Amagi Brilliant Park - Volume 4 - Chapter 3

Family Affair 
It was Monday. Sento Isuzu went to school for the first time in three days and spent an uneventful morning in class. She had claimed to have a weak constitution, so nobody particularly bothered her about her absences. 
It was the rainy season, so her grueling work at the park had hit a lull. Of course, there were various renovations and preparations for summer events yet to be done, but Isuzu intended to take the opportunity to attend class as often as possible. 
All that being said, she had no particular attachment to Amagi High School, and she would feel no qualms about quitting if the need arose. Because of her personality, she’d made no real friends among her classmates, and she felt no particular reason to. She was more likely to have lunch with Chujo Shiina, a first-year who had started working part-time at the park. 
Like her, Shiina also had socialization problems, and claimed to have no friends at school. But working at the park had helped her with her conversational skills, so she seemed a bit less isolated now than she had been in April. Frequently, when Isuzu peeked into class to invite her to lunch, she would see her engaging in conversation with her peers. That day was one such day. 
At lunch, Isuzu strolled by Shiina’s class and saw her eating with several classmates. She looked nervous, and didn’t seem to be fully enjoying herself, but Isuzu was still unabashedly pleased by Shiina’s progress. Deciding it would be rude to invite her under such conditions, she quietly left before Shiina noticed her. 
Now, what to do... she wondered. 
Her superior, Kanie Seiya, had come to school that day, too. Eating by herself wouldn’t be an issue, of course, but she thought that she might as well take a work lunch if it was an option. Isuzu walked up to the staircase to the roof of the southern school building and, as expected, found Seiya sitting alone there, eating curry bread. 
“Gwuh?! ...Oh, it’s you.” Seiya was startled for a moment, but when he realized it was Isuzu, he let out a sigh of relief. It seemed he was still concerned about his reputation— Even though everyone knew that Kanie Seiya had no friends at school. 
“No lunch in the bathroom stall today?” she questioned. 
“Hmph. I eat here as often as I can,” he replied. “It’s impossible to relax in a toilet stall.” It was an odd thing to say in such an imperious way; but then, imperious was his default, so she decided that there was no point in commenting on it. 
“I’m going to join you,” Isuzu announced. 
“Whatever you like,” he told her. 
She pulled up a random chair and sat down opposite Seiya. She took a cucumber out of her lunch box, salted it and took a bite. It was a heavenly moment. 
“Your lunch is whole cucumbers...” he observed. “Don’t you get malnourished?” 
“They’re my favorite. There’s normal food in here too, of course. I’m researching the preparation of various dishes; today I’m trying deep-fried mackerel and broccoli.” 
“Hmm? I see...” 
“......” His indifferent response irritated Isuzu a little bit. It was true that she was studying ways to make various bento dishes, but she wasn’t yet at the level where she could boast about her skill. Still, since Seiya always ate curry bread by himself, she had been thinking about making an extra for him, as his secretary. Seeing him respond this way was a blow to her motivation. 
“What’s wrong?” he asked. 
“Nothing,” she replied shortly. “Anyway, regarding the week’s schedule; did you have any problems with the itinerary I emailed you this weekend?” 
“Oh. About that...” Seiya hesitated a minute, then spoke. “Everything’s fine from tomorrow onward, but could you cancel the plans for today?” 
“Cancel them? ...All of them?” 
“Yeah. It’s just a conference with Moffle and the others, a few inspections, and some paperwork, right?” 
“I’m sure that I can reschedule it... do you have other plans today?” Isuzu was Seiya’s secretary. For the park’s sake, she had to know what he was up to every day. 
Seiya’s diligence was one of his several good points, likely something he had picked up from his time as a child star— or, perhaps, it was simply an inborn trait. 
At any rate, he never skipped work, and always did his job, even when he was exhausted. It didn’t matter if he wasn’t feeling up to it, or if he had a fever; Seiya never slacked off. He might gripe about it, half-jokingly, but he never seriously complained, even when he obviously wanted to make an excuse and slip away. 
This diligence was part of the reason that the members of the park cast continued to respect him, and remained motivated. His intelligence, creativity, and decisiveness about the tough calls—all of that was important too, of course. But it was this attitude, more than anything, that made Kanie Seiya a leader. Yet now, that same Kanie Seiya wanted to cancel all of his appointments. She found it genuinely shocking. 
