Vol. 3 Chapter 1.3

Translated by SoundDestiny Edited by SoundDestiny

The second day of confinement of the girls’ track and field club members ─ School Martial Law

A night has passed after eighteen members of the girls’ athletics club were locked up.

‘I wonder if the club members are awake by now……’

I sat down on my seat in the classroom and quietly pondered.

Lili had said that she would make them dress up in the most indecent way possible to reduce their energy to resist, so if they’ve woken up, they’re probably very confused right now. No, they might be crying and screaming.

Meanwhile, there was no change in the classroom in the morning. Even when I strained my ears to listen to the conversations of my classmates, there is no indication that the girls’ track team is currently the topic of conversation among the chatting students.

When I steal a glance at the remaining girls’ track and field team member – Teruya-san, she is resting her elbows on the desk and looking downcast. The atmosphere seems to be somewhat sombre, but from diagonally behind, I could hardly make out her expression.

Since Kurosawa-san came back, she no longer goes to talk to Kasuya-kun. I can guess that she has a bad relationship towards Kurosawa-san, but that is only my imagination.

As I was thinking about this in a daze, I heard Fujiwara-san’s voice coming from the entrance of the classroom.

“Chorissu! Fuーmin, ohayo!”

[TL: Wassup, Fuーmin, Mornin!]

Today, as always, she is carefree about her surroundings. She throws her bag decorated with badges down on the seat, then clings to my arm and pulls my chair next to hers. Lightly struggling against it, I casually turn my attention to her seat and see that among the badges attached to her bag, there is one that reads.

I found something with 『I ♡ FUMIO』written on it and was taken aback.

“Hey, hey! Let’s do SNS too, Fuーmin!”

She says this without any context and thrusts her face towards me so close that our noses almost brush each other. She is still bugging me with her sense of distance, as I shake my head while looking up at her.

“I refuse”

“Eeeeー!　Isn’t it good?　Misuzu also chats with Kasuya all night long. I want to fall asleep while exchanging ‘I love you’ and ‘I love you too’!　I think I’d have really good dreams.

“I can only see a future where the timeline is lined with comments from Fujiwara-san saying [reply me]”

“Why are you assuming you won’t reply!?”

The noisy atmosphere of the class changed to one of tension as soon as homeroom started and the homeroom teacher announced the disappearance of eighteen female track and field team members.

Amongst the students who are shouting, there is a boy who is repeatedly asking questions in a low, stifled voice. I haven’t spoken to him in particular, but he is usually taciturn and, as I recall, he is the head of the judo club……his name, what was it?

“He is Hiratsuka-kun, I think he was dating Tashiro-san, the captain of the track and field club…… He must be worried…”

Fujiwara-san whispered that in my ear.

‘Ah, yes. Hiratsuka-kun. I’ve been so uninvolved that I forgot his name.’

“Teruya, did you notice anything strange about the other students at yesterday’s practice?”

When the homeroom teacher, Gorioka, asked this, everyone’s eyes focused on Teruya-san. Then she replied with a discouraged expression.

“Nothing strange. No one came to the club activities except me and Ninagawa from the second year. And together with Ninagawa, everyone boycotted practice. We were talking about how stupid it was before the tournament”

“Boycott?”

“The advisor is hated by the club members.””

Apparently, there was enough friction between the advisors and the club members that it was not surprising that a boycott occurred.

But in fact, it was not a boycott. In the morning, the school received a string of enquiries from parents of track and field team members saying that their children had not returned home.

Classes proceeded in an unsettled atmosphere, and by the time the afternoon arrived, I don’t know where they had gotten wind of it but outside the main gate there was a black crowd of press people.

There are several long gun microphones sticking out above the group, and some people are holding cameras on stepladders, while others appear to be reporters talking with microphones in their hands to TV cameras against the main gate.

The old man guard and some teachers seem to be appealing for the group to disband but I guess it’s useless. They are doing their job, too.

‘It’s going to be tough going back home through that press hordes…..’

For me, that’s all I can think about.

As I watched the scene from my window, a number of police vehicles arrived and the police officers dodged the media blocking the gates to the left and right. Every time a police car drove past them and into the school, I could see a large number of flashes being fired.

