Tachioka's sister said, "Nii
nii? here it comes, aahh..." and bring the spoon, which had scooped up the
cake, closer to me, looking up at me. But as I had agreed to act as a big
brother brother for Shiratori-san, I decided to treat her like a big brother.
（Act like a big brother...act like a
big brother... o-okay! ）
「"Kizuna-tan", ahh...」
I say to her in such a way as to
match her sweet mood.
But――
「Eh?」
――She
immediately turned into a straight face.
**a
"What is it?" I say,
confused.
And both of us stiffen with confused
faces.
Shiratori-san is indifferent, and
Kei-chan seems uninterested in anything other than the cake. I felt as if I
have to say something smart to the one who moves first, and I couldn't even
move.
The situation is doomed, like a siege
with no hope of rescue.
A hellish silence settled between her
and me descended, and we stared at each other in confusion for several minutes.
As it was, the buffet time was up.
Everyone parted ways at the station,
and on the way back to my house, my thoughts wandered.
（I wonder how I should have reacted
correctly...）
Probably, she reacted only because
she didn't expect it. It was a big difference from what she imagined her brother
to be.
（No, no, no, why do I have to be so
bothered?）
Tachioka-kun's sister doesn't want to
be my sister, she's trying to act as my sister in order to be protected by me
and to win my affection.
But I don't really want a sister
other than Saori-chan.
（I wonder... what is this feeling that
no one benefits from...）
The fact that Shiratori-san is making
such an arrangement means that there is some kind of deliberate scheme going
on... no, there is a possibility that she is just being amusing herself.
Nevertheless, that's not what I
should be thinking about right now.
The culprit who targeted
Hanabusa-san. The one who injured Saori-chan.
According to Shiratori-san, it was a
member of the basketball club in Hanabusa-san's class. There are two of them,
girls with terrible nicknames like "Sankon" and "Monkii".
One of them, or both of them, is
using Hanabusa-san as a tool to drag down Asuka Nitani in a devious way.
（If this is true, it's pretty bad...）
It is not difficult to identify either
or both of these two as the culprits.
I... might be too cautious, so if I
can get Claudia to ask a question or two and use her <Eyes of Truth>, it
should be enough to identify them.
But the problem is after that.
If their misdeeds are made public,
the basketball club will be suspended, and Hanabusa-san's past efforts will be
for nothing.
If I punish the culprit by confining
them, I may end the life of this school this time.
The school has become infamous
throughout the country as the scene of too many incidents.
At this moment, it is believed that
it will be very difficult to recruit students for the next school year, but if
such an incident happens one more time, the school will be closed.
I can only say that I deserve it, but
I can't help feeling a sense of stagnation.
All I can think of is to scare them
so that no one will notice.
（You're pathetic, Confinement King.
You need to be more cunning like a bad guy...）
With this in mind, I arrived home,
told Mom that I had gone to a cake buffet and didn't want dinner, and went
upstairs.
And as soon as I stepped into my
room...
「This manga about a salaryman who just
eats... why is it so addictive, Devi?」
I heard a familiar voice, and I
looked up.
「Lili!」
There, floating in midair, scratching
her belly and reading a manga, was my partner, the devil girl, no doubt.
「I'm back, Devi」
She said while smiling with a toothy
grin.
Although we hadn't been apart for
long enough to have an emotional reunion, I had been worried about her because
she had seemed quite upset when she returned to the demon world. So, to be
honest, I was relieved to see that she was still the same.
「Is everything alright in the demon
world?」
「For the time being, Devi. Things with
Lord Andras aren't over yet, Devi, but the crisis is over for the time being,
Devi」
「I see. Is everyone else okay?」
「No problem, Devi. Nefuterra is
staying behind to rule the newly expanded territory, Devi. I also brought all
the maids back with me, Devi」
「I see... that's good」
The four former members of the track
and field club are now obedient maids, even though they humiliated
Fujiwara-san. No matter how strong they are, they're still just human beings.
To be honest, it's not an
exaggeration to say that the girls were the ones I was most worried about.
While I thought this, Lili threw the
manga down on the bed in her hands and turned to face me, sitting up in the
air.
**b
「We'll talk about this later. Fumi
Fumi also has a souvenir, or trouble, or something like that, Devi, but more
importantly, there seems to be a problem, Devi? Why are you looking so upset,
Devi?」
「Actually...」
Although I'm curious about the
trouble she's talking about, that's not what I need to be thinking about right
now.
I put my bag on the floor and sit
down on the bed, explaining to her about the events surrounding the
entertainment company and the basketball club.
Lili listened to me quietly, but when
I finished, she shrugged her shoulders as if to say she was dumbfounded.
「What is it? It just like that, Devi?」
「Why it just like that... do you have
a better idea?」
「Yes, Devi」
Lili's small chest puffed out.
「All you have to do is get revenge on
them, or one of them, without anyone noticing, Devi?」
「Well, yeah, but...」
My brow furrows, and she twists her
mouth to say.
「"Death Game", Devi」
「……….What?」
I thought for a moment that I had
misheard, but Lili repeated it again, full of herself.
「It's death game, Devi」
「Are... are you kidding me?」
「What is it, Devi?」
「You heard what I said, right? I told
you not to let anyone missing, didn't I? What death game? That's exactly what
will make them missing!」
And Lili just said, "Whaaa?」 and
her cheek twists in annoyance, then she thrusts her face towards mine.
「Really, that kind of standardized
thinking is the limit of the cramming education in this country, Devi"
「From what standpoint are you talking
about education?」
Then Lili puts her face right in
front of my nose, as if she's trying to stir me up.
「Look, Devi, if you think you can't
play the death game without kidnapping and confinement, you're wrong, Devi. You
can play the death game with just a matchstick if you want to, Devi.」
「A matchstick... how?」
Then, for some reason, Lili's gaze
swam.
「Eh? Ah, umm............... well
kidnapping and confinement is not a prerequisite for a death game, Devi」
「You mean you didn't think about it
first?」
It's a dumbfounding but somehow
relieving exchange. Lili's existence itself is extraordinary, but I felt that
everyday life had mysteriously returned.
「A-Anyway, I'll explain in detail,
Devi. We're moving to the "bedroom", Devi」
「Can't we do it here?」
Then she smirked and said.
「It'll be quicker if we talk about it
with the others, Devi」
NEW SERIES!!!
There's a new work that I absolutely recommend immersing yourself in: 'Starting as a Male Idol in a World with a 1:99 Gender Ratio.' Follow Shirogane Aqua's captivating journey of stardom, where he overcomes challenges, encounter fascinating characters, and embrace his unwavering passion. For the new work: click here!
