I almost closed my eyes because of the bright light shining into them, but then I saw the glass sky in my vision.
It seemed like I was lying on a bench next to the pool.
“I am glad. You finally awoke.”
An alto voice echoed from above me.
Aah, I see, I jumped into the pool for the sake of saving a kid that was drowning and… Uwaa, I don’t want to think about it. It’s shameful, but I fainted because of a little girl hugging me. According to my watch, I had fainted for more than ten minutes.
“Are you okay, Jirou?”
“Aah, I just had a reencounter with my dead father.”
I said that while putting my glasses back on, and Konoe wrinkled her brow.
“I beg of you. Please stop with this kind of joke. I was very worried because I thought that you could have drowned. And besides…”
“Besides…?”
“…N- nothing. Just forget it.”
For some reason, she pressed her lips with her finger and became silent, wearing a bright red face. Don’t tell me you did something while I was sleeping. You didn’t write funny things on my face, did you?
While I was checking my face with my hands, the parents of the child from before came to thank me.
Uwaa, I’m feeling so embarrassed.
This was the first time that an adult came to thank me. But in the end, the one who saved us was Konoe. If you separated it, I was on the side of the ones that were saved.
“Aah, how shameful. I was sure that I was going to save her, but in the end I didn’t do anything.”
I murmured that while looking at the girl walking while holding hands with her parents.
“It’s not like that. You made it properly to a shallow place. Even if I had not been there, that girl would have been saved.”
“I see.”
“Aaah, and you truly did a good job reaching that place. Even though that girl was hugging you so tightly.”
“…Yeah, somehow.”
Well, if I fainted there I think my actions would have been misinterpreted.
High schooler- Went to save primary school girl, had nosebleed and drowned. That news article flowed through my brain. Even if you were in puberty, this way of dying would be too embarrassing. It would certainly enter the hall of fame as one of the strangest deaths in the world.
“But that was splendid. Even while being hugged by a little girl and having a nosebleed, you managed to save her life. See, incredibly splendid.”
“Hey… I beg you, please stop saying things that can be easily misinterpreted. If you put it like that, people will think that I am a pedophile.”
“…Eh? Is that wrong?”
“Heeeh- what is with this reaction!? Why are you surprised that I am not a pedophile!?”
Or rather, I am the one that should be surprised. I will say this straight, I don’t have these kinds of tastes.
“Heeh? But you, while completely naked, watch the kids going to the nearby primary school, don’t you?”
“Why are you affirming that!? Don’t say such shameless things so easily!”
“But isn’t it true that every night you keep saying [Ha ha, Kureha-tan, let’s take a shower together and wash each other’s back] while sleeping?
“What’s with this scary sleep talk!? What kind of bizarre dream am I having!?”
“[Please, help me! Nii-san… won’t stop smelling my socks!] She said that to me while crying…”
“…I see. Don’t meet with Kureha for the time being. I will discipline her properly.”
“Discipline… So you really are going to torture her.”
“I won’t!”
“But you forcefully put a dog collar with a chain on her neck, right?”
“I won’t do that. I don’t commit this kind of domestic violence.”
“…Fufu, what are you saying? You are going to put it on her.”
“Why am I?”
“That’s because we are talking about Jirou…”
“Stop saying that! It was her! This is all her fault!?”
That damn little sister… Does she want to make me look like a degenerated pervert that badly? And Suzutsuki is also in on this. This is an insidious trick that may have come from her mind.
“That’s okay. I am well aware that Jirou is not this kind of person.”
“Then it is fine, but…”
“Then relax and proudly puff out your chest! Silver Killer!”
Ha ha, I was breathing hard. I was on the verge of hyperventilating. Having difficulty breathing after retorting, I couldn’t stand, even if it was bad joke.
Looking at my face, Konoe laughed.
“Fufu, this is funny. It has been a long time since the last time I had this kind of conversation.”
“I see… This is good…”
All told.
As we talked while walking, before we realized it, we had reached the table in front of the shop where we ate lunch this noon.
But.
“…Heh?”
For some reason, we couldn’t find Suzutsuki and Kureha.
This is strange. We told them to wait for us here. Maybe they just went to the bathroom.
“Crap.”
The butler murmured from my side.
“What a failure. For me to be away from Ojou-sama for such a long time…”
Her face was going blue, even though there was nothing to worry about because my little sister is together with Suzutsuki. If it’s about fighting power, she is like a war dog.
I thought that they were just playing around—when suddenly, a voice was heard.
It was the granny from the shop.
“Hmm, are you perhaps Sakamachi-san?”
“…? Yeah, I am…”
“I am glad. I am taking care of something that is the property of your friends.”
“Eh?”
I was completely puzzled, and then the granny handed me a black cell phone.
This was a model I had never seen before. I wonder if it is Suzutsuki’s. But did she bring a cell phone with her?
“No, Ojou-sama’s cell phone is different.”
“For real? Then, who is the owner of this cell phone?”
And the moment I said that.
Suddenly, a robotic ringtone sounded from the cell-phone.
It was an incoming call. Or rather, it was a video call. There was a non-notification setting showing on the liquid crystal screen.
“Let’s hang up.” But Konoe pressed the call button.
When she did that—A strange image appeared on the screen.
A dog… No, a wolf.
On the other side of the radio waves was a person wearing a black suit, and for some reason he was covering his face with a wolf mask.
And what an elaborate mask. A delicately made accessory like the ones used in the movies, and the expression was so brutal that it gave me creepy sensations. It was just like a wolf man that appears in gothic horror…
“Aa, aa, hello, hello? Can you hear me?”
A voice came out of the speaker. He was using a voice changer, so you couldn’t even tell whether he was a man or a woman.
“We can hear you. Who are you?”
Konoe asked that with a sharp voice.
And in response to that, the wolf laughed.
“Hiyahahaha! So, you are unexpectedly calm. Even though your important master has disappeared. Right? Konoe Subaru.”
With a very twisted voice, the wolf spoke Konoe’s name as if to mock her.
Hey, wait…
How does this guy know that Suzutsuki is not here?
“I will ask you once more. Who are you?”
Somehow keeping her calm, Konoe asked that once again.
“Aah, okay, let’s answer that, let’s really answer that. I will only say this once, so listen well, Butler-kun. I am, I am…”
Kidnapper.
Once again.
On the other side of the screen, the wolf released a harsh loud laughter.
I could not help but to think that this was the start of something.