Vol. 3 Chapter 3.1

Translated by SoundDestiny Edited by SoundDestiny

The fourth day of the girls’ track and field confinement- The split within.

The early morning entertainment district is sad.

The dreams of old men have disappeared with the foam of beer and the wreckage of a night’s pleasure is in a rubbish bag waiting for the rubbish truck to come.

Morning scene in the drinking street behind the station. Amidst the cawing of wild cats and crows fighting over territory, Fujiwara-san and I leave the hotel, hand in hand.

As a man, it’s hard for me to ask her to pay for the whole hotel, but I only have coins in my wallet to begin with. I tried saying, [I’ll let you pay here] with a superior attitude but she replied, [Yes, yes] with a wry smile, which made me feel a little sad.

[Gununu, chippaime] As I deliberately bite my teeth, Fujiwara-san looks into my face.

[TL: Oppai+Chiisai=chippai]

She wears no make-up at all. What about the fact that she looks prettier that way? It’s a story that could shake the very raison d’etre of make-up.

“Fu–min.”

“What?”

“What? It’s not what! This is the part where you say, 『What is it, Ma–I ♡』Fu–min is the one who said, [Let’s do something loverly], right?”

“…Anyway”

“Aaa, you faked it!”

She sharpens her mouth. But I ask her, without care.

“You stayed out overnight without permission, is that okay? Aren’t you afraid you might get in trouble?”

“It’s okay. I sent a message to my mom. I told her I’d stay at Misuzu’s place. I also sent a message to Misuzu to make sure she knows.”

“When did you …..?”

“Don’t underestimate a gyaru’s flick typing.”

Fujiwara-san then,[Fufu–nn!] and puff out her poor chest with a smug look on her face.

“And so – it would be even more suspicious if I hurried home. Let’s go have a morning meal. I want an English muffin.”

“Then, Fujiwara-san will pay for it.”

“I won’t pay for someone who calls me Fujiwara-san.”

“Mai, I want a morning meal on your money.”

As I said this, I picked her chin with my fingertips and brought her face close to mine and she gave me an indescribable look.

“You look like you’re trying to be cool, but that’s really the worst thing you can say”

×××

I myself was allowed to leave quite early yesterday, partly because there had been progress in the investigation.

However, when I returned to my flat, I could not find Misuzu-sama in my room. This made me panic.

Immediately, I interrogated my idiot sister, who showed signs of being upset that I had unexpectedly returned home early. The interrogation was a familiar one. [Spit it out, orah!] As I twisted up her chest, Misuzu-sama came back, as if she had timed it perfectly.

“Oh, um……”

Misuzu-sama stiffens in the doorway. I smile affectionately and gently release Kyoko.

The air was indescribable, very delicate indeed.

When I asked her again, she told me that Misuzu-sama had met her boyfriend. What a rubbish thing to say. How could I allow another man to get his hands on the precious Misuzu-sama, who is in the care of Master?

At any rate, I asked Misuzu-sama to behave herself and lectured Kyoko until midnight. And this morning, while thinking about how I should apologise to Master, I left the flat.

“Good morning.”

“Oou, good morning.”

When I arrived at the department, Inomoto-Senpai was just about to take his seat with a cup of coffee in his hand.

Today, I go to work at the station, not in the field. The investigation on campus was generally completed yesterday. The investigators will have a debriefing at 10.00 am, including a summary of the investigation up to yesterday.

As soon as I took my seat, Inomoto-senpai asked me a question with an air of interest.

“I heard that Anna Kamishima was here yesterday”

“Yes, I was surprised.”

“What was she like?”

“It feels like……she had that kind of air about her, the kind of woman who could make people fall down with a laugh.”

Inomoto-senpai shook his large body and cowered his head.

“That’s scary”

Inomoto-senpai had not yet discarded the theory that the Kamishima gang was responsible for the series of kidnappings, which had been completely dismissed by them, including Inspector Nakamura.

