'Mamoru, I think she needs to know' Kaho had texted him as she settled into bed, ignoring a flurry of messages from Tatsuya. His newest magazine spread must have released. She would need to grab it from the convenience store before she saw him next. He would hate to see his biggest fan slacking.
'I shouldn't be the one to just bombard her. How about we all bare our souls, yeah'
'I don't know whether you all care what my letters say' Ryota added, 'But I'll bring them if you want?'
'Mine are pretty tame for the minute. Reminding me to put fliers up for the charity fundraiser in honour of Kibata Mae and the other missing girls down at the dojo,' Mariah said in one message, quickly following it up with, 'Hey, if I bring my letters will you help me with the fliers?'
'Yeah, of course, Mariah!' Mamoru said.
That next morning, Ryota insisted he would take Kikiyo to school. He'd bought her breakfast after his game with the fire station employees, imposed on their morning with a huge bag of food, prepared it for everyone and took her under his arm like she was a basketball. She was pale, withdrawn and sheepish, but didn't object to his food, or his intrusion on the house. Though, he did notice it was a mess – though some of that may have been because of Ichigo's birthday.
In exchange for his kindness, and cooking a full English for Kikiyo, Ichigo, and the babies, Naoki and Daichi, he'd been given a large corner piece of the already half-demolished monstrosity of a coffee cake Mamoru had delivered to their house the previous night. They'd already eaten half. It was almost as big as their dining room table, and yet, almost half was gone. Their pantry was meagre, just some instant coffee beans, questionable milk, orange juice and half a kilogram of white rice. Every last iota of information had been catalogued and texted to Mamoru while Ryota cooked and Kikiyo got ready for school. He really had muscled in on her space.
While Ryota took care of Kikiyo, Kaho and Mariah met Mamoru at the train station, their letters were in their school bags. Mamoru hadn't slept. His eyes were angry and red, and while Ryota sent text after text from Kikiyo's house, the others made their way up to 2A.
The early morning clubs were only just starting. Mamoru moved the chairs around in class 2A to form a semicircle for his friends and Kikiyo to sit in. He got out his letters and the girls followed suit, armed with highlighters, striking the letters with neon yellow lines. Mamoru's was the yellowest, but any line in those letters that even alluded to Kikiyo was underlined.
Kaho's newest letter had been explicit in its warning about Kikiyo's fate, declaring she was in way over her head if she didn't get help. She'd been given specific instructions to ask her Mum what she should do if a friend is struggling for money. The first time her letters had told her to actively seek the wisdom of someone who didn't have their own letter.
Kaho sighed. The group watched the hands of the clock, willing them to move faster.
Twenty minutes before class was due to start, Ryota bounded on into class 2A with Kikiyo in tow. She had more colour to her face. Like she'd actually eaten a decent meal. But the bags under her eyes weren't well hidden beneath her concealer.
"What's this?" Kikiyo asked.
Mamoru stood up from behind his chair and held up his mostly neon yellow sheet of paper and cleared his throat.
"'Mamoru," he said, reading from his letter,
"Kikiyo owns a bento from her local convenience store. It's pink and otherwise nondescript. Buy one. Fill it with food. She's not eating. Swap her lunch round with this bento box when she isn't looking.
Things are bad in that house. Her Dad, her stepfather can't even see the wagon anymore. Her Mum's run ragged just keeping a roof over their heads, and their kids know. Well, Kikiyo and Ichigo knew by the end of all of this. But you need to help her. You need to help them because unlike anyone else, you can afford to. Use that frivolous money and do something. Give it to them. Feed them. Help them.
Kikiyo's on a dangerous, path here. She's going to do something that'll cost her her life. You need to keep that from happening.'"
He left out the confession of his feelings. Kikiyo dropped her school bag on the floor, backing up toward the chalkboard.
Mariah cleared her throat and took the next one of Mamoru's letters from him, "Kikiyo will have worked a double shift. She's going to be tired, and won't be agreeable. Officer Ueno will have raised hell and wrecked your plans to bowl yesterday and Kikiyo and Mariah will be grumpy. Kikiyo wants to go, and can be convinced. Just let her be swept along. Don't push. Watch what she's eyeing up in the alley. Be alert."
"Watch what she's eyeing," Kikiyo whispered. She gasped, drawing her hands to her lips, "These are your letters."
Mamoru nodded and gestured to Kaho. She had drawn the short straw and had, probably the worst letter they had had at the time. She took a long, shaky breath and looked at Kikiyo.
"Today," Kaho said, "Today is important Mamoru. If Kikiyo passes out on the roof today, she's going to be sent home. If you're reading this and she falls, she's more stubborn than I remember. She will go home and rest, then work her double at the convenience store and pick up an extra shift at the late-night café by the station. While she's home, she will Google something she shouldn't and is going to set up a meeting at 'Luvrz Motel' by the canal for Monday. If she collapses today, you're too late and the thought is in her head. Do whatever you can to keep her from making that appointment. If she gets this job, a John will kill her by next Friday and ruin Ichigo and her siblings' lives."
"The motel…" Kikiyo whispered, "That's how! That's why you guys were there!"
Ryota nodded, "We knew where you were going. I'm sorry Kikiyo."
Her breathing hitched, angry tears welled at the corner of her eyes, "And Coach Aigawa? He knows what I'm doing too? He knows?"
"No!" Kaho exclaimed, "Never. Taiga thinks that creep was being a pervert. That's all! I swear!"
Kikiyo scowled, "What else do you know."
"I know that if you don't change your mind," Mamoru said, getting out from behind the desk, "You'll be dead in three days."
Her breathing hitched again. She hugged her arms and glared at the floor, knees buckling, "I don't have a choice."
"Of course you do," Mamoru said. He bent down in front of her, caressing her face with his palm. She tensed at his touch, furiously blinking away tears, "You can choose to let us help you."