Chapter 312 Those Returning to Everyday Life and Those Discovering Something Abnormal

The day after returning from the Instance was a bright and sunny one.

Stepping out of the security dormitory, Takumi stretched beneath the sunlight.

Before he could do anything else, a carton of milk came flying toward him.

He caught it instinctively, then noticed Maki walking over from a short distance away.

"You really can sleep, can't you? It's already noon."

With a hint of dissatisfaction in her voice, Maki carried a lunchbox over and stopped in front of him.

She had deliberately arrived at school early, originally hoping to have breakfast with Takumi.

Instead, the guy had slept straight through until noon.

She had spent quite a while looking forward to seeing him before coming to school, only to not even catch a glimpse of him.

As for why she hadn't simply gone into the dormitory building to wake him up, there were other security guards inside after all. While almost nobody would dare gossip openly about a daughter of the Shijō family, Maki still found the thought of being seen specifically coming to look for Takumi unbearably embarrassing.

So she had waited until noon and come back instead.

If Takumi knew about those little thoughts of hers, he would probably tell her there was absolutely no need to worry.

The secret had already been exposed long ago.

The other security guards had seen Maki and Chika come looking for him more than once. Some had even privately speculated whether Takumi might be the son of some terrifyingly powerful figure who had come down to experience ordinary life while simultaneously becoming entangled with young ladies from all sorts of prestigious families.

Of course, being security personnel at an elite school, they only discussed such things privately among themselves. None of them had ever leaked anything outside.

In that regard, their professional ethics were surprisingly reliable.

"Well, after going through two difficult battles, wanting a little extra rest is only natural. By the way, what's going on with Kaguya? She hasn't shown up in the message channel at all since yesterday. Did something happen?"

Casually answering Maki's complaint, Takumi accepted the lunchbox from her before asking his question.

"Who knows? If Oba-san doesn't want to talk about it, I'm not going to pry. Fujiwara-san probably knows something, though. If you're curious, go ask her."

Walking beside him, Maki spoke in an even tone.

Although she appeared indifferent to Kaguya's situation, Takumi immediately recognized the concern hidden in her eyes.

"Oh, and that new girl you brought in? The paperwork for her and her friend has already been taken care of."

The latter remark was naturally about Yotsuya Miko.

Honestly, getting everything settled by noon on the very next day was an efficiency level that Takumi found genuinely impressive.

The only issue was the unmistakable jealousy lingering in Maki's tone, which left him feeling somewhat guilty.

"Thanks, Maki. Having you around really is reassuring."

Even so, she had helped him immensely.

He needed to thank her properly.

"No need to thank me, Mr. Harem."

Unfortunately, the little vinegar jar wasn't particularly receptive to gratitude.

"Ahem. Like I said, nothing has happened between me and her. At least, nothing has happened yet. Right now, we're simply senior and junior players. Just comrades-in-arms with a perfectly pure relationship."

"And honestly, I had legitimate reasons for bringing her into our team. Her perception ability is simply too powerful. She can greatly compensate for our team's lack of scouting capability. At the same time, only our team is really suited to taking in a player whose talent is this dangerous."

Takumi did his best to look serious, putting on an earnest expression as he defended himself.

To be honest, this time he really hadn't done anything with Miko. At most, the two of them had hugged a few times (an actual hug, not that kind of hugging). There hadn't been any flirting, and nothing like the kissing or confessions that had happened with Maki and Chika.

Of course, Takumi was well aware that Miko harbored some vague, budding feelings toward him. He also admitted that he was genuinely attracted to a beautiful girl who had both looks and a great figure. But because of Maki and Chika, during this trip into Fujihana Middle School he truly hadn't tried to make any moves on her, treating her politely the entire time.

Granted, part of that was because Fujihana Middle School had been so absurdly difficult that he simply hadn't had the time to think about that sort of thing. Naturally, however, he wasn't about to say that out loud.

"Hmph... I don't believe you!"

Maki frowned, tilted her head to the side, and grumbled unhappily. Still, she wasn't angry enough to storm off.

