5

Sleepwalker.

A patient who experiences sleepwalking, also referred to as somnambulism.

This is a condition in which the afflicted gets out of bed during sleep and wanders around in an unconscious state; it is one type of sleep disorder.

This was what Saya learned when she looked it up later, but what Ran Aizome was talking about didn’t sound like any mere gathering of people with sleep disorders.

“We Sleepwalkers act in secret to protect people as they sleep. This isn’t widely known, but the slumber of humanity is menaced by suiju.”

“Suiju...” Saya murmured.

“The thing you defeated in your sleep. It’s written with the kanji sui, which means sleep, and ju, which means beast.”

“Hey, Ran,” Hitsuji interrupted. “You know you can’t dump info on her all at once like that. Saya-chan will freeze up.”

“She’s not going to believe us easily, so rather than try and drip-feed it to her, it’s better to give her all of it at once.”

“Is that not a tad violent?” Hitsuji asked.

“This is a girl that kissed a total stranger like you out of nowhere,” Ran noted.

“I guess you’ve got a point.”

“Hey!” Saya tried to object, but Ran continued on, unconcerned.

“It’s a Sleepwalker’s duty to defeat suiju, but we each have different roles we’re suited to. You probably have the potential to be a Neversleeper. They’re the rare few who are not affected by dreams because they never sleep, which makes them a valuable asset in the battle against the suiju. That being said, Hokage-san... Won’t you work with us?”

“Th-This is all kind of sudden.”

As if she had anticipated Saya’s refusal, Ran nodded instantly. “Yes, of course. It’s too much to ask you believe us, and I don’t intend to spend time on persuading you, either. If you change your mind, come here.”

With that said, Ran passed her a point card made of thick paper. On it was written the name of a store—Sakaimori Beds & Bedding—along with its address and telephone number.

“Could you stand up for a bit? I want to fold up the blanket,” Hitsuji said, still looking vacantly at the card.

“Uh, sure...”

In front of Saya, who stood up on unsteady legs as she had been asked to, Hitsuji folded up her blanket with practiced technique and picked it up.

Turning to Saya, Ran smiled faintly. “Well, feel free to sleep on it. If you can sleep, that is.”

Leaving behind what sounded vaguely like a threat, Ran Aizome turned to go.

“Everyone will be there tomorrow. Later.”

Hitsuji followed after Ran, leaving Saya all alone on the rooftop.

“What’s with her...?” Saya mumbled.

While she stood there feeling mildly humiliated, the bell echoed across the rooftop. Looking over at the clock, Saya realized that sixth period had ended at some point.

The next day, after school, Saya was walking to the beds and bedding store that’s name was written on the point card she’d been given.

In the end, she hadn’t been able to sleep yesterday. It was frustrating, but things went exactly as Ran Aizome had said. Saya was as afflicted by insomnia as ever, and not only was she unable to attain the deep slumber she had tasted next to Hitsuji, she wasn’t even able to doze lightly.

If you cooperate with us, I think we can provide restful sleep—Those words of Ran’s lacked credibility on their own, but if Hitsuji was with her, that was another matter entirely.

Setting aside all that dodgy talk about suiju and Sleepwalkers, that sweet, beautiful sleep had been the truth. As if clinging desperately to it, Saya’s feet led her towards the address indicated on the card.

From what she’d been able to look up online, Sakaimori Bed & Bedding did, in fact, exist. She tried calling ahead, but the phone just kept ringing without even going to an answering machine.

With the address as her guide, she walked while looking down at a map app, gradually ending up in a more and more deserted area of town.

“Is this really the right way...?”

After passing through a dark shopping street lined with shuttered shops, she came to a deserted block of warehouses where a large truck would occasionally drive by, almost touching the sidewalk. Trudging along under a cloudy sky, she grew more and more worried.

Am I going to be okay? This doesn’t feel okay. I mean, huh? That stuff she was talking about yesterday... What WAS that? Sleepwalkers? Is that her... fictional setting?

