"THE DOOR!"

Ignoring the curses coming from the classrooms next door, I faced the usual draft with my head down and entered the Music (and Reading) Room.

As soon as he noticed my presence, Rokuro immediately stopped slaughtering the drums and greeted me with a warm hug.

"YA-HOOO!" he screamed, hopping happily up and down "I didn't expect to see you again so soon! So you must liked my present! How was it? Was it good? Eh? Eh?"

"I liked it more than you can imagine! But now calm down, so I can give you mine."

Rokuro suddenly stiffened.

"By "mine" you mean... Your present? F-for me?"

"For you... and for Yori, too. It's a memento from my country: I brought it along to enjoy it at the right time, but then I thought you deserved it more."

From my pockets, I pulled out a limited edition bag of potato chips from my favorite brand.

Taste: pink pepper and cheese. For those who want to be sweet inside and outside as well.

A little uncertain, Rokuro took the bag and examined it carefully, while scratching with his free hand the hairless half of his head. He didn't look very convinced of it...

"Did you say "for me and for Yori too"? What do you mean?"

"Well, you know... Even though you said I shouldn't worry, I still wanted to make amends for destroying your song for Yori. So, I thought of this. Yori comes here every day to clean, right?"

"Right... Ha, I get it! You want me to give her these chips! But are you sure she'll like them?"

"No" I replied.

"No ?! But then..."

"Listen."

Posing like a sort of professor, I raised an index finger, put my other hand behind my back, narrowed my eyes and started walking slowly around my "pupil".

"Correct me if my memory fails me. With your song, you wanted to make Yori realize that the most important thing, for you, is that she can be happy again. Is that right?"

"Quite right!" Rokuro exclaimed, passionately. "I can't bear to see her so sad and grumpy! I don't even know what I'd give to make her smile again!"

"It's a very noble thought. I, too, always think about the well-being of my friends, before mine. ...but, admit it, you also don't want Yori to just be a friend to you."

Rokuro blushed conspicuously, to the point of becoming one with his red hair and red shirt.

"It's true... I want her to be happy, but at the same time I love her and I wish she loves me, but ...what does that have to do with these chips?"

"Everything, my friend! To be totally in tune with a person, the most foolproof way is to share something with her or him. In our case, these chips. Do you follow me?"

Rokuro nodded, although it was evident that he was struggling to understand the meaning of my words.

"I have to share them with Yori... I mean, eat them with her? At the same time? Some for her, some for me?"

"Exactly so! Bravo!"

"It doesn't sound so complicated... Wait, what if one of us don't like their taste? I have to taste them first!"

Rokuro was about to open the bag with his teeth, but I stopped him a moment before.

"I'm getting there. You don't have to like them or not. Any food becomes the best in the universe, if you share it with someone you like."

Rokuro attempted to crack a smile. But then, he looked down at his trembling hands.

"T-there is another p-problem t-then, C-Choji."

"Uh? What is it?"

"What if... What if Yori doesn't love me? What if she doesn't even want to listen to me? What if she spits out the chips because they make her sick? What if something goes wrong and she never wants to see me again? What if..."

This time, it was my turn to put my hands on his shoulders to reassure him.

"Yori cares about you, man. I have no doubt about that," I told him, giving him a wink. "Nothing's going to go wrong, trust me! Anyway, try to be relaxed, okay?"

"...o-okay. It'll be hard, but I'll try. In an hour or so, Yori will be here for the afternoon cleaning, and I don't know if I'll be ready to ask her if she wants to eat something with me, but I'll try..."

"You don't have to do it right away! But, if you really want to try today, then I'd better go, so you can mentally prepare yourself."

"Are you leaving, already? ...you're right, I have to prepare myself in silence. Th-thanks, Choji."

"You don't have to thank me, it's a pleasure for me to help a friend. See you later!"

I turned and opened the door. I was already with one foot in the corridor, when it occurred to me to ask something.

"Can I steal another minute from you, Rokuro?"

"Yes, sure! What..."

To be safe, I wrapped my arm around his shoulders and brought him close to me, to speak to him in a very low voice.

