Étude of Humanity

Chapter Twenty-Two

The next day, me and Akko woke up quite early to leave the motel and drive back to MAME. None of us had any plans to go back to where we live, especially that I'd be making a roundtrip and a half driving east and back.

Neither both of us had anything to talk about in the car while driving back. Sayre didn't mind the palpitating silence since we just woke up, but I know Akko was leaning by the window and just admired the landscape outside. The Nevadan desert in dawn is beautiful like one of those fancy roofless cars parked on the side to pose for a neat album cover!

"Good morning Ms. Hisa. You last logged off the facility earlier at 12:23AM. And to you too, Akko, you logged off at 12:24AM."

"Good morno!" I greeted to the receptionist in the lobby.

"Yo," Akko greets to the receptionist.

We both logged in at seven on the dot.

He yawned as we walk along the hallway. "Woah, sheesh. Do you come here often this early?"

"Mhm! I love mornings!"

"And I hate them."

"Hueh? Come on! Me waking up early makes my head hurt, don't chu agree?"

"Yeah but, ugh..."

We continued on to the East Atrium with the entire ambience pretty stale and rather calm, as we came in early in the morning, the same as usual as I always come here.

Still with him beside me as we arrived in front of my subdivision's door, I knocked on it twice before opening it.

Inside was Yumi, Yukki, and Chihiro which they were all gathered in the center. Are they going to surprise me? Is there something good that they will share to me?

"Oh, goodo morning everyone and woah, all of you are here! That makes me happy—"

"Don't you have any idea how worried we are?!"

H-huh?

That was Chihiro who cried stressfully in front, with both Yumi and Yukki on each of his side all with worried faces.

He argued while walking to this direction, "Where were you? You disappeared for quite a pitiful of hours!" and stopped right in front of me and looked down on me, "We were out about in the open looking for you throughout MAME, you know!"

"I—Sayre had to attend to boss because he needed something from me!"

"Woah there," Akko walked in front and casted his arm in front of me, making Chihiro walk back a little. "It's still early in the morning. Don't you go screaming all over the place. Also, you're scaring her, give her a break."

"Hm?! Who are you and how you're having authority over her?" Chihiro asked to Akko.

"Akko here from HR. I was appointed by her to assist her special duty by boss yesterday. I don't see anything that has something to do with authority—me and her look equally as you guys do to her."

"What? You? Special duty?" Chihiro looks back and forth between me and Akko. "M'lady—Sayre, why haven't you called me or even Yumi or Yukki? We're your related workforcers here at our division."

Sayre has nothing to say nor do other than looking down guilty, and I don't even know why.

Akko scratched his head, irritated once more. "Ugh, this is why I hate noble-like people that also happen to be some smartypants, thinking as if they know everything and know that they're always in the right. Can you just respect her decision that she decided to go with me and not either you three? Look man, you can't change the past. What's done is done, she's still alive and the same anyway."