After all, she had already spent the entire previous night investigating Yotsuya Miko and contacting Kumagai Mai. After carefully verifying things for quite some time and confirming that nothing had actually happened between Miko and Takumi, she had finally been able to relax.

This guy had actually behaved himself for once and hadn't made a move on a pretty girl. Hmm... it had to be because the environment had been too dangerous and stressful for him to have the spare mental energy!

Thinking that to herself, Maki couldn't help recalling what she had seen the night before.

Before returning home to pick up his toiletries and laptop, Takumi had deliberately made a trip to Miko's house. After confirming that her condition wasn't too bad, he comforted her a little and suggested that she transfer to Shuchiin Academy.

At the time, Takumi's reasoning had been that all the members of his player team attended that school. If Miko transferred there as well, it would be easier for everyone to interact, get to know each other, and cooperate on future missions.

Miko hadn't been particularly willing to accept the idea at first.

On one hand, Shuchiin, the legendary elite academy, felt far too distant and unattainable to her. She instinctively resisted such an unfamiliar environment.

On the other hand, she didn't want to leave behind her only close friend, Yurikawa Hana, by moving to a completely new school.

So after learning about her concerns, Takumi simply made a phone call.

And just like that, Miko's friend was successfully transferred alongside her.

"The supernatural powers players possess mean that we're already beyond ordinary people. Things that would be incredibly difficult for normal people to accomplish are effortless for people like us. You could say that's part of the compensation for facing life-and-death crises once every month."

At the time, Takumi had spoken to Miko with complete seriousness.

"So there are a lot of situations where you don't actually need to worry about choosing one thing over another. You can pick both. At least when it comes to things involving money and influence, we have the right to be that willful."

He had also told her that if she had any thoughts or concerns, she should tell him directly instead of bottling everything up inside.

Watching Takumi accomplish something like that so effortlessly had shocked Miko quite a bit. Even so, she still didn't really have any concrete sense that becoming a player had elevated her beyond ordinary people.

Once that issue had been settled, however, she became quite interested in the player team Takumi had mentioned.

Anyone capable of forming a team with such a powerful player as her senior and fighting alongside him must be incredible too, right?

Would they be dependable players like Kumagai Mai?

"What kind of people are your teammates, Senpai?"

That was what Miko had asked curiously.

"They're all great people. A few of them might seem difficult to get along with at first, but once you get to know them and spend some time together, you'll realize they're all good people."

That was the only answer Takumi gave.

He felt that girls with such distinct personalities as Maki and Chika were better understood through direct interaction. There was no need for him to introduce them beforehand. If anything, doing so might create unnecessary complications.

"O-Okay... I'll do my best. Then... goodbye, Senpai."

After chatting for a while longer, Miko unconsciously let out a yawn.

Takumi said his goodbyes.

But before leaving, he noticed that she still seemed somewhat uneasy.

So he walked back over, gently pulled her into his arms, and held her for a short while before letting go.

Only then did he say goodbye again and leave, while Miko stood there with a faint blush coloring her cheeks.

It was precisely because she had witnessed that scene from a distance and carefully observed both of their expressions that Maki could confidently conclude one thing:

Takumi himself might not have any particularly clear intentions, but Yotsuya Miko had definitely fallen for him.

Tch... During the Shirakawa Apartments Instance, he got together with me. Then in Red Nut Grey Cave he got together with that fat Fujiwara woman. Now he gets dragged into Fujihana Middle School and ends up with that big-chested Yotsuya woman, whose chest is just as huge. Seriously, how does Takumi manage to get involved with a different girl every time he enters an Instance? Is this some kind of curse?!

Maki was annoyed.

Very annoyed.

Still, unlike in the past, she no longer obsessed over this sort of thing.

At most, she just complained about it internally.

"What are your plans for the next few days?"

Moving a little closer, Maki secretly glanced at Takumi before asking softly.

"Well, first I need to teach Miko all the basic knowledge a player should know. Everyone also needs to familiarize themselves with her abilities so we can coordinate properly."