“Have you made any progress over there?”

The information that Master had given 『the fence behind the clubhouse building comes off and leads out to a wooded area.』 was spearheaded by Inomoto-senpai.

“Yeah, it’s a pretty big one. I found the victim’s student handbook. It was a first-year student named Yui Kayama. I think it’s safe to say that the route she took was through the fence and out the back.”

“I see….”

‘I don’t know what’s so certain about that.’

But there’s no way she could have gone that way, since she just went straight into Master’s 『room』.

“Just…..unfortunately, because of the rush of the press to the main gate, quite a few students went home the day after the incident via the wooded path. The path has been trampled over, so I wouldn’t expect to detect any footprints or anything like that.”

“That’s unfortunate…….”

“Yeah, but if you think about it, if you want to move eighteen people, you have to make them walk on their own two feet. There’s no sign of a struggle and it would be too conspicuous and impractical to move a large group of eighteen girls by carrying them.”

“Well, I suppose you’re right”

“I’m going to try to find out if it was the OG or the advisor…… who led them”

That’s what Inspector Nakamura also said, that someone may have guided them. But this could be an interesting development.

If there is a connection between the OG or the advisor and Anna Kamishima, it will be a great reason to raid the Kamishima clan.

‘Isn’t it too convenient to use them……?’

×××

“Hey, Moribe……is it almost morning?”

“….. I don’t know.”

I responded to Shima-senpai’s question with my eyes closed.

In fact, several days have passed since we were trapped in a room without a single window. There is no longer any sense of time.

When I opened my eyes, I saw Yui, who had rolled over onto her stomach, regretfully crawling her tongue over the pet water tray that was still in front of her. As the daughter of a good family, she is probably not very good at holding back but her misery is even more pronounced because of this.

Although we, the girls’ track and field members are still held captive. For the first time, we made contact with the culprit.

It was a few hours ago.

Suddenly, a creepy woman with a sloppy sackcloth on her head appears and places a tray full of water in front of everyone, one at a time.

It had been several days since our capture and our thirst was long gone. We jumped on the trays without a second thought. But as we were still tied up behind our backs, the only way to drink water was to stick our faces in and sip it, or to lick it off with our tongues like dogs.

It was a pathetic sight, but no one could resist the extreme thirst and for a while the dimly lit room was filled with countless small sounds of chattering water.

A few hours have now passed since then and the room is as dismal as a morgue. Although the thirst has been quenched, the stomach bugs are 『gukiruru』 in various parts of the room, gnawing and asserting themselves in a lively manner.

“Ahaha…… I’m about to die,this me”

“Stupid, you’re in your third year, why are you whining?”

At that moment when Captain Tashiro condemned Shima-senpai’s words in a scratchy voice, one corner of the wall suddenly opened and light leaked out in the form of a door.

As we gasp, three figures enter the room.

One is the creepy woman in the headdress. She wears a feather-like object on one side of her back and is dressed in a leather rider’s suit that seems to stick snugly to her body.

The other is a foreigner with silver hair and blue eyes. She is quite beautiful, dressed in a British-style maid’s outfit.

And as soon as I saw the last one who came in, Shima-senpai let out a moaning voice.

“Ma, Masaki, isn’t that you, Masaki….?”

The woman, who entered as if led by two people in front of her, was dressed in a parasol skirt made of pink fabric and richly decorated with white lace. The tiara on her head reflected the sparkling light from the jewels. She was dressed like an anachronistic mediaeval princess.

She was probably about our age, with a childishly pretty face and only her breasts have half the volume of ours.

A luxurious chair like a throne suddenly appeared ahead of her as she walked.

It was in a place where nothing had been there before.

As we watched with bated breath, the princess sat down on a chair, the maid and the sackhead lady knelt on their knees on either side of her and an intense light came on behind the chair, making it impossible to even look directly at her.

