I was the last person to leave the canteen after dinner.

The last, before Yori. After fixing the mess I had caused because of Iwao, I also offered to help her clear all the tables, just to be useful. But Yori had rejected my idea without even thanking me, explaining that she preferred to work alone.

If these are the premises, I'm afraid I have to be prepared for hard times, I thought, as I closed the door behind me. And to think that, if they knew who I really am and what I am capable of, Iwao and his accomplices would stop immediately with their bullying!... but I can't forget my mission. I have to keep on playing my part. If only... If only I could find a friend in here, someone I can put my trust in, it would be easier... By the way, where'd everybody go?

Lost in my thoughts, I didn't realize I was walking down an empty and silent corridor.

I ran back to the hall, to find it desert as well. I looked out of the main door. There was no one even in the yard. I then went up to the first floor, but the results did not change.

Is it possible that they all holed up in the classrooms?

I took just a few steps to the nearest door, but Miss Hiromi's voice made me turn abruptly.

"Are you lost, my dear?"

"N-no, actually, maybe a little... But where did everyone go?"

"Upstairs, in the dorms! Don't you know where they are anymore?"

Dorms? "Of course I know, it's just that..."

"Oh, poor little one! You must still feel shaken and afraid, that's why you are confused! But don't worry, you will get over it in good time! Come along now!"

"There's no need, reall..." I tried to say, but Miss Hiromi had already taken me by the arm to lead me step by step up the stairs.

Upstairs, I finally found the orphans who, already wearing pajamas, were walking out of the bathrooms and into the dormitories.

"What are they doing?" I asked. I already knew the answer, but it all seemed so absurd...

"They brush their teeth and then go to sleep, of course!"

"To sleep? At this hour?! But we just had dinner!"

"Exactly. When night falls all children must be safe in their beds, where nothing can harm them! By the way, this is yours!"

Miss Hiromi put a toothbrush in my hand, then, without paying much attention to my doubtful face, she went up the spiral staircase that led to her rooms.

"Good night, my angels!"

"Good night, Miss Hiromi" they all answered in unison, mechanically.

So, I went to brush my teeth for last.

I was then about to enter the dormitory, but my hand stopped on the handle without lowering it.

About twenty-five children and teenagers, stuffed inside a room too small to contain them all, in a time of the day when it was impossible to be sleepy... What could I expect but chaos, forts built with mattresses and pillows flying everywhere?

I could take the opportunity to get to know everyone better and make up for the time I wasted today, as long as Iwao does not intend to play some other bad trick on me... Come on. A good deep breath...

I opened the door. And I was surprised for the third or fourth time that day.

All the orphans layed in their respective beds and snuggled under the covers. Some of them were still chatting quietly, but most of them were already asleep and were also snoring heavily.

After a few moments of bewilderment, however, I realized on my own that it was not such an oddity after all. They had lived in the orphanage for much longer than me, it was normal that they were used to falling asleep at that time.

I undressed myself, turned off the light and got into my bed. For a moment, I thought about going out again and exploring the West Wing for clues while everyone was asleep.

But then I remembered the way Mistress Azumi had advised me not to go snooping around, and also the way she had talked to Yori shortly after, without stopping to stare at me.

Perhaps they suspect that I am eager to see the "rats" locked up in the gym... I better not venture there, at least for the first few days. I don't want to risk being caught and unnecessarily getting into trouble. So what can I do in the meantime, before I get sleepy?...Oh, right! The report!

I plunged my hands into my duffel bag to grab what I needed: a sheet of paper, a pen and a small flashlight.

Then, I crawled on my stomach under the covers and the pillow, turned on the flashlight and, although very uncomfortably, began to write.

All right, where do I start? Well, from the title of course! "Akimichi Choji's daily report, first day of the Masquerader's search mission..."

...

When I opened my eyes I was immediately in danger of being blinded, as the flashlight had rolled right in front of my nose.

Holding back a curse, I put the beam of light back on the paper.

...only to find that, after the word "mission" I hadn't written anything else.

I must have dozed off for a moment, damn it. So what was it that I was going to write?...

"Wake up, Choji! WAKE UP!"

Someone pulled the covers off me with a sharp blow.

Quickly, I pulled my head out from under the pillow, being very careful to keep the paper and the torch hidden. Fortunately, Nao, my bed neighbor and the one who had woken me, seemed not to have noticed them.

"W-what's going on?" I asked him. "An emergency?!"

"What are you talking about? At this hour we wake up and go to breakfast! What world have you lived in so far?"

