Sumita Mana left.
When she came, she was like a wisp of wind, and when she left, she was also light and drifting, as if she really only came to find someone to confide her stress to. After finishing the talk, she was supposed to don her armor and return to the battlefield.
Before leaving, she didn't forget to buy the bill on the way. If a certain lady Yamada Ryou had been present, she definitely wouldn't have hesitated to give her thumbs up and praise the heroine's chivalry.
But Anon sat by the window for a long time, staring at the gradually receding figure of the heroine, feeling only sadness in her heart.
Mana was a good girl, and Uika was also a good girl, but these good people always did not have good endings.
Sumimi's songs once brought her positive spiritual strength during the most frustrated days after returning from England, giving her the courage to re-open a brand new life. But now, the sumimi that once gave her strength was about to disband, reminding her of a saying she didn't remember where she saw: There is no feast in the world that doesn't end.
There are always some things you thought would last forever, that actually have a time limit. Like close friends during student days, saying things like "our friendship will last forever and ever," but after graduation, they all went their separate ways. Long after, when you try to send her a message to check in, only to realize you had been blocked at some unknown point in time.
Anon didn't doubt Mana's determination to maintain sumimi, but life isn't shoujo manga. Pretty warrior girls shouting words like friendship and bonds can't just defeat the villains.
Although the manager of the agency didn't reveal much of the inside story, she tactfully brought up a name. This suppression seemed to have something to do with the Togawa Group.
Even someone like Anon, just an ordinary female college student, had heard of this name. A giant spanning across many major industries, known as a top-tier zaibatsu¹ in Japan, with a long history and strong influence, famous in both legal and underground circles.
She really wanted to help Mana, but she was just an unremarkable female college student, without any power, not even comparable to a small shrimp in front of such a behemoth.
The disbandment of sumimi seemed like fate, making her subconsciously think of herself.
One day, would she and the person she liked... also part ways as if destined to do so?
"No, you won't," A calm voice rang by her ear.
Kaito picked up the teacup in front of him and took a sip. His face wore the familiar laziness, making one think of a dignified and noble lion cat, curled up on the windowsill dozing off.
Anon stared at him in a daze.
"Though I don't know what you're thinking, your whole face just now was basically screaming: If sumimi really disbands, will my life also end like this? those exact words."
Kaito took another sip of black tea. The snacks from Ring really tasted good. No wonder someone always recommended them on the anonymous forum, "So I'll just go ahead and answer you: no, it won't."
Anon still stared at him dazedly.
Kaito didn't mind. He had long gotten used to the occasional crashes and freezes of the pink-haired girl. He didn't realize how dramatically off-topic his previous words were, but by coincidence, they hit the bullseye.
Putting down the teacup, he looked up at the warmly golden sunset outside the window. Dusk hadn't arrived yet, and the drifting clouds had already turned into molten gold like flames, resembling endless brocade ribbons, spilling over the buildings and across the sky.
"If you still can't let go of what's happening with sumimi, then pray. Maybe, just maybe, some passing god might hear your wish?"
"After all, in this world... miracles never cease to occur."
———
By the time they returned to their home in Ikebukuro via the train, it wasn't even six o'clock.
The sky was still bright. Kaito changed his shoes at the entrance and walked into the living room, where he saw a familiar blue-haired figure.
Secretary Sakiko sat on the sofa, both hands subconsciously gripping the hem of her skirt. Her cherry-colored lips were bitten so hard they turned pale, almost bleeding.
Next to her, a long-haired girl with light green hair lowered her eyes and silently held Sakiko's hand, seemingly trying to comfort her.
'What happened?'
It was the second time Kaito had seen the little secretary looking so aggrieved. The last time was when she had lost all hope and tried to perform a "Jumping Sakiko" off the bridge.
He had thought it was some foolish yokai or ghost seeking death again, but then decided that was unlikely. After all, both Mutsumi and Sakiko wore jade pendants made by his own hands, no monster in this world should be able to hurt them.
But…the answer he got next was beyond expectations.
"Sakiko received a call from home."
The one who spoke was Mutsumi beside her. She unlocked the phone, opened the recent contacts list, and handed it to her brother. At the top was an unfamiliar number without a name.
"It was from grandfather."
Maybe it was because the person she trusted the most was right beside her, but Secretary Sakiko finally calmed her emotions after a few sniffles.
"What did he say?"
Kaito frowned. He had never tried to investigate Sakiko's background. He could see that the girl was secretive about her family and had never proactively asked about such things. Becoming his secretary meant she was his person, that was enough for him.
He had thought the only remaining family member was that useless and irredeemable father. He didn't expect there to be other living relatives, and now an extra "grandfather" suddenly appeared.
Moreover…
The force behind suppressing sumimi came from the "Togawa Group." And Sakiko's surname… was also "Togawa."
Kaito didn't believe this was a simple coincidence.
The blue-haired girl was silent for a moment before she spoke in a low voice.
"Grandfather wants me to return home."
If it were just such a request, Sakiko would have flatly refused. During her most difficult times, she never sought help from the Togawa family, and now she definitely wouldn't cling on eagerly.
Even though she still missed her blood relatives, at the very least, returning home should be her own decision, not forced by others.
But the old man named "Togawa Sadaharu" was unexpectedly tough this time, not even giving her a chance to argue before hanging up the phone.
Hearing the busy tone of "beep, beep, beep" on the phone, Sakiko felt both angry and anxious.
Angry that after so long, in her grandfather's eyes she was still the little girl who hadn't grown up and could be shaped at will. Anxious that if her grandfather insisted on forcibly taking her back to the Togawa house, she… really had no way to resist.
Mutsumi really wanted to comfort her, but her clumsy mouth didn't know what to say. She could only hold her childhood friend's hand, silently giving her strength.
Suppressing her fear and uneasiness, Sakiko immediately thought of the president.
The president was the only one who could save her now. But saving her meant he would have to go against the Togawa Group, which would only bring him endless trouble.
She didn't want the president to be in danger. That meant the only option left… was to obediently return home.
"A-actually, it's okay," She lifted her face, trying her best to squeeze out a self-deprecating smile, "Speaking of which, I haven't seen my mom in a long time. I could use this opportunity to go visit…"
Suddenly, a warm sensation came from the top of her head, "If you don't feel like smiling, then don't force yourself to smile."
Kaito gently patted her little head, "Just like if you don't want to go home, then don't force yourself to go home."
As for the Togawa Group, or Togawa Sadaharu, those don't matter.
He just looked seriously into those amber-colored eyes, "As the president, what I can always give you is, the POWER OF CHOICE."
[[1] Zaibutsu: Zaibatsu refers to large, vertically integrated Japanese industrial and financial business conglomerates that exerted significant control over the Japanese economy from the Meiji period through World War II.]
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