68: Halloween (8)

The time had just passed 3:00 by the time I arrived home.

House number 7 in Tree Jewel Boulevard. 

Casually opening a large black gate that swung open with a creak, I entered the property without hesitation. Noticing there was no one following me, I turned around and asked.

"...Are you coming?"

The person I was addressing, Sophie Asanami, flinched out of her stupor and lightly scratched her cheek with one of those bright blue nails.

"Y-yeah, I am, but... No, I mean... The hell...?  Shit, you really live here?"

In order to own a house in the famous Tree Jewel Boulevard, what one required was more than just a little cash. The only reason I could stay at this particular house was due to my connection with Minami. 

It simply wasn't the sort of place you would expect to find a regular high-school student, so I could understand her initial scepticism.

"Is there a reason to lie?"