Chapter 13: The Neighbors
Shijima sits alone in front of the dining table, awaiting her sister's return. Assuming she won't come back for the night, she decides to check the fridge for any remaining food that she can eat on her own, only to find a single package of kamaboko. Shijima was about to start eating when she hears the distinct meowing of a white cat on the veranda. She attempts to offer a piece of the kamaboko to the cat, but the feline quickly snatches the entire package and dashes off. The brief chase is interrupted by the blonde neighbor who manages to catch the cat, causing the kamaboko to fall onto a grill while the neighbor with black hair is preparing fish. Thus Shijima encounters them again.
The black-haired girl invites Shijima to the barbecue and, during their conversation, mentions that the girls live on opposite ends of the apartment complex, making them distant neighbors due to the vacant apartments. The blonde girl jokingly suggests that if the apartment complex were a Reversi game, every room would be occupied, much to the confusion of the two. Seeing that Shijima was not amused by her joke, the blonde neighbor suggests that the duo should perform a skit where they act like crabs whenever they choose scissors in a game of Janken (rock-paper-scissors). However, Shijima remains totally unimpressed.
Later, upon returning to her own room, Shijima wonders if the apartment complex has always been so empty and devoid of inhabitants as she was told. She feels like she has never said or been told anything that was intended to bring joy to her, except for when she spends time with Majime, although Shijima harbored doubts about the true nature of those hangouts.
