The group stood before the First Knight. They sought knowledge and refuge in Shizuka's home. It wasn't the best place to go, but it had a roof and walls.

Despite the progress made by both Tsukiko and Haruka, she still enjoyed the indoors far too much. Her home was still as messy as always. Shizuka didn't allow them to clean or move things around.

There was a harsh, ingrained method to her madness. Everything was where it should be, at least in her head.

The others weren't concerned about her having a clean place to live. They just struggled to understand her way of doing things.

Shizuka laid on her side, with a blanket over her. She was in complete comfort, as if to show that she was the master of her odd domain. She had a smile on her face as she relaxed in the cool air.

On the outside, it was a somewhat sad sight, but each of them could sympathize with her in a way. Tsukiko felt that she understood Shizuka more than the others.

"Where's Haruka?" Tsuki asked.

"Asleep." Sylvie groaned with her eyes shut as she ran her hand down her face, her peace disrupted.

"You look tired yourself." Shizuka stared with a rather disturbing yet plain look on her face.

"We're all kinda tired." Kazuo yawned.

"I feel fine." Tsuki chimed in.

Shizuka looked at her from the corner of her eye. "You sure about that?"

"Yeah, I'm f--." Tsukiko yawned. "…fine, thanks."

"I have pillows if anyone wants to stay the night." Shizuka's mouth curled into a grin.

"I… uhh… well… hmmm…" Sylvie struggled to answer.

"It's weird at first, but then it's kinda nice. You should try it, it'll do wonders for your back." Tsuki nodded.

"How the heck does sleeping with Shizuka help your back?"

"I was talking about sleeping on the floor, jackass. She can get… cuddly, though." Tsukiko played with her fingers awkwardly.

Shizuka's grin became a bit more mischievous. "Only sometimes!"

"…let's cross that bridge when we come to it, alright?" Kazuo killed the conversation. "Hopefully you all remember why we're here."

Sylvie raised her hand. "Cuz Aurelia kicked us out cuz she's busy?"

Kaz scratched his head. "That's about half of it."

Shizuka frowned. "Is that all this is? I'm only around when you have nowhere to go?"

"You know that isn't true. I visited you a couple days ago." Tsukiko spoke clearly.

"Oh yeah, huh…"

"Don't act like you don't remember. If you wanna hang out some more, just ask, alright?"

Shizuka's frown faded. "…thanks, Tsuki."

Tsukiko moved closer to the First Knight.

Sylvie had a look of guilt on her face as she tried to change the topic. "S-so, we should try to figure out how the Shakudos work."

"Why?" Kaz asked.

"Cuz… I have no clue what they're doing, or why they exist, or why they even split off in the first place." Sylvie admitted.

"When did they split?" Tsuki sat up straight.

"Should be around the time Fumiko was stabbed, right?" Kazuo ran his finger across the floor.

"I'm not actually sure." Sylvie had a hint of pain in her voice. "People started leaving about a couple years ago. First, it was one or two. Eventually it got to the point where I wasn't really sure who was coming or going."

"Did something go wrong?" Kaz asked.

"It all started when I took over. People just don't trust me, they don't listen to me. I'm a bad leader, I'm useless." Sylvie hung her head.

"You can't blame yourself for that. You were young, still are." Tsuki looked the French girl in the eyes.

"I wasn't ever cut out to be a thief. I just wanted to have sparring buddies and have a cool group to hang out with, like when I was a kid. Turns out they really liked robbing and stealing. I could never bring myself to do it." Sylvie choked.

"That's a lot of responsibility for a kid. It's good that you didn't stoop that low, though." Kaz turned to look at Sylvie. "A fool's better than a criminal."

"I hate this feeling. I'm so scared."

"Why?" Tsuki asked.

"I still care about the gang. I've been in it since I was a kid. Some of those people have been there since before I was born! It feels horrible knowing that this all fell apart cuz of me. I don't wanna find out they're out there getting themselves hurt." Sylvie began to tear up.

"Yeah." Kaz sighed. "Organized crime is a slippery slope sometimes."

"It kinda hurts knowing some of them only stuck around for the money."

Shizuka reached up and tugged on Sylvie's leg. "Kid, sit down. You guys too."

The group obliged, sitting down on the floor across from their host.

"What is it?" Kazuo asked rather formally.