I looked all around the room. Most of the beds were empty and untidy, and the few remaining children were finishing dressing to go out.

"Maybe I'm about to ask a stupid question, Nao, but... what time is it?"

"Half past eight. In the morning, of course."

"Half past eight... No, it's not possible..."

"What's that you say?"

"...nothing, forget it!"

I began to get dressed too, but I still didn't leave my bed.

I waited until they were all out, before punching the pillow to let off steam.

What the hell is happening to me?! I slept... I slept for twelve hours! Indeed, thirteen, if we count the nap I took yesterday afternoon! Thirteen hours of investigation thrown out the window!

I inhaled and exhaled, slapped my face with both hands, inhaled and exhaled again, until I was calmed down.

I have to put myself together! Breakfast time, huh? Perfect, it's the ideal opportunity to resume my investigation as it should! I will categorically refuse Iwao's invitation to sit next to him on that damn edge, and I will take the opportunity to meet other people and get an idea of who the Masquerader may or may not be! Come on, let's get to work!

I ran out the dorm, but I had to immediately give myself a tone when I realized that Mistress Azumi was coming down the spiral stairs at the end of the corridor.

"Good morning, Choji. Were you able to sleep well in your new bed?"

"All too well, I slept like a stone!"

"It's a good sign, it means that your body is already used to living in your new home. You can already go down to the canteen and take a seat, if you like. Unlike for lunch and dinner, my guests don't have to wait standing in the hall for breakfast."

Great news! If I hurry, I'll be able to sit down before Iwao even has time to open his mouth! "That's good to hear! I'll go now, then!"

I turned and started running.

For two or three meters, then I stopped.

While it was true that I had no intention of being distracted by Iwao, it was also true that I could not ignore the problems he was causing. At the cost of looking like a snitch, I went back to talk to the headmaster.

"Mistress Azumi, I just remembered that I wanted to talk to you about something."

"Speak up, I'll listen."

"Thank you. So, where do I start... Well, yesterday afternoon I saw a little boy who was being... teased..."

"Ah, you're talking about Isoka!"

The simple way she gave me that answer left me speechless.

"And I understand what you mean by 'teased'. It was Iwao, right?"

I nodded.

"I suspected it, those two are the only ones here at the orphanage to be protagonists of such... scenes. But you don't have to be afraid, Choji. The pranks of Iwao and his friends are not dangerous and not done with malice. None of your new brothers and sisters have ever resorted to violence. You can rest assured about that."

I thought back to what I had seen the other day. In fact, Iwao hadn't physically hurt Isoka... But between beating him and hanging him upside down as he did, there wasn't much difference for me.

"I am assured, Mistress Azumi, really!... however, I don't think Isoka was. Someone should tell Iwao to leave him alone..."

"Isoka does nothing but disobey the rules of the orphanage and annoy his companions, whatever he takes from Iwao is therefore well deserved. I would appreciate if you won't ask me any more questions on this subject, Choji."

Mistress Azumi gave me a piercing look. Her message had come to me loud and clear.

"Is there anything else you want to tell me about, Choji?" she then asked, smiling again.

"No, that's all for now. Thank you for the time you gave me."

"Speaking of time... now it will really be time for you to run to the canteen, or the milk will get cold."

"I can't allow it! I'm going, and... thanks again for the chat."

I went down to the hall, where I met some boys chatting among themselves while waiting for breakfast. Maybe one of them greeted me, but I didn't even notice.

Mistress Azumi's answers had only created new questions about Isoka.

Even though it won't have anything to do with my investigation, I'm going to find out what's behind this all story. Even at the cost of ending up in punishment mysel...

...oh no. Oh no! OH NO!

In that instant, I remembered that Isoka hadn't been the only one breaking the rules, when he climbed up a tree the day before.

I did too.

And I had left clear evidence of my passing in plain sight.

"Hey, where are you going in such a hurry?" I heard someone say, since that my sudden dash towards the exit had not gone unnoticed.

"To wash my hands, I'll be right back!"

I jumped the steps at the entrance in a single bound, ran around the building and to the back, where I immediately found the infamous tree. It was the only one to have lost one of the lowest and largest branches, and it was impossible not to notice the branch in question still lying at its feet.

"I certainly can't attack it back to the tree, so I just have to hide it. But where?..."

"We have to throw it in the river. Give me a hand."

I jumped in fright. I whirled around, just in time to see a boy walk past me.

He was Isoka, who, without wasting time, picked the thickest end of the branch up and on his shoulder.

"...okay, I help you!"

I took the other end under my arm and followed him to a water stream hidden among the trees.

