‘Are you serious, Suzu-san?’ Takaki asks in conformation.

   ‘Even I won’t joke during times like this, Takayu~. I’m 100% serious~!’

   ‘What about that younger brother of hers?’ I ask.

   ‘Oh, him? He’s their biological son.’

   ‘Still, this is ground-breaking news. To think that Itoh-senpai was adopted...’ Nitta says while still having a shocked expression.

   ‘What else do you know, Suzu?’ Nagano asks Suzu.

   ‘Well, the two step-siblings used to be lovers until a few months ago-’

   Takaki gasps angrily.

   ‘And yet Itoh-senpai had the nerve to seduce Nishiyama-kun? How dare she?’

   ‘I’ll never understand your taste, Yuka-chan. What’s so nice about him?’ Nitta asks Takaki.

   ‘Of course you won’t, Yuki. You only see him as a servant.’

   I clear my throat loudly. ‘Do continue, Suzu.’

   ‘Okay. As I was saying, Itoh-senpai started to act weird after they broke up. She started to have meetings with all the big construction companies in Japan. I guess it was to do this.’

   ‘So what? We got to stick them back together so that she won’t go nuts?’ Takeda asks.

   ‘I guess so. That’s easier said than done, though.’ Nagano says with a troubled expression.

   ‘Say Suzu, do you happen to have the phone number of Umeda Noburu? You know, the guy we helped last time?’ I ask the poker face.

   ‘I do~. Just give me a moment.’

   ‘Wait a minute. Are you talking about that Umeda Noburu who’s the only heir to the Umeda Group? Since when did you two helped him? Why wasn’t I informed of it?’ Nagano asks me.

   ‘Oh, shush. That doesn’t matter, does it? How’s the phone number coming along, Suzu?’

   ‘Here you go, Takkun~.’

   I take Suzu’s phone and take out my own phone so that I could call him. Umeda picks up the phone almost instantly.

   ‘Hello? Who is this?’ he asks through the phone.

   ‘Hey Umeda, it’s me.’

   ‘Is that you, Bandou? How did you get my phone number?’

   ‘That’s not important. Listen, I know what I said last time, but I need a favor from you right now.’

   ‘Sure. I’ll try to help out if you need me.’

   ‘Splendid. Does your family have some sort of business relationship with the Itoh Finance Group?’

   ‘Yeah, we do. I mean, most of our accountants were borrowed from them. Why? You need something from them?’

   ‘I need to speak to their son-’

   I cover my phone with my hand and look at Suzu.

   ‘What’s his name?’ I ask softly.

   ‘Hiroto~.’ Suzu whispers.

   ‘I need to speak to their son Hiroto without the presence of his sister Hitomi. Do you think you can try to make it happen?’

   ‘I’m not sure. For starters, he never comes out of his own room, from what I’ve heard. I’ll do my best, but don’t keep your hopes up.’

   ‘Got it.’

   I end the call and return Suzu’s phone to her.

   ‘Now we wait. Hopefully, we can get some good news from him.’ I tell everyone.

   ‘Then I guess the meeting’s done for tonight, since we can’t progress any further until we’ve spoke to the younger Itoh.’

   Nagano looks at Nitta and Takaki.

   ‘Thank you for coming all the way here.’

   ‘You’re welcome. Please don’t hesitate to call us again if you need our help.’

   That night, Umeda called me back and reports his achievement.

   ‘It’s done. You’re allowed to meet him this Sunday provided that you don’t give him, and I quote his father, “weird ideas”.’

   ‘What’s with the last part?’

   ‘I haven’t the slightest clue.’

   ‘And his sister?’

   ‘Her and the rest of the family will be attending some sort of social party hosted by another rich family, so we have the entire morning to talk to her younger brother.’

   ‘Wait a second. We?’

   ‘His father doesn’t exactly trust his son with a random stranger.’

   ‘Fair enough. I guess I’ll be seeing you on Sunday. By the way, am I supposed to be wearing a suit or something equally formal when I go there?’

   ‘What for? Just wear something proper and casual.’

   ‘All right.’

   Sunday comes. I’m supposed to meet Umeda in front of Kiseki so that his driver can get us to the Itoh household. We greet each other right after meeting and get inside his car.

   ‘By the way,why do you need to meet the younger Itoh?’ Umeda asks me while we’re on the way.

   I told him about the meeting yesterday and my proposal to the solution.

   ‘...Wow. Looks like you got caught up in something big again.’ Umeda comments after I was done.

   ‘No kidding.’

   ‘Just be careful, yeah? From what you just said, the older Itoh could be a nasty piece of work, but the rest of the family could be just as bad. At least, the father is.’

