We hurried up the car and got back to the mansion in five minutes.
I’m glad that it’s close to the school.
The guards from Kouzuki security service in front of the gate saluted, probably because Reika’s in the passenger seat
As expected, Reika in her boyish appearance stands out.
「Geeeeeez, late, you’re all late!」
Mao-chan and Katsuko-nee meet us up at the entrance.
「Sorry」
Nagisa hugs her daughter.
「Anyway, everyone’s waiting!」
Being hugged by her mother, Mao-chan smiles.
「Err, the dinner is at Agnes’ room, right?」
I asked Katsuko-nee.
「Yes, I’m sure you’ll be surprised」
「By what?」
「Kyouko-san and the gang finished the construction in no time」
Construction?
「You’ll see when we get there」
Anyway, we can’t let everyone wait further.
We didn’t change our clothes and head straight to Agnes’ basement
Then.
「Oh, you finally arrived」
Kyouko-san and Miss Cordelia welcomes us in the room that isー
Twice as wide.
The room partitioning the next room was taken away.
「We bought a chainsaw on the way back. Then, we did it in one go. We cut them into big chunks so the waste materials were already transported to the upper floor. It’s dangerous for these little children if it’s just lying around」
As expected of Kyouko-san, she works fast
Or rather, she just casually bought a chainsaw
「It’s gotten wider now so I can train here too」
Margo-san said.
Yeah, true, it’s about the size of a basketball court
Or rather, this is the original size.
This basement was an atelier for the guests that come to the mansion.
This is for a person who likes art who would like to paint a prostitute
But.
Agnes seems to be confused by the expanded room.
She’s clinging to Mana and Ruriko closely.
Then, Mao-chan joins them.
As someone who made a cake together with her, they seem to be close already
Edie tries to join the group, but
Agnes isn’t good with Edie so she hides behind Mana.
Edie shows a「Why?」face
「Now then, I’m sorry to keep everyone waiting. Let’s eat!」
Katsuko-nee, the homemaker of the『mansion』declares
「Today, it’s hand-rolled sushi!」
Running down from the upper floor, opening the refrigerator, Katsuko-nee takes out the sashimi, shellfish, and vegetables.
Tuna, sea bream, tied mackerel, boiled octopus, shellfish, salad dressing, then
Each of them is quite a lot
「I wasn’t able to buy outside lately so for today, it’s all fresh ingredients!」
Katsuko-nee smiles
「The nori is over there. The rice is…」
「Ah, I’ll do it」
Nagisa rolls up her sleeves and transfers the cooked rice from the huge rice cooker.
「What is a hand-rolled sushi?」
Ruriko asks.
「Yes, yes, that’s a good question 」
Nei comes forward.
「First, you put the rice on top of the nori」
Nei’s white and long fingers move skillfully
「Then, you put on what you like, fish, shellfish, or vegetable, and roll it over!」
Nei rolls it down neatly
「Then, you put on the soy sauce, I’m going ahead, Itadakimasu!」
She takes a bite!
「Yes, that’s delicious!」
Margo-san whispers to my ear.
「Katsuko-san did this since the cake-baking was popular」
I see Agnes who’s always been served a finished meal.
She must be interested in making her own hand-rolled sushi.
「Can I do it well?」
「It’s fine! Let’s make it together! Agnes-chan too」
Mana speaks to the worried Ruriko and to Agnes too
Somehow, she feels composed.
But still, having an interaction with everyone like this is very effective.
As expected of Katsuko-nee, she knows.
「I’ve made egg soup and Caesar salad too so eat up」
She said, smiling.
「Katsuko, before that」
Kyouko-san said.
「The seafood today are all Cordelia’s treat!」
Huh, why?
「Yes. I lost my bet with Kyouko! So, everyone, eat a lot!」
Miss Cordelia says feeling a bit frustrated.
「In exchange for that, I’ll give you a special wine」
Saying that Margo-san takes out several white wines.
「My, aren’t these all branded?」
「I took it from the wine cellar of the mansion. Katsuko, I don’t mind the price from when the guest delivered it, just drop it on my acount」
「No, it’s fine if it’s the price at the time of purchase」
「No, just let me, Minaho’s annoying in that regard」
Kyouko-san stabs the screw on the first bottle.
「The young ones will be having juice or tea」
Nagisa said.
「I want at least a sip」
Mana said
Since she’s a daughter of Shirasaka house, she must’ve drunk wine before.
