"Matsubara-san please, we need to talk about this first."
"We already talked on the phone. I need to be back before 9:00, to be honest I am already running late."
"But can't you just…
Wearing a full suit, a man who looked my age poked his head from the other side of the door and stopped as soon as he noticed they were not alone. Somehow, his gentle face and pointy nose seems familiar.
"Goodnight, you must be Akari-chan, nice to meet you. And you are…"
He looked directly at me for several minutes.
"You live on the apartments above the candy store right. I knew your uniform seemed familiar, my name is Makiba Jouji, your landlord's grandson."
He politely offered me his card as I avoided looking into his eyes, ashamed at the fact that I did not even remember my landlord's name. Written with golden letters below his name you could read Guidance Center Special Consultant.
"Nice to meet, I am Taoyama Naruki."
"I did not know you were friends with Matsubara-san."
"Akari-san, hurry up and get ready. We don't want to waste Makiba-san's time."
Yuka interrupted Makiba's attempt at starting a conversation. As things were seemingly getting serious here, I decided to take this opportunity and leave.
"Don't worry Akari-chan, just wait upstairs while I speak with your auntie."
Makiba patted her head gently and accompanied her to the door.
"I think is time for me to…"
"As I was saying Matsubara-san, I think we need to discuss this a bit more."
Before I could finish my sentence, he closed the door and started talking, standing between me and my only escape route.
"There is nothing more to discuss. I left Hasuda without properly notifying my workplace and I was absent the whole day today. I need to be there tomorrow first thing in the morning to apologize and sort things out."
"Then you can take Akari-chan with you, I bet she wouldn't mind spending a few days in Hasuda. Considering the current situation, it would be the best if she could spend a few days outside of the house."
I stand in the middle of their discussion, looking like a completely out of place piece of furniture. To my left I have Yuka and to my right Makiba, preventing me from moving one inch.
"I said this on the phone and I will say it again. I have no intention of taking the girl with me."
"Don't say that Matsubara-san. You have not even really thought about it, just spend a few weeks with her and see how it goes."
"I have. I have thought about her plenty. That girl is the reason my family fell apart, I will never let her set foot on my mother's house as long as I live."
Hearing her cruel words was enough to left me speechless, but looking at her expression made things a hundred times worse. Pure anger and determination could be felt just by taking a glance at her face.
"Look Matsubara-san, if I listen to you now and take Akari-chan with me, it's going to be very difficult to get her back if you regret your decision later."
"Take her to the Guidance Center."
Yuka barely stopped herself from shouting, clenching her fist as if she was getting ready to slap us out of the house.
"There is a lot of legal stuff you will have to deal with. I don't know if their parents left a will, but even if they did, without a guardian the house, the restaurant, everything will have to be taken care of by the government until she reaches legal age. It is going to be a whole mess for her and for you if you ever want to have a saying on this matter."
"I don't care what happens to her or to Shinji's…"
"I am sorry, I think I must leave."
Yuka was about to explode so I gathered all my courage and interrupted.
"I forgot you were still here kid. I will take you home on my way back. Sorry you have to listen to this guy's nonsense."
Still standing in front of the door, Makiba raised his voice.
"Wait, I have another suggestion. Taoyama-san here was a good friend of Shinji right, almost like an uncle to Akari-chan."
Wait what the hell.
"He can take care of her for a couple of days so you can return and fix things at work. In the meantime, I can arrange a meeting with Matsubara-san's lawyer so we can discuss this with a clearer mind."
I could almost hear my brain malfunction upon listening to his suggestion. Makiba is coming up with some weird arrangement that I even doubt is legal.
"I don't care if it is today, next week or in ten years. I won't change my opinion."
I am glad she did not take him seriously. I was about to storm out of the room if they continued to involve me any more in their mess.
"Please, just talk to the lawyer before deciding."
"I could not care less if Taoyama-san wants to babysit her or if you take her to Center, I am leaving tonight. If you want to waste more of your time with the lawyer, you can find me in Hasuda."
"Wait."
The loud sound of a cellphone ringing dragged her attention before we could continue arguing.
"Sorry, I need to take this. I will be waiting outside for you."
Just like that, she left the room deciding everything by herself without hearing more. Before I could finish comprehending the situation, I was left alone in the room with a clearly upset Makiba.
"I am sorry Taoyama-san, I had to play that card."
