Chapter 6
Saturday, April 20, after school.
The President and the Secretarial Chief were absent from the school board of First High.
Two days ago, Miyuki informed the other members of the school board that she and Tatsuya would be absent from the school board that day. It was because on Wednesday evening she received a request from Mayumi to meet to talk.
But to Honoka and Izumi, she did not say the reason. Miyuki herself did not know what the conversation would be about, perhaps about something secret. Although Izumi might know something because she was the younger sister of Mayumi, but Miyuki still said only that she will have a business, without explaining what.
Honoka did not come today either. In the school board room there was only Izumi, Shiina and a member of the disciplinary committee (that is, an outsider) who was Kasumi. "Today I will not be here" said Miyuki,
"It's all right, rely on me," Izumi replied enthusiastically, after which there were so few people left. Of course, Minami was also absent here, because she accompanied Miyuki.
Kasumi, Izumi and Shiina were friends from childhood. There was a relaxed atmosphere in the school boardroom. Despite this, Izumi diligently processed reports on the activity of each club during recruitment week. Shiina helped her. And Kasumi... carelessly sipped coffee.
"Listen, Izumi."
Sitting at the central table, Kasumi turned to the back of Izumi and spoke to her.
"What, Kasumi-chan?" With reluctance in Izumi's voice asked, not being distracted from work.
"The business of President Shiba, is this after all the same, yes?"
"What same thing?"
It does not matter that they were twins, but the communication between them did not seem to be at the level of understanding the words "that" or
"it."
"Well, did she not say that today too that she was going somewhere?
What if the president and Shiba-senpai were called by our onee-chan?"
Izumi stopped and got up from her chair. It seems that she decided to take a break.
"Why not? Pixie, tea, please."
Izumi sat down next to Kasumi. And Pixie, on the contrary, got up from her chair in the corner of the room, saying "I'm listening."
"Of course, there is a possibility that this is just a coincidence... Thank you."
The last word was for Pixie's tea. There was green tea in the cup. Izumi enjoyed both the Japanese and Western directions in food: for example, she preferred Western sweets, and Japanese drinks.
"Onee-sama seems quite sociable, but her circle of close acquaintances is limited."
"Yeah, she's just like a cat." Said Kasumi and took another sip of black coffee. She did a lot of boyish things, for example, did not particularly like sweets.
"And the truth." And Kasumi-chan is just like a puppy.
The second half Izumi did not say out loud. To joke over Kasumi was fun (although such fun is many times one-sided), but there was still Shiina, so she took care of Kasumi's reputation.
"In addition, the president, it seems, also has quite a narrow circle of friends."
"Since Miyuki onee-sama is the embodiment of the goddess, this alienation is natural for her."
Kasumi leaned back in her chair, whispered: "Oh, it starts ...". But Izumi did not bother with such a blatant attitude. On the other hand, she felt sorry for Kasumi, because she was unable to understand it.
Shiina looked puzzled at the two.
"...Shiina, do you also want to rest?"
"Exactly. Let's rest a little together."
"Ah~, yes. Okay."
Shiina sat in front of the twins. In her hands she had tea with milk and a lot of honey, which she made herself. In contrast to Kasumi, Shiina is a great lover of sweets. Nevertheless, the sweets she made never turned out to be too sweet, which was surprising, with such a passion for her.
"So, on what business could the divine president-san and the commemorative onee-chan meet?"
"Well, if it was said that it will be in a restaurant in Akasaka, then..."
"Er, okay?"
Izumi began the conversation with an obvious fact for her, but for Kasumi this was what she first hears.
"Yes. It's just that you, Kasumi-chan, seemed to be not interested when listening, and so did not remember."
"It does not mean that I was not interested! Izumi, did I really hear that, too?"
Despite the fact that they were still in school, but there were no strangers here, and Kasumi used the "side" to refer to the first person.
"Probably..."
"H-Probably?"
"When I asked directly about it, did not Kasumi-chan listen?"
Kasumi allegedly heard in these words a second voice, saying that she had to ask if she was interested in this. In this case, she could only mooch helplessly.
"So what is it that Mayumi-san still wants to discuss with the president and Shiba-sempai?" Maybe not intentionally, but Shiina threw her a lifebuoy.
