Returning to the Uesugi house is not a haven from the wind, but the beginning of another battlefield.

After having dinner, Ziongzong was in his room apprehensively thinking about the point of time, place, entry point, and point of survival for the strike.

According to Ziongzong's plan, he had to confess tonight to Yui Uesugi that he had joined the new Kyudo club.

But this was destined to be a tangled matter with an uncertain future. After trekking through mountains and hills, Ziongzong finally reached the door of Uesugi Yui's room, ......, after a thousand hardships.

The door of the room is open, inside the light shows that there are people inside., Out of a million helpless as well as aggrieved, Ziongzong gritted his teeth with tears to throw his wallet into the her room.

This is now riding the tiger.

He had deliberately asked for it.

"I'm sorry, Yui-san, I came in to pick up my wallet.

"Well, it's okay."

Uesugi Yui was doing her homework, with her back to Ziongzong. Even after taking a shower, she wouldn't put her shawl on, she would tie her hair up properly, looking full of spirit and action.

Ziongzong really wanted to just smell the faint scent of Yui's shower gel and stay the whole night.

Of course, this look is too perverted, neither Ziongzong, nor Ziongzong's uncle heart, has such a consciousness to make people look at it.

"I'm joining the club, sister Yui. "

Finally, the words came out.

Even Ziongzong was surprised that he could say it so calmly, but it didn't seem like he had hesitated for a long time.

"Yes, which club did you join?"

Ziongzong, who was caught up in various extreme emotions, didn't notice the indifference in Yui's tone at that moment.

"It's the Kyudo Club. It's a new Kyudo Club founded by Ito-Tomono I didn't know at that time that you had already joined the Kyudo club ......"

"It's okay, it's fine.

Yui interrupted Ziongzong's attempt to explain.

"After this year, I will no longer be the president of the club. Tomono is a good leader, and her Kyudo skills have a lot of potential.

" ...... is it?"

"Well, here, here's your wallet."

Yui purposely left her/ seat, helped Ziongzong pick up his wallet, and slipped it into his hand.

"Hurry up and study, it's late."

''Well, I'll go to my room then, Yui-san.''

Yui's smile made Ziongzong feel more relaxed.

After Ziongzong left, Yui's hand, holding the pen, still couldn't write a single word, and the book didn't turn a page.

She just sat like this, remembering something, fuming, feeling in a strange mood.

--I heard about you joining Tomono's Kyudo club that day.

The following day's class was as overwhelmingly annoying to Ziongzong as he expected.

He had solved most of the problems he had caused at the beginning, and his part-time job was fine, but the fact that he had been humiliated in the park like that was something he could never let go of.

The geography teacher was talking about all kinds of awkward place names at the podium.

It was already difficult to learn place names in Chinese.

Now, listening to Japanese, which was not his native language, the lesson was just firewood to add to Ziongzong's irritation.

"The Peruvian fishing grounds are different from other famous fishing grounds in the world, not by the confluence of hot and cold ocean currents, but due to the Peruvian upwelling ......"

- What does fishing grounds or whatever have to do with me... ...

The automatic pencil shakes irregularly in Ziongzong's hand, leaving a track or two on the textbook every now and then.

"Ding~~dong~~ding~dong~"

As the bell rang, Ziongzong snapped his geography textbook , even though the teacher's lecture hadn't stopped, and the consequence of doing so was receiving a displeased look from the geography teacher.

-- I'm sorry, but I can't listen to it, so I'll do something else

Ziongzong stood up from his seat and looked at the sky in the distance to change his mood. The geography teacher had to hold back his displeasure and walked out of the classroom because the bell had already rung.

Although delaying the class was unpaid overtime, it was better to stop it for the sake of each other's health.

"Uesugi!"

Ziongzong hadn't even turned his head when a hand was placed on his shoulder. In the current class, the only person who could do that to Ziongzong naturally was Eiji Hayamizu.

"What is it? "

"Let's go, let's go to the toilet."

"Can't you go alone at ......?"

"What are you talking about? Going to the bathroom together is a proof of friendship between men, isn't it?"

Why is this proof of friendship in such a filthy place?

"Go alone, I don't want to go now."

"Go, go, go. You'll feel it when you go in."

"......"

Ziongzong couldn't find a place to say anything for a while.

It seems that there is a biological knowledge called conditioned reflex or something.

"Let's go! "

Eiji Hayamizu took Ziongzong's hand and tried to drag him away, but Ziongzong's feet were firmly planted on the ground.

"There is something to say here."

"...... Do you have an inferiority complex in that area? "

"You have an inferiority complex."

"Don't get so excited, I won't say anything."

This guy is getting ahead of himself.

"If you don't know what to do, I'll tell what I saw yesterday."

The bad quality of the relationship should be nipped in the bud like this.

Ziongzong is referring to the incident where Eiji Hayamizu made out with a girl from another school outside the school.

"I'm sorry ...... I was wrong."

--That was an accidental catch of death.

Eiji Hayamizu was crushed by these words.

"Tell me, what do you want from me?"

"...... Actually, it's not a big deal."

