

  As the day was nearing its end, Ryūta grew increasingly restless, finding it harder and harder to focus. At last, the final bell rang, and the two boys said their goodbyes.

  As planned, Ryūta boarded the first subway train and arrived at the police station right on time. Himeko’s mother, Aizawa Yumiko, was waiting for him on the platform. Despite the circumstances, she greeted him with a warm smile.

  She wore a blouse, long skirt, and shoes, all black, topped with a dark brown poncho.

  After exchanging greetings, they set off toward their destination. Neither spoke for several minutes. Eventually, Yumiko broke the silence.

  “How have you been lately?” she asked with the same gentle smile, trying to ease the tension.

  “Better, thank you. I’ve made a few great friends,” the boy replied, his tone brightening a little.

  “I’m glad to hear that. Did you meet them at school?”

  “Most of them, yes, though there are a few exceptions.”

  “And how’s your new place? I heard from your landlady that you moved. Is everything alright? It seemed rather sudden.”

  “It’s a long story, but everything’s fine. My new apartment is closer to school, larger, and safer. And the rent is surprisingly low too. I don’t even dare to think about what it might actually cost,” he added to himself with a pained smile, then asked, “And you? How are you?”

  For a moment, the woman said nothing. Then she let out a bitter sigh and lowered her gaze.

  “Lonely… unbearably lonely. Even though I’m not alone, I can’t stop thinking about her. If only my husband were home, but he couldn’t come back even for our daughter’s funeral.”

  “I’m sorry. I wish I could do something,” Ryūta said quietly, but Yumiko shook her head.

  “Don’t worry about me. Focus on yourself instead.”

  But despite her reassurance, the boy didn’t feel the slightest bit better.

  When they reached the police station, the woman stopped at the entrance.

  “Ryūta,” she began, her voice serious. “I brought you with me because you asked me to let you know if I learned anything. Since you and my daughter were so close, I promised I would. But…” She paused, and to the boy it felt like the silence stretched on for hours. “Whatever we learn in there, whatever comes to light, I want you to move on from Himeko afterward. You’re still young. You have your whole life ahead of you. You mustn’t become a prisoner of the past.”

  “I’m sorry, I can’t,” he replied, looking up with determination but also deep sorrow.

  “Ryūta—” Yumiko started, but he cut her off.

  “Forgive me. I know it’s terribly disrespectful to say this to her mother, but she meant far more to me than she did to you.” The boy burst out, his words landing like a dagger in the woman’s heart, though she remained silent. “Hime always said I had saved her. But the truth is, she saved me. I was always alone. I had no one until I met her. If it weren’t for her, I would probably be sitting in a prison or lying dead somewhere. You can hit me if you want. I deserve it for saying this. But that’s how I really feel.”

  Yumiko lifted her hand, prompting Ryūta to clench his teeth and shut his eyes. The touch on his cheek, however, felt more like a gentle caress than a strike.

  “It takes real courage to open yourself up like that. It only shows how much you truly loved Himeko. But you need to understand you weren’t important to her alone. I couldn’t bear it if anything happened to you, and I’m certain your friends feel the same way.”

  “I’m sorry… truly…” the boy murmured, lowering his gaze.

  The woman smiled.

  “There’s nothing to be sorry for. Love isn’t a crime,” she said warmly, but that clearly didn’t ease his guilt, so she added, “If you regret it that much, then be just as good to your new friends as you were to my daughter.”

  “Of course. I will,” Ryūta promised, finally lifting his head.

  A few moments later, they stepped inside the police station, bracing themselves for the worst, or so they thought.

  Not far from the door, a man in his early thirties stood behind the front desk. The duty officer welcomed them.

  “Hello. How may I help you?” he asked.

  After Himeko’s mother explained why they had come, the man dialed an extension on the desk phone in front of him and spent several long minutes speaking into the receiver. When he finally hung up, he turned to the pair standing uncertainly before him.

  “Excuse me, but is this young man a relative of the deceased?”

  “Not exactly. He was a very close friend,” the woman replied, but the officer’s expression darkened.

  “I am sorry, but in that case we cannot share any information with him regarding the investigation.”

  Hearing this, the boy’s hand curled into a fist for a moment. He knew, however, that Yumiko would tell him everything later, so he accepted the frustrating law in silence.

  “I understand. I’ll wait outside,” he said before turning on his heel and heading for the door.

  Himeko’s mother watched him go with a heavy heart, but when the man stepped out from behind the counter and headed down the hall, she followed.

  About fifteen minutes passed since they had parted inside. Ryūta sat on the steps in front of the building, growing increasingly restless. When she finally appeared in the doorway, he froze.

  The woman looked shattered, on the verge of crying, her lips trembling as she met his gaze. The boy rushed to her side.

  “What happened?” he asked.

  Yumiko could no longer hold it in. Tears spilled over as she collapsed into his arms.

  “They dropped the case!”