"Tell me... How did Supaida react, when he heard about the song? Is he mad at me?"

"Well... He didn't have a great reaction when I broke the news, he just turned away. However, if you ask me, he's laughing under his breath. That lazy spider has always found a more crazy excuse than the last to skip his singing sessions. You have nothing to be afraid of, Choji!"

"Phew, thank goodness!"

With the excuse of wanting to help the children I met on the first day to build more puppets for their show, I spent the next hour lurking in the Painting and Modeling room.

I was just cutting out a paper dress for a doll, when the noise of Rokuro's drums made everything fly through the air.

Barely avoiding cutting myself, I got up and walked out into the corridor, just in time to catch a glimpse of Yori entering the Music room. Unfortunately, with all the people passing by it wasn't possible for me to eavesdrop.

Nonetheless, it wasn't necessary. Yori left the classroom six or seven minutes later, way more than the time it usually takes her to dust a room: this was enough for me to realize that Rokuro had made it.

One down. Many more to go.

...

After I made sure that Iwao and his crew had locked themselves up in the Grammar room - and Gym – to play, and that the other children were busy with their afternoon activities, at 2:20 pm I went out into the courtyard and headed towards the area overlooked by the West Wing.

That had to be the "west side" Isoka had hinted at in his message.

"The tree with the roots that do not touch the ground". It is certainly not something that goes unnoticed. To find him, I guess I'll have to go into the woods... Oh, no!

Just at the edge of the woods, sitting on the base of a cut log and absorbed in reading a book, was Mistress Azumi.

If she finds me with Isoka, I'll definitely make things even more complicated. I guess I have to take a longer route...

Relying on the fact that she hadn't seen me yet, I slowly turned around to walk away. But then...

"Am I that scary, Choji? Come forth, I won't eat you."

Busted.

Faking nonchalance as much as I could, I turned again on my feet and neared the woman.

And now how can I get out of this? "Eh-ehr... G-good afternoon, Mistress Azumi! What does bring you around here?"

"Nothing special. Quite simply, I love reading a good novel in the open air, listening to the distant voices of my young orphans and the sounds of the woods. This spot is perfect for my hobby."

"You had a good idea... Mistress Azumi, forgive me for my rude reaction. It is not for you that I was scared..."

"Sure, Choji. It's written all over your face, you fear that I could put you in detention for having accidentally spoiled a precious digestive pack that could have lasted for another two months, and for which we should wait as many months before the supplier can provide us another one?"

"W-well, if you put it this way... ?"

To my surprise, Mistress Azumi bursted out laughing.

"Ha ha ha ha! Don't worry, yours was just an accident due to a little distraction. I am a strict woman, but not to the point of punishing my guests for such nonsense."

"Thank goodness! ...wait, how do you know that I have something to do with it in any way?"

"Yori came to look for me, right after breakfast, to explain how things went. That is, she confessed to me that, in an act of pity, she distracted you from your punitive duties for a few minutes and took you to the storage to make you eat something. "

"Oh... Oh no... Will Yori get in trouble for this?"

"Not at all. In fact, Yori did well. Going to sleep on an empty stomach might make you sick, and I promised myself that none of the orphans under my protection would ever suffer again."

I have some objections to this... "In that case, thank you very much for your understanding... !"

With a swift gesture, Mistress Azumi swung her walking stick and stamped one end of my mouth.

"Let's make one thing clear, my dear Choji. My understanding is only due to the fact that you have just arrived at the orphanage and what happened yesterday was your first infraction of the rules. I will not be so magnanimous next time. Did I make myself clear enough?"

If I hadn't had more urgent things to do, I would certainly have said a few words to her about her rules.

"C-crystal clear, Mistress..."

Just then a little doubt came to me. Something didn't add up.

"By the way, Mistress Azumi..."

"Yes?"

"A few days ago, Iwao mentioned something to me about the punishments. Maybe I remember wrongly... Well, he said to me that one of the orphans got a beat on the hands for entering the wrong bathroom. The more I think about it, the more strange it seems to me, considering that violence is prohibited here."

"I understand where you're coming from, Choji. But it didn't go at all as you think. Apparently Iwao just wanted to make fun of you."