   ‘How could you tell?’

   ‘Well, I talked to their father last night so that you could meet his son. We exchanged pleasantries at the beginning, and then I got to the main topic. He didn’t have any problem with it at all. But then, right before we end the conversation, he told me, “You can play with him for a while, but take care not to break him or Hitomi will be mad with you.”’

   ‘...What did he mean by “break”?’

   ‘I have no idea. But I think we’re going to find out soon enough.’

   Out of all the mansions I’ve been to so far, the ones the Itoh family lives in is by far the smallest, although it’s still much bigger than your average house. After the driver parked the car at one of the many parking space, we got out and head to the mansion. We were let in by a maid, and the same maid proceeds to show us to Hiroto’s room.

   ‘This it Hiroto-bochama’s room.’ the maid tells us after we reach the front of a plain-looking door.

   ‘Thank you. We’ll take it from here.’ I tell her.

   She curtsies at me gracefully and leaves.

   ‘So, are you going to ask him to open the door, or shall I?’ Umeda whispers at me.

   ‘Let me do it.’

   I walk to the door and knocks on it lightly.

   ‘W-Who’s there?’ a voice comes from inside asks fearfully.

   ‘Hey there, I’m here to sell you a door that could prevent your big sister from ever coming inside your room.’ I lie.

   After a few seconds, I hear the sound of the doorknob being twisted. The moment I see some gaps, I immediately charges in.

   ‘Hey!’ the kid that I take it is Hiroto protests.

   But it’s already too late. Both Umeda and I are already in side his room. Before I could take in the state of his room, I’m getting freaked out by Hiroto’s appearance.

   His hair is short and tidy, so I guess he still has his hair getting cut despite being a shut-in. He’s also wearing a normal set of clothes. However, those are the only normal things about him. He has huge bags under his eyes, like he hasn’t been sleeping well for the past few weeks or even months. He’s also frighteningly thin. He barely has any flesh on that body of his. The most disturbing thing is his eyes. Those are the eyes of someone who has seen many horrors.

   Hold on, I take it back. His eyes aren’t the most disturbing thing, it’s the collar on his neck. It’s very similar to those collars that can allows people to electrocute those that wear them. The mechanical part of the collar is currently blinking with a green light.

   ‘Who are you people?’ he demands.

   ‘Someone who wants to talk to you.’ I tell him.

   ‘Well you could just say so, and I would have let you in normally.’

   I shrug. ‘I was afraid that you wouldn’t let some strangers inside your room out of the blue ,which is why I lied.’

   ‘...Fair enough. Sure, I’ll talk with you. Just sit down wherever you want.’

   I sit down while being cross-legged on the floor. Umeda follows suit. Hiroto sits down on his bed. After making sure that he won’t be chasing us out anytime soon, I take in a proper view of his room.

   For a rich kid, his room is quite small. It’s around the same size as my bedroom. If he’s not inside, I would definitely mistake it for a servant’s room. There’s a small bed, a small closet, a small dining table, and a small study table with a computer on it.

   ‘So, what do you want to talk about?’ Hiromi prompts.

   ‘Actually, I think I could afford to delay that for a bit. Instead, can I be direct and ask you about that?’ I ask while pointing at his collar.

   ‘Oh, this? It’s to prevent me from killing myself. Every time my pulse has become weak, this thing will sound an alarm and alert a medic so that he could resurrect me immediately.’

   ‘Um, I know I’ll probably regret asking you this, but why do you have that on you?’

   ‘This might take long. Are you sure you want to listen?’

   ‘Uh, sure. Fire away.’

   ‘Alright then. First of all, the descendants of the Itoh Family has always been an accountant. Nothing more, nothing less. Each and every one of us are expected to be a master when it comes to managing finance. And then I was born.’

   He lets out a long sigh. I recognize the sigh as a sigh done by someone who’s utterly disappointed in himself.

   ‘I’m bad in just about anything. Studies, sports, there’s nothing I’m good at. Forget taking the role of managing an accounting firm, I doubt I could get a decent job when I grow up. Anyway, four years ago, my parents finally gave up on me and adopted Hitomi nee-san, who’s two years older than me. I don’t even know where they found her. They just brought her home one day and told me that she’s going to be my elder sister that I never had, and all their hopes and dreams will be carried on by her. They also made me quit school since it’s a waste of time to have me educated.’

   ‘Wow. That was brutal. They might as well be telling you that they don’t need you anymore.’ Umeda comments.

