Murakami sat in the office alone with his head hung low. As a teacher, the young man was still inexperience but for him to encounter a case like this. It was just a hunch but he couldn't let this feeling slide. The girl should be here any time soon.

As he looked at the clock, the door slid open "Excuse me"

"Come on in, Hanazawa-san" Murakami tried to keep calm "Take a sit, there is something I want to talk with you about"

The girl looked around the empty room before sitting down. She was still calm and collected, Murakami could never tell what the girl was thinking. Suddenly, the teacher started to doubt himself, what if his hunch was incorrect. Maybe he should just send her back.

The young man immediately wiped that thought out of his head. If he was wrong then that was that. If his hunch proved to be correct, however…

"What's wrong, did I do something wrong?"

The girl spoke softly, and yet something about the timing startled Murakami. He couldn't show that to a student though.

"No, not at all. You have been a model student!" The teacher straightened himself "I called you here for a different matter"

With great concern, Murakami looked straight into the girl's eyes and said his mind.

"You can be honest with me, are you being abused at home?"

There, he said it, now for the girl reaction. Hanazawa gazed at him, surprised, before bursting out laughing. Murakami was rather taken aback, he had never seen her expression this extreme before. The girl wiped away a drop of tear before looking at him, amused.

"No sir" Her answer was succinct, like usual.

"Sorry for the question, but I want to make sure…"

"Don't worry, sir, I can see why you would think that" Hanazawa cut him off "I am relatively quiet, never talk about my family and you must have learnt that no one came for any parents' event either"

"So you see where my concern is coming from…"

The girl was sharp, but that alone didn't prove much. Or more like, it only fuelled his suspicion. Such a strong reaction could be a mean of self-defence. The girl could see, smell and sense his doubt, however.

"Next parental meeting, I can bring in a family member if you want"

She didn't say father or mother, Murakami noticed. He wanted to ask more but would that push her too much. Or maybe he could see who she brought in, then this conversation could resume.

"I guess that would be alright" The young teacher felt like he was being played here.

"Eh, he actually thought that you were abused!"

Maromi couldn't hold in her laughter. She needed to stop, people were looking. Her friend, however, kept on walking with a smile on her face. Hanazawa was strangely happy today. Was she that glad someone brought that up? Now Maromi was actually worried, despite knowing each other for years, she didn't know much about that girl Hanazawa.

The two continued on their way back home. They suddenly came across a mutual friend, Sakura. She immediately scampered away after seeing the two, however. Maromi sighed.

"Ever since she got herself a boyfriend, Sakura-chan hasn't been hanging out with us"

"Yeah" Hanazawa answered.

"She doesn't seem to be hanging out with anyone actually. Do you think something bad is happening to her, I'm so worried!"

"I wonder"

"Ugh, isn't she our friend! Don't you care about her!" Maromi snapped.

"Of course. Don't worry, I will do something about it"

Maromi pouted as they continue. Hanazawa was a caring person and she always kept her words. The girl never showed it, however, and it could get a little bit frustrating.

As they passed through a familiar park, there seemed to be some sort of commotion. A group of youngsters were ganging up on a homeless, filming their deeds.

Maromi could recognise that man. Every day, Hanazawa's lunch would consist of two handmade sandwiches. She only ate one, however, the other she always gave to the homeless man on their way back home. He would always waited here as well, an act Maromi was rather uncomfortable about.

"We should just keep on walking" Said Maromi as her words fell to deaf ears.

The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

Hanazawa pulled something out of her bag, a canister of lighter fluid. She slowly and walked toward the youngster and sprayed the content all over them.

"Hey, what the hell, my phone!"

The group turned around to see a high school girl with light fluid on one hand, the other holding a lighter. With a click, the flame appeared burning ominously.

"What do you want, bitch, what is wrong with you"

The girl remained quiet and approach them calmly, waving the flame around slightly.

"This chick is crazy!"

It didn't take long for the group of youngsters to scamper away. Hanazawa smirked and brought the canister to her lips to drink the remaining content. Maromi watched on, for some reasons, her friend kept water in that kind of package. It had caused them troubles in the past, at least the thing now proved useful.

"Let's go, they will soon realise it is just water"

The girl reached out to the homeless man who quickly heeded her words. The three quickly moved to somewhere closer to a police booth.

"Thank you" The man said "But you shouldn't have done that, what if they remember your face"

"I am fast, I will just run here" Hanazawa answered nonchalantly "Besides, I haven't given you your sandwich today, here"

The girl reached into her bag and presented a neatly wrapped treat. Maromi looked on disapprovingly, the man noticed it and turns away so not to meet her gaze. He was probably older than both of their parents. Hanazawa turned to her friend.

"You can go back without me, I will inform the police about what happened"

"I am a witness as well, I can go with you!"