"Ah. What actually happened, then?"

"A few days ago, one of my little guests was about to enter the girls' bathroom by mistake. I, who was a few meters away, approached and raised my cane to block his way. That's all."

"I understand... If I'm not indiscreet, would you tell me who that child was?"

"Nao, one of the latest arrivals. I guess he was looking for his little sister."

"Makes sense... I'll resume my walk and leave you to your reading. Have a good afternoon!"

"Thank you, Choji. Same to you."

I greeted her with a bow, folded my arms behind my head and walked away. Or rather, I started walking in circle around the building, as a way to pass the time while I waited for Mistress Azumi to leave that spot.

I had just completed the fifth lap when I finally saw her close the book and get up.

About time. I hope Isoka doesn't get too angry about me being late.

I flattened myself around a corner and waited another minute. When I was sure that the coast was clear, I stepped out and ran head down into the bushes, slowing my pace once I was near my goal.

At least, I was hoping to be close.

Find the tree with roots that don't touch the ground... Easier said than done! Here the vegetation is so dense that I can hardly know where to put my feet! ...mh?

I thought I just heard a rustle on my right. I whirled around, but could see nothing but bushes and blades of grass about to stop swaying. Since there wasn't even a breath of wind, the explanations for that strange detail could only be two.

Either a fawn just jumped out of that spot, or a spy dived into it.

While I was thinking about it, from the branches of one of the many trees around me, two arguing squirrels fell to the ground, without getting hurt too much, and started chasing each other again.

"Ah, they're just squirrels," I said loudly enough to be heard, and started walking again.

If someone was really following me, it was better to make them believe they had not yet been discovered.

A few minutes and a few dozen meters further on, where the trees became more sparse, I ran into a rise in the ground: it was a kind of hillock, surmounted by an old tree slightly bent backwards.

It's different from other trees, no doubt, but this one too has its roots firmly planted on the ground. ...that noise again!

This time the rustle came from somewhere behind me, to my left.

Instead of suddendly turning as before, however, I pretended not to have noticed and very calmly retraced my steps.

I feel it. They follow me, moving at the same speed as me. If I stop, they stop too. Let's see if I can trick them!

I looked up, as if some bird had caught my attention, and began to take a few steps backwards. Arrived at a certain point, I pretended to stumble and fell awkwardly on the bush to the left.

Whoever was hiding under there jumped out to escape, but I immediately plunged back to the side and got up to block the escape of the little spy.

"I got a feeling that it was you... Hey, look out!"

Unable to stop her run, Naoki slammed into my knees and bounced back, but I managed to catch her hand before she fell.

"Gotcha! Are you hurt, Naoki?"

The little girl opened her mouth to answer me, but only managed to utter one word: "thank". As if she remembered just in time that she couldn't talk to strangers.

"Why were you following me?" I asked her calmly. She didn't answer.

"Naoki" I continued, keeping the same calm tone "Yori and I found you in the kitchen last night, when you should have been in bed. Why were you there? Were you looking for Yori?"

The little girl had no shocked reaction to my question. Clearly, she knew I was going to ask her that sooner or late. She thought about it, then shook her head.

"Were you looking for me?"

This time, after moments of indecision, she nodded.

"Why?"

She stayed silent for several seconds, as if she were looking for the right words. Then she whispered something. I had to get as close as possible to be able to hear her feeble voice.

"I-I was sorry..."

"Mh?"

"S-sorry ... f-for w-what happened to you... N-Nao told me t-to stay away from you... B-but you looked... so s-sad... and..."

"Are you trying to tell me that you were sorry that I was put in detention, so you thought about visiting me in the kitchen to keep me company?"

She nodded again, imperceptibly. I would have liked to take her word for it, but to be sure I had to have further confirmation.

"Is that the truth? Look at me, Naoki."

I gave her all the time she needed. Eventually she found the courage to look me straight in the eye, but only for a moment.

"Y-yes... Yes, that's right..."

"But you didn't find me, because I was in the cellar downstairs with Yori. Did you know? Did you hear our voices?"

She shook her head.

