Haruki stared at her for a long moment, his expression difficult to read. He had listened to everything she had said without interrupting, but now that Hori had finally finished explaining herself, there was one thing that caught his attention the most.
"How is becoming a priest going to help you meet your father?" He had to ask.
Hori raised one finger, and despite everything that had happened to her so far, a tiny smile found its way onto her face.
"I'm glad you asked."
Haruki's eyebrow rose slightly.
"As I'm sure you're aware, my father, Tabata Jiro, was elected Prime Minister on August 11th, 2013."
She paused, watching him to make sure he was following.
"At the same time, he served as the lead chairman of the Sin Hunting Organization, S.H.O. Somehow, he managed to juggle both positions at once, and he did extremely well in both of them."
"Your point exactly?" Haruki asked, a small smile appearing on his face.
"I'm getting there."
Hori raised her finger a little higher.
"To become a Priest, I'll have to partake in the Sabbath Exams. If I can pass it, there's a tradition where the chairman makes a brief appearance at the end of the examination to congratulate the top three candidates."
Haruki's smile slowly faded.
For a few seconds, he simply stared at her.
Then his eyes widened.
"Oh..."
Hori nodded. "Exactly."
"So you plan on explaining everything to him right there?" Haruki leaned forward slightly. "On the spot?"
"Yes."
He stared at her, then shook his head.
"Sorry, Hori, but I'm not sure that's going to work."
Hori's expression faltered.
Haruki wasn't trying to dismiss her. In fact, the more he thought about it, the more reasonable his objection seemed.
"If you'd lost your daughter..."
He glanced at Hori.
'...you wouldn't believe some random blue-haired girl who walked up to you claiming to be her."
It was simple.
Even if Hori told the truth, there was no guarantee that her father would believe her. He could have spent months grieving his daughter. He could have already accepted that she was dead.
And then, suddenly, someone would appear in front of him and claim to be the daughter he'd lost.
"You'd probably call her crazy."
Haruki opened his mouth to explain himself.
"That's where this comes in." Hori raised another finger.
Haruki stopped, his eyes dropped toward her hand. Then back to her face.
"His private number." Hori said confidently.
Haruki flinched. "You don't mean..."
"Immediately after I went missing, I gave the police this number. I've had it memorized since I was five, so I'm certain it's correct."
Her voice had changed. The uncertainty from earlier was beginning to disappear, replaced by something much more focused.
"However, the number wasn't reachable."
Haruki's expression changed subtly.
Hori continued before he could interrupt.
"The Kantei, where we live has excellent telecommunications service, with a stable supply of power. So if Father's private phone suddenly became unreachable, something else must have happened to it."
She paused.
Her eyes narrowed slightly as she replayed the events in her head.
"I'm certain it happened before I used that officer's phone to call him..."
Something had just clicked.
"...because when I called Father from the landline, the number actually rang."
Haruki said nothing.
Neither did Hori.
The rain continued against the roof, filling the silence between them.
For the first time since she had woken up in this strange place, the confusion in her head seemed to be settling.
She had spent so much time crying, panicking, and desperately trying to understand what had happened to her that she hadn't given herself enough room to actually think.
Now, with the tears finally gone and her breathing steady, the memories began arranging themselves into something that resembled a pattern.
'Yes...'
Her eyes sharpened.
'Now that my head is clear...'
She slowly clenched her hand around the phone.
'I can reason this out.'
A faint sense of confidence returned to her expression.
"This only supports my theory, Haruki-san. Something was trying to stop me from reaching him."
Haruki leaned back slightly.
He didn't answer.
Hori had started talking faster now, but there was something different about it compared to earlier.
She wasn't rambling because she was frightened anymore. She was following a line of reasoning, and every conclusion seemed to give her another piece of certainty.
Haruki listened.
For once, he didn't have a joke.
He didn't have a sarcastic remark.
He didn't even have a comeback.
"He told me himself," Hori said quietly. Only a handful of people know his private number."
She paused.
"Me."
Another pause.
"The Kantei butlers."
Her eyes lifted.
"And those high-ranking priests called Bishops. So it only gives my plan more credibility. "
"If I make it into the top three..."
Her voice became quieter.
"If I actually get in front of Father when he congratulates me... I'll say the number out loud."
Haruki's eyes widened slightly.
"Right to his face."
For a moment, Haruki as well gained a new expression, as if imagining the plan in real time.
Then he slowly exhaled.
"Yeah..." He leaned back. "That alone should make him ask how you know the number."
Hori nodded. "Exactly."
"And if that doesn't work..." Haruki's expression softened as he considered it.
"He might just remember your voice."
Hori's eyes widened slightly and she nodded again. "Yes, I'm hoping just that will suffice."
The room fell quiet once more.
Haruki looked at her differently now.
He hadn't noticed exactly when it had happened, but somewhere during her explanation, the ridiculousness of her story had begun to fade.
He still didn't completely believe her.
Not yet.
But the certainty with which she spoke was difficult to ignore. She wasn't searching for convenient answers. She was piecing together what she knew, remembering details that someone her age would have no obvious reason to invent.
