Children are such a handful — and even more exhausting when you still have to keep up some kind of front.
"Soyo-Soyo, we're home."\
At last, after a full day of babysitting, Yoshiiro Chiose successfully delivered Ichinose Soyo back to her loyal little dwelling.
"Thank you, Chiose-nee... my mom — is she...?"\
"She'll be back soon. I made a deal with her — if she doesn't come home tonight to take care of you, I'm going to start undercutting her performance reviews."\
"Pfft... then — thank you, Chiose-nee!"\
"As long as you're happy, that's all that matters. It's almost five on the dot — nice and tidy. I like that." A pause. "I like you too, you know."\
For the last time that day, Chiose ruffled Soyo's head. Her warmth and gentleness were entirely unguarded — and the poor little thing fell for it, every single time.
Ms. Nagasaki's small sedan was visible in the distance. The woman's pitiable daughter stood right in front of her. Yoshiiro Chiose straightened her trench coat and walked away in the opposite direction.
"Whenever your mom gets too busy, I'll come look after you. Don't forget my name."\
"I'm Yoshiiro Chiose. I hope you've enjoyed spending time with me. It was a pleasure, little Soyo. Farewell."\
"Farewell!"\
The sweet, childlike call rang out behind her — but it wasn't enough to slow Chiose down. This time, she had chosen a more gradual tempo for things.
Back in the car.
"Hopefully I can collect a bit more lifespan this time around."\
They needed it urgently back home, so staying away on this extended trip was perfectly fine.
The three little dolls hanging from the rearview mirror swayed to life as the engine started. Chiose had made them as small memorials for people she could not afford to forget.
One doll for each victim. That was simply how it was.
...
Working alongside Ms. Nagasaki was a genuinely pleasant experience — especially when you happened to be her subordinate.
"Chiose, Chiose — I have an important meeting tonight... ahem. Do you have anything on after work today?"\
"Ms. Nagasaki, don't tell me you're just looking for an excuse not to go home today of all days."\
"Ahem, ahem, ahem."\
Ms. Nagasaki always shouldered her responsibilities to the letter — not a single slip. In many respects she was unreliable, but when it came to work, she was surprisingly excellent.
"Well, as you know — Ichinose and I have been in talks about the divorce lately. Today he's home again, and I honestly don't know if we'll end up fighting once I walk through the door."\
I see. So you've been thinking several steps ahead, have you.
Yoshiiro Chiose shrugged with total indifference and passed the unfinished work in her hands over to Ms. Nagasaki.
"Tomorrow's the weekend. Are you worried that Soyo will be home alone all day with no one for company?"\
"That's it... ha, yeah. If it's not too much trouble, I'd love for you to pick little Soyo up tonight — don't leave her with her father. He's useless, he'll only put her in a terrible mood."\
Every time Ms. Nagasaki so much as thought about the man who had once sworn his undying devotion to her, a splitting headache was guaranteed.
She patted Chiose on the shoulder and, without waiting for a response, made to flee.
But Chiose caught her wrist.
"What's this, Ms. Nagasaki — not even a little something in return?"\
"Huh? What do you want?"\
"A kiss?"\
"What on earth — I'm leaving!"\
Even mid-escape, Ms. Nagasaki couldn't resist hollering back over her shoulder:
"Don't get the wrong elementary school! Go pick her up early or her father will get there first! I'll call Ichinose myself to let him know — don't worry about that!"\
"Got it."\
Yoshiiro Chiose glanced down at her watch.
Four-something and one minute? What an irritating time.
Apparently, keeping constant track of the time was supposed to make you more efficient and develop sharper capabilities. Yoshiiro Chiose had no idea whether that was actually true.
All she knew was that right now, the time was making her vaguely irritable.
Perhaps this particular habit wasn't worth keeping up.
....
Nothing had gone wrong. And yet, here it was anyway.
For Ichinose Soyo, today was simply another day when neither parent could come to pick her up.
Watching the other children get collected by their mothers and fathers, or head home together with friends, she felt a quiet pang of envy.
But envy couldn't conjure companionship. Ichinose Soyo had understood that from a very young age — wishing for something was never going to change anything.
"I'm strong... I'll walk home by myself!"\
The girl with the cute hair clip puffed out her cheeks and gave herself a little pep talk. But when her gaze drifted sideways, the determined look on her face transformed into something else entirely.
"Chiose-nee?"\
A familiar sedan. A window rolling down. And a face she would never forget in a million years, even with her eyes closed.
Yoshiiro Chiose blinked her rose-pink eyes. Her voice was one Soyo knew better than almost any other:
"Soyo-Soyo? What are you standing there for — let's go home."\
"Home? My home?"\
"Cute question, but no. Come home with me tonight."\
Isn't that exactly what a kidnapper would say?
But then Chiose reconsidered — oh, right, she actually was sort of kidnapping a child. So that was fine.
"But... I..."\
Soyo's hands fidgeted. Soyo's fingers twisted a strand of hair. Soyo's body language said everything.
"Your mom and your dad have both agreed, okay? Tonight, come have fun at my place for a bit. Last time you came over in such a rush you didn't get to play with anything."\
"Eh?"\
"What's little Soyo-Soyo waiting for? I have a Nintendo Switch at home — it's really fun."\
"What's that?"\
"A games console. Come on, we can talk on the way."\
"Okay!"\
Still a fifth-grader, Ichinose Soyo's sense of stranger danger clearly still needed some work.
The window rolled back up. Chiose didn't look at Soyo again — she simply listened to the sound of the door opening and closing, and the small-animal panting that followed, and knew the little brown-furred darling had walked right into her trap.
"Be more careful going forward, and don't think I'm just being nosy," she said, starting the car, still making time for a few final words.
"It doesn't matter whether it's your mom's friend or your dad's friend — someone showing up at school to pick you up is suspicious. Don't so easily trust strangers."\
"But Chiose-nee isn't a stranger."\
"Pfft — is that so? Little Soyo likes me that much, does she."\
Stopped at a red light, Yoshiiro Chiose still couldn't help turning around to tease Soyo.
"But what if — I were a bad person?"\
"You're not! Chiose-nee could never be a bad person!" Ichinose Soyo clutched her school bag, her little face completely earnest, not a trace of a joke anywhere on it.
"Chiose-nee is someone who could be my mom! How could she possibly be bad!"\
"Pfft. Yeah, yeah, sure."\
Chiose waved a hand and turned her attention back to the road, done with the kid behind her.
She was genuinely grateful to Ms. Nagasaki for giving her this opportunity. Hearing a child's earnest little declaration like that really did make her day.
"Of course I'm a good woman. How could I possibly be bad? What bad intentions could Yoshiiro Chiose ever possibly have."
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