Harumi stopped in front of the building.
She took a deep breath.
A very deep breath.
The kind of breath someone takes before:
giving a presentation;
walking into a job interview;
or making a potentially disastrous decision.
— ...Okay. I can do this. I'm an adult. I have responsibilities. I—
She opened the door.
Ding.
The place smelled like strong perfume, paper, old coffee, and overly aggressive air conditioning.
People walked back and forth.
Phones rang.
Conversations hummed quietly in the background.
A completely different world from the chaos of her house.
"This definitely wasn't on my Top 10 Places to Visit This Year list..."
"N-No judging, Harumi!"
Harumi had conversations with herself all the time.
Perfectly normal.
She walked up to the reception desk.
Opened her mouth to speak—
— We're not hiring.
Harumi jumped.
— A-AH, NO!! That's not it, ma'am!!
— I figured. You don't really look like someone who'd apply here...
The receptionist paused to think.
— Then you're...
No, we don't offer that kind of service either.
She thought for another moment.
— Unless you're paying—
— N-N-NOOOOOO!!! THAT'S NOT IT EITHER!!
The receptionist frowned.
— Then what exactly do you want here, lady?
Harumi jumped again.
— AH! Right! Right! So... a very dear friend of mine used to work here! Her name is Mizuki Kobayashi!
The receptionist had been typing without paying much attention.
But the moment she heard Kobayashi...
She stopped.
Slowly looked up.
With a suspicious expression.
— ...You know her?
— Know her?! OF COURSE! We're super close! Best friends! Always together!!!
The receptionist narrowed her eyes.
"Mizuki... making friends? With... this?"
— Okay... and how is she doing?
At this point, Harumi had basically become family.
— I heard she's still in the hospital. Poor thing!!
The atmosphere changed instantly.
Gossip Mode Activated.
— Ahhh, she's getting better — Harumi said, already leaning forward.
— Well, I told her it was about time she stopped taking those medications... but she never listens, and look what happened.
— M-Medication...?
Uh, right! I told her to stop too...
Harumi lowered her voice.
— Poor thing... but honestly, I think she likes being there... she probably prefers it...
The woman burst into an ABSURDLY LOUD laugh.
— HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! THAT SOUNDS EXACTLY LIKE HER!!!
Harumi got startled—
But laughed along anyway.
— My name's Yumi. Nice to meet you.
— Harumi! Nice to meet you too!!
Yumi shook her hand...
...then immediately narrowed her eyes again.
Harumi blinked.
— ...?
— So, Harumi...
What exactly do you want with Mizuki? Confidential information?
Harumi nearly choked because Yumi had accidentally guessed the truth.
But she took a deep breath and pretended it wasn't a big deal.
Straightened her posture.
Spoke confidently.
— I'm taking care of her children. And I wanted to talk to her because I'd like permission to put the kids under my family name.
Silence.
Yumi just stared.
Harumi continued firmly.
— They're doing really well! Takeru even reminds me a little of this place—
— A-A-AND HOW IS TAKERU DOING?!
The tone changed completely.
Full of nostalgia.
OUT OF NOWHERE another woman joined the conversation.
— AAAAH!! Is he talking yet? Hahaha!
A third face appeared.
— I bet he hasn't changed at all!
Harumi was completely overwhelmed by the sudden woman attack.
— H-He's gotten really tall for his age! And he's about to start school! We just need the paperwork finished!
Another woman joined in.
— GIRL, I KNOW THAT FEELING! Paperwork is a nightmare!
— Right?! — another agreed. — When my boyfriend and I broke up, I wanted custody of the dog! The paperwork was awful!!!
Without anyone noticing...
It had turned into an official Complaint Convention.
Everyone talking at once.
Complaining.
Sharing stories.
Comparing bureaucratic nightmares.
On the other side of the lobby...
Takeru watched.
Arms crossed.
Neutral expression.
Sora was trying to balance an ice cream cone that was rapidly turning into soup.
Takeru thought:
"What a mess."
— Yumi, give Haru Mizuki's phone number!
