Confinement King

「Saori-chan!」

I ran into the hospital room, gasping for air, and saw Saori-chan in her hospital gown on the bed.

「O-Onii-chan!? Y-You scared me!」

Her cheek is covered with gauze, but her expression is the same as usual.

「…Are you okay?」

「Yeah… just a few scratches… and a sprain. My ankle is sprained」

I let out a deep breath.

「Thanks goodness… oh, sorry. When I heard you were taken by ambulance, I was worried that you might have a bigger injury」

It was about 30 minutes ago, at a fast food restaurant in the shopping arcade in front of the station.

While I was feeding apple pie to Kei-chan, who was sitting on my lap, with Shiratori-san, my mother suddenly called me.

She told me that Saori-chan had been hit by a motorcycle.

And upon hearing of the hospital where she was hospitalized, I rushed out of the restaurant throwing Kei-chan onto a chair and rushed to the hospital. Fortunately, Saori-chan seemed fine.

Just as I am about to break down with relief, I finally notice another person beside the bed.

A girl in a school uniform. The color of her ribbon suggests that she is a first-year student.

Her bangs are pinned up with two hairpins, and her hair, which reaches her back, is tied up randomly at the back with a rubber band. She is small in stature but has a strong-willed face.

I don’t know if it’s appropriate to describe a girl like this, but the best way to describe her overall impression is “she looks quick”.

When her eyes met mine, she hurriedly bowed her head.

「G-Good evening! I-I’m Hanabusa. Saori and I have been friends since middle school…」

「Oh, Hi, I’m Kijima」

After the awkward introductions, she turns her head towards Saori-chan.

「Saori, is this him?」

「…Yeah」

Saori-chan smiled shyly as I tilted my head.

「I’ve been telling Ayame-chan about Onii-chan for some time…」

「I see. Anyway, I’m surprised to hear that you were taken to the hospital by ambulance」

「I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you… You were overreacting」

Saori-chan said with a wry smile, but Hanabusa-san shook her head.

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「No, it wasn’t an overreaction at all! Onii-san! Saori, she got hit by a motorcycle and was blown about ten meters!」

「Ten meters!」

「It’s a miracle that she escaped with such minor injuries!」

「Yeah, I guess I was lucky to have been hit by a soft spot on the motorcycle and a soft spot on the ground…」

（Where is the soft part of the motorcycle!?）

Saori-chan is smiling, but if Hanabusa-san is right, it’s really a miracle.

「By the way, where’s Obaa-san?」

「Well, my mother is going to be in the hospital today, and she’s going to get me a change of clothes」

After that, we waited for Saori-chan’s mother to arrive, and then Hanabusa-san and I left the hospital room.

「Well… I’m relieved it’s nothing serious. You called an ambulance for her, didn’t you? Thank you」

As we walked down the hospital corridor, I spoke to her and she looked a little troubled.

「Don’t thank me. To tell you the truth, I think that motorcycle might have been aimed at me and I might have gotten Saori into trouble」

「What do you mean?」

「I’m not sure what kind of motorcycle hit Saori, but I think it was a Harley. It was a big white motorcycle. After hitting Saori, the guy stopped the motorcycle for a moment and said, “Tsk, I messed up. It must have been the other one”」

「The other one…」

The one who’s not Saori-chan, in other words. That’s what I thought.

「Do you recall anything about it?」

「…I don’t remember anyone trying to kill me」

She’s hesitant to say it, and she says it in a very subtle way. But I felt it would be awkward to forcefully ask her.

After all, this is my first meeting with her.

「But you’d better be careful for a while. If you don’t mind, would you like to go to school with me and Saori-chan from Monday? Although I’m not much of a bodyguard. I mean, you two go to the same middle school, so your homes aren’t too far away, right?」

「Are you sure?」

「Yes, if it’s just a sprain, Saori-chan will be able to go to school on Monday… You can discuss the schedule with Saori-chan」

「But, aside from going to school, I’ll be late on the way home because of club activities…」

「Don’t worry about that either. I’m a member of the library committee. I’ll wait for you while reading a book」

It’s not that I don’t want to be bothered, but there’s no way I’m going to treat a weak girl like she’s none of my business.

Especially when it’s a dear friend of my cute sister.

（… Besides, there are plenty of people to keep me company while I wait…）

As I thought so, I smiled at her, and she nodded as if embarrassed.

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「…So, Saori was right」

「What do you mean?」

「Saori said that Onii-san is very kind」

She had the impression that I’m a nice, fresh boy.

And after taking a short detour to take her home, I returned home.

When I told my mother how Saori-chan was doing, she seemed relieved and immediately called Saori-chan’s mother.

After dinner, I return to my room, open the door, and step into “The Confinement King’s Bedroom”.

When I activated <Summon Slave>, Claudia appeared in a soggy sweatshirt, chewing on a bowl of mame daifuku.

「Hyo, hyoho, fuhiho! Hyuuhihyobira’s goin iiin!

「I don’t know what you’re talking about, you should eat before you talk…」

Claudia gulped and swallowed down the Daifuku, and made a frustrated sound.

「I said don’t summon me so suddenly!」

「I mean… you didn’t choke on it, did you?」

There’s a reason why I called Claudia. I’ve already forgotten a lot, but she’s a detective.

If I want her to find the idiots who injured Saori-chan, she’s the right person. That’s what I thought.

When I briefly told her what had happened, Claudia’s face twitched.

After all, Claudia is the one person who knows better than anyone that messing with Saori-chan is exactly the kind of thing that will get on my nerves.

「So… I have to make the culprit regret what the culprit was done… Can you identify where the culprit is?」

「Yes, I can」

Claudia nodded easily.

「Get the security camera images from the police. If it’s a white Harley, it’s easy to identify. Then we’ll know who the idiot is in about three days」

「Three days? Do it in a day」

「There it is again… Whenever Saori gets involved, my king changes his mind, he’s such a tyrant」

However, Claudia showed a hint of annoyance, and then pulled up her sweatshirt, showing me her breasts as she came at me.

「I’ll do my best, but you have to pay me in advance. Mas… ter…」

Really, the saint of the past is nowhere to be seen.

She’s just a woman who crazy about me.

「Yeah, well, I remembered that Claudia tried to hit Saori-chan with a metal ball and it pissed me off, so let’s play some intense torture and let’s begin!」

「Don’t begin there!」