"Sylvie. I knew your grandfather."

"You did?" Sylvie leaned closer.

"He never really approved of the stealing thing either. He got soft in his old age, that's why he retired and handed it over to you." Shizuka explained.

"How do you know this?"

"You're not a great listener, are you?" Shizuka grit her teeth.

"Sorry, sorry. Please, tell me more!" Sylvie bowed her head.

"Don't feel so bad if things don't work out. We always get second chances." Shizuka's eyes wander toward Tsukiko.

"I don't want a second chance!"

"You already fucked up! Accept it and move on!" Shizuka scolded her.

"I can still fix this!" Sylvie raised her voice.

"I never said you couldn't. I just want you to acknowledge that the damage has been done. From now on, you're not trying to save the Damascenes, you're rebuilding them, understand?"

"Kind of."

"You're making your own Damascenes. They will be Sylvie's Damascenes. You will form them to what you want them to be. That's only if you become a stronger leader." Shizuka looked her in the eye, still laying on her side.

"I… I get it now." Sylvie bowed her head again.

"Jeez, took you long enough." Shizuka sighed.

"So, what do we do?" Tsuki cut their moment short.

"I think the first step is figuring out their goals." Kazuo leaned back.

"Make money, duh." Sylvie groaned.

"Is that their real goal? Making money is nice, but we don't really know if that's their endgame."

Sylvie looked at Tsukiko. "Who was the girl you fought?"

"They called her Flowers." Tsuki said.

"Do you remember what her mask looked like?" Kazuo seemed interested. "Like the pattern or the colors? What about her voice?"

"Her mask has a gold floral pattern. She has short, grey hair… not like old people grey, like actual dark grey." Tsukiko tried her best to remember.

"Y'know, something about her is kind of familiar." Sylvie blurted out.

"Huh, anything else?" Kazuo started writing some notes in a small book.

"She took off her robes and she had tanned skin. Not too tan, and she's fit too. I think we could probably spot her in a crowd kinda easily." Tsuki played with her fingers as she tried to remember.

"Yeah, that does kinda stand out…" Kazuo trailed off.

"What's wrong?" Sylvie looked concerned.

"I have to wonder what would happen if we found out their identities. Would the police believe us? What if we tracked them down ourselves?" Kazuo kept looking down at his notes.

"There isn't much to go on. We can't just go off a hunch either, or innocent people could get hurt. For now, we have to follow the masks." Tsuki spoke clearly to get her point across.

"What about the other guy?" Sylvie shut her eyes to try to remember. "The guy with the silver mask."

"Silver mask?" Kaz asked.

"There's a guy with a mask that's black and silver instead of black and gold." Sylvie explained.

Tsuki hesitated to speak. "Morgan. That guy kinda gives me the creeps."

"He's gotta be pretty scary if he's making you of all people uncomfortable." Shizuka laughed.

"Finally gonna out your two cents in on the Shakudo situation?" Tsukiko laughed.

Shizuka's face straightened out menacingly. "What makes him so scary?"

"He… uhh… quit staring at me like that!" Tsuki shoved her.

"Heheh." Shizuka laid down on the floor.

"He tried to burn a man with red hot metal… I felt sick to my stomach watching it." Tsuki grit her teeth.

"You broke the same guy's ribs." Sylvie pointed out.

"Not in front of a crowd!" Tsukiko snapped.

"I've seen worse." Shizuka yawned. "You'll get used to it."

"Don't let it get to you, Tsuki." Kazuo spoke softly. "Gang leaders typically like to put on shows to keep the underlings in check."

Tsukiko shook her head. "He said something about him deserving it. He wanted to get revenge for what that guy did to Lily, for some reason. Apparently the chief dropped charges against the guy."

"He knew we were there. It was probably just to scare us." Sylvie turned to Tsukiko.

"Did the chief really drop charges on him?" Tsuki thought aloud.

Shizuka sighed. "He's got a nasty habit of doing that."

"Why?" Kazuo looked down at Shizuka.

Shizuka looked back up at Kazuo. "Just the way he rolls, I guess. I'm not a lawyer, so I can't really tell you the exact reason."

"He committed a horrible crime! He can't just be let off!" Sylvie demanded.

"We're just Knights. We don't write the laws, and we don't make any legal decisions. If they wanna let a known arsonist back out on the streets, that's their own decision. Not ours." Shizuka rolled up a blanket under her head.

