「 We’re retreating 」

Following Nei’s voice, we retreated from the Judo hall.

Matsumoto Miki seems to have lost her strength, but Nei and Edie took her outside, almost carrying her.

Tsukiko and I are pulling Izumi.

「 Students are coming from there, please hurry and get in 」

Kurose Anju tells us from inside the van disguised as Maruko Equipment.

Kinoshita-san and Edie are wearing work gear, they hide Miki and Izumi from the students coming towards the judo hall so they don’t see them getting inside the car.

Nei and I also got inside the car.

「 Ryouko, I’ll hold onto your flail 」

「 Thanks 」

Edie took the weapon from Kinoshita-san, opened the back of the van, tucks it inside, and closed it.

Meanwhile, Kinoshita-san reached the driver’s seat.

Tsukiko’s sitting on the passenger seat.

Edie jumped in, closed the sliding door, and the van departed.

「 Nei, hide Miki. Darling and others, hide your heads 」

Edie and the girls are disguised as plumbing company workers, so there shouldn’t be a problem if the students see them, but Izumi and I can’t be seen inside the car, as we’re wearing school uniforms, much less Matsumoto Miki, who’s in her middle school uniform from here, and Kurose Anju who wears a jersey.

If they mistook the van for kidnapping middle-schoolers, then it’ll make a fuss.

So, the van drives at a slow pace, not to warrant suspicion.

「 Okay, we’re clear 」

「 But, please remain hidden until we pass through the gate 」

Kinoshita-san told us.

「 Hmm, it seems that there are more students than earlier 」

When we entered the school, it was still early in the day, so there weren’t that many students going to school.

But just a few minutes later, there’s an increase in student density.

「 It seems that a bus has arrived at the stop 」

Oh, so that’s why.

「 The gate remained as is. We’ll just pass through 」

The gate Kurose Anju opened wider for our van to pass through remained open.

The van shook from a bump.

「 Okay, we’re outside. But please remain hidden 」

The car shakes again.

「 Okay, we’re clear 」

I raised my head and looked back.

Miki-san’s middle school is getting further away.

「 Haa, haa, haa 」

Izumi’s hyperventilating next to me. She seems to be in pain.

Oh right.

「 Tsukiko. 」

「 Yes. Izumi-san, you can talk now 」

Tsukiko used her Miko power so Izumi won’t make a fuss, and then Izumi was in a panic, her body was confused, and so she started hyperventilating.

「 Aaaaaah, aaaah 」

Izumi’s suddenly raising her voice.

「 That was scary! That was really scary!!! 」

She holds her tears as she screams.

「 You’re too noisy, it’s not that scary 」

Nei, Edie, Tsukiko, and Kinoshita-san were as calm as me.

「 That was scary! There were a ton of judo men, and even the teacher at the gate was scary 」

Err.

I know a lot of people much scarier than that teacher.

「 Above all, you’re the scariest! 」

Izumi points at me.

「 Me? 」

「 Yes! How were you able to just smash that phone even in that situation? 」

You’re scared that I smashed Sakuragi and his friend’s phones?

「 Ya-chan, am I scary? 」

I asked Nei, who was in the seat in front of me.

Nei’s still hugging Matsumoto Miki-san’s back.

「 Not at all, it’s just the usual cute Yo-chan 」

Nei laughed.

「 Darling’s getting much more amusing than usual 」

「 I was about to laugh back then 」

Edie and Kinoshita-san said.

「 No! It was scary! 」

Izumi says loudly, then realized.

「 No, nothing, it wasn’t scary nyan 」

She tried to fix her speech and added nyan.

「 I don’t think I can’t go against Kou-kun-san 」

Then, she turned meek.

What happened.

「 It was scary for me too 」

Matsumoto Miki-san in Nei’s arms, speaks up.

「 I didn’t think of you people as scary until now 」

Miki-san trembles.

「 Was it really that scary? We just trespassed into a middle school, stormed a judo hall, took their phones, and smashed it and now we’re retreating, right? 」

I didn’t expect it to scare them that much

「 Right… I thought you’d at least break Sakuragi’s bones on his hand and feet, set fire to the judo hall, and go home. But, breaking his smartphone is just so funny…can I laugh now? 」

「 Sure 」

「 That was the best, so hilarious. As expected, Boss is so fun 」

Kinoshita-san laughs in the driver’s seat.

