Catalyst

The Cooking Club

Amai knew who the girl in the hallway was. At this point, everyone in the school knew. Amai could hardly imagine what she was going through. The cooking club leader had never been good at mourning. The idea of being consumed by sadness utterly terrified her. Throughout the whole day she had done her best to cultivate happiness among her peers. The task seemed daunting when she arrived in the morning, but the more smiles she saw, the more her confidence was bolstered. So now, when she saw Taeko in front of the club room staring, she felt capable of speaking to her.

Taeko seemed shocked when Amai offered for her to participate in club activities. In spite of the situation, it was endearing. "Don't worry about not being a member of the club!" she reassured. "Everyone needs a bit of a boost today, and I think you're the perfect person to help me."

Usually, when Amai was sad she enjoyed throwing herself into helping others. She had a feeling it would also help Taeko, at least a little bit. Amai wasn't stupid. She knew some croissants wouldn't heal the hole losing Osana must have created for that girl, but she also knew grieving alone had a terrible effect on people.

Taeko looked at Amai for a moment, and for the life of her Amai couldn't quite read her expression. Finally, she nodded. "Okay," she said in a soft monotone. "I like croissants."

"Great! Come on in, I'll introduce you to everyone."

*****

Info—Chan was uncomfortable. She wasn't used to leaving her darkened room and was starting to regret her decision to stray from it. She wore a plain black wig to hide her very recognizable bright red hair and plain glasses with blue rims in place of her bright red ones. Her face was contoured ever so slightly to make her face appear different. Even though she ensured no one knew what her face looked like already, she still didn't want people to see it, even if they couldn't attach a name to it.

She sat on the stairs down the hallway from Ayano and her Senpai, an untouched lunch sitting on her lap. It was incredibly easy to watch Ayano at school. The stalker was so absorbed in Taeko that she didn't even notice Info-Chan in the background.

The disguised girl casually lifted her phone and snapped a picture of Ayano. She let her gaze drift from the real Ayano to the picture. Info-Chan had several of these saved and this one was definitely one of her favorites. Ayano was leaning around a corner, fingers gripping viciously at the wall. Her knees were bent like she was prepared to rush forward. Her hair was neatly pulled back into a tight tail. Info-Chan imagined grabbing it briefly.

A soft buzz from her phone snapped her to attention. She had gotten a text. One buzz. It was her father.

Updates?

Found an unexpected anomaly. Currently observing it.

Good.

Info-Chan petulantly blew a puff of air from her nose. It wasn't like father didn't know about Ayano. Hell, he probably knew about her far before she did. No matter though. She didn't have the time nor the sanity to think about father right now. She should really get back to her room, but she figured she could stare at Ayano for just a bit longer.