「Let’s split up here」


  After getting out of the woods and going far enough that you couldn’t even see the research facility any longer, Yurikago stopped her footsteps turned to face Taiyou and said that. When Yurikago halted so suddenly Taiyou was still in mid run. So they had a slight distance between them.

  「You want to separate, here?」


  「Yeah. Coming this far it’s already quite safe, rather than being with you」


  「…….Ahh, I suppose so」


  Yurikago was speaking in a roundabout way. Taiyou thinks for a little while and comes to the conclusion that her words were reasonable. In the current state, the wanted people who were being chased after were probably Taiyou and Kohaku.

  Although it was known that there was another accomplice, Yurikago had always hidden her identity since the beginning, and the Juniishima clan never discovered who third party was. On the other hand since Taiyou attacked the Juniishima residence, he has always been marked as one of the direct perpetrators.

  If anyone was going to be chased from here on out, it would be Taiyou. A means to an end, the ideology that Taiyou liked to follow, if he were to apply that train of thought here, than the correct course of action would be to keep away from Yurikago in this situation. Yurikago implied this vaguely, but Taiyou understood her intentions and agreed to her idea.

  「Didn’t your figure get captured by one of the camera’s in the facility, are you sure it will be alright jya?」


  「They didn’t capture my face, so as long as I am not connected to you guys any longer and I return to the Juniishima clan as Yurikago Juniishima, they won’t be able to link me to the scene…That is, as long as none of you say a word about this」


  「I see, so I guess there is no problems whatsoever」


  Taiyou nods.

  Although Taiyou was nodding his head, on the other hand, he was also feeling a reluctance to part. But he pushed such thoughts down to the inner depths of his heart.

  「Then, I guess our journey ends here」


  「Yeah, Thanks to you I was able to obtain the data, and we were able do it without revealing my existence as Yurikago. With this much I should be able to drive the subject in the direction that I want it to proceed. I really appreciate it」


  「It’s fine, I was also moving in accordance to my own objectives so. I will entrust you with the matter of Kotone and the girls」


  「I will make sure that the Juniishima clan will not be able to touch them again. I…..no」


  Her words were cut short, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath before speaking to Taiyou again.

  「I swear it upon my name, Yurikago」


  「Thank you」


  After she said her part, Yurikago turned around and started to walk as her thin twin tail hair swung. She resolutely walked away with great posture and a single minded focus. Until her appearance could no longer be seen, she never turned around. When Taiyou watched her walk away, he breathed out a sigh.

  「What’s wrong nojya?」


  「Ahh nah. As I expected she’s really well-bred」


  This was by no means a lie.

  「Umu, the way she carries herself, and those graceful movements are not something one can acquire in a short amount of time」


  Kohaku agreed with Taiyou’s impression of her. The lolibaba who has lived a full life also seems to notice it.

  「I think that it corresponds with how she was so restricted when growing up in life」


  「Restricted?」


  「It has the meaning of a “bird in a cage”. Well…these kinds of things happen quite often in this world」


  「A bird in a cage….」


  「I don’t mind if you sympathize with her, but you should also know that there are some birds who will return to the cage by themselves, after the entrance has already been flung open. Not everyone in this world, wishes to slip out of their cages nojya. There are birds who cannot survive without the cage, and there are also birds who find it more comfortable to live in such a place」


  「…..Ah」


  「Well, we will meet her again soon enough. Life is unexpectedly long, and at the moment you don’t expect it the most, you will probably meet her again nojya」


  「When you are the one saying that life is long, it makes it more persuasive」


  「I’ve lived until there isn’t many years left in me, so it’s natural jyaro」


  「There not much left desuka??」


  Hera asked a thoughtless question. It was almost like she herself was an elderly person, talking to someone in the same situation as her that kind of care-free question.

  「Umu, it’s as short as a principals morning assembly」


  「Isn’t that a considerably long time?!」


  「Well the amount of time I’ve lost is plenty enough」


  Kohaku was smiling from ear to ear. The two people began toward the opposite direction from where Yurikago was going.

  Taiyou and Kohaku was walking in a straight line together, and Hera who was flying around them was bustling about. In this kind of line up, they walked home whilst making idle talk.

  Not disregarding the fact that they could be attacked at any moment, Taiyou was alert to his surroundings even as he had a light hearted conversation with the girls. If an enemy were to show up, he was ready to counter attack at once, and in the worst case scenario he would do his everything to at least protect Kohaku from harm.

  In the end though, all that vigilance was for naught. It’s not really clear whether that was because Shirokiyami held them back successfully or because of some other unforeseen matter. Although he didn’t know the exact details, they all arrived at Taiyou’s apartment flat without an enemy ever showing up.

  「Taiyou-san!」


  「Woops!」


  As soon as he opened the door to his apartment, the three triplet sisters jumped on him.

  The jump by the three girls was almost like a tackle. Although Taiyou was caught off guard, he managed to hold his ground and bring the three girls all in his arms.

  「Hou」


  Seeing this scene, for some reason or other Kohaku leaked out a voice of admiration.