   ‘They’re probably thinking that until now. Anyway, unlike me, Hitomi nee-san is an absolute prodigy. She’s so talented I’m basically forgotten. There’s just one problem, though. For me, anyway. She’s also a sadist.’

   Hiroto starts to tremble violently.

   ‘Have you ever been chased by wild dogs while having a few pieces of roast beef tied to your body? Have you ever try to dodge painful rubber bullets fired by thirty professional shooters? Have you ever been forced to swim across a river in Siberia while being completely naked? Well, I have. There’s also-’

   ‘Okay, we get the point! You don’t have to continue anymore!’ he’s freaking out so badly I stopped him from reminiscing those painful experiences.

   He finally calms down and stops trembling.

   ‘...To make a long story short, Hitomi nee-san loves to see me getting tormented in all sorts of ways. I wanted to off myself a few times, but I was always saved in the nick of times. After a few failed attempts, they decided to put this on me.’ he points at the collar. ‘They even made sure to hire a medic on standby just in case.’

   ‘It’s not because your parents care about your well-being, is it?’

   ‘Nope. They just don’t want Hitomi nee-san to lose her favourite toy.’

   He said it in such a matter-of-fact way it actually pains me to hear it.

   ‘It doesn’t end there too.’ he continues. ‘Two years ago, she told me that she was tormenting me because she loves me, and she wants me to date her. I’ve basically gave up on my life back then, so I just went along with it and said yes.’

   Umeda has a slightly disgusted look on his face. ‘She wanted her younger brother to be her boyfriend? That’s kind of messed up.’

   ‘They’re not related by blood.’ I remind him.

   ‘But still, after all those tings she did to him?’

   ‘Yeah, I guess it’s totally messed up.’ I agree.

   ‘Things didn’t stay that way long, though. A few months ago, I finally had the courage to break up with her. I might get dunked to the bottom of the ocean with a lock of cement tied to my legs, but I just didn’t care.’ he tells us proudly.

   ‘And how did she reacted?’

   ‘Surprisingly, she didn’t have me tortured. She has also left me alone since then. It was so peaceful I became jumpy and have a hard time sleeping. And that’s my entire life story so far. I’m sorry that you had to hear my rant.’

   ‘It’s okay. Right, Umeda?’

   ‘Yup.’

   Wow. Just wow. I have a feeling that Itoh-senpai is pestering to Nishiyama because he reminded her of her non blood-related brother. If only Nishiyama would sacrifice himself, everyone will be happy. Well, maybe Nishiyama will have sleepless night next, but we must all make sacrifices at some point.

   ‘So then. what did you want to talk to me about?’ Hiroto asks again.

   ‘Well…’

   I told him the same thing I told Umeda.

   ‘I’m sorry. If only I haven’t acted out on a whim…’ he apologizes.

   ‘No need to blame yourself. It’s not your fault.’ I tell him.

   ‘He’s right. Your sister’s the insane one.’ Umeda adds.

   Hiroto starts to cry all of a sudden.

   ‘Um, are you okay man?’ I ask him.

   ‘I’m fine. It’s just that (sniffs) no one has ever been this nice to me.’ he answers between sobs. ‘My parents think I’m a failed business investment, my elder sister is a huge bully, even the servants look down on me. I know I’m a failure that aren’t even allowed to die, but it’s really nice to see someone cares about me.’

   ‘Come on, it can’t be that bad. There must be something you’re good at.’

   He hesitates. ‘Well, there is one thing.’

   ‘Yeah?’

   ‘I’m an author of light novels.’

   ‘That’s good. What’s your pen name?’

   ‘The Shut-In Oni.’

   I feel my jaw dropping.

   ‘Wait a minute. Are you telling me that you’re the author whose every single series so far sold millions of copies? And you’re the author of the incredibly famous series “My Elder Sister is a Villainess”?’

   ‘Yup, that’s me.’

   ‘Wow, no wonder that series is a masterpiece. You basically got your idea from real life, huh?’

   ‘Yup. But please don’t tell Hitomi nee-san.’

   ‘Don’t worry, I won’t.’

   ‘Wait, what are you guys talking about?’ Umeda asks while looking all confused.

   ‘It’s fine if you don’t understand. This is not really a place where normies venture into.’

   Now that I know the whole story, I get up and get ready to leave.

   ‘I’m sorry for not being able to help.’ Hiroto apologizes.

   ‘Don’t be. Like we said, it’s not your fault. It’s your sister’s.’

   ‘Are you going to talk to her when she comes back?’

   ‘Honestly, I don’t think that’s a good idea, since I’m kind of furious with her right now.’