"I will not be surprised if they will discuss the meeting."
Izumi ceased to bully her twin sister, it seems, only as a sign of respect for Shiina.
"Is that the meeting that was last Sunday?"
"Katsuto-san, probably, will also come to try and reconcile with Shiba-senpai who ripped off the meeting, based on his sense of guilt for it.
"Ripped off? Izumi..."
"Really. Regardless of whether I was right, it was inappropriate words."
"...Izumi, do you have something against Shiba senpai?"
"I would never have thought I'd hear this from Kasumi-chan, who has always had hostility when looking at sempai."
"I do not look at him with a hostile look! Just a little dissatisfied!"
"Is this not the same as a hostile look...?"
"What did you say? I told you, it's not so!"
Izumi was silent without saying a word. But despite this, Kasumi answered exactly as if it was a normal dialogue.
It was not by chance that Izumi came to feel comfortable with such a reaction. Was this a sense of unity between the twins? Such a state when you become absolutely understanding of people, able to understand without words.
"Well, I also have various complaints about Shiba-senpai..."
And only I myself realize them, thought Izumi. Kasumi, it seems, only felt something like that. With this sense of superiority over the twin sister, Izumi was able to evade her argument.
"I appreciate that he rates Miyuki onee-sama most important. But when he has too much time to help others, he will not help. Possessing insight to understand what a partner feels, he will not show concern... And if I express it in one word, then Shiba-senpai is heartless."
"...Yeah, yes, there is."
Although he himself was not at school now, but the unrestrained words of criticism about her sempai made Kasumi fall back into the chair.
"As I understand it, Shiba-sempai has a lot of abilities...?"
Shiina, on the contrary, wanted Izumi to continue. She was interest in Tatsuya not as the opposite sex, but as a sempai from the same school board.
"He has insight, but there seems to be no sympathy."
"In other words, even if one does not understand the feelings of the speaker, he will still be able to understand what he is thinking about...?"
"If I could, I would not be so annoying..."
Izumi sighed and made an understanding face.
"Shiba-sempai it seems, is able to somehow analyze the change in our emotions."
"Analyze...? Not feel?"
"Yes, it is to analyze. Therefore, he can easily ignore the feelings of the speaker, if he considers that at the moment it is not necessary."
"Izumi, this is already more than an exaggeration..."
"No, Shiba-senpai is like that. Usually he just looks a bit cold-blooded, but when it's not about Miyuki onee-sama, he's really heartless."
From the resolute statement of the twin sister, Kasumi began to twitch her face muscles.
But Shiina somehow put her hands to her cheeks and flushed.
"...Shiina, why are you so excited about it?"
"Well... is not it wonderful? And delightfully..."
"Ha-a?"
Kasumi thought that she misheard. She could not understand where in the conversation there was at least one element that a young girl could admire.
"Well... In the heart of Shiba-sempai there is only a place for President Shiba. Are you not envious of a girl... who has a guy whose thoughts are only occupied by one person?"
"Is this how...? For me, there are a few difficulties..."
"Well. So, Kasumi-san is cold-blooded too."
I - cold-blooded? , thought Kasumi?
Kasumi-chan is cold-blooded? , thought Izumi.
"...Indeed, if an innocent girl thinks so thoughtfully, luck can turn away from her. In any case, let's get back to the main topic of the conversation."
"Ah, let's go."
Izumi carefully changed the subject, and Kasumi supported her. It seems that neither Kasumi nor Izumi saw Shiina as an innocent girl.
"Maybe it's an exaggeration that they want to reproach or reconcile, but I think it's my intention to at least discuss what to do next with Shiba sempai."
"It's clear from the onee-chan that Katsuto-san seems to be seriously concerned. Will he not get it? Yeah, most likely."
"But what offers can she make? Since we're talking about Shiba-senpai, he will not behave in a hostile way without thinking carefully..."
"You mean he's ready for hostility? That is, Shiba-senpai would not have missed what she can say?"
"I do not know about it, but he may listen to Katsuto-san's words. He is still the head of the Juumonji family."
