After Picking up a Runaway Girl From the Same University on My Way Home From Work, We Started Living Together in Secret - Chapter 11

“Presumed guilty, Yukimura Minato. Now, tell us everything that happened between you and our ‘Snow White.'”

Just as I arrived at university, I was surrounded by a group of intense-looking men and women who led me to a room that seemed to belong to some club.

Covering the wall were countless pictures of Kototori Risa, known as “Snow White,” taken at angles that could only be described as stealthy. A banner at the back of the room read, “Snow White Fan Club.”

As I expected, the fact that Risa had called out to me had somehow reached their ears.

The moment I sat in a chair, they surrounded me, making any escape impossible. They bombarded me with questions, observing every single move I made with sharp, penetrating stares.

Is this how a criminal feels? Their speed left me so stunned I couldn’t help but mentally escape.

My phone had been buzzing with notifications, but unfortunately, I couldn’t pick up now. Whoever was calling, sorry.

“…There’s really nothing going on. She just thanked me after I helped her by coincidence.”

“The defendant, Yukimura Minato, is hereby found guilty!”

“Are you even listening to me?!”

“Silence!! For you to even speak to ‘Snow White,’ much less meet her in private, your words are not to be trusted!”

One of the girls shouted, and the others nodded along in agreement.

It looked like the fan club members who’d taken me were not the peaceful kind but extremists.

But if they didn’t believe what I said, then why drag me here and interrogate me in the first place?

Is this… some kind of personal punishment? Like, “We won’t let someone like you, who appeared out of nowhere, get close to Risa”?

I’d been dragged into a witch hunt. If I don’t get out of here quickly, I’ll be late for class.

“Our mission, as the Snow White Fan Club, is to protect her from the shadows! That is our ultimate goal and absolute rule!”

There was a loud stomping on the floor. It was like they were a military unit. It was a bit scary, to be honest.

“…What do you think we go through as fans of ‘Snow White’?”

“Stalking behavior driven by excessive obsession?”

“We protect her!! From the world’s malice! We protect ‘Snow White’!!”

“I can’t help but see you guys as the evil ones here.”

Dragging someone here and holding them captive? That’s obviously an act of evil.

If I brought this to the right authorities, I’d probably win.

“First of all, to meet with ‘Snow White,’ one must pass our strict examination. No one has ever succeeded!”

“What’s the point of such a pointless screening?”

“But you broke that rule. According to our fan club regulations, we need to punish you severely—”

As one of the men was making his declaration, there was a quiet knock at the door.

“Tsk… who’s coming in at a time like this? Tell them to go away.”

“Weeellll—”

A flashy guy opened the door, and a bit of something white peeked in.

“I heard Minato’s here.”

And then, a voice I’d grown quite familiar with rang through the room. Every single person, myself included, stiffened.

Turning back like rusty tin dolls, they saw a delicate girl with white hair… in other words, Risa Kototori herself.

She was the very person they had declared their duty to protect.

“Hey, sorry to bother you, but has Yukimura Minato, that soft-hearted guy, shown up here?”

Behind her stood Mayuzumi, grinning mischievously.

It was becoming clearer to me. For some reason, Risa had been looking for me, and she’d brought Mayuzumi along to help her. I couldn’t think of any other reason those two would be together.

The girl in charge of answering the door was too frozen to respond. With a casual wave, Mayuzumi strolled right into the room, spotted me sitting on the chair, and burst out laughing.

“I never knew you were into this kind of thing, Yuki. Skipping class just to sit here and enjoy the view from above?”

“Please, spare me. The chair’s hard, I can’t move freely, I missed roll call, and the decor is awful.”

“You’re really going through it, huh? Well, I have some good news—first period was canceled. We both dodged a bullet.”

So that’s why they came looking for me.

“Hey, so are you guys done with your business with Yuki?”

“Ah, um, er…”

“They’re done. Let’s go.”

“So I’m finally free? What a pointless hassle from the start.”

No one followed as I stood from the chair and left the room. After all, stopping me would look bad in front of Risa herself. Since they called themselves her fan club, there’s no way they’d let that happen.

“Did you come looking for me, Mayuzumi?”

“Nope, it was the princess here. She figured you weren’t in class because you were probably wandering off somewhere, but turns out you were kidnapped by her fan club. Just one inquiry was all it took to find you.”

“Well, with a group this big, they do stand out.”

Both of them came looking for me out of concern.

“Thank you.”

“You should thank the princess. For her to ask someone like me, it’s a big deal. Seriously, how did you manage to win her over?”

“…I wouldn’t know.”

Keeping this a secret from Mayuzumi feels wrong. Maybe I should consult Risa and explain things.

“And so, our dear Yuki’s coming with us. You guys should be happy enough that you even got to see him, so no complaints!”

With a grin, Mayuzumi shut the door.

“Minato, are you okay?”

“No injuries at all. You came looking for me, didn’t you, Risa? Thanks. I was getting worn out from that endless questioning.”

“Well, I doubt they’ll bother you again for a while. Sometimes you need both a carrot and a stick.”

“Exactly. It was good of you two to show up together.”

“By the way, who were those people? The room was filled with my photos.”

That’s a tough question to answer.

“They called themselves a fan club.”

“Of me?”

“Yeah. They’re the kind who’d eagerly become your hands and feet and work themselves to the bone if you asked.”

“Stop spreading misinformation. Knowing them, they’d probably actually be thrilled to carry out any of your requests.”

I could almost imagine them tearing up with joy. Either way, it works in my favor, so I’ll keep my mouth shut.

“Yuki, do you have class second period?”

“Yeah. Need to kill some time till then.”

“Me too.”

“Guess I’m the odd one out. No big deal. Let’s all go hang out somewhere. I’ve been curious to find out what’s going on between Yuki and ‘Snow White’ here.”

With a faint smile, Mayuzumi looked back and forth between me and Risa. His gaze suggested, “You’re not getting away,” as we headed to the cafeteria, which should be empty at this hour, with a resigned smile.