She’s been taken to a restaurant by her Grandfather, Ichikawa-san.
「Not today. Agnes and others would imitate you」
Margo-san tells Mana gently
「Ah, I see, it can’t be helped then」
Mana’s convinced, so she smiled.
「I will drink! I’m already an adult!」
Nei laughs.
「Adult? At what country’s law?」
Margo-san smiles at Nei.
「Margo-oneechan, this room is in France right now」
「Then it can’t be helped」
Regardless of the law, Nei should be an adult from Agnes’ eyes
「Ah, does Edie not want to drink?」
「It’s fine, she’s from an assassination cult so she shouldn’t be drinking alcohol except for religious ceremonies」
Kyouko-san said.
「You can’t be an assassin if you’re alcoholic you know?1 Besides, Americans are conservative so it’s unlikely for them to let children drink alcohol」
I see.
「Here, Yoshi-kun!」
Meanwhile, Megu pours tea on my glass.
For the others too.
Megu’s a girl who works silently on this kind of scene.
「Everyone, hold your glasses」
The one who takes lead on times like this is Kyouko-san, the patriarch.
「Well then, cheers!」
「Cheers!」
「Itadakimasu!
Then, the meal begins
「Like this, you do it this way, Agnes-chan」
Mana instructs Agnes how to make hand-rolled Sushi right away.
Edie is imitating from the side.
Ruriko
「Ruriko, you’re doing well」
Whatever she does, it’s elegant and done neatly
「Onii-sama, it’s my first time eating this kind of meal」
「No, I’m the same」
Well, I’ve seen『hand-rolled sushi』on Television but
Eating it for real is…
「Is that so?」
「Yeah, I’m the same with Ruriko」
Ruriko smiles happily
「I’m having fun」
Ruriko?
「It’s my first time having so much fun during meal」
She’s an Ojou-sama in Kouzuki house right.
She pays attention to the servants at home, to the people outside.
Always alone with Yoshiko-san, I think she must have it hard
「It’s fine, just eat」
「Yes, Onii-sama」
Ruriko elegantly opens her mouth and takes a bite.
「Non, non, Ruriko, you should open your mouth wide and munch it widely! Munch!」
Nei opens up her mouth widely and takes a big bite.
「My!」
Ruriko’s surprised and laughs.
「There’s nobody here but Ruriko’s『family』! So you can eat inelegantly! Okay!?」
「Yes, Nei-oneesama」
But still.
Edie takes a bite, and she looked surprised.
「Ah, could it be that it’s Edie’s first time eating raw fish?」
Nei realized, and talked to Edie in English.
Edie replies showing a confused face.
「What did she say?」
「Yeah. It’s really her first time eating Japanese food」
「Then, should we prepare something else for Edie? Meat or something baked?」
Katsuko-nee asks, but
「No, she mentioned that Agnes and Mana are eating it deliciously so she wants to try it too」
Nei translates Edie’s words.
Hearing that, Mana
「Agnes-chan, make a sushi for Edie-chan」
Agnes.
「Agnes makes it?」
「Yes and Mana will make one for Agnes-chan」
「Then, I will make Mana-san’s sushi」
Ruriko joins in
「Then, Mao will make one for Papa!」
Everyone decided to present hand-rolled sushi to the other
「Here」
Agnes hands the sushi she made to Edie.
Mana speaks English.
I think it’s『Agnes made this for you』
Edie’s deeply impressed
And she eats it without adding soy sauce
《Good!》
She’s a good girl on this kind of things.
「Here, Papa!」
Mao-chan hands me her hand-rolled sushi
There’s too few rice, and a lot of ingredients, the Nori isn’t rolled well.
Well, she’s a child
「Yes, thank you」
I accept it with a smile, put soy sauce, and eat it.
「Delicious?」
Mao-chan looks at me worriedly
「Yes, it is」
「Ehehe, I’m glad!」
Mao-chan’s smile is so cute
「Onii-chan, eat mine next」
7Mana said
「Onii-sama, me too, please eat mine too」
Ruriko
「Ah, wait! Me too! I want to feet Yo-chan!」
Nei
What feed?
「Nei-oneechan, this is a place for the young ones!」
Mana protests
「I’m also young! I’ll be a child!」
「Geez, Nei-oneechan, being adult, being a child, that’s unfair!」
Mana said, Megu
「Mana, don’t get mad. We’re in the middle of a meal」
「Okaay!~」
「Katsuko-oneesan said that Mana should refrain from Sushi. It’s fine to eat Salad though. Also, no juice. Just tea」
Megu tells Katsuko-nee’s message in low voice.
