When the warning bell sounded, they had a plan—help Kikiyo however they could, in every way they could. If Mamoru's letters really meant she was going to die because of her choices, they needed to intervene. Kaho's knuckles went white as her fingers curled into fists. Mariah was already chattering about alternatives as they walked back.
"Ooh, what if we give money to Ichigo instead? She just started her first year—she's down on the first floor with all the cute little first years!"
Kaho's brow furrowed. "Is it fair to involve her? She's too young to get a job. Won't Kikiyo worry if Ichigo starts coming home with cash?"
"Not today—not when she knows exactly where it came from!" Mariah grabbed Mamoru's sleeve as he passed the door to 2B, pulling him back and whispering in his ear. His eyebrows shot up, then he nodded quickly.
Kaho frowned and stepped inside.
There was someone standing at her desk, gazing out the window, cradling something in his hands. Kaho's eyes narrowed.
"Hey there Matsuoka," she said quietly. "What you got there?"
Naseru's shoulders jerked. He turned, his eyes widening for a split second before his expression shuttered back to indifference. He held her drawing tablet—her latest illustration glowing on the screen. The portrait of Taiga playing basketball, surrounded by abstract swirls in the purple and blue night. She'd left it behind when lunch ended, too preoccupied with Kikiyo's crisis.
For just a moment, something flickered in his gaze—an almost imperceptible softness—before his expression returned to its typical stern mask. Without a word, he held the tablet out to her.
"You're really good, Aigawa."
Kaho blinked. This was what her Future Self had remembered? These words?
Her mouth opened slightly. "Thank you, Matsuoka."
"Are you, um, in the art club? You should be."
Kaho's arms crossed over her chest, her brows drawing together. "You can't be serious. It's just a hobby."
"Doesn't look like a hobby to me." His thumb gestured toward the screen. "You have dozens of drawings on here."
She lifted one shoulder. "I like to draw."
"Then join the art club, Aigawa. I'm sure Makoto and the others would be happy to have you."
Moriyama Sensei's throat cleared sharply. "Aigawa, Matsuoka, can you wait until my lesson is over to have a domestic and kindly sit down? Thank you."
Heat flooded both their faces. Naseru thrust the tablet into Kaho's arms before dropping into his seat. She shoved it back into her bag, her cheeks still burning.
When the final bell rang, Naseru was the first out the door. Kaho stared at his empty seat, her jaw clenched, nails digging crescents into her palms. She'd spent every class thinking of questions—did he like the colors? Was it too dark? Had Taiga's memories resonated with him?
"Ready?" Mamoru appeared at her elbow.
She shouldered her bag with more force than necessary. "How did it go with Ichigo?"
"Left her a note pretending to be Kikiyo's boss. Said she forgot her tips." He patted his blazer pocket. "Separate envelope too. Who cares what she spends it on."
Mariah bounced slightly and linked arms with him. "Aww, you're such a sweetheart, Mamoru! Kikiyo is sooo lucky to have someone like you looking out for her!"
His shoulders hunched. "I'm lucky to have her."
Mamoru's house sprawled before them like something from a Western film—sandy yellow bricks, high windows, surrounded by rice fields that stretched to the horizon. The family fortune built on grain that now filled supermarket shelves worldwide.
"Keep your shoes on," Mamoru said, pushing open the heavy front door. "The floors are cold this time of year."
Grey and white marble tiles led them into a living room where plush velvet sofas faced each other like sentries. He gestured for them to sit, then bounded upstairs. When he returned, a familiar black box sat in his hands—the same style as Kaho's letters, complete with red stickers.
He dumped the contents between them on the sofa. "I'm getting snacks and tea. We need an actual plan." His eyes flicked to Mariah. "Earl Grey?"
"Oh! Do you have Earl Grey?" Mariah asked, hands clasping together. "I'd kill for some of that. I never bring enough of it back when we go to Canada."
Er, I think so?" Mamoru said, "Kaho?"
"Normal tea is fine, thanks."
Mamoru left them to his letters. Mariah snatched the first letter before Kaho could reach it, scanning the date. "Was your first one basically a debrief?"
"Yeah. One instruction—protect Matsuoka Naseru."
"The new kid?" Mariah tilted her head, nose scrunching up adorably. "From what? He seems pretty capable of taking care of himself, doesn't he?"
Kaho lifted one shoulder. "What was your mission?"
Mariah glanced around Mamoru's opulent living room, then back at Kaho with a slightly strained smile. "Nothing super important—not compared to Kikiyo, anyway." She paused, fidgeting with the letter in her hands. "Though... there was something about Naseru in mine too. But like..." Her eyes darted meaningfully toward Mamoru, who was still bustling around in the kitchen. "Maybe we can talk about that part later? When it's just us?"
She shook her head and waved the letter. "Anyway, this is probably just gonna say what we already know—if she keeps working like this, she's going to die. So, screw the first letter. Next one."
But then Mariah tilted her head, nose scrunching up adorably as something occurred to her. "Wait, though—how exactly are you supposed to protect Naseru? I mean, no offense Kaho, but you're like... really tiny compared to him. And he seems pretty capable of taking care of himself, doesn't he? What kind of protection could you actually give him?"
