I didn't pay much attention to what I was putting on my plate that evening, at dinner. My mind was already set on what I would've done in a couple of hours.

At about nine o'clock, Yori passed between the tables bringing everyone, as she had already told me, cups full of hot chamomile tea.

"This is going to take the place of the digestive for a while, drink and don't ask questions," I heard her blur out to the children she was serving.

When she arrived to me, however, she softened imperceptibly.

"Thank you," she whispered in my ear as she handed me the cup. She didn't add anything else, but from her wink I knew all the same that Yori was referring to the "date" I had planned for her and Rokuro in the afternoon.

As soon as Yori had passed by, I took my cup of still steaming chamomile tea and gulped it all in one shot, deliberately burning my tongue: so, with the excuse of having to run to the bathroom in search of cold water, I was the first to go out, running from the canteen and going back straight to the dormitory.

Once inside, I went to get the flashlight I had hidden under the pillow and turned it on and off a couple of times to make sure it still worked.

Thanks to that damned sleeping drug, I left the light turned on for two nights in a row... Mh, I'd say it's still okay.

I put the flashlight in my pocket and cracked my knuckles. They were fine too.

I didn't need anything else for that night.

I heard the footsteps of the children. Quickly, I hid my pajamas between the net and the mattress and, still dressed from head to toe, I dived under the covers; then I turned onto my back and supported myself on my elbows, to keep my torso slightly raised in a deliberately uncomfortable position, which prevented me from falling asleep.

Twenty or twenty-five minutes later, when all my dorm mates had stopped talking and there was no sound but their snoring, I ventured to get out of bed. Though not before I concentrated a little chakra in my feet, in order to make my steps absolutely silent. Then, very delicately, I took my bag and hid it under the covers, to simulate my body as best I could.

Leaving the dorm, I headed straight for the ground floor.

My focus is on the modeling room. This time I know the way, so it shouldn't take me more than a couple of minutes to get there... No!

As usual, I had spoken too soon. I froze at the last flight of stairs, when I noticed that the lights in the hall were still on.

I didn't dare go down another step, but bending down a little I still managed to catch a glimpse of a person in a nightgown pacing back and forth.

Yori.

What the hell... Of course, I should have expected it! If they gave sleeping drug to the orphans, it was to keep them from wandering around during the night. Without the drug, however, the only way to be sure is to personally monitor the entrance way.

I went back to the second floor.

Trying to get around Yori is out of the question, she'd find me in no time. I just have to go the other way.

I approached the spiral staircase that led to Hiromi's and Azumi's rooms and for a second I illuminated the top with the torch. Luckily for me it didn't end directly in their apartments, but on a landing.

If I go up this way, across the bridge that connects the two towers and go down the other side, without getting caught, I can still reach the west wing. Let's go.

I began to climb. When I reached the top I found myself in a semicircular room, with two closed doors. There was no need to guess which was the one I had to avoid: from behind one of them I could hear the anything but calm voice of Miss Hiromi.

"...how long is it until the end of the patrol? Ooh, still too early! I want to go to sleep! How many times have I told her that I'm afraid to stay awake at night?"

Is she... talking to herself?!

"Besides, we've been giving the sleeping potion to our poor angels for a lifetime. They've gotten used to it by now, aren't they? No, Azumi says it's never enough, and now that we've lost it, we have to make sure for ourselves that those sweet souls don't venture outside. But where could they go, anyway? It's a living hell out there! And a little bit in here, too..."

If I had more time, I would have gladly listened to some more of her complaints.

Instead, I took advantage of her muttering to open and close behind me the door to the bridge.

Although it was built entirely of wood and there were no pillars to support it, that sort of suspended porch was quite solid, enough to support not only my weight, but also the cold night breeze, which at that height was even more stingy.

If I have just passed Miss Hiromi's room, it means that Mistress Azumi's is in the tower in front of me. And if she too is as awake as her friend, I must be even more careful...

"What are you doing here?"

It was Mistress Azumi's voice. And it was right behind me.

Instinctively I froze in place and raised my hands to the ceiling.

"What am I doing here? This is my room!" I heard Miss Hiromi reply.

"I told you to sit on the stairs! How else do you know if anyone has passed through here?" "Because I know there is no need! None of our cupids would think of disobeying the curfew!"

I lowered my arms and turned around. Luckily Mistress Azumi was still inside to talk to Miss Hiromi, but she too would come out at any moment.