"So, was Morgan trying to make up for that?" Kaz asked.

"Make up for what?"

"Make up for what he believes is a mistake. If the cops didn't punish the guy, maybe he thinks he should." Kazuo speculated.

"Possible." Shizuka fidgeted.

"...kind of hypocritical, isn't it?" Sylvie scratched her head.

"Why?" Tsuki asked.

"The Shakudos are a street gang. Not exactly legal, now is it? Does he think he's some kind of vigilante?" Shizuka chuckled.

"Aren't the Knights vigilantes?" Kazuo asked.

"...not always." Shizuka spoke vaguely.

"What's that mean?" Tsuki asked.

"I never said we weren't, but I've worked with the cops before."

"Huh."

If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

"Still, we do it willingly. I wonder how his men are taking it." Shizuka mused.

"When we were fighting, the other Shakudos stood around and watched." Tsuki remembered.

"So, it could be disorganized?" Kazuo asked Sylvie.

Sylvie replied. "I don't know… He let us go when Tsuki beat Flowers."

"Maybe he was testing you." Kazuo shrugged.

"Testing us for what?"

"We're kind of assuming a lot here." Tsukiko cut Sylvie off.

"Well, if it isn't organized, you're kinda screwed. Folks like to make new gangs after their old ones fall apart." Shizuka stared at the ceiling.

Tsukiko groaned. "I don't even wanna think about it."

"Yeah, but--." Kazuo paused as he stared behind Tsukiko.

"Huh?" Tsuki turned behind her and watched as Claudia stepped past her and sat next to Kazuo.

"What're you doing here?" Sylvie asked.

Claudia pulled out a small notepad. "Aurelia sent me."

"Why?"

Claudia shrugged.

"Do we explain everything to her, or--." Tsuki was interrupted by the sound of flipping paper.

"No, I heard most of it." A paper slid toward her.

"O-Okay… Anyways, either way, we need to take down the current heads." Tsukiko sat up straight.

"And if another one gets on top?" Kaz argued.

"We take them down too." Tsuki continued.

Shizuka chuckled. "You really think you can do it twice? Three times?"

"Isn't that what you did?" Tsuki countered.

"...do as I say, not as I do." Shizuka groaned.

"Maybe we could get ‘em to back off?" Sylvie spoke up.

"How? There's like… five of us and… who knows how many of them." Kazuo scratched his head.

Claudia snapped her fingers and they all turned toward her. Shizuka had a grin on her face. The redhead pointed to Shizuka's computer.

"Huh? Yeah, sure. Just don't check my browser history." Shizuka sat up.

Claudia slid over to the keyboard and started typing. The rest of the group watched in quiet suspense as her thoughts appeared on a text document.

She wrote for a while, typing, then clearing what she had written. Her typing was very quick and accurate. Each keystroke was punctuated with the sound of a mechanical click.

When she was done, she motioned for Shizuka to read her thoughts aloud. "A good leader has to be respected."

"Well, yeah, that's obvious." Tsukiko brushed it off.

"But no one respects inconsistency." The second line was read off.

"Hmm."

"The Silver Masked man lost his temper. It is obvious that he too, is just as angry with that man as you are. Still, doing this put his leadership and image in jeopardy. He may have angered his closest ally."

"...and?" Sylvie pleaded.

"An image is in play here. Morgan seems to come across as a somewhat charming person, able to captivate an audience. Even if something fails, he can play it off and keep his followers pleased."

"How'd you know his name was Morgan?" Tsuki spoke again.

"Still, there is something within him. He holds grudges, and he attacks like a bull. His outward nature is nothing but a facade. A facade you were able to peek under, for just a moment."

They all sat, trying to decipher the meaning of this text.

"Morgan…" Sylvie repeated the name to herself.

"What's up?" Tsuki asked.

Claudia turned and spoke in her very hoarse and raspy voice.

"Sylvie must rebuild the Damascenes and the Knights must return."

Shizuka raised her fist up. "Hell yeah!"

"Hey, you sure about this?" Tsukiko asked.

"Of course!" Shizuka sat up.

Kazuo smiled. "Yeah, now I'll get to see if the legends are true."

"They're mostly true." Shizuka smirked.

Claudia moved over to sit next to Kazuo, holding onto his arm and leaning onto his shoulder.