To be honest, I can only be puzzled. What on earth are we being shown? At least to my eyes, all three of them looked like three participants in a costume parade.

“Masaki! Masaki! You’re safe!”

Everyone’s eyes are drawn to Shima-senpai, who suddenly raises her voice. It seems that the princess is an acquaintance of senpai.

However, when the princess turned her face towards Shima-senpai, she narrowed her eyes disapprovingly and shrugged her chin at the head-bag lady.

Then, the head sacked woman walked up to Shima Senpai and suddenly kicked her in the stomach with force, leaving her lying on her stomach and confused.

“Geboo!!”

“「「Hiiiii!!?」」

The kick was so powerful that she was lifted several centimetres in the air while in a prone position. A muffled cry, almost like vomiting, escapes from the Shima-senpai’s mouth, while those around her choke back a scream, kicking the floor frantically and retreating behind her.

“U…uuu….”

“Shima, get a grip, Shima!”

Shima-senpai is writhing, foaming at the edges of her mouth. Captain Tashiro hurriedly crawls to her side. Everyone around her, including me, retreated towards the wall at once, creating a large space in the middle surrounding the princess.

“It is the height disrespectful to call out Masaki-sama. What shall we do, Masaki-sama? Shall I deal her away now?”

“Leave it.”

“I understand.”

When the maid politely bows, the princess looks around at us and opens her mouth.

“I am Masaki Haneda, the first favourite princess of the great Confinement King. I hope you now understand that it’s up to me to make the most of your lack of brains and to decide whether to kill you all or not.”

‘Confinement King?’

I tilted my head at the unfamiliar name. Could it mean he’s the mastermind behind our captivity?

“What are you going to do with us?”

Suddenly, Captain Tashiro rises to her feet and shouts.

Everyone winded their eyes at this. After all, Shima-senpai had just suffered a terrible attack. She is not afraid of anything. However, it is not that we are uncomfortable with her behaviour. For better or worse, she can’t read the air, this person.

But there is no real element of bullishness in this situation. This is different from protesting against the adviser. Probably in everyone’s mind, a future in which Captain Tashiro would be treated badly would have flashed through their minds.

Surprisingly, however, the princess responded to the question with a faint smile.

“There are four among you. Four of you have committed a mortal sin.”

“Mortal  sins?”

“Tell them, Freesia.”

The princess tucked her chin and the silver-haired maid stood up and faced Captain Tashiro.

“One of the favoured princesses of the great Confinement King. Those four are guilty of humiliating Mai Fujiwara-sama.”

Immediately, a faint gasping sound was heard. There must be someone who knows what she’s talking about.

Then, the princess looked around at everyone and smiled kindly.

“So I’m going to give you a chance. If all the four come forward before I count to ten from now on, the rest of you will be sent home.”

“Wa,wait! What happens to those who come forward!”

When Captain Tashiro raised her voice, the princess smiled a terrible, cruel smile.

“I’ll let them go in the end. But I will cut them into pieces, stop the bleeding so they don’t die, and they will be sent home by refrigerated courier after several years of literally cutting their bodies down to the bare minimum of viable organs”

Everyone is speechless at the gruesome, hair-raising tale and the scene falls silent.

“Okay, I’m going to count. One, two….”

As the princess began to count, everyone began to look around at each other and then Yui screamed.

“Who!　Who is it? Come forward quickly!　Don’t drag me into this!”

“Calm down, Kayama! You’re selling out your own friend!”

“I’m not one of your friends! Let me go home! Send me home!”

Immediately, the other members of the club started shouting. I just felt [OroOro]. Even so, the princess’s counting doesn’t stop.

[オロオロ:flustered]

“Eight, Nine…….”

“It was me! I’m the only one who did this! Let the others go!”

“……Ten”

As the cursing fades away and the sobs of the club members echo through the air, the princess looks at the head of the department, who stares straight at her, and lets out a deep sigh.

“You, what is your name?”