×××

“Terashima…..isn’t it difficult to do? If you want, I can advise the head of the department to take you off the case.”

“No problem, don’t worry about it.”

Inomoto-senpai is a rather caring person despite having a gorilla’s physique.

The reason he said such a thing was because he was sent by the HQ to the investigation headquarters and my fiancée to be in charge of it.

Early this morning, the HQ led the establishment of a task force to investigate the 『mass disappearance of schoolgirls』.

We, who were in charge of the earlier disappearances of Misuzu Kurosawa and Masaki Haneda, have a very narrow shoulder to lean on. We have not yet achieved any results other than the accidental return of Misuzu-sama.

At this morning’s meeting, when Inomoto senpai mentioned the name of the Kamijima clan, he was laughed at, saying, 『How can a clan that can only sell runaway girls they hooked up with at a barbecue into the sex trade do something so public?』

In the end, the investigators have started their investigation along the lines of the work of a large-scale overseas human trafficking ring.

And now, in the headmaster’s office, there were two detectives from the HQ, including Inspector Nakamura, who was the head of the headquarters, and Inomoto senior and myself, who had been in charge of the school for a long time. On the school side, the headmaster, vice principal and a balding teacher who claims to be the advisor of the girls’ track and field team were all present.

“So all the victims this time were in class until the sixth period?”

When Inspector Nakamura asks this, the headmaster replies, wiping the sweat from his forehead.

“Yes, we have confirmed with each homeroom teacher. But we don’t know where they went from there. The guard seemed to remember the face of one of the victims, Hatsui Tashiro, the head of the club, as 『a polite girl who greeted the students properly』, but he did not see her among the students leaving the school, that’s what he said.”

“I see……Did she participate in any club activities?”

“No, one of the remaining club members, second-year student Rimi Ninagawa, told her homeroom teacher. When she visited the clubroom, it was locked, so she went to the staff room to get the key. But there was no key, and she said that the record book she had taken out had the name of first-year student Ota written on it. So she borrowed a spare key from her adviser and opened the clubroom.”

“Is that true?”

When Inspector Nakamura asked this, the adviser simply replied in a disappearing voice: [Yes].

“It’s the other student who was late and left behind, isn’t it? Hikari Teruya came to the clubroom and said that 『maybe they all boycotted practice』 since they have talked about it together.”

“Boycott…..?”

When Inspector Nakamura turned his attention to the adviser, he shook his head hurriedly.

“I, I had nothing to do with that! It’s just that I had a slight argument with the captain, Tashiro, over a difference in coaching policy….”

“Sensei, you shouldn’t say like it’s none of our business. We are teachers.”

When the headmaster rebuked him with a face as if he was biting a bitter bug, the advisor sagged and nodded.

It would normally be an unprecedented and unusual incident. Even though it was after school, as many as 18 people disappeared like smoke from the school premises, where people were watching and running about. At the moment, I can’t help but come to the ridiculous conclusion that it’s either a supernatural phenomenon or a case of a mysterious disappearance. However, since I myself know that Master did it, I’m somewhat looking forward to seeing what kind of ridiculous theories will emerge in the future.

After thinking for a moment, Inspector Nakamura looked at the headmaster and began.

“Principal, I would like to mobilise a large number of investigators to search the school premises…..”

“You want …… to search the school?”

“Yes, according to what you’ve just told us, she was taken from inside the school. We might be able to find some kind of trace……or it could be that there is a place in this school building that the teachers don’t know about, where they are being held captive.”

“That’s absurd!”

The vice principal raises his voice and Inspector Nakamura smiles in an appeasing and soothing manner.

“It’s only a possibility.”

“When will it start….?”

“It’s already, right now.”

The headmaster gave a slight thoughtful gesture, then told the vice principal.

“……Vice principal., please instruct the teachers to have the students leave the school promptly after sixth period. Also, the school will be temporarily closed tomorrow. In addition, please instruct the teachers to take proper action according to the emergency manual.”

×××

“Don’t say anything to the media. If they report something strange,it would cause rumour mongering, and that’s a big problem. And don’t stop if someone stops you!　Also, school is temporarily closed tomorrow and Friday. Don’t come to school by mistake!”

