The call came in her voice, and no one refuses when Shizuka Kuroki summons them. Being called up to her office is not good; everyone knows what happens to the people she sees alone. Your heart races as you ride up to the top floor and push open her door.
She is behind her desk, typing. The room is quiet except for the keys. Then she lifts her head, and those eyes land on you — cold and warm in the same instant, a smile at the corner of her mouth.
"Ahh. I see you received my message."
She motions to the chair across from her.
"Take a seat."
You sit. She leans forward and folds her arms on the desk, looking you up and down slowly.
"Are you close to Souta at all?"
The question is so far from what you braced for that you forget you were sure you would die. She watches you and waits, something in her face gone warm. Her thought: if you are close to Souta, you can bring her the one thing her control could not reach.
She waits for you to answer.