"I d-didn't know Yori was there too. I was just looking for you... But I got sleepy..."

"I get it. What about now, then? Why were you stalking me, hiding in the tall grass? You could have hurt yourself!"

"B-because... I wanted to tell you... w-what I told you... But I was hiding because I was scared, and I didn't know w-what to do..."

"Scared? Of me? Were you afraid that I would get angry and take you back to Nao?"

As soon as I named her brother, Naoki's tiny body shuddered.

"Well, as you can see, I'm not angry. As for your brother... I'll talk to him."

"R-right away?"

"Mmh, let me think..." I got to my feet, having been on my knees too long, and thought for a moment. "...no, not right away. I have to meet a friend, here in the woods. If I took you back to the orphanage I would be late for the appointment, but I can't even let you go back alone. Therefore, I have to take you with me."

The little girl took a step back, perhaps out of fear of having to stay in the woods for a while longer.

"Nothing will happen to you, I promise! Also, we are almost there... Indeed, we are there!"

Looking up absently, I saw, behind Naoki, the raising of the ground with the tree, but from a different angle, thus discovering that in reality it was only half a mound. The part I hadn't seen before had long since collapsed, and some of the tree's roots dangled helplessly downwards.

If those are not the roots that don't touch the ground...

I took Naoki by the hand, and together we neared the tree.

Isoka was already there. Sitting on the edge of the half-hill and intent on looking away, he had not yet noticed our presence.

"Pssst! I'm here, Isoka! Sorry to keep you waiting!"

He turned.

"Don't apologize, I've just arrived now too...!"

When he realized I hadn't come alone, Isoka winced. And Naoki seemed frightened too.

Mh? Is she afraid of Isoka?... Of course, I forgot! According to what Nao said, she was the one who opened the hatch of his hiding place!

Quickly, I leaned over Naoki to reassure her.

"Don't worry," I said softly. "He doesn't know it was you, he can't be mad at... you... !"

A detail that I had no longer taken into account resurfaced by itself in my mind.

The Masquerader uses Soldier Pills. I found a Pill in Isoka's hideout. Naoki had entered the hideout...

I stared hard at Naoki. I had already set in motion the alternate plan to discover the identity of the Masquerader, yet I could not leave that doubt unresolved.

If I want confirmation that she lost that Pill, I have to make Isoka let her stay here with us. It won't be difficult...

"What is she doing here?" Isoka grumbled as he jumped off the small hill. "I wanted to talk to you face to face, Choji!"

...forget it. "Isoka, don't be angry! This little girl got lost walking away in the woods, I found her coming here and, well, I couldn't leave her where she was!"

"You're not completely wrong... It's better to go back to the orphanage and postpone the appointment for another time, Choji."

"What? Why?"

Gesturing for me to lean, Isoka pulled my head close to his so that he could whisper into my ear.

"I know she's small, but she can always go and tell people that you and I are still meeting, and that would be bad!"

"What are you saying? Naoki would have no reason to do that" I replied, although I wasn't entirely convinced myself. "I guarantee you, it won't do anything wrong."

"...okay, I want to trust you. That's what I wanted to talk about, by the way."

"Oh."

I knew where Isoka was heading. I stood up and, a little embarrassed, scratched the back of my neck.

"It's useless to pretend nothing hapened. All I can tell you is... I'm so sorry, Isoka. I broke my promise, I got into trouble to defend you and shut up that bully Iwao. I betrayed your trust... Hey!"

Without warning, Isoka threw himself on my belly to sink his face into it and hug it as much as he could.

"No, Choji, no!" he said between sobs. "I'm the one who made you make that stupid promise! It is because of me that you ended up in detention! I even gave you the cold shoulder at dinner! I was angry, and only afterwards I realized that I should have supported you instead!..."

I gently stroked his hair.

"What's done is done, let's forget about it."

We smiled at each other. Naoki, who in the meantime had gone to sit on a stone next to the half-hill, had also relaxed.

I decided that this was the perfect time.

"Very well!" I exclaimed clapping my hands. "I suggest to celebrate this rare moment of tranquility in the best way possible. Isoka, and you too Naoki... how about a snack?"

