Chapter 112: Mystery of the Girl / I’m Sure They’ll Forgive Me (2/2)

「Meanwhile, I feel horrid.」

「Well, it wasn’t your guys’ fault. You did truly brilliantly in your performance of investigating that woman; if we hadn’t been involved then that would’ve been a case of the very best move that I’d even want to teach to my subordinates. You were just unlucky.」

「…Taking Pochi, what do you plan to do taking her with you?」

「Said I’d make her into an emblem, duh? In short, having her do things like ride in a palanquin, you know, the political kinds of stuff. Just like that implies, we’ll treat her courteously like a princess so relax.」

「…」

Grimacing, he shot a glance around him.

The four girls: Kotone, Suzune, Kazane, and Aoba were fainted in agony, occasionally leaking pained moaning voices. Upon reaching Kohaku, she was lying face down, not moving an inch.

One step away from those girls, Anna’s subordinates were enclosing them, actually in a situation of taking hostages.

Shirokiyami, whom he had hoped to be his joker, was made powerless, and had disappeared unawares. No matter how much he looked around, he couldn’t locate her appearance anywhere.

Blocked in every direction, this was a situation in which Taiyou had absolutely no alternative.

「Now then, what shall you be doing?」

「What shall I be doing? Are there even two or three routes that I can choose from?」

「So you can speak coldly after all. To think that a boy like you could make such a voice.」

Slightly surprised, Anna said shortly afterward in an impressed voice.

「Relatively the kind of guy I am, I’d say.」

「I didn’t expect that.」

After being impressed, her voice had changed to a guarded tone. She slightly moved her body, hiding Pochi.

Whenever rage occurred within Taiyou, by nature his emotions would turn around and calm him down. Right now was no different, and his voice became composed only due to becoming filled with indignation.

However, this being her first meeting with him, Anna seemed to have decoded it differently. Even if he had to abandon the girls, Taiyou would recover Pochi. She wasn’t sure how serious he was, but since the possibility ran through her head, she inserted herself in front of Pochi.

That was favorable in many ways, so taken in, Taiyou carelessly took a light step forward.

It was a bluff. However, her voice began to sound slightly impatient for the first time since meeting him.

「Wait, so do you not care what happens to the girls?」

「If I apologize then they’ll forgive me; I’m sure of it.」

「Even if it’s made clear that you abandoned them?」

「Yeah, if I apologize.」

Taiyou continued to take light steps across the unpaved ground.

At first it was nothing but a bluff, but gradually, he began to feel that this was definitely the way to go.

Even he behaved recklessly here, Kotone and the others as well as Kohaku would surely forgive him. If anything, they were the kinds of girls who would get angry at him for abandoning her.

（What about Aoba; she might not be okay with it. Actually, taking her parents into consideration, they’re definitely on this side・・・・probably.）

Thinking of Aoba, Taiyou felt something steadily growing in his chest.

A natural smile unfolded from the corner of his mouth.

Anna’s face became stiff. She appeared to be atmospherically pressured by Taiyou’s smile.

「You don’t seem to be lying, huh…」

「Apologizing itself is surprisingly difficult, though.」

「This is unexpected. You guys!」

As Anna gave the command, the burly subordinates took Taiyou’s wives hostage and gathered in front of the wagon, forming a wall of people.

Taiyou had said that he would abandon them, and she also felt that he wasn’t lying. Even so, she would undoubtedly use whatever could be used.

During the time that the men held the hostages and were defending, the wagon door was shut, suddenly taking off and leaving elsewhere.

As they left, his eyes met with Pochi looking out from the window. Gagged, her wet eyes pointed toward him, seeking help.

His chest stinging, guilt and anger equivalent to that rose up.

He gathered them up and shoved them deep within his heart.

Right now, was not the time.

While thinking that, he lightly, lightly walked.

Facing the human wall, walking toward the burly men.

The men all had eyes of resolution; eyes that conveyed their decision of being prepared to stop the remaining Taiyou, even at the risk of their own lives.

A valiant effort from the enemy, is probably what Kohaku would have said.

Inhaling and lightly gripping his fists, he freed his heart.

The next instant, Taiyou, who had ferociously broke in, thrust his fists into one of the men’s faces, drilling him, and he was flown some ten meters away.

That, became the signal for the outbreak of war.