Chapter Text
“Okuu... Okuu,” Koishi said.
Okuu muttered something to herself and rolled over. She pulled her blanket a bit closer, and tried to fall back asleep.
“Okuu, I need your help,” Koishi said.
Okuu half opened her eyes. It was pitch black inside her bedroom, but she could see Koishi was standing over her.
Okuu yawned. “Is it an emergency?”
“No, but it's important.”
Okuu closed her eyes again. “Can it wait?”
“It shouldn't.”
“Just tell me what it is.”
“I think someone's watching us.”
Okuu's eyes shot open, and her drowsiness instantly vanished. “What?!”
“There are monitoring devices in our home.”
Okuu sat up, nearly hitting Koishi as she did so. “Who?! Where?!” She reached over and grabbed the cord to her lamp. She yanked on it, but nothing happened.
Koishi held up a light bulb. “I already got the one in your lamp.”
“They're in the light bulbs?”
Koishi nodded. “Yep.”
“How many are there?”
Koishi put her hand to her chin. “Across the whole mansion? Probably hundreds.”
“Hundreds?! That's... Isn't that every light we have?”
Koishi nodded again. She had a vacant smile. “All of them.”
Okuu stared at Koishi. “How is that possible?”
“They've been installed in all the light bulbs.”
Okuu fell silent.
“We need to get rid of them,” Koishi said.
“How... did you find out about these... 'monitoring devices'?”
“I found out from a reliable source. They're tiny microphones. They're listening to us.”
“Who's your 'reliable source'?”
“I can't tell you. She needs to remain anonymous.”
“Do I know her?”
“No.”
“Koishi, this can't be real. Is this some kind of joke?”
“I'm afraid it's very real.” Koishi produced an oil lamp and turned it on. “Now, I need your help removing the bulb in the ceiling.”
“Koishi, please don't.”
“I have to. Will you help me or not?”
Okuu desperately wanted to lie down and go back to sleep, but she knew that leaving Koishi unattended would only make things exponentially worse. “Can I at least get dressed first?”
“Why? They're audio only.”
“Just give me a minute, please.”