With pride, but also considerable self-sacrifice on my part, I pulled three of my bags of potato chips out of my pockets.

When they saw them, both Isoka and Naoki were amazed. The little girl, in particular, looked at me as if she had just seen a ghost.

"Where did you get those from, Choji? Did you rummage in the canteen?"

"Actually, I always had them with me. They are the only memory I have of my country. I thought I would enjoy them with someone in peace, but until now the opportunity had never presented itself. Would you like to taste them?"

"Taste them? I'll gladly stuff my mouth with them!" Isoka answered.

"I-I would like some too," added Naoki.

"You will definitely like it! Let's see... For you, Naoki, I think these can go!" and I put a silver-colored bag in her little hands.

Taste: classic and dietetic. For those who want to stay light without sacrificing flavor.

"T-thanks... Um..."

"Wait, let me open it" Isoka asked, bending over to help her. I smiled to see that his distrust of the little girl was now gone.

"As for, Isoka... I'll let you decide. Which ones do you want?"

"Mmh... These" and he took the navy blue bag from my hands.

Taste: salt and onion. For those who face the difficulties of life with gritted teeth.

I put the remaining bag back in my pocket, then sat on the grass next to my two little friends.

"Mh? Aren't you going to eat your snack, Choji?"

"No, Isoka. They are all yours. Consider it a gift from me. I want to save the last bag for another occasion."

Counting Yori, this makes three.

I waited for them to finish eating. Then, keeping the corner of my eye on Naoki, I asked the question that had been buzzing in my head.

"There's one thing I wanted to ask you, Isoka."

"What is it? By the way, these fries are awesome!"

"Thanks. Well, maybe it's nothing important, but... yesterday, when I took the cellophane out of the hole to empty it, in the middle of all that water I also found something strange. A sort... of chocolate marble, let's put it this way. Does it mean anything to you?"

"...ah, that! That's where I lost it!" Isoka replied immediately.

Naoki is slightly blushing, there are no more doubts!

...wait.

"Can you repeat what you said, Isoka?"

"I said it's mine. Or rather, I found it on the ground the day before yesterday, and I wanted to try to taste it... Let me guess, you ate it!"

"No... Of course not, I would never dream of eating food that has fallen on the ground! I'm surprised you could have thought of it!"

"In fact, I wasn't very smart... Luckily you found it first!"

"Yeah, apparently I saved you from a bad stomach ache! Eh eh, eh..."

Well, the Pill belonged to Isoka.

How did I fail to consider the most obvious hypothesis?

I turned to Naoki. The redness on her face was gone.

Nevertheless...

"NAOKI ! JUST WHERE IN THE WORLD ARE YOU?!"

That sudden cry, along with a flock of birds fleeing the forest in terror, anticipated Nao's arrival.

"Hello, Na..."

"Do you really want us to be grounded?" he barked at his little sister, without even giving me or Isoka a glance. "Let's go back to the orphanage, before someone else comes looking for you!"

Almost vehemently, Nao took the child by the wrist and forced her to get up and walk away with him. I couldn't stay silent seeing that scene, I had to intervene!

"Hey! You don't have to scold her like that! If you have something to say, tell me instead!"

Nao didn't answer, so I went over to physically stop him, but he was quick and slapped my outstretched hand away before I could touch him.

"Stay away from us, Choji. Please." He told me this in an angry and terse tone.

However, I did not allow myself to be intimidated.

"Nao, listen to me! I'm sorry I scared you with my rage at the springs! I'm the first to be ashamed of what I did! I screamed in your face... But I assure you, I don't think ill of you anymore! I swear, yesterday's will remain an isolated case! Give me another chance!"

Nao had been listening to me, but not looking directly into my face.

When I finished, he bowed his head and sighed.

"I think you are sincere, Choji..."

"Thank you, thank you so much!" At the height of relief, I was already about to reach into my pocket and hand him the last of my bags of chips.

"...but I have already decided that, in this orphanage, it's better to be friends with Iwao."

That last statement came like a cold shower.

"What..."

