That day's voice from Rennya still lingered in her head. "It's Misaki's harassment. You don't need to apologize." He'd said it so clearly, without a shred of doubt — and yet today, he would show her an entirely different face. Saara didn't know that yet. The Aoba mansion was quiet as always in the morning. The weeping cherry in the courtyard swayed its thin branches in the winter wind. The flowers wouldn't bloom for some time yet. But the beauty of those branches was Saara's favorite thing in this entire estate. From the kitchen came the sound of Yoshie chopping. Rhythmic. Steady. Saara felt a small measure of reassurance as she walked down the hallway, listening to that sound. That was when it happened. A voice came from the direction of the second-floor study. Not Rennya's usual low, quiet tone. It was suppressed — but not suppressed enough. That kind of voice. Saara stopped in her tracks. "...Explain yourself, Ryousuke." Rennya's voice leaked into the hallway. Saara moved slowly toward it. The study door was half-open. "[cold]Misaki told me. That you were the one who took the confidential documents." Ryousuke answered, a beat faster than usual. "[serious]Chairman, that is not true. I have never removed any documents." "But Misaki says she saw you. Coming out of the document room." "[serious]Last night, I did not go near the document room. If you would verify——" "There's no way to verify. The surveillance footage from last night is gone." Silence fell. Saara stood outside the door, holding her breath. (The surveillance camera... is gone?) Something was wrong. She felt it instinctively. And yet her body wouldn't move. She had no words to break into this moment. Rennya's voice came again. This time it was low, fractured somehow. "[angry]I thought you, at least, would never betray me." That single sentence reached the hallway. Saara felt her chest tighten at the weight of it. Not anger. Something deeper — a wound seemed to seep through Rennya's voice. "Chairman——" "Get out. I don't want to see your face right now." Seconds later, the door swung open. Ryousuke stepped into the hallway. His black suit was as immaculate as always, not a thread out of place. But his expression — it wasn't the usual Ryousuke. Something floated in his eyes. Not anger. Not sadness. Just a quiet, deep wound. Ryousuke looked at Saara. For a moment, he seemed about to say something. Then his lips closed. "[whispers]...I'm sorry, Miss Saara. For the unsightly display." With only that, Ryousuke walked down the hallway. His back seemed somehow smaller than usual. Saara stood rooted to the spot. (Why... Ryousuke...) "You were there." Rennya's voice came from behind her. She turned. Rennya was leaning against the study doorframe, shoulders against the wood. Black suit. His bangs slightly disheveled. His jet-black eyes looked straight at her. But those eyes — they weren't their usual coldness. Something wilder, uncontrolled, burned in the depths of his gaze. "You heard everything, didn't you." "Ah, yes... The door was open, so I just..." Saara answered honestly. Rennya took a step closer. "[cold]Did you believe in Ryousuke." Saara measured the meaning of that question for a moment. Was he blaming her? Confirming something? It was both, somehow. "...I don't think Ryousuke would do something like that." She said it honestly. It was her true feeling. Rennya's expression stiffened slightly. "[cold]I see. So you're on Ryousuke's side too." "That's not what I meant... It's just, that person——" "Enough." The words were short. Cutting. Rennya closed the door. The click echoed down the hallway. Saara couldn't move for a long moment. (Why...) Until just now, that person had said he would protect her. When the coffee was spilled on her, he'd gotten angry in an instant. And yet now, separated by a single door, he'd shut her out. Because she understood that — her chest ached, slowly, from the inside. It wasn't anger. It wasn't quite sadness either. Just the knowledge that the distance she'd thought was closing had widened beyond what it had been before, all in a single night. That sensation alone sat heavy in the depths of her body. (For it to hurt this much... it must mean that Rennya really...) Saara stopped herself from finishing that thought. If she did, it would hurt even more. She went out to the courtyard. The winter air touched her cheeks. The stone path beneath the weeping cherry was slightly damp. Morning dew, perhaps. Saara stood on those stones and looked up at the sky. Gray clouds spread low and wide. Then she crouched down. She didn't make a sound. If she did, she felt she wouldn't be able to stop. But the tears wouldn't stop either. One drop, then another, falling onto the stone path. She hadn't defended Ryousuke. She should have said it clearly. "Ryousuke is innocent." But the words wouldn't come. Her body had frozen before Rennya's anger. (Ryousuke... I'm sorry...) As she cried silently, footsteps approached. "Young mistress." It was Yoshie's voice. Saara hurried to wipe her face. But Yoshie was already there. Her salt-and-pepper bob swayed slightly in the winter wind. Her indigo eyes looked down at Saara quietly. Yoshie crouched beside her without a word. For a moment, they both remained silent. "[gentle]Young mistress, you've done nothing wrong." Yoshie's voice had lost its usual playful lightness. In its place was a solid, weighty tone. "Don't give up now. If you cry here, the cherry tree will feel sorry for you." Saara almost laughed — and that made her cry harder. "[crying]But I couldn't protect Ryousuke..." "[gentle]Master Ryousuke isn't the type to worry about such things. The only thing he cares about is whether the facts are true." Yoshie paused for a moment. "And——" Her voice dropped slightly. "[serious]Last night, I was doing prep work in the kitchen until late. I clearly saw Master Ryousuke come to the kitchen. Around 10 o'clock at night. It should be quite close to the time Miss Misaki claims she 'saw' him." Saara looked up. "[surprised]Eh... Does that mean...?" "I don't know if it constitutes an alibi. But it could be a lead." Yoshie sighed. "[sarcastic]Our chairman is stubborn and honest to a fault. Once he gets angry, he won't even look for evidence himself. What a troublesome man." Saara, her face still wet with tears, laughed a little. Yoshie laughed softly too. That laughter warmed, just slightly, the tears that had fallen on the stone path. Night came. The hallway of the Aoba mansion was quieter than in the day. The servants had withdrawn, and the entire building seemed to be holding its breath. Saara stood before the study door. A faint light leaked from the gap beneath it. Rennya was there. But from the color of that light, she could tell he wouldn't receive anyone tonight. She couldn't explain what kind of light it was. She just felt it. Saara placed her hand on the door. (Even so, I have to say it.) She knocked. Three times. No answer. She knocked again. Still, silence. Saara spoke toward the door in a small voice. "[gentle]Rennya... Please listen to me." The hallway was utterly still. "There's something I need to tell you about Ryousuke. Yoshie saw something——" Still no answer. But Saara felt it clearly. The space beyond the door had changed. It had become quieter. The kind of quiet where someone holds their breath. The thickness of a single door felt impossibly vast tonight. Perhaps Rennya was alone in there, turning things over and over in his mind. The wild look in his eyes from this afternoon floated in her memory. He was hurt too. The pain of having to doubt someone he'd believed in for ten years — he was carrying that alone. Saara kept her hand on the door and spoke once more. "[gentle]...I'll come again tomorrow." With only that, she turned and walked away. As she moved down the hallway, Saara recalled Yoshie's words. Last night at 10 o'clock, Ryousuke had been in the kitchen. If that could be proven — Misaki's testimony would crumble. Don't give up, Saara thought. Even if she had to cry. Even if the door wouldn't answer. Don't give up. It was the only thing she could do now.