"Apparently we had the same idea," I said, after we got rid of the compromising branch.

"I had it from the moment you broke it. Unfortunately this is the only time of day when I can act without anyone seeing me. Bye."

As he had arrived, Isoka was already about to leave.

"H-hey, wait! Can I have a few words with you?"

"No. Please leave me alone. I don't want more trouble."

Isoka began to run. So did I, and this time I allowed myself the luxury of using a little more strength in my legs. With a single dive I caught up with him, tackled him, and we both fell to the grass.

"Did I hurt you? I'm sorry, but this was the only way to keep you from running away again. Well, why do you keep hiding? I just want to talk, that's it! And I already promised you that I will never cause you more troubles, why don't you believe me?"

Isoka managed to free herself from my grasp, but he didn't run away. He seemed to have calmed down, though not completely.

"I didn't make myself clear. Choji, I don't want any more trouble to happen to you."

"To me?"

"You've seen how Iwao and the others treat me, haven't you? If they saw you and me together... Please, just leave me alone. You wouldn't like to have Iwao as an enemy."

"...but you, on the other hand... wouldn't you like to have a friend?"

Isoka had just got up to run away again, but those last words of mine managed to stop him better than my tackle had.

"C-Choji ... Y-you don't have to be nice to me again. You already apologized for lunch yesterday, there's no need for..."

"Actually, I don't feel obligated. I want to be nice to you because... Well, because I just want it!"

Isoka looked away from me, and said nothing for a while. He didn't look sad, but he didn't look happy either.

Maybe... Maybe he was afraid I was just fooling him.

But I was one hundred percent sincere. I really wanted to know him. It was not simple curiosity: whatever the reason was for why they were angry with him, I could not bear the idea of seeing Isoka sad without doing anything to help him.

"Choji, did you say you wanted to... have a few words with me?"

"I said it, and I mean it!"

"Then..."

Isoka walked over, to whisper something in my ear.

"...after breakfast, come in the small wooden house near the slides. But wait until everyone has left the canteen and Yori has locked herself in the kitchen to wash the dishes, otherwise there is a risk that someone will see you from the windows."

"I get it. See you later, then!"

The breakfast bell rang at that moment, and Isoka ran back to the entrance.

I followed him, at a slower pace.

It was too late to choose a place to sit by now, but I didn't mind that much.

Things, one way or another, were moving.

...maybe I walked at an exaggeratedly slow pace. When I returned to the entrance, I found a particularly nervous Yori at the top of the stairs.

She was waiting for me, for sure!

I waited for her to turn away, then sneaked over to the fountain to wash my hands.

"How long is it taking you?" she shouted as soon as she noticed me.

"S-sorry, Yori, I'll be right there! It's just... I tripped and got dirty right after I finished washing my hands, that's why I delayed!..."

"You can also use the bathrooms on the ground floor to wash yourself, you know? It is not mandatory to use the fountain every single time."

"R-really? Hem... Oops! Eh eh eh, what a fool I am, I didn't really think about it-"

Not at all affected by my giggle, Yori grabbed the lobe of my ear and dragged me into the canteen, where she pointed to the nearest free seat.

"Sit here in my seat, so I can keep an eye on you."

Not the way I hoped, but at least I managed to avoid Iwao...

Finally, I was able to enjoy breakfast: hot coffee and milk served in bowls, filled directly by Yori who passed between the tables carrying a very large and heavy coffee pot on her shoulder, and biscuits with chocolate or jam, distributed by Miss Hiromi, who instead moved with a trolley.

After serving everyone, Yori last filled a bowl, took a folding stool and sat next to me at the head of the table.

She wasn't kidding, with the story of wanting to keep an eye on me: even though she was drinking like everyone else, I clearly saw her eyes staring intently at me over her bowl.

Okay, I hadn't made a very good impression of myself these first couple of days, but it didn't seem like a good reason to treat me as a suspect.

A suspect... what if she realized that I'm not really who I say I am?

I pushed that thought away and looked the other way.

Only then did I spot an oddity.

"Hey, I didn't notice that before!"

"Notice what?" Yori asked me in a bored tone.

"Where did Miss Hiromi go? And Mistress Azumi, why didn't she come down to breakfast with us?"

"Why are you interested?"

"Because... well, it seems strange to me."

"There is nothing strange. Mistress Azumi and Miss Hiromi never eat with us. They stay in their rooms."

"Ah... How come?"

"Because that's okay with them. How many questions do you still have?"

"N-None..."

"Then shut up and finish drinking."

