White: Book 5

Conflicting Interests

Cherry head girl wasn't there to greet us when we pulled up in the SPR van outside yet another college dormitory. Instead, a very familiar bespeckled face was.

I launched out of the van. "YASU!"

"Mai!" He cried with equal exuberance, catching my embrace and spinning me around. "Hello hello!"

"I can't believe we get to work with you, it's been forever!"

"Yeah! I know! We've got some serious catching up to do!"

And, of course, Naru just hates it when people are having a party on any other day besides their birthdays—if that. "Do your family reunion later. You're on my clock and have a job to do."

Yasu made something of a jokitive angry cat noise and said, "Jeeze, I thought you would have had him tamed by now."

"Taming has nothing to do with it," I said, flashing Naru a smile I hope he'd find cute enough to cut me some slack. It must have been, for he gave me the job of checking in with head of the university's housing management for our quarters rather than lifting the heavy stuff out of the van.

She was waiting for us in the common room of dormitory 2-B just as she had promised. Mrs. Kodachi was a plain middle-aged woman of all sinew and bone. Despite her somewhat fragile appearance, her grip on my hand was firm when we shook, and she had no problem helping Yasu with his especially heavy load (really, Naru? Really?). Only a few students were about on the black sofas, though two rushed to open the doors for us.

"I managed to reserve you one of our specialty rooms usually kept aside for dorm meetings or, dare I say, parties. It was the only thing I could find big enough," she said as she turned herself and Yasu down the hall, her fingers taunt on their shared tote. "Unfortunately I haven't been able to get you any beds."

"That's fine," I said. "We're use to bringing our own sleeping gear along with everything else. It's so nice of you to set up this room for us!"

"All the conditions of our arrangement should be in the contract," she continued, all business, completely untouched by my attempts to be friendly. "But I'd like to emphasize the importance of obtaining a written agreement from any student or staff member before any questioning, or should you want to include them in any kind of video or report."

"The President made sure we knew that. Don't worry, we've worked on a college campus before. You should hardly notice us here."

"Perfect." She seemed to have found the door she was looking for. After calling for one of the boys that had been circling us like carrion to take her position with Yasu, she shook her fingers and took a key from her pocket. The door squeaked a bit when she opened it.

"Quiet time is at ten, no alcohol, no smoking, no loud music—oh! Almost forgot." From her pocket she pulled out another key and handed it to me, since I was the only one unloaded. "There will be a fee should you lose it. And I advise you keep your room locked at all times. We won't be held responsible for any items that are stolen."

"Do items often go missing around here?"

She raised an eyebrow at Naru's voice, which came around a computer tower. She gave him a dry smile.

"It's a college. No matter how high we keep our admission standards, there will always be those who treat college as the place to experiment on everything your parents told you not to. Better safe than sorry. Is there anything else I can do for you before I head off on my inspections?"

I looked to Naru, but since he just walked right on into our new base, I told her we were good and she said to let her know if there was anything we needed before heading off.