The Darkness was Comfortable for me

TLN: Crap, tapped the publish in the wrong order.

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We can’t just stay in this place forever. Quite a lot of time is taken from the police coming over to investigate the case.

We can choose to participate or not, but even the act of refusing and driving them away was precious.

I entered Nanami-neesan’s room, and stood close to Nee-san who had her body lying there as if she were sleeping.

There’s already no signs of life. It had already changed into a body in the shape of Nee-san.

(Nanami-neesan…) (Celica)

Karen and I had already finished our farewells to this girl that had been practically a sister to us.

We were aware that it would be a farewell from this world, so Karen and I had already cried our eyes dry last night.

Kind, righteous, and at times strict. I don’t know how many times she has saved us in a different manner from our brother.

That’s why we invited her to become an accomplice in our life plan.

Karen and I liked Nee-san after all.

To think we would be bidding farewell twice to her. Even if it is a prank of fate, it is way too twisted.

“…We will definitely make the culprit pay. Also…we will definitely save Onii-chan too.” (Celica)

I whisper this and leave the room.

After confirming the situation on the scene, I told the TV crew members that I couldn’t stay here any longer because of the shock, and returned to my house.

…No, I have indeed received plenty of a shock. If Brother were here, I would have hugged him and bawled my eyes out, rampaging around for a whole day.

Nanami-neesan is no joke practically family, and if this hadn’t happened, we planned on having her become our true family.

But the situation didn’t give me time for pessimism.

“I am back.” (Celica)

“Celican… Why did it turn out like this…? What should I do…?” (Karen)

“Calm down. No, it is not possible to stay calm, but…we have no choice but to do what we can. How’s Onii-chan?” (Celica)

I returned to the room, and after giving a backward glance at my little sister who has her eyes nailed on the screen with a pale face and crying, I confirmed the situation of our brother.

“…I see, this is indeed bad.” (Celica)

The fortune within the misfortune is that Brother has quite a lot of points left. He can buy a Barrier Stone that lasts 12 hours for 1 point which can create a safe zone, but it simply allows to avoid dangerous situations and create time to rest his body. It was within the information disclosed beforehand, so there’s no doubt that’s the case.

It is without doubt overwhelming useful in this forest, but it can’t be used to get distance.

The Status Board is completely in isekai language.

Even the items, Earth can’t tell what they are.

There’s a lot of information, so it should be possible to get some progress in the translation of the letters in a few days.

Anyways, in the case of Nanami, she would have been done for the moment she met any monster.

And yet, he is 370km away from a human settlement.

Despite that, his attire is just a white gown. It seems like he used points to buy boots, but it is way too light equipment.

It is already quite the despairing situation even if we are optimistic here.

“Ce…Celican…” (Karen)

Karen was drenched in tears.

She must also understand what this situation implies.

We have already lost Sis.

If we were to lose our brother here as well, our life plan would be completely wiped out.

Our happiness is slipping away from our hands, and we would have no choice but to live on while leaning on each other.

Then…

If we don’t want that to happen, we have no choice but to do what we can.

(Sorry, Onii-chan.) (Celica)

“Karen, the culprit was caught on camera, right?” (Celica)

“Yeah, I analyzed it, and he is someone from Onii’s school. He is on social media, and has a lot of photos, so there’s no doubt-nii. Judging from the direction he ran off to, he must have gone back home.” (Karen)

“Gather up his information -like his address and a variety of other things.” (Celica)

“Doing it.” (Karen)

In the footage of the camera, there’s a man, who had a backpack and is of the same generation as our brother, going over the wall at the back and running away.

Normally, that’s completely suspicious, but because this is the day of the isekai transfer, and because the rain was falling strongly, he managed to run away.

With evidence remaining in this fashion, getting him arrested should be instant…if he were to get reported.

“So, what do we do? Report him?” (Karen)

“No.” (Celica)

“Why?” (Karen)

“…At this rate, Onii-chan will be thought of as the culprit. That’s why…we will leave it like that. More importantly, Karen, we are going out.” (Celica)

“Eh? Eh? Why? Where?” (Karen)

“To the place of grandfather.” (Celica)

Our grandfather on our father’s side only has interactions with us siblings.

He has broken off relations with our father, and it is not like we meet him often, but I have met him a number of times together with my brother to learn about society and when I have to ask him for things.

It seems like he likes Brother more than us, but that’s why grandfather should be cooperating here.

◇◆◆◆◇

After putting my change of clothes into the bag, Karen and I ran off from the house with our clothes just like that.

If we do this when the police have already arrived, it would be really difficult to avoid getting interrogated.

We are middle schoolers, so there’s the chance they would exempt us from it, but every second counted right now.

