He doesn’t wait for me to respond; he’s already out the door and down the hall. The man and I are left there, alone in our tiny toilet-sized room, gazes locked, frozen in time. His eyes are a little too light brown for my liking, like he’s wearing hazel contacts. No, that’s a horrible thing to say. If he’s half-Japanese, it makes sense he might not have dark brown eyes. Don’t be so judgmental, Cybelle. Just do this interview and then you can eat.

I muster a smile, trying to swallow down whatever might be coming up. “Kamisawa-san, I’m going to need my hand back.”

“Ha, ha, sorry.” He lets go and glides into his chair, still pinning me with his gaze. I’m grateful to sit down; I don’t feel good. It must be dizziness from hunger.

“Well,” I begin, “it’s very nice to meet you, Kamisawa-san. Thank you for coming today.”

“Thank you for having me. I’m glad to finally meet you. I hope you don’t mind me saying this, but you’re taller than I thought you’d be.”

“Uh. Right.” Without Manager, I don’t have much to do. I pretend to shuffle some papers around in my hands. What the hell is that supposed to mean? Well, at least I don’t have to talk like a tape recorder this time. “Manager mentioned you’re from the Osaka area. You’ve travelled far.”

“Not really. The express train only takes thirty minutes. Today was my first time getting off here, though. Nice town. Quiet.” He looks me over again, taking me in. His grin widens. “Pretty.”

“Um …” Where the hell is Manager? This stupid school is full of chairs. Wait. Something outside the room catches my attention. “The hell is that?” I mutter.

Zaniel cocks his head. “Ah, I know this. Boccherini’s Minuet. It must be playing on your loudspeaker.”

We don’t have a loudspeaker. Something fishy is going on here.

“Ah, Shibere-sensei!” Bucho sticks her head through the door, excusing herself to our candidate. Manager is right behind her. “May I join?”

Like I’m allowed to say no. “Sure, come on in.”

Everyone makes a big scene about ushering her in, making room for her chair. The three of us all squish on one side of the table together while this Zaniel dude sits comfortably on the other.

“Now, please, just answer as though Bucho and Manager are not here,” Manager says to Zaniel. “And, good luck!”