The Eiji Hayamizu unobtrusively looked around, then like Ziongzong looked out the window, lowered his voice and began to speak.

"Yesterday, after school, I wandered around for a long time because I was bored, and finally I walked into a park without realizing it. "

"And then, I saw a little girl crying ......"

--Park ...... little girl ...... crying ......

Ziongzong probably guessed what was going on, just because he went there himself and didn't find it, felt a little strange.

"It was a cute little girl with two ponytails."

--Then one of her hair ties was missing.

"But one of the hairbands was blown into the tree."

--So you were just as silly as I was. ......

"So I climbed up the tree to get it for her."

--Then you were just as miserable as I was.

"By the time I came down she was gone."

"What are you going to have for lunch, Eiji Hayamizu?"

"Eh? Why are you asking me that all of a sudden? "

"I'm just curious why you're talking to me about this."

"Because I thought you were walking in the same area ......"

"So you thought I might have seen that little girl, right?"

"Yes."

The Eiji Hayamizu paused for a moment and then said with a bit of distress.

"I lost the money in my wallet."

"......"

"It's not very nice to say that. ......"

"I think that little girl took it."

--You don't seem too stupid.

"And then what?"

"Do you have any idea?"

"No, I don't."

Ziongzong denied it neatly.

"I'll ask someone else."

"Wait, Eiji Hayamizu."

Ziongzong stopped him, of course, not to confess to him.

"If you catch that little girl, don't do anything too much. "

"What are you talking about, Uesugi?"

"Huh?"

"I'm always very gentle with women."

--I didn't know he had such a wide hunting range.

"By the way, that's..."

"What?"

"Don't you have to go to the bathroom?"

"Ah! ...... uh, seems to be holding back.''

Although Eiji Hayamizu's appearance is among the best of the best, the best of the best, the mind, most of the time, is just a decoration.

Ziongzong feels that God is fair, at this moment.

And the God who lives in the west, who takes a bite of every apple he likes, this practice is really the first step towards equality.

The afternoon session continued.

Ziongzong's plan also turned a new page.

His previous guesses were overturned, and he started the day's action directly with the premise that "Two Ponytails"was one of the perpetrators.

Although, although, although Ziongzong is not a person who takes money very seriously. However, the hunger resentment is very powerful.

-- actually after cheating me, and then continue to commit the crime, no matter what the reason, this girl, is a little too much.

--And it would be disgraceful if he found out that I was one of the fools when he caught the girl before me .

"The shape of a crawler is like a broken boot, and it is a single-celled organism. "

Ziongzong's ears automatically block out the contents of biology lessons so that they don't get mixed up in some nonsense when thinking about it. The amoeba, the amoeba, and so on.

Yesterday's squatting failed because of the stupidity of grabbing the same tree and not letting go of it, and the deeper reason is that Ziongzong felt that such a crime simply would not occur a second time in the same area.

He didn't expect the little sister with the twin ponytails to repeat her trick by simply changing the tree.

Whether for the sake of the silver he once had, or for the future flower of a certain country, Ziongzong had to go.

--Be aware of this, ponytail who cheats my heart!

"Please note the structure of the grassworm, which has a flagellum here ......"

The biology teacher was on the podium, explaining the grassworm that can neither be eaten nor used as a pet.

The thoughts of Ziongzong were all focused on the twin ponytails that had taken his lunch for a month. With her height, and physique, it would be impossible to tie a hairband to a banyan tree that high.

In other words, she had accomplices.

So, thoughts naturally chain to the gang that uses children to commit crimes.

-- So, should I call the police?

Outside the window, the sun had strayed from mid-day and was hovering between the clouds. The crispness of autumn can be irritating at times. When you look at the unreachable blue sky, you always feel small and powerless.

--Or I should not call the police?

Ziongzong decided to check out the situation first and call the police only as a last resort. It would be cruel to let a child approach the police as a criminal, no matter how you think about it.

"So, that's it for today's lesson."

Ziongzong quickly stuffed his books into his bag and walked out of the classroom. He left the school without looking back and went straight to the park.

It was still early, so Ziongzong carefully examined the entire park structure, he needed a way to monitor the whole situation without being detected.

The park is a square hexagonal structure, with the center as the origin to the various vertices of the square hexagon to pull out a road leading to six exits, and thus divided into six areas planted with flowers and trees for people to play, and in the center is a huge flower garden.

-- It's hard to ...... There's no visual way to do this.

There is no way to monitor all six entrances and exits at the same time, which means there is no way to know if the double ponytail has entered the park, as well as no way to know where she has gone, and in this case, simply patrolling doesn't make much sense.

Ziongzong realized that this method had come to a dead end, so he decided to find his way in a different form, which is to think differently.

---If I were the little sister with the twin ponytails.

"......"

Ziongzong lifted his head, looked at the direction of the sun, and seemed to have a clue.

Then, he made a decision and ran away, bought six balloons from a balloon vendor in the center of the park, and then set up a small mechanism at each of the six entrances and exits with a thin, invisible string that would make the balloons fly up once someone entered.