“Erm... It’s just a small personal errand,” he explained. “I thought today might be flexible, but...” 
“It’s true that I can reschedule today’s appointments,” Isuzu confirmed. “Moffle’s having trouble thinking up things for the summer live show; Macaron’s busy with the girls’ band; Tiramii’s working with Kenjuro and the others over plans to open the pool...” 
Incidentally, Kenjuro was the cast leader for the park area known as Splash Ocean. He was a dolphin mascot who was serious and wise, and he spoke in old-fashioned samurai style. 
“It’s okay, then? All right, please take care of it,” Seiya requested. 
“Understood.” She pulled out her smartphone and started writing emails to the cast members in question. While she typed, she casually slipped in a question. “May I ask?” 
“About what?” 
“About this ‘personal errand.’ Please. As your secretary.” Yes, as his secretary. That was all. 
Seiya scowled and waved a hand in annoyance. “Look... it doesn’t matter. It’s not as if I’m going out to have fun. It’s just something I need to get out of the way.” 
“I see.” Isuzu, choosing not to pursue the matter any further, sent out emails to the park’s cast canceling the day’s appointments.

Still, she couldn’t help but be curious, as Seiya’s cancellation meant that Isuzu’s own plans were up in the air. She had a backlog of office work to get through, of course, but none of that was urgent, either— She thought perhaps it would be wise to investigate exactly what Kanie Seiya’s “personal errand” was. Purely as his secretary, of course. 
And so, after class, Isuzu walked out the front gate as if she was going to commute to the park as usual. But her actual intentions were to follow Seiya wherever he went. Purely as his secretary, of course. 
At length, Seiya came walking out the gate, looking less than happy, and set out slowly for Amagi Station. Feeling a bit like a secret agent, Isuzu followed after him. 
“Um, Isuzu-senpai?” Just as she was passing through the ticket gate, she heard Chujo Shiina address her from behind. Isuzu flinched but tried to remain calm. 
“Chujo-san,” said Isuzu, “what a coincidence.” 
“It’s not, really... I was just on my way home.” 
“I see. That’s right, you don’t have work today, do you?” Shiina didn’t work at the park every day; she usually took Mondays and Tuesdays off. 
“Yes,” Shiina agreed. “But is it okay to ask what you’re doing? It looks like you’ve been trailing Kanie-senpai, but...” 
“Is that how it appears?” 
“Yes. Definitely.” 
“...... You leave me no choice, then. Allow me to explain the circumstances.” 
Isuzu explained, and Shiina understood. “I see. That is a mystery. Given the kind of person he is, it’s hard to imagine him ever needing to do anything that’s not connected to school or the park.” 
“I’m glad you understand,” Isuzu said. “So, that’s why I decided to trail him.” 
“Okay, I understand. I’ll come with you, then,” Shiina decided. 
Isuzu felt a bit flustered by this. “There’s no need to trouble yourself. My motivations are personal—secretarial, rather. As a part-time worker at the park, you’re under no obligation to join me.” 
“I’m not troubling myself. I really don’t have anything better to do.” 
“Ahh...” 
“This is what I do when I don’t have work for the day: I head home and watch some TV, or I do some solo karaoke for vocal practice... Also, from what I saw, you’re pretty bad at tailing people. So I thought I’d come along,” Shiina explained. 
As someone who had been in the Maple Land royal guard all her life, it was true Isuzu was bad at tailing people. “That would be helpful. It would be useful to have someone accustomed to living outside of people’s slight lines, like a rat or a cockroach.” 
“...Aww. Ahh... Right. ...Well, that’s okay,” Shiina sighed. “That’s the kind of person you are.” 
“The train is coming. Let’s go.” Urging on the deeply dissatisfied-looking Shiina, Isuzu rushed towards the city-bound train to which Seiya had been headed.

Seiya got on an inbound train on the Toto Line and rode it all the way to Shinjuku. Fortunately, he didn’t seem to notice the girls tailing him. Shinjuku was, after all, one of the biggest stations in the world, and its crowds were Olympic-class, which made it easy to blend in. They had, of course, had to spend the entire time on the train in the next car down, watching with bated breath to see which station he would get off at. 