Without thinking twice, I climbed over the parapet, grabbed a ledge, rocked a couple of times, and finally glued my chakra under the porch floor.

"What should I do with you... Anyway, this time you are right. They are all in the dream world, I checked and told Yori to go to sleep too."

"Good to know! I was a bundle of nerves!"

"You're so dramatic... Well, goodnight Hiromi."

Miss Azumi went out at that moment. I heard her slow, firm footsteps right above me, almost as if she were stepping on my own body. Then I heard her enter her tower.

That was a close one.

I could've get back on, but after that unexpected event I no longer felt so sure I wanted to risk it.

...hey, one way or another, I'm outside. Now I can re-enter the West Wing like I did yesterday! And one, and two, and... three!

I broke off the deck and fell to my knees on the roof of the orphanage silently.

From there, reaching the west facade and finding the open window I had discovered the night before was as easy as a walk in the park.

...

Orienting myself with the flashlight, I left the empty and dusty dormitory and went downstairs, but before proceeding I flattened myself against the wall of the stairs and leaned my head towards the dark corridor of the classrooms. There was no streak of light under the last door, so I assumed the Masquerader hadn't arrived yet.

In that moment, a bad prospect appeared before me.

What if the Masquerader decided to stay in bed?

I put my hand through my hair, squeezing it until it hurt. Why hadn't I thought of an alternative?

Calm down, Choji. If that killer doesn't show up ... Here! In his absence I can safely search the modeling room for clues!

I nodded to myself and stepped forward.

Two steps later, though...

No, wait a moment! What if he really shows up and catches me off guard?

I tapped my forehead with the hot flashlight, as if that gesture could unlock an idea stuck in my brain.

Instead, the enlightenment came when I looked at the door to my right, that of the recreational room.

...in that case, I'll make sure to hear him in time.

After setting up the "trap", I went to the modeling room, where the previous night I had discovered the Masquerader busy with... working on his latest mask. Begging my stomach to bear whatever I could have find in there, I lowered the handle, gritted my teeth, and aimed the flashlight on the desk in the center of the room.

"...w-what?"

On the countertop I only found sheets of paper, held in place by pencils, markers and tubes of paint. On the sheets, were drawn preparatory sketches of various masks, dozens and dozens of different ways in which that damned killer could have transformed the face of his latest victim.

But there was no trace of the face in question.

The counter, however, was the same on which the killer was working the other night, I couldn't be wrong: I recognized it from the table lamp, but above all from the jar full of transparent liquid in which the couple of human eyes floated.

I scanned the other desks in the classroom with my flashlight. I found other colors, scissors, notebooks, incomplete constructions, but nothing that looked like a face.

Only the furniture remained to be checked.

I started with a chest of drawers.

I opened the top drawer with a snap. Empty.

I opened the second. Empty.

I opened the third. Empty.

I opened the fourth.

Due to the sudden movement, more than a few drops of a strange liquid spilled out, ending up on the floor and onto my feet.

...I think... I've found what I was looking for.

The drawer contained a squared basin, filled to the brim with the same liquid in which the eyes were stored.

At the bottom, what was left of the murdered child's face laid.

Nothing but a disc of leather, pressed and stretched, with five holes - which once must have been the eyes, the nostrils and the mouth - tightened and sewn with wire to stay closed.

Of the original human features, whatever they might have been, nothing was left.

Even though I had been preparing for days, that terrifying sight still managed to make me feel very sick.

In that instant, a very high-pitched whistle echoed throughout the corridor.

The trap has worked! He's coming!

I rushed to the door, turned off the flashlight, put it between my teeth and knelt, ready to attack.

As soon as I heard the door open, without hesitation I sprinted forward and knocked down the person who was entering with a headbutt in the stomach. We both rolled into the corridor. At the end of a brief struggle, it was I who had the high ground.

While with one hand I made sure to block the enemy's throat, with the other I picked up the flashlight and shone it straight in his face.

Unfortunately, I was met with a disappointment.

"I-Iwao?!"

"Get off my back, you pachyderm!"

Not having time to take offense at the insult, I obeyed and allowed him to get up.

"Iwao, you shouldn't be h..."

"Neither you, for that matter! Was it you who put this thing in front of the stairs?" he barked, waving the noisy rubber chicken I had met the night before in front of my nose.

