Hidan no Aria:Volume10 Chapter3

3rd Ammo: Secret of the Deep Blue -Deep Blue-

After I brought my self-proclaimed and publicly recognised sister, Tohyama Kaname back to my dorm –

“…?”

Because Shirayuki has been busy with the Cultural Festival, my room should be in a deep mess… But right now, it seemed to be quite organized and clean.

No, it’s overly clean.

Firstly, except for my shoes, there were no other shoes in the shoe cabinet.

Also, the living room and mini-room were also different. Aria’s heart-shaped pillow, Shirayuki’s clothes cabinet, Riko’s games – they were all gone.

But… my stuff still remained.

It feels like I’ve gone back to the time before Aria moved into my dorm.

“Hey, erm… Kaname, didn’t you say just now, something about trespassing in my room…” I asked. While the suspect who was in the washroom replied…

“This place is a Tohyama home, so Tohyama Kaname coming into this place should be no problem. After all, family members can go into family residences anytime they like.”

Then, she rinsed her mouth noisily.

Looking closely, the toothbrush cup that Kaname was holding matched my toothbrush cup. Where did she get that? This way, it already looked like we were siblings with a good relationship.

“Why do I feel like there are many things that have disappeared…”

“I sent all the stuff with their scent to the hospital,” said Kaname with a look of displeasure.

“You did this kind of thing again…”

“The pillow with Aria’s smell, I sent it out after tearing it. Also, I either cut or creased Shirayuki’s black lingerie and Riko’s games before sending them out. It was really tedious.”

“…”

“It should have already reached the hospital, I think? Pink-hair and the others will probably get a huge fright after opening the parcel. Hehe, I feel like jumping for joy just thinking about it.” Kaname said with a dark expression and gloomy smile – an icy chill ran down my spine. How can there be such a sinister girl? This is unmatchable even by the dark side of Shirayuki when bullying Aria.

As an elder, I should warn her, right?

“Kaname, let me tell you.”

“Hm?”

While I scratched my head and put on an angry expression, Kaname seemed to have “Yes, what happened?” written on her face. She seemed to not know about whether she did something wrong.

“Erm… I know you don’t really like Aria and the others, but your approach is too nasty. For example, you took advantage of the fact that nobody was at home and destroyed other people’s things.”

“…Eh, why are you angry?”

“Although there was no other choice, but since you self-proclaim to be one of the Tohyamas, you must not do such despicable things from now on. Got it?” Using a tone that could make people stop retorting…

Kaname looked up at me with an aghast expression, then nodded her head.

'Hm…? How come she nodded at me that easily?'

“I-I know. Then, I will try my best to learn what are “despicable things”, and I will not do these things from this day onwards.”

For some reason, it feels like she is afraid of being hated by me. Even her body was trembling slightly.

“B-but – I also have something to warn Onii-chan!”

After Kaname shook her head like she was trying to revive her emotions, she used her eyes that had a strong will to look at me.

“…What is it?”

“Onii-chan’s taste of women is horrendous! A shorty, one that fakes purity, a fake fairy, a mute girl – I can’t believe Onii-chan keeps those weird and wacky things!”

Looking at her furious expression, I felt like recoiling.

What do you mean by “keep”? Are you treating them like pets? At least they are humans, right?

*sigh* Given those four derogatory remarks, I could already see who she was refering to, so I’m not one to talk.

“Listen. Onii-chan is the best male in the world, but in this regard, Onii-chan is not conscious enough. You need to change your attitude of “As long it’s a girl, there’s no difference”. Those women are to~tally not worth Onii-chan’s love. That’s. Too. Un. Reason. Able!” Said Kaname, entering her preaching mode as she pointed at me with her index finger. Looks like she is angry at the fact that Aria was residing in my dorm.

Well, I do agree on that part. After all, I do feel helpless at the fact that they live in my dorm.

“ – Even that kind of woman wants to be Onii-chan’s girlfriend, that is simply inexcusable. Let’s say, all the women here are not allowed to do so. So, promise me one thing.”

“What is it?”

“Promise me not to touch or even worse, hug any girl other than me.”

“What promise, I never ever wanted to touch or hug any girl! Who would do that kind of thing!”

“Then promise me, swear to me, that you will not touch any woman other than me.”

“Yes, I swear!”

“If I see any woman trying to stick with my Onii-chan, I will assassinate her!”

“Hey, hey! To start, don’t keep talking about killing people. If you want to be by my side, then no matter what happens, don’t do anything violent, ok?” I emphasized.

Kaname stared at me…

And nodded earnestly again.

It feels like she really is my sister.

“…”

Just when I was suspecting whether she really understood that and started glaring hard at her –

“…Ah…”

Kaname looked up at my eyes which were staring at her, without blinking her eyes…

…Uwa…

Blushed inexplicably.

“Onii, Onii-chan…”

“What is it now?”

After being asked by me, Kaname was happy and bashful as she revealed a shy smile before bowing her head.

“So, so handsome.”

“What?”

“So hand. That sharp expression just now, made my heart skip a beat. A-and, the thought that we will be living together by ourselves just… just makes me feel like exploding. I don’t know, if it will be possible this time?”

“…?”

“Oh no.”

“What oh no?”

“Really like.”

“Hey, hey…”

“Like. Like. I like you a lot. What do I do?”

Kaname looked downwards. Her face, the back of her neck, and even her head was redder than a beetroot.

