The Strongest Loner Redo His Youth With Unmatched Prowess!! ~In the Second Round of School Life, He Made Beautiful Girl Friends!~ - Chapter 43

“Ugh… where am I?” 

When Hakari woke up, she found herself in a place that resembled an old office. 

She was lying on a large sofa. Right next to her was Kirika, breathing softly in her sleep. 

The place seemed to have been cleaned thoroughly, as it wasn’t dusty. 

On a table in the corner, an electric kettle was bubbling away, boiling water.

“…Kirika-san. Please wake up.” 

“Mmm… Is it already morning?” 

“Come on, get a grip!!”

Kirika stirred and got up. 

She still looked sleepy, as if the medicine was still working. 

“Kirika-san, we’ve been kidnapped.”

“Kidnap… Oh! After drinking the milk tea that Arai-kun gave me, I suddenly felt sleepy…!!”

“We were brought here by him.” 

As the two were whispering, the door creaked open. 

“Hey, you’re awake?” 

“…Who are you?” 

A beautiful girl with red hair entered. 

She approached the kettle, put tea leaves into a glass pot, and poured hot water over them. 

“I’m ‘Raimeiji Reiya.’ And you two?”

“…I’m Amano Hakari.” 

“I’m Jinguuji Kirika.” 

“Hakari and Kirika? Nice to meet you.” 

Hakari glared sharply at Reiya. 

Kirika looked like she was about to pounce at any moment. 

Does Reiya even realize how wary they are?

They are being too defenseless. 

“Let me make this clear first, I’m not a kidnapper. I’m on your side, trying to help you.”

“…Let’s hear the details.” 

“I had business at the high school you all attend――” 

Reiya began to recount the incident. 

How Hakari and Kirika had almost been kidnapped. 

She had rescued the two of them, but judging that it would be tough to protect them while fighting off the kidnappers, she apparently decided to flee immediately.

“This is our hideout. Those dangerous guys who are after you won’t find it so easily.” 

Reiya poured tea into a glass teacup and offered it to Hakari. 

The tea had a refreshing scent. It was probably herbal tea. 

“…Do you really think I believe such a story?”

Hakari shot a sharp glance. 

However, Reiya seemed unfazed. 

“If that’s the case, do as you please. I helped you out of goodwill, but I’m not a pushover. If you reject my outstretched hand, then that’s that.” 

Reiya turned her head towards the door she had entered. 

She could probably leave through there.

“Then, excuse me. Kirika-san, shall we go home?” 

“…No, Hakari-chan, can you wait a moment?” 

Kirika looked straight at Reiya. 

“Reiya-san, do you know Yuito-kun?” 

“Huh? Oh, yeah, I know. We were just looking for a kid’s wallet together yesterday.” 

“I knew it…”

“What do you mean?” 

Why does Kirika know about that? 

As Hakari was puzzled, Kirika answered.

“I heard it while playing a game yesterday. He met a weird red-haired person.” 

“Huh!? That bastard called me a weird person…!” 

Reiya clenched her fist tightly.

She felt like she might punch Yuito when they met again.

“T-then, she was a strange person, but she was a good person who could do her best for the little kids.”

“Is that a compliment?” 

“I think it’s a compliment by Yuito-kun’s standards.” 

Kirika smiled wryly as she looked at Hakari. 

“I think it’s okay to trust Reiya-san…” 

Hakari frowned. 

If Yuito trusts her, then she can be trusted――no, that doesn’t seem right.

Even Hina almost got easily deceived. 

“I don’t really trust Yuito’s judgment of people…” 

“B-but the people Yuito gets along with are mostly good people, right?!” 

“T-that might be true.” 

Yuito has a bit of a difficult personality. 

The people who get along with him are likely to be good people. 

It seems that