“Um, Senpai. I... I hardly ever come to Shinjuku,” Shiina told Isuzu. “Will we be okay? Will we make it back alive?” 
“You’re in high school, aren’t you?” Isuzu scoffed. “Don’t be so faint-hearted.” She was the one who had insisted on coming along to begin with; she couldn’t start whining now. 
“Also, Kanie-senpai didn’t look at his smartphone at all on the train. Did you notice that? And that Iwanami Bunko paperback... I don’t know what it was, but it looked very serious. It was so cool!” 
As Shiina noted, Seiya had indeed spent his time on the train gripping the leather strap in one hand, and reading an old, worn paperback in the other. Isuzu had seen the spine; it was by Schopenhauer. “Well... I’m just glad it wasn’t Moshidora,” she said. 
“Aww. But that’s a good book, too!” Shiina protested. 
“It is,” Isuzu agreed. “I’ve never read it, but it would be upsetting to learn that our park’s manager is a paper tiger. That is to say, I’d be worried if he were just reading it now.” 
“Ahh... yes. I can understand that.” 
“Let’s go.” 
Fortunately, Seiya didn’t seem to realize the girls were tailing him at all. Rather than changing trains at Shinjuku, he left out the West Entrance, wandered around an appliance store, and spent ten minutes in the PC parts section in the basement. 
“Senpai seems troubled about something...” Shiina observed. “That’s a graphics card, isn’t it? Do you think he’s going to buy it?” 
“I don’t know...” said Isuzu. 
Seiya was comparing circuit boards, which were attached to heavy-duty fans, and sighing. He didn’t seem like he was going to buy any. Then he moved to the register area and intently checked the prices on memory cards, before glancing at his watch and hurrying towards the exit. 
“I guess he wasn’t here to buy anything.” 
“It appears not...” 
This was just a detour, then. After leaving the appliance store, Seiya headed away from the station and into the skyscraper district. He entered a relatively squat building (though it was still about 30 stories tall) near the Tokyo Government Office, then stopped in the center of the building’s large atrium, and checked his watch against the giant water clock there. 
“This is just a normal business building, isn’t it?” Shiina asked. “What could he possibly be doing here?” 
“I don’t know,” Isuzu told her. “...I must say, though, you seem to be talking a great deal more often than before.” 
“D-Do I?” 
In a spot hidden from Seiya’s sight lines, they watched him and whispered to each other quietly. It appeared Seiya was waiting for someone. He waited a few more minutes. Then, at last, the person he was meeting arrived. 
She was a stylish looking girl whom Isuzu had never seen before. She looked to be around 15 years old. She might have been in middle school, but because she had such a pretty, mature face, she couldn’t say for certain. The girl’s expression brightened when she saw Seiya; she ran up to him and linked her arm with his. Seiya seemed to find nothing unnatural about it, and merely shot her a slightly strained smile. 
“Uh...” 
“Wha...” 
Isuzu and Shiina were both stunned. What was going on? Did Kanie Seiya really have a mistress?! Though it wasn’t as if he had a wife, so perhaps the term “mistress” was unfair... Still, seeing that girl there dealt Isuzu a massive shock. 
“D-D-D-Dhat do de woo?! Thut wuh...” Shiina stuttered. “P-Pensai! Dhat woo de doo!? Don’t why no!” 
“Speak Japanese,” Isuzu ordered. 
“Ahh... rorrsy! Um, er... Is that Kanie-senpai’s girlfriend?” 
“I don’t know. I’ve never seen her before.” 
“Ahh... the standard twist in situations like these is that she’s his little sister!” Shiina announced brightly. “How about that?” 
“Unlikely,” said Isuzu, dismissing her theory. “Kanie-kun is an only child. He has no sisters.” 
“B-But look at how close they’re acting! The way she grabbed his arm... And her chest! She’s pressing her chest against him! She’s a total phore!” 
Where did she learn that vulgar Maple Land word? Isuzu wondered. Well, she didn’t have to wonder; clearly, it was from those three. 
“So, what do we do?” Shiina asked. “Keep tailing them?” 
“Of course. It’s still possible that she could be a threat to the park— a honey trap sent by Amagi Development, perhaps.” 
Yes, that must be it. If it came to it, Isuzu would shoot a hail of bullets from the magical gun Steinberger right into a few stomachs; primarily Kanie-kun’s. 