Looks like her face is all red, and I’m talking about the intense kind of red.

Although I hope that isn’t true, but according to the atmosphere, the words she uttered just now was definitely 100% sincere.

“I-I think that’s a bit contradicting of you.”

“Why?”

“Although I don’t admit it, but you self-proclaim to be my sister, right?”

“It isn’t self-proclamation, it is true.” Said Kaname, who looked up with her blushing face.

“…Since you say so, then isn’t talking about liking me too strange?”

“Eh? Why?”

“Why are you showing a face of sincere puzzlement? Is there a sister in this world that admits to liking her brother?”

“? ? ?”

Because it seemed that Kaname didn’t understand what I was saying, thus…

“I mean, there would be a problem with blood-related people saying that.”

I had to resort to carefully explaining to her about this general common sense that even made me feel ashamed by just talking about it.

“Blood relations are only a small problem.”

“You mean a huge problem! Go and study about the laws in Japan!”

“That’s my line. Although marriage is forbidden, love is still legitimate!”

Damn… a lawless is actually talking to me about the law.

Just when I had nothing to say after her rebuttal –

“Onii-chan! Like, like, like, I really like! Like, like…”

Taking hold of the opportunity, Kaname leaned on my body while acting like a spoilt kitten.

It feels as if she is in a trance. Am I a silver vine?

“No, don’t cling onto me! Also, more importantly, what is good about me that is worthy of being liked?”

I used a puzzled expression to look at this beautiful yet strange girl.

And all she did was to maintain her terrifying state…

“Yeah, yeah, there are lots of them – For examples, your looks…"

“My looks? I think you better visit the optometrist. In the eyes of most girls, my looks are that of a gloomy person, you know?”

“There’s no such thing, you’re handsome.”

From Kaname’s eyes, I could see that she was serious.

“How can I be handsome. I –”

Kaname interrupted me in mid-sentence and hugged my body tightly. Then, she used her hand to stroke my back gently.

It-it tickles! What kind of trick is this, I am getting goosebumps!

“Oh, and… I also like your gentle personality. Onii-chan is extremely gentle to me, and even bought milk candy for me.”

“Come on, are you a child that has been abducted with candy? That thing is only worth 105 yen.”

“The price doesn’t matter. I still have the candy wrapping. I shall write today’s date on it, then keep it for my lifetime.”

“…”

Just now, my words, “what is good about me that is worthy of being liked”, seemed to have become a landmine –

This ended up in Kaname saying stuff about what she likes about me. Endless praises came out of her mouth, causing me to have goosebumps. She was talking about it to the extent that it looked as if she was worshipping the gods.

Even when I was sick of her praises and went to brew coffee, she tagged along, her mouth full of praises.

It seemed that Kaname’s world was overflowing with love, and no obstacle could stop her.

This woman really isn’t normal in any bit.

She actually turned out to be so fond of me… Looks like I shouldn’t advise her to go to the optometrist, but instead the psychiatrist.

Although Kaname promised me to restrain herself from committing violent acts, I just couldn’t trust her.

If I were to evict her, there is no guarantee that she will not do anything violent, and she would probably start a comprehensive war with Aria.

So…

It looks like my last resort is to let this strange girl, Kaname stay in my room.

Moreover, Kaname is a subordinate of GIII. To Deen, she can be regarded as a guest.

(Although they gave me a bullshit task of “Romeo”…”)

I once heard from Shiranui that a “Romeo” task is different from “Honey Trap” in the way that “Romeo” doesn’t start with using the body to lure the other party. Instead, it was to let the other party have a good impression of you.

However, when I look at it, the first step probably has been completed, I’m sure? After all, since the start, Kaname had already had a good impression of me.

But what do I do next… I don’t know, neither did I want to know.

Thus, I escaped reality by reading books and watched DVDs. Unconsciously, time flew by and it was already nighttime.

By the way, throughout this whole period of time, Kaname was like a small duck who recognized a wrong mother duck. She kept on following me, even to the extent that she followed me to the washroom.

This also remained the same when I was watching TV on the sofa. As I watched the TV programmes, she sat beside me, grinning.

A normal man would probably be happy if there was such a beauty beside him, right? But now the situation was happening to me. Because she really made me feel uneasy, when it was evening, I warned her sternly to move away.

In the end, she stood behind the kitchen curtain, revealing only half of her body and face. Then, she looked at me for a full two hours.

Because that made me feel peculiar, I said angrily, “Don’t do that either.” –

And she went into the kitchen.

“…”

It felt like if I went to look at her, I would have lost some kind of battle, hence I decided to continue watching TV.

*Chk* – *Chk* –…

(…?)

There seemed to be a weird noise coming from the kitchen.

*Chk* – *Chk* – *Chk* –…

After thirty seconds, I finally admitted defeat and turned to look,

“Uh!”

I couldn’t help but to make a sound.

K-Kaname… she was actually sharpening my kitchen knife.

And she was wearing a sailor uniform with a fluttery skirt (she apparently took Riko’s for her own use).

“What…what are you doing?”

“Preparing to cook dishes, Onii-chan.”

– I’m not your onii-chan.

Since things have become like this, it would be foolish to emphasize this fact with her.

Although I think I was losing in patience to her, but never mind.

“This is a good kitchen knife.”

Kaname grabbed the knife and showed it to me, smiling.