"I also think that it is difficult not to hear Katsuto-san's words, regardless of whether he is a leader. But the use of the family name Juumonji is not so useless. If the rumors about the Yotsuba family turn out to be true, nothing will change for them, even if they leave the Ten Master Clans. If the hostile behavior of the sempai stems from the intentions of the Yotsuba family, then I do not think that they will compromise."
"That's the truth. I feel that I would like to see how Miyuki onee-sama debuts on TV, but... if everything is considered calmly, then I think it's a terrible thing to try to use the next head of the Yotsuba family for promotional purposes. But Tomokazu onii-sama also should be aware of the thoughts of the Yotsuba family."
"Tomokazu onii-sama simply did not know Shiba-senpai. Therefore, I think that he naively assumed that speaking on TV is not such a big deal and it will not cause any disagreement. If Katsuto-san stopped him...
No, is this possible?"
"It's Katsuto-san."
Shiina looked curiously at the twins exchanging twisted curves, because she, unlike them, did not have the opportunity to get to know Katsuto closely.
"...I'm worried about something. Did onee-chan and the others step on a mine?"
Kasumi suddenly became openly alarmed.
"Kasumi-chan, do not say such strange things. What kind of mine?"
When Izumi said this, her face also turned a bit pale.
"Listen, Izumi, you know where the onee-chan and the others are meeting? Maybe we'll go and see?"
"And what will we do when we get there...?"
Izumi shook her head, showing denial, but the uncertainty in her words was noticed not only by Kasumi, but also by Shiina.
"Maybe we cannot do anything, but..."
"...But anyway, it would be better to go, yes?"
"Yeah..."
Shiina silently watched from behind Kasumi and Izumi, who exchanged remarks with anxiety in their voices, looking each other in the eye. The long silence that followed was interrupted by the visitors who came.
"Izumi-chan, Shiina-chan, thank you for your work."
"Kasumi... what are you doing?"
Two people did not enter through the main entrance, but through the side door. They were Honoka and Shizuku, who came from the headquarters of the disciplinary committee through the staircase leading from it.
Honoka with a kind smile said words of gratitude to her cohai. And from Shizuku went a subtle impression that she frowned. "Kitayama-sempai!"
This impression was stronger than everyone present at Kasumi. She suddenly jumped up and stood at attention.
"It's... I... because I have free time now...!"
"Yeah."
The contrast between the panic-stricken Kasumi and the calmly spoken Shizuku caused a feeling of tension in the observers.
"I know that Kasumi is not on duty right now. I just thought, what are you doing, staring at your sister."
The tension in the air disappeared. Kasumi's stiffened body also went limp.
"So, what did you do? Have you looked admiringly at a face that looks exactly like yours?"
"N-there was no such thing!"
Kasumi immediately rushed to justify herself.
"Kitayama-sempai! We are not daffodils!"
Not only Kasumi thought that it was necessary to wash this stigma.
Izumi also stood up and began to protest.
"The daffodils? How are the lilies?"
By Shizuku's tone it was difficult to understand, she jokes or speaks seriously.
"No, no!"
"Narcissus * [2] is a narcissus! And not the lily!" Izumi shouted after Kasumi.
"Was not the daffodil not from the lily family?" Having measured the overexcited sisters of Saegusa with a cool look, Shizuku turned to Pixie.
"In the • outdated • system • Cronquist • narcissus • classified as •
belonging to • the family • lily. At present time, it is classified as belonging to the family of Amaryllis."
"Pixie instantly counted the answer from the database and gave it to Shizuku."
"I see. It means I made a mistake. Pixie, can I have some tea?"
"Yes."
It seems that Shizuku had nothing more to add, and she went and sat down at the table. Kasumi and Izumi also settled on their chairs, spending all their energy on a state of heightened tension. The plan to penetrate the meeting of Mayumi also came to an end.
Kasumi and Izumi with a tired look, and the other three sat relaxed and drank for one was black tea, for another was green tea, and the last was coffee, when suddenly Pixie came up and stood next to Shiina.
"Shiina-sama. In the • reception • you • have • a visitor."
"Visitor?"
Shiina hastily returned to her terminal and checked the messages from the school. There really was a new message that notifies her of a visitor.