Ziongzong then returned to the center of the park, found a bench to sit down, looking up at the sky, three hundred and sixty degrees to confirm the situation.

Ziongzong just transposed what came to mind, is the identity of the other party.

At that age, the possibility of being an elementary school student is very high, which means that the other party left school early, and in the elementary school students after school to adults from work, which is actually a vacuum of activity, almost no one will come to the park, instead of aimless patrol, Ziongzong decided to use this method to play a gamble.

His gamble, in addition to himself and the balloon seller uncle, the next person to enter the park, will be the two ponytails.

--The rest is just a matter of waiting.

The balloon-selling uncle, who was bored, came over to Ziongzong to talk to him, and from the conversation, he learned that according to his usual experience, no one would appear at this point in time.

So, Ziongzong would like to spit him out, since no one, then he still came to sell what.

In addition, Ziongzong would like to ask him if he has been cheated by a little sister with two ponytails.

But these words, Ziongzong did not say.

Because, in the corner of the sky, a balloon is flying to the sky at a fast speed.

---Six o'clock.

-- Is it a jackpot, or a consolation prize ......?

Ziongzong didn't even have time to say goodbye to the uncle before he rushed at full horsepower to the entrance and exit where the balloon was rising, and it didn't take much effort before he spotted the petite figure under a tree.

--As I wish

Ziongzong was so excited that he almost didn't rush up and cach the double ponytail in his arms.

Of course, he didn't do it.

Out of curiosity, Ziongzong did not immediately grab her, but hid on the sidelines and observed her behavior.

Although the plan, whatever, was decided, but to really board up against a small child, for Ziongzong still need a little mental preparation.

The children in the orphanage were so well behaved that he never had the opportunity to teach them a lesson.

In essence, Ziongzong has a sense of guilt for bullying the weak with the strong.

That said, in contradiction to this bold approach, she instead picked a safe place to commit her crime, because one would think that there is no fool in the world who would commit the crime again in the same place.

While observing her, Ziongzong thought back to her acting yesterday, which was not usually realistic.

--If it really is a criminal gang ......

it is not wise for one person to investigate deeply, leave it to the police.

Only, this time, the amount of information has Ziongzong felt something unexpected. The two-ponytailed little sister is carrying a school bag over, and, the bag also pinned on the school badge.

-- If I remember correctly, it was the school badge of the city elementary school.

In other words, the twin ponytails and Yuuki were in the same school, and what was a one-way street became complicated all of a sudden.

Because it was simply inferred from the crime cases seen in various media, making Ziongzong too preconceived.

--considered too simply.

The two ponytails put their school bags in the grass and stood under the banyan tree, from that place, it seemed that they could see the entrance and exit of the park at the same time.

Ziongzong and her, together, quietly waited for a third person other than them to walk into this park.

Ziongzong felt nauseous, the two ponytails actually smiled and looked around easily, could she drop tears for three seconds, no, three seconds to cry out loud?

Twenty minutes later, still no one else came in.

It was a weekday, or 4:00 pm, students have club activities, adults are still at work, may enter the park, really very few people.

-- I am not waiting anymore

Ziongzong held his breath and waited for the opportunity to come.

Finally, Ziongzong waited for the moment when the twin ponytails turned their backs on him.

"Little sister."

Ziongzong seized the opportunity and sneaked out from the shadows of the trees and walked behind Twin Ponytail without making a sound, followed by a 'greeting' without missing a beat.

"Ah!"

She managed to startle her.

"Do you remember me?"

-- Although I don't want to spit on myself, this line is too much like a bad guy.

"One of ......'s most recent big brothers!"

---You still remember me, I see.

--But the "one" ......

"Remember me."

"I apologize if I'm wrong. Did you take the money in my wallet? "

Ziongzong stood still, expressionless, in an effort to increase his level of authority to contain the other side.

Only ......

the two ponytails blinked with an innocent face and simple innocence, and then ...... she nodded her head.

"Well, yes."

"......"

...... admitted it with unexpected alacrity!!!

"Anything else, big brother? "

Now, she can still look innocent and guilt-free.

--Is this really acting?

--Or does she not think it's a crime?

"Can you give me back my money?"

Because of her innocence, or at least the appearance of innocence, Ziongzong could not use a strong tone and unconsciously became euphemistic.

"Well, yes."

--No.

"I left my money in my school bag, can you let me go and get it? "

She pointed her finger at the grass behind Ziongzong.

The reason Ziongzong chose to stand in this place was to prevent her from taking the bag and escaping.

But right now, she doesn't seem to have any desire to escape.

And it's just a kid. It's too much for a junior high school boy to outrun an elementary school girl.

"Well, go get it."

Ziongzong moved out of the way, but kept her within two steps of him.

It wasn't so bad that she could get away, but Ziongzong would be in trouble if she ran outside the park.

A junior high school boy chasing an elementary school girl, whoever else would not hesitate to help that elementary school girl, right?

"Big brother, here's your money."

The two ponytails were holding a notebook with some numbers written on it.

--Criminal record?

---Take my lunch money first.