Takumi thought for a moment before continuing.

"There's also Chika's situation. We need to figure out how to deal with that. According to the Sacrifice Game records, she's only participated in a single Dusk-level game, while the rest of us have already qualified for Dark Night-level games. That's going to be a problem too."

These were all issues that genuinely needed attention.

So Maki simply nodded and said nothing further.

"Of course, spending more time with you is important too. I'm not the sort of workaholic who thinks about nothing but serious matters all day long. So... would I have the honor of going on a few dates with you, my adorable Maki-chan?"

But as soon as he finished speaking, Takumi deliberately adopted a teasingly exaggerated tone. Hearing that, Maki's face immediately reddened.

"Y-You... why are you using such a cringeworthy tone? As for dates... um... well... we'll see how much free time we actually have when the time comes..."

Even though she desperately wanted to agree outright, with Maki's personality, that was about as far as she could go.

"Then I'll look forward to our dates, Maki."

"'Look forward to it'...? Wait a second, you're doing this on purpose, aren't you? You know perfectly well I can't just say yes honestly... you idiot!"

What neither of them knew as they continued their playful banter was that in the backyard of Takumi's house, which was still undergoing repairs, Kaguya stood in casual clothes after skipping school, frowning as she stared at the seemingly ordinary little yard before her.

According to her subordinates' investigation, this was the last place her personal maid, Hayasaka Ai, had been seen before disappearing.

After Shinomiya Oko decided to yield to Kaguya, the pressure that the Shinomiya family had placed upon Ai vanished entirely. She no longer needed to carry out her role as a spy.

Yet rather than gaining her freedom, the young woman had become even more curious about—and fearful of—Takumi because of his involvement in the matter. She had come up with all sorts of theories regarding the relationship between Kaguya and Takumi, and more than half of those theories had led to unpleasant conclusions.

In the end, Ai had decided to resume monitoring and investigating Takumi.

Since Takumi almost never visited the backyard, it became one of her observation points.

When Takumi and Miko were attacked by the supernatural forces of Fujihana Middle School, Hayasaka had clearly been in Takumi's backyard.

There was no doubt that she had been caught within the sphere of influence of the Uncanny Campus Instance.

And then...

She vanished.

"Hayasaka..."

Kaguya took a deep breath, her face turning pale.

Takumi had not hidden his experiences inside Fujihana Middle School. He had posted the entire sequence of events in the group chat shared by several of them.

As a result, Kaguya knew very well that throughout all the difficult loops Takumi had fought through inside Fujihana Middle School, he had never encountered Hayasaka Ai even once.

Could it be that she had already...

No.

She couldn't think that way.

There might still be hope.

Maybe Hayasaka had never entered the Instance at all...

Kaguya opened the door to the small storage shed in the backyard.

Because Takumi almost never came here, Hayasaka had turned part of the shed into an observation post. There might still be traces left behind.

Would there be?

Would she find any clues?

Filled with anxiety, the young woman stepped deeper into the dimly lit shed.

Thanks to her familiarity with Hayasaka's habits, she quickly found the small hidden corner her maid usually used.

Hayasaka had deliberately piled various odds and ends around it to ensure that even if Takumi occasionally entered the shed, he wouldn't notice anything unusual.

At least, that was what Hayasaka believed.

Whether it actually worked was another matter entirely.

Bending down and crouching low, Kaguya carefully crawled into the cramped space.

Inside, she found surveillance equipment, a ballpoint pen lying on the floor, and several scattered sheets of paper.

She reached out and picked up one of them.

It contained records of Takumi's daily activities at home.

Judging from the contents, Hayasaka no longer seemed willing to observe Takumi from close range. As for why, Kaguya had no idea.

These records... with Hayasaka's personality, she would definitely have organized everything neatly. She would never leave them scattered around like this... No, no, no. Maybe she sensed danger and had to flee before she could clean up. Yes. That's right. I need to think positively...

Trying to reassure herself, Kaguya picked up a second sheet.

"Th-This..."

The contents of that page immediately changed her expression.

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