Athena’s mom is a sweetheart. Eve is her name.

  My mom shared a very similar name with her. Eve and Evelyn. We laughed about the coincidence as Athena’s mom had met mine.

  I could definitely see where my friend's kind heart came from.

  Without a hesitation she agreed to use her space to test my project. I set it up with the help of Itsuki. I didn’t even need to instruct him how to use the camera. He did it by just seeing the materials and the way it looked.

  Three cameras inside in different corners and one from outside of a view of people on the street walking in or by. The idea was to test them running for two days. The third day will be spent analyzing the recordings and function of the database me and Athena created.

  Friday is presentation day.

  Originally I wanted to test it at the University grounds but they rejected it. Not wanting to intercept anyone in their security system. I kind of get their view but also find it very annoying.

  “What do we do now?” Itsuki asked a question when we finished setting them up.

  I was sitting in the back room, which also was Athena’s mom’s office room. I opened my laptop, the one I used for my studies.

  There was no way I’d bring out my personal one for Itsuki to notice.

  I felt like I should hide what I had because he might tell Nobu Ichigo that I possess something that can be used to breach their firewalls. They already know enough about me.

  “Oh!!!” Athena crouched next to me watching me to connect to the cameras. Which were now turned on and working.

  Itsuki joined in standing from behind me.

  “They are recording!” Athena looked excited.

  I had a screen on from all of the views of the camera in one page. I clicked on the second page where my data system was on. I turned it on. It was now up and running.

  “We wait.” I replied to Itsuki’s question, while typing up some codes to make sure it works smoothly.

  “Guys!” Eve popped in with a big smile and apron on.

  “Mom!” Athena acknowledged her mom happily.

  I looked up and Itsuki too.

  “Come out. I made some lunch for all of you!” She smiled happily welcoming us in her space.

  “You didn’t need to!” I said my expression grateful.

  That only made Athena’s mom smile sweeter.

  “I treat my daughter’s friend well." She happily said.

  “I am starving!” Itsuki was the first one to move out of the room.

  Athena looked my way.

  “Her specials are good!” She encouraged me.

  I eventually nodded.

  “Okay.”

  I typed again on the laptop and then locked the screen. Got up from my seat and followed Itsuki and Athena out in the table space.

  Eve had prepared a table for us. She herself left to treat customers and left us happily to have some lunch.

  “We can make expressions ourselves to check it out!” Athena exclaimed excitedly.

  Itsuki looked back and nodded.

  “Let’s do it!”

  They started to make different funny expressions.

  I smiled at Athena’s mom as I passed her.

  She had prepared some pumpkin spiced latte drinks and sandwiches with different fillings like cheese, ham, bacon, salad. As well with her sweet cake treats that is her shop’s speciality. The most popular is her raspberry cheesecake.

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  “Why did Em go?” Athena suddenly asked Itsuki.

  Em dropped us off here and then left us.

  “Em’s has her own things to do.” Itsuki replied to Athena as he sat down in a seat.

  Athena sat down next.

  “For sure, she could at least have lunch with us! I feel bad!” Athena explained her feelings. She wanted Em to be included and be friends with her. Like an instinct, Athena wanted everyone to feel welcomed.

  “She is good. Don’t you worry. I won’t explain to you more than I have and, please do not press on it more.” Itsuki for the first time sternly changed his expression at Athena’s questions.

  That made me look at his expression.

  I sat down myself.

  “Why so serious?” I asked him with a challenging look.

  Athena looked over at me with a small nervous smile.

  “It’s okay. I might be pressing something that I am not supposed to. Let’s drop it.” Athena nervously said.

  “Oh…no! I am not letting this go!” My eyes focused on Itsuki.

  These people have been putting me through it. It was deserved.

  “Fair.” Itsuki noted, looking at me. “In her condition there are certain things Em can and can’t do. One of them is being out here. She can’t be here.” Itsuki said.

  “Why?” I pressed on.

  Athena looked nervous at me doing so. She put her hand on my shoulder lightly.

  “Well…for starters, she was not supposed to come to Akasia with me. The only reason she came is because she heard I was leaving for a longer period of time and insisted on being with me.” He explained to us. The tone he used was as if he was telling a story but felt like something there was underneath it.

  “She’s codependent with you…is that what you are pointing at?” I asked.

  Itsuki nodded.

  “Doesn’t that mean that she should be here next to you right now?” I felt more pressured to ask this.