The homeroom teacher, Gorioka, said bitterly in the homeroom after class.

Swirling around in my head is a man I don’t remember. The man who imprisoned me. Since he had embraced me, he was probably a man. There’s no way that man had nothing to do with the incident with the girls’ track team this time. What in the world is he up to this time?

When I left the classroom, someone stopped me from behind, saying [Kurosawa-san].

When I turned around, there she was, detective Terashima-san. She was going to drive me home again today. To be honest, I was relieved. If I tried to break through the media in front of the main gate now, I would be an easy prey. It wouldn’t be surprising if my portrait was circulating amongst the press. After all, all they had to do was get it from any magazine.

In the backseat of Terashima-san’s car, I lay down, covering her head with her jacket. The car starts to move, and from outside the window I hear angry voices of the press and police officers, who seem to be struggling with each other. After a while, Terashima-san opens her mouth.

“It’s alright now.”

I looked up and looked through the rear glass, and saw the press gathering in front of the school gate moving away.

After letting out a sigh of relief, I asked Terashima-san, who looked at me through the rear-view mirror.

“Terashima-san……are you going to be okay?　Those…… detectives, everyone seemed busy.”

“Yes, I had a hard time getting out, but at least I got out for now. The people at the main office are hard-headed, however I managed to talk the chief of staff out of risking putting you in front of the press media…….”

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry for the inconvenience.”

“No, it’s part of my job.”

However, as the car approached my house, I saw that the press were also swarming in front of my house.

“…..seriously?”

I don’t dare to run into those presses. I guess Terashima-san couldn’t bear to see me like this. She spoke this as if she was concerned about me.

“Misuzu-sama, if you don’t mind, would you like to stay at my house tonight?　Of course, with your parents’ permission…..”

“Really? Thank you very much! I’ll call my mum right away.”

Terashima-san appears to be a saving grace. When I called my mum and explained the situation, she sounded relieved and said she would be grateful if I would let her do so.

“She said she’d really appreciate it……and that Mum wanted to thank you and asked me to lend  my phone to you.”

“I’m sorry, but I’m driving. Please tell her that her kindness is enough.”

After a 30-minute drive from there, Terashima-san drives into the underground car park of the apartment building. A splendid tower recently built in the neighbouring town. I’ve seen flyers in the newspaper, but it’s quite a luxurious condominium.

I had an image that civil servants are not well paid but it seems that was a prejudice.

Her house is a four-bedroom apartment on the top floor, and although the room itself is magnificent, it seems she has just been moved in, with few things and a bleak appearance. However, it is not without the smell of life, and the number of empty beer cans left on the low table in the living room gives a glimpse of her disordered eating habits.

[TL: In the Raw, the author uses a japanese real estate term called LDK, which is Living,Dining and Kitchen Room together with the number of rooms. For Example, 1K is a one room apartment with a kitchen. 1DK is a one room apartment with a dining and kitchen area. 1LDK is a one room apartment with a living, dining and kitchen area. Ryoko Terashima’s house is 4LDK.]

Terashima-san looks back at me as she hurriedly puts away the beer cans.

“Misuzu-sama, I must return to school at once. You may use this room freely. You may eat whatever is in the kitchen. It’s all instant food, though…..”

“T,thank you.”

“The sofa in the living room can be used as a sofa bed, I will prepare a set of bedding and change of clothes for you.”

“Terashima-san, please don’t be so self-conscious. I feel so nervous……”

“Don’t worry about it. Also, if the intercom rings, please ignore it. So, the media may not be able to get a whiff of you”

It’s truly a very thorough service. I feel a bit intimidated when someone goes to such lengths with me. Terashima-san is neither a relative nor a friend. She is just a detective who happened to be in charge of a stranger. Just as I was about to thank her once again, I suddenly heard a 『ping-pong!』 rang out on the intercom, announcing the arrival of a visitor.

“I-is it the press?”

“No, it’s too early for that”

Terashima-san told me, who was in a panic, and looked into the intercom monitor. The next moment, she held her head up in a big way.

“I’ve forgotten….”

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