Now I’m glad I might be late for work. It gives me the perfect excuse to pedal faster than I’ve ever pedalled in my life, because that is what I would call a premonition. I don’t want any more nasty surprises projected at me. I should turn back, go home, and call in to use one of my sick days. Wait, how many sick days do I have?

And is it me, or have I seen that woman somewhere before?

Cybelle, you idiot. You’re being paranoid. Let’s enjoy English. Must enjoy English …

The elevator opens onto Zozo’s floor and I come face to face with the cutest, chubby-cheeked boy I’ve ever seen, chewing on my foam sunset picture. His pants are billowy and white; his shirt is deep blue with a red bow tie and a white hood with a blue sailor’s hat sewn on. It’s a Donald Duck outfit for toddlers. His eyes widen, making them look quite puffy underneath. I’ve never seen a toddler’s eyes go so wide. I smile, anyway, trying my damnedest to ignore my drool-soaked picture in his hands. I don’t even want to know how he got it. It belongs to him, now.

“Oh, hello,” I say. “Who might you be?”

He screams. He runs away and throws himself into a young woman’s arms. He screams and screams some more. The woman stares at me like I just kicked him. “Ohayou gozaimasu,” I greet her with a bow. She doesn’t respond. Whatever. That’s fine.

I go to the other side of the entryway to change my shoes and prepare to sneak away. Lieko and Misaki are sitting on the lobby floor. They’ve already been playing with him for a while it seems, but now that I’m here I’m causing too much of a distraction. Misaki can’t get the little boy to return his attention to that disgusting Anpanman toy gyrating on the floor. She picks up Anpanman and nuzzles it against the boy’s back as he continues to scream like a banshee into his mother’s small bosom. “Say, ‘hell-o, Sheee-belle! Hello! Hello!’ Aww … he is so shy!”

Yeah, shy, my ass. I turn to go to the staff room, not in the mood to deal with Misaki or Lieko’s staring or any more strangeness today.

“Cybelle,” Manager stands up behind the info desk. He smiles with tremendous effort. “This is Hitomu. He is your trial lesson today?”

My jaw twitches, like it’s about to unhinge. I think long and hard before I speak. “I’m sorry, Manager. I don’t remember you telling me about it.”