— Ahhh, Mizuki's so detached she'd probably agree to your idea immediately!
— Those poor kids, having to deal with her!
Everyone nodded with sympathetic expressions.
Yumi lowered her gaze.
The atmosphere shifted.
Quieter.
— ...I can't do that.
— AAAAAAH W-H-A-T D-O Y-O-U M-E-A-N?!?!
About fifteen voices shouted at once.
It felt like 10,000 women versus one receptionist.
Yumi lifted her head.
A mischievous smile appeared.
— Because...
She pulled a piece of paper from a drawer.
— LOOK AT THIS RIDICULOUS DRAWING MIZUKI MADE OF HARUMI!!!
She showed it to everyone.
It was horrible.
Exploding hair.
Bugged-out eyes.
Completely insane expression.
— HAHAHAHAHAHAHA IT LOOKS EXACTLY LIKE HER!!!
— OH MY GOD IT'S LITERALLY HER!!!
Harumi blinked.
Blink.
Blink.
— ...N-No...
I DO NOT LOOK LIKE THAT—
Yumi flipped the paper over.
— And on the back it says:
"If this lunatic comes asking for my number, tell her N-O."
Signed:
Kobayashi.
Half a second of silence.
Then—
EXPLOSIVE LAUGHTER.
Harumi started swaying.
Nearly fainting.
That was when someone pushed through the crowd of women.
Stopped beside her.
Caught her shoulder before she collapsed.
Takeru.
Using the same neutral voice as always:
— ...What if I ask?
He looked at the receptionist.
— Will you give me my mother's contact information?
Absolute silence.
Mouths hanging open.
— ...TAKERU???
— IS THAT REALLY YOU???
— OH MY GOD—
Takeru:
— ...Hm?
TSUNAMI OF WOMEN.
Hugs.
— LOOK HOW BIG YOU'VE GOTTEN!!!
— YOU'RE SO HANDSOME!!!
— ALL OUR HARD WORK PAID OFF!!!
— YOU'RE SO STRONG!!!
— YOU LOOK JUST LIKE YOUR FATHER!!!
Takeru, being crushed:
— ...Wow...
I forgot there were...
this many...
Eventually they let him go.
Yumi smiled, emotional.
— Clever as always, huh, Takeru...
She grabbed a piece of paper.
Wrote down a number.
Handed it to him.
— Here. Your mother's number.
The one who screamed was—
— AAAAAAAAAAAAAAA I CAN'T BELIEVE IT WE FINALLY GOT IT AAAA!!!
Harumi jumped up and down.
The women joined the celebration.
— YEEEEEEEEEEES!!!
— YOU DID IT!!!
— VICTORY!!!
At that exact moment—
A voice cut through the room.
— WHAT ARE ALL OF YOU DOING?! GET BACK TO WORK!!
The boss.
Corporate Demon Mode activated.
— Y-YES MA'AM!!!
— I'M GOING!!!
— IT WAS THE WIND!!!
Everyone scattered.
The boss walked past Takeru.
Stopped.
Instantly melted.
— Look how much you've grown! What a handsome young man!!!
She squeezed his cheeks.
— O-ob...
th-thank...
you...
Then she turned to Harumi.
Serious again.
— I heard what you're trying to do.
Pause.
— I won't say talking to that woman will be easy...
She took a breath.
— But I'm on your side. Try. It'll work out.
Harumi opened her arms for a hug—
— But if you're not a client, GET OUT OF HERE.
— YESYESYES!!! THANK YOUUUU!!!
Yumi waved goodbye with a smile.
Harumi grabbed Takeru's hand.
Then Sora's.
And they left.
Outside.
Harumi looked at the paper.
The number.
The forbidden number.
She swallowed hard.
— ...
Takeru looked at her.
— Are you going to call?
Harumi started sweating.
— ...
— ...I think the hard part starts now.
The phone suddenly felt like it weighed twenty pounds in her hand.
Because getting the number...
Was only the beginning.
Now came:
The call.
And that...
Was an entirely different war.