Page 59 of Pandion

“Yes?” Noguchi-san appeared at the door. Harumine lifted his finger up to his lips to signal silence. She frowned, but it didn’t take her long to catch the drift. She let them in and closed the door carefully.

“I heard a frightful noise yesterday. They came knocking on my door as well. Get in the closet. I’ll handle this.” She seemed trustworthy, but since Harumine had thought the same about Nishimura only a moment ago, having to hide in the closet made him a tad bit antsy. Yajima complied but looked equally unhappy about it.

“What’s Tsuyoshi-kun up to? Does he have a plan?” Yajima whispered.

“I sure hope so.” Harumine couldn’t say what was so important that Kagesawa had to return to the apartment for it. The priority should have been to get the hell out of here.Please hurry…

Kagesawa grabbed the bags he’d packed from under his bed, put on his coat and headed for the window. Swinging out had feltslightly more covert in the dark with no one around, but at least this was the top floor and high enough for not many people to notice.

Kagesawa climbed out and past the downspout. He felt safer once he’d reached the side of the narrow alleyway. Teetering on the ledge was precarious enough without the baggage, so he let them fall down to the ground below and made his way across the side of the building. He tried to hurry, but it was slow going to avoid falling down to his death.

I’m outside. I’m coming over. I think there might be a ladder over there, but I can’t remember for sure.He had a vague recollection of seeing one, but it could have easily been the adjacent building with what his memory was like.

I can hear them in the corridor now. They’re up here.We’re in the closet. Should I check for the ladder? Never mind. They’re at Noguchi-san’s door. Shit. I hope we can trust her.

So long as no one peered out the windows looking for trouble, Kagesawa was confident he could reach the other side. The challenge was to get Satoru and Yajima out and down.

Oh, thank God, she’s giving them hell,Satoru continued. Kagesawa hadn’t doubted that she would. Nishimura maybe yes, but Noguchi-san? She would never betray him. They had an understanding.

I’ve reached the corner. There’s a ladder, but it’s going to be a jump. It’s on the building across, a metre or so. As soon as you can safely get out of there, do it.

Kagesawa waited. Time slowed to a crawl. When Satoru finally swung himself out through the window with Yajima close behind him, Kagesawa grabbed a hold of him and helped him over to the downspout, relieved. Once he’d made sure Satoru had reached the ladder safely, he turned to help Yajima, who was struggling similarly.

They were now out of the building but by no means out of danger. The streets were likely still crawling with anti-empath vigilantes. No place was safe.

“Tsuyoshi-kun!”

Kagesawa turned toward the window to see Noguchi-san’s head poking out. He hurried over.

“This is for the young one.” She handed Kagesawa a knitted jumper. “Take care of yourselves out there.” Her hands remained over Kagesawa’s for a while.

“Thank you. For everything.” It occurred to Kagesawa that this could be the last time he saw her or any of his other neighbours. The world had changed, and it was possible it would never be safe to return. “Give my regards.”

“Will do. Thank you as well.”

“It’s been a pleasure.” Kagesawa flashed her a smile, and though clearly worried, she returned it.

“Likewise.”

At the bottom of the ladder, Harumine waited for Kagesawa to climb down. In the meantime, Yajima checked the options for the safest route for a getaway. He didn’t seem interested in making this a group effort, but he was there, unable to decide which way to head, when Kagesawa descended down to street level.

“How did you get here? Did you drive?” Kagesawa asked him, tossed Harumine a jumper—just the thing to ward off the worst of the cold—and hurried to pick up some bags from the other end of the alley. Yajima shook his head.

“I came from out of town. The train was faster.”

“Here.” Kagesawa gave both Yajima and Harumine a bag each. “It’s less suspicious if I’m not the only one carrying all this.”

“What is it?” Yajima asked.

Harumine peeked into the bag he’d been given. It seemed like a basic set of travel gear. “Oh sweet, you packed my toothbrush?” He was genuinely happy to see it, even though it didn’t seem like a priority right now.

“What the hell happened that made you this organised?” Yajima gave Kagesawa some suspicious side-eye.

Kagesawa responded with a casual shrug and pointed at Harumine.

“Don’t look at me. I’ve had a migraine for the past few days. I’ve not been fit to focus on anything, much less help anyone.”

“I was motivated.” Kagesawa took Harumine by the hand and pulled him along.

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