Kaho's shoulders tensed. "I... I don't know yet. Maybe it's not physical protection? Maybe it's something else entirely." She fidgeted with the edge of her skirt. "My Future Self wasn't exactly specific about the how, just the what."
"Hmm, mysterious~" Mariah mused, but her expression grew slightly more serious. "Well, whatever it is, we'll figure it out together, right? That's what friends do!"
Kaho managed a small smile. "Right."
Mariah snatched the second letter and read aloud:
*'Mamoru,
Kikiyo owns a bento from her local convenience store. It's pink and otherwise nondescript. Buy one. Fill it with food. She's not eating. Swap her lunch round with this bento box when she isn't looking.
Things are bad in that house. It's what I told you in the first letter. Her Dad, because of what your family did to keep you from her caused her dad to crudely lose his banking job. Her Mum's run away ragged from trying to just keeping a roof over their heads, and their kids know. Well, Kikiyo and Ichigo knew by the end of all of this. But you need to help her. You need to help them because unlike anyone else, you can afford to. Use that frivolous money and do something. Give it to them. Feed them. Help them. And do something about Aunt Rumiko.
Kikiyo's on a dangerous, path here. She's going to do something that'll cost her her life. You need to keep that from happening. I know how you feel about her. Even if she doesn't want your help outwardly. Even if you have to indirectly help her. Be the unseen hand you'll have to be.'*
"Oh, crap," Mamoru said, returning with a small tea tray balanced in his hands. "Which one is that?"
"The second." Kaho couldn't meet his gaze.
Mariah's eyebrow arched dramatically, a knowing smile playing on her lips. "Oho~ 'I know how you feel about her?' That's quite the loaded statement there!" She punctuated this by gently elbowing Kaho when Kaho tried to give her a warning look.
Color flooded Mamoru's cheeks as he set the tray down with slightly shaking hands. "I don't have to explain my feelings to you, Mariah."
Mariah bounced slightly in her seat, eyes sparkling with curiosity. "But seriously though, why are you sooo obsessed with her anyway? Like, what's the big deal?"
"It isn't obsession!" Mamoru's arms crossed defensively, his voice rising. "I'm in love with her and if I don't do something—if we don't do something—she is going to die."
Mariah clapped her hands together, eyes absolutely lighting up with a mix of delight and concern. "Oh my god, he actually said it! I totally owe Ryota ten thousand yen now. This is like watching the most intense drama ever, but also..." Her expression sobered. "This is really serious, isn't it?"
Mamoru's hand dove into his pocket, producing a crisp note. "I wouldn't have said it if I hadn't dragged you into a mess I couldn't fix."
Kaho reached for the next letter—two sheets this time. 'Sneak some food into her school bag today, she's going to be so worn out from her jobs and school she won't notice an innocuous can of coffee or a melon bread' covered one sheet. The other bore Kurosaki Katsuo's name, violently crossed out.
"That happens a lot," Mamoru said, gesturing at the crossed-out name. "Future me was very clear that Hikaru didn't hurt Sayuri. God, you have to wonder what would have happened if we weren't intervening. Ueno was convinced it was Hikaru, surely she would have swayed us too."
Mariah's expression darkened, her usual brightness dimming. "Ugh, freaking Ueno. What a total disaster of a police officer."
The pattern continued through letter after letter—detailed care instructions paired with warnings about Katsuo. Each one showed Future Mamoru's desperate attempts to keep Kikiyo afloat through small acts of kindness she wouldn't recognize as charity.
Then Kaho reached the final letter. Her hands trembled as she read:
'Today is important Mamoru. If Kikiyo passes out on the roof today, she's going to be sent home. If you're reading this and she falls, she's more stubborn than I remember. She will go home and rest, then work her double at the convenience store and pick up an extra shift at the late night café by the station. While she's home, she will Google something she shouldn't and is going to set up a meeting at Luvrz Motel by the canal for Monday. If she collapses today, you're too late and the thought is in her head. Do whatever you can to keep her from making that appointment. If she gets this job, a John will kill her by next Friday and ruin Ichigo and her siblings' lives. You'll have to choose between respecting what she wants and having to be an unseen hand.'
The letter slipped from Kaho's fingers like a stone. All color drained from Mariah's face as the implications hit her. Her hand flew to her mouth, eyes going wide with horror.
"Oh my god, I think I'm gonna—" Mariah's voice came out muffled behind her hand as she pressed it firmly against her mouth. "Excuse me!"
She shot up from the sofa and rushed toward the hallway bathroom. The sound of retching echoed through the marble corridors.
Kaho's voice came out barely above a whisper. "She's going to go into sex work. And some creepy John is going to kill her?"
Mamoru's face crumpled completely. "You've seen the letters. Future me didn't tell me until now. She's going to die, and I'm going to fail just like he did."
The tea tray sailed through the air in a perfect arc. Porcelain exploded against the marble wall—Mariah's Earl Grey streaming down like tears. The warm liquid pooled across the expensive floors as Mamoru buried his face in his hands, shoulders shaking violently.
Kaho's throat burned as she watched her friend fall apart. "I'm sorry, Mamoru. We'll do everything we can. I swear."