|Cul's Apartments|

Inside her house, she brought out the faded photo in her coat's pocket and placed it flat at the thick smoked glass table located at the dining area. She looked carefully, and soon enough, she recognized they were Miriam and Tonio, Haku's mother and father alongside Haku herself in the middle, all three of them dressed in white.

Remembering Haku's parents, she also then relived the day when she meet Haku on the same playground where the photo was taken. For Cul, that moment she met her and became her very first friend, was priceless.

For her, it felt like Haku was destined to meet her that day, that all roads was set to make friends with her. Cul found happiness and an magical bond with her while playing with the strange child at the sandbox, far from the rest of the children who thought Haku was scary and strange because of her distinct red eyes.

By a mild wave of wind came rushing in the window, her recollections were cutoff and accidentally blew the photo out of the table and came swirling down like a leaf to the travertine flooring, flipped at it's back.

Bending her body down to pick it up, she noticed a small but readable impression written on the lower rightmost corner of the photo. In it, the writings that she saw was the printed date: ' 11/21/2007' , followed by a series of numbers and letters : 'MAT-E#31-DTMCE-©ZLbs'.

Her first guess on the impression was maybe it was some silly company code by the photographer so she shrug it off. But, in the case of the printed date which was not over a decade ago— precisely eight years from the present, she became completely confused.

"It doesn't making any sense... This was taken in eight years ago." she said to herself, looking for any more marks on the picture.

'Eight years ago we are both twelve years old but why Haku seems much older than me? It doesn't makes sense at all, she should be younger than her current state right now. Maybe I could find more answers if I could drag this to the one who took this photo.'

Making a further look at the picture, it didn't take long till she found what detail she needs. She made a satisfied look at it and left the photo on the table, pinning it with her silver calibre colt .45 with her name engraved near the nozzle. Walking away from it and heading for the bathroom, she took off her clothes, taking a shower while waiting for the supplies to come by and to ponder what to do next.

|Kasane Konstruction, Vocesai City|

The only available worker of the hardware store was busy loading the one-inch ply boards, some nails, cans of paint and other accessories ordered for Haku's unit. He was carefully lifting the 12" x 6" x 3" white marble counter top with all his strength and poise. The scale, weight and the cost sure was very intimidating but he threaded inch by inch, avoiding not to shatter the counter top while loading it onto the truck. Carrying it for a minute without any help, fatigue on his legs had began to show. His feet were wobbling slightly while enduring the burn he gets from it, just load it to safety.

"Hey Tei!" he yelled while still holding the heavy marble tight, closing in at the back of his truck. "Could you please learn to help you 'coworker' because this marble is too freaking heavy, I can't lift it all by myself!"

She only made a double waive on both sides of her hair, attempting to annoy him.

"Hey Ruko! Don't be a weakling. You know this job feeds us right? Don't complain about just lifting a slab of rock, it ruins your manly side." Tei ranted to him, staring.

"AH! Have a piece of human common sense Tei! I am not a freaking robot that can last long enough from this kind of stuff!" Ruko cried, Tei crossed her arms.

"No Ruko, not gonna go it! That's your job! Why you gonna ask me to help you to do that! Darn it! I didn't sign up in being a delivery helper, I'm an in store cashier!" she said with an enraged stare. "Besides, as we all know, I'm the only legit girl here you and Ritsu are classified as guys."

The owner gone out of the store to see what was happening around. He saw his two employees squabbling about their positions at work. He approached them and when the two saw him, they became silent.

"Sir Ted!" Tei immediately said to their tall boss, bending her body for several seconds, expressing respect.

"What's happening here?" Ted asked as he adjusted his eyeglasses. "Why are you arguing with each other?"

"She—"

"Ruko wants me to lift that marble to the truck!" Tei complained, pointing her index finger to Ruko, when in that moment was slightly starting to lose grip at the slab. Ted approached Ruko to help him out.

"Ah! Tei is a stranger to basic human ethics! She don't want to help me for a moment— she is a pain in my ass!"

Before Ted could ask, they loaded first the slab in the truck, letting then Ruko rest from the heavy lifting.

"Where is Ritsu? He's supposed to be here right now helping you."

"Sir Ted, he was gone for hours. As far as I can recall, he said he will go on a car shop somewhere on the outskirts to change the tires of his vehicle. Besides from that, I don't have an idea where the heck he goes. Maybe Ritsu is asleep again in his truck somewhere."

"Why did you ask Tei anyway to lift this kind of stuff? You know she's a girl, Tei is apparently not as strong as you, Ruko. You should have called me first if Ritsu wasn't around here." His boss said to Ruko, his left hand resting at the truck's back carrier.

"Sorry," Ruko mumbled, placing his left hand at the back of his head.

"See! Even our boss knows what is righteous!" Tei said. "She knows that I'm fabulous!"

Ruko attempted to defend his side but it doesn't work at all, Two had overwhelmed him so he just silently climbed up in his truck, switched on the key and started the engine. Tei gave the receipt to him and afterwards, drove away.

"Ugh.. That cross dresser!" Ruko said, annoyed while driving. "When I see his face ..ugh.... I'm gonna kick his freaking A!"