Quiet. Unnaturally quiet.
No... rather, it was that she had never had any chance to come into contact with lively surroundings.
Every day, she followed her father's orders, continuously studying and staying in a closed-off environment.
She simply had no opportunity to encounter anything lively.
However, today's silence was somewhat unusual. It was as if her entire family had suddenly become shut-ins.
Strange, indescribable feelings churned in her heart.
This feeling... was it fear?
She was simply far too young.
She had no way to accurately distinguish this emotion.
"...What on earth happened?"
Tohno Akiha looked up through the window. Perhaps because a child's instincts were sharper, she sensed that the atmosphere within the family had changed.
Then... she left her room.
Normally, she should have been caught quickly and taken back to study, but this time, she actually made it safely to the family gates.
"Hmm... interesting~"
At the gate, an orange-haired girl tilted her head and sized her up, a teasing smile on her face.
Beside her lay an unconscious guard.
"Little girl, why are you wandering around so late at night? You should know that there are big bad wolves out at night."
The woman asked this, and Tohno Akiha had intended to reply with the polite wording she had learned from her studies. But her body could not move at all, as if an invisible force had locked every inch of her in place.
How should she describe this feeling?
It was probably like being too afraid to move when her father wore an angry expression.
But it was not merely simple fear.
It was a much deeper terror.
It was the fear born from a threat to her very life—the vague realization that this smiling big sister might kill her.
After remaining silent for a while, Tohno Akiha pressed her lips together, then suppressed her fear and timidly asked:
"Are you the big bad wolf, big sister?"
"...Well~"
Seeing that the little girl still had the courage to ask, Aozaki Touko smiled sweetly. She then sat down on the steps by the entrance and waved to Tohno Akiha, indicating that she should sit beside her.
"..."
Seeing this, Tohno Akiha pinched the hem of her clothes and carefully studied the big sister.
She was a big sister who looked gentle yet dashing. She wore a white shirt and a pair of black trousers, blending masculine confidence and feminine grace together perfectly.
After getting a clear look at her, she felt a little more at ease. This big sister seemed quite easy to talk to. She probably was not a bad person, right?
Thus, she walked over to Aozaki Touko in small steps and sat down primly a short distance away.
Then the big sister spoke with a rather meaningful smile:
"I'm not a big bad wolf. I'm a hunter who hunts big bad wolves. If I discover big bad wolves harming everyone, then as a brave hunter, I have to eliminate them and protect everyone..."
"Then why did you knock everyone down? Is it because we're bad people?"
Tohno Akiha's adorable face filled with indignation. She felt a strong sense of belonging toward her family, and she was genuinely displeased at having them called big bad wolves.
"Hmm... because I wanted to leave, and they were blocking me. Naturally, I had to knock them down."
Aozaki Touko stated this as if it were self-evident. "Don't you think it's awful to keep someone from going home? So being knocked down was only natural, wasn't it?"
She was arguing sophistically.
But Tohno Akiha was still only a little girl and had no ability to refute her.
Thus, her face flushed as she argued:
"But you still shouldn't hit people! That's wrong!"
In this world, when conflicts arose, people should communicate properly. Resorting to violence was absolutely incorrect.
That was what her teacher had taught her. It was also the worldview she had built up so far, and she had never discovered that this rule might not apply throughout the world.
Locked inside her cage, her understanding of the world's reality had drifted slightly off course.
So she brought out the rule she believed was universally valid.
Then—
"But being forced by someone is a miserable thing. If someone forces you to do something you don't want to do, isn't it only natural to fight back?"
Aozaki Touko smiled as she spoke. "You must have been forced to do things you didn't like before, too. You should understand that feeling, right?"
"..."
Tohno Akiha blinked. She thought back over her experiences studying, then suddenly found herself speechless.
It was true. Whenever she studied constantly, she did feel stifled and miserable.
And indeed, this world couldn't possibly have a rule that said people could bully you while forbidding you from fighting back.
"...Have you ever been forced to do something you didn't like?"
Aozaki Touko asked with a sly smile. Tohno Akiha opened and closed her mouth, then answered honestly:
"My study sessions are too long. It's not that I hate studying; I just want a little more free time."
"Hmm... how pitiful."
Aozaki Touko smiled. "How about this? From now on, you can come play with me. Your father should agree."
As she spoke, she turned to look at a shadowy corner.
"Lord Tohno Makihisa, what do you think?"
As soon as her voice fell, Tohno Makihisa emerged from the shadows and nodded with an enthusiastic smile. "Of course. It would be our honor if my daughter could serve Miss Touko."
"See? Your father agrees."