"Thanks, Pixie."Mitsuya-senpai, Izumi-san, can I leave my place for the reason you heard?"
"Oh sure." Answered Honoka Shiina. Izumi also did not object.
"Many thanks. Pixie, clean up for me, please."
"Understood."
Approaching the door, Shiina turned around.
Then she went, bowed, then opened the door and left. She left the bag with her personal belongings in the school boardroom.
Behind First High was a vast artificial forest. The reason for its large size was that magic can be practiced in it without disturbing the surrounding private houses. The land on which it was located was uneven, covered with hills and pits. There was also an outdoor pool and a long water channel.
A student of this school ran through this difficult terrain. It was not just a run. Periodically, he looked back and changed direction to hide behind the surrounding trees.
This student was a first-grader named Yaguruma Saburou. He's hiding from pursuers.
No, the territory of First High was not invaded by terrorists or any other villains. At the request of Erika, the Mountain Club was helping with Saburou's training. The evading Saburou was pursued by 10 members of the club, including Leo.
Saburou was required to run 5 kilometers and at the same time not get caught by the pursuers. You could choose any direction. Naturally, leaving the path and going deep into the forest was not forbidden.
The pursuers had toy knives, the touch of which meant that it was necessary to start everything from the beginning. This was the condition imposed by Erika.
Saburou was full of optimism when Erika explained this condition to him. Just do not get touched by the toy knives. So, even if they catch up with him, you just have to handle the knives to be able to run away again.
However, he quickly realized how naive his expectations were.
After all, the pursuers with the knives were not alone. Even if the opponents were amateurs, it was difficult to evade the attacks, being bound by a restriction in the form of a complete ban on counterattacking.
Should he hesitate the pursuers instantly surround him. And the most difficult thing to cope with was Leo's attacks.
He heard that Leo learned to handle the sword less than a month before the Yokohama incident. But he was a genius of close combat, whom Saburou had already come together against several times in a training battle.
The third laboratory was constantly visited by military servicemen.
Being a subordinate of the Mitsuya family, he participated in joint training with these soldiers from childhood.
Although his magical skills did not develop, his skills in hand-to-hand fighting were approaching the level of fighters of the rapid reaction squad of the self-defense forces, the confirmation of which he received from the praises of training partners. He was sure that he had became stronger.
However, enrolling in First High, Saburou received an important lesson that he still has to grow and grow. With Erika, he could do nothing at all.
The same could be said about the president of the kenjutsu club, Aizu.
Once he had a chance to fight with Vice-President Saito Yayoi, and she launched him (without exaggeration) in one blow, with a power not peculiar to the girl. It was "Tiger's Cut", Yayoi's favorite technique and her specialization. Having taken this blow, Saburou thought that he would die, despite the fact that he was in training armor.
And then there was Saijou Leonhard.
When they confronted each other in the dojo with the shinai, he thought only that he was strong, but not a genius. At that time, he left the impression that he was a man of the type who, for victory over his enemy, relies not on techniques, but on strength and endurance, as well as on rough, uncouth intuition.
Since that time, impressions of strength, endurance and brute intuition have not changed. But when the battles began in the open air, he realized something in the first battle. He experienced with his own skin that it was no longer a contest of the shinai. For Leo it was a full-fledged battle with arms and legs instead of weapons.
You cannot let him catch up. He must run away under any circumstances. He realized this by the time it came to be the beginning of the third attempt. And now it was the sixth restart.
In total, he ran about 10 kilometers. The pursuers, except Leo, have already been replaced several times by others.
If he does not complet it this time, on the next attempt he will fall down in exhaustion. So Saburou estimated his current state.
Hearing the trailing sounds of footsteps behind him, Saburou changed direction and went deeper into the forest.
These were the sounds of Leo's footsteps. He had run as long as Saburou, but the rhythm of his steps did not at all seem fatigued. Sensing the trembling of inexhaustible physical strength, Saburou moved to the depths of the forest, trying not to make noise.
"Found you!" From far away came the voice of Leo.
This is bad, thought Saburou and ran faster.