At the time when we left the house from the backdoor, the police still hadn’t arrived. We managed to not be found by the mass media and caught a taxi on the main street.

It is around 1 hour to our grandfather’s house.

Karen and I changed our drenched clothes inside the taxi (the driver seemed to be finding that incredibly uncomfortable), and at that time, we were confirming the state of our brother on the tablet with our heart racing, telling the members of the translation project and the video streaming site project that the main Chosen to follow has changed. There was an endless amount of things to do.

Of course, we want to check the situation of the other Chosen, and it is a situation where we wouldn’t have enough computer terminals no matter how many we had. We originally should have been at our own home putting our tools to full use in order to gather information, but seriously, why did it turn out this way?

“Onii-chan is doing unexpectedly well. He has a map, and as for monsters…none has shown for now. He should be able to manage…somehow, right?” (Karen)

“He has 19 points remaining for 373km, right? I don’t know…” (Celica)

A number of the items one can buy with points have been publicized beforehand.

Barrier Stones, potions, scrolls, maps, also equipment, and you can even increase your power.

But it is not like there’s something as powerful as turning yourself completely invincible or becoming immortal. If there were something like that, even Brother would have taken it.

In that case, the 12 hour shelter Barrier Stone will be the key to this.

I don’t think a power-up or an item that strengthens yourself will be enough to help him survive 373km.

“U-Uhm…is this place really okay…?”

“Yes, thank you very much.” (Celica)

We arrived at our location and we got down.

I have already contacted grandfather that we will be heading there right now. Well, we are innocent middle schoolers and, most of all, relatives. There should be no problem with coming without an appointment.

A stately mansion with soldiers surrounding it, and many security cameras set around.

The residence of the boss of a violent group called the Watarase Family. That’s the house of our grandfather.

Our family name Kurose comes from our mother. The circumstances of our household are complicated.

We rang the interphone, and told the young member that we have come to make our New Year greetings.

We had them open the gates, and Karen was clinging to my back fearfully as we entered. Karen is delicate unlike me and, in the first place, she hasn’t come to grandfather’s house as much as me. She must be scared with how this place screams of yakuza.

We may not be that intimate with them, but we are related by blood, so she can just act normally. The mafia is a thing that treasures the blood connections since way back after all.

“Ooh! Celica! Karen! Great to see you here!”

“Grandfather! Happy New Year!” (Celica)

“H-Happy New Year.” (Karen)

“Ooh, ooh. To think my grandchildren would come in the New Year, you really gotta live long.”

“You are not that old to say that, right~?” (Celica)

Grandfather hasn’t even reached 60 years old yet.

He is exercising every day, so his muscles and bones are sturdy, and he could even be mistaken for a 40 year old.

“Today we are going to be doing the New Year mochi pounding. We are also having the young ones prepare the banquet, so you came right on time. You are going to be eating, right? The mochi.”

Grandfather was innocently getting happy about the visit of his grandchildren.

Seeing that state of his, he doesn’t seem to know that Brother has been chosen to be transferred to the parallel world.

For the yakuza, a parallel world is like a dream, so it might not be much of an issue for them.

And the reality is that, even though you can already watch the isekai streams from the TVs, PCs, or smartphones, not a single member making preparations to pound mochi at the garden was watching that.

…Well, they seem to be in the middle of work, so that might be natural though.

“Sorry, Grandfather. Today we have to return as soon as possible… It is about Onii-chan.” (Celica)

“Hikaru…? Now that you mention it, you said you couldn’t come today. Did something happen?”

“Yeah. And so, we have something really important to request of you.” (Celica)

“Request, huh… Got it. Wait at the guest room.”

Our grandfather welcomed us with open arms, but the moment I said ‘request’, his expression made a complete turn.

All the times I made ‘requests’ here, they would always be morally gray matters that a normal child wouldn’t ask for.

And in reality, the request this time around can’t even be called gray, but the blackest of the black -a pitch black request.

There’s no doubt he perceived the scent of that.

The living room of this house has quite the bad taste, and the table for the representative seat is one I haven’t seen anywhere else aside from this house. The furniture decorating this place are most likely from famous artisans.

Brother said that, before, there were several stuffed animals placed around.

Maybe it is the dredges of that, but I was a bit apprehensive about stepping on the Siberian tiger rug at my feet.

“…And so, what’s this about Hikaru?”

He most likely told the henchmen to not get close to the guest room.

Grandfather came in a bit later and sat at the sofa.

“For now, I would like you to watch this.” (Celica)

I take out the tablet and show my grandfather.

In the screen, there’s Brother running inside a forest while paying attention to his surroundings.

“What’s the meaning of this? Explain it in a way that I can understand.”

He asked with sharp eyes.