Saki and the old lady sat for hours talking. Outside, the nurse could hear bits of their conversation—they sounded just like teenage high-schoolers.
As they chatted, Mrs. Kondo began to speak about one of the incidents from long ago, when Saki's parents and her own son were still in middle school. Her voice softened into the rhythm of memory as she narrated:
"Sugi was shouting and giggling outside the door," she said. "'Hey! Aki-san, open up! I know you're hiding there!'
From the other side, Aki's voice floated back, playful. 'Nope. It's my ghost here!'
More laughter followed. My son Kaitosuke was laughing too. 'Aki, you really think you can trick him?' he called.
Sugi tried again. 'Oi, open up! Or I'm calling your mother, Suke!'
That nickname always hit a nerve with Kaitosuke, because Sugi was the one who had given it to him.
'Go on, Sugi, toddlers always complaining,' Kaitosuke shot back.
Aki looked at Kaitosuke and opened the door. 'Sugi!' she chimed.
Sugi got distracted for a moment and tripped over a tree root. 'Whoa!' he shrieked.
Aki giggled and helped him up while Kaitosuke just stood there brooding.
Then Kaitosuke suddenly perked up. 'I have an idea! A brilliant idea!!'
Sugi brushed the dust from his knees and shouted, 'Stop screaming, Suke, you're scaring a girl here!'
Aki raised an eyebrow. 'No, I ain't scared of Kaitosuke-kun.'
Sugi froze, then buried his face in his hands and screamed. 'So much respect! Oh my god, Suke, she's giving you respect!!! Your future is so bright, am I gonna go blind? Aki, be my eyes!!'
He waved his arms in the most exaggerated gestures while the other two giggled. Kaitosuke smirked. 'Go get a transplant, Sugi~,' he teased.
Aki laughed even harder, tears welling in the corners of her eyes. Both boys kept adding comments, making her laugh until her deep blue hair fell over her face and she almost dropped to her knees, giggling and covering her mouth.
Between fits of laughter she managed, 'Both—both of you—' another burst escaped her, 'Stop your commentary.'
But the boys didn't stop.
Sugi called out, 'Kaito Suke, do you still pee in bed?! Haha!'
Kaitosuke's face went red in an instant. 'I do not! Says the one who still fears the dark!!!'
That struck a nerve. Sugi fired right back, 'You wake your mother at night to drink water!!'
With every exchange Aki laughed harder. Somehow neither boy felt embarrassed anymore. Watching her laugh like that sent a strange heat climbing from their necks to their ears until both were blushing bright red. Aki's face was flushed from laughing so much, and then she started getting the hiccups.
Kaitosuke sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck and laughed a nervous little laugh. Sugi grinned, threw his arms around them both, and pulled them down so all three of them tumbled to the ground laughing.
Once they caught their breath, Kaitosuke said, 'So I was saying—let's take the test of courage!'
Sugi froze. He was scared of it.
Kaitosuke grinned that maniacal grin of his. Aki agreed right away; she wasn't afraid of walking into a silent graveyard alone at night.
Kaitosuke laughed. 'Ha! That's a majority! You can't deny it, Sugi!!! The one who scares off is a hooligan!!'
Sugi glared at him. 'I am not afraid, you moron!'
Aki's eyes lit up. 'Ooh, so are we going into the graveyard's deeper parts? I'm not afraid! What if we get to see real ghosts?! Cool! Think about it~!'
She shook Kaitosuke's arm, the excitement in her eyes saying everything—she truly wasn't scared of ghosts.
Kaitosuke turned to her. 'Hey Aki, what do you say about opening a ghostbusting gang—just us two? Because Sugi, well… he's like a wet cat when it comes to ghosts—'
Sugi cut him off with a smack. 'I. Do. Not. Fear. Ghosts.!'
Aki clapped her hands together. 'How about we go tonight?!'
Kaitosuke grinned. But Sugi spoke up at once. 'No. Today is a full moon. We can go tomorrow. Mom says we shouldn't go to the graveyard on full-moon days, alone.'
Kaitosuke's grin turned mischievous. 'We're not alone. We're a team—me, Aki, and you!!! You're just saying that because you're scared. Maybe you should come wearing a diaper in case you pee seeing the entrance!!'
He was deliberately poking at Sugi to embarrass him. Aki patted Sugi's shoulder, her hand soft. 'Don't fear. We'll kick any ghosts off who try to hurt us!'
Kaitosuke nodded hard. 'Yeah, we're a team! Let's make a team! I'll be the leader.'
Sugi muttered under his breath, 'You're just a brain-dead zombie.'
Kaitosuke snapped his head around. 'What did you just say?!'
'Are you deaf or what, you dumbass, moron?' Sugi shot back.
Aki stepped right between them before it could turn into a fight. 'Say sorry, Kaito. You too, Sugi. Together!' she ordered.
The boys pouted and looked ready to argue, but one glare from Aki stopped them cold. In the end they apologized together, almost in unison. 'Fine, sorry. But it doesn't mean anything!'
Evening fell. People walking by tried not to laugh at the most chaotic group in the whole colony. An old man who looked as if he had already tricked death twice—he must have been about a hundred and two—came over and ruffled Aki's hair. 'Good girl, keeping the teammates together,' he said.
Aki giggled and thanked him. The old man gave both Sugi and Kaitosuke a light tap on the head with his cane. 'Learn something from her, idiots.' He coughed, pulled out his wallet with trembling hands, and pressed some money into theirs. 'This is your pocket money,' he told them, then walked on.
Kaitosuke lit up and shouted at the top of his lungs, 'Hey, we can save—'
Sugi cut him off at once. 'Stop screaming in my ear and speak normally like a human, unless you aren't one—'
Aki cleared her throat. Sugi blushed and quickly fixed his tone. 'So what were you saying, Suke?'
Kaitosuke tried again, quieter this time. 'How about we collect the money and make a tree house for our team?'
Sugi's jaw dropped. He hadn't thought of anything that good. 'Oh yes!'
Aki squealed. 'I'm in! Tomorrow we can start searching for a good spot for our secret base.'
Sugi's eyes brightened. 'I know a good spot! The mountain behind the school—there's a tiny pond in the inner part of the forest.'
Aki nodded. 'Hm, I'll ask my dad if he can give me some money for the tree house.'
Kaitosuke sighed. 'My mom will kill me for wasting it, but I'll manage!' Then, only to himself, he added, 'For Aki!'
Sugi caught the mutter. 'What did you just say?'
'N-nothing!! Mind your own business, tadpole!' Kaitosuke stammered.
'Say it again!' Sugi pressed.
Aki looked at the two of them. 'You two are acting like street dogs outside my colony.'
Both boys froze. She had compared them to street dogs. Kaitosuke got a nosebleed on the spot. Sugi turned scarlet with shame. Either of them was completely down bad for her.
Aki noticed them blushing and felt a faint heat rise in her own cheeks. She covered her face with her hands in embarrassment. Kaitosuke looked mortified—mouth hanging open, eye twitching, like someone who had just heard a noble lady swear. He recovered enough to stammer, 'Aki… how? I… I mean… I am not a street dog.'
Sugi recovered faster, running a hand through his hair to look smug. 'Yeah, he is more of a loyal dog~!'
'Shut up, knucklehead!!' Kaitosuke snapped.
Aki slowly peeked through her fingers and said, soft but clear, 'You both are idiots.'"