“Tashiro……Tashiro Hatsu.”

“Unfortunately, we don’t have the mentality that it’s beautiful to take a stand and defend others. Your chances of getting out of here are now gone.”

“I say I did it!”

“Unfortunately, I’ve got some of the characteristics of those major sinners. You don’t fit them at all. But……is fine. For your courage, I will give you one more chance.”

“You’re still playing with…..us!”

“Yes, we do. That is somewhat true in some parts. Entertainment is important. But you have to obey. Don’t you agree?”

“Entertainment…..you say.”

Captain bites her back teeth in frustration.

“Those whom I am about to call, come here.”

The princess began to look round at each of us and suddenly pointed to a person.

“You there. Come here.”

“Ye,yes!”

“What is your name?”

“M,My name is Yui Kayama……”

“You,next, come here.”

The one who got up quietly, without saying a word, was a second-year senpai.

“What is your name?”

“Takasago Kei”

Takasago Senpai is a beautiful black-haired girl who is quiet and always has sleepy eyes. Despite being a tremendous pain in the ass, she is apparently quite popular with the boys, who call her Sleeping Beauty because of her idol-quality face.

“Last…..you.”

“Hya, hyaI!?”

[Saori intended to say hai;roughly saying yes]

The next one who the princess pointed to was……me.

I got up hurriedly and walked over to the princess as if to roll over.

“What is your name?”

“Mo,mo,mo, mo, it’s Moribe Saori”

My tongue twitched with nervousness. The princess giggled at my stammering.

“Then there was Tashiro-san, wasn’t there? I’m appointing you and the other four to be the inquisitors.”

“Inquisitors?”

The Captain stares at the princess with a glare.

‘Captain! Stop it! Don’t make more trouble!’

I plead so in my heart. It would be nothing but reckless to defy them in this situation.

“That’s right, I’m asking the four of you to find the major criminal who humiliated the Confinement King’s favourite princess, Mai Fujiwara, on my behalf.”

“Ho,How would that be possible?”

Yui asked the princess, her voice trembling.

“The solution is simple. I will give you four whips. Until all the deadly sinners come forward, you must beat any pig at least a hundred times every day. If you do not whip them at least a hundred times, you will be dismissed from the Inquisitorial Board. You will go back to being pigs.”

“Ridiculous! You want me to whip the club members?!’

Captain continued to defy. The princess looks at her and smiles a ridiculing, teasing smile.

“AraAra,are you afraid people will hate you?　Don’t worry. You inquisitors will be treated as my direct subordinates. If they cross you, the pigs will be jointly and severely punished. You will also be given a room for two, a hotel suite, clothes and a sumptuous meal. And let’s just say that if you successfully find all four of them, you’ll be on your way home……”

“You bastard!!”

[Kisama!]

“Ara? Are you dissatisfied? It can’t be helped. Then you should be on the receiving end. Instead, yes,…..how about you?”

“U, uchi?”

[M,me?. ウチ  word is often used by young women when it is casual, such as with friends.]

“What is your name?”

“…… Shima, my name is Natsumi Shima.”

Shima-senpai looked confused when asked her name.

“Well, let’s replace her with you. Or do you want to make a face like that inflexible girl over there and refuse?”

Shima-senpai glanced at the captain and then said, [I’ll do it!　I’ll do it!!] nodded with a serious face.

“Very well. Then, you four will follow me. The rest of the pigs will be fed two meals a day from today onwards. We can’t let them die an easy death by starvation.”

The silver-haired maid urged us to follow the princess out of the room. I glanced back and saw all the members of the club looking at us with reproachful eyes.

As we leave the room, the princess looks back into the room and opens her mouth.

“Yes, you must be punished for your disobedience there. Lili, 『paralysis』 please.”

As soon as the princess says this──

“Higu!?”

“Pya!?”

Everyone who followed her to a new room suddenly began to jerk and convulse as if struck by lightning.

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