How do I put it…When Kaname… is holding a sharp object… her expression seems to have a unique sense of terror.

Who knows, she may just like sharp objects like her broadsword. It feels as if she has changed, her eyes were slightly stiff.

“Erm…I heard that that knife was a branded one from Seki, please don’t break it. It belongs to Shirayuki.”

“I know that, I could determine from the smell. But since it’s something useful, I confiscated it. This skirt was also confiscated.”

After Kaname used her index finger to twirl the kitchen knife, she inversed her hand, taking the knife and putting in on the chopping block.

“We are a family of two, so let the little sister be responsible for cooking. From today onwards, I will personally make fresh and hot food for Onii-chan to eat.”

“What… dishes don’t fit with your image, right? Why do you want to do this?”

“I want to replace Hotogi Shirayuki.”

“…?”

“Kanzaki Aria, Hotogi Shirayuki and Mine Riko. They obviously aren’t our family, yet they reside in this dorm. Which means, those women have good skills, right? So what I want to do is to take up all the responsibilities and acquire their skills so that they will have no use. Hm, it’s very reasonable, right?”

After exposing her devilish smile –

She equipped a pair of crimson-colored sunglasses.

I have seen… that thing before.

That was what she was wearing when she was fighting with Aria and the others.

“What’s that? That isn’t a weapon, right?”

“The Tella Net Assist System – Um, how should I put it. It is something like a integration of a cell phone, Internet, broadcast and military radio? It is a high-dimensional intelligence interface. Basically, this thing can read my brainwave patterns, then shows the things that are recommended based on the patterns.”

“It shows, huh… but… why don’t I see it?”

“You can’t see it from the front as this monitor is made of an optical multilayer screen. Above, there is a layer of translucent liquid crystal film. Necessary information will be continuously displayed at the top. It feels like the thoughts of the brain are directly connected with the network.”

“I have never even heard of such thing. Which company came up with it?”

“It isn’t for sale. Because it is still in testing, so it should be expensive. One of this would probably take about twenty to thirty million U.S. dollars. Only the Pentagon and Los Alamos uses it. To me, it is my cell phone.”

Twenty to thirty million U.S. dollars…?

One U.S. dollar is about eighty Japanese yen. So that is – a cell phone that costs about 2.2 billion yen!

Just as my eyes were open wide in amazement, Kaname opened a PC Game box that was on the table

…That box, it seems familiar.

Isn’t that the game that I bought for Riko as payment for the information about Aria –

The so-called “gal-game” thing? “My Sister is a Goth Lolita”?

“Hey, that thing is…”

“A game. That is also one of the things that I confiscated from Mine Riko. I confiscated it because that fake fairy learnt how to make Onii-chan like her from this game.”

Kaname used a device similar to tweezers to grip the disc from the box.

Then, the disc started to rotate.

Looks like she was using the device to read the information in the disc, then used the thing called “Tella Net Assist” to investigate the contents.

“Especially this one, because it’s based on the theme of a younger sister’s love story. In order to let Onii-chan like me, I will try hard.”

“Don’t learn that kind of stuff! Moreover, that thing is R-rated – In short, you shouldn't access those stuff at your age.”

“Hm, looks like it’s better to make simple food.”

Kaname turned a deaf ear to me and put the disc and device on the table –

“Also, having the sister cooking dishes is the correct option. According to the contents, the relationship of the brother and sister is supposed to be improved through daily life. And, when making dishes – I must do this?”

As she said that, she crouched slightly, pointing her buttocks at me. From her back, it was possible to catch a glimpse of her apron… Below the ribbon on her back, a pair of white thighs revealed themselves below the skirt.

As Kaname prepared the things she needed for cooking, her skirt would float according to her motion. It was a very tempting sight indeed.

If it was a normal man… he would not help but want to touch it and thus preventing her from making dishes, right? It would definitely be irresistible.

“Before finishing the dishes, the cute little sister needs to do this – exposing her back to the unsuspecting brother. Onii-chan, how does it feel? Are you in the least interested in Kaname’s thighs?”

“No, don’t say those disgusting things.”

“Just as the game starts, there isn’t a problem with touching it, you know? There also an option for “Lifting the skirt up from behind”.”

Kaname turned her head to look at me in such a manner that it looked like she was trying to read my thought.

“Are you an idiot, the only option I will choose is “Ignore”.”

Kaname muttered, “Onii-chan is so unreasonable~”, before opening the refrigerator and looking at the stuff inside –

“Mm, since there are these ingredients in the refrigerator, we’ll make curry.”

She probably used that Tella NA thing to check out what dishes she could make with the ingredients.

Wow, the things used to do with something worth a few hundred million yen are actually gaming and reading recipes.

I’m sure the developer in the Pentagon or elsewhere would cry if he or she heard of this.

“I’m done, Onii-chan!”

I walked into the living room after hearing Kaname’s lively call.

She… actually made curry.

Although it smells supposedly nice, I still didn’t lower my guard. Only after I swapped our plates did I take my seat.

“How hateful, I obviously won’t poison it.”

After Kaname smiled bitterly, she sat across me happily.

The curry looked really ordinary, so I tasted a bit…

Of course, it tasted ordinary. Sigh, after all, no matter who cooks curry, it would taste nice.

Looking up, Kaname was eating the curry slowly.

“This kind of thing really makes me happy.”

