I stick my head out of the staff room to peek down the hall. I can hear Bucho’s voice in Room Three. Perfect. I can simply walk out without anyone seeing me, but I still tiptoe just to be safe. No one comes running when the elevator bell dings, and I let the doors close with a satisfied sigh. How to kill the next three hours is a complete mystery to me. Almost as mysterious as whatever the heck Hitomu said during our class. I swear it was English … but no one else seemed to hear it. Maybe I’m hearing things. Maybe I’ve been working too hard, stressing too much. Wouldn’t be the first time. Probably won’t be the last.

“Whatever,” I say to the empty elevator. “I’m hungry.”

Outside the Zozo building the happy weather from my bike ride this morning is gone. The dark Halloween clouds and the cold autumn chill have returned. And apparently, so has the weirdo with the udon kei truck. “Pssst!” is the first thing I hear when I walk past the bike racks. At first I mistake it for a snake. Turning around, I inadvertently make eye contact. The man giggles and beckons me like a mechanical maneki neko cat. Weird. I can’t help smiling awkwardly as I shake my head no. He beckons me again, more forcefully this time.

“Uh …” I break into a run. His laughter follows me into the HORUS bakery. I take my sweet time choosing which buns to take, and when I line up, I pray for the obaachans in front of me to have lots of small change to pay with. No such luck, but on the plus side, it’s the manager of the store who rings me up today. She takes two of the fresh garlic buns on the counter behind her and adds them to my bag, telling me in Japanese that she wants everyone to try them, so it’s my lucky day. Even better, the creepster and his kei truck are gone when I look out HORUS’s window. Thank goodness. I spend another twenty minutes or so wandering around the shops and the mall, then head back to Zozo, arms laden with goodies. Riding up the elevator, I check my phone again. 12:54. Son of a …

The doors slide open to the empty lobby. Bucho is still audible from Room Three. I slip off my shoes, grab my Tinker Bell slippers, and ninja-run to the staff room, all before I hear the door open, someone go “Are? Dare mo inai na,” and the door close again. Yes! The perfect crime.