Chapter Ten: The Scarf

They only ordered some snacks, so Anhe and his companion didn’t stay long, leaving the café around six o’clock.

The sun had set, and dusk was settling in.

Since Anhe had given her school uniform to Kurorai Shiko, she was now wearing only a white shirt. When the cold wind blew, she couldn’t help but shiver.

Tightening the scarf around her neck, Anhe noticed out of the corner of her eye that Amamiya Sayo was also only clad in a white shirt.

Without hesitation, Anhe pulled her closer and wrapped half of her scarf around Amamiya Sayo’s snowy neck.

She didn’t resist at all, simply blinking her large eyes and quietly watching Anhe.

Once everything was arranged, Anhe looked at Amamiya Sayo, now bundled tightly in the scarf, nodded in satisfaction, and said, “All done. Let’s go home.”

His words made Amamiya Sayo’s eyes flicker. After a brief silence, she nodded.

Considering that Amamiya Sayo’s foot was still injured, Anhe chose not to take the subway. Instead, he splurged on a taxi.

This caused his little stash of savings to shrink once more, but knowing that he’d soon have a decent job made him less concerned.

In the car, Amamiya Sayo gazed quietly at the Tokyo night scenes passing by the window, while Anhe sat beside her, propping his head in his hand and studying her profile in silence.

Because they were sharing the same scarf, the two sat very close, almost pressed together.

Anhe could distinctly feel the warmth and softness of her thigh against his, but before he could reflect on it, the narrator’s voice in his mind sprang up first.

Feeling the soft touch beneath you, your heart stirs. You sneak a glance at the driver up front—he’s focused on driving and likely won’t notice what’s happening in the back. Why not take this chance to put your hand on the leg of the person beside you? If she doesn’t resist, you could gradually take things further. Doing this in the car would surely be quite exciting...

You wish.

Anhe rolled his eyes, but his gaze nonetheless fleetingly passed over Amamiya Sayo’s long, pale legs.

They really were white as snow.

...

The ride passed in silence, and soon the taxi arrived at the place Anhe had specified.

After paying and getting out, Anhe took Amamiya Sayo to a nearby supermarket to buy some snacks and groceries, since he planned to show off his cooking for her later.

By the time they finished, night had fallen completely.

Because Anhe’s apartment was so old, there were no lights in the stairwell, forcing the two of them to grope their way upstairs in the dark.

Anhe thought about taking out his flip phone to light the way—even if the light was weak, it would help them see the steps.

But as soon as they entered the stairwell, he immediately dismissed the idea.

The reason was simple.

Glancing at Amamiya Sayo, who was pressed close to his side and so nervous she’d grabbed hold of his sleeve, Anhe’s lips curved in a slight smile. He quietly slipped the half-withdrawn phone back into his pocket.

Without making a fuss, he took her delicate hand in his. He could feel Amamiya Sayo tense slightly, but she didn’t pull away.

The four flights of stairs that Anhe usually climbed in less than a minute took them over five minutes tonight.

But every journey, no matter how long, eventually comes to an end.

Reaching his door, Anhe reluctantly let go of Amamiya Sayo’s hand, then unwound the scarf from his neck and wrapped it entirely around hers. Only then did he fish out his keys and unlock the door.

Once inside, Anhe felt for the wall and, with a click, turned on the light in the entryway, illuminating the once-dark living room.

“Welcome home.”

Leaning against the doorframe, Anhe smiled at Amamiya Sayo, who was still standing at the entrance.

She was clearly startled by his words, her gaze lingering on Anhe’s face for a moment before she lowered her head and stepped inside.

“Thank you,” she murmured softly, her voice as gentle as a kitten’s.

Seeing this, Anhe only smiled and didn’t reply.

After Amamiya Sayo had come in, Anhe shut the door, found his slippers for her to wear, and walked barefoot into the living room himself.

“Sit for a while on the sofa. I’ll go cook something.”

Setting the snacks he’d bought on the coffee table, Anhe turned on the clunky TV, handed the remote to Amamiya Sayo, and headed for the kitchen.

Watching his retreating figure, Amamiya Sayo’s eyes flickered, though her thoughts remained a mystery.

In the kitchen, Anhe washed and chopped half a black-bone chicken he’d bought at the supermarket, adding it with some ingredients to a pot to simmer on low heat.

Amamiya Sayo had only just recovered from a fever that morning, so he wanted to help her regain her strength.

Since the chicken soup needed a long time to cook and she’d just eaten snacks, he didn’t plan to start preparing other dishes yet.

Returning to the living room, Anhe found Amamiya Sayo sitting quietly on the sofa like a grade-schooler.

Across from her, the TV was still playing the boring commercials he’d left running.

Anhe walked over, gently patted her shoulder, and when she looked up, explained, “Would it be convenient for you to change clothes? If you don’t mind, wear some of my old ones for now. The clothes you’re wearing belong to Mrs. Kurorai—she’s my neighbor next door. I’d like to wash them and return them to her later.”

Though she couldn’t remember who Kurorai Shiko was, having been only half-conscious that morning, Amamiya Sayo nodded.

Anhe led her to the bedroom, and after some careful selection, picked out a white T-shirt, black knee-length shorts, and a black hooded sweatshirt for her.

As for underwear...

Anhe could only admit defeat. All he had were his own, and though clean, he wasn’t sure if Amamiya Sayo would find that acceptable, so he said nothing.

Waiting outside the bedroom door, it wasn’t long before it opened again. Amamiya Sayo emerged, her pale arms and legs exposed beneath the white shirt and black shorts, holding a bundle of clothes.

Anhe hurried to take them and carried them all into the bathroom.

Seeing that Amamiya Sayo wanted to follow, he quickly stopped her and pushed her back toward the living room, explaining, “You just had a fever today—it’s not a good idea for you to get wet. Let me do the washing.”

Without waiting for her response, Anhe grabbed her damp school uniform from the table and headed into the bathroom.

Watching his back, Amamiya Sayo pressed her lips together, feeling a strange emotion welling up inside.

Meanwhile, in the bathroom.

Out of habit, Anhe always checked the pockets before washing clothes, both to protect the washing machine and to prevent valuables from getting soaked.

Sure enough, after searching through Amamiya Sayo’s school uniform, he found several items: a student ID, a health card, a hair clip, a rubber band, and a small white medicine bottle.

The bottle was covered in English letters. Anhe’s English was decent, so he quickly recognized what it was.

Zolpidem tartrate—a crystalline sleeping pill.

What luck! I was just worrying earlier about how to make that female teacher behave, and now I’ve got a treasure like this! With this, all I need to do is trick Ito Nobue into coming home, mix the drug into her drink, and once it takes effect, she’ll be at my mercy. Then...