Confinement King

After getting off the train, it is only a two-minute walk to the aquarium.

　First, we went into the shopping mall connected to the aquarium and decided to have lunch at a fastfood restaurant.

「What do you want, Saori-chan?」

「Uh, ehh... c-cheeseburger」

　And so, I ordered a cheeseburger set for her as well as my own, and stopped her with my hand as she reached into her shoulder bag for her purse.

「Wait, I'll take care of it」

「Eh... but」

「It's okay, let me look cool」

　Today, I'm not going to be a prude.

　My big brother's prestige is on the line.

　Mom also gave me some money when I told her I was going to the aquarium with Saori-chan. So, I have enough money for the trip.

　I don't know why, but my mom tends to be happy when Fujiwara-san, Saori-chan and I get along well.

　For that reason, though, she sometimes nudges me not to get too friendly with other girls, as she did after Masaki-chan and Tashiro-san came to our house, with a lot of unnecessary care.

　Almost as soon as we arrived at our table, the bell rang one after another, signalling the arrival of customers.

　It’s lunchtime, so perhaps it’s time for the restaurant to start getting crowded.

　Saori-chan keeps her eyes downcast, and when she occasionally looks up and makes eye contact with me, she immediately lowers her face.

（Hmm, she's so shy...）

　During the hour-long train ride, she seemed to have gotten over her nervousness. I thought so, but it seems that she is still shy when we are facing each other.

　By the way, Saori-chan's way of eating is really cute and animal-like.

　I couldn't help but gaze at her with a smile.

　However, when she noticed my gaze, her cheeks turned red again and she turned her head down.

（Topic... I need topic to talk about...）

「Uh... by the way, you did well in the track and field competition the other day」

「Ah, yeah. Because Onii-chan came to cheer me on...」

「Do you enjoy club activities?」

「Yeah... but I'm a little worried... Since the third-year students are about to graduate… the captain of the club, who has been leading us, is retiring」

「The captain of the club… Is it Tashiro-san?」

「Yes」

（That unreliable girl...）

　I can't help but feel that way.

　After seeing her clumsiness like that...

　Well, although she's clumsy, she's cute...

　But until a little while ago, I also thought that Tashiro-san was a perfect human, with a pair of bright eyes, perfect teeth, good looks, and both literary and physical abilities.

　If that's how Saori-chan still sees Tashiro-san, there's no need to disparage her.

「I think the new captain, Amemiya-senpai, is a bit scary... Many of the other senior are also weird people...」

「Weird people... huh」

（Kei-chan and Shiratori-san are the two second-year students of the track and field club... they look like weird people to me too...）

「Are you scared of the new captain?」

「No, I don't mean that... But she fights a lot with the first-years... and... she gets mad at me a lot」

（Okay, Amemiya's punishment is confirmed）

　I'll tell her physically to favor Saori-chan as much as she can.

「I think the coach is also a little scary...」

（Also, Jolanda is in! On the punishment list!）

　When I raised my eyebrows, Saori-chan waved her hands in the air as if to make up for it.

「But, you know, it's not like I'm being bullied or anything during practice...」

「Bullied?」

「Well, the track and field club are fine, but a girl from another club said that as soon as the third year retired, their second year member started bullying the first year」

「Is that so?」

「Yeah, it seems like the basketball club is having a hard time...」

　◇　◇　◇

　The girl that Detective JK was suspicious of is Saori Moribe.

　We first talked to her through Sato-chan's introduction, and she was really a quiet girl, just like my brotherOnii-chan found out before.

　She seemed to be reserved and timid, and to all intents and purposes, harmless.

　I'm not sure why Detective JK has set their eyes on her, and even if I wanted to confirm it, those two are now missing.

（I remember Onii-chan saying that she was supposed to have died before and that her personality was drastically different before and after that...）

　That makes me suspicious.

（I think the flag that she's a demonAkuma is still standing...）

　And so, it was by chance that I saw her today.

　When I walked by to buy a notebook for the new school year, I noticed Saori Moribe dressed up in front of the Chobi statue in front of the station.

　Apparently, she did not notice me.

　The time was just before ten o'clock. If she was standing in front of the statue of Chobi, she must be waiting for someone.

　From here on, I was not suspicious, but rather curious.

　I wanted to go home after confirming the person with whom she was meeting, but the person never showed up.

　After about an hour of hiding behind a signboard of a convenience store, a man finally made contact with Saori Moribe.

（A man means a date... I wonder what I'm doing. I'm just an onlooker, really...）

　Just as I let out a sigh, I suddenly felt something cold run down my spine.

（Fumio... Kijima?）

　The other man was Fumio Kijima, a keeper of rare animals.

　Shiratori-senpai said he was cleared of suspicion, but I still think Fumio Kijima is suspicious. That's what my brother said.

　A girl suspected of being a demon has come into contact with Fumio Kijima.

　Suddenly, she's connected to the real deal.

　Not caring that I came to buy a notebook, I decided to follow them.

　The devil and Fumio Kijima, if I could catch them doing something bad here, I could even take them to the police.

　I followed them through the station gates and boarded the next car.

　I watch them through the window. However, they don't seem to be talking much, and Saori Moribe keeps her head down.

（They don't seem to be very close... but still, I wonder how far they are going...）

　It takes about an hour by train.

　And after three stops into the next prefecture, they got off at Kaihin-Koen Station.

　I followed them, barely out of sight. It seems that they are heading for the aquarium.

（This isn't really just a date, is it?）

　The atmosphere between them is still distant, even though it is a date.

　They are not holding hands, nor walking apart, but Saori Moribe is holding the hem of Kijima's polo shirt as they walk.

　They walk into a fastfood restaurant in a shopping mall.

　The time was around twelve o'clock.

　I sat down on a bench where I could see inside the restaurant and watched them through the glass.

　They are just eating, exchanging a few words. There is no indication that anyone is making contact with them. No contact.

　As a matter of fact, shortly after they entered the restaurant, a number of suspicious people entered the restaurant.

　And all of these suspicious people were sitting in a place where Kijima had a blind spot.

　One pair was a petite girl with huge breasts and a gal.

　The other pair was a pair of slender, model-like figures.

　And the other pair again was tall, with short cuts and ponytails.

　What's suspicious is that they're all wearing sunglasses.

　They are probably trying to disguise themselves, but the density of their sunglasses is excessive.

「What's this... Could it be that they're watching them too?」

As I raised my eyebrows, I heard a voice behind me whispering, "Looks like it, Kizuna".

　When I turned around in surprise, I saw a familiar figure standing there.

　Shiratori-senpai and Takasago-senpai with their mouths full of crepes.

　Both of them were also wearing sunglasses.

　There are many things I want to say, but for now I'll just say one thing.

「Um... isn't your disguise too rough?」