「If it is Carius and Taguas, they are coming to school」
Onii-chan tells me while looking puzzled.
「I see. Thank you for telling me」
Alright! If I go to school, I can meet Carius and Taguas. This way, I can fulfill the contract.
I let out a sigh of relief and notice onii-chan’s gaze.
Could he have been watching me all this time? What should I do? I am acting quite suspiciously.
「Onii-chan. Um…」
「Both of them have been acting a bit strange since their mother passed away. It seems they have something on their minds」
「Something on their minds?」
「Yes. Even if I ask Carius, he just smiles and does not tell me. And if I ask Taguas, he just shakes his head sadly. I am sure something happened, but I do not know if I should press them for details」
Onii-chan is eight years old, right? Am I the only one who thinks he is too mature?
『Agus is amazing. To notice changes in his friends at eight years old. And he is being considerate too』
As expected, right? Onii-chan is amazing.
Also, how should I answer this? The reason they are acting strange might be that they realized their father was involved in Philia’s death. If so, I do not want to get involved.
After all, he is a murderer? It will definitely become complicated. But I will probably end up getting involved anyway. If Philia finds out about it, she will likely ask me to protect them. If I ignore that… Philia might go berserk. A parent’s love for their child tends to lead to loss control.
「I might have messed up」
「What?」
Hearing my voice, onii-chan looks at me.
「It is nothing. Why not tell Carius and the others that you are worried about them and that you are always ready to listen?」
Having someone who is always ready to listen is comforting. I can say this with confidence because I have experienced it myself.
「That is a good idea. I will try saying that」
That is right. Should I ask onii-chan to let me meet Carius and the others? But I must not involve onii-chan any further. Yes. If I go to school, I should be able to meet them, so I will not rely on onii-chan anymore.
「Could it be that you want to meet them?」
「Eh? Um…」
How did he find out? Is this the time to ask? Or should I deceive him?
「You can meet them if you go to school, but you are on leave right now」
「I will go to school starting tomorrow」
「Eh? Did Father give you permission?」
Not yet. But if I do not go to school, I cannot fulfill the contract with Philia. Therefore, I must persuade him no matter what.
「I will ask during dinner. I absolutely must go to school」
「I see」
「Yes」
But how should I persuade them? No, going to school to study is a good thing, so they might not oppose it. Yes, I will bet on that.
「You two, dinner is ready. Wash your hands and take your seats」
「「Yes」」
Responding to Mother’s voice, I go to wash my hands with onii-chan. Then we take our seats and start eating together.
『Today’s dinner is salt-grilled fish. This world has white rice too. That is nice』
That is true. I was a bit surprised too.
Onii-chan peeks at Father and Mother while eating fish. Then his expression becomes anxious.
I also glance at Father and Mother. We might need to take immediate action. Because both of them have an unusual atmosphere.
After dinner, I stop Father from standing up.
「Father, wait」
「What is wrong?」
My heart aches seeing Father forcing a smile.
「Can I go to school starting tomorrow?」
「No! It is dangerous right now」
As expected, he says no. It is because of those trash people, isn’t it?
「It is okay. I am just going to school」
Should I say I want to study? But judging by Father’s atmosphere, it seems he will say no no matter what reason I give. What should I do?
「Let us go to school after things settle down. If it is studying, I will teach you. I have taken a leave from work for a while」
At Father’s words, I gasp softly.
Not only Mother, but Father has also lost his job. That trash person is truly annoying to the end.
No, now is not the time to be angry. I must persuade Father.
「Father」
「What is wrong, Agus. By the way, Agus, you should take a break from school too」
Sorry, I have involved onii-chan as well.
「Father, calm down」
Mother places her hand on Father’s shoulder.
「Ah, sorry」
Startled, Father looks at me and onii-chan.
「I am sorry. But it is dangerous right now」
「Father, it is okay, so please let us go to school. Rina too」
「「「Eh?」」」
Everyone looks surprised at onii-chan’s words.
「I will go to school with friends, and there are many eyes within the school, so Agus and Rina will be fine」
I did not expect onii-chan to take my side.
「But—」
「Rigus」
When Father tries to object, Mother stops him. Her expression makes my anxiety grow.
Father looks at Mother and closes his eyes.
What is going on? I feel extremely anxious. What are Father and Mother thinking right now?
「Father, Mother?」
Onii-chan shows an anxious expression at their condition.
「Sorry for making you anxious. It is okay. Understood. Agus and Rina can go to school」
「Thank you, Father」
When I smile and thank him, he smiles back. However, his smile looked somewhat sad.
「That is good, Rina」
「Yes. Thank you too, onii-chan」
『Hey Rina, Rigus and Kana are strange. I feel like they are deeply troubled』
I know. Both of them are trapped in some bad thoughts. I do not know what it is, but it is definitely related to those trash people.
「Thank you for the meal」
I take the used dishes to the kitchen.
『Anyway, the goal is achieved』
Yes. For now, it seems I can accomplish the first objective.
I return to my room and sit on the bed.
「I am tired」
『Are you okay?』
「Yes, I am fine」
But I was very nervous due to the unusual atmosphere between Father and Mother. The grilled fish looked delicious, but I could not taste it at all.
『I am curious about what Rina’s parents are thinking, so I will go check』
That is right. If it is Yuu, he can investigate without being noticed.
「Yes. Can I ask you to do that?」
If I know what Father and the others are thinking, I should feel relieved.
『Leave it to—』
『That priest was the worst!』
『Hiiiii, a ghost～』
Yuu screams in surprise at Philia, who has come through the wall.
「Yuu」
I will forgive the scream. But why are you hiding behind my back? Using a five-year-old child as a shield is the worst, isn’t it?
『Sorry. Because her face suddenly popped out from the wall, it was scary!』
Certainly, Philia’s face coming out of the wall was scary. I almost screamed too. Well, since Yuu screamed before I could, I did not scream.
「In a way, was I saved?」
If I had screamed, Father and the others would have rushed in. That would have been troublesome, so maybe Yuu’s scream saved me… Although I do not want to admit it.
『What? Saved? What do you mean?』
「Stop hiding behind my back and come out already. You know it is Philia」
At my words, Yuu comes out from behind me.
Philia comes next to him.
『I investigated that priest. He is living with two women in a house given by the noble he was with. Moreover, it seems he is holding some weakness over those women and forcing them』
Ugh, he is the worst and most terrible priest. No, can I even call him a priest?
『I could not stand watching him abuse the women, so I investigated the church. It seems he is embezzling the money donated to the church. The area where villagers come is maintained, but the back is in shambles. If you investigate further, more things will surely come up』
『What splendid trashiness』
Yes. To think the priest was such terrible trash…
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