"What is wrong with you!"
I finally lost my temper and screamed at him.
"I feel sorry for Akari-chan, but there is no way I can take care of her. She won't even accept going home with me, we just met today."
"I am going to be honest with you. As a counselor, I would never even suggest a kid going home with a stranger. So that should show you how serious I am about this."
No, that just shows you are being irresponsible.
"Being on this profession for a couple of years, I have seen all sorts of cases and they hardly ever have a happy ending. What I said to Matsubara-san is true, if I take Akari-chan with me it will mean there was no one to take care of her after her parents passed away. The government will classify her as an orphan and she will have to live the next years at a Care Facility, without even being able to visit her home or go to a normal school."
I do not want to listen to this. This should not be my problem. I just came here to say goodbye to a friend.
"She won't be put up for adoption the first or second year, a psychologist has to evaluate her condition and determine if she is ready first. Babies are lucky to get adopted, imagine how it is for a teenager."
"Why are you telling me all this."
"Her last shot at having a proper family is with her aunt. I checked her record before coming here and she is an exceptional woman. She has an important position as an accountant, the home her mother left her is big enough for the two of them and she has never been in any kind of trouble with the authorities. I don't know what happened between her and her brother, but I know I can convince her to take care of Akari-chan."
"I am sorry to sound rude, but that has nothing to do with me."
I felt bad, but I cannot let him dag me into this mess any longer. As much as I liked Boss, taking care of her daughter is something I cannot imagine doing.
"I know, but I am asking you to help me save this one girl. Just take her with you tonight, my grandmother will take care of everything once you arrive home. You don't have to worry about her meals or to keep her company. I will officially say that she is staying with a friend of the family with the authorization of her aunt, as Matsubara-san already said she is okay with you taking her."
"Then why don't you take her yourself?"
"I can't. Counselors are strictly forbidden to get involved with the families. I would lose my job and my license if anything comes out."
"Well, isn't that convenient then. You want me to take the risk for you."
Even if I recognize that what is happening here is awful, I am not that good of person to go out of my way to help them.
"This isn't happening Makiba-san. Let's go outside, they are waiting for us."
"One month."
"What?"
"If you help me this week, I will talk to my grandmother and cover the rent and your meals for the next month."
"Are you serious?"
It may be obvious, but working part time at a convenience store is not a well-paid job. Every month I barely make enough to cover rent and food, leaving no spare money to save or to buy things for myself.
"Like I said, every case I see usually ends up in a disaster. If I have the opportunity to save even one kid, I'll take it no matter what."
Is the risk worth it? One week pretending to take care of Akari for one month of rent and food. Am I desperate enough to risk being labeled as a criminal for some food?
"And your grandmother is handling everything?"
"Correct, you will practically only have to lend me your name and let her stay in your apartment for a week. If something happens I promise to take full responsibility."
This feels like I am about to open a door that should remain closed.
"Do we have a deal?"
"There is no way I am letting a twelve-year old girl staying inside my apartment, where is she going to sleep, I'm sure you know how small they are."
"My grandmother has some extra futons stored, I'm sure she can arrange something. I would also prefer it if she could stay with my grandmother downstairs, but if someone finds out they would immediately tie her to me and it's all over."
Either I am getting tired or he is getting more convincing, but I am about to make a grave mistake.
"Do you promise? Just one week, not a single day more and you will cover the rent and food without questions."
"I promise, rent and breakfast served in your room every morning for a whole month. I shouldn't say this, but if I fail to hold my promise you can always report me for this and I'll lose everything. This is how serious I am about helping her."
The determination and sincerity behind his words made it impossible for me to refuse.
"I guess we have a deal."
I reluctantly shook his hand. Feeling equally as disgusted as proud for accepting such a cheap offer and helping my dear friend's daughter.
"One last thing. My grandmother is not just looking after Akari-chan, she is also going to keep you in check. If you do or say something inappropriate, be prepared to spend the rest of your days inside a cell."
"Hey, do I look like a creep to you?"
"Yeah, pretty much. Who else would accept this kind of deal, you could have asked for another month at least you know."
"You know I can still refuse right?"
"I will go help Akari-chan pack things up and you can handle Matsubara-san. She seems to really hate me right now."
His bright eyes looked one last time at mine.
"Thank you."
I am going to regret this for the rest of my life.