Chapter 176 (1/2)
Volume 2
Chapter 155
「So, dear brother, I am taking off」
The next day, as morning arrived without being able to sleep at all with the handcuffs on, Mai also opened her eyes over time.
Once she slept, I thought that maybe Mai will come to her senses, but such a pipedream never came true.
Just like yesterday, she just returned to expressing a kind of broken smile and having an incomprehensible conversation.
I couldn’t do anything, and after feeding me breakfast, I just silently watched Mai leave the room as she expressed going to school.
I strained my ears so I could hear the sound of the entrance door and confirm that Mai has indeed left the house and only then, so she doesn’t realize my intentions.
「Oh, I have no hurry!!」
I intended to break my bed and take off the handcuffs.
The atmosphere around Mai when she said, 『If you try to get rid of the handcuffs and run away』 was dead serious.
The image of a wet knife popped into my head, and if I am not careful, I felt like she just might stab me on my limbs.
In Mai’s current state, if I take one wrong step with anything, you do something that makes you go a little further, she just might lose it all and go haywire.
The broken Mai is now broken and crumbled so much that her former self is unknown.
So, so as Mai doesn’t do anything, before she does something irrevocable.
Rather, I have to forcibly suppress Mai, with the mindset of restraining her by force and turning her back.
「I have to get out of these restraint while Mai is not around……, I must hurry and chase after her……!!」
Mai doesn’t know this, but my wooden bed base was originally from my father, so the parts of the wood where my arms were connected are rattling.
That’s why it should be possible to break it relatively easily if I pull it by force.
If one arm comes off, I can reach the ballpoint pen placed near the bedside. By disassembling the ballpoint pen, the wire in the spring part can be extended to open the lock.
I used to practice unlocking handcuffs with a clip when I got hooked in a jailbreak drama I saw with my father a long time ago. When I tried the method I checked on the net, the lock was removed unexpectedly.
It will take some time, but even now I should be able to remove it.
「One-two, Hmphh!!」
As I pulled my arms all the way, the wooden parts seemed to be older than I thought, and the wood cracked with ease.
「OK, now then……」
I suppressed the excitement and pushed the spring which I forced out into the keyhole of the handcuffs.
「Just, a little bit more……, nice!!」
My right hand, left foot handcuffs were removed, and the last handcuff attached to the right foot was also unlocked.
「Shit, Time!?」
I turned around while getting flustered it had taken more than I thought, and the time that the clock showed was past ten o’clock.
(Mai was saying to wait until this night. However, saying that she was going to school means that she intends to do something at school)
「I have to hurry……!!」
I didn’t know how to go about it, but I just knew I had to take Mai back home for the time being.
I changed to a random cloth and picked my cell phone.
「Who I can rely on is……」
There is no father or mother anymore.
And I absolutely cannot count on detective Miyakawa-san and Onishi-san duo. The ones who seem reliable are, Maeno-sensei and the others…… but, I don’t want to take the current Mai to Maeno Sensei.
The only person I can call in this situation is Yuto.
「Please…… pick up!」
Originally, Mai learned Naginata* at dojo, but at that time she should have been taught Aikido techniques a bit too. (TLN: Japanese halberd techniques)
It sounds pathetic, but even if she did not take me by surprise like yesterday, If I go alone, much less holding her at bay, I might be restrained again at worst.
So I wanted a reliable ally, just in case.
While I was listening to the ringback tone I felt has been going off for a long time, I put on my shoes at the entrance and stormed out of the house…….
「Oh, Ukei-kun. Nice timing」
「Onishi-san……?」
Just before the entrance was Onishi-san standing beside a black car in a suit.
「I needed to talk to you for a bit, could you spare a bit of your time?」
「Hmm, I’m sorry. I’m a little preoccupied at the moment……, I apologize, but can we do this later」
「I’m sorry, but I really need you to give priority to this. It’s an urgent matter」
「Umm, huh, I’m really sorry, now is really not a good time」
I replied thus while being surprised to see Onishi-san unusually forceful.
I do not know what he wants, but nothing takes priority over Mai.
「This is a problem. I’m sorry, but there’s not much time. What if I said that your sister is in danger? I am sure you will come to regret if you didn’t know」
「Hm!? What exactly do you mean……」
Onishi-san says with a serious expression.
I started feeling hesitant in my head that was full of only going after Mai.
「We really don’t have time, will you just get in the car for the time being. Because of the subject being what it is, I will give you the details in a more obscure location so as to ensure with certainty that the information does not lealk」
「Mm, then please talk here now」
「I can not speak here. In fact, even right now as we speak, time is running out. I want you to shut up and cooperate with me in order to save your sister」
I did not perceive a lie in those words. And, there’s no reason for Onishi-san, who worked so hard in the first place to tell such a lie.
Both Miyakawa-san and Onishi-san are adults who can be trusted. If so, then Mai might really be in danger.
「『……Rurururu. Putsu, the phone number you’re trying to reach……』」
The phone call that didn’t connect through went straight to the answering machine.
「……I, understand. I’ll follow you. However, do you mind if I just send a voice message to call back?」
「Oh, you can go ahead if it’s just that」
When he nodded to Onishi-san, he sent a voice message saying 『I will tell you more about it later, but please call me back and don’t let Mai find out」.
「Now then, get in the back of the car」
☆
「Can you please be serious!! What the hell is this place!!」
After riding the car an hour later.
On the way, I asked various things, but Onishi-san didn’t answer anything, and we steadily kept moving further away from human civilization, so did my distrust continued to grow in the car.
So we finally got to an abandoned factory somewhere in the forest.
When I got out of the car, he asked me to follow him and went into the factory, I screamed out loud.
Every time I repeated the same question, he dodges the question saying, he will talk once we get to the destination, and was already at my limit.
「When you said, a place where no one can eavesdrop, why does such a place have to be this place? 」
「Well, this place is the right place where no one can ever eavesdrop right?」
There were a number of machines that didn’t move anymore that seemed to be used for applications such as hangars, and didn’t even know what exactly they were producing.
Like a very old building, the ceiling seems to have fallen, rubble has crushed some machines, and the sky can be seen through a large open hole.
Onishi-san replied at one corner of the place where there are piles of rubble, while moving a few stones out of the way.
「The right place huh……」
Abandoned factories are dusty and may certainly meet the requirements as a place to have a secret chat.
However, I cannot be convinced with such an explanation, and I asked Onishi-san again.
「Are you sure it’s not a police station? Why this place……」
「Oh, that’s no no. The police station is also dangerous. Because there is also an enemy over there」
「Enemy? What enemy……, no, more importantly, the talk about Mai being in danger!?」
「Hm? Hmm-, I see, would you like to know?」
Onishi-san is searching for something without looking at me.
「Don’t play with me!! You’ve brought me all the way here to talk about that, right!? And what exactly are you doing looking around!?」
「Oh, give me a second. ……, there it is」
「You said it was urgent didn’t you? If you have no intention of saying anything then I am heading ba, wait what……」
「Like I said, please hold on for a little while」
A heavy shock was transmitted to my entire body from my ankle.