Is it a game they’re really into...? Like some sort of acting? Well, they can do what they want, but I’m not really interested. If I can’t fix my insomnia, I’ll have bigger problems. She wants me to cooperate... but how, exactly? Will I really be able to get a good night’s sleep? If she was just making stuff up, I’m not going to let her get away with it.

But the whole kiss thing wasn’t good. Now they’ve got dirt on me...

Saya, who had been thinking gloomily to herself as she walked, raised her head and looked around.

Though it wasn’t all that different from the surrounding buildings, a large warehouse with a black roof caught her eye. It appeared as though that was the destination marked on her map. The shutter to the delivery entrance was down, and the concrete in the parking lot in front of the building was full of cracks with weeds growing out of them. Next to the shutter was a small door with an unremarkable sign that read “Sakaimori Beds & Bedding.”

She approached the door and tried to get a feel for the place. There was a glass window she could peer through, but the inside was too dark for her to see well.

There was an intercom by the door, so after a moment’s hesitation, Saya tried knocking.

There was no response, and no sign of anyone moving around inside, either.

When she tried testing the doorknob—it opened.

“Excuse meeee...”

Calling out timidly, she took a step inside.

“Helloooo...?”

On the other side of the door was a short hallway. Metal lockers, dead potted plants, and a dust-covered oil stove were gathered together against one of the walls. On the left side of the hallway was a sliding door, and it led into the area with the delivery entrance.

While she was squinting and looking for a light switch, someone called out from behind her.

“Saya!”

She jumped up into the air in surprise. Turning around to look, she saw Hitsuji Konparu standing at the entrance. The moment she saw Saya’s face, Hitsuji’s eyes went wide.

“Woah! Your face looks awful!”

“Huh?!”

That naturally-delivered insult pissed Saya off. Hitsuji reached and flicked the light switch, as if she was used to doing it. With the lights now on, she scrutinized Saya’s face once more.

“Those are some serious bags under your eyes. Couldn’t you sleep?”

“You heard my story yesterday, and you still ask that? I haven’t slept in forever, okay?!”

“You looked a lot more relaxed after sleeping with me.”

Saying that like it was no big deal, Hitsuji walked past Saya and went inside. The door closed behind the two of them.

“I’m glad you came. Usually, when we try to recruit a girl like you, they don’t believe us.”

“I don’t really believe you...”

At some point, Hitsuji had pulled out a key and used it to unlock the sliding door.

“Help me out. This door’s heavy.”

“Uh, okay.”

With Saya helping out as directed, the two of them pulled open the heavy door. Once the door opened with a rumbling sound, Hitsuji went into the darkness inside and flipped another switch.

Starting with the ones closest to them first, the lights hanging from the high ceiling flickered on.

It was like a trade exhibition for beds and bedding, or if it wasn’t that, something of a theme park. The massive warehouse was filled with beds, futons, hammock, and more, all of various sizes, and laid out such that there was a certain distance between each of them.

Hitsuji led Saya onward as they walked between the beds and bedding.

“Well? I bet you’ve never seen anything like this before, huh?” Hitsuji sounded a little proud.

“I have.”

“Huh? Where?”

“The beds and bedding department at IKEA.”

Hitsuji pursed her lips unhappily. “I don’t think you’re very cute, Saya.”

“Well, sorry.”

Although they continued to walk, the rows of beds and bedding showed no sign of ending, and even Saya was forced to admit the impressive scale of the place. When they finally reached the edge, there were shelves with still-wrapped mattresses and blankets that rose up all the way to the ceiling and formed a wall that stood in their way.

While walking through the passageways of shelves, which made Saya feel as though she had stepped into a labyrinth, they suddenly came out into a more open area. In the center of that space, surrounded by four shelves, there were three beds lined up. The bedside tables had reading lamps, manga, and textbooks laid out on them, and a little distance away there were bags of candy on the table of a sofa set. In the corner, there was a gas stove and a sink, along with a refrigerator and a cupboard for tableware.