"Aww, I haven't seen her act like that in years." Shizuka smiled.

Kaz turned to Claudia. "Huh?"

Claudia did not respond, acting as if she hadn't heard Kazuo at all.

"So, I really do have to be a Knight, huh?" Tsukiko looked down at her hands.

"Feels good to know you'll be stickin' around." Shizuka had a warm look on her face.

"I wasn't planning on leaving."

"I never doubted it. Just feels nice to hear it out loud. You're too much like me to give up already." Shizuka yawned. "Besides, I think that Nakano girl wants you to be her Knight anyways."

"Huh?"

"Every Knight has their princess. You have Fumiko, I had her father, Haruka has…" Shizuka turned to Kazuo.

The private eye turned red. "…eheheheh."

Tsukiko sighed. "I didn't even notice."

Sylvie rolled her eyes. "God, you're oblivious."

"Point is, we've all got reasons to keep going. Even if we have no idea where we're headed, we keep walking." Shizuka took a deep breath. "I care too much about you and Haruka for you to just move on. Maybe it's selfish of me to want you two to stick to the whole Knight thing. It's just a dumb childhood dream for me, but… I don't feel like giving up on it just yet."

Tsuki smiled. "I wanna be a Knight. I don't just wanna take down the Shakudos, I want to protect people. I want to help those in need."

Shizuka's eyes brightened. "That's what I'm talking about. It's dumb, but damnit, that's what a real Knight does!"

"Jeez, that's corny." Sylvie turned to Shizuka. "Are you crying?"

"J-just a little." Shizuka's voice cracked as she began sobbing.

"You alright?" Tsukiko struggled to decide whether she should try to help or not.

Claudia laid a hand on Shizuka's shoulder.

"…childhood dream?" Kaz thought out loud.

"Yeah." Shizuka curled up.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"…I became a Knight when I was twelve or thirteen."

"Thirteen? Like… fighting at thirteen?" Sylvie scoffed.

"Yeah…" Shizuka sniffled. "I used to fight bullies back in middle school."

"Wow."

"It was dumb, but it really changed the course of my entire life. I never thought you and Haruka would join me someday!"

"Crying because you're happy?" Sylvie asked.

"Well, all this time, I thought it was a waste of time. Look at me, look around! What have I got to be proud of?" Shizuka took a second to compose herself. "…I feel like I have a reason to be alive."

The room got quiet.

"Well, then be a Knight again." Claudia whispered.

Shizuka turned to her. "I think I'm too old."

"I thought you said you were thirty." Tsuki stared.

"Nah, twenty-nine. Not my birthday yet." Shizuka corrected her.

"Christmas cake." Kaz laughed.

Both Tsuki and Shizuka glared at him.

"Well, you're definitely not old enough to retire yet."

"Old enough to get in the way."

"You're still strong." Tsukiko countered.

"What if I put you in danger?"

"Aren't we all already in danger?" Tsuki scoffed.

"But I'm an emotional wreck." Shizuka made up more excuses.

"Who isn't?"

"No, I can't, I'd--." Shizuka got cut off.

"I'll do whatever it takes." Tsukiko grew serious.

"I… but…" Shizuka smiled and took a deep breath. "You're stubborn."

"Then it's settled?" Tsuki lightened up.

"Yeah."

"Three Knights, huh?" Sylvie leaned back.

"What's up?" Kaz asked.

"Y'know, when I was a kid, I never really got to see Shizuka fight. Haruka's always been strong, but Tsuki's even stronger. Can't even imagine how strong Shizuka must be."

Shizuka lifted up her shirt. "I'm out of shape, look, my stomach's all soft and squishy."

"You look the same as you did back when I was a kid." Sylvie remarked.

"What? No. I looked better than this, didn't I?" Shizuka narrowed her eyes.

"Let's get back on topic, guys." Kazuo chuckled.

"Claudia said something about my gang, what about that?" Sylvie shot up.

"We can help, but it's down to their leader." Shizuka focused intensely on Sylvie.

Sylvie groaned. "Yeah, I know. I just don't know what to do."

"I thought you told me you knew exactly what to do!" Tsuki complained.

"Well, yeah, but… I'm not really sure if it's gonna work out."

"Just get off your ass and start doing something. Get ‘em riled up about something." Shizuka waved her hand.

