I'm Calling the Police

Chihaya Anon, unusually, didn't feel regret or disappointment. Instead, she pulled the lamp, which had been hanging its head, into the corridor.

Is she still worried about Soyo? Or is it...?

"Sakiko," she said, "If you're really concerned, go and take a look."

"She should be in Haneoka."

"... the class next door." Takamatsu Tomori whispered, revealing the location of Toyokawa Sakiko.

I'll go right away.

Without hesitation, the girl took the other girl's hand and led her to the next classroom.

Greetings, inquiries, and then...

" --Sakiko- kun!" Chihaya Anon Toyokawa Sakiko as he approached, instead of Takamatsu Tomori, who hesitated and couldn't speak.

But she ignored it completely.

Without the slightest hesitation, Toyokawa Sakiko walked straight past them as if she hadn't heard, seen, or recognized them, and returned to her seat.

The attitude is very clear.

'Refusal to communicate'

"..."

It's obvious that it's impossible to get anything directly out of Toyokawa Sakiko.

Nagasaki Soyo could not be reached, and Toyokawa Sakiko refused to communicate.

However, if things continue like this, it's hard to say what will happen, but at the very least, the band's practice will definitely be impossible to continue.

Chihaya Anon didn't like this. She disliked Nagasaki Soyo's disappearance, Toyokawa Sakiko's pretense of not recognizing them, and Takamatsu Tomori's melancholy atmosphere.

So annoying.

So annoying.

So annoying.

I couldn't hear a thing the teacher was saying; all I could see were the faces of those annoying kids.

As if it had read her mind, the Diary quietly appeared on the table.

The pages of the book were turned with a rustling sound; the Diary remained on the last page of yesterday's entry.

Current address: Affordable rental house near Akabane West Exit, Tokyo.

Chihaya Anon's gaze lingered on this line of text.

For some reason, she suddenly remembered the words she had overlooked when she finished reading the diary yesterday.

The Diary seems to have said something like this.

'Your current storyline has begun'

My storyline? Begins? What begins?

It wasn't while studying in the United Kingdom, nor when I returned to Japan, nor when I met Akari and formed a band.

But yesterday, when the live show ended with that scene.

My story has begun.

Mr. Diary has started writing about us.

My mind is a mess.

Chihaya Anon's gaze refocused, sweeping over the address once more.

If, if she went here...

Is there anything you can understand?

"Anon, Anon, Anon-- "

In a daze, I suddenly heard Takamatsu Tomori's voice calling out to me.

"Get out of class is over..." she said very softly.

"Ah, is class over? I didn't notice, sorry, sorry." Quickly snapping back to reality, Chihaya Anon apologized, "Should we go to RING?"

The place where they usually practice, the place where they held their live performance yesterday, the place where Shiina Taki works, Kaname Rana, this stray Stray Cat.

It's a ring.

Takamatsu Tomori lowered her head and said softly:

"... Soyo might come."

Although yesterday ended on such an unpleasant note, and I still haven't been able to contact Nagasaki Soyo.

But perhaps she'll still come to practice every day.

With this in mind, Takamatsu Tomori wanted to go to RING.

"RING..." Chihaya Anon's tone was somewhat subtle.

She figured Soyo probably wouldn't come to RING today.

They're not even replying to messages, so how could they possibly come to practice?

Compared to RING, Chihaya Anon now wants to visit the address written in her Diary.

But...

The words "cheap rental room" came to mind, and the image of Toyokawa Sakiko's previous refusal to communicate flashed before her eyes.

Even though they didn't have much contact, Chihaya Anon could sense that Toyokawa Sakiko was a person with a strong sense of self-respect.

If we bring the lamp along, and if our former companions really see something...

The thought of this made her hesitate.

"Let's go, let's go, Taki will get anxious if we wait too long." Suddenly standing up, Chihaya Anon took the initiative to push Takamatsu Tomori's body.

Go to RING first, and if Soyo doesn't come, go to a cheap rental house!

Chihaya Anon made a decision.

There's no point in hesitating any longer. Anyway, it's still early, let's go to RING first!

"The live show will be held again."

"Ranai came yesterday, didn't she?"

"I want to apologize to Soyo."

"Soyo, you've taken leave, right?"

Nagasaki Soyo didn't come to RING, and of course, she didn't go to school either.

Even though Takamatsu Tomori took the initiative to express her willingness to apologize, she couldn't even see him and had no chance to apologize at all.

The path to apology has been blocked, and the avenue for communication has been sealed off.

So, after dropping Takamatsu Tomori off at her house, Chihaya Anon reluctantly declined the rare opportunity to visit Akari's room and turned on the navigation.

Destination: 'Cheap rental house near Akabane West Exit, Tokyo'

Ugh, really! They didn't even write the house number clearly. How am I supposed to find it?

Or will we find out when we get there?

Chapter 135 I'm going to call the police.

Following the navigation, they took the train to Akabane Station, and Chihaya Anon walked a long way.

Since it's a cheap rental, it's quite difficult to find a place close to a tram stop.

The more convenient the commute, the higher the rent; conversely, the farther away from the tram stop, the cheaper the rent should be.

The sound of trams rolling over the tracks behind me gradually faded into the distance, and the road beneath my feet began to show signs of years of neglect.

... Although it mentions "near Akabane West Exit," which specific area is being referred to?

Just as Chihaya Anon began to feel a little resentful, and just as she wondered if she had been wandering around for ages without finding her destination.

She saw it.

I saw an old rental house that looked so out of place compared to the surrounding buildings.

Could this be it?

... This is it.

With almost no effort, Chihaya Anon found the sign with the words "Toyokawa" written on it.

The hallway lights were dim and yellowish, and the roads and doors were incredibly old.

Sakiko, do you live here?

Okay... this place is dilapidated.

This is completely opposite to the elegant demeanor that Toyokawa Sakiko usually exudes.

Compared to Toyokawa Sakiko, it's more like a dilapidated house where alcoholics would hang out.

"Um..." Chihaya Anon looked around and cautiously knocked on the door. She wanted to call out, but then worried that shouting in the soundproof room would disturb the other people.

Just as she hesitated and stood still, a dark shadow loomed over the frosted windowpane of the door.

"Is that Sakiko...?" A middle-aged man's voice sounded from behind the door, and it seemed the door was about to open.

"Squeak--"

A decaying sound came from the loose pages, and then Chihaya Anon saw through the crack in the door a middle-aged man with unsteady steps, swaying body, a face covered in stubble, dark pigmentation under his eyes, and reeking of alcohol.

"Um, Sakiko -kun, isn't she here...?" Chihaya Anon gave a slightly awkward smile as she looked at the middle-aged man in front of her.

Judging from the voices of the other party, this is indeed the "home" of Toyokawa Sakiko.

The man in front of them was, without a doubt, a relative of Sakiko.

Although I don't know if he's my father or uncle or something, they probably live under the same roof.

So, Sakiko hasn't gone home yet?

It's already past six o'clock.

School should have been over by now, right?

"..." After silently staring at Chihaya Anon, the drunkenness in his eyes seemed to vanish suddenly, and abruptly, the middle-aged man was about to slam the door shut again.

"Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait--"

Fortunately, perhaps because of the alcohol affecting his body, he didn't close the door fast enough. Chihaya Anon reacted instinctively, quickly raised her hand and pressed it against the door, while simultaneously using her small leather shoe to block the door from closing.

"Don't close it! Don't close it! I really need to talk to Sakiko!"

She tried her best to stop the middle-aged man from closing the door, while simultaneously seizing the opportunity to shout out from the cracks of her throat.

"You've come to the wrong place, there's no Sakiko here—" The middle-aged man, who had just been calling out for Sakiko, suddenly denied what he had said and instead said the exact opposite.

"I--heard--everything--!" Gritting her teeth, Chihaya Anon struggled against the middle-aged man's force as he slammed the door shut. "You just called Sakiko's name!"

"Why are you closing the door and pretending you don't know me?!"

"I didn't say that, you misheard me. Get out of here, I'm calling the police," the middle-aged man said, denying the accusation while issuing a threat.

So, Chihaya Anon decisively let go of her hand and withdrew her foot.

"Bang—" The door slammed shut.

"..." Looking at the door closing again and the shadow pressed against it, Chihaya Anon said calmly, "So even if I go around the school telling everyone that Sakiko- san lives here, it's okay, right?"

She figured it out.

Regardless of the middle-aged man's identity, his first reaction upon seeing himself was to deny that Sakiko was there, which proves one point.

The other party would care if others knew that 'Sakiko lives here'.

She certainly couldn't beat a man in terms of strength, not even a middle-aged man so severely damaged by alcohol.

Frankly speaking, being alone at this time and facing a middle-aged man like this is actually a very dangerous thing.