Chapter 32: Soldier of Fortune

Itou was confused. He couldn’t understand why Haruna was in this place. No, he was actually aware of it, but he didn’t want to believe it. He didn’t want to think that a girl who was a classmate just a few days ago was the origin of such a tragedy.

Even worse, Itou has a faint love toward Haruna. It was just after entering high school that Haruna giving a warning to Satou and the others who were bullying Itou. She took a risk to protect a gloomy person like himself. Itou was shocked by the fact that there was a girl of the same generation who could do such a thing. But, it had an opposite effect and the target was moved toward her. At this moment, Itou was relieved that the target of the bullying had been shifted, but he thought that it was inevitable.

『Hmm? Do you have a problem with that?』

Ah, that girl is in danger. Itou thought so, but he didn’t have the courage to see Haruna and looked away. Within his dark vision, several dull sounds were heard, and then it became quiet. He could hear the other classmates’ screams in the classroom. I couldn’t help it, I couldn’t help it―― He only repeated it in his head.

『Are you okay?』

The next thing he heard was a surprisingly reassuring, beautiful voice. When he opened his eyes, he saw Haruna extended her hand to him. Sato and the other four were lying at her feet. Haruna went directly to fight Satou and the others, who are men, and won unscathed.

『Um, are you okay?』

At this time, Itou thought of Haruna as an angel, or even a goddess. This event turned into a bit of a heroic tale in the class. Satou and the others couldn’t tell the teachers that they lost to a girl, so it never came into public. And within the reach of Haruna’s eyes, Itou wasn’t bullied anymore.

Eventually, Itou fell in love. She was bright, energetic, and innocent, and his eyes naturally followed her. Whenever there was a club competition, he would secretly go to the venue and record it with his video camera. Whenever she won, he celebrated her victory secretly. To Itou, she was always a hero and a heroine.

「Um, are you okay?」

「A-ah, yeah…」

The goddess with blood on her cheeks says the same lines in the same tone. The voice, which should have been blissful, was now just horrifying. Even though the only difference is it was Satou and the others who were lying at her feet and it’s the members’ corpses now, she looks like a devil this time.

Due to her low status, Haruna was taken somewhere on the first day of the transfer, and she hadn’t come back since. Even if she had returned, Itou didn’t know what to expect, but the way the classmates treated her at that time was not good. The reversal of expectations, the repeated shout of abuse, disappointment―― he didn’t get into it, but he also didn’t do anything. He couldn’t do anything again.

In that situation that would have absolutely broken his heart if it had been him, what kind of expression did Haruna, who was taken away at that time, have on her face?

He doesn’t know about that. However, there is one thing He’s sure of. There’s one thing he knows because he has been chasing Haruna secretly

―――― She’s not someone who will stop here, that’s for sure.

「Haru, do you know him?」

A man’s voice came from behind Haruna. In contrast to Haruna who’s wearing a bright orange robe, the man is wearing a dark-colored robe. He was considerably older than him, maybe in his thirties? And he’s strangely over-familiar by calling her by a nickname. Although, there’s nothing Itou can say now after abandoning Haruna a few days ago.

「Ａh, yes. He’s my classmate, Itou-kun.」

「This guy is? He’s somehow different from what I had imagined…」

The man makes eye contact with Itou with an observant look. Itou reflexively averted his gaze.

「Shishō, that’s not good. Itou-kun is quite a shy person, right?」

「Y-yes…」

Fortunately, it seems that Haruna has no intention of killing Itou. Rather, she seems to be worried about him. I can be saved if I can handle it well, can’t I? As his heart beats faster, Itou desperately thinks for a way.

「Hmm.」

However, he feels that the man’s gaze seems to see through everything, so he can’t feel relieved.

「Well then, Itou-kun or whatever. What are you doing here? I think you already know about it, but the mansion here is a gathering place for bad people. It’s a den of evil that normally you can’t enter. Let me ask you again. Itou-kun, one of the people who disappeared from the castle a few days ago, why are you crawling around vomiting in a place like this?」

The man crouched down to meet Itou’s gaze and asked the obvious question. The gloss has disappeared from the man’s eyes and he has a dead look in his eyes. Although his expression hasn’t changed, Itou can feel a hint of suspicion. If he makes a mistake here, there’s no next time for him. Thinking so, Ito opened his trembling mouth.

「I-I was forced by Satou-kun and the others to get out of the castle. After that, I was forced to do various things …」

He didn’t tell a lie. The reason he came here was originally coerced by Satoy and others and he didn’t come here of his free will. But, he explained it while omitting the fact that there were benefits for him too.

「Eww, Satou and the others are also here, huh?」

「Are they the other four?」

「Probably. They are the class delinquent group, Satou the leader, Suzuki, Takahashi, and Tanaka…. They are the guys who enjoy bullying Itou-kun, they are the worst!」

Haruna sent a favorable wind for him. I can’t feel the eeriness from her anymore, was it a misunderstanding? Or was it came from the man? Maybe we are connected by the red string―― He even can afford to start his delusion. However, this is an opportunity for him, so he continues to make it sound like he’s innocent.

「T-that’s right. In this mansion, there are people who were abducted from the town. We have to help them quickly…! I-if I’m not wrong, they are locked up in the basement.」

He indirectly guided them to the basement, which is the opposite of the second floor where Satou and the others are. The reason is that if they meet them, there’s a possibility that they will talk about something unnecessary. Even if Haruna believed Itou’s story, setting aside the other three, Satou is a level 4 swordsman. He has exceptional strength compared to the group members who died on the first floor. Itou can’t imagine which one is stronger, so he decided to evacuate with the captured girls as the first priority. He reluctant to part with the living here, but it’s different if he’s together with Haruna. Let’s go back to the castle. Itou devised a plan for the future cunningly.

「Uh-huh. So, is Satou the main culprit in this girl’s abduction case?」

「… I-I think so.」

「Then, rather than save the girls, it’s better to exterminate the evil from the root first. If the number of innocent girls who got abduced increased, it’ll hurt my heart.」

「…… Eh?」

The man stood up, carrying Itou’s body on his shoulder. Itou’s thoughts stopped for a moment.

「Shishō, don’t say something that’s out of your character. But, I agree with your opinion of exterminating evil! Hmm, I can hear laughing voices from over there!」

「……E-ehh?」n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

Haruna, who listened carefully, pointed to the soundproof room where Satou and the others are. Itou’s thought goes blank.

「Kyaaa――!?」

「Fuwaahh!?」

A woman scream came from the first floor. She might be a servant or a slave, and she must have seen the disastrous scene at the entrance. Because of too much shock, Itou fainted.

「Oops, we are discovered. We have to find Satou and Tron quickly. Haru, show me the way to the room where you heard the voice.」

「Got it!」

If they only save the girls, the same thing would happen again. The two of them, who had to go home by dinner, only think about the fast way to deal with this. While carrying the unconscious Itou, they proceeded through the second floor corridor.