It was now clear that if I wanted to get important information, Yori would not have been the right person for it.

About a hour later Yori stood up from the table to ring the bell again, signaling to those who had finished breakfast to leave the canteen.

Isoka was the first to run outside, and after the cafeteria was empty it was clear to me why he had chosen that moment to do it: all the guests, especially the little ones, were still too sleepy, as well as stuffed, to go outside and play with the slides, the swings and the wooden house.

At that hour, Isoka had the courtyard all to himself.

I didn't get one thing, though. How was it possible that such an evident hiding place had never been discovered?

Anyway, I would have the answer in a few moments. After I peered inside the canteen to make sure Yori was really back in the kitchen, I went to the meeting place.

The little house in question was nothing more than a large wooden cube, on which someone had painted some windows and a small door.

Isoka hadn't arrived yet, so I sat down to wait for him.

I waited for a minute or two, until I began to get impatient.

Where will he be? Don't tell me he's just kidding me, too... Wait a minute. He didn't say "outside of" the house, but "in". I have to check better.

I felt incredibily silly, but I still tried to push the drawn door.

...it moves?!

In fact, the whole panel had moved. It was a sort of cat flap, joined to the upper part of the cube with hinges.

I lifted it towards me and crawled in on my knees. Fortunately, the inside of the house was large enough to contain me whole...

Isoka isn't even in here. And I still don't understand what's special about this hiding pla...!

Suddenly I felt the ground disappear from under my butt.

A trap door.

I fell upside down into a pit.

"Welcome to my refuge, Choji. Make yourself comfortable... as much as you can."

The voice was Isoka's, but upside down as I was and with that darkness I couldn't see him right away.

Only when I had straightened up and my eyes had adjusted to the darkness did I discover that I had fallen into a hole, about two meters deep and covered with cellophane.

Isoka was standing before me, in his hand he was holding a rod with which he had probably opened the trap door.

"So, this is your hiding place. I would never have found it by myself!" I muttered as I rubbed my back. "... by the way, sorry if I made you wait a bit. Why didn't you explain to me right away how to get in?"

"Because... I wanted to make sure you really ment it, when you said you wanted to have a chat with me. So, I tested you. I'm sorry."

I shook my head, and smiled at him.

"You don't have to apologize, a little caution never hurts! And besides, the important thing is that now we are here and we can chat in peace!... hum, so..."

Where could I start?

It didn't seem polite to ask him on the spot what interested me the most, so I thought I'd digress a bit.

"Wow, a hatch right under the playground... Tell me Isoka, how did you find it?"

"I didn't find it. I built it."

"You?!"

"And I dug the hole too. I did it all one little step at a time, whenever I could. I lost count of the hours it took, but it was worth it."

I raised my head to look inside the pit again.

It was a small thing, compared to what I dug to set up the trap Shikamaru had planned for that Akatsuki bastard, but I had to admit that it was still an impressive work.

"And did you do all this by yourself? Well, congratulations!... but why did you do it?"

"To hide, what else. Except on rare occasions, I lock myself in here when I don't want to be seen around, all day, every day, and only go out during meals."

"But yesterday you were sitting on a tree instead, how so... Oh, right. I wasted your time at lunch."

Isoka tapped me on the shoulder, as if to tell me that the incident was already a thing of the past. I was heartened by it.

"Luckily, what Iwao did to me yesterday was short and painless," he continued. "By now I should be used to what it does to me ...But I'm not. I can't. That's why I always come down here, to avoid him as much as I can."

"By the way, why is he so angry with you?" I asked all in one go, now that we were on it. "And how come Mistress Azumi allows him to do what he wants, without intervening?"

Isoka sighed, looking down.

"...how do you know, what Mistress Azumi thinks?" he whispered.

"I... Okay, I admit it. A little while ago, I talked to her about how Iwao treats you... To find out more detals."

"Ah. What did she tell you?"

"She told me... that... that you annoy the other orphans and disobey the rules. ...and..."

"I deserve the spite, right?"

I nodded, hiding some relief. I would never have been able to say that horrible phrase to him.

"Well," Isoka snorted. "Mistress Azumi is right to think so. I disobeyed the most important rule of the orphanage: "It is forbidden to dwell on the past. Forget the past and sadness is the key to "happy living." "

Seems to me like an impossible rule to follow. I know from experience. "...how did you disobey, exactly?"

Isoka hid his face in his hands.

"I cried in front of everyone once too many times. Maybe that's why Mistress Azumi didn't lift a finger when Iwao, to make me stop crying... He... He destroyed the only memories I had of my mom."