「 That’s not it, I was only afraid, nyan 」

Izumi?

「 Kou-kun-san, did you do something this horrible just to show it to Miki-san? Right? 」

Izumi looked at me.

「 If it’s just retrieving Miki-san’s lewd photo, then Kou-kun-san and others could do it by themselves, but you went out of the way to go to the judo hall early in the morning just to show it to Miki-san 」

Izumi said. Miki-san looked at me.

「 Isn’t that obvious? We could do it alone, using Tsukiko’s power, targeting Sakuragi when he’s alone after school, taking his phone, but that’s not good for Miki-san 」

I said.

「 What do you mean? 」

Miki-san asks me.

But before I could answer, Nei spoke.

「 Miki-chan had to see Sakuragi-kun once again while you were still in a relationship

「 ??? 」

Miki-san doesn’t seem to get what Nei meant.

「 Miki-san, you weren’t sure if you liked Sakuragi-kun or not, but he pushed for the relationship, and you accepted it, didn’t you? 」

「 That’s… 」

「 This is important, so I want to get this straight, am I wrong? 」

「 No, it is as you say 」

Miki-san nods.

She’s been anxious since her father’s death and worried that she might be unable to continue her studies.

Therefore, she accepted Sakuragi’s offer.

「 But, Miki-san was so busy that you didn’t even have the time to see or go on a date with Sakuragi-kun, so you felt that you were indebted to him, so he asked you to send a photo of yourself in underwear, You two were supposed to be in a relationship 」

「 Yes. That’s right 」

Miki-san replies depressingly as if she did something shameful.

「 So that’s why Yo-chan wanted Miki-san to see Sakuragi-kun again 」

Nei smiled gently at Miki-san.

「 Why? I don’t understand 」

Miki-san looks at Nei.

「 What I mean is that Miki-san’s the type who respects her partner that she tied herself with since she’s in a proper relationship 」

Although they agreed to be in a relationship, Miki’s done nothing specifically lover-like with Sakuragi.

Despite that, when Sakuragi asked for it, she sent an embarrassing photo of herself.

That’s because she recognizes Sakuragi as her boyfriend in her head.

That’s why she feels sorry for him.

「 Sometimes, it’s much clearer when you see them in person than just whatever you think in your head 」

I told Miki-san.

「 Seeing Sakuragi himself in the flesh earlier, what did you think? What did you feel when you walked into the judo hall and saw Sakuragi’s face 」

「 Did you feel closer to Sakuragi-kun than us? 」

Nei added.

We got acquainted with Miki-san yesterday afternoon, unlike her sister, Miki-san still doesn’t trust us.

If Miki-san’s perception in her head is correct, then she should’ve felt relieved seeing Sakuragi, whom she had been dating since.

She should feel closer to him than us.

「 I felt weird. Somehow, he looked like a stranger 」

Miki-san replied.

「 You knew at a glance, didn’t you? You don’t even love Sakuragi-kun… 」

「 And, Sakuragi didn’t love Miki either 」

Edie smiled gently.

「 Of course. Why would he show Miki-san’s photo in her underwear to his friends if he loves her 」

Kinoshita-san concluded.

「 Miki-san, what were your thoughts when you discovered that Sakuragi-kun showed off your photo to his friends? 」

Nei asks another question.

Miki-san.

「 I hated it. Why did I agree to date that boy, it’s embarrassing and miserable, and it gets on my nerves 」

「 Then, what were your thoughts when Yo-chan smashed Sakuragi-kun’s phone? 」

「 I thought…that’s just overkill…and the way he broke the phone was scary, but… 」

I thought so, I was making a scary look.

「 But, you felt happy, didn’t you? Yo-chan went that far because he was angry for Miki-san. 」

「 That’s…yes… I thought of that 」

Miki-san looked down and replied.