"Yes, I put it on... No, stop!"

Too late: to vent his anger Iwao had given the chicken a bite so hard that he split it in two, making it unusable.

"Iwao... I don't know why you're here, but I have to ask you to go..."

"You have no right bossing me around! Especially, not after all those lies you told Nana!"

"Nana... Did you hear our conversation?"

"No. She told me everything during dinner. Nana can't keep secrets with me."

"...what have you done to her?"

"What did I do... to Nana? Nothing, what a stupid question! Instead, I wanted to say a few words to you. I was about to wake you up and convince you to stay away from my private affairs. However, instead of you, I found something else in your bed. So I went out to look for you."

Damn! "Y-you went through the towers of the two ladies to get here, right? Did you wake them up?"

"No, but I think I'll do it now, so I can tell them how many other infractions of the rules you committed today! Night intrusion in the West Wing, spreading of terror in the other orphans' minds... I have a lot to tell!"

"Spreading of terror?!"

"Don't play dumb! You nearly scared Nana to death with that story that I could die if I keep eating in secret!"

"That... that's the truth, Iwao! You must believe me!"

"Do you want me to believe you? Give me a convincing explanation, then!"

I bit my lip.

"I... I don't... Iwao, look at your muscles! Look at your veins! Have you ever wondered why they are so big and... ugly? Listen to me, sooner or later they will end up killing you, if you don't..."

Iwao interrupted me with a big laugh.

"Now I see what's going on. You are just envious of my beautiful body, which makes your lard look even more embarrassing! Come on, admit it!"

This time it was much more difficult to ignore the insult.

I was one step away from eating him alive... but, looking at him closely, I found a better way to wipe the smile off his face.

"Iwao, are you proud of your physique?"

"...eh? S-sure, but what does this have to..."

"So why do you go out of your way to hide it? You've been soaking in the tub for most of the day, and every other day you wear padded clothes larger than your size" with a gesture I pointed to the extra-extra-large pajamas he wore. "How do you explain this?"

The look on his face was all I needed to know that I had stung it on a sore spot.

"Choji... You... MISTRESS AZUMI!"

Iwao suddenly turned and started running. Dropping the flashlight, I grabbed his legs with a dive and slapped him in the middle of the corridor, then grabbed him by his collar and pajama pants, got up and kicked open the nearest door, that of the reading room.

I'll lock him in here so he won't bother me...!

With a speed that I had not considered Iwao reversed his grip, and it was he who threw me into the dark room: I crashed against what looked like an armchair, jumped over it with an involuntary somersault and collapsed on my back to the floor.

Iwao entered turning on the light and, without giving me time to move, pressed a naked foot to my cheek; to top it off, I saw him pick up the overturned armchair next to me and lift it up over his head.

"W-what are you going to do, Iwao?!"

"Don't... Gnnn... Fear... I won't hurt you! I will gently place it on you!"

Iwao held the chair up over his head for a few more seconds, touching the ceiling. With the corner of my eye, I noticed that the back had bumped into the chandelier's upholstery.

"Iwao, watch out!"

"For wha..."

The overhead light came off, falling straight onto his head.

Free from his grip, I quickly got up and pushed him away, saving him from also be hit by the falling armchair. Unfortunately, I couldn't stop the ensuing crash.

"Damn! Did you see what you did? ...Iwao?"

He didn't respond. Worried, I laid him on the floor and examined his head. All he had got was a big bump.

Thank goodness, he just passed out. That's not how I wanted to knock him out, but the important thing is that he won't bother me anymore.

"Did he hurt you, Choji?"

Isoka had just appeared outside the door, also in pajamas and barefoot.

Overcoming the sudden scare, I pulled him inside and quickly closed the door.

"What are you doing here, Isoka? Why aren't you in bed?" I whispered, trying to stop panting at the same time.

"Well, I... I couldn't sleep... By chance I heard Iwao whispering something about making you pay, then I heard him leave the dormitory... I followed him..."

"And you got yourself in big trouble, by getting here!" I scolded him. "Maybe you still have time to go back to the East Wing before they find you! Wait for me here, I get my flashlight and I'll take you back."

"Okay... But first tell me, Choji, why..."

"Why am I here too? Well... I confess, I wanted to play night explorer. But, eh eh, now I realized it wasn't a great idea..."

"Maybe it's my fault, Choji."