"Did you meet a handsome older brother yesterday? "

Ziongzong had no choice but to verbally acknowledge Eiji Hayamizu's appearance for the first time.

"...... Well ...... yes."

"Can you give me back his money too? "

"Hmm."

The two-ponytail browsed through the notebook, then counted out the bills from her purse.

--Why is she so unfazed?

--It's like being recognized and getting the money back all the time.

Ziongzong hesitated a bit, not knowing what to do next.

--It's not possible to just get the money back and be done with it.

--Too complex.

All in all, her composure had to be broken first.

From the beginning of the negotiation until now, she had not broken anything, so if she continued like this, it would only be a hasty matter.

"Here you go, big brother. "

The two ponytails took the money in both hands and handed it to Ziongzong respectfully.

Ziongzong reached out and took the end of the money.

"Big brother, will you let me go if I give you this money? "

The two ponytails suddenly shouted these words with a very, very, very loud volume.

-- What the hell, all of a sudden.

Ziongzong saw a treacherous glow in her gaze.

-- Could it be ......!!!

Ziongzong snapped his head around and found two or three junior high school girls walking together in pairs not far behind him.

And at that moment, their eyes were pointed sharply at Ziongzong.

A junior high school boy wanted to plot against an elementary school girl, and the elementary school girl wanted to use money to save herself ......

In their opinion, that's what happened, right?

--Not so, right? ！！！！！ !

Ziongzong's mind couldn't function at once.

"Big brother, will you let me go if I give you this money? "

Before Ziongzong could get back to his senses, the two ponytails repeated loudly again.

"Please, don't do that to me ...... I'm still young ......"

just like nothing, the twin ponytails have been in tears, crying sobs.

The passage of time, at this point slowed down by a beat and a half.

Originally just to cross the park a few girls, the footsteps have slowed down.

And at that moment, Ziongzong and twin ponytails, are each holding the ends of the money.

--To escape?

Only, if you leave here, the position will be completely reversed.

"Big brother ...... don't ......"

The realistic acting continues.

The simple face is filled with fear and sadness at this time.

Even Ziongzong, who was the victim, unconsciously felt a hint of pity.

--To escape?

I always feel that if I give up here, there won't be a next time.

The trembling eyes, the tender arms, the expression that makes people want to protect.

The two hands grasping the money, white and young, compared to the coarse and dirty.

The daylight, a large and a small two figures, and several figures in the approach.

The sinking descending sun, in mid-air, mocked my situation at this time.

--Do you want to escape?

--I really don't want to.

--But, there is no way to recover the situation.

The two ponytails have the absolute advantage in terms of position.

-- Damn ...... Why is it that the strength and weakness of this century is always easy to be judged by first impressions?

But even Ziongzong himself, can't get rid of this inertia.

--no matter what, it's me who loses?!

--This girl, at all, doesn't follow the usual rules.

Ziongzong, who had been following the conventional way of thinking about this matter, fell into an extreme passivity.

This two-ponytailed girl was far more cunning than Ziongzong had imagined, and treating her only as an elementary school girl was the biggest mistake Ziongzong had made.

"Please, please ...... Big brother ......"

--To run away?

---You're kidding.

"I'm sorry for scaring you."

Ziongzong easily snatched the money with a little force, then blocked the twin ponytails with his own body, faced the junior high school girls who approached him head-on, and began his performance in a gentle, polite tone.

"She is my sister, she has some mental problems and is in the recovery stage. "

Because of the very formal tone and sincere attitude, Ziongzong's clean appearance also came in handy at this moment, although not as good as Eiji Hayamizu, but at the very least, he did not look like a kidnapper.

Combining these factors, Ziongzong succeeded in confusing the people approaching, and seizing this opportunity,

"Sister, you forgot to take your medicine again, oh, hurry home. "

Without giving the two ponytails any time to react, Ziongzong picked her up by the waist with one hand, grabbed her school bag with the other, and walked through the girls with a flying gait.

"Sorry for the trouble. "

Throwing down these words, Ziongzong dashed away and took off.

This was probably the behavior of a forcible abductor.

As Ziongzong expected, no one came after him.

After all, it's just a few junior high school girls, and it's definitely a minority of a minority to be involved in a deep chase for a stranger.

To avoid trouble, Ziongzong didn't actually run out of the park.

Just a small circle, looking for another, more isolated corner.

The two ponytails were still fluttering desperately, while opening her mouth wide and crying out for help.

Throwing her school bag to the ground, Ziongzong used her free hand to seal her mouth shut, finally silencing her.

The struggle didn't stop, though.

Not to mention the little legs kicking around, and the two little hands scratching around, which at some point had made three or four buttons on Ziongzong's shirt go missing.

If you let her go, you will definitely attract trouble.

However, the current situation is also very embarrassing.

-- Better put her down first.

Ziongzong had one hand on the back of her head and one hand over her mouth. Although her limbs were free, Ziongzong had the advantage in size, so she couldn't do anything.

'Calm down, okay? I don't mean to hurt you.'

"Well ......"

"Calm down? "

"Well ......"

"So I'll let go?

"Uh-huh."

