Confinement King

「So, to avenge Moribe\'s injury. You lock them up and give them a bad time. And for that purpose, you don\'t care that Hanabusa has endured so much for the sake of the survival of the basketball club. Yeah, that\'s really evil of you」

「That\'s a harsh thing to say...」

　When I made a sour face, Shiratori-san averted her gaze as if to say, "I don\'t care".

　But she\'s right.

　Now I just thought I\'d simply lock up the basketball players in Hanabusa\'s class and find out who did it. That\'s what I was thinking.

　I also thought I would just do the same thing I did with the track and field club.

　However, that would mean stomping on Hanabusa\'s feelings, which she had endured so desperately.

　If another person goes missing, the basketball club will be cancelled and its activities will be suspended.

　In the worst case scenario, it could endanger not only the basketball club but also the existence of the school.

　I also don\'t want the school to be closed just before graduation.

（It\'s not good... even if I find the culprit, the most I can do is to prove it and make them stop messing with Hanabusa-san...）

　If anyone is to blame, it\'s none other than me, but I never thought I\'d have to pay the price for having done whatever I wanted until now.

（The result would be the same even if I instructed Ryoko to take the matter to the police... As for Saori-chan\'s injury, I guess I\'ll just have to give up on revenge...）

　As I was thinking about this, I heard Shiratori-san\'s faint laughing voice right next to me, like she was exhaling.

「You can\'t be a bad guy... huh? Well, I guess that\'s a good thing, but for me, it\'s frustrating」

「It\'s not like I can just go ahead and do it, right?」

「Well, it\'s okay to think about it, but don\'t forget that Kizuna is your sister from now on. I\'ll remind Kizuna to be nice to Moribe」

「I don\'t understand why she wants to be my sister, though...」

　And from what I\'ve heard from Ijichi-kun, my buddy in gym class.

　He said that for someone who actually has a sister, sister moe is a joke.

　Also, from the point of view of a girl who has a real brother, Tachioka-kun, it\'s hard to imagine that she would want a new brother.

　Just as I thought so, Shiratori-san looked at me and opened her mouth.

「The reason is simple. Kizuna is about to get into trouble with the police」

「A police matter?」

　That\'s not very nice.

　I could understand if it was the brother who tried to blackmail Fujiwara-san, but if the brother is the brother, then the sister is the sister, right?

「So, if anyone can protect her from the government power, it\'s you, the King, right? And the King has a fetish for little sisters, so I told her that if she acts like a little sister, you\'ll do your best to protect her」

「Don\'t you think it\'s too much to ask?」

（So that\'s the reason why she was so pushy to become my sister...）

　Shiratori-san, who doesn\'t seem to care about my widening eyes, rests her elbows on the table.

　As I looked at her, I saw Kei-chan and Tachioka-kun\'s sister coming back to the table with both of their plates full of cake.

「Kan-chan? It\'s a lot... it\'s a lot!」

　Kei-chan rushes to my side and exclaims excitedly, while Shiratori-san rebukes her with an exasperated look, "Just sit down".

　And now, Shiratori-san, Kei-chan, and Tachioka-kun’s sister are seated at the round table in order from me to my left.

　After placing the cake on the table, Tachioka-kun’s sister went to the free drink corner, bought tea for the four of us, and took her seat again.

（Then, I should go and get something too...）

　As I\'m about to sit up, Shiratori-san tells Kei-chan.

「Takasago, give me that strawberry shortcake」

　Then Kei-chan made a disapproving face that I\'ve never seen before.

「...」

「You look like a dried plum... how much do you mind? Well, Kizuna, I\'ll have your strawberry shortcake」

「No, I refuse. Fufufu. Because this strawberry shortcake is already part of my flesh and blood!」

　Tachioka-kun’s sister opened her hand in front of her like a Chuuni character from anime and looked at Shiratori-san from the gap between her fingers.

（Is she the type of girl who can be surprisingly... funny?）

　As I look at her, Shiratori-san glares at her.

「Phew... So, you want to become flesh and blood?」

「I don\'t want to be!!」

　Tachioka-kun’s sister suddenly looked like she was about to cry.

　I know how her feel.

　Shiratori-san\'s glare was... definitely something monstrous, like a beam of light.

「T-T-T-That\'s not it.. It just the strawberry shortcake is out of stock... The last two were just barely taken by me and Takasago-senpai...」

「Oh, that\'s too bad」

「Ehh!?」

　Shiratori-san reached across in front of me and snatched the strawberry shortcake from her plate with a cruel glance.

「Oh...you\'re a tyrant, G*ant. My strawberry shortcake...」

（She\'s so heartless...）

　Glancing at Tachioka-kun\'s sister with tears in her eyes, Shiratori-san opens her mouth.

「Anyway, Kizuna...」

「You don\'t care about that!?」

　Shiratori-san asks Tachioka-kun\'s sister, who looks surprised.

「How many members are there in the girl\'s basketball club of the first year B class?」

「What? Eh? The girls\' basketball club? I\'ll answer if you give me back my strawberry shortcake」

「Okay then」

　With that, Shiratori-san grabs a strawberry from the top of the cake with her fingertips and throws it into her mouth.

「Aah!」

　And now, the strawberry shortcake became just a shortcake.

　Tachioka-kun’s sister reflexively turns her attention to the strawberry shortcake on Kei-chan\'s plate.

　At that moment, Kei-chan gobbled up the strawberry shortcake with frightening speed.

　With cream all around her mouth, Kei-chan puffs up her cheeks like a squirrel before hibernation, and makes a triumphant face.

　The struggle between women over sweets is truly ugly.

「So, how many female members are there in the first year B basketball club?」

「So, that\'s all you got to say!? That\'s terrible!」

　Shiratori-san coolly tells Tachioka-kun\'s sister, who is fuming.

「This is a final warning, Kizuna. If you don\'t tell it quickly, that Mont Blanc will be next...」

「I-I understand, okay? I understand? But you have to promise me. If I answer properly, you won\'t touch my cake anymore」

「That\'s a different story」

「My Mont Blanccccccccccccc!?」

　Shiratori-san reached for her cake again, and easily snatched it away. Really, Shiratori-san was more immature than I had thought.

「That\'s the sort of thing you get into when you\'re rambling on the battlefield. This Mont Blanc is your lesson」

「Ugh... that\'s terrible. Why don\'t you just get it yourself?」

「I hate waiting in line. So, I\'m going to ask you one more time, how many female members are there in first year B?」

「Ugh...B-B class, right? I think there\'s only three of them... Busako, Sankon, and Monkii」

「Sankon? Monkii?」

　I tilted my head.

　I think "Busako" probably means Hanabusa-san. ....

「It\'s a nickname. Sankon and Monkii」

　Said Tachioka-kun’s sister while protecting the rest of the cake with her hand.