Seiya and the girl got into an elevator for the building’s top floor. They certainly couldn’t get on the elevator with them, so they followed in the next one. The top floor was the dining floor, with lines of restaurants and cafes that promised great views of the city skyline. 
It took them five minutes of quiet searching before they found them in a stylish Italian restaurant. So as not to be noticed, Isuzu and Shiina entered the restaurant, took up seats on the other side of the pillar from Seiya and the girl, and listened in.

Someone seemed to have taken the seats behind him, but Seiya paid it no mind. It had been a long time, he realized, since he had come to a place like this for a meal. 
Since March, he’d spent so much time on the park that he’d had very little time to relax. In the past, from time to time, he would go out shopping by himself, spend some money at the electronics shop, then browse for a while in the men’s clothing section of a department store. 
“Why aren’t you saying anything?” Saki, the girl in front of him, asked with a slight pout. The way she tilted her head caused her loosely styled hair to sway, and her small ear studs to glimmer. The clothing she was wearing was on the flashy side, with an elegant light pink color scheme and a skirt that seemed overly short. 
“It’s fine,” Seiya told her. “I’m just a little on edge.” It was true. His only issue was having coffee together on the top floor of a building this tall. Fortunately, they were sitting far enough away from the window that he could endure it, but the trip up, on the glass elevator, had been a complete nightmare. 
Saki harrumphed. “Jeez. We finally get to see each other again, and this is how you act? I put a lot of effort into this, you know? Look at these sandals! I bought them last week! Compliment them!” 
“Ah. I hope you don’t trip and fall.” Why do women spend money on stupid things like sandals and bags? Seiya wondered. That was about all the feeling he could muster up for them. 
“Ugh. And why did you come here in your school uniform? You had time to put on street clothes, didn’t you?” 
“Oh, street clothes...” Now that she mentioned it, he hadn’t worn those in a while. When he went around on park business, he always wore his 30,000 yen suit, and otherwise he was always in either his park manager’s uniform or his school uniform. 
“Well, what does it matter?” he demanded. “It’s not as if I’m on a date with my girlfriend.” 
“I’m treating it like a date,” Saki told him. 
“That’s your prerogative. Just don’t put it on me.” 
“You’re so mean, Seiya-kun. I keep trying to schedule things with you, but you keep saying ‘not that day’ or ‘I have plans!’ Most girls would be really mad right now!” 
“But I really am busy,” Seiya protested. “I have that job that I started in April. It’s... a very demanding workplace.” 
“It’s just a part-time job,” Saki said. “It’s not like it’s your whole life. Just what’s so demanding about it, anyway?” 
“Hmm. It’s full of awful people... though, well, they’ve been improving lately. Right now, it’s like the league’s worst team trying to rally and win the pennant.” Just thinking about it made his stomach churn. Seiya added milk to the coffee he’d been sipping. 
“That’s just weird. Isn’t it an amusement park?” 
“Yeah. Backstage stuff.” 
“Hey, can I go there some time?” Saki asked, all innocence. 
Seiya nearly spit out his coffee. “No, you’d better not. No. It’s not a nice place. It’s full of punks and perverts and I almost died recently... Anyway, don’t go there.” 
“Aw, but I wanna!” 
“No. Now drop it,” he ordered. 
“Aww. Seiya-kun, you’re no fun! You used to take me all kinds of places...” 
“That’s because I had free time then,” he explained. “I don’t, now.” 
“Aww...” Saki didn’t criticize him anymore, but switched to gazing silently into the distance. Her earlier air of innocence had vanished; her expression was now mature and melancholy. “I feel like you’re drifting away from me...” She let out a small sigh. 
Has Saki always been capable of expressions like that? It made Seiya feel a little bit uneasy. “I’m not that far away,” he told her. “You live in Meguro; I’m in Amagi. We can see each other any time we want.” 
“But you don’t want to. That’s the problem...” There was another sigh from Saki. “You know... sometimes I wondered if I should call you ‘big brother.’ But even though we’re family, you don’t act like it... so I ended up not calling you that.” 
“Ahh...” 
“And sometimes I think maybe the reason you left was because of something I did...” 
“That’s not true. It’s not true, Saki.” Seiya was surprised to hear that Saki felt that way, and he was quick to deny it. 
“But the one time I did try calling you big brother, you looked like you hated it,” she said. 