Could she really be the Prime Minister's daughter?
The question remained.
But this time, Haruki didn't immediately dismiss it.
"So..." Hori's voice pulled him out of his thoughts.
"Haruki-san." She hesitated.
The confidence she'd just displayed suddenly seemed to shrink.
"Could... you train me?"
Haruki looked at her as Hori played with her nails.
"I saw how you moved earlier."
Her eyes shimmered with admiration.
"I don't know why you ate that sinner..."
However a shudder ran through her as the memory returned.
She still couldn't understand what she'd witnessed at the time.
"But..."
She looked back up.
"I'm certain of it... you're really strong."
There was no clever argument this time.
No elaborate reasoning.
Just a simple request.
"Please."
Haruki stared at her for a moment longer. Then he folded his arms.
"Okay, I'll train you."
Hori's eyes widened slightly.
"But under one condition."
Her expression became cautious.
"What condition?"
Haruki's usual grin slowly returned.
"You said the top three candidates are congratulated by the chairman who's the Prime Minister, right?"
Hori nodded.
"Then how about we compete?"
Hori blinked.
"Compete...?"
Haruki's grin widened.
"Yeah." There was an almost childish excitement in his voice now.
"I'll take the Sabbath Exams too."
Hori stared at him.
For a few seconds, she genuinely didn't understand what he was saying.
Then her eyes widened.
"You...You also want to become a Priest, Haruki-san?! Why?" She had to ask.
"Why not?" Haruki chuckled.
Hori's mouth fell slightly open.
"Why not?!" She couldn't believe how casually he'd said it.
"Haruki-san, you don't understand!"
She leaned forward, her voice rising with disbelief.
"The Sabbath Exams have a mortality rate of fifty percent!"
Haruki's smile barely changed.
"Literally half of the participants die!"
She stared at him, waiting for the seriousness of her words to finally reach him.
It didn't.
Haruki simply shrugged.
"It'll be fine."
Hori's expression twisted in disbelief.
"I'm really strong." He said it as though that settled everything.
Then he leaned back, looking genuinely pleased with the idea.
"I just want some competition, honestly. My life's been boring lately, It'll make things interesting, y'know."
Hori stared at him.
"A... competition huh..."
She repeated the word slowly, almost as though she were trying to understand what kind of person could hear fifty percent mortality rate and interpret it as an opportunity to have fun.
"Yeah." Haruki leaned forward again. "How about it?" He raised a finger.
"The best spots are for the top three, right?"
Hori nodded reluctantly.
"Then why don't you and I compete..."
His grin returned.
"...for the number one spot?"
Hori blinked twice.
'I don't actually need to compete with him...All I need is top three. That's enough to see Father.'
Her gaze flicked to Haruki's grin.
'...But if agreeing is the only way to get him to train me, then I should just nod.' and so she did.
"Well, it's settled then!"
Haruki announced it like he'd just won a prize. He was on his feet in an instant, energy crackling off him.
"We start tomorrow. Early. As early as possible. Oh, I'm so excited—"
His voice died.
A sound ripped through his enthusiasm.
Low. Violent. Humiliating. Hori's stomach growled and she froze.
Her hands moved on their own, pressing hard against her stomach as if she could smother the noise.
Heat crawled up her neck.
'Right.' The thought came a second too late. 'I didn't eat today.'
The pain and realization settled in her chest, heavy and stupid.
Last night was a piece of bread and a bottle of water. That was all she'd had, and that was before she'd met Haruki. Before they went to the Hot springs.... and all that happened.
The silence stretched, she could feel him looking at her.
Haruki was already moving. He opened the fridge and spoke while searching.
"Darn, all I have is some bread and jam. Is that cool with you?" He asked peeping.
"Y-yes! I don't mind it at all."
'I could eat anything right now to be honest... my stomach hurts so much."
Haruki grabbed the ingredients and headed for the kitchen, Hori trailed behind.
"Please don't stress yourself Haruki-san, I can do it myself. Besides, I'll be handling every chore from now on." Hori insisted but Haruki simply hummed while slicing the bread.
"You know, this is the first time I've had a roommate before..." He spread some jam over a piece.
"Same..." Hori admitted as well.
"I'll try my best not to make you uncomfortable, so just make yourself at home." Haruki smiled and offered the plate of food over.
Hori genuinely felt touched, just that same morning she hated the boy in front of her. Preferring a trip to the police station than spending any more time with him.
'He's definitely odd.... but... Haruki-san is kind.' she said to herself as she collected the plate of jam and bread with a smile.
From offering a free shower in the hot springs, to helping her current situation. Hori definitely misjudged him.
As she sat on the kitchen table devouring the light snack. A flicker of worry showed in her eyes. Her chewing slowed. Then she finally spoke.
"Haruki-san... do you think the Matsumoto's are okay?" Her grip on the jam sandwich tightened.
Fear from the sin of Arson nearly ruining its sweet taste.
Haruki let out a defeated sigh, head bent with what she could have sworn was geniune worry show on his face.
"I...I hope they are..."
That was all they could do. Hope.
Their questions were sure to be answered the next day.