"Uh?"

"Yes," Isoka mumbled, looking away from me "I infected you with my... "propensity to break the rules", as Mistress Azumi always says..."

I gently placed a hand on his head and smiled, managing to reassure him.

"Don't even say it, Isoka. I'll go and come back!"

I ran to the end of the hallway, to first close the door of the modeling room. I couldn't allow someone to accidentally see what was inside.

I picked up the flashlight, which I had lost in the fight with Iwao, and turned around.

For a moment, the beam of light illuminated the beginning of the corridor.

Just in time to see a shadow, or maybe two, run down the stairs.

"Counterorder, Isoka! We have to hide, now!" I said to my little friend, with my heart leaping in my throat. "I thought I saw someone coming downstairs!"

"WHAT ?! A-are you sure?"

"Caution is never too much. Let's see..."

I quickly scanned the room, in search for something inside or under which I could hide a person. A large sofa set against a wall and covered with a cloth immediately caught my attention.

"There, there can do!"

"You mean we have to go under the sofa?" Isoka objected "The two of us will never fit in there!"

"Precisely. I'll put Iwao under there."

"Ah, I understand ... Wait a second, Choji! Are you crazy?!"

"Not at all," I simply replied, as I grabbed Iwao by the legs to drag him. "He too, like us, is in danger of being busted."

"That's the point! If Mistress Azumi finds him here where he shouldn't be, Iwao will finally know what it's like to be grounded!"

Something worse could happen to him if it were the Masquerader who finds him first...

"Isoka, believe me, I too would like to see him pay for his bullying. However, helping him is the right thing to do. You see..."

After pushing Iwao under the sofa with one foot to hide him properly, I turned and bent down to look Isoka in the eye.

"...if everything goes well, when he wakes up and discovers that I have hidden him to protect him from punishment, he will realize that he owes a debt of gratitude to me."

"And will that be enough to convince him to behave better, at least with you?"

"I'm afraid not, but hope doesn't cost a thing!"

Isoka slapped a hand on his forehead, but at the same time he couldn't help but chuckle.

"Well, now it's up to us to hide. Do you have any ideas, Choji?"

"One. Come with me."

I took Isoka by the hand and we went out together, not before we remembered to turn off all the lights.

"Aren't we going to another classroom?" he asked in a whisper when he realized I was leading him upstairs.

"The modeling room is too far away, while you can't set foot in the recrational room without risking making noise... Here, we're already arrived" and I pointed to the two doors on our right. "How about the bathrooms? It's not the best of comfort, but..."

"That's fine by me, Choji. I'm going to the right one and you to the left one, okay?"

"Okay. When I'm sure the danger is over I'll come and get you."

Nodding, Isoka entered, leaving to me to close the door.

Actually, my real intention was to return to the modeling room as soon as possible, to finish searching it.

But then, I saw a cone of light coming down the spiral stairs.

Does everybody have insomnia tonight?!

I immediately plunged into Isoka's bathroom, who jumped in fright at seeing me tumbling inside.

"Choji, what the..."

I motioned for him to shut up and keep away, then put an eye to the keyhole to see who was coming next.

...Yori!

Like me, she also carried a flashlight. Luckily for me she didn't stop to check every room, but went straight ahead.

"She barely missed us," I sighed. "Sorry if I scared you, Isoka."

"Who was it?"

"Yori. I'll go see what she's doing. Wait for me here, I'll be right back."

"O-Okay... Be careful, Choji."

I gave him a raised thumb to reassure him, then flung myself - on tiptoe - in pursuit of Yori.

I followed her to the ground floor, the same direction taken by the shadows I had glimpsed a little earlier. Very carefully I stopped on the first two steps of the stairs and peered around the corner.

Yori had stopped outside the gym door. It was closed, just as I had left it the night before, but there was still something different.

With her flashlight Yori was examining an air vent in the wall, next to the door and near the floor: it had been ripped off, a clear sign that someone had snuck into the gym passing through it.

"Oh, no..." Yori sighed, immediately beginning to untie the knots of the rope that kept the door locked. After throwing the rope aside, I saw her throw the door open and enter the gym, but without turning on the lights.

I waited a couple of minutes, then ventured to go in too. It was completely dark inside.

I didn't see her leave, so she must have gone to the locker room.

I turned on the flashlight.

"And here you are. I thought you were smarter, Choji."