“Because... I was an only child for such a long time,” Seiya explained. “Having a little sister just show up and start calling me that felt weird. It made me uneasy. That’s all it is. It’s not like you did anything wrong.” 
“Hmm. I see...” Saki took a bite of her cheesecake. She looked less like she was enjoying a sweet, and more like she was chewing a nutrition bar. “Can I tell Mom?” 
“Saori-san?” asked Seiya, feeling perplexed. “About what?” 
“About this,” Shiina said. “I think she’s afraid of the same thing I am.” 
“Ah... I see. Yeah, I guess she would be.” 
“I can, then?” 
“Yeah. Tell her I’m sorry.” 
“I wish you’d tell her directly...” 
“Well, I might, some day,” Seiya told her. 
The girl, Kyubu Saki, was Seiya’s step-sister; they weren’t related by blood. Saki was the daughter of his father, Kyubu Takaharu’s, second wife. 
They had all lived together for a little while. Step-siblings who had only met post-puberty, especially ones of the opposite sex, generally didn’t form much of a relationship, but Saki had attached herself to Seiya from the start. In the end, Seiya had left home to live with his father’s sister Kyubu Aisu, but he still visited with Saki like this now and then. 
“Kanie” was his mother’s surname. Long ago, his real name had been Kyubu Seiya. He’d had another stage name during his child actor days, but after his sudden retirement, his real name had ended up being leaked onto the Internet. He didn’t know who’d done it; there were countless suspects, after all. 
So, he’d taken advantage of his parents’ divorce to change his name to Kanie Seiya. He had been extremely reluctant to take the name of his mother, with whom he still had bad blood, but he’d really had no other choice. 
“But Seiya-kun, you’ve changed a little,” Saki told him. 
“...? How so?” Seiya wanted to know. 
“You used to be really arrogant and look down on people. But now...” Saki thought. “Hmm, you’re still arrogant and looking down on people, I guess.” 
Seiya deflated. “What in the...” 
“Ah, but something really is different,” she continued. “Before... you were kind of like an anime villain; you made fun of everyone. You were just totally hostile, all of the time...” 
“......” Seiya didn’t know what to say. 
“Of course, I’m a real idiot, so I never minded when you made fun of me,” she told him. “But right now, you’re... hmm...” Saki folded her arms and thought. It was unusually hard thinking, for her. 
Though, academically speaking, Saki was not especially dumb. If she’d lived in Amagi and put her mind to it, it would have been easy for her to get into Amagi High (which was actually an escalator school). 
After apparently reaching her hoped-for conclusion, she clapped her hands together. “I know! Right now, you’re more like a... rival character, I guess? You know, like when the villain ends up saving the hero in the middle of the story. And he’ll say, ‘I’m the only one who’s allowed to beat you’ to disguise the fact that he’s a good person.” 
“Ahh...” Seiya understood. 
“That’s what you feel like today,” Saki told him. “Is that weird?” 
“I couldn’t say,” he replied. 
“By the way, is Aunt Aisu doing okay?” 
“That’s a very sudden change of subject...” Seiya observed. 
Saki had only met Aisu a few times, but for some reason, she seemed to admire her greatly. She’d say “she’s so cool” or “I hope I can be like her some day” from time to time. Perhaps a twenty-something woman who worked at a publishing company was an aspirational figure for a girl like her— even though her subject matter was mahjong manga magazines, something Saki didn’t know anything about. 
On being asked if his roommate was okay, Seiya suddenly realized he hadn’t seen her in almost a week. “Probably,” he said. 
“Huh?” said Saki. “What do you mean, ‘probably’?” 
“She comes home on the first train in the morning and heads back to work right after lunch. A lot of days, she doesn’t come home at all,” Seiya explained. “I only know she’s alive from seeing laundry pile up, and the cans of beer in the fridge decrease.” 
“That can’t be healthy,” Saki observed. “Maybe I’ll make something for her!” 
“Can you cook?” Seiya asked. 
“No. But I can learn!” 
“No need. I’m better.” 
“Hmph!” Just then, Saki’s smartphone buzzed. “Ah, sorry.” 
“No problem.” 
She checked the phone, tapped in something brief and sent it right away. It was most likely a LINE. After sending her response, Saki seemed to think about something for a while. Then, hesitantly, she peered at Seiya with upturned eyes. “That was from a guy.” 