This cry was calculated to confuse Saburou, so that he would make a mistake. He doubted that he had really been noticed. However, this voice still penetrated his mind and made him forget caution, as a result of which he gave out the sounds of his steps senselessly.
From the thickets behind him came the sound of the rustle of leaves and the crunch of the branches that were moving away. He realized that this time he was indeed found.
Saburou rejected all attempts at secrecy and desperately jerked forward.
In the forest glade, located in the territory given to the Mountain Club, Saburou was lying on the ground, stretching his arms and legs. In the end, he could not run to the end, and he was completely exhausted.
"Saburou, are you okay?" In the voice of Leo sitting next to him there was no alarm.
"...Yes." Saburou had to gather all his strength to utter one short word through his heavy breathing.
"Though you did not manage to win, it was not so bad. I believe that you showed yourself quite well against the physical strength of these idiots from the Mountain Club."
On Erika's jab, members of the Mountain Club did not make any complaints. Leo just smiled wryly. All of them, it seems, realized that they are "strong idiots".
Not only the members of the Mountain Club ignored Erika's remark.
"Shibata-san, it's dangerous to approach too close."
"I do not think that it will hurt if I falls, because there is water, but if the album gets wet it will be awful?"
Mizuki, who was painting something in the album, nodded "OK" to the members of the club and moved away from the edge of the hole she was looking at.
The distance to the surface of the water at the bottom of this large pit was 5 meters. Its purpose is a rock wall for free climbing. Mizuki was made the new (you can say appointed) art club president, on the instructions of the school board.
According to Leo's policy, the Mountain Club will have to increase activities related to its name, and often leave last year's activity in the form of a "club of picks", a "survival club", a "club of miners" and others. For this, this "pit" was needed. Right now, a member of the club who did not take part in the "game of catch" joyfully stormed the sheer slope of this "rock". There were no safety ropes, but instead, the bottom of the pit was a 3 meter warm water pool with a temperature of 30
degrees, so the punishment for the fall was a bath. After that, the clothing becomes soaked with water and pulls down, wet shoes slip, and it all boils down to an endless cycle of attempts to climb and fall. Well, in fact, there is a staircase installed, so the situation is not so desperate.
The current theme of the art club was "muscle dynamics," chosen because of the undisguised infatuation of some girls for the club. Mizuki came here to paint free climbing, suitable for this topic. At first, Mizuki screamed lightly every time the "climber" broke and fell, but then, after spending almost an hour, she adjusted herself to draw a sweaty and panting student, clinging to the ledges of the rock.
"Leo."
Leo standing next to and preparing to conquer the wall from the depths of the forest, a voice called out.
"Mikihiko. We rarely see you in such a place."
Mikihiko appeared from the thickets. He was in school uniform, but he was not soiled in mud. Among the club members who noticed it, exclamations were heard, like "after all, he is a friend of the president"
or "head of the disciplinary committee and really breaks common sense", although they seem to have forgotten about the presence of Leo and Erika.
"I received a report on a disappeared student and came to see. "Having said this, Mikihiko caught the look of Saburou lying down. "But it seems that everything is in order."
Nobody wanted to joke about this. Looking at Saburou, anyone would ask the question, "where is he in order?" But if they said "he's not right!", It might come up as a problem that happened during club activities. Their silence was something of a self-defense.
"Yes, and Saburou did not object to this."
"Saburou, are you able to get up?"
"...Yes."
Saburou rose after Erika's question. He was still shaking and it seemed he was holding on by willpower.
"If it's the case, practice with the head of the disciplinary committee.
Miki, can you please?"
"Err? Is he all right?"
Hearing Erika's request, Mikihiko was very surprised, rounding his eyes.
"Please."
Erika's reaction turned out to be a repeated request, not an answer to doubt.
"If without magic, then I do not mind..."
"That's good."
This meant that the head of the disciplinary committee could not take the initiative in violating the school rules on the prohibition of unauthorized use of magic.
Which is quite natural. Erika it seems, from the very beginning was not going to ask for such unreasonable things.
"Saburou. Even if the head of Yoshida is without magic, he is one of the strongest in this school. Do not think about winning, think about the chance to fight a strong opponent."
"Got it! Yoshida-senpai, please!"
