Next day. Sunday
I had trouble sleeping and woke up earlier than usual.
I got up from the futon and looked out of the futon.
「 It’s only around 4:30… 」
The sun hasn’t risen yet.
It’s dawn, it’s about to be bright in a while.
I checked the time on Yoshiokada’s e-reader nearby.
「 I knew it 」
The time is exactly 4:33
「 Good Morning, Shinomiya-sama. 」
I hear a voice as I rub my sleepy eyes.
I look back in the direction of the voice, deeper into the hideout.
「 Good Morning, Sofia. You’re awake 」
Sofia stood up, wearing her uniform.
She wasn’t wearing that yesterday, but it seems that she changed at some point.
「 I woke up earlier too 」
Sofia fills the lacquerware cup with water and hands it to me.
I thanked her and took it, and gulp down the water in it.
It’s cool and delicious.
「 Is Shinomiya-sama going back to sleep? 」
「 No, I’ll go start moving now 」
I didn’t have enough drowsiness to go back to sleep.
My head’s a little fuzzy and sluggish, but it’ll clear up once I start moving.
「 Then, can you come and walk along the beach with me? 」
「 Right. It’s going to bother others if we talk here 」
Everyone else is still asleep.
As usual, Arisa’s sleeping on the floor because of her incomprehensible sleeping posture.
The others are wrapped in their futon.
「 Let’s go together 」
Amane, who’s already awake, speaks up.
Seems like she’s been up all this time.
I’m not even surprised. She’s always early.
「 Then, let’s go with the three of us 」
「 No, I want it just the two of us 」
Sofia stopped me.
Amane was so surprised that she almost shouted “Ojou-sama!”
「 We’re not going that far. I don’t need an escort 」
「 Certainly. Then, I will be off to collect some chicken eggs 」
「 Please do 」
I looked at Amane who I thought easily conceded.
Compared to when she joined the team back then, she’s become mellow.
Amane from back then wouldn’t have backed down so easily.
She would’ve called out that it’s dangerous and she’ll stick relentlessly.
「 Then, let’s go, Shinomiya-sama 」
「 Sure 」
I walked next to Sofia out of the hideout.
Amane followed a few meters behind.
Then, she left on a different course after leaving the hideout.
「 Shinomiya Hokage, take care of Ojou-sama 」
Amane goes to the chickens to collect eggs.
Sofia and I went to the beach, that’s shining in the dark night.
「 The see feels good at this hour 」
「 It’s a little chilly, but that’s what’s great about it 」
The waves are calm.
It sounds quiet and pleasant.
「 Recently, you don’t play with me, Shinomiya-sama 」
Sofia said.
I feel like someone else said the same thing
I guess it’s just Mana.
「 Well, Sofia’s in the handicrafts team 」
「 But, you were having fun with Meiko-sama from time to time, haven’t you? 」
Sofia squints her eyes.
I choked on my words.
「 How do you… 」
「 It’s obvious just from looking at you 」
「 Was I so easy to read? Recently, I’m told that I’m bad at making pokerface 」
Strangely, Sofia shakes her head.
「 It’s not Shinomiya-sama, but your partners 」
「 Partners? 」
「 After all, everyone looks so happy when they had a fun time with Shinomiya-sama 」
「 I see 」
It’s embarrassing to say but I can’t tell the difference.
Even if I had fun with Shiori the other day, I can’t find anything strange in her behavior.
I don’t get to take a look at their expressions before and after sex.
But, I feel like I get what Sofia means.
Am I insensitive? Or is Sofia just too sensitive?
The former is just too sad, and if it’s the latter, then it’s impressive.
「 Please play with me sometime too 」
「 Sure. Well, how about we turn back? 」
Our conversation just passed time.
Before we knew it, we were far from the hideout.
We’re in the spot that Mana uses for fishing.
Going back, I’ll get the stare from Amane, or so I thought.
「 Indeed. Oh, look, Shinomiya-sama 」
As I turn around to go back to the hideout, Sofia speaks.
She’s pointing to the other side of the hideout.
I turned again to see what she was pointing at.
(I look like a dumbass who just spun for no reason)
I laughed at how I moved.
But, that laughter disappeared in an instant.
「 That’s! 」
Sofia’s pointing at the seaside.
There are several students.
There are ten people.
There’s also a large amount of driftwood lying around.
「 Let’s go 」
「 Yes 」
We approached them hurriedly.
「 These guys… 」
I knew it as soon as I got closer.
「 Do you know them? 」
Sofia asks. But she seem to have figured it out before I could reply.
She covered her mouth and muttered “could they be,” in surprise.
I nodded and replied, “Yes, they are.”
「 They’re the guys who tried to cross the ocean with a fragile raft after gang-raping that girl 」
The third team didn’t belong to either Sumeragi Reito or Daiki Sasazaki’s team.
It’s a small team whose leader isn’t even known.
「 Shinomiya-sama, what do we do with these people? I think it’s a risk if they wake up and find our hideout 」
Sofia speaks worriedly.
I replied with “It shouldn’t be a problem” immediately.
「 Look at their complexion 」
Their faces have turned bluish-white.
「 C-Could they be… 」
I bend over to check their pulse without saying a word.
Then, I put my hands in front of their mouths and noses to make double sure.
Then, I declared.
「 These guys are dead 」
All ten of them have died