"Don't misunderstand, I really appreciated that you wanted to make friends with me and Naoki! The problem is, it's not enough. You see, I especially want Naoki to be protected, away from any problems. In other words, I want her to live a quiet life. After what happened yesterday, I understood that being in your company will not be possible. Think of me anyway you want, but I feel safer being on Iwao's side. He got what is needed to survive in this orphanage."

Nao began to walk away, pulling along Naoki, who could not say or do anything but give me a look that seemed to convey pity.

In any case, I couldn't let them go that easily!

"Nao, wait..."

"You have to understand it too, Choji. Until then... It will always be better to lose than find someone like you."

The two brothers disappeared into the woods.

"Choji? Is everything okay?" Isoka asked me, taking my hand.

"Yes. Don't worry."

"I know what you're feeling. I've heard such things too.."

"I told you, it's all right. Thanks, anyway."

Nao's latest shot had shocked me, sure. But not in the way Isoka believed.

Maybe I'm just seeing things, and yet... I'm sure Nao himself doesn't believe in what he said.

...

It was now sunset and the air was quite cold. Sitting alone at a picnic table in the courtyard, I was contemplating the last bag of chips left.

Taste: black pepper and bacon. For those who act like a pig at the table and are not ashamed to show it.

It was a few hours before the end of the mission, and I still hadn't worked out all the details of my strategy.

I might as well be satisfied... No, I can't! Until I fix Nao too, I can never be one hundred percent sure! How do I get close to him without making him run away? I have to come up with an idea, now!

I began to drum my fingers on the table. Unfortunately, although I was racking my brains to the extreme, I couldn't find a plan that didn't involve the use of force.

I was that lost in my own thoughts, when I heard a cough somewhere near me I was so startled I jumped on my seat and slammed my knees hard under the table.

"Who? What? ...oh?!"

Nana, the red-haired friend of Iwao, had just took a seat beside me. Or maybe she was there since the very beginning...

"Oh, uhm... Hi, Nana!"

"Mh."

"Ehm... Mh."

A deadly silence fell. The air seemed to get instantly colder too.

"Uuuuuuh... Do you need something, Nana?"

She sighed, visibly upset.

"A "thanks you" would be a good start. Or maybe you fell on purpose on Iwao's trap at the thermal baths, just to render my warning moot."

"Your warning?..."

"Okay bye."

Nana stood up in a huff, but I stopped her before she could leave.

"Wait, I get it now! Yesterday, you told me I should have been prepared for one of Iwao's humiliating pranks! Forgive me, it's just that so many things has happened, that you slipped my mind!"

"Well, thank you very much! Bullies or victims, you boys are ungrateful all the same! Forget I was even looking for you..."

"That's enough!"

I stood up in a fit of rage. I didn't mean to yell at her, but the sad encounter I had with Nao was still fresh in my mind and I refused to relive the same scene all over again.

"It's not true that I'm ungrateful! In fact... There! By complete accident I happened to hear a secret of yours, but I kept it for myself!"

Nana immediately froze.

"A secret? When did you..."

I put up a finger to silence her, while tapping with my other hand on the table to invite her to sit down again, so that we could continue talking in a lower tone.

"What secret are you talking about, Choji?"

"The other day, at the springs, while I was hiding inside some bushes to... throw up my lunch, I saw you sneaking in the boys area through a hole in the fence. I stalked you out of curiosity, only to see you having a private meeting with Iwao."

Upon hearing this, Nana covered her mouth with a hand and widened her eyes.

"No! No, I can't believe it! Did you... did you hear what we said?"

"More or less."

"Why didn't you snitch, though? You could have expose him! Mistress Azumi would've get him grounded instead of you! Didn't you think about it?"

"It flew over my head. And even if I'd considered it, I wouldn't have done it anyway..."

"You're so stupid."

"...because otherwise you would have get grounded as well."

"Okay I take it back."

Nana blushed up and chuckled in embarrassment. I let her be until she regained her composure.

"Well, then... thanks Choji, I guess. Will you keep your mouth shut about this?"

"You have my word! ...still" I added, turning serious once more "Now I want to know why you do this. If Iwao forces you to steal food for him with fear, why don't you expose him yourself? Is there something else to it?"

