Chapter 113: Mystery of the Girl / Smashing Regrets (1/2)

Chapter 112: Mystery of the Girl / I’m Sure They’ll Forgive Me Chapter 114: Mystery of the Girl / Fine Play

Translator: Reflet

In the car were Anna and Pochi, as well as a young male driver. Saying nothing, a bizarre silence drifted over the three of them.

Eyes directed outside of the window, Anna was for some reason gazing at the scenery that flew by at high speeds.

Carrying Pochi like this to the next transportation point was the current job, but the pieces that she had on hand were fairly depleted. She was thinking of how to reliably transport her.

While her thoughts were going around, the image of Pochi faintly reflected from the window glass.

Restrained and gagged, she was staring straight at Anna with fearful eyes. Even when their eyes met through the window, she did not avert her eyes.

Anna turned back, stretching out her hands.

「――Mmph」

Frightened, Pochi harshly shut her eyes and cowered.

This was the fear from predicting that something would be done to her, that violence would come down on her.

Thinking from the standpoint of a captive, it could be said that this reaction was a given; if anything, Anna thought that the weird thing was earlier when she was keeping eye contact.

With a faint smile, she put her hands on the gag and removed it.

「…Eh?」

Astonished, Pochi appeared to have not at all thought that the gag would be removed. Even after she was able to freely speak, still astonished, she remained quiet and stared at Anna.

Anna crumpled up the gag and tossed it carelessly into the backseat.

After seeing that, Pochi timidly asked.

「W-Why…」

「Why what?」

「Why, did you release me? Didn’t you abuct…」

Anna chuckled; not the kind that she had directed toward Taiyou, but a laugh that had almost no hostility felt from it.

「Did you not hear that conversation earlier? We don’t really intend to harm you. If anything we’ll welcome you courteously and have the privilege of returning you home.」

「Courteously…?」

「That’s right; I said we’d put you up in a palanquin, then make you the head in name, and unlike most groups who’d actually try to control you, we’d become your subordinate, see. We’d generally listen, and we can’t rebel in the first place. Rather――」

Saying that, this time she meaningfully grinned.

「So that the thought of retaliating later on doesn’t even cross your mind, it’s pretty much necessary that we butter you up right now, see.」

「Umm…」

「What is it?」

「In that case, return me to where Master is. Because it’s no good if I’m not by Master’s side.」

「That’s not possible; this can’t be decided by your own discretion.」

「No way…」

「…If you insist on saying that you want to be with your Master, then after you’ve reached the island and become the head, you can invite them over or whatever you want. Once ya get power in your hands it’s whatever you want to do, see.」

Hearing Anna’s talk, Pochi became despondent.

Anna didn’t know her very well; she knew nothing about her other than the information that came in when the woman named Azumaya Kohaku had moved.

What Anna did know was that she had been named Pochi, and the fact that she had been half-imprisoned by Suzuki Yuko.

（She’s pretty smart in that regard. Moreover…）

Secretly thinking that, Anna gazed at Pochi.

Silence briefly drifted by, but this time Anna was the one who broke the ice.

「I won’t bring you back, but once we get over there then I’ll let you call your Master or something. Make do with that, okay?」

「Call…you said?」

「Yeah; cause if you do that then it won’t conflict with my job. My job is to safely take you back, and from the orders that I’ve been given, if I can at least do that then I can do whatever I want afterward. As long as I determine that it’s necessary, kay?」

「Necessary…」

「So if you’ll come along with a good feeling, I can definitely let you do a phone call.」

「Elder Sister…」

The young male driver murmured, and Anna glared at him through the rear-view mirror.

「Shut it; if you say something I’ll・・, okay?」

「Mkay.」

The man quieted down, but a delicate atmosphere floated through the car.

「Umm, why are you doing that for me?」

「There ain’t no reason.」

「But, your face earlier. It seemed like it was kind of pained.」

「…Hah.」

Anna laughed scornfully.

「It’s not painful, see, though it’s not like I can’t sympathize.」

「Sympathize?」

「That’s right; we are relatives after all; nothing wrong with that much, right? You’re the Juunishima’s head’s daughter, but my name’s also Juunishima.」

「Are you perhaps my older sister?」