Mana’s already starting her body modding to become a supermodel.
「I’ve already eaten cake today, but even though I made a cake for everyone, I can’t just be the only one who doesn’t eat it」
Mana seems to be paying attention.
「Then fine, I’ll be making Sushi for Onii-chan!」
Mana said laughing.
She seems to want to join in the hand-rolled sushi making with Agnes and others.
No, if Mana doesn’t join
Agnes, Ruriko, and Mao-chan will follow Mana.
Since everyone does it, Edie will start to rely on Mana too.
Mana can speak English.
She’s become the key person in this group.
「Mana has completely stabilized」
Nei tells me.
「As expected when you become an『Onee-chan』you become composed」
「What are you talking about, aren’t you the same?」
Margo-san laughs.
「Huh, Me?」
「When he came, and Nei became an『Onee-san』you’ve stabilized too」
Nei looks at me.
「Yeah, that might be」
「Does everyone want a refill?」
Megu’s considerate to us.
「Ah, Margo-oneesan, and Nei-oneesan, would you prefer wine?」
「No, I won’t drink. Not a single drop of alcohol」
Margo-san said.
Margo-san’s father was an alcoholic.
I change the topic in a hurry.
「Margo-san, are you fine with raw fish?」
「I’m used to it. Look, when there was a lot of guests here, the rich Japanese people love Sashimi you see? I had to accompany them inevitably sometimes」
As a guard of the『brothel』there were also dinner parties.
「What about Miss Cordelia?」
I look at the adult group
Ah, they’re eating it without problems.
「Miss Cordelia is Kyouko-san’s partner so she’s used to Japanese food too. Japanese food seems popular in the US. Besides」
「Besides?」
「Those people go to the jungle on their work to so, on their survival training, they catch fish and I think they’re used to eating it raw」
Then, Eenie and Meenie too
Margo-san talks to the two in English.
Eenie and Meenie answer something while laughing.
「Both of them like the hand-rolled sushi healthily. Above all, it’s great to be eaten by hand」
「What?」
「They seem to have been taken by Miss Cordelia to a Japanese restaurant but, they seem to really be bad with chopsticks」
Oh.
「Speaking of which, today’s ingredients are all bought by miss Cordelia, though」
「Yeah, that」
Margo-san talks to Kyouko-san
「Kyouko-san, he seems to want to know why miss Cordelia lost the bet」
Kyouko-san grins.
「Ufufu, it was an interesting bet」
「Or rather, I was surprised by this country!」
What?
「Rather than Japan, it’s the violent organizations in Japan, right?」
Kyouko-san laughs happily
「You see we came to crush gangs today」
Oh, speaking of which, they did
「 Did it go well?」
「Obviously. If it didn’t go well, we won’t be eating dinner with everyone here now」
True.
If they failed, they’d be caught by police or dead.
「How do you think Kyouko-san and them crushed the gangs?」
Margo-san asks me.
「No, even if you ask me I don’t know. They did something amazing or something?」
I shouldn’t be able to know.
Kyouko-san
「Well, we came right to their front door」
What?
「The higher-ups of the gang had rented all of the five floors from the seventh floor to the top floor of an 11th story building. Then, the chairman’s office is on the top floor, we confirmed that the target was there so we charged right in front of them」
Err.
「To be accurate, we didn’t go right in front, there were three entrances to the building there and me, Edie, Cornelia, Eenie & Meenie went in divided into three groups. Not letting a single person inside get out. Our plan is to beat everyone up to pulp」
Is that even a plan?
「 Could it be that the bet was who will be the first one to arrive at the chairman’s office?」
I asked, then Kyouko-san laughed.
「That’s not the bet. There was no need to rush. It’s more important to take everyone down」
「Then」
「 Our bet was when will guns come out」
Guns?
「Look, Japan’s different from the US, it’s illegal to carry a gun but, as expected, if it’s a criminal organization, they probably have guns. Therefore, if we beat them up front, how long will it take until they bring out guns, that was the bet」
Haa.
「Miss Cordelia bets that guns will come out within ten minutes after they rush in. I thought that it would take more than ten minutes. Then, in reality, 」
Kuhahahahaha, Kyouko-san laughs loudly.
