Chapter 9: My Timid Little Sister's Feelings
“So, that’s how it is…”
Furei’s sudden change in attitude and the message from earlier.
Understanding what that meant, I looked down at Shirayuki-san who was in my arms.
“How many hours has it been since then? By now, she must be—”
“Be quiet.”
Facing Emera, who was laughing happily, I raised my face for the first time and let out a killing intent.
For an instant, fear appeared on Emera’s face, but I continued speaking without caring.
“If anything happens to Hina… I won’t let you off.”
“…So you intend to use violence against me? You plan to make an enemy of the Tenjouin conglomerate?”
“If it’s to balance the scales, then yeah — that works for me.”
“Hmph… Anyone can talk big—”
Right after Emera mockingly snorted, I kicked the floor and closed the distance between us in an instant.
“Nn—uh!?”
I grabbed Emera’s chin with my right hand and looked directly into her eyes from close range.
“Do you want to test if I’m serious?”
“…”
When I threatened her, Emera lost her words.
She didn’t even try to retort, and tears began to well up in her eyes.
—Indeed, despite her arrogant attitude, it seems Emera is actually quite timid.
That’s enough intimidation for now…
Of course, if anything really happened to Hina, I wouldn’t let it go so easily, but right now, finding Hina takes priority.
Even if Emera tried to escape somewhere, I’m confident I could find her, so even if she ran away from here, it would be fine.
“Aima-kun… don’t forget that your sister is in our hands… I won’t allow you to be rough with my big sister…”
“…Yeah, I get it. I’m only saying what happens if something happens to Hina. So—if I hand over Shirayuki-san, you’ll tell me where she is, right?”
I released Emera’s jaw and glanced at her as she collapsed onto the floor.
Then—
“I decline. There’s no way I’m handing this girl over.”
—I rejected Furei’s negotiation.
“Even if you don’t know where your sister is…?”
“It doesn’t matter, I’ll find her immediately.”
In fact, I already knew exactly where she was.
Because the person who knows Hina’s location—Furei—had already told me where she was.
“33WC cat”
This was the clue pointing to where Hina was.
Of course, if you searched all throughout Japan, you’d find plenty of things related to “33WC cat.”
But if you limit it to just the school grounds, the question becomes whether there’s even a place that fits that at all.
And regarding Furei’s earlier statement about taking Hina out of the school—that was a lie.
Hina was definitely inside the school.
I knew this because Furei had stopped speaking when she thought just saying “33WC” would be enough to tell me where she was.
The only thing she and I share in common is this school.
And within this school, there is a place that fits “33WC.”
Moreover, there were events involving cats at those locations as well.
I don’t know how Furei knows about it, but I can say with near certainty that this is the right answer.
Therefore, saying she was outside the school was probably a bluff to prevent Emera and others from realizing that Furei had already told me where Hina was.
—If that’s the case, then the answer I needed to give here was that I wouldn’t hand Shirayuki-san over.
Otherwise, there would be no point in Furei offering Hina’s location as part of the deal before actually telling me where she was.
On the contrary, if this were a real negotiation, she shouldn’t have given me a hint at all.
That’s why I took her “We’ll tell you Hina’s location if you hand over Shirayuki-san” as a message to “take Koori with you and go.”
“How pointless…”
“Too bad for you—I’m good at tracking people down. So listen, Emera… no matter where you run, I’m not letting you get away.”
As I threatened her again—partly as payback—Emera, who had collapsed to the floor, swallowed hard.
Well… calling it a “threat” might be generous. But if anything happened to Hina, I really wouldn’t let her go.
“I’m short on time. Move.”
I glared at Furei and the girls blocking the doorway, forcing them to move aside, then moved Shirayuki-san from my arms onto my back and took off running.
Character Summary (non-official)
- Aima Eito (愛真 英斗) — A second-year high school boy and twin brother of Hina. Level-headed and cautious, he knows more about the Tenjouin sisters’ cruelty than most after being in their class last year. He tries to stay quiet and unnoticed to avoid trouble, especially from the Tenjouin sisters who despise men.
- Aima Hina (愛真 雛) — Eito’s twin sister, a tiny 148 cm girl who’s adorable, clingy, and very attached to her brother. Sweet-natured and polite, but easily frightened—especially upon learning she’s placed in the same class as the Tenjouin sisters.
- Tenjouin Emera (天上院 翠玉) — One of the school’s notorious “twin queens.” A beautiful girl with long straight hair: a single streak of her bangs is white while the rest is gold. She has heterochromia—right eye red, left eye blue, and a flat chest. Cold, arrogant, and dangerously influential thanks to her powerful, wealthy family. Devoted entirely to her sister Furei.
- Tenjouin Furei (天上院 風麗) — Emera’s twin sister, with opposite hair colors—one golden streak in her bangs, the rest pure white—and mirror-image heterochromia: right eye blue, left eye red. She has a bob cut and a voluptuous figure like a gravure idol. Quiet, expressionless, and mysterious, yet incredibly dangerous beneath her calm. Furei doesn’t care about anyone except for Emera and the girls she favors, and even then, she treasures them more like pets than equals.
- Maria (真莉愛) — Maria is the foster parent who took Eito and Hina in from the orphanage when they were in second grade. An unbelievably beautiful woman who looks to be in her twenties—and still insists she is in her twenties—she has striking half-gold, half-white hair parted cleanly down the middle, brilliant blue eyes, and an ample chest. Though she appears elegant and composed, Eito describes her as a “demon in human skin,” having put him through countless extreme punishments whenever he failed to meet her expectations. Yet despite her terrifying side, Maria is helplessly weak to cute things, which is why she absolutely adores Hina and has spoiled her since they were little.
- Shirayuki Koori (白雪 氷) — Shirayuki Koori serves under the Tenjouin twins. She is a petite girl with pale blue twin-tail hair and an adorable, youthful face, paired with an icy, emotionless gaze. Despite her doll-like appearance, she is a highly trained combatant raised under special training since childhood. Competitive and proud, she hates losing and becomes flustered or emotional when things don’t go her way, revealing a childish side beneath her cool exterior.