   And yet, I had to bump into her at the main hall of the mansion as they chose this moment to come back from their party. Her parents just nod at us and head inside the further part of their house, but Itoh-senpai herself stopped and have a chat with us.

   ‘Good morning. Are you already done with visiting my younger brother?’ she asks us in a kind tone.

   Now, I’ve never talked to her in school before, but it doesn’t matter. Based on her two colleagues from the Student Council and her younger brother, the Itoh-senpai I see in front of me is putting up a facade.

   ‘Itoh-senpai, can we have a talk outside?’ I request.

   ‘Of course we can. Right this way.’

   I look at Umeda. ‘Wait inside the car. I want to talk to her alone.’

   ‘Sure thing.’

   Itoh-senpai brings me to a garden with lots of pretty flowers and huge trees. There’s a table with some chairs at the middle, so I guess this is where they usually have their high tea.

   ‘You’re Bandou Takuya-kun from Class 1-1, right?’

   ‘Yes, senpai.’

   ‘I take it that want to talk to me about the demolition of the all the shrines at and near Tokyo.’

   ‘You knew I’m with them?’

   ‘Despite how I look, I always make sure to keep up with the times. Honestly, you’re wasting your breath. I-’

   SLAP!

   She couldn’t get to finish her sentence as I slapped her cheek hard.

   ‘Actually, I just want to tell you to stop acting childish.’

   SLAP!

   ‘Also, you’re a certified psychopath. Please go seek a therapist for treatment.’

   ‘A psychopath? I’m not a-’

   SLAP!

   ‘Yes you are.’ I disagree with her. ‘You actually take joy in tormenting your younger brother. That’s what psychopaths do.’

   SLAP!

   ‘I know next to nothing when it comes to siblings. I’m an only child, you see. However, I’m pretty sure that older siblings are supposed to take care of their younger siblings, blood-related or not. And you’re not doing that at all. As such, you’re a failure as an older sister.’

   ‘What do you know? I-’

   SLAP!

   ‘I admit I don’t know much. However, I know this much. Hiroto-kun’s own parents have abandoned him. You, as his elder sister isn’t doing a thing to protect him. He was under so much pressure he wanted to kill himself.’

   SLAP!

   ‘Just what is wrong with you people?’

   At this point, I slapped Itoh-senpai so many times her cheeks are starting to swell. She might call the cops on me at any moment, but I don’t regret slapping her.

   She looks like she’s about to cry, but she just sighs and looks down at the ground.

   ‘Before I was adopted by my current father and mother, I lived with an alcoholic father. My mother has left us when I was really young. I guess she couldn’t take the constant beating her husband gave her. She didn’t even bother to take me along with her. As such, my biological father turned his target of abuse to me.’

   ‘How did you ended getting adopted by your current parents?’

   ‘My father owed them lots of money, so he wanted to sell me off somewhere. Luckily, they’ve heard of the sale and put a stop to it. On top of canceling his debt, they ended up adopting me after realizing that I have a talent in finance.’

   ‘Hiroto-kun told me that you confessed to him. What’s up with that?’

   ‘Ah, that. You see, I met Hiroto when we were much younger. My biological father has just gave me a beating, and I went out crying a river. By the time I realized it, I’ve reached a park. And Hiroto was there too. He was kind to me even though I was covered in rags and bruises. We played together for a while at the park until he had to go back. Imagine my surprise when I saw him again as my new younger brother after all those years.’

   ‘But instead of being grateful to him for being kind to you back then, you ended up abusing him to forget the pain you suffered as a child.’

   ‘That’s right.’

   Well, it’s not that surprising really. Victims of abuse often ended up being an abuser themselves. Even so-

   ‘You don’t deserve a single hint of sympathy. Not after all the things you did to Hiroto-kun.’

   ‘I know. I’m not asking for any.’

   She bows at me.

   ‘I’m sorry for trying to take out the anger I felt after he broke up with me through demolishing the supposedly shrines that grant wishes. I’ll have the plan canceled at once.’ she tells me.

   ‘That’s good to hear. And Hiroto-kun?’

   ‘For starters, I’ll have him receive therapy for all those awful things I did to him.’

   ‘Please take them yourself as well.’

   ‘Yes. I most definitely will.’ she assures me. ‘Thank you for your slaps. They definitely woke me up.’

   ‘So, you’re not going to call the police on me for those slaps?’

   ‘I guess not. I deserved them, after all. Now go before I change my mind.’

   ‘Yes, senpai.’

   ‘And please come to visit Hiroto again if you have the time. He’s probably in dire need for friends.’

   ‘I’ll try, senpai.’