“Well then, I’m counting on you to look after the people of this house, Gasper.”
“Yes sir!!
I’ll do my best!”
Gasper showed his enthusiasm while appearing nervous about the request.
There was trouble at Rias’s family home, and she urgently had to return to the Underworld along with her Queen, Akeno.
In these times where the activities of the Chaos Brigade were intensifying, Rias judged that it would be difficult for Koneko to protect the Hyodo family alone, so she called Gasper, who had been living in the old school building.
If an enemy were to come to this house, the plan was to hold them back with his Sacred Gear while escaping to the Gremory estate via the teleportation magic circle in the basement.
At that time, they would likely have to use suggestion on the Hyodo family to make things ambiguous.
(I’m worried about Kenji, whose fallen angel suggestion was broken.
But I guess we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.)
Perhaps, starting with that, they might eventually have to tell everyone in the Hyodo family about the things on this side.
At that time, how would that kind family react?
(Let’s stop.
It’s just a possibility, and even if we must speak of it eventually, for now…)
Even as she recognized that line of thought as a selfish escape, revealing a secret required courage, to a greater or lesser degree.
“I have movie tickets, does anyone want to go?
They’re only good until today.”
“Don’t tell us so suddenly.”
Faced with his father’s sudden remark during breakfast, Kenji looked at the two tickets with an exasperated face.
He had been given advance tickets for a new movie, but apparently, he had forgotten them in his bag and they turned up this morning.
Issei and the other school trip members departed yesterday, and Rias and Akeno also returned home at night due to the sudden summons.
Those present here were Kenji and the Kuoh Academy first-year group.
Rias had asked Kenji’s parents to let Gasper stay at the Hyodo house while she was away.
Not being the type of parents to refuse at this late stage, Gasper was eating breakfast with a nervous expression.
Those two, naturally, were reacting with hesitation as well.
“If it’s alright, why don’t Koneko-san and Gasper-san go see it?
Girls of the same age won’t have to be as reserved around each other, right?”
Moreover, they were at the same academy.
There was no need to strangely coordinate their schedules. Find the original chapter at g.com.
It was a proposal made with that thought, but after Koneko and Gasper blinked their eyes, a small voice leaked out.
“…Gya-kun is a cross-dressing boy.”
Kenji froze at the words muttered quietly.
“Eh?
But, the one being worn is the girl’s uniform, right?”
“…Gya-kun’s hobby.”
As Koneko stated flatly, Kenji shifted his gaze to the ceiling, wondering how to react.
“Oh?
Kenji, you didn’t know.”
“Well, back when Koneko-chan and the others started living in this house, Kenji was avoiding everyone.”
His father’s words stung Kenji.
“Uu…
I guess it is weird, after all…”
“…If it doesn’t cause trouble for others, isn’t it fine?”
That was the best answer he could manage.
Regarding the movie tickets, Gasper stepped back, and it was decided that Kenji and Koneko would go see it.
Fortunately, since the third-years were using the classroom for band practice today, and because the sounds were mostly synchronized now, they decided to take this opportunity for Kenji to watch the movie with Koneko.
This also served the purpose of Koneko and Gasper being dispersed as guards to protect the Hyodo family.
Of course, they also kept in mind borrowing the strength of Sona Sitri and others in case of an emergency.
“Sorry to keep you waiting.”
“…It’s okay.
I just arrived too.”
While having a cliché conversation as if they were on a date, they headed toward the movie theater.
The two had been slightly awkward since Kenji was hospitalized during summer vacation, but those issues had been resolved with time.
The movie from the advance tickets was not a bright story, but rather dark in content.
The protagonist, who was bullied during his student days and remained a shut-in even as an adult, is one day invited to the wedding of the person who used to bully him.
Indignant at this, the protagonist acts to wreck the former bully’s wedding—it was quite insidious content.
After finishing the movie, which felt like it would dampen their spirits, they waited for their ordered tea and light snacks in silence at a nearby cafe.
“…That was intense.”
“Yes.
How should I put it, it felt like ‘would they really go that far?’ I think Dad probably didn’t know the content of the movie either…”
At the very least, it wasn’t content the two of them would praise. This chapter was copied from g.com without permission.
The bullying scenes were vivid enough to make one wonder if they were based on real experiences, and even after ruining the wedding, there was no catharsis, only a plummet into a gloomy mood.
As they were both feeling downcast, Koneko spoke up hesitantly.
“…Um, you’re relaxed.
Since yesterday.”
Since Issei and the others went on the school trip, Kenji’s expression felt softer than usual.
He had even spoken to his parents on his own this morning.
Kenji was momentarily blank at Koneko’s words before forming a small smile.
“That might be true.
I’m relieved that I don’t have to see my brother’s face for a few days, surely…”
A smile that seemed to acknowledge his fatigue.
At that expression, Koneko couldn’t help but ask.
“…Um, since when have things been like they are now with Issei-senpai?”
According to Irina’s story, they used to be close brothers in the past.
Why did it develop into avoiding him and even going as far as punching him the other day?
It was a question born half out of interest and half out of a desire to prevent the relationship between the two from fraying any further.
After making a gesture as if remembering for himself in response to Koneko’s question, he put it into halting words.
“In the past, I think we were reasonably close.
Even when we were playing tag and such, if I was the youngest and couldn’t catch anyone, he was the kind of brother who would purposefully get caught and switch being ‘it.’ He was a brother who could show that kind of consideration.
I guess it started going wrong after he entered middle school and became friends with Matsuda-san and Motohama-san…”
Even before then, there were times he showed a strong interest in women, but it wasn’t to the point of being a problem.
“It was like he found kindred spirits and his brakes were gone, or rather, his actions became increasingly radical, and by the time he entered the second year, he started doing things like peeping and secret filming like he does now.
Even though my parents were called in for it, he didn’t seem to learn his lesson.
I’d be pointed at behind my back by the neighbors, and I became estranged from close friends.
After all that continued, I suddenly thought: at this rate, all sorts of things for me are going to be ruined by my brother’s selfishness.”
“…That is.”
“To be honest, I’m scared.
Scared that damage will come to me because of that person’s words and actions.
My hospitalization during summer vacation was like that too.”
“…”
Koneko fell silent at Kenji’s words.