「I'm home」
As soon as I got home, my mom ran out to the front door.
「Hey, Fumio! I saw the news. Your school is in trouble!」
「Yes, that's why they're going to close the school tomorrow. It's not
like I know any of the missing girls, so I don't know anything about it, and I
feel lucky to have the extra day off」
（Actually, I'm not a stranger, I'm the one who did it...... ）
「Is Mai-san okay?」
「It was the girls from the track and field club that went missing.
Fujiwara-san had nothing to do with it」
「I hope you walked Mai-san home properly! I'm not worried about you,
but mom's worried about Mai-san......」
「Phew... you should worry about your own child first, my mother.
Well, it just so happens that I drove Fujiwara-san to her house today」
「T-that's good...... But I don't know if it's lucky or not. There is
a girl who has been involved in this incident from this residential area」
「Is that so?」
That was a bit of a surprise.
Because I hadn't expected to find a student from my high school so
close to me.
「You know, Saori-chan from Moribe-san's family, you used to go to
school with her in elementary school. Don't you remember her?」
「No, I don't remember her at all」
「Gosh, she used to call you “Onii-chan, Onii-chan” but you're such a
heartless boy」
The elementary school students in our school district are supposed
to go to school in groups with other children from the neighborhood.
However, just because we go to school together, it doesn't mean we
are friends, and once we move up to middle school, we naturally separate.
I have a faint memory of catching bugs with a girl, but I don't
remember her face or name.
Is this Moribe-san the same girl?
「Even so... it was hard to go home with the media blocking the main
gate. If it's still like this at the beginning of the week, it won't be easy」
In fact, it was quite chaotic when I was leaving school.
The media swarmed around the students as we left the school. Some people
who can't read the air trying to get on TV cameras. Teachers and police
officers trying to hold them back. A situation like that happened in front of
the school gate where people were pushing and shoving each other. There was
even a scene where a female student screamed that someone had touched her
during the struggle, causing a commotion.
I didn't want to get caught up in that, so I just looked out the
window at the chaos at the main gate.
There were a few other people in the classroom besides me. They were
planning to leave after the chaos calmed down. Of course, it’s included Fujiwara-san.
「Ehehe, I guess I'm lucky because I get to spend more time with
Fu~min than usual」
But the teachers seemed to have been told to get the students out of
school as soon as possible.
「Come on! Hurry up and get out of here!」
We had no choice but to head for the back gate, driven by Gorioka.
The back gate was always closed, but the fence beside it was not
very high.
「Fu~min, catch me!」
「I can't. You'll have to climb down yourself」
「No way!」
As I got off first, I looked up at Fujiwara-san standing on the
fence and saw a pair of leopard-print panties.
The back gate was facing an unpaved forest road, where no cars could
enter, so there were no reporters in sight.
It seemed that some people besides us had gone home through here,
and there were many footprints of athletic shoes on the damp soil outside the
gate.
It was a long way back, but it was much better than being jostled.
On the way back to the school, Fujiwara-san held my hand instead of clinging
to me as usual, which I thought was refreshing, and said “Ehehe”.
So, with the school temporarily closed tomorrow, Friday, and
Saturday and Sunday off, I wondered what would happen on Monday.
Unless there is a new development, I don't think the media will
stick around for that long, but I'm sick of the thought of having to take the
long way home from the back gate every day.
Who's to blame, well, it's ...... my fault.
◇ ◇ ◇
After dinner, I went to my room, opened “the door”, and stepped into
“the room”.
Normally, Masaki-chan would have greeted me with a “Welcome back”,
but that was not the case today.
When I looked at the bed, she was breathing lightly and comfortably.
She was wearing a white shirt.
Perhaps it was the image of her boyfriend's shirt, but there was a
glimpse of light blue striped panties peeking out from the hem.
She was dressed in a very mischievous way, trying to please me, but
she must have fallen asleep while waiting for me.
When I sat down next to her and stroked her hair, she looked
pleasantly surprised.
As I was soaking in happiness, Lili suddenly appeared.
「Oppai-chan is tired, Devi. It was a rather hard day today, Devi」
「Is that so?」
「Well, she had to learn how to behave in an unfamiliar queenly tone,
and then she had to learn the details of this brainwashing, Devi」
「I see. Well, I guess I won't do it today. It's not bad to have a
good night's sleep once in a while」
With that said, I threw myself down next to Masaki-chan, and Lili
gave me a rare look of seriousness and asked me a question.
