"Just three favors, it isn't too much, is it?" Yoichi asked.
"No," she replied, still on the ground.
"Then it's settled. You owe me three favors," Yoichi said, extending his arm to pull her up. He yanked her up with so much force that she stumbled right into his chest.
"Sorry," Yoichi muttered as he stepped back. "You can leave now," he added, gesturing toward the door.
As Haruki was about to leave, Yoichi called from under the bed, "What's your name, by the way?"
"Haruki," she replied.
"Hi, Haruki. I'm Yoichi, nice to meet you," Yoichi introduced himself.
"Nice to meet you too, Yoichi," Haruki replied, awkwardly.
"Now that's how to have a conversation with a stranger," Yoichi said bluntly, not even looking at her as he went back to his task under the bed.
The humiliation on Haruki's face was palpable as she walked out and gently closed the door behind her.
'I guess the friendly conversation handbook does work... She didn't even think I was just trying to associate with her, or maybe that's just how maids are supposed to behave. Not that I care,' Yoichi thought.
Kamiko crept stealthily through the garden, carefully avoiding the security cameras with the same trick she'd used when she left earlier. She had sent loop footage to cover her tracks.
She arrived at the house wall, then tossed her bag through the slightly open window of her room. The window expanded until it was large enough for her to slip through. Swiftly, she climbed the tree that led right to her window, swung from the branch, and landed gracefully inside her room. Just then, the lights flicked on, and Kamiko froze. She heard the sound of slow clapping behind her.
Turning around, she saw Kameko grinning from Kamiko's bed.
"So that's how you do it. I've been wondering how you manage to leave the house without mother's permission," Kameko said.
"You... How did you get in?" Kamiko asked, her eyes wide. She had double-checked the security system before she left. She never expected anyone—other than her mother—to enter her room.
"Let's just say, I'm your other half," Kameko replied.
"Not funny," Kamiko retorted.
"Exactly," Kameko said, her grin fading into a frown. "That's what I thought when you disappeared while we were supposed to go pick up cousin Yoichi together. Not funny," she added, her tone cold. "You pissed me off, sis. And you know how much I hate getting pissed off."
"Don't come here pretending like you haven't done this to me before. Remember, I was the one who went to pick up the last ten visitors," Kamiko shot back.
"Whatever. You're supposed to be the responsible one," Kameko mocked, turning toward the door.
"I went to handle things at school, not to go clubbing," Kamiko retorted. "Just get out of my room already."
"Humph. We'll see," Kameko said, leaving. The door shut itself automatically behind her. Kamiko collapsed backward onto her bed, exhaling a frustrated sigh.
'Even though something is really important to you, you don't have to do the wrong things for the right reason,' she recalled their mother's words.
Yoichi stepped out of the bathroom after his well-deserved bath. The room was now impeccable—exactly how he'd envisioned it. It was like something out of a five-star hotel. He dressed in a pair of pajamas and headed to the dining room for dinner.
On his way there, he bumped into Kamiko, who was scrolling through her phone, and Haruki, who was balancing a tray of food. He caught both of them before they fell, but in the process, Yoichi lost his balance and fell on his butt, the tray of food crashing onto him and soiling his pajamas. The two ladies stared, dumbfounded.
Haruki fell to her knees, begging Kamiko for forgiveness when a shrimp landed on her slipper. Kamiko rolled her eyes, popped in her headphones, and walked over to the dining table. Haruki remained kneeling, turning to Yoichi to apologize.
"It's okay, but you owe me six favors now," Yoichi replied with a forced smile. The truth was, Haruki's begging was a little annoying, and he understood Kamiko's reaction to it.
Yoichi dusted himself off, stood up, and walked back to his room to change clothes and have another bath. He didn't want to make a bad first impression at dinner with his Big Aunt, who despised dirt.