Ziongzong moved his hand away a little ......

"Help ...... woo woo woo woo!!!"

Just let go and started shouting.

You are a child who can't relax even a little bit.

"What do you need to do to calmly talk to me? "

"......"

"Tell me your conditions."

"......"

began to be silent, but yes, Ziongzong was covering her mouth.

"Answer with a nod and a shake of the head."

"......" (nodding)

"Do you want your money back?"

"......" (shaking her head)

It was a bit surprising to Ziongzong.

"You still want me to let you go?"

"......" (nodding)

"Don't worry, I won't hold you."

"I just want to ask you something, and then I'll let you go."

"......"

A puzzled look appeared on the face of the two ponytails.

"I won't call the police, nor will I notify your parents, believe me. "

The original puzzled face now showed a gray expression.

It was different from the innocent or crying expression of a moment ago, which made Ziongzong's heart feel uncomfortable.

It was just a gray expression, but it made him shake a little.

"What's wrong?"

She shook her head and expelled the grayness from her face.

"Then, I'll let go. "

For some reason, Ziongzong had the feeling that she was willing to cooperate with him, so he withdrew both hands from her head without any fear.

"Hoo ......"

Like a person who has been diving for too long and is deprived of oxygen, she exaggeratedly, breathed heavily.

--I obviously didn't block her nostrils ......

"Wait a minute. "

She gave Ziongzong a look and then started to straighten her messy clothes, which had been pulled on her body because of the series of movements just now.

It was probably the feeling of disheveled clothes.

"Well ...... don't you want to tidy up? "

She pointed her finger at Ziongzong's shirt.

"Or do you like this sassy look? "

The wording of this double ponytail was really unconventional.

Indeed, because of the missing buttons and her desperate struggle, Ziongzong's shirt was already a bit unclothed.

"......"

Ziongzong gave a dry cough, and straightened his shirt to cover up his exposed chest and abdomen.

"So you don't like to be flirty."

--Crap.

"By the way, I'd like to commend you."

"What?"

"I don't like to be pinned down, but you're so gentle."

"Huh?"

"It's the force... I don't feel any pain on my face, waist, or where you grabbed me... ......"

The two ponytails took out a small mirror from somewhere and looked at themselves.

"There are no red marks from the pressure either. "

"Oh ......"

because the other party is a child, Ziongzong subconsciously control the force.

"Tell me, what do you want as a reward?"

"Uh ...... No."

--no, the conversation was completely pulled by her.

--I feel like I've come full circle and I'm back to the situation I was in when we met.

The two ponytails are back to being the calm, adaptable little girl.

--I'd like to find a way to confuse her mind.

--Otherwise, it would be difficult for me to do this without any problems.

"Why do you want to do something like this? "

"Because I need money."

"Is there no other way to get it?"

"I can't think of any. ......"

"Did you put that hairband on the tree yourself?"

"No."

--An accomplice?

"Is that?"

"It was there. ...... "

"Eh?"

"Look at it yourself, there are many more ......"

Ziongzong looked in the direction of her finger, indeed ...... it was not easy to see from the angle under the banyan tree, but now it is clear... ...In the park, there are several individual trees with red ribbons hanging from them, only they are hidden deep in the canopy, so you can't really tell without looking closely.

--What is this, a custom?

"So you wore a red hair ribbon on purpose and tied one less on purpose?

"No. ......"

"What's that?"

"I was wearing a red hair ribbon, and the one that was missing was on the tree."

--You're still trying to fool me now?

"How did you get it on?"

"By the wind......"

- Okay.

Ziongzong didn't know whether to believe her or not.

After all, the money she obtained through the 'crime' was kept by herself, judging from the action just now, and if it was really a criminal gang, it was impossible to let the money stay in her possession.

The previous guesses about the two ponytails all have to be overturned, let's start over.

Ziongzong wondered if it would be better to change the role of the elder with a serious voice.

"Let's sit down and talk."

Ziongzong took the two ponytails to a park bench and handed her a bottle of mineral water from her school bag.

"Oh, thank you."

The two ponytails opened their mouths and gulped it up. She must have been thirsty after all the talking and screaming and struggling from a while ago.

Unknowingly, the sun has set over the treetops, with pets out for a walk, housewives out to play with their children, and the park is gradually becoming more and more crowded.

Fortunately, Ziongzong could now communicate normally with the twin ponytails.

"My name is Ziongzong Uesugi, what's yours?

"Gollum ...... weird name."

"Don't drink water and talk at the same time ......"

"Well ...... grunt ...... I'm Mizuo."

--Mizuo? I think that's the name.

The two ponytails talk while drinking water, making it hard to identify.

"What's your last name?"

"Koga."

--Mizuo Koga.

"Mizuo is still in elementary school, right?"

--I think we can get closer by calling her by her first name.

Also, instead of asking her 'still in elementary school,' it was 'still in elementary school,' because the former would inadvertently turn into an answer about her age, while the latter would confirm whether her schoolwork, i.e. her living situation, was still normal.

Until he saw her in the afternoon, Ziongzong had thought that she should be a child who was not in school and was being used by a criminal gang.

