261. Toukain’s villa

“Everyone, Welcome”

It was an elderly woman who was in charge of managing the villa who bowed deeply. And behind her, maids lined up bowing their heads. She said she was waiting for us after being told by Musubi-san, Shino-san’s personal maid.

“I’ll be in your care for a while, Saito.”

“Hello Saito-san, I’ll be in your care again this time.”

“It’s been a long time. I’ll be in your care again.”

After Shino-san, Yuzuka-san, and Minakatain-san who had come before said so, the rest also greeted her. An elderly woman called “Saito” replied to our greetings with a smile.

“Thank you very much for coming here again. Please leave it to me. The rooms have been prepared, so please take a break there first.”

When Saito-san said so, one of the maids who was waiting in the back suddenly stepped forward.

“She will guide you”

“It’s an honor. Then, please follow me…”

The moment we tried to follow the maid, Shino-san called out.

“Ah, wait! We’ll meet here in an hour. I’ll show you all around this place.”

Saito-san reacted to the words.

“Young lady, should we be the guide?”

“Nah, this time I’m the host, so I’ll do it personally.”

“Understood”

Shino-san nodded, and we started walking again, but Yuzuka-san and Minakatain-san were still standing still. 

Seeing the two, I wondered and asked.

“Aren’t you two going too?”

“Ah, well, I and Yuzuka-chan have come here many times. We know the location of the room.”

“Yes. Sure, it’s another person’s place, but we know it well.”

That’s true, well…

Without worrying about it much, I followed the maid.

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Guided by the maid, Kohaku and the other 4 girls walked away. 

After seeing their backs, the maids greeted Shino, and then return to their respective jobs. And all that was left was Shino, Yuzuka, and Miyabi.

“……Alright, then…”

Shino turned to Yuzuka and Miyabi, who remained in the entrance hall. The two were left behind after being told by Shino that she wanted to talk about something.

“The reason I asked you two to stay behind, I thought that I should talk to you two.”

“What is it?”

Yuzuka had no idea, and so tilted her head while saying that.

“…Well, it’s not really a big deal, but you see, we’ll do a courage test, right?”

“Yeah.”

“These days, it’s rumored that ghosts are really coming out there.”

” “Eh!?” “

“I thought I should tell this so that both of you wouldn’t show a pitiful appearance in front of Kohaku-kun… that’s it…”

“Wait a minute! Being told like this only make me scared, you know!!?”

Yuzuka violently was shaking her head vertically in synch with Miyabi’s words. Shino, who heard the words, said with a shining smile as if she was relieved.

“Yeah, right.”

” “…..eh?” “

They were stunned by Shino’s words.

“I meanー, I’m really scared after hearing that tooー. It’s scarier to know that it’s there, rather than not knowing it rightー? Ahaha… haha… ha…”

Seeing Shino laughing, Yuzuka and Miyabi understood the purpose. 『”Shino wanted to drag us in her misery”』

After all, even if you couldn’t actually see ghosts, if you think they might be around you, when you hear the trees swaying and the sounds of animals moving, you would think that it must be the ghost. And it might increase your “fear meter” in your mind. That was exactly what happened to Shino, Yuzuka, and Miyabi.

And so, the possibility of showing an ugly appearance in front of Kohaku had been increased. If only one of them showed it, they could say to Kohaku that the girl was just a timid woman. But now, it might be all three of them, and if that were to happen, it would be a disaster for their impressions.

“You see, I thought it would be better not to say it, but I think it’s necessary to share information because we are in an alliance, right?”

“Ah, ahaha… right. I think information sharing is important.”

“Hahaha… Shino-chan is really a good girl.”

Though the two said so, in their mind, they were cursing Shino. But, they could only agree while squeezing the cheeks. If they denied it here, there was a possibility that it would be referred to as if it was okay to hide important information.

“Ah, Shino, shouldn’t we tell everyone about this information?”

“I thought about that too, but…”

Shino made a difficult face to Yuzuka’s suggestion.

“If all of us are afraid, it may be transmitted to Kohaku-kun.”

“That’s true…”

“If that happens, Kohaku-kun will definitely go to a person that looks the most reliable to rely on, right?”

“Reliable person…”

A girl floated on Yuzuka’s mind.

“…Minori-chan”

“That’s right. He’ll definitely want to rely on a strong girl, regardless of whether or not you can fight a ghost with your fist.”

Many boys were attracted to strong girls. That was why “Super Arts” was so popular.

“….in short”

“Let’s keep this within us three!”

Shino said so while giving a thumbs up.