"Yeah, but riled up about what?"

The entire group glared at Sylvie.

"What?"

"…the Shakudos." Kaz mumbled.

"Oh, shit, yeah!" Sylvie smacked herself in the face.

"Well, there ya go. Planning is over! Aren't you glad you did it here instead of in Aurelia's shop?" Shizuka clapped.

"I think having you mattered more. It doesn't matter where we go to talk, it was just nice to have you here." Tsukiko smiled.

Shizuka's eyes sparkled. "You mean that?"

"Yeah."

"Thanks…"

"Yeah, you really know your stuff." Kaz remarked.

"This ain't my first rodeo." Shizuka laughed to herself.

"What was?" Tsukiko's curiosity got the better of her.

"Oh, wow… uhmm. That must've been… over fifteen years ago." Shizuka's eyes moved back and forth.

"Really?"

"Well, duh, it was one of my first jobs. I first started when I was twelve, so…" Shizuka counted on her fingers. "Seventeen, eighteen years ago?"

"Wow, that was around the time I was born." Tsuki's eyes widened slightly.

"It was a few weeks after. I remember when I came in and named you." Shizuka reminisced.

"You named me?" Tsukiko leaned forward.

"Mhmm. Your mom's awful with names, so she asked me. I was a weird kid, so I thought Tsukiko would be a good name. Looking back, I think it came out just right."

Tsukiko sat back down to think. What was just a passing story to Shizuka was a revelation to Tsuki. It was something that had been bothering her for years.

Someone had given her that name. For years, she had her doubts and theories. The somewhat anticlimactic reveal of it all was a bit too much for her to bear.

"Tsuki?" Kaz nudged her.

"I haven't finished my story." Shizuka scratched her head.

"Oh, sorry." Tsuki listened intently.

"It was a couple school bullies, the end." Shizuka spoke very quickly.

"Are they the reason you became a Knight?" Kazuo spoke quietly, as if sympathetic.

"I was a dumb kid. I thought I could beat up the bullies and save the day, but I got my ass kicked a lot as a kid. I got tough though. Really tough." Shizuka nodded to herself.

"That's actually sorta noble. Dumb, but noble." Sylvie chuckled.

"Show a little respect. If it weren't for the Knights, your gang wouldn't even exist." Shizuka frowned.

Sylvie frowned. "Yeah, yeah."

"It's getting late. We should all head home." Kazuo stood up, wobbling slightly.

Sylvie joined him, stretching her back.

"Stay here for a second, Tsukiko." Shizuka whispered.

The rest of the group, save for Claudia, stood up, starting for the hallway that led to Shizuka's front door.

"You coming?" Sylvie asked her.

"I-I'll catch up with you guys in a second." Tsuki stuttered.

"Aight." Sylvie and Kaz disappeared down the dark hallway.

"Yo, lock the door on your way out!" Shizuka shouted.

The only response she got was a door slam.

"…that bitch." Shizuka grumbled.

"What's up?" Tsuki sat up straight, with a bit of formality.

"That bitch slammed my door." Shizuka pointed down the hallway.

"Uhh."

Shizuka muttered to herself. "Goddamn. Coming to my house, slamming my door, fuckin' kids--"

"Shizuka?"

"…and I haven't eaten all day, My package hasn't arrived, and I have to reorganize all my files. All cuz this fucking--" Shizuka muttered to herself as started looking around her room.

"Shizuka!"

"What?" She finally snapped out of her trance.

"What the hell are you mumbling about?"

"Oh, just talking to myself, don't worry." Shizuka shook her head and held up her hands in defense.

"A-alright. Why did you want me to stay?"

"What." Shizuka yawned. "You don't wanna chill for a bit?"

"It sounded urgent." Tsuki played with her hat.

"Am I wasting your time?" Shizuka frowned.

"No. It's not about time, you just sounded kinda serious."

"Then… sorry." Shizuka sighed.

"Just calm down, what do you need?"

Shizuka turned to Claudia. "Can I get just a couple minutes with Tsuki?"

The redhead nodded, and stood up, disappearing into the dark hallway.

"Sorry, I just feel anxious." Tsukiko tried to breathe slowly.

"Why?"

"I dunno, with all this Knight stuff and the Shakudos, I can't help but feel worried."

"Having doubts?"

