Rikuto bustles around the Tokai home’s dining room, fussing over the tiniest details of cleanliness, double- and triple-checking his files laid out on the table. This would be the first time ever holding a business meeting of any kind in his own home. It couldn’t be helped— the prosecutor’s office was one of the places the rioters made a real mess of, and the cleanup work was still ongoing. All the case files strewn everywhere just made the cleanup more difficult— not just anyone could work on it without seeing some confidential details. 

Finally, it seems Rikuto is satisfied everything is in order. He puts the file of interest on the top. The case of a young high school boy who was among the rioters. It seemed the villains who held the town hostage were using some kind of psychoactive drug— at least, that was the case being made. Rikuto was alright with pursuing it that way. Rehabilitative, rather than punitive justice. The boy deserved a second chance for a mistake made in his youth. That’s what he could hear Matsuri saying. Yuzuki too. 

When the doorbell rings, Rikuto straightens his tie and opens the door. 

Rikuto: Welcome. Thanks very much for taking the time to come here today. 

Anisa: (she bows her head solemnly) Thank you for accommodating me, Tokai-san. It seems we are not quite done with each other just yet.

Rikuto: Heh, well, it’s all for the good of the younger generation, right? Nothing wrong with that. 

Anisa: I’m not so sure about that anymore, I’m afraid. What even is the difference between fearmongering about a mysterious new drug and telling people the inconvenient truth?

Rikuto: Gotta explain it somehow. Drugs are a scapegoat the public will swallow pretty easy. 

Anisa: In any case, I shouldn’t be telling you how to prosecute a case against a student of mine. I’m assuming we shouldn’t just talk openly about whatever we please.

Rikuto: Right. As members of the city council, I’d mostly like to discuss what we can do so our young folks can recover from this. Rehabilitation, and all that. (He steps aside to let Anisa in) But don’t be a stranger, come in and we can discuss the details of all this. 

Anisa: (she nods, following him inside) If you’ll pardon my intrusion.

They head into the Tokai house’s dining room, where Rikuto has laid out his documents. It’s a typical Japanese dining room, with an adjoining kitchen behind a low wall. On the far side is a row of shelves for displaying pictures and knick-knacks. Among the various trinkets, a familiar object catches Anisa’s eye: a strange shard of white, glassy material, about the size of a fist. 

It shimmers and shines with even the slightest change of viewing angle, and upon its surface are countless straight lines, like a circuit board. A “treasure” Anisa had once found, together with Yuzuki, Toi, and Emiri when they were children. A time long past.

In time, Rikuto notices Anisa’s gaze and looks over to the shelf.

Rikuto: Weird little thing, isn’t it? Pretty, though. 

Anisa: How… How did it end up here, if I may ask?

Rikuto: (He puts his hands on his hips, speaking with obvious pride) My girl Yuzuki and her friends found it somewhere, back when she was little. It looks like it’s from a computer or some machine, right? But we never figured out where it came from. She and her friends used to take turns holding onto it, but… well, I guess we ended up with it after a while. 

Anisa: (she frowns, studying the keepsake intently) Why did you decide to keep it?

Rikuto: Less that we decided and more that it just ended up that way. (He folds his arms, more somber than before) She used to play with a couple girls from another family, plus another little girl, name of… Anisa. They’d call themselves The Three Musketeers. (he chuckles, though only briefly) Anisa stopped coming around one day, though, and I guess Yuzu was— sorry, Yuzuki was the one who happened to have this little widget right then. Guess they just stopped passing it around. 

Anisa: Well, there was a fourth musketeer in the original novel as well, so… I suppose that’s accurate.

Rikuto: Oh, I’m surprised you know that story. Sometimes I feel like I’m the only one in Japan who does, thanks to all this. 

Anisa: I’m sure there’s plenty of twelve-year-olds who think they’re very smart because they know that little tidbit.

Rikuto: Heh. Well, knowing old French novels is pretty good for a Japanese kid. 

Anisa: Bet they’d be real popular.

Rikuto: Those are my daughter’s friends you’re talking about. (He adjusts the fragment’s position on the shelf) Let’s hope that Anisa girl didn’t get caught up in all the bad business lately, wherever she is. 

Anisa: I hope so… You could say it’s the reason why I think it’s our duty as adults to make life in this city worth living in spite of all that. Not her, specifically, I mean. Just in general.

Rikuto: Right. Shall we discuss those rehabilitation programs, then?