"No"

That look, Hanazawa was up to something, Maromi could tell. Normally she would always listen to her friend but there was a limit. They were still high school students, whatever business she had with this homeless man was not appropriate.

"I am not going anywhere, you can just act as if I am not here"

Maromi crossed her arms and stood her ground.

"I see"

Hanazawa gave up without any resistant. She turned to the homeless man and handed him the sandwich. He accepted it, glancing uncomfortably at Maromi.

"I appreciate this, I really do" He clapped his hands together and bowed at the girl "But it's best you leave it like this. There is no need to interfere when you see me like that either"

"Why not? I might be your neighbour soon. Don't neighbours help each other out?"

"…" "…"

"Hah, that's just a joke. I guess it isn't that funny" The girl didn't even raise the edge of her lips over her own 'joke'.

Maromi and the homeless man were speechless.

"Actually, I have a favour to ask of you today" Hanazawa continued.

"What is it?" The homeless man looked at her nervously.

"You still have at least a clean suit, right?"

The man nodded, even now he was still trying to find a job. What was this girl getting at?

"There is a teacher parents meeting coming soon. Can you come for me?"

"What!" Maromi was worried, maybe Murakami's hunch was correct after all "Why are you asking for that? Of that guy even?"

"Your friend is right, I am just a bum on the street. Where are your parents, why can't they come for you?" Even the man objected to this mad idea.

Hanazawa looked at the homeless man and glanced at her worried friend. For the bubbly Maromi to be this worried, she messed up. Maybe the truth was what her friend deserved. Then she shall speak the truth.

"My mother died some time ago and my father ran away then as well. I only have my brother left and he is too busy working to provide for us. I can't ask of him such a thing"

Both of her companion had their mouth agape. Hanazawa said all that so nonchalantly yet it didn't seem like she was lying either. Maromi couldn't believe she would get the truth this way and now. She knew Hanazawa had a brother, but not that he as her only family member. So her friend wasn't abused after all, but this wasn't much brighter.

And why was she even saying that in front of a homeless man. Maromi turned to the man who seemed… frustrated. Eh, the girl didn't understand, why was he frustrated.

"You can have this back" The man shoved the sandwich back "And no, I don't need any food from you anymore"

"Eh" Hanazawa didn't understand what was happening either.

"And take that back, that joke about being my neighbour" The man looked straight down to the ground, remembering a time long pass "Your brother, I am sure he is doing his very best, so don't joke about something like that. YOU WOULD DISHONOUR HIM! And this sandwich, I can't accept it anymore"

How unsightly of him to break down in front of two school girls like that. Oh, how hard did he work, he slaved his life away but still couldn't keep a roof above his little girls' head. And now, their mother had taken them away, leaving him cold and alone.

Hanazawa took the sandwich back and bowed down.

"I'm sorry, that wasn't right of me" The girl looked up "But now, I want you to come to the meeting for me even more"

She held his clapping hands gently. The man gaze up, there was a charisma to this seemingly emotionless girl. From this angle, she seemed like a godness, divine "I guess… I could give it a try. I still think you should tell your brother about it, the meeting"

"I will"

The girl stood up and prepared to leave. But before that, she had a question for the homeless man.

"Before, we would come here as a group of three, do you remember the final girl who used to be with us"

Maromi looked at her friend, was she really asking this man what was going on with Sakura.

"Why… why are you asking me?"

"You usually sleep under the bridge right, I usually see you and a few others around there"

"So you already has your suspicion" The man said. There wasn't much a high school girl could do here in the dark of the night.

Maromi looked at the two of them "Wait, what is going on" She turned to her friend "What is going on with Sakura-chan!"

"That girl… I sometimes saw her, dealing some kind of drugs, it's in a white tablet"

Hanazawa seemed disappointed but not surprised.

"I see, and is there a blond guy with her?"

Oh right, Sakura's new boyfriend. Maromi remembered him, it must be his fault. So he was the bastard dragging their friend into this. She wouldn't forgive…

"Yes, the poor guy, he was always begging her for more"

Maromi was stunted. What was this man even saying? He must be talking nonsense. Sakura had been her friend since the two were small, there was no way she would be a dealer. The girl nearly slumped but her friend was there to prop her up.

"Don't worry" Hanazawa said "I will do something about it"

But what, she could go to the police. But then, Sakura's life would be ruined, there must be a mistake, there must be, Maromi told herself. She walked back with Hanazawa holding her shoulder close.

"Goodbye then" Hanazawa turned back to the homeless man.

"Wait" He called to her "I am Takashi Tokioka, what's your name"

"Nice to meet you, Tokioka-san. I am Yuuko Hanazawa"

And with that, the two girls left. One trying to hold back tears while the other deep in thought. Hanazawa would need to tread carefully about this.