"No." Tsuki shook her head. "It's just… a lot to take in, I guess. The idea that I have to live up to some name. Two names, even. It's more than I could ever imagine."

"Tsuki."

"What?"

"I think you'll be fine."

"Not like I can give up."

Shizuka frowned. "Don't even think about it. I know that's rich coming from me, but--"

"Do you think I'm worthy of this jacket?" Tsuki pointed down at herself.

"Listen, I'm the First Knight, so I'm kind of an authority on this. You're plenty worthy, probably more worthy than I was when I started." Shizuka sat up and looked Tsuki in the eye.

"What about Haruka?"

"Don't worry about her. What matters is that I think you're ready for this. You've got that spark in you." Shizuka smiled.

"What does that mean? What makes me worthy?" Tsukiko's voice rose.

"Before I met you, I was inches away from… y'know. I used to hurt myself, still do. I used to do stupid things just to feel something. I felt like such a burden." Shizuka paused and took a deep breath. "I just wanted it all to end. Sometimes, I still do. I wonder if there's any reason for me to go on. But when I saw you, when I saw how you made your sister glow again. I saw Aurelia again, and I saw Claudia smile again… I know you deserve it more than anyone else."

Tsuki didn't know what to say, so she only uttered one word. "Huh."

Shizuka smiled. "I'm not really sure what it is about you. I mean, we've talked for what, two days? I'm wearing this damn jacket again. Haruka's got a boyfriend now, for god's sake. I haven't seen Claudia this happy in a long time. You're like… a saint."

"Seriously?" Tsuki laughed at her aunt.

Shizuka continued. "I know you never asked for this, but it was inevitable. Maybe just being a Himura made this your destiny. Had it not been Fumiko, it might've been something else."

"Why do you say that?"

"We always get dragged into bad situations, don't we? Maybe what Haruka and I did back in the day made you a target, I don't know. Maybe we just have bad luck. I just feel glad that it led to this. It feels like… I could have friends again. It feels like I can be a part of the family again."

"Sometimes I forget you're my aunt." Tsuki smiled.

"I don't care what I am to you. Friend, family, whatever. Just… don't die, or give up, or get hurt, or--"

Shizuka peeked down the hallway for a second, then waved her hand, and Claudia returned.

"You okay?" Tsukiko turned to look.

"I noticed her writing something down and I wanna see what she has to say." Shizuka kept motioning for her to come over.

Claudia approached, holding something out to her. She shook it as if to ask Tsukiko to read what was in it. Tsukiko grabbed what appeared to be a leather bound notebook.

"Like it or not, there will always be someone to fight. The Knights, the Damascenes, and the Shakudos are all linked. The names may not be permanent, but the conflict is." The text was in a deep, crimson ink. "It is unavoidable. There will be times of peace and war, as that is how Humans are. Knights like you will always be needed."

"But Claudia, I--"

Claudia tapped near the bottom of the page. "I know deep down you enjoy the conflict. You love the idea of being a Knight, and being able to protect. It is inevitable. Be it the Shakudos or the Damascenes or a school bully, you never rest where you feel something is wrong. You have always fought to protect yourself and others. It is noble."

Tsuki sat dumbfounded.

"Deep." Shizuka sat still.

"…how does she know me so well?"

"Claudia knows everything and anything. I mean, she seems like she'd be really good at keeping an eye on us. Shame she can't talk."

"I can speak, Shizuka." Claudia spoke in her usual rasp.

"Not well."

Claudia shook her head in agreement. Her face looked as if she didn't care about this inherent disability.

"Why can't she talk?" Tsuki asked.

"Only Claudia and Aurelia know for sure. Doesn't matter, I think it's kinda charming." Shizuka smiled.

"You feel like answering any questions today?" Tsuki tried to force out a reply.

Claudia stopped to consider it before shaking her head.

"Worth a shot." Tsuki sighed.

"Someday?" Shizuka asked.

Claudia shrugged.

"It's better that way. It would be like ruining a magic trick." Shizuka chuckled.

"Yeah, I'm sleepy." Tsuki stood up.

"Goodnight?" Shizuka waved.

"Goodnight."

"Sleep tight, stay safe."

"You too." Tsuki stood up.

She found Claudia holding one of the doors in the hallway open for her. Tsukiko walked into the door, finding herself in her own bedroom. She took a few steps forward, then collapsed in bed.