"Well ......."

"At the city elementary school?"

"Gollum ...... How did you get to know?"

"I just saw your school badge, you must be in Primary 6 this year."

"Don't think you can look down on me just because you're a junior high school student! "

Mizuo's mouth puckered up in dissatisfaction.

--I didn't mean that either ......

However, Mizuo is not only in the same elementary school as Yuuki, but also in the same grade, so things are much better.

"Do you think there's not enough money for Mizuo? "

The sudden change of topic was intended to have an unexpected effect.

"Uh...... right. "

"Does Mizuo's wind-blown hairband have any characteristics? "

"Well ...... has a white four-leaf clover pattern in the middle."

--white four-leaf clover pattern? ......

Ziongzong pulled out a red hairband from his pocket, which he had climbed up a tree to get the day before yesterday.

"Is it this one?"

In the middle of the hairband, there was just a white four-leaf clover pattern.

"Well ...... thank you."

"No need to say thank you, why don't you ask your mom and dad for money instead of this? "

Actually, Ziongzong didn't want to ask this question.

"My family is rather poor."

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked."

But sometimes, just because you don't want to do something doesn't mean you can't do it.

When answering this question, Mizuo was much more forthcoming than Ziongzong thought.

--This kid ......

"What kind of people are Mizuo's parents? "

"Hmm ...... Dad works a lot and mom is a wise housewife."

She said it with an open face, not looking like she was knitting it up.

"That's right."

--sounds reasonable.

"Why does Mizuo think she doesn't have enough money?"

Elementary school students are supposed to have very low spending, so even if they don't have pocket money, they can still live happily.

"Because Mizuo likes to eat snacks very much."

--Just to eat snacks, you'd do something like that?

"Mizuo doesn't have any pocket money, right? "

"Yes."

"Mizuo, do you know that this is wrong?"

"Doing what?"

"It's taking someone's money without permission."

"I know."

She really knows it's a crime?

"Then why did you do it?"

"Because I need money."

--No, you can't communicate.

"Even though you're a minor, if you're caught, you'll be taken to the police, aren't you afraid? "

"Yes."

"Then don't do it again."

"I don't think I'll get caught."

"Why do you say that?"

"Will you call the police to arrest me, Uesugi?"

"......"

These two ponytails are surprisingly perceptive.

"I wouldn't do that, but there's always someone ruthless, isn't there? "

Somehow, the person who stopped Mizuo's crime has changed from the righteous side to the ruthless one ......

"Goo ...... is right. "

"So, don't do it anymore, okay? "

"I'm embarrassed by your sudden advice ......"

- Don't take your "crime" for granted!

"I'll do it this way."

Mizuo's hands, snapped in a high five.

"I need snacks, so I need money, but I have no other way to get money, and you don't want me to get money through this current way ......"

"So what? "

"So ...... Well ...... then you feed me?"

Ziongzong felt he had been tricked into an elaborate trap.

--Why should I be responsible for the reason that you had to commit a crime?

--Why should I sacrifice my lunch money for a double ponytail snack?

"Well ...... your face is so ugly. "

Mizuo poked Ziongzong's cheek with her tiny finger.

---I've been showing my displeasure without even thinking about it, and I've been hiding it well until just now ......

"It's true, it's impossible for a junior high school student like you to support a schoolboy like me who has neither beauty nor figure. "

No, it's definitely not going to be something like "adoption".

"I'll do it this way. "

The two ponytails said shyly, her cheeks blushing slightly.

"I'll let you see my underwear once a day in exchange. "

Mizuo's young hands, with some hesitation, pulled up the hem of her skirt, and the corner of her white panties gradually emerged.

"Who wants to see it? "

Ziongzong pulled her hand off the hem of her skirt before the full view of the bear's panties was exposed to Ziongzong's eyes.

"Wow, you're hurting my pride! "

--How is this related to self-esteem ......

"Is my bear panties so unattractive? "

Please don't say such a shy line with a straight face.

"I thought I could awaken your inner lolicon...... "

Mizuo lamented in frustration.

What is lolicon, that is the first step to crime!

-- No, Ziongzong you have to calm down!

-- How can a mere bear panty shake your heart!

--You are a health junior boy, Ziongzong!

-- My aim was to confuse her so as to steer the situation in my favor, and if my pace was disrupted by her first, then all that padding just now would have been meaningless.

--That's right, I've calmed down.

"What do you want me to do?"

She looked at Ziongzong with a sad face.

--- Why am I the one being unreasonable? ......

"Can't you stop eating snacks? "

"No!"

"No matter what?

"No matter what!"

I can't negotiate.

"So, what do you want from me, big brother?"

"I think it's better if you pay for my snacks."

--I'm not going to do something stupid like that.

"......"

Her hands were as white as lotus roots, and she took Ziongzong's hand and waved it around.

"...... Okay."

--I'm an idiot!

"Really?

Two Ponytails jumped into Ziongzong's arms at once, her eyes shining.

--How can it be true?

"Of course it's true."

--I'm a loser ......

"Big brother is the best! "

--I'm the one who is so defenseless against weakness.