With great difficulty, Saburou rearranged his legs to stand upright.
Mikihiko for a moment hesitated, but with the expression "there's nothing you can do" (he did not say so, but Erika understood so) on his face, he unbuttoned the buttons of his jacket.
He took off his jacket and handed it to Mizuki, who had already come to see what was going on.
The next moment, Saburou lunged at Mikihiko.
Reflectively dodging Saburou's lunge, he grabbed his wrist and turned it out. Saburou's body easily succumbed and fell to the ground.
Mikihiko let go of his hand, so that Saburou's joint did not suffer.
Raising himself, Saburou realized this, and from that moment he began to closely monitor the movements of Mikihiko.
"Why did not you attack during the length of time while I was removing my jacket?" Mikihiko asked with curiosity.
Realizing his mistake, Saburou's consciousness set off into the past. But it was just a new mistake. Taking advantage of this moment of distraction, Mikihiko again immediately reduced the distance.
Mikihiko hammered his left hand without much force from the right side of Saburou.
Having received a fist in the jaw, Saburou cried out and fell, rolling a couple of times.
Immediately, the knee of Mikihiko crushed Saburou's chest, with his left hand he immobilized his right hand, and put his fingers to Saburou's eyes.
Saburou patted Mikihiko's knee free with his left hand, showing that he was giving up.
Mikihiko rose and turned his back to Saburou.
Saburou tried to grab Mikihiko from behind.
But he, suddenly turning around, avoiding his hands. Slowly, Saburou was slumped face down, Mikihiko grabbed his hands and twisted them behind his back, then sat on him like a horse.
"Uwaa, so awesome!"
Mizuki clapped her hands happily when she saw Mikihiko's fight, which was superbly held, which was a rare sight.
"Uee... That's sick..."
Leo drunk a hell of a mixture of tea, green cabbage juice and juice from a bitter gourd. Erika, too, had an acidic face from disappointment in Saburou and Mikihiko's smart approach to the duel.
"So you want to continue?" Asked Mikihiko, releasing him from the hold.
"I ask you to!" Saburou answered without hesitation.
Thirty minutes later, the moment came when Saburou could no longer stand on his feet.
"Shiina-chan has been there for a long time." muttered Izumi with concern in her voice interrupting her work on reports from each club.
"That's the truth. For a simple meeting this is taking far too long."
Kasumi, who took the work of the disciplinary committee (despite the fact that Shizuku was aware of her free time) to the school boardroom, raised her head and agreed.
"Who came to see her? Pixie, do you know?"
Kasumi asked unconcernedly, as if referring to an ordinary human servant.
"Disclosing private information is prohibited."
However, Pixie's response was a typical machine phrase. Such pre-programmed in AI phrases for her were easier, and she could pronounce them more smoothly.
"Well what kind of a stamped answer...?"
With a tense smile, Kasumi tried to protest. Both she and Izumi knew that was Pixie.
"The Master • instructed me • to act as • an ordinary • machine."
Kasumi's protest was cut to the ground.
"Asking for the contents of someone else's messages has always been bad manners."
"...Yes, I'm sorry."
Having received in addition to everything else reproach from Shizuku, Kasumi surrendered. It seems that there is already a stronger bond between the two than the sempai-kohai relationship.
"Shiina's still at the meeting?" But Shizuku, it seems, is also worried.
"No. Mitsuya-sama left the school."
Not only Shizuku reacted to Pixie's reply with a surprised face and an escaped "Eh?".
"When!?"
"16 minutes and 50 seconds • back."
Pixie answered Honoka's question of immediately. In theory, this information should not be available to Pixie, because she had only the function of passing commands to the school boardroom system, but now no one paid attention to it.
"It's strange."
"What's strange?" Hearing Shizuku mutter, Honoka asked with an ominous premonition.
"She did not take her things."
With anxiety on her face, Kasumi jumped up from her chair in a hurry.
"Sempai, I'll go, I'll try to learn more."
"Kasumi-chan, where are you going!?" Izumi asked, not the "sempai"
Shizuku and Honoka.
If she goes to the teacher's office for information, she will also be refused under the pretext of prohibiting the issuance of private information. The same story is waiting for her in the classroom.