  「I’m sorry, I’ve made you guys wait, are you guys alright?」


  「Yes, we are all fine」


  「More importantly is Taiyou-san alrig……Hyaa!」


  「Wha, what happened to your face?」


  「Eh?」


  The three sister’s were shocked by the unexpected change. Taiyou was thinking “Let me see…” to himself as he touched his own face.

  When he did, he felt the pain again. His face was completely swollen here and there, and his mouth also had a few cuts. Having touched his face, he realized that it was obviously not in a healthy condition, it was quite hot and painful.

  This was all the wounds that he got when those men beat him up. Although they were throbbing with pain right now, he thought that it was all worth it for all the things he had been able to accomplish. However, to the three sisters, it didn’t seem like the case.

  「Please wait a moment! I will go get the first-aid kit right now!」


  「Kaze-chan, there is an egg in the refrigerator right? Can you grab that for us?」


  「Okay! I’ll get the one with the thickest skin, Suzu-chan, you should let Taiyou-san in quickly」


  The three of them were speaking unanimously as they began to move in hurried steps.

  Being led by the hand, Suzune brought him inside the room, in the corner of the room, he could see Sakura’s appearance who was being gagged and restrained. Incidentally, Taiyou had almost forgotten about this fact and before he could think more about what to do, Suzune had already forcefully pushed him towards the bed and made him sit down.

  Soon after Kotone arrived with the first aid kit and Kazane arrived with the egg that was already broken somehow.

  「This will hurt a little okay? Please bear with it」


  Kotone grabs the antiseptic solution from the first aid kit and it was soaked with the absorbent cotton.

  「You bought something like a first aid kit for me?」


  「Eh? no it was already inside the room」


  「Is that so? I don’t remember purchasing such a……tsu!」


  「S-sorry. Did it hurt?」


  「It’s alright you don’t have to mind it, after all, it stings a little when the solution seeps in」


  「I’m sorry, I’ll make sure to do it as careful as I can」


  「Suzu-chan, can you bring me the membrane skin of the egg please」


  「Yeah!」


  Both Kazane and Suzune were using the skin of the egg and pasting it over Taiyou’s face like a bandaid.

  「Wait, what is this? What are you guys doing?」


  「This? If you use the membrane of the egg as a bandage and paste it on top of the wounds, it will heal the wound at an extremely fast speed」


  「Is that really true?」


  「Yes!」


  「Hou, for someone so young to know such a thing, quite impressive jya」


  Kohaku who was standing a little away from them seemed to have felt a little admiration for their knowledge.

  「Did you also know about this Kohaku-san?」(Taiyou speaking)

  「Umu, I’ve read some of the books on medical treatment that has been published before via human experimentation」


  「As if that would be allowed to be published?! 」


  「It’s a joke. Anyways, I know that originally using the egg was a sort of home remedy, however, it has also been scientifically proven to be effective for practical treatment as well」


  「Is that so?」


  Taiyou was somewhat relieved that the human experimentation book was a joke and he let the girls treat him. Kotone, Suzune and Kazane. The three sisters were treating his wounds with such a serious face. It was like they were more worried about his injuries than their own, and they treated him with so much care and urgency.

  Seeing this scene, Taiyou was moved. They were truly worried about him and as they cared for him, He felt his emotions start to overflow. A feeling of wanting to just embrace them closely started to bud.

  (It should be….fine, right? I think it should be okay?)

  It was like he was giving himself permission in his own mind, and just when he was about to put it into practice. Taiyou felt a few glances from a distance away. When he paid attention, near the entrance of the room, both Kohaku and Hera was silently grinning as they looked towards him.

  「Ah, he’s noticed us desu?」


  「It seems that way doesn’t it, dear! I thought for sure that something was about to happen right now, and my heart was throbbing in excitement after such a long time jyazo」


  「What was about to happen desuka??」


  「Something that living creatures would do naturally jya. It’s the same rank of important as sleeping and eating」


  「Oh? that must be an important thing then?. But it doesn’t seem like Taiyou-chan is about to do anything desuyo?」


  「You never know, he might do something henceforth. Should we prepare a drink and some popcorn just in case?」


  「What will you do after preparing the popcorn desuka??!」


  Hera and Kohaku was exchanging a comic like dialogue with each other. Hera doesn’t seem to think about anything as she just joins in the conversation, whilst Kohaku on the other hand acted as if she knew exactly what Taiyou wanted to do.

  「Yes, the treatment is done!」


  「Yeah! Because all the skins of the egg were placed on the wounds, I’m sure that it will improve come tomorrow morning」


  「Is your body alright? Are there any wounds on it?」


  「Thanks a lot guys, I’m find now」


  As he said this, the girls floated an expression of relief all together. When he sees their faces being like this, his heart starts to throb again. However this time, he managed to hold himself back.

  「Umm, that is can we ask a question?」


  Although they did have relieved expressions, this time they had a questioning look on their faces. When Taiyou nodded in confirmation, the girls all looked towards Kohaku and uniting their minds together they asked all at once.

  「「「Who is this girl?」」」