“Is that like, the lines of the game?”

“Course not. The game is only for reference. This is my true feelings. I’m extra happy now.”

“What’s there to be happy about?”

“This is home, and this is family… something like that. Because this is the first time I’ve done this.”

“Done what? You mean eating at home?”

“Yup. Especially the point that I’m not consuming nutritional supplements, but instead, real food. It’s really tasty. Ah, it’s a bit weird to praise my own self, hehehe. So, Onii-chan, how does it taste? Is it nice?”

“Yeah, it’s nice.”

Because this really tasted not bad, I gave her a natural reply.

But as a result, she gave me a shy expression – She looked at me, ate a bit of curry, looked at me again and ate a bit of curry. She repeated this process, looking happily.

A person who can get so happy just by eating curry at home… This is the first time I’ve ever seen someone like that.

“You do have your own home, right?”

Because I was hoping she would go home ASAP, I asked her that question –

“No, I don’t have a home. Even though I have somewhere to live, that isn’t really a home.” Replied Kaname, whose face expressed a little sadness.

Somehow… it feels like she is running away from home.

“To me, this is my first home. This place belongs to Onii-chan and I – a home of the Tohyamas. Only family members can live here. And talking about family, only Onii-chan and I are included. So, at home, I have Onii-chan exclusively to me. This is the privilege of being a sister!”

“…”

Just because she had been playing house with me for this period of time, Kaname seemed to already be in ecstasy.

But… the incredible thing is…

Perhaps because I had always eaten stuff from convenience stores or luxurious dishes made by Shirayuki, this ordinary dinner at home… seems to give me a good feeling.

It reminds me of how I enjoyed dinner with my family when I was young.

Even the taste seemed to resemble the taste of the food back then. The next morning, I was awakened by Kaname’s “Sister Alarm Clock”, in which she used a spoon to hit a pan to wake me up. After that, I ate the toast and fried egg that she prepared for me. This time, I didn’t swap our plates.

Looking closer, it seemed that Kaname had woken up really early to finish the housework. The house had become extremely clean, while our clothes were being hung out on the balcony. Her diligence seemed to match that of Shirayuki’s.

Then, the two of us took the bus. I was shot curious looks by the Butei High students.

Soon, Kaname alighted at Masters.

Although it’s unsafe to let her go off herself… but at least, we had made an agreement.

Also, I am, after all, a Butei. In addition to her agreement, I also prepared some preventive measures. However, it isn’t too perfect.

(But will it be that easy for that girl to transfer into this school?)

I thought about this throughout the general subjects…

Because it was lunchtime, I stood up and started walking to the school canteen.

“Well… can you help me call my Onii-chan? My name is Tohyama Kaname.”

It was the voice of Kaname, from the rear of the classroom.

“…Ah!”

I turned my head. Indeed, Kaname was standing there, wearing a sailor uniform…

She came… she came to my classroom!

The girls started shouting “So cute!” before touching Kaname’s head, while the boys began to stir at the sight of Kaname.

“Hey, hey…! Why are you here?”

I walked towards the rear in panic. Then, the boys followed me. What, what are you doing, guys?

“Seriously! Onii-chan, you forgot to bring your lunch!”

Her tone hardened as she saw me, totally different from what she was when she entered the classroom; gracious and kind-looking. It really looked like she was my little sister.

Then, plop!

She gave me a small basket filled with sandwiches.

Although I took the basket, I didn’t remember anything about preparing a lunch. What is she planning to do?

“She appeared! The rumoured sister!”

“Wow, she really exists!”

“Super cute!”

“I can’t believe it’s Kinji’s sister!”

Of course you won’t believe it, because even I don’t.

“Kinji, to what extent do you have to be a winner in life!”

“He actually has such a beautiful sister!”

“How enviable!”

The boys started to knock my head and kick me.

“Stop, why do I have to get hit!”

Even if there was a beautiful sister, the brother shouldn’t have anything to be happy about!

No, after all, I’m just a novice brother (this is what Kaname claimed, though), so I’m not so sure.

I pushed Muto, who was shouting “Exchange your sister with mine!” away, before pointing my Desert Eagle to ward off the other boys. Then, I pushed Kaname to the corridor.

After that, I endured the pain in my right knee and ran up the stairs, pulling Kaname into a deserted locker room and locked the door.

“…Oh!”

Then I noticed… what Kaname did just now was one of her tricks.

This girl, trying to make sure I admit that she’s my little sister, had “Kinji’s little sister” engraved in the minds of the people.

Just now, she used a trick, acting out a scene of “the daily life of Kinji and Kaname”.

… Unbelievable. She was obviously younger than me, but yet had a really smart brain.

“Hey, Kaname! Don’t come to the second year classroom!”

“Mm, I won’t go anymore.”

Her smiling face proved my theory – she only needed to make sure that people know I have a little sister. That was probably done, I’m sure?

“But… it feels really exciting to meet in the school. Originally, I could have Onii-chan exclusively to me, but now, it seems that I have to be more secretive in school. This feels terrific. I’m sure many girls who have a crush on Onii-chan now feel unwilling, right? Hehe. There’s a feeling of superiority.”

Looking at Kaname talking shyly, with her hands holding her cheeks –

I was just going to lecture her on her actions,

“I heard a lot about Onii-chan, from my friends and senpais.

“What…?”