Aozaki Touko turned back and smiled at Tohno Akiha. "I'll take you out to play right now."
Then, without giving her a chance to object, she picked up the little girl and set off toward the Kuonji Western Mansion.
Being carried away, Tohno Akiha blinked and opened her mouth. She glanced at her father's expression, then ultimately fell silent and buried her head in Aozaki Touko's arms.
Had she been kidnapped?
Chapter 39: You Really Don't Want to Give Birth to One?
A cold wind carrying snow blew past.
Aozaki Touko carried Tohno Akiha up the slope, leaving a trail of footprints in the thick snow as she slowly made her way toward the top of the hill.
"...Sister Touko, where are you taking me?"
Tohno Akiha's little face was flushed as she rubbed herself slightly against Aozaki Touko's arms, trying to obtain enough warmth to ward off the cold. Although it was a little embarrassing, after all, only big sister's... well, body had any warmth.
Of course, she did have ways to resist the cold. But toward this unfamiliar big sister, she still needed to maintain a basic level of vigilance, so she had no intention of using her abilities to ward off the chill.
"Do you know the rumors about this mountain?"
Aozaki Touko lowered her head to look at the little girl in her arms and smiled gently. "There's a haunted house on this mountain. If a child enters it on a foggy day, they'll disappear forever."
"...How scary."
Hearing this, Tohno Akiha was silent for a moment before offering the expected response. Yet there was not the slightest hint of fear in her voice. Instead, it was clearly perfunctory.
Although she was a little girl, she was a clever one. She completely did not believe this sort of obviously childish story and even wanted to give the adult an exasperated look.
However, this big sister was rather formidable, so she did not dare actually give her that look.
"Akiha, you don't believe me?"
Aozaki Touko smiled faintly. "Unfortunately, this rumor is actually true. There really is a witch's mansion on this hill, and a witch who lives apart from the world resides there."
"..."
Tohno Akiha's body stiffened slightly. She was unsure whether this big sister was trying to scare her or whether there really was a witch living on this mountain.
One thing was certain, though: this big sister really loved teasing people.
"Don't worry... the witch doesn't eat people. She does eat some takeout, though."
Aozaki Touko continued, "Our destination is the witch's mansion. I hope you have a wonderful adventure."
"An adventure... Is it that dangerous?"
Hearing this, Tohno Akiha furrowed her brows, uncertain whether this big sister was teasing her. After all, it did not sound entirely like a lie.
"Hmm. If you don't cause any damage, it should be... safe."
Remembering Azu's love for her house, Aozaki Touko's tone became uncertain as well. "As long as you're a good girl, that witch big sister will be a very nice person."
Hmm... Azu hates humans, but she probably won't hate a mixed-blood like Tohno Akiha, right?
"...I understand!"
Tohno Akiha seemed to understand something. She nodded her little head solemnly, then suddenly froze.
With her little head pulling away from Aozaki Touko's embrace, she saw an exquisitely beautiful sight.
From the top of the high hill, Misaki City could be seen at a glance.
White snow covered the world, pure and translucent. The gloom in her heart seemed to be washed away in an instant. The shock of facing the vastness of heaven and earth was beyond imagination for a little girl like her.
So beautiful. That was her first thought.
The world is so vast. That was her second thought.
I want to go see it. That was her third thought.
In the brief span of a single glance, her state of mind changed. It was only a tiny seed, but if someone watered it, it could easily grow into a towering tree.
"Do you like it?"
Aozaki Touko asked with a light laugh.
"I like it."
Tohno Akiha nodded sincerely.
"Is that so? If you like it, then come a few more times. I'll be here for a while. Whenever you want to come, your father can specially send someone to drive you here."
Aozaki Touko's tone was calm yet full of confidence.
"..."
Tohno Akiha gazed at the snowy landscape in the distance and remained silent for a while.
Then she gently nodded and said in a small voice:
"I understand."
"Mm."
Aozaki Touko gave a soft acknowledgment, tightened her hold on Tohno Akiha, and continued toward the Kuonji Western Mansion. As Tohno Akiha climbed higher with her, her field of vision grew increasingly broad.
Kuonji Western Mansion.
"I'm back."
Aozaki Touko pushed open the living-room door and carried Tohno Shiye inside.
Kuonji Alice instinctively turned her head, then saw an unfamiliar little girl staring at her with a nervous, timid expression.
"You disappeared first thing in the morning. Did you go kidnap a child?"
"Hmm... perhaps I did~"
Aozaki Touko tilted her head slightly and smiled teasingly. In her arms, Tohno Akiha's brows drew tightly together. This big sister had actually openly admitted to kidnapping her.
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