「 I guess Sakuragi-kun is gone from Miki-san’s mind now. You don’t feel obliged to him anymore. Miki-san wasn’t in love with Sakuragi-kun, and he wasn’t in love with Miki-san either. Far from a romantic relationship, you weren’t even in any relationship. Now, your relationship with him is cut off 」

Nei hugs Miki-san and pats her head.

「 Yes. That’s…that’s right…but… 」

Hmmm…

「 Maybe I should’ve told him that I don’t want to be in a relationship with him anymore so I’m breaking up with him 」

She looks up at Nei and said, but…

「 No, not at all. You don’t need to 」

Nei speaks loudly.

「 You don’t need to go that far for someone like him. Everything’s settled now

「 But… 」

「 Besides, how would you contact him? He doesn’t have a phone 」

I just smashed it to pieces.

I even snapped his SIM card so he can’t even just change to another phone.

「 Of course. Gyahahaha, so hilarious 」

Kinoshita-san bursts out laughing.

「 I’m sure he didn’t even write down Miki-san’s email anywhere. He’s the type who can’t do anything without his phone, so he can’t contact you now. Gyahahaha 」

I also think so.

「 However, I could still meet Sakuragi-kun in school. Ah 」

Miki-san makes a noise.

「 I still have school today 」

Miki-san turned around, but the school she goes to is already far off.

Today is Monday, and Miki-san has school today.

Yet, she left school together with us.

「 That’s okay too, Miki-san will change schools 」

I said.

「 Marika and Maki will go to the same music high school, but you’ll go to a different school for the remaining year and a half 」

「 Why? 」

「 Our family has a lot of allies, but also a lot of enemies. Therefore, I’d rather not have you in a school that’s easy to infiltrate. We can’t just send security only for Miki-san 」

「 Are we moving her to the same school Mana-chan and the girls go through? 」

Nei asks me.

「 No, how about we send her to Misuzu’s school? Miki-san’s learning violin after all 」

Even if it’s in the middle of the year, having Miki-san enroll in a school for the young ladies of nobility would be a positive thing.

「 I think that’s great, but I think that it’s going to be hard to push it in this late 」

Nei’s right, the school for the young ladies just had Agnes, and the Takakura shrine maidens pushed in just recently.

Besides, only daughters of nobility and their servants are allowed to attend that school.

「 Maybe we can have her enroll as an attendant of someone, I’ll talk to Misuzu 」

I said.

Then, I looked at Miki-san who looks uneasy.

「 If you’re not convinced, let’s do this. I order you, Miki-san, you should never see Sakuragi ever again. If you’re forced to do it, then you don’t have to worry about it. You have no choice but to do it 」

「 Yes, that’s right. Yo-chan gave his directive, just forget Sakuragi-kun 」

Nei added.

「 I understand. I’ll do that 」

Miki-san agreed.

「 That’s the only thing I can do, if so, I’ll do it 」

Then.

「 Haaaa… 」

Suddenly, Izumi sighs loudly.

「 I think I get what Maki-oneesama meant 」

Huh?

「 Last night, Maki-oneesama mentioned that Kou-kun-san is such a considerate man 」

Speaking of which, Maki did say that.

「 I’ve had enough. I get it now. Hats off nyan. I’m no match against Kou-kun-san nyan 」

Izumi said.

「 Just do what you want. I’m giving up nyan 」

Then, she sighed.

「 So she says, Yo-chan 」

Nei smiled.

Edie’s also smiling.

「 I think it’s time for us to let Boss do as he pleases with us too, right, Anju-chan? 」

She speaks to Kurose Anju, who’s watching the rear of the van.

「 I… 」

「 Don’t be a sore loser. It only gives bad results 」

Kurose Anju’s been my bodyguard since the other day.

She’s still not convinced inside.

I think it’s about time to settle it with Kurose Anju.

However, Miki goes first for now.

「 We’ll take care of the paperwork in changing schools. We’ll send someone to collect Miki-san’s personal belongings in school. you don’t need to go to that school anymore 」

In short, she doesn’t have to meet Sakuragi.

「 I know it’s hard to part from your close friends but, accept it. You’ll invite them soon enough to your violin concert 」

I said. Izumi mutters.

「 You sure are considerate nyan 」