Seated against the window, the girl stirred her ice coffee with a straw. “Satou, what are you doing now?”

I answered truthfully, without hiding anything. I had a smile on my face.

She laughed. “I predicted that you might end up like this.”

“Oh, I’ve currently been shut in for four years,” I bragged. “I’m a professional hikikomori!”

“Even now, you have trouble going outside?”

I nodded.

“Well then, I have something that’ll be good for you.”

The girl withdrew what looked to be a pill box from her small bag and handed me some capsules. “This is Ritalin.”

“What’s that?”

“It’s a drug that’s kind of related to stimulants. It really, really works. With this, you can be full of energy whenever you want!”

She was still a strange person, even after all this time. Evidently, she was seeing about three psychiatrists. Even so, her thoughtfulness pleased me, so I took one of the questionable pills gratefully.

After that, I became energetic. In fact, we exchanged an unnecessarily upbeat conversation.

“You were so normal during our high school years, Satou… Well, no, I guess not.”

“And what are you doing now?”

“I’m unemployed.”

“You graduated from college, right?”

“I did, but now I’m unemployed. I’ll become a housewife soon, though.”

“Hm, you’re getting married?” A young wife of twenty-four. Moe moe…

“You’re surprised?”

“In a way.”

“You’re sad?”

“Not at all.”

“Why not?”

“Why do you think?”

We left the cafe. The girl skipped around me, laughing brightly.

Then, she said, “I’m really happy right now.”

She boasted that she was marrying a hard-working, national government employee who was rich and, at the same time, good looking. Basically, she was marrying the best person possible!

“Don’t think too hard about this. Don’t think about anything too complicated. I’m happy.” Her tone was upbeat; it seemed that she, also, had been helping herself to that drug.

As we passed through crowds of people, she asked, “Back then, I should have gone out with you. You really liked me, didn’t you, Satou?”

“I really just wanted someone to let me do her.”

“I’m really sorry. Maybe we shouldn’t have spent all that time playing cards every day.”

“The fact that the one time we did it, we parted soon afterward… that was rather hard on me.”

“Maybe it’s my fault that you became a hikikomori.”

“There’s no connection at all. It was more like some other big kind of…”

“Like the huge organization?”

“Yeah, that’s right! The giant, evil organization totally got me.”

“Me, too, you know? The evil organization ripped me off, too! There might be nothing I can do…”

Suddenly, she announced that she was pregnant.

“Wow! I’m so amazed! You’re going to be a mother!” I was stunned.