「Fumi Fumi, there is one thing I want to make sure, Devi」
「What is it?」
「Fumi Fumi, are you sure that the reason you were so reckless this
time was because of that black gal?」
「Yes, that's right. Four of them took Fujiwara-san's picture. Also, I
couldn't identify them because of their short-cut, and there's a good chance
that stories about her past have been leaked to other girls. I really should
have taken care of it when they filmed her, but I didn't think anything of
Fujiwara-san at that point」
「Is it your sympathy, Devi?」
「I don't know what you want to hear, but no. I'm just uncomfortable
with them messing with my things」
「I'm not accusing you of anything, Devi. But... I'm just wondering
why you don't confine or try to hold her even though she's...... yours」
「I see, it does seem strange」
「It doesn't make sense, right, Devi?」
「I don't know if I can explain it well, but... Masaki-chan,
Kurosawa-san and Fujiwara-san are special to me. I'm honestly embarrassed to
admit that I don't know what's special about them, but I'm attracted to them to
the point where I can't choose between them.......」
「All three of them are your revenge partners, Devi. It's just that
the hatred has been turned upside down, Devi. If you are unable to choose
between them, it is unreasonable for you to avoid touching the black gals, Devi」
「It's just a hunch, but... If I hold her, I feel like my value will
collapse in Fujiwara-san's favor. The difference between her and Kurosawa-san
or Masaki-chan is that she has been exposed to men's desires. I can hold her
anytime I want, but I don't, so she's probably special」
With that, I turned my attention to Lili and she rolled her eyes.
「What's wrong?」
「You startled me, Devi. I felt as if I understood how a parent feels
when they see their child standing up for the first time, Devi」
「What's that?」
「Fumi Fumi has grown up, huh? Even though, you are so sassy, Devi.
But, well, if you don't want to hold her, it seems impossible to make the black
gal into a state of [Enslaved], Devi」
「Hmm... I have a feeling that it'll be able to work out, but I still
don't know」
◇ ◇ ◇
The night has come.
The on-site inspection, which lasted until late into the night,
naturally yielded no results.
Although the initial response is crucial, there is only the fact
that 18 girls have disappeared.
If I don't know Master, there's no way I can figure out why that
would happen, so there's no way I can get any results from a random
investigation.
Still, many of the investigators, including myself, had visited the
school again this morning after taking a short nap.
Today, we were supposed to focus our search on the old school
buildings that were left undemolished.
Of course, it doesn't make any sense.
It's really painful to have to work seriously on something I know to
be meaningless.
As I walked down the corridor alone, thinking about this.
「Ryoko-san」
I stopped when someone suddenly called out to me from behind.
I turned around and there he was, Inspector Nakamura, my fiancée, so
to speak.
「What is it? Inspector」
When I replied, he looked a little puzzled.
「Well, it's kind of a private matter. I'm staying at a hotel near the
station right now, but...... this case is going to drag on. So, I thought it
would be better for me to come to my apartment」
The apartment in which I live was purchased by this man as my new home
after marriage. Of course, the name is also his.
「Can I come over there tonight?」
Not so long ago, I would have been delighted. I might have thought
of a home-cooked meal to serve him.
But I don't think so anymore.
「I'm sorry, Takehiko-san....... I'm actually protecting the returned
person in the case - Misuzu Kurosawa-san......」
I explained the situation of the media surrounding her house and
told him that I had no choice but to protect her as an emergency evacuation.
Then he chuckled.
「I see, I can't just barge into an apartment with a high school girl,
can I?」
He scratched his head.
「I'm sorry. I've done something rash......」
「It's okay. I'm just proud that my prospective wife is such a kind
person」
Then he gently took my hand in his.
But this was the point where I had to be patient.
I pretended to be embarrassed, although inside I was thinking, “Don't
touch me”.
Just then...
「Inspector! Inspector Nakamura!」
I saw a uniformed police officer running from the other side of the
corridor, his shoes clattering, and he hurriedly released my hand.
「W-what's happen?」
「Inspector, one of the girls just came forward to say that she saw
something that may be related to the case......」
「Not the two girls from the track & field club?」
Teruya Hikaru and Ninagawa Rimi were asked to come to the school
this afternoon for questioning.
「Yes, she's Rin Fukuda, a first-year student at our school」
「Okay, I'll be right there」
「Inspector Nakamura, if it's a female student, I'd better be present」
「Yes, of course. There may be some things that are difficult to
discuss without a female companion」
「I understood」
There was a reason why I immediately requested it. Because I had
heard of the surname Fukuda.
I remember that the name of the student who confessed to Master and
was rejected had that name.
I had a bit of a bad feeling about this.