--My monthly food expenses are 12,500 yen, and if I give it all to her, I'll be dead soon.

"How much money do you need to buy snacks for a month? "

"Twelve thousand five hundred yen."

--That's just right!

"That's too much."

"Well ......"

The twin ponytails were squirming again, and it was a little disturbing to see.

--No, I can't give in this time!

A month of thirty days, a hundred yen a day to buy snacks would be extravagant enough.

But what can I buy with a hundred yen?

"I can only give you 4,000 yen. "

"Really? "

The eyes of the two ponytails shone again.

--Hey ...... you don't really need that much ......

"Well, really, but, you can't do this kind of thing anymore. "

"Mmm! "

Mizuo was very happy and nodded her head very hard.

--I think it's true.

Ziongzong took 4,000 yen from the money he just got back and gave it to her, then put the rest of the money away, along with that idiot Sousetsu's money.

"Did you also take other people's money? "

"Well ...... let's see ......"

She picked up her notebook as usual and looked through it for a while.

"This month, there are only two of you eh."

--So it's just the two of us, you idiot.

"What about the old ones?"

"I used it all up."

That was straightforward.

Even though she had said such things out loud, Ziongzong couldn't scold her for her simple face.

Looking at his watch, he saw that it was late.

--This is how it will be for today.

It's just that ...... since her family is struggling, she shouldn't have a cell phone, and Ziongzong is new to the city and doesn't have a full communication kit yet.

--How can I make sure that I know her whereabouts? ......

Well, I don't like doing that, though.

"Mizuo."

"What is it? "

"Can you give me the 4,000 yen I gave you?

"What's wrong?"

The two ponytails defenselessly gave Ziongzong the money back.

So defenseless that Ziongzong's conscience was somewhat condemned.

Only, she really can't use common sense to judge, so ......

Ziongzong collected three thousand yen, then left a thousand yen bill and handed it to her.

"The next week today, at the same time as today, we will meet here again, okay? "

Ziongzong couldn't say something like, "I'll give you some money next time we meet.

However, even though Ziongzong did such a distrustful thing, Twin Ponytails still looked very happy.

"Huh! I know.''

Her innocent side is really endearing.

Ziongzong stroked her head with his hand and then picked up his school bag.

"It's late, it's better for elementary school students to go home early. "

"Yes."

Mizuo picked up her bag and walked to the exit of the park with a little jumpy footsteps.

--Then, I'll go back to Uesugi's house too.

"Big brother!"

Mizuo's voice came from behind.

"See you next time! "

She gave Ziongzong a very bright smile.

--Is it real or not? ......

--I still want to believe in this innocent twin ponytail more.

Just one smile can dispel the bad impression Ziongzong had of her before, and he is really a gullible person to fall for.

But there's a limit to who that applies to.

"See you next time."

Ziongzong waved at her and watched her leave the park.

However, it was not time to end this matter.

Tonight, there are still a lot of things to figure out.

Ziongzong's room is not very big, as mentioned before.

A bed, a desk, a cabinet, and some miscellaneous items, so it seems to be very full.

And now, Ziongzong's room is slightly cramped because it holds two people.

With her feet together and her hands carefully pressing the hem of her skirt and resting on her knees, Yuuki's cheeks were flushed and her expression looked a little stiff because of her nervousness.

She was now sitting on Ziongzong's bed, sitting in front of Ziongzong.

Ziongzong, on the other hand, was sitting on a tatami mat. Even so, there was still a slight difference in their elevation, and Ziongzong did not want to cause a sense of oppression to this sister he had just met by doing so, so he made his attitude seem as relaxed and sincere as possible.

About Yuuki, this easily shy, incredibly introverted sister, who is absolutely impossible to talk to strangers, why is she in Ziongzong's room?

Because Ziongzong had called her in, of course.

After returning home from school, Ziongzong found Yuuki, who was eating a snack in the living room.

"Yuuki, can you come to my room for a moment? "

"...... is now ...... here?"

"Well, I think it should be ready soon."

Although she was a little surprised to hear Ziongzong's request, she coyly agreed.

So the two of them are now alone in Ziongzong's room.

Of course, this kind of alone time is not tempting to Ziongzong, not at all.

"I want to ask you some questions, if you don't know, it doesn't matter. "

"Well ......"

Ziongzong moved his body back a little, realizing that he was making her nervous because he was sitting too close.

"Have you ever heard of a person called Koga Mizuo? "

The question was asked in a straightforward manner, and there was no point in beating around the bush with a child.

When she heard the name, Yuuki looked a little surprised.

"Koga Mizuo ......"

Then she repeated the name and tilted her little head.

"Yes."

--it seems the name is not a lie, but just checking the name is not reassuring.

"Can you describe her features? "

"Well ...... is short, about the same height as me, and pretty cute."

--I'm not sure I got the point.

"Does she have a double ponytail?"

"...... Well."

Yuuki nodded slightly.

"Did you notice what color hair rope she was wearing?"

"...... red."

--I guess that's about right.

"I remember, I think she was in the next class, and I often saw her."

