The two were Mei Misaki and Misaki Fujioka.
They were no longer the middle school girls from Rinji's memories, but now mature and beautiful women.
"Twenty whole years. How many twenties does one get in life?" Misaki said with a touch of resentment. "And to say we can only meet him after Christmas this year, that's just too much."
"There was no choice. If we had met a few years earlier, a lot of problems would've come up," Mei said.
"True… When we joined IW, Rinji was only four, wasn't he? Ah, he was so cute back then. I just wanted to hold him forever."
At this point, Misaki dropped her head.
"But we couldn't see him, and in the end that woman from the research department benefited instead."
Mei had only been invited into IW's new division after graduating from Tokyo University of the Arts, and she pulled her sister Misaki along with her.
Besides their main jobs, they lived their lives as sisters while secretly observing Rinji's growth.
Of course, they couldn't watch him 24/7. Before he turned twelve, he appeared only rarely in their sight. Only after that could they keep watching him up to now.
From moving to Japan at twelve, then leaving to fight overseas in the operations division, to returning at sixteen to attend high school, they had witnessed it all.
Still, they only knew the general picture. His daily life remained hidden.
"Who'd have thought that the boy who seemed like an older brother was actually much younger than us. When I was in high school, he wasn't even born."
"Yeah."
"You figured it out pretty early, didn't you, Mei?"
"I had a rough idea back when we went to school together," Mei smiled.
"Twenty years… a twenty-year difference."
Now Misaki seemed downcast.
"He's still just a sixteen-year-old kid, while I'm already in my thirties. This gap…"
"Don't worry. You don't look it."
"Sigh…"
After learning the truth, Misaki finally understood the phrase, 'I was born before you, yet by the time you were born, I was already old.'
"Tch. And he once said I was an immature brat with no charm, when he wasn't even an embryo back then."
"Misaki…"
"But watching Rinji grow has been fun, too. It's like a raising sim about to reach the end~" Misaki quickly bounced back. "What should I do next, hehe~"
"…Misaki."
"What?"
"You remember what the head of the research department told us before we left, don't you?"
"Oh, that…"
—One day earlier—
"If you dare do anything to my precious son, I'll do the same to you."
---
"Ah… I guess she did say that. Acting like he's really her own son, when he's not."
Misaki's expression was complicated.
"By the way, aren't there lots of other women in the departments who treat Rinji like their son too? Is motherly instinct spreading like a disease now?"
"Who knows," Mei said. "The research department and our division never got along anyway. Luckily, our department is semi-independent, so we don't usually deal with them."
"Well, we are the only division that doesn't contribute KPI to the organization. Investigating supernatural incidents doesn't make money, and sometimes they even have to fund us."
The two left the airport and soon took a taxi toward Tokyo's Minato district. Chiba to Tokyo was still a bit of a ride.
Unlike other departments that got shuttle service and arranged lodging, the paranormal division, because of its special nature, enjoyed none of those conveniences.
Though compared to others they were quite free, IW never covered their travel or lodging.
In the car, Misaki stretched and loosened up after the long flight.
"Anyway, let's first find a place to settle down. Since we're here, we should be prepared."
"There's no rush. We're already in Japan."
"You're really calm, Mei. Don't you want to see Rinji too?"
"I do want to see him. But I don't know how it'll go when we do. Even after all he's been through, he still has his own life, doesn't he?"
As she spoke, Mei pulled out a doll from her bag.
The doll looked exactly like Rinji, even wearing the Yomiyama North Middle School uniform from back then.
The doll's hair was strikingly long, and if you only looked at the face without the clothes, anyone would think it was a female doll.
Watching Mei fiddling with the doll, Misaki showed a mischievous smile.
"In that case, why not just blend into his life?"
"Huh?"
"Ta-da~"
Misaki pulled out two documents from her bag.
When Mei took a look, she found they were employment notices for teachers at Shuchiin Academy High School, one for a math teacher and one for a Japanese language teacher.
"…How did you get these?"
"I asked a certain organisation president's wife who doesn't want her name revealed." Misaki said with a grin. "I told her it was to 'help share her burdens,' and she happily went to discuss it with the principal."
"…Looks like Rinji causes plenty of trouble at school too."
Mei smiled softly.
"He's really different from back then."
---
The next morning.
Shuchiin Academy Student Council office.
Compared to regular students, the student council members arrived at school earlier. Ordinary students only came to register once the semester started, while the council needed to gather in advance to discuss plans for the upcoming term.
"Haven't seen you all summer, feels like… Rinji, what happened to your hair?"
"Oh, President, you mean this."
Rinji rubbed his head, which was shaved into an extremely short buzz cut.
"I figured a new semester should have a new look. To give off the image of a capable tough guy, I shaved it short."
"That's way too short! You're practically bald!"
"A bald head doesn't violate school rules, does it?"
"No, it doesn't, but still…"
Ishigami: "The president just thinks it's a shame, that's all."
Shirogane: "Ah… that's not it."
"What's the big deal, being bald is fine." Rinji chuckled. "My hair grows fast anyway, it'll be back in a month."
Iino said sternly as she stood on tiptoe to pat Rinji's head.
"It feels like you've turned over a new leaf."
Rinji: "…"
Ishigami: "You're just a baldhead fetishist."
Iino: "Shut up, Ishigami."
"Ahem, enough small talk."
Shirogane redirected the topic away from Rinji's hair.
"This semester, the second-years have a school trip, so there'll be a few days when student council work will fall to you first-years."
"Consider it done."
"Good. Also, with the school reform, Shuchiin plans to bring in transfer students from outside. I was notified that a few from another school will be joining."
"Oh? Transfer students?"
"Yes, and Rinji, you might know them." Shirogane said. "They're second-years from Hyakkaou Academy."
"…What?"