“...I see. So what?” He’d tried to say it casually, but apparently, he’d failed. 
Saki smiled mischievously as if seeing right through him. “It was Dad.” 
“......” She was apparently trying to joke around with him, but Seiya didn’t laugh. “That doesn’t tell me anything. Which dad?” 
“Your dad.” 
“......” Seiya couldn’t stop himself from scowling. Saki was referring to Seiya’s biological father, Kyubu Takaharu, as “Dad”— and doing so without any hesitation. He was apparently treating Saki and her mother, Saori-san, very well. Seiya wasn’t sure if he’d changed departments or what, but apparently half of the days of the week, he would actually make it back in time for dinner, and even make lively conversation. Completely unlike how he was with me and Mom. 
Most of my memories of Dad are missed opportunities, neglect, and fleeting glimpses of half-assed fatherhood... 
“I thought so,” Saki observed. 
“Thought so what?” 
“Do you hate Dad?” 
“No. I just don’t care about him.” Seiya was extremely annoyed, but he tried not to show it on his face. 
He’d probably failed at that, too, because Saki’s tone became very careful. “Hey. Um. Dad’s said he’d like to see you today, too.” 
“Ugh...” He hated that he couldn’t say any more than that. It’s pathetic. What am I, a pouting child? 
“And... Dad said... if you want, we could meet up and get something to eat,” Saki continued cautiously. “Ah, just in case? Just in case... he asked me to ask you.” 
“I’ll pass,” Seiya said shortly. 
“H-He said he’ll take us somewhere nice. He knows a teppanyaki place, right? It’s not too expensive, but it’s got the most tender meat—” 
“Didn’t you hear me? I said no,” Seiya repeated, more forcefully this time. 
Saki went silent for a while, but eventually nodded a few times, as if to smooth things over. “R-Right... You’re right. Sorry.” 
“Tell him,” Seiya told her. 
“Huh? I can do it later...” 
“Do it now.” 
“Okay...” Saki pecked sluggishly at her smartphone, and Seiya couldn’t bring himself to watch. 
He was experiencing a powerful self-loathing. Saki hadn’t done anything wrong, but here he was snapping at her. I just can’t stand it, he thought. When I made the decision to retire, I was in so much pain. I wanted help so badly, but that man didn’t care. He stayed so focused on his work that I hardly ever saw him. He’d seen Mom striking me, and all he ever did was get a little flustered and say “hey, stop that.” And now he wants to make amends? Is he trying to use Saki to prove that he’s reformed? Yes, he’s using her. He’s even using her! And teppanyaki? Ridiculous. Acting like he’s some rich man... 
No matter how delicious it might be, Seiya told himself, it will never beat those croquettes. Latifah’s croquettes. There’s nothing more delicious than them. They’re our pride. Of course, the croquettes at the shop Moffle took me to were good, too... Teppenyaki, though... A more high-class eating establishment might be worth thinking about. Eating yakisoba and hot dogs all the time isn’t very artistic. Maybe I’ll talk to Sento about that... 
Ahh, even now, all I can think about is work. It’s so annoying. ...But how am I going to get those three million people? That’s the real problem that’s got me on the verge of tears... 
“...Huh?” Seiya said aloud, as he snapped out of his train of thought. Why? Why was I so angry just now? When he thought about the park, he suddenly felt like an idiot for feeling so miserable before. 
It’s stupid. It’s so stupid. Seiya realized that family drama, which used to be a relatively high priority in his mind, had fallen to a much, much lower position. Who cares about Dad? Who cares about Mom? Not me! The park’s future is the most important thing. Three million people! Most men would piss themselves and run in terror if they heard about a quota like that! Tomorrow, I’m supposed to meet with the cast, including those three stooges, and have a fight over the budget. I don’t have time for this crap! 
“...Hmm, sorry!” Seiya tried to say in a neutral tone, as he looked up at the ceiling. He managed it successfully. It had gone so well that he even let out a dry laugh. 
Saki’s eyes went wide. “Wh-Where did that come from? Are... you going to meet Dad after all?” 
“Nope! Absolutely not!” Seiya retorted. 
“Huh?” 
