The metallic scent of last night's light rain still clung to the air. The handkerchief was still clutched in her fist, now slightly damp from the warmth of her palm. She sat up slowly, the futon creaking beneath her, and stared at the scattered bicycle parts on the low table. The twisted frame seemed less like wreckage today and more like a puzzle.
Saki went to the kitchen and placed a ready-made packet of sushi in the oven. She set the timer and went to have a quick bath. As the sound of running water filled the air, someone knocked on her door after a few minutes. Saki froze. Who could be visiting her this early? She quickly dried herself, but in her haste, a bit of shampoo went into her eyes. She rinsed her eyes hurriedly and got dressed, still rubbing them. The person outside grew impatient and started banging on the door while ringing the bell repeatedly.
Saki quickly slipped into her school uniform and went to answer. "Coming! Can't you wait?" she called, still rubbing her eye as she opened the door. An irritated man stood there.
"I'm here to give you this pamphlet," he said. "For any issues, you can call and order groceries and more at lower prices."
Saki answered politely, "Thank you…?"
The man handed her the pamphlet for the new store that had opened nearby and hurried downstairs to distribute the rest. Saki glanced at it and realized it was just another way of selling second-hand products. She tucked it into the newspaper shelf and continued grooming after closing the door.
A small idea flickered in her mind—something about repurposing, about turning broken things into something new. She shook it off for now. School first.
She quickly wore her shoes and, in her haste, forgot the oven was still on. She took her bag and locked the house before leaving.
The streets felt heavier this morning, though fewer people were calling her a curse. The change was noticeable. Murmurs still followed her as she walked. An old woman sweeping her doorstep crossed herself when Saki passed. A toddler, probably on her first day of kindergarten, ran through the streets laughing and was about to fall into an open manhole. Saki grabbed her by the arm just in time, preventing the fall. The child's mother rushed over in horror, took the girl, and gave Saki a disgusted look for touching her daughter.
Saki pulled her hand back, but another lady who had seen the whole thing cleared her throat and praised Saki for helping. She scolded the child's mother for being careless. Saki looked at the old woman gratefully. The lady was a widow whose son had left her to live alone. She used to brood in loneliness. Saki had seen her since childhood. With a small nod, Saki continued on her way. She took a bus to school and reached the gates in just twenty-five minutes.
At the shoe lockers, the group was already gathered, faces tight with a mix of excitement and exhaustion. Lily was embarrassed and irritated, arguing with Hensudo in a corner away from prying eyes. Dave was clearly enjoying the commotion.
"What happened here?" Saki asked.
Michi answered that Dave had sent Lily the picture of Hensudo sleeping with his stomach exposed last night. Lily thought it was Hensudo's plan, and now Hensudo was desperately trying to justify himself.
Saki looked at them and facepalmed. She tried to calm the situation, but nothing worked. Mr. Hoshino arrived, spotted them, cleared his throat, and signaled that they should get to the classroom or face detention. Lily finally stopped arguing and walked ahead. Hensudo stood there fuming at Dave before walking away too. Dave's smirk faltered when Michi smacked him on the back of the head and continued walking with Yudashi and Saki. Dave trailed behind, sulking.
Inside the classroom, Lily sat at her seat but refused to talk to Hensudo, who looked visibly upset. Michi silently scolded Dave. Saki and Yudashi tried reasoning with Lily. Finally, Lily glanced at Hensudo, whose face was downcast as he stared outside, clearly feeling guilty for something he hadn't even done. Her expression softened. She moved and sat beside him.
Hensudo flinched and spoke quietly, "Lily… see… I didn't know when Dave clicked that pic, and I had no intentions like that… but… I'm sorry."
Lily's expression softened further. "I'm not angry at you anymore, dummy… but Dave has to learn about privacy."
Hensudo smiled and nodded in relief.
Mr. Hoshino entered and began taking attendance. Meanwhile, Michi talked with Yudashi and Saki about the previous night.
Michi folded her arms, skeptical. "For one night. We can't keep this up forever. Someone's going to get hurt if this escalates."
Saki nodded quietly. "Mr. Taka posted in the neighbourhood group this morning. He's offering a reward now—fifty thousand yen for information leading to the thief."
Dave's eyes widened, his jaw dropping. "SINCE WHEN DID THAT HAG BECOME SO… SO GENEROUS…!!"