When she said this, Yuuki hesitated, as if she was lying, as if she was hiding something, and Ziongzong, who noticed this, didn't break it to her face, but just took it to heart.

"What kind of person does Yuuki think she is?

"A lovely person."

This time, the answer was very decisive.

-- Why do I always feel that I can't communicate with children ......

-- Could ...... could ...... Could this be that legendary ...... generation gap?!

"Why did you ask about her?"

"Ah, no, I was just asking."

This excuse is too perfunctory.

"Does ...... brother like her?"

This sudden question from the ground to the sky, in the twinkling of an eye, it was a question that broke through the sky!

Ziongzong froze for half a second.

Although Ziongzong is tempted to immediately stand up, with desperate waving hands and can throw off the head shake to deny this absolutely impossible to establish, but Ziongzong's reasoning still forced the body to subdue.

Because a small child's words, panic like this is not decent.

That's what I mean by "wanting to cover up the truth. "

"No, no! It's impossible! "

Ziongzong calmly, firmly, and completely denied it.

It just didn't seem to be the case.

"Brother doesn't like loli. ......"

For some reason, Ziongzong's denial backfired, and a look of loss appeared on Yuuki's face.

--Did I say something wrong?

It was then that Ziongzong thought he might have misunderstood. The 'like' that the child said was not necessarily the like of being in love ......

This misunderstanding was self-inflicted trouble.

"Ziongzong, are you back? "

Ziongzong stood up and opened the door.

''Well, what's the matter, sister Yui? "

Although Ziongzong thought it was a normal answer, Yui looked at him with his mouth wide open in surprise. The eyebrows that had been sharp had turned into a figure of eight, which looked a bit funny.

"What's wrong? "

Ziongzong took a closer look and found that Yui was not looking at himself, but behind him.

--Behind me?

Ziongzong also had no interest in buying books and underwear and would never throw them away in the closet. ......

The only difference was that there was a girl in Ziongzong's room.

What's wrong with that?

"Little Ziongzong, you you you you you you you you you you you you you you you you you you you you you ！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！"

At that moment, Yukino-san also happened to pass by, and I wonder what exactly she saw that made her repeat 22 "You"in a row.

Then, she put on the same exaggerated expression of surprise as Yui. Her small mouth was so wide that she could put down an apple (about the size of a Fuji apple.) The first time I saw her, it was as if her jaw was going to fall off. Even walking down the road to see Obama and South African President Zuma walking together dancing Nobody, will not be more surprised than this.

--what the hell, even Yukino-san, who has always been able to accept anything, had this look on her face.

"I didn't expect it ...... I thought the first one should be Yui ......"

-- What first?

Yukino-san whispered the meaningless words.

Noticing Yui and Yukino-san in the doorway, Yuuki jumped off the bed in a panic and stood in the doorway, pinching the hem of her skirt uneasily, debating whether to go out.

The atmosphere became awkward.

--What the hell, this scenario of catching cheated in bed is definitely!

How can it happen? --- At most, it can only be described as catching a girl in her room!

--I didn't do anything, I just talked!

--I will never admit to that !

Before Ziongzong collapsed, a familiar coughing sound saved the world, yes, saved the world.

"Cough ......"

Somehow, Uesugi Tano also made an appearance.

--When did he come?

-- Did he see the whole thing?

--or ......?

--No ah ah ah ah ah ！！！！！

-- No matter what he saw, it doesn't matter.

Ziongzong has probably broken down.

So the whole family arrived, crowded into the small space in front of Ziongzong's room.

"It's time to eat. "

The two hands grabbed the back collars of Yui and Yukino, and Uesugi Tano half-dragged and half-dragged the two who couldn't close their mouths together.

And Yuuki also followed them with some wooden flutter.

--What the hell happened?

Ziongzong felt for the first time that his mental circuitry was too rudimentary, he needed to have a little super large-scale integrated circuit or something, except that if you put it on, you probably wouldn't be considered a human being.

Probably not even a creature anymore, which is pretty serious.

--I've been having trouble keeping up with life lately.

--Is it because of the water?

Anyway, Ziongzong was grateful to Uesugi Tano for not adding fuel to the fire, although he was not sure what the "combustible material" was that could make Uesugi Tano add fuel to the fire.

Last night's fiasco ended up in a strange way.

When Ziongzong saw the exaggerated reaction of Yui and Yukino, he thought there would be a storm that night, but it turned out that nothing happened.

Instead, Ziongzong was concerned that the atmosphere in the house seemed to have become more cordial, making him feel inexplicably cordial.

Even Yuuki, who had always smiled shyly because of her shy nature (in front of her family), showed a very soft natural smile, and the atmosphere of the family was as happy as if her daughter was getting married ......

- what the hell! ......

Ziongzong's mouth is whining, but his heart is warm.

This is a magical family, just two or three days, let him forget that he is a new member, an outsider, a stranger who has nothing to do with them as long as a thought.

Laughing, crying, prosperous flowers and smiles, sobbing and choking, people may finally scattered, what staggered in between the light and shadow is life, life, and often this is how it begins.