  “It’s okay. We get it!” Athena replied, scared of our challenging tones.

  “Em has memory loss from before the accident. It's to save her mental state which finally is somehow stable. Being codependent with me has helped her to be better. I ask her to do things but she has her own healing to do. If I let her be by my side at all times it would hurt her long term.” Itsuki explained his side.

  But that wasn’t all. “Em’s reason to look like she does is because where she comes from is the trauma of someone's experiment on her. She barely survived it and I happened to be there to save her.” Itsuki replied to the question before I could ask. Looking at me and Athena with a serious expression.

  “Oh no!” Athena’s eyes bulged open and big hearing this. Even some tears came up in her eyes.

  “That's…kind of messed up.” I said.

  “This world is not a kind place for people like her.” Itsuki said and sipped his latte.

  I also reached for mine.

  Athena started to softly cry now.

  “I am sorry!” She apologised as if she was the one guilty.

  “It’s fine. Nothing anyone can do, especially you.” Itsuki waved his hand for her to stop crying.

  I looked beside me at Athena. She truly felt this girl's pain.

  “She kind of reminds me of my sister…the way she looks is as if she could be just like her.” She explained her being emotional.

  “Speaking of your…past…what do you want to do?” Itsuki steered the conversation away from Em and moved towards something more serious.

  I looked around.

  “Is this really the place to discuss it?” Nervous that Athena’s mom might hear it.

  “It’s the perfect place to!” Itsuki replied.

  I looked over to Athena, who wiped her tears. Nervously looked back at her mom, keeping her composure.

  “I am not sure…” She said with her voice lowered.

  “Are you waiting for something specific to happen?” Itsuki questioned.

  “I don’t think I can physically leave just like that. They would definitely hunt me down before I could.” Athena said.

  “So you need help…to escape…” Itsuki was thinking.

  “I…my mom and Itsuki have a clearance to leave, if you sneak yourself in when one of us leaves, it could work.” I replied with my thoughts.

  Athena and Itsuki openly looked my way.

  “Thought you didn’t want to help.” Itsuki pointed at me.

  Those two cat-like eyes staring at me interested in my changing mind.

  “I will help, only if Athena waits for the next three months.” I said my condition.

  Athena’s eyes opened wide.

  “Wait, you changed your mind?” She excitedly grabbed my hand.

  I nodded.

  “For real!” Her expression surprised and made her happy.

  “Wait three months. Don’t do anything before that.” I said.

  “What’s happening in three months?” Itsuki asked, intrigued.

  “I will graduate.” I declared.

  Athena looked at me with a double take. “What?”

  “I will use the new system to graduate with a new degree in three months.” I said. “Once I am done, let’s have a trip to my hometown.” I invited Athena with a smile on my face.

  Itsuki watched me intrigued by this. He did hear the challenge Nobu Ichigo gave me. He was there so he knows what I am aiming to do. The picture of the plan in our heads getting more clear.

  “Let’s do it!” He encouraged it, smiling.

  We nodded in agreement. The first step is to finish this week to finish my development project and then move on to overall tests. After I pass them, they will have to give me more materials and I am planning to pass every one of them to graduate in three months. It will be a challenge, and I may be locked in reading books and studying harder than ever but within these next months, in the end it will be worth it.

  I will become number two and stand next to Nobu Ichigo and try to search for my dad Sano by myself in secret. If I can get my friend Athena to him, she will be safeguarded and not found the same way my dad is. That’s the only way I could picture to guarantee her safety. If I let her out of sight anything might happen.

  This will also start an open conflict with Reigen Lawyet. The rule stickler will definitely hunt me down.

  Though, Itsuki still is my problem. I don’t trust his words and actions when he says he is helping. I think he may stop us. So I might have to give some kind of diversion. I could use Athena’s friends to do it. They were very invested to do something the last time they called me to their study group. I believe using them carefully will make this work.

  The point of it, Nobu Ichigo is thinking I will be his obstacle at the time when I did not know who he is.

  Now that I’ve met him, I do feel like I have an obligation. As Sano’s daughter to try to pry the truth of this mystery and uncover what’s underneath. I won’t be able to accomplish this in a day. It will take time to do it but eventually I will make them rethink the decision they did to provoke me against them.

  Reigen…Shin…Yukari…Nobu. Just sit there beautifully and wait for me to catch up to you. I will do it in my own time!