“Many people said, Onii-chan used to be a powerful Assault Butei. Many Assault Butei have good impressions of Onii-chan. Indeed, Onii-chan is really strong. Although your cold personality hasn’t really changed.”

She actually… went to investigate about such unnecessary matters.

“My past doesn’t have anything to do with you, right?”

“I just wanted to know more about things regarding Onii-chan. Ah, and…”

Kaname revealed a naughty smile.

“During morning break, a boy I didn’t know – brought me to a deserted place.”

“What…?”

“Then, he gave me a letter. I guess it’s a love letter?”

Ooh… it’s that kind of topic.

There’s actually someone that quick?

“…”

Because it was a topic I wasn’t good at, I was silent. Seeing this, Kaname took out an envelope from her skirt pocket.

“Um, what should I do? Can I treat him as a boyfriend for practice?”

As she said that, she took out the letter and gave it to me –

I thought for a while and decided to confirm the contents of the letter.

Where did this idiot come from? He only judged by Kaname’s looks. Does he know how dangerous she is?

Kaname too. She was the one who warned me not to touch other women –

“…?”

When I opened the letter –

“That was a lie, Onii-chan. Are you jealous?”

I actually saw this written neatly on the paper –

Hence, I looked up and prepared to launch a fist at Kaname, but trying to stop me from doing that, she hugged me tightly.

“Kaname… Can you not do this kind of inexplicable pranks?”

“Hehe! This is to confirm Onii-chan’s love. Seeing how unhappy Onii-chan was for me, I’m really glad. Onii-chan has started to love me, no, he has already loved me.”

Kaname was full of joy as she looked at me, intoxicated with slightly stiff eyes.

“N-no way. It’s just that if there’s a guy who wants to be close to you, that guy would be in constant danger –”

“Hehe! Don’t worry, Onii-chan, there’s no need to be jealous. Even if I am really wooed by someone, I will definitely not talk to the other guy. That’s because I hate boys. Onii-chan too, I heard that you are one who hates women.”

For some reason, Kaname seemed to be happy at the fact that I hated women –

“We really are alike,” said Kaname.

“…I guess so.”

After all, when we were on the bus the previous day, she seemed to be avoiding the boys.

When I agreed with her on this point –

“After all, we are siblings.”

Kaname gave me a blissful and intoxicated smile –

“Ah, what do I do? I’m too happy. My “like trigger” has been activated. I can’t go back to the classroom.”

“What is a “like trigger”…Don’t be long-winded, just go back to class, even though I don’t know which class you are in.”

“Onii-chan, Onii-chan – Accept my request, hug.”

“Hug?”

“I meant, hug me tightly.”

“Why!”

“Because I want to. So, please, hug me tightly. Tight~ly. That way, I can go back obediently,” said Kaname enthusiastically, with her face on my chest. Her arm was also clutching my back.

If this goes on, even I can’t go back.

If this can make her go back, just hug her.

“…”

To be safe, I made sure that the door was locked and nobody was around, then –

*hug*

I hugged Kaname, in a style for comforting little children.

“Ah…ah…Onii-chan…Onii, Onii-chan…” Said Kaname, whom was being embraced by me, in a sweet voice.

A teardrop trickled down her cheek and fell to her feet.

She…she actually cried in joy.

How do I put it… she really is a child with an unstable mood.

Perhaps every girl at her age is like her.

“Hey, hey… are you ok?”

Kaname raised her head, revealing an idle expression.

“No-nothing. I can’t take it anymore, can’t, stifle it. I, I can’t stop!”

From her tearful eyes, I could tell that she seemed to be unable to restrain some kind of desire.

She used to have a doll-like look and was polite to the classmates…

But now, she seemed to give out a different atmosphere. Judging from what she said just now, she was probably too excited because of meeting in school, I’m sure?

“Onii-chan, for to-today, I won’t have anymore requests, So –”

Said Kaname, who seemed to be full of pleasure…

She was even panting, giving out a caramel scent.

“Please, please, kiss me – Kissing me is enough –”

Hey, hey…!

What do you think you’re doing!

This is called pushing your luck too far, right?

What a tough girl. Just because I gave way a little, she starts to pressure me.

“Stop bullshitting, I thought we were siblings to you!”

“That’s why. So, it’s possible…Please, Onii-chan, kiss me…”

Kaname was already speechless.

Then, she parted her lips slightly, in a way that resembled sleep… she closed her eyes.

This action… even I knew what it meant.

Kaname was waiting for me. Waiting for me, to… do that.

“…Mm…”

Kaname continued to hold my body tightly.

If this goes on, I can’t go back. And this situation would continue.

Should I struggle to get away? No, that won’t work. She was better than Aria and the others in fighting, and I wasn’t even in Hysteria Mode. I was currently the useless Normal Mode Kinji.

And since just now – Kaname had been making me do things like that, if I reject her, she would feel too shameful, right?

If she becomes violent because of that… I would have no possibility of defeating her.

(What, what should I do…!)

Also – everything that Kaname requests for me to do was everything I considered taboo.

But, to think about why I hated these things… it was because I was avoiding Hysteria Mode.

(… The blood flow…)

Previously, when I hugged her, I had already realized it.

Indeed – even if I got into such a situation, my body still wasn’t excited; it was neutral.

Although I don’t know why, it was very hard to go into Hysteria Mode because of Kaname.