"I'll look for Saburou. It seems that he said that today he will be somewhere in the territory of the Mountain Club."
Kasumi explained her plan to her twin sister and left the school boardroom.
With a troubled look at Saburou's heavy breathing, kneeling, hands buried in the ground, Mikihiko put his hands into the sleeves of his jacket that Mizuki held.
Kasumi did not care what stage this was, and how to react to it. She did not have time for this.
"Saburou sempai, I beg your pardon!"
Kasumi approached Saburou resolutely and, without worrying that her clothes would get dirty, rose to her knees next to him, so that their eyes were at the same height.
"Where did Shiina disappear to so suddenly!"
Hearing these words, Saburou forgot how to breathe. His face has became pale, but not because of a lack of oxygen.
"Shiina... is gone?"
"Saburou, you do not know?"
Gathered around these two Erika, Leo and Mikihiko simultaneously frowned. Saburou was seized by a fit of hard cough.
"Hey!? How are you?"
"All right."
The normal Saburou rose after Kasumi got up, but he hardly stood on his feet. Collecting all the remaining energy, he staggered and stumbled, jerked to his bag. Unhooked the wireless voice module from his mobile information terminal, he inserted it in his ear. Forgetting about any manners, as soon as the line was connected, he shouted into the microphone.
"Father! Shiina is gone! Do you know anything!?"
On the other side of the telephone line was his father, Yaguruma Shirou.
"Shiina ojou-sama? Wait a minute, I'll call you back soon." Shirou answered and cut off the connection from his side.
His father's name appeared on the terminal's display after about a minute of Saburou's agonizing expectation, who did not take his eyes off him.
"This is Saburou! Father, did you find anything out!?"
"It seems that there were no orders from the Mitsuya family. What happened, tell everything in order?"
Shirou did not scold Saburou with claims, like "why did not you look after Shiina?". I did not blame him as a guard of Shiina. This would have even more exerted pressure on Saburou's spiritual wounds.
"Yes, I just heard it myself..."
"...Motoharu-sama now asks for information from the school."
Saburou thought that this was a very quick reaction, as if the older brother of Shiina gave him instructions while standing next to him.
"At the moment, you do not need to do anything. Hasty actions under unknown circumstances can only worsen the situation."
"...I understand. Let me know if anything becomes known."
"Okay. The probability that Shiina-sama will simply return to school is not zero. Just wait a little. Ok?"
"Got it."
Saburou pressed the end button. He looked confused.
"Kasumi, what does all this mean?"
In this state, he, most likely, for some time will not be able to respond.
With this thought, Erika turned not to him, but to Kasumi who was standing in front of him.
"Yes, this is..."
In fact, Kasumi did not understand much either. Nevertheless, she told in order everything she knew herself.
"She was called to the reception, hmm..."
"If you just think about it, did the visitor take her with him?"
After Erika's muttering, Leo voiced his idea.
"No, there are other options besides kidnapping. She could leave with him and at will, or leave separately from the visitor."
Mikihiko rejected Leo's hasty conclusion. But Kasumi refuted all peaceful guesses.
"Shiina left her things in the school boardroom."
"In any case, let's go to the school boardroom."
Hearing the suggestion of Erika's frown, Leo expressed doubt.
"Why should we go to the school boardroom? To find out who came, would not it be better to go straight to the teacher's office and find out by force?"
"Tatsuya-kun or Juumonji-senpai could and would find out what happened. But to us in the teacher's office we will be answered only by a firm refusal."
"That does not explain why we need the school board."
"In the school board room there is Pixie."
"Ah, there it is." Leo understood with an understanding face, but then Kasumi objected.
"But Pixie will not answer, saying that this is private information..."
"If Pixie is informed that this is an emergency, she will respond.
Machines are more flexible in such situations."
"Right. Let's go to the school board room."
"Uh. Maybe I'll visit it for the first time."
Leo just voiced what he thinks, he did not try to defuse the atmosphere with a joke.
"It's strange that you have not been called there yet. Ah, that's why you were called to the disciplinary committee."
"They did not call me there either!
But from the comical scenes of the debate between Erika and Leo, the tense atmosphere eased a little.
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