“I told you, I’m really busy with my job! All I can think about now is work! I don’t care about Dad!” This time, when he said ‘I don’t care,’ the nuance was a little different than when he’d said it before. This time, he genuinely didn’t care. It felt good not to care! 
“...But still, I’m a considerate man,” Seiya mused further. “You should probably tell Dad this: Leave me alone.” Yes, that was for the best. He couldn’t afford to waste time or energy like this. 
“Huh? I don’t understand what you’re talking about!” Saki protested. 
“Next up, Saki: This is really a pain in my neck, so next time you want to meet me, come to the park,” Seiya told her. “It’s full of strange people I don’t ever want to introduce you to, but they’re my team.” 
“Team?” Saki questioned. 
“Of course, you don’t have to meet them,” Seiya continued. “The point is, I don’t have time to drink coffee in a place with nothing to recommend it but the view!” A waiter who just happened to be passing by then shot him a glare, but Seiya didn’t care. He left a 1,000 yen note and a 500 yen coin on the table and stood straight up. “Well, I’m off. I have a mountain of paperwork to clear through.” 
“Huh? Hey!” 
“This has been surprisingly productive. Surprisingly. In that sense, I’m grateful to you,” he told his step-sister. “See you!” 
“Oh, darn it! Seiya-kun, you’re so mean!” Saki kept yelling at him, but Seiya didn’t care, and he strode boldly out of the restaurant.

It was all over. Kyubu Saki paid the bill and left, and then at last, Shiina spoke up again. “That sounded like... a pretty heavy conversation.” Shiina’s tone was heavy, too. “Kanie-senpai seems to have a very complicated family situation. From what I can tell, that girl seems to be his step-sister from a remarriage...” 
“Ahh... That’s right, he would have a step-sister,” Isuzu remembered. When she’d been investigating him before, a girl named Saki had appeared in the documentation. But she hadn’t realized that they got together like this, or that they were so friendly with each other. Isuzu wasn’t sure whether to feel relieved or disappointed. 
At the same time, she felt guilty. Kanie-kun hadn’t been doing anything underhanded, after all. He was just taking a break in his workload to deal with an important family issue. And yet, she had trailed him and eavesdropped on his conversation. She had intruded on an important part of his life. 
What was more, in the end, he had declared that park business was more important than those same family issues— At least, he had said something to that effect before he left. And he called us—despite how miserable we are—his “team.” 
“Isuzu-senpai. Um... are you crying?” 
“No, not at all.” Isuzu really wasn’t crying. She felt a warmth rising up in her chest and permeating her face, but it hadn’t reached the level of tears just yet. But... What was it? Maybe she wouldn’t have realized it without Shiina here...

The next morning... 
Seiya came to work for the day, and Isuzu met up with him before the meeting in their cheap-looking office room. 
He said “hey” to her in his usual way, then as always, he changed into his manager’s uniform and tied his tie. 
“How did things go yesterday?” she asked. 
“Hm?” 
“Your errand. Did it go smoothly?” 
Seiya didn’t seem to notice anything amiss with Isuzu’s concern. “Yeah, it was fine.” 
“I see.” 
Seiya fiddled with his tie in the mirror. Isuzu walked up to him and retied it for him. He held his breath for just a second. 
“I think that should do it,” she said. 
“R... Right,” he stuttered. 
She grabbed him by the shoulders, spun him 180 degrees and slapped him hard on the back. 
“Ouch!” he protested. “...What the hell?” 
“Let’s give it our all again today,” Isuzu told him. 
“......? Sure.” 
“Go on, look alive. Seiya-kun.” She pushed him in the direction of the conference room. 
Seiya looked suspicious, but accompanied her unsteadily down the hall. “Look alive? I always look alive... But... hey, wait. Did you just call me...” 
“We’re going to be late to meeting, Seiya-kun,” she said. 
“Sei...” 
“Is something wrong, Seiya-kun?” 
Seiya hesitated for a moment, then offered a strained smile. Then with a theatrical manner, he said: “Ah, nothing. You’re right. Let’s go. I’m sure Moffle and the others will give me an earful...” 
“That’s right,” Isuzu agreed. “But I’ll defend you.” 
“Sure thing. Thanks.” 
So... So let’s work hard at this together, Isuzu thought. Because I’ll be with you. No matter what happens, I’ll fight with you. So, Seiya-kun... I can call you that, can’t I?