Who knows, there might even be no chance of going into Hysteria Mode. After all, she is a rather immature girl.

Also, when I was kissed by Kaname in Aria’s hospital ward, I was left unscathed.

There’s actually someone like that who exists…

This kind of thing… for my future, there shouldn’t be a problem with checking this.

… I had no other alternative.

In life, there are times where we have to overcome obstacles – Nii-san told me that once.

Hence, I… whispered into Kaname’s ears.

“Ka-Kaname, after I do it, you must be obedient and let me go, ok?”

After I said that, Kaname nodded.

“I…I won’t do anymore of such things, are you ok with that?”

Kaname nodded.

“Also, don’t tell anyone else, ok?”

*nod*

She nodded thrice.

Hence, I – with a sacrificing mood – “ – Nn –”

I obliged Kaname.

And kissed her.

At that moment, Kaname was – probably too excited as her body was constantly shaking.

From her elastic-feeling lips, warmness went into my mouth.

(…)

But, as I expected… it was the same as last time.

There was totally no strange feeling.

It was like in European or American movies where foreigners gave greeting kisses; there was only a close feeling.

Hysteria Mode didn’t occur.

When I was surprised over this matter –

“…Nn! …Nn…!”

A fuzzy sound came from Kaname’s throat as her arms moved to the back of my head.

Hey, hey! Don’t apply so much force on my head, how long are you intending to kiss me!

I should have agreed on how long the process was.

“Pwah! That’s too long!”

Feeling uncomfortable in breathing, I pushed Kaname’s head backwards –

Our lips parted as I panted heavily.

In my mouth… there was a sweet taste, similar to caramel. I guess Kaname ate a bit just now?

“… Hah, hah… Terrific, it’s terrific… Being kissed by the person you like, it’s actually, actually so… hah… Awesome… awesome… awesome…”

Kaname, who was still embracing me tightly, revealed a seemingly painful expression as she panted heavily –

“Hey, hey, Kaname, you can’t even speak clearly now, you know? Let me go now.”

“Phew, phew, that’s, that’s true, even, even my heart is going to stop – And, now I know. I can, I definitely can. This is possible, just a bit more, just a bit more and…”

“What are you talking about, hey, calm down.”

After I comforted Kaname, Kaname released her arms –

“Thank…thanks… Onii-chan, thanks… thanks for embracing me voluntarily, and kissing me…like this, it really…feels like we’ve become lovers…” She talked about some gibberish things in a soft voice.

Her tears dripped endlessly as if it was unstoppable due to being too touched.

She was so excited that I felt she was going to become dangerous… Hence I really need to make her calm down.

“… Kaname, you obviously are strong, but yet you are such a crybaby. Why are you crying?”

“Because, because Onii-chan, has accepted me, and loved, loved me. So I, I’m now, really blissful…really blissful…blissful… I’m totally filled with bliss…”

I couldn’t stand it anymore, so I used my hand to wipe her tears – But Kaname grabbed my hand with her feverish hand.

“Onii-chan, mine, is only mine, Onii-chan… Thank you, thank you for loving me…From this time onwards, you must continue to love me…”

Speaking these stuff intoxicatedly… her attitude, how do I put it…

Even I, the person who was totally unknown to the thing called love, understood.

This was really – the actions of a girl in love.

And, that kiss just now, had changed the relationship between Kaname and I into “lovers” –

And now, facing the person she was supposed to “date”, she had already started to feel shy.

Looks like the bliss from having her dream come true is already making her so happy that it was impossible for her to extricate herself.

Sigh, even though this is what Kaname self-proclaimed…

… But, how do I put it? I have an uneasy feeling.

Although it wasn’t a battle scene, I still had a bad feeling.

Kaname also stopped her actions –

In the end, since that time till now, I hadn’t even seen her appear.

Because Aria and the others were in the hospital, I finally experienced a normal day without hearing a gunshot.

Even so, according to the Butei Charter Article Section 7, “Be ready with pessimism. Act with optimism”, I need to think of the worst situation possible and not take the matter lightly.

Hence – I should go and check on the “Preventive Measure”.

“Fuuma. Hey, where are you?”

I called the name of the “Preventive Measure” softly, while walking towards a park at the edge of Academy Island. Yesterday, I… ordered my junior – Fuuma Hina to monitor Kaname, who said she was going to transfer into Butei High.

And I also told her to meet at this park…

But as I scanned my surroundings, I couldn’t even see a hint where Fuuma was.

It was autumn and dusk had fallen earlier, so my surroundings were dimly lit.

All I could hear was… only the sound of insects.

(Could it be that, because the surveillance had been found out… Fuuma had been attacked by Kaname?)

I looked suspicious as I took my phone to dial for –

(…?)

There seems to be a sounding bell, somewhere in the bamboo forest.

It seems to be Enka. This is… Night Sakura by Sakamoto Fuyumi. Previously, Fuuma and I had went to a Karaoke box for an internship, and she sang this song proudly. Because she sang it so nicely, I still remember it.

When I was heading into the forest –

“Master.”

In the bamboo forest, the bamboo shoot beside my foot talked. In a Fuuma-like voice.

Fumma, you… when were you reborn into a bamboo shoot?

Or is it that you used Tamamo’s shapeshifting trick to become a bamboo shoot? When did you learn it?

“…What are you doing?”

“This is the art of earth camouflage. Because Master told me to be careful not to reveal myself.”