Nana shook her head.

"It's just the fear of him, nothing more. To tell the truth" before she continued, Nana looked all around to make sure Iwao wasn't anywhere near us "at first, I did it willingly. Years ago, Iwao was nothing but an average kid just like many others, but a little more shy and insecure. I was her closest friend. One day he confessed me, while crying his eyes out, that he wanted to stand out above the rest. The only way to do so, in his head, was to become bigger. Kinda like you. No offense."

"I'm not offended, don't worry!" I politely lied with a smile, while under the table I crumpled the hem of my shorts with my fingers.

"So, I seconded him. For a while, I handed him over half of my portions at every lunch and dinner. He ended up getting fat, and with the extra weight his shyness decreased. Bit by bit, he became the most popular boy in the orphanage. However, this wasn't enough for him. He wanted to be the leader, he wanted to always have the last word...I wasn't able to stop him, nor I was able to stop myself from indulging him. But I tried. One day I told him he was big enough and should have came back to eat normally again... In the end, it was him who convinced me to bring him food in a different way.

"Stealing it directly from the storage, right?"

"Not exactly. Just in the days when the supplier arrives with his carriage. These are the only occasions in which the kitchen is open and unguarded by Yori for more than a second."

"Have you ever been busted?"

"Never. Modesty aside, I'm pretty fast."

"...something doesn't add up."

"What do you mean?"

"I know Yori well enough, and I know that she never let anything pass under her nose. How is it possible that she never noticed the ingredients are always less then the quantity they order?"

"I thought of this detail as well. In order to not raise suspicion, I exclusively poke inside the jars and the boxes that doesn't specify how much they can contain. A bunch of olives here, a handful of rice there, occasionally some chocolate praline... Choji?"

At the word "chocolate" I had widened my eyes at much as I could.

"...Nana, I didn't see a single chocolate praline since my arrival. Where did you find some?"

"Along with the rest of the food, where else? Now that you mention, I don't recall they ever offered those sweets to us. Who knows, maybe Miss Hiromi eats them in secret... Choji, are you sure you're not sick? You're sweating like a fountain!"

Yori's Soldier Pill! Of course! That's why Iwao has those freaky muscles! Not only that... If he keeps eating a handful in one go... "Nana, promise me you'll never bring food to Iwao again! Promise me!"

Nana was taken back by my sudden burst.

"I already told you that's impossible! I can't disobey him!..."

"You must! If he continue eating... too much... he will die!"

"For one sweet too many? I think you're just overreacting."

I couldn't tell her any more than that. I promised Yori to keep her secret, too.

"You can try at the very least. Just... try, please. I won't ask you more than that."

"...all right. Fine. I already know it won't work, but I'll try."

That said, Nana got up once more from the table.

"Our conversation has taken a bizarre turn, Choji. But, to be honest, I enjoyed it nonetheless. See you next time."

"Mmh..." Okay, next time."

In that instant, my sight fell on the last bag of chips. All that talking about stolen food and shared food gave me the enlightenment I was looking for.

Nobody said Nao has to eat these. With or without them, I'd tell him apart from the others anyway. "Nana, wait!"

I tore the bag open and handed it to her.

"Chips? For me?"

"Yes. Well, I didn't plan to share with you before, but then I heard your story..."

"How nice. Did I move you to pity?"

"Yes! I mean, no! I didn't mean to offend you! It's just... Oh."

Smiling, Nana had already stuffed a hand in the bag to take a handful of chips, all for herself.

"Mh. Spicy."

"Don't you like it?"

"No, but it doesn't matter. You know, it's the first time somebody offers me some food, rather than the other way around. Thank you, Choji. You can eat the rest."

...

I spent the rest of the afternoon by happily enjoying every single remaining potato chip. And thus silencing my stomach, which never stopped grumbling since the moment I gave the first bag away.

Ending my snack, I balled the empty bag in one fist, and then I slammed that fist in the palm of my other hand.

I was ready.

I had to be ready.

That night, I'd capture the Masquerader.

I swore it on my life.