She’d been sure they were all worried because they weren’t going to school, and so they’d been avoiding the subject. But now that didn’t seem to be the case. At least with Masamune and Subaru, they just hadn’t brought it up because they didn’t think it was all that important.

‘Do you want to play with us?’

Subaru, controller in hand, turned to Kokoro. Masamune, sitting cross-legged, was looking over at her.

‘Sure,’ she said, and she took the controller from Subaru.

NO ONE ELSE CAME TO the castle that day.

Which, to be honest, was a relief. Kokoro had never experienced this before – having fun with two guys, with no other girls around. It made her anxious, wondering what the other girls, Aki and Fuka, would think if they ever turned up.

‘You should come tomorrow, too,’ Subaru said.

Time had passed in a flash. Kokoro and the boys had played right up until the castle closed at five o’clock, taking an occasional break to go home to grab a snack, or to use the toilet – the castle had baths, but for some reason no toilets – but other than that they had spent the whole time immersed in the video game. Until the day her dad had confiscated her video games, Kokoro had played every day, and she was fairly skilled. Even sarky Masamune seemed to accept her as one of the gang.

‘We’ll probably be here, so if you’re free, you should come,’ he echoed.

‘Thank you,’ said Kokoro.

Honestly, she was so happy she wasn’t sure how to respond. Other than her parents, it was so long since she’d talked like this to anyone.

She didn’t feel afraid to come here any more.

Just then she heard a high-pitched howl, most likely the Wolf Queen’s. But the Wolf Queen was nowhere to be seen.

‘We always hear it at a quarter to five. The Wolf Queen howling,’ Subaru explained. ‘The signal for us to go home, I think.’

‘Isn’t the Wolf Queen here every day?’

‘Sometimes, but sometimes not. Like the young lady said that first day, if we call her, she’ll appear. And sometimes even when we don’t, she pops up out of nowhere. Do you want to call her?’

Kokoro shook her head quickly. She remembered the time she’d run away and the Wolf Queen had tackled her to the ground. The girl still scared her.

Kokoro was impressed, too, with how civilized Subaru sounded, referring to the Wolf Queen as the young lady, though she actually looked like a little girl.

When they were back in the grand foyer in front of the row of mirrors, Kokoro suddenly remembered something. ‘So where is the Wishing Room anyway? Have you seen it yet?’

This room, capable of granting one single wish, was somewhere in the castle. She was sure they’d already located it.

Masamune and Subaru exchanged a look. Behind his glasses Masamune screwed up his eyes. ‘Haven’t found it yet.’