Looks like the truth was much simpler than I thought. She merely dug a hole in the ground and hid in it.

And that bamboo shoot was a tube for breathing.

(There should be a better way to hide…)

I heard that Fuuma was the descendant of a famous ninja, so she came in handy for espionage.

But as everyone could see, her performance in other aspects was not on par with other people, hence she was assessed as a B-ranked Butei.

Although I am obviously worse than her at the point that I have useless juniors, but for some reason, Fuuma seems to respect me a lot. Hence, as long I tell her “This is a kind of practice”, she will do anything for me, so I guess that’s a virtue.

Also because of this, I treat her as my sister.

Now let’s not talk about how weird “A high school male student talking to a bamboo shoot” is,

“So? What have you found out?”

I asked the bamboo shoot beside my foot.

“Yes. As Master said, she has transferred into this school this morning. Because she is only fourteen, she entered Class 1C as an intern. Thankfully, she is coincidentally in the same class as your disciple Fuuma. As I heard from the Masters, she seems to have come from the US Butei Agency.”

US… Butei Agency…?

Looking at it again, Kaname and GIII seemed to have “US” printed on their protective gear, and Kaname also talked about the Tella NA in US Dollars.

The United States, huh.

Looks like things aren’t what I thought them to be.

“How is she in class?”

“Awe-inspiring style, bright in academics while good in sports, just like a model student. I heard that she had completed Satellite Communications in Massachusetts Institute of Technology at the age of twelve.”

“Really?”

“It seems so.”

Not just in fighting… but good in academics?

It couldn’t be seen from her actions at home.

“What about others? Like the evaluation by her classmates, or has she been prone to bullying or hate, that kind of thing?”

“All the students think of her as awesome. She is courteous and thoughtful, hence she is well-liked by all.”

Well-liked…?

Kaname… that girl.

She really knows how to behave in public.

“However, she is only close to the girls. She seems to keep a distance from the boys.”

“Oh… I thought so. So? What does she usually talk about with the girls?”

“She keeps on praising her onii-chan – which is you, Master. Because she is really good with speech, hence Master now has better evaluation by the people in 1C.”

B-better evaluation… please, stop it.

“For example, in last month’s survey, fifty percent of the girls know about Master’s nickname “Gloomy”. Everyone used to think that Master was a beast –”

Hey, Fuuma, do you really respect me?

Can you not do that kind of pointless surveys?

“But now, the girls in 1C are now interested in Master, and even your disciple Fuuma was asked a difficult question, “Is Hina dating Tohyama-senpai”. What do you think about that, Master?”

“My thoughts don’t matter.”

“What do you think about that, Master?”

“Didn’t I just say that? My thoughts don’t matter. But, about Kaname –”

I sighed.

“For now… there’s no problem, right? She’s unpredictable.”

Since Kaname showed that kind of attitude… Looks like she isn’t going to harm the other students.

I’m relieved.

Who knows, Kaname might actually have an obedient nature, and she isn’t acting as a good girl.

“Also, she mentioned something about her rules in life, like “No acts of violence towards others” and “No disobeying stronger people because it’s simply unreasonable”.”

This was our promise – and what Kaname once said. This was information that I already knew.

“…Ok, I understand. We shall conclude this investigation, thank you for this.”

“To be able to be at Master’s service, your disciple is honoured.”

After the bamboo shoot finished speaking, I was just about to leave –

“…Master.”

But I was called by the bamboo shoot.

“What do you want?”

“Um… I’m deeply ashamed. Actually, there is a drawback with this camouflage…”

“Drawback?”

“Which is, one cannot climb out”

“…Are you kidding me…”

This fellow really is useless.

Originally, I was going to leave her there, but I still decided to help her.

Then, I grabbed the bamboo pole…

“It’ll be ok once I pull this out, right?”

“Indeed. This way, I will be able to stretch out my hand and climb out.”

“Then I’ll pull it out now?”

“I’ll be grateful.”

After our mini-conversation, I pulled it hard.

But, this really was… buried firmly. It was like a real bamboo shoot.

What the hell? Why do I have to pull out a bamboo shoot in autumn? Moreover, I’m using my bare hands.

Pull…pull…pull…! After I tried to pull hard a few times…

Pop!

I finally pulled out the bamboo shoot. Below, a Fuuma wrapped in a plastic bag was revealed.

The structure was actually that simple!

Ka…sha…ka…sha…

Fuuma, with her back facing me, came out from the plastic bag like a butterfly after metamorphosis; jumping out of the bag… – Bam!

“Uh, ah!”

I was hit by Fuuma’s back and went a few steps backward, towards the direction of the bamboo shoots.

Then, my body pressed against the bamboo, as if using the bamboo as a slingshot –

And then bounced back towards Fuuma.

“Get, get out of the way!”

“–!”

“?”

Sha!

I accidentally pushed Fuuma from her back and fell.

“…!”

“…!”

And the final posture we landed in was –

Fuuma’s limbs were lying on the floor, while my body was lying on hers.

It was probably because of a habit from Assault that I supported Fuuma’s body by hugging her body which was clad in a sailor uniform.

It, it feels like it was I who threw myself on Fuuma…!

And beneath us, there was a sheet of plastic. Coincidentally.

“–You, youyouyouyou! What is this, Master!”

Fuuma, with her limbs on the ground, was extremely surprised.

