Anezaki sighed as she walked out of the house. Earlier, Anezaki had decided to pay the Saburo family a home visit because of the change in Emiko’s behavior. The girl was extremely isolated now, refusing to talk to anyone about anything. She spent all of recess in remote corners of the playground crying. The other children had felt a little guilty for Emiko’s crying had tried to talk to her.

 

            Emiko hadn’t responded.

 

            This left Anezaki with no choice but to make a home visit. Emiko had recently had a change of address and was living with her Grandparents, which made Anezaki slightly suspicious. Anezaki hadn’t seen Emiko the entire time she talked to Saburo about the girl’s behavior, but she had seen enough of the inside of the house to know that Emiko didn’t have a place in that house.

 

            Anezaki’s first clue had been the lack of toys. There were adult things casually laying about, like a purse here, a hat there, some knitting there, but no child’s things. There were no scattered shoes, no hand prints on the walls, no half-started artwork on the floor. Beyond the occasional picture of Emiko on the walls or in frames on the tables, Anezaki wouldn’t have thought the girl existed in these people’s lives. The other clue Anezaki had was that Emiko had not made any presence during her meeting with Saburo, despite the woman’s insistence that Emiko was upstairs in her room. There were no creaks or bangs that are associated with a child playing. The silence that came from the upstairs said enough.

 

            The inquiry about Emiko’s father had yielded even more suspicions. Apparently the man was raising Emiko by himself and doing a horrible job of it, so Saburo, having been concerned about her granddaughter’s welfare, had took him to court with a custody suit. Having won the case, Saburo had promptly moved her granddaughter here where she could grow up properly. Anezaki had then asked what exactly it was that Emiko’s father had been doing wrong. Saburo had been extremely curt with her answer: everything.

 

            It didn’t take much reflection for Anezaki to realize that Emiko’s father had probably been doing a better job than anyone appreciated. That man, whoever he was, had been doing more things right than Saburo was. Emiko had been much happier when living with her father, much less burdened and fearful like she was now.

 

            ‘Who is Emiko’s father anyways?’ Anezaki couldn’t help but to wonder. The one truly important thing Anezaki had learned on this trip was that Emiko’s mother, Saburo Chizue, had died giving birth to her daughter.

 

            “Saburo Chizue?” Anezaki stopped walking, recalling having heard the name from somewhere before. After some long thought she had recalled hearing it from Takekura Gen, an old friend from high school. Pulling out her cell phone, Anezaki started sorting through her contact list, finding Takekura’s number without much difficulty.

 

            “Hello?” Takekura greeted Anezaki over the sounds of machinery.

 

            “Hello, Musashi.” Anezaki chose to use Takekura’s nickname so that he’d know it was her. “It’s been a while.”

 

            “Indeed,” Takekura agreed, “but I’m on the job right now, can you make it quick?”

 

            “Yeah, I’ve just got a quick question.” Anezaki assured him.

 

            “Let’s hear it.” One could hear the small grin in Takekura’s voice; he was a man that took great pleasure in helping others.

 

            “I was wondering who Saburo Chizue was,” Anezaki admitted, “I remembered hearing you saying that name a while back and just recently came across it….”

 

            “Saburo Chizue?” Takekura sounded mildly surprised. “That was the name of the lady who had been officially renting the place we thought Hiruma had been living at, remember?”

 

            Anezaki did remember. She did remember how all of her friends had stood there, feeling betrayed when they heard that Hiruma had not actually been living at the apartment they had recalled visiting him at. Upon looking around the apartment there was no trace that Hiruma had been living there, which was odd because there were plenty of traces that this Saburo Chizue had been living there, everything from photographs to grocery lists. If it hadn’t been for the leak Takekura had plastered up for Hiruma, everyone would have sworn they had been at the wrong place.

 

            “Ah thank you.” Anezaki nodded even though Takekura could not see her.

 

            “I can’t talk much right now,” Takekura reminded Anezaki, “but I want to catch up with you, when can I call you?”

 

            “How’s about this Friday after six?” Anezaki suggested.

 

            “That works for me, I’ll see you then.” Takekura bid her his goodbye.

 

            “See you then.” Anezaki hung up as her mind began to mull over all the facts. Saburo Haruka had a daughter named Saburo Chizue who died giving birth to her daughter, Emiko. Almost six years ago, to the day, Hiruma Youichi, an old high school friend, disappeared. The apartment Hiruma had been living at, that Anezaki had set foot in more than once, had been officially rented to Saburo Chizue. The landlord had remarked that Saburo Chizue had recently passed away at the time. Emiko was almost six years old. Emiko had pointy ears and a familiar smile….

 

            ‘Could it be?’ Anezaki stopped, her eyes opened wide. She didn’t have enough proof yet, Hiruma hadn’t been married last she checked and Saburo Chizue had been married. Hiruma, at least as she last recalled him, wouldn’t have made good father material and didn’t plan on becoming on anytime soon. After all, why would he get some woman pregnant and not tell anyone? Surely he would have panicked at some point.

 

            Anezaki shook her head and went home for the day. Tomorrow she’d have to start doing something about getting Emiko to open up, that was by far the most pressing issue Anezaki was dealing with at the moment.

 

-The next day, Anezaki’s classroom-

 

            “Emiko-chan,” Anezaki asked the girl after she had taken roll, “isn’t today your birthday?”

 

            “Mm.” The noise Emiko made was too vague to tell whether or not the girl was agreeing. Anezaki took it as a yes.

 

            “Is there any games you want to play today?” Anezaki asked the girl, who was currently staring blankly at her desk.

 

            “Nm.”

 

            “Emiko-chan?” Anezaki knelt down and tried to look Emiko in the eye. Emiko wasn’t focusing on anything, she looked numb and disconnected.

 

            “Stop right there!” One of the office ladies screeched from the hall, startling everyone except for Emiko. The sound of stomping footsteps came down the hall quickly.

 

            “You’re not allowed back here, sir!” The office lady scolded the quiet person she was chasing after. Anezaki stood up and walked over to the door, trying to see what was causing the commotion. Her classroom door opened in front of her to reveal someone she hadn’t seen in six years. Hiruma Youichi was standing in front of the doorway to her classroom, looking down the hall at the office lady.

 

            “I’m just delivering my daughter’s birthday present.” Hiruma calmly told the spazing office lady. He was wearing a nice black suit, with a green shirt that punched up his emerald eyes. The four hoops in his ears had been replaced with discreet flesh-toned studs. Hiruma had grown out his bleach blond hair, allowing it return to its original black color. Under his right arm, in a grip that reminded Anezaki of how one properly carried a football when running, was a present wrapped carefully in flower wrapping paper.

 

            “Sir, you are disrupting the class, you must leave now!” The office woman yelled at him. Hiruma was completely unphased by the yelling.

 

            “…Papa?” Emiko asked in a small, hopeful voice. She had gotten out of her chair when she heard the familiar voice and was now standing at Anezaki’s side, looking up at her father.

 

            Hiruma turned his head to talk to his daughter and saw Anezaki standing there for the first time. He stared at her, shocked beyond belief to see her standing there.

 

            “Hiruma-kun.” Anezaki almost whispered, her voice breathless.