「Even when we arrived at the chairman’s office, there were no guns that came out!」
「That’s right, just what the hell? This country doesn’t have a single enemy with a gun coming out even though they occupied all of the five floors from the bottom? If they’re a crime organization, don’t they normally have a couple or three guns?」
Err
「I think that Kyouko-san’s progress was just too fast」
Margo-san smiles wryly
「Perhaps they have several guns in the office but, since the offices of the gangs also expect to be searched by the police, they’re hiding their guns somewhere.2 Kyouko-san’s attack was too fast, that they had no timing to get it out of their hiding spots」
「What the hell, then there’s no point to having a gun!」
Miss Cordelia gets angry.
「Well, in Japan’s case, the gangs use guns only when they are coming to attack. They don’t assume that their headquarters office would just be attacked right in their front. Even in cases of trouble, most of the enemies would attack outside the office, when they ride a car, or when they’re inside a shop, aiming at defenseless places. For example, shooting bullets from outside. Raids in their headquarters haven’t happened in the past few decades, maybe?」
「Seriously, they’re so bad. These Japan gangs」
No, look
「Then, in the end, all of the people inside were blown away and fainted. And when we reached the chairman, we got him naked, bound him with a rope, and hanged him upside down from the window」
What?
「Ah, we hung him from the window of the 8th floor, if it’s from a very high place, the impact of looking below becomes rather thin. Looking from up the seventh, eight floor to the ground is the most chilling. This is a result of science and statistics tested multiple times so there’s no mistake about it」
「Right. We’ve hung a lot of guys upside down in the past」
Miss Cordelia speaks nostalgically
「But, since this is Japan, we actually have to paint their whole body white then hang them upside down, right?」
「Eh, what do you mean?」
I don’t get it.
「Eh, isn’t that a traditional art in Japan? A human painted white hung upside down in a tall building?」
Miss Cordelia, I think you’re making a mistake here?
「Cordelia…that was『Butoh』it’s not a traditional art」
Kyouko-san said.
「Besides, it’s not popular recently that people on their age won’t know it normally」
「My, is that so?」
「Besides, even though they paint themselves in white, why is it called 『Dark Butoh』 I don’t get that」
W-What’s『Dark Butoh』?
「The true Japanese tradition wasn’t painting the whole body white, but putting scriptures throughout their whole body, right」
Uhm, Kyouko-san?
「And then, they surely leave the ears. That’s the tradition of Japan」
「I get it, thanks for telling me Kyouko」
Miss Cordelia’s convinced.
No, I think that’s wrong.
This is bad, she’s being taught strange knowledge about Japan.
I look at Katsuko-nee and Nagisa.
Ah, they’re averting their eyes.
Err.
Someone, tell them that it’s wrong!
Of course, I can’t though.
Nei, Reika?
Reika’s doing Kendo so shouldn’t she know a lot about Japanese traditions?
Wait.
They’re not here.
Since when?
「Uhm, writing a sutra on the body is just a folk. It’s not a tradition」
Megu, you’re amazing!
「Besides, not writing on the ear is just a mistake, they actually have to write even on the ear」
「Oh, is that so?」
Kyouko-san laughs.
Ah, she told Miss Cordelia a lie purposely
「I’ve read Lafcadio Hearn after all」
「Lafcadio what?」
Miss Cordelia reacts to what Megu just said.
「100 years ago, a Brit born in Greece, went to the US and became a journalist, and for some reason, he became a school teacher in Japan. Then, he gathered old Japanese stories and wrote a book, and died in Japan. He was that kind of man」
「Hmmm」
Miss Cordelia doesn’t seem to be particularly interested
Then
「Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, Everyone! Look this way!~!!」
Nei shouts at the entrance.
「I will introduce our new friend to everyone!!」
Could this be?
「Okaay. Our cute Rei-chan’s coming in!」
Then.
A tall embarrassed lady appears in the doorway.
She’s wearing a pink maid clothing.
Even though it’s a long skirt, since her legs are too long, her skin under her shin is exposed.
Even her arms, the sleeve isn’t enough.
The girl wearing a maid cap is trembling, blushing.
「Hey, Rei-chan, why don’t you greet everyone」
Then.
The professional guard, the one named『beat to death swordswoman』by Kouzuki security service’s top elite, Fujimiya Reika
Nei must’ve practiced her, she grasps her skirt with both hands, and she lowers her head.
「I-I’m Rei, please be friends with me」
1. Ahem, AC4 Black Flag ↩
2. You can research about gun control in Japan ↩