Kimura Seiji:

After the police left, I finally relaxed a bit. I remembered that I was actually hungry and wanted to eat the ramen I bought. But then this girl appeared out of nowhere and splashed water on my plan. 

As I was about to make the ramen, I noticed Tsukino sitting on the floor looking down. Her face was anxious, her eyes were widened out a little bit, such that it made her look scary. I suddenly felt chills running down my spine. 

What was going on her mind?

I somehow kept my composure and asked,

"Tsukino..."

"....."

"Tsukino..."

"H-Huh yes?"

She heard me the second time and looked at me in surprise. 

"You are spacing out. You are hungry right?"

"Not really.... Maybe a little bit, but it's okay."

"Alright I will make some ramen for you too." 

"N-No, you're already helping me by letting me stay. You don't need to do anything more."

"Come on, it's not like it's trouble to make another cup of instant ramen. Okay?"

"Th-Thank you again, Kimura-kun."

"You're thanking me too much. Are you really a thief? You seem like a good girl. Haha." 

"I... am not a good girl. I'm a criminal."

She answered me in a heavy tone. I could see tear drops forming in her eyes. She was definitely regretting stealing those money.

I guess desperation could even make such a nice person do a crime. Even though it was morally wrong to support a thief, I hoped for her to succeed in escaping from the police. 

She even said that she didn't have anywhere to live. So, I really did not know what would be her destination tomorrow. 

"The ramen is ready. Here, eat this." 

I called her to the dining table as we began eating the dinner. While eating, I unconsciously noticed some scars and injuries on her forehead, arms, neck. I wanted to ask about those scars but in the end decided not to.

This girl was really a mystery. 

"Hmm... Where will you sleep though?"

"I will sleep on the floor, I need nothing else."

"Wait, I have an extra futon and blanket just in case." 

"Ah it's okay."

"Don't worry, those were unused anyway for so long. And besides, you will have to escape tomorrow, so take proper rest today." 

"You're so kind..."

"Not at all."

Besides, helping a criminal meant I was kind of a criminal as well.

As I heard her sleeping soundly, I indulged myself into sleep as well. However, suddenly I realized something important. 

Wait, what if she was planning stealing my money while we were sleeping?

It was idiotic to remember it so late. Even though, she promised me she wouldn't do anything, I should not take her words for granted.

I thus decided to carefully observe Tsukino and not fall asleep for now. It was quite difficult to stay awake whole night though. Eventually I fell asleep and woke up with my alarm going on at 7:00 AM.

In the end, I didn't get robbed at all. I saw Tsukino still sleeping on the futon, as she was in the night. She indeed slept peacefully throughout the whole night. Meanwhile, I had the opposite experience. Because I couldn't sleep well, I had dark circles in the eyes. And I also needed to ready for school now.

After I finished brushing, I entered the bedroom and saw Tsukino already awake. She was keeping her bag ready. As she looked at me, she gave me a faint smile.

"Thanks for last night. It's time for me to leave."

"I see. Well good luck."

We would probably never meet again after this. I felt a little bit emotional. While she continued packing her bag, I moved the curtains and opened the window of my room.

However.... I instantly closed it again.

Sweat popped up on my forehead. 

Tsukino probably noticed my body language, and asked me,

"What happened, Kimura-kun?"

"You see... there are two policemen standing just 50 yards from the apartment."

"Eh...."

"I wonder if it's because of Tsukino? Are they still hunting you?"

I looked back at her and asked.

"I... I don't know... probably that's the case.", Tsukino hesitantly answered. 

But there was something which made no sense.

"Tsukino.... how much money did you actually steal?"

"I... told you last night, it was 9000 Yen." 

"From where?"

"From..... the near temple."

"I see."

9000 Yen was no way that big an amount, for which the police had to be this active. There was something which Tsukino was hiding.

"Tsukino... I think you should stay here for some more time."

"Eh?" 

"You see... I'm sure there are even more police present. For now, it's better for you to remain here."

"I get it... but it will be trouble for Kimura-kun."

"If I decided to help you, let me help completely."

"You're really kind."

Actually... it was not just for her, but for my safety as well. 

If Tsukino gets caught by the police here, then the police will find out that she was staying last night in my room. Then, I would be jailed as well for helping a criminal and lying to the police last night. So even for my safety, Tsukino needed to escape successfully. 

Yeah I really shot on my foot last night by deciding to help her.

"For now, I will keep the front door locked."

"Yes."

"Don't open it if anyone asks okay?"

"Yes."

I left her and locked the front door. I took the newspaper from my mailbox as usual and left for school. 

_____________________________________________________

Meanwhile, from the perspective of the policemen:

Officer 1: "As far as I get, we didn't find any car reaching the station last night. That means the girl definitely is in this town."

Officer 2: "In which area, do you think she would be?"

Officer 1: "Her bicycle was found not far away from here. She must be present in this region."

Officer 2: "But everybody said they didn't see her here?"

Officer 1: "Maybe she hid somewhere which is a blind spot to everyone, or maybe someone lied to us."

[To be continued]