Monogatari Series - Volume 23 - Chapter 1.31

031

Kagenui-san’s personal grudge probably wasn’t something that other people should be prying into, so let’s return to the main subject. Although the main subject was a ghost story with intense pressure. But anyway, back to the main subject.

The risk of intruding into her private life had been clearly demonstrated, and Gaen-san, who had hinted at it, didn’t dare tell me the details of her past—perhaps she’d let it slip after being embroiled in the high school girls’ darkness.

Speaking of being embroiled, it seemed that the reason Gaen-san associated the initials “F C” with the members of the girls’ basketball team was not only because of the alphabet strap, but because she’d looked into the darkness of the club displayed on Kanguu Misago-chan’s cell phone and had been influenced by it (it seemed she even considered the possibility that, in her dazed state, Kanguu-chan thought she could pin the crime on a team member that she had some friction with). But in the register, there was no one with those initials—and, as long as there was no initial for a middle name included, it likely wasn’t the vampire’s signature, either.

Before expanding our reach to the OG girls, one more possibility came to my mind.

“What if these aren’t initials, but an abbreviation for something in English?”

“Abbreviation? …In other words, something other than a person’s name?”

Normally, Gaen-san would have come up with something in an instant, but at the moment, she’d been caught up in the murky mires of those high school girls… And it could be even more damaging to her as an adult.

I’ve learned that the private life of others is nothing but poison.

“It probably isn’t ‘franchise (FC)’—then maybe it’s something like ‘football club (FC)’?”

It seemed appropriate.

First a basketball team, now a football club.

It also wasn’t impossible to interpret it as a franchise of making vampire thralls, forced as it was—but there was no need to twist it that much.

But before we went to Naoetsu High’s soccer team, we couldn’t forget the other organization in that high school that we should consider.

“‘Fan club (FC)’.”

“Hm?”

“There was something like that. In the past—well, it wasn’t that far in the past—an unofficial fan club for the superstar Kanbaru Suruga.”

It was an organization separate from the girls’ basketball team, yet was an organization that was strongly influenced by Kanbaru, in a way different from the girls’ basketball team.

It was something that came to mind after thinking that all the mummies’ hairstyles were the same—let’s see, as I recall, that fan club’s name was “Kanbaru Soeurs”?

“What’s that? Is it something like the Rukawa Kaede Imperial Guard?”

“Exactly. But somehow they ended up getting involved with me and I forced them into disbanding—”

“That’s something really scary you’re saying as just an introduction, Koyomin. Forced them into disbanding. You really are a delinquent like the rumors say, aren’tcha?”

“I think the remnants of that fan club could be related to this case.”

As much as the hypothesis that there was a vampire among the girls’ basketball team members was incredible to believe, the possibility that there was a vampire mixed in with Kanbaru Suruga’s fan club was just as ridiculous.

But we weren’t in a situation where we could afford not to consider ridiculous possibilities just because they were ridiculous.

“That’s a fact that this onee-san that knows everything didn’t exactly need to know. Ah, yes, but my dear sister had a cheerleading squad like that when she was in high school, too.”

“It doesn’t seem like it will have much of a connection, but I suppose I should do something now that I’ve thought of it. She wasn’t a member of the fan club herself, but my little sister is pretty close with that organization, so I’ll look into it just a teeny bit.”

“Your little sister?”

I looked at Gaen-san’s clouded expression.

“My little sister (the bigger one),” I amended.

After hearing that, Gaen-san seemed to relax, smiling.

“You mean Karen-chan. Okay, do as you see fit. But, out of concern—from this old lady’s point of view—please don’t bring Tsukihi-chan into this. Of course, Koyomin, you were originally the one who said you didn’t want to cause trouble for your family, but even discounting the thing with Yozuru, things that go well just don’t go well when Tsukihi-chan is involved.”

She’s talking about you in a pretty amazing way, my little sister (the smaller one).

“And, I apologize for the late report, but Shinobu laid out some conditions for her cooperation in Suicidemaster’s interrogation.”

I presented an outline of the master-servant reversal to Gaen-san. Even though the plan seemed like it would be laughable regardless of the time, place, or occasion…

“Right, that sounds good.”

I received the commander’s approval.

Of course, she didn’t say anything like “I’ll do it, too! Let me be a slave, too!”

“Although, rather than an interrogation, it’s practically an undercover operation at this point—but if Suicidemaster mistakenly sees that Shinobu-chan is doing well in this country, then she might end up chattering away without any caution.”

Mistakenly. Well, she would certainly be mistaken.

Rather than “doing well”, she’d been on the verge of being exterminated, on the verge of being killed, and on the verge of death, and in the end failed to die, turned into a little girl, and then ended up sealed in a teenager’s shadow.

At any rate, seeing as I’d gotten the go-ahead to put the plan into action, it was inevitable—I wasn’t sure if I could pull off the part of a slave, but I would do what I could.

“In that case, even if it didn’t have to do with the fan club, I figure I should have a proper discussion with Kanbaru about this, but is there anything I should be careful about when talking to her? The situation has completely changed from yesterday.”

“Something to be careful about… I’d like it if you could avoid the storm entirely. I know you might feel a sense of duty, but don’t go poking your nose into the murky depths of your juniors.”

Her advice was not as a specialist but as a person with more seniority in life, but I wanted Kanbaru, too, to follow these words of Gaen-san, who was called a senior by various people.

Even if I couldn’t mention Gaen-san’s name.

Even if I doubted that Kanbaru would actually follow them.

“I’ll stay at this hospital and do my best with the cell phone analysis while waiting for a report from the search party and preparing for the night.”

“I’ll meet up with Karen-chan and Kanbaru, and if I have some spare time I’ll go drop in on Oikura.”

“Putting aside your childhood friend, when it comes to your little sister and Suruga, there’s no need to wait until they come back from school. Koyomin, I think you should go back home at least once for a nap. Though I know all-nighters aren’t hard on you thanks to your vampire constitution, you must still be at your limit, right?”

That was true.

Thinking about it, vampires, being nocturnal, did go to sleep in the daytime… Just as Shinobu was doing right now.

The truth was, I’d been working out a plan to drop in on Oikura’s place until school let out for the day, but it seemed I’d have to abandon that idea.

Even sleeping was work.

Well, if it was around this time, that mathematics maniac was probably in class, too…

“Ah. I know. I’ll split the difference and go to Oikura’s place to sleep. I have a spare key, after all.”

“Childhood friendships are pretty hard for other people to pry into, huh.”