“The toilet’s over there.” Hitsuji pointed to the edge of the shelf on their right then picked up a mug from the coffee table. Throwing her bag down on the sofa, she started washing the cup in the sink.

“Saya could you put on the kettle for me?”

“Huh?”

“Let’s have tea and wait for everyone else to come. If you prefer coffee, that’s fine, too.”

“...Okay.”

She put water in the kettle that was on top of the stove and turned on the flame. There were tea leaves and instant coffee in a basket on the table.

“Use whichever you like.”

Taking Hitsuji up on the offer, she chose chamomile. It was an herbal tea she’d heard was good for getting restful sleep... Not that the copious amounts of the stuff that she had consumed at home had done anything more than make her feel a little better.

The kettle started whistling, so she put the teabag into the teapot and poured the water in. Hitsuji, meanwhile, was putting rice crackers into a wooden sweets box.

“Yuki no Yado?” Saya asked.

“They’re sweet and salty, so they go with just about everything.”

Once Saya poured tea for the two of them, the fragrance of herbs filled the air. Hitsuji’s mug was gold-colored with a lamb character drawn on it. Saya’s mug was possibly meant for visitors, because it was a nondescript white. She felt like she’d seen ones like this being sold for cheap at IKEA.

Unable to take the silence as they sat facing each other, sipping tea on the sofa, Saya spoke up.

“What is this place?”

“Our bedroom. And our workplace, too.”

“By work, you mean as... Sleepwalkers, was it?”

“Yeah, that. We even earn money for it sometimes, so it really is work.”

Saya was surprised, and her eyes raced around the room once more. If it was true that they were just playing around, then this place was a bit much.

“So, it’s true, then. Uh, about the suiju, and all the other stuff.”

“Of course.”

“O-Oh, yeah?”

“You look worried,” Hitsuji said teasingly.

For a moment, Saya considered saying something back, but it was true that she had no idea what was going on, and that worried her. When Saya hung her head, Hitsuji continued in a somewhat gentler tone.

“When everyone’s here, we’ll explain. Don’t you worry.”

While she was munching away at the glazed rice crackers for lack of anything better to do, they eventually heard footsteps approaching from somewhere far off in the warehouse.

Not long after, a girl came out of the maze of shelves. It was a quiet-looking girl who wore glasses, and she was dressed in casual clothing.

“Ohh, I’m sorry I’m late... Wait, it’s just the two of you?”

“No need to panic, Tencho,” Hitsuji said.

“Konparu-san, you’re early today... Huh? Who is this?”

“Uh, hi...”

“This girl’s Saya. She’s nightkissed, and a candidate to become a new member.”

“Oh, so that’s it! Nice to meet you. I’m Midori Sakaimori.” The girl hurriedly bowed her head.

“You see, Midori-chan here, she’s next in line to inherit this bed and bedding store. That’s why we call her Tencho.”

Short for store manager, huh?

The next sound they heard approaching was of something rolling across the concrete.

When the next person slid in, it was a girl with a ponytail. She was wearing another school’s uniform with a parka over top. When Saya realized she was wearing roller shoes, the kind with a wheel in the heel, she was a little surprised. They were in style when she was in elementary school, but this was the first she’d ever seen someone in high school still wearing them.

“Yo. Huh, a new member?”

“Yep, that’s right. Saya, this girl is—”

“Kaede Tokishima. Nice to meet’cha.”

No sooner had she introduced herself when Ran Aizome came out from another passageway.

“Looks like everyone’s here.”

“Ahh!”

While the other four, which included Saya, were still surprised, Ran sat down on the sofa with an impassive look on her face. From the feeling the other girls around the table were giving off, Saya figured it out, too. Ran was the boss of this team.