She turned her head, and saw that my face was just at the back of her neck –

Resulting in her body freezing.

(Oh… Oh no…!)

This is bad…!

Even if it had been an unexpected situation, this accident could still make me guilty of sexual harassment, and I wouldn’t be able to deny it.

According to Butei High regulations, Fuuma was my Amica – in other words, something like my disciple.

If something like sexual harassment happened between Amica, the punishment would be much more serious. Because, to the judge, this would be considered as a despicable act of abuse.

I heard that the Masters’ corporal punishment was just nothing compared to the punishment for this crime.

The punishment from Butei High Masters was extremely strict, and even people who have seen it will never believe that Japan was a country ruled by law. It could last till about three days and three nights, and one would face such serious violent punishment that one would yell “Just kill me!” almost every half a minute. It was that scary.

Although I’m not sure if it’s good or bad, I didn’t enter Hysteria Mode, but to prevent myself from facing those charges, I racked my mind for a solution.

How am I going to survive this ordeal…!

“Mas-master… ah…?”

Ah.

This is not good.

Fuuma, she – started to have a shy voice.

“May I ask what, what, what does this mean…? If, if I do this with Master without being married… Your disciple, your disciple will get scolded by her parents!”

This was obviously a representative of Fuuma’s doubt…!

My brain…!

(…Quick, think of a solution!)

If I keep silent, this situation will become worse.

Anything is ok, just say something!

“This, this, this is, practice!”

I just had to blurt that out.

“Prac-practice…? Why was that so sudden…!”

“Bu-Butei need to be able to go against any kind of sudden situation!”

I had no other alternative…

Since I had already said it, I had to continue lying.

Although in a sense, it had already become a big wrong.

“What, what, what kind of practice is this! Your dis-disciple has never heard of this move!”

“No, this is, this is a practice to perfect a posture.”

“This, this posture? B-but, this really looks like, that, that, men and women –”

“Don’t be long-winded! At least, this can exercise the muscles. Start to do push-ups and stuff like that.”

“W-w-w-w-we actually have to do those up-and-down moves?”

“Don’t panic! What’s wrong with up-and-down moves! I’m saying, this is, this can make you overcome your weakness of panicking; it’s kind of killing two birds with one stone.”

“Your disciple’s… weakness…!”

“Since long ago, when you were training with me for unarmed combat, you had always been unfocused. If that happens in real combat, you will have to face defeat. So from today onwards, no matter what I do, don’t lose your focus!”

“Your, your disciple has understood.”

What? She understood that easily?

I was only making some random excuses… but Fuuma accepted that so easily.

It’s, it’s really good, I’m lucky that my “disciple” was an idiot.

“In-indeed – this can make me concentrate better than combat practice. Master is very smart.”

“Not bad, huh?”

“Um…so, your, your disciple is going to budge. Master, please be lenient.”

Fuuma looked downwards shyly… then according to my instructions, she did random sorts of push-ups. Together with her movements, I followed suit.

However, it seemed that carrying me on her back was too tough,

“…Hmp! Hah! Hoo! Hmp!...”

Fuuma’s panting seemed to get a bit hasty. She looked like it was tough.

But, she really is a descendant of a ninja, she could still endure it.

Ah… Anyone who saw a boy and a girl close together secretively at night would definitely misunderstand. So Fuuma was scared of these “up-and-down moves” because of this?

I guess we should change a position.

Hence, I moved my hands to Fuuma’s waist and propped my upper body.

When Fuuma saw that I had changed my position,

“…Is, is this, real-really practice? Master?”

She was uncertain of the new position and uttered those words. I could feel a sense of shyness from her words.

I guess so. After all, if I were Fuuma, I would be frightened.

However, I could not do anything else. After all, I needed to make sure Fuuma didn’t misunderstand, so that I would not be killed!

“Yes, it really is!”

“I-I understand.”

This girl understood again, huh. It’s a bit lucky that she has me as her Amica.

From her appearance, it was obvious that she would grow up to become a beauty.

If she had a malicious Amica, who knows what danger she would face. I mean, as long anyone tells her to do something weird and calls it “practice”, she would definitely oblige, right?

Well, it is similar to the current situation. Just that I’m not malicious.

(Looks like I really need to help her watch out, so that she would not be scammed…)

Just like this, after five minutes – “Very good! Like that, your concentration and muscular endurance have improved. Practice stops here, you can go back now.” I said irresponsibly, sending Fuuma off. Before leaving, she said, “I sincerely thank Master for this practice”, making me feel guilty of what I did just now…

(F-finally, I survived this ordeal…)

When I sighed,

…Rustle! Snipsnipsnip… Snap!...

“…?”

There was a noise coming from the forest.

Does that mean… we had been seen…? But, looking from here, the direction of the forest was unclear due to the darkness. So to say, my current location should be unclear as well, right? Don’t tell me there are other couples here?

Just to be safe, I readied my gun and crept towards the direction of the noise…

… Nobody.

“…?”

However, something was strange.

There was some bamboo that had been destroyed.

And… there were traces of gnawing and breaking made by hands. There’s even blood.

The gnawing traces were by a human, and it was by a relatively petite person. It was probably by a female. But what is that person doing? Don’t tell me she’s trying to eat bamboo? It’s not like she’s a panda.

...

There was now completely no noise other than the sounds of insects.