Lily giggled at his expression and said, "Changes happen."
Saki nodded.
Hensudo yawned hugely. "My mom made me promise I wouldn't stay out late again. She heard the recordings and thought the colony was dangerous at night because of the recent thefts."
Yudashi listened without speaking at first, his gaze drifting to the notice board where another printed warning had been pinned overnight. The robberies were no longer just talk; they had names, faces, and small losses that chipped away at the fragile peace of Kunshi district.
In homeroom, Mr. Hoshino's voice was graver than usual. "The police have increased patrols, but they're stretched thin. If any of you see anything—anything at all—report it immediately. No heroics."
Dave muttered under his breath, "Too late for that." Tison overheard and snickered. Mr. Hoshino gave him a stern look and signaled for everyone to prepare for the first period. The first bell rang.
Mathematics dragged on with practice questions from the previous equation. Saki's pencil moved automatically, but her mind wandered to the code she had sketched last night. Small loops. Sensor triggers. A companion that could watch when she couldn't. The teacher took a round and snapped, "Stop murmuring."
During break, the group huddled in their usual corner of the courtyard under the ancient cherry tree, its petals now mostly gone, leaving bare branches like skeletal fingers.
"Tonight's our shift," Hensudo said quietly, glancing at Lily. "We should start earlier. Seven-thirty. Take the route past the park and the alley behind the old shrine."
Lily nodded. "I'll bring my uncle's old flashlight—the big one that could blind a bear. And pepper spray, just in case."
Yudashi pulled out his phone and opened a shared note. "I mapped the hot spots: Mr. Taka's street, the bicycle parking near the station, the narrow lane behind the konbini, and the Fakaka Colony. We avoid the main roads where police cars go. Stay in shadows, but not too deep."
Dave grinned. "Hensudo, don't try to hit on Lily…"
Lily smacked Dave for the picture and this comment, clearly irritated. Dave winced. "Oh, so you're not just a pretty face. I need to be careful now," he joked, while Hensudo and Yudashi gave him unimpressed looks.
"Shut up," Michi grunted.
Soon class ended, and Literature brought another folktale: a story of a kitsune who stole shadows instead of objects, leaving people transparent and unseen. Saki doodled again—this time not cats, but small, boxy shapes with glowing sensor eyes and articulated limbs. Something compact. Something loyal. Mrs. Tanaka assigned them to make a research file on modern folktales, saying the best work would be chosen for the school festival. The students groaned while a few looked excited.
Art class continued the previous assignment's aftermath. The teacher praised several drawings but paused longest at Saki's sketch of Hisato. "There is real emotion here," she said softly. "The kind that lingers."
Saki only nodded, blushing as she hid her face in her hands. The teacher smirked. "Was he your boyfriend?"
Saki turned even redder and stammered, "N-no… just a best friend…" Then she whispered to herself, "Or maybe more than that…"
The teacher graded the drawings and gave a new project: paint a beautiful scenery they had seen on a canvas. The students agreed and moved on to the next session.
Physical education switched to basketball today. Hensudo, still uneasy from yesterday's accidental kiss, kept stealing glances at Lily while dribbling. He knew he was the best in class at basketball. Dave kept shouting, "Pass to your girlfriend!" which earned him a basketball to the stomach from Yudashi.
After school, Saki walked home slowly, the weight of the coming night settling on her shoulders. The colony felt watchful now—curtains twitching, neighbours peering from balconies. She met the same lady who was scolding some children and making them clean her wall for drawing on it. The children had no choice but to comply. Saki giggled, remembering her own childhood days, and continued walking.
As she reached home, she smelled something burning. She quickly opened the door and coughed at the sight of the food still in the oven, now completely burnt. She turned on the exhaust fan, coughing, switched off the oven, took out the burnt packet, and disposed of it. She let the oven cool while she changed into a pink skirt and blue T-shirt. She sprayed room freshener and cleaned the oven and tray. Then she prepared ramen and ate mechanically.
After that, she spent the remaining hours tinkering with her code on the laptop and completing her literature homework. She wrote about the folklore of Teke-Teke—a lady with no legs who walked on her hands after they were crushed under a train. She would ask passersby where her legs were; if they didn't answer, she would kill them. Even without legs, she could move surprisingly fast, and the sound of her walking gave her the name "Teke-Teke."
Once finished, she turned on her music playlist and hummed along softly to "Infinity," a solo song by Pae-Ha-In from Prisma-X. The playlist looped gently. At 7:20 she cleaned the kitchen and house, then sat at her painting canvas. She had planned to paint a perfect picture of her and Hisato from their happiest childhood moments, but paused and decided instead to paint Michi, Dave, Hensudo, Yudashi, and Lily at the elephant sanctuary. Time flew by—she finished it in four hours. The clock showed it was already bedtime, so she turned the fan toward the canvas to help it dry and fell asleep without changing into her night suit.
Meanwhile, Lily was already waiting at the fountain, her short frame silhouetted against the streetlight. She handed Hensudo, who had just arrived for their patrol shift, a spare mask. "Just in case. Makes us look less like kids and more like… concerned citizens."
They moved in silence at first, sticking to the planned route. The park was empty except for a lone swing creaking in the breeze. The alley behind the shrine smelled of incense and damp stone. It was 11:55 p.m., and Hensudo kept Lily engaged in small talk, turning it into a personal moment between them. As they talked, they discovered many things about each other—some similar, some annoying, and some funny. Hensudo blushed as Lily teased him.
Lily looked at his face and said, "You know… I like people like you, who don't act like something they're not."
Hensudo blushed deeply, looked away, and replied without thinking, "I like you too… Lily. From the first day at that elephant sanctuary."
Lily froze, blushing harder. Hensudo realized what he had just said and went mortified. "I-I mean… as… as a friend!" he stammered.
Lily tried to calm herself when she suddenly spotted a figure.
It was the thief—hooded, carrying a slim crowbar. He worked fast, prying at a chain lock on a bright red bicycle.
Lily's hand went to her pocket instinctively for the pepper spray.
Before they could decide whether to shout or call the police, the figure froze. A dog barked sharply from a nearby balcony—then another, and another, as if the entire colony had awakened at once. The thief dropped the crowbar with a clatter and bolted into the darkness between buildings.
Hensudo and Lily gave chase. Lily finally caught up, but the thief pulled out a knife, about to stab her. Hensudo noticed and screamed, "LILY!!!"
She glanced at him in surprise, unaware of the knife. The thief saw his chance and was about to strike when Hensudo threw his bag at him, knocking the knife away with the impact. Lily quickly stepped back, realizing she would have been hurt if not for Hensudo. Her hands trembled at her sides.
The thief was on the ground, wincing in pain. Hensudo rushed to Lily and stepped protectively in front of her. The knife lay forgotten near his feet. He quickly picked it up and handed it to Lily, then dragged the thief toward the nearest police station, his eyes blazing with pure hatred after seeing the knife so close to Lily.
For Lily, her usually clumsy friend now looked different—so protective. A small smile tugged at the corner of her lips. She picked up the thief's belongings and followed Hensudo to the police station.
Soon they reached the station and reported the incident. Lily sent a message to the group chat that the thief had been caught. Dave and Michi were online and quickly replied, "Coming." Michi called Saki, who was half-asleep but instantly became alert and got ready to head to the police station where Lily and Hensudo were waiting.
After half an hour, Dave, Michi, and Saki arrived. The thief was already in custody while Hensudo handled the paperwork. Dave raised an eyebrow. "Since when did Hensudo become so… informative?"
Michi grinned and smacked him. Yudashi crossed his arms, nudged Dave, and whispered, "Looks like Lily did her 'magic' on Hensudo. He is really head over heels for her, man!"
Dave grunted in response, smirking.
The police finished their questions and scolded the group: "You shouldn't be roaming around so late at night, brats. This is your last warning." He glared at Lily and Hensudo before dismissing them.
As they left, Dave nudged Hensudo teasingly about how cute Lily was, and even Yudashi joined in this time. After that, Yudashi dropped Lily and Saki at their places and returned home. Dave dropped Michi off, and Hensudo headed home as well.
Back home, everyone rested, not before texting in the group that they now had to face Sensei Hoshino tomorrow.
Outside, the faint shimmer returned to the edge of the building, watching the light in Saki's window burn late into the night. It lingered longer this time, almost curious, before melting back into the darkness.
The next morning, the colony woke to find no new thefts. But on Saki's windowsill, beside the rock note, lay a single fresh cherry blossom—perfect, pale pink, a symbol of the end of spring and the beginning of summer.