𝐋𝐈'𝐋 𝐒𝐂𝐈𝐄𝐍𝐂𝐄.

13 ° Burnt Orange.

"U—Um..!" Komaru stuttered, catching her attention. "...Hello."

"...Yeah."

"..."

An awkward silence grew between the two of them.

"...What a rude woman." Toko murmured under her breath, "Not so friendly, is she?"

"Well, sorry 'bout that."

Toko flinched. "Huh?! You heard that!?"

"I have sharp ears," the woman turned around, facing the two girls. "I can even hear things I don't want to hear. It's a pain. If you two plan on staying here, it might be better if you cover your ears as much as possible... Because eventually, you'll get sick of it."

"Sick of it..?" Komaru asked, tilting her head to the side.

The woman sheepishly rubbed the back of her head. "I can't really get along with the people here."

"If you're so unsatisfied with this place, why don't you just leave?" Toko huffed, averting her eyes.

"Well, that's a good point. Staying here isn't going to improve the situation any. But, what I can accomplish by myself is limited. Since that's the case, I'm better off being here."

Komaru remained silent, eyes trailing to the woman's wrist... wristband?

"Ah, that wristband!"

She smiled at Komaru, "Your wristband is the same too, right? This is my first time meeting an ally."

"Are you a target in those brats' game too?"

"Yeah, how about that?" She sighed, smoke puffing from her cigarette. "Of all people, I can't believe I was turned into a toy for those kids."

"Um... Are there others like us who have wristbands on them?"

She gave Komaru a terse nod. "Well, I'm not sure about the precise number, but there are plenty. The others are somewhere in this town, probably shuddering in fear. If possible, I want to save them and bring them here."

Toko rose an eyebrow. "Save? You?"

"No, of course not me personally. But some of the adults here... Listen, anyone other than Shirokuma isn't allowed outside, but they can sneak out." She winked at Toko, "Actually, sometimes I have adults bring back cigarettes from the outside."

"I can't believe they actually listen to you..."

"It's not hard." She smiled, "I use a woman's special charm. It's especially effective in situations like this. Of course, you girls aren't full adults yet, so you won't be able to use your special charm..."

Special charm...?

...

Oh.

Komaru's face turned bright red, feeling the heat emitting from her head. "Y—Yeah..."

"But anyway, that's the gist of it. If you ever see someone with a wristband or clues, let me know. We have to save them before they get killed off by the brats."

"Yeah, understood!"

"...Oh, that's right, I almost forgot. The name's Hiroko Hagakure. I'm once-divorced and currently single. My age is a secret."

Komaru gave Hiroko a bright smile. "My name is Komaru Naegi! Pleased to meet you."

Toko turned around, murmuring to herself. Hiroko looked over at Toko with a curious glance. "The one muttering over there, what's your name?"