When they went to the playground at noon, the wind was a little stronger than it had been in the morning.
It swept sand to the edge of the track, then carried voices over from the other side of the playground. East Corridor Group Two had not even finished lining up when they heard someone shouting over there, loud enough to shake every leaf from the trees.
"Naruto, don't climb the wall!"
"I'm not climbing! I'm just standing a little higher!"
"You're standing on the windowsill!"
The words seemed to have been thrown straight over from another world—loud and utterly unruly. Kiyo craned his neck at once, nearly stretching their formation apart.
"Who's that?" he asked in a lowered voice.
"Probably someone who always manages to get himself somewhere high," Che said.
"Why does that sound so familiar?"
"Because you're pretty much the same."
Kiyo choked on that and rubbed his nose. Morita Yu, standing beside him, glanced over as well, but after only one look, he withdrew his gaze. Better than Kiyo, he knew what they should and should not be looking at right now. Even so, the noise from the playground seemed to seek them out, forcing its way into their ears.
The wind blew again.
The shouting over there continued, one cry after another, noisy in a way that felt vividly alive. As Che listened, he suddenly began to distinguish them. Not every voice was equally chaotic. The child constantly being called "Naruto" had a blunt force to his voice, as if he had no intention of hiding anything. Another, lower voice pressed down beside him, cool and cold, as though unwilling to be dragged into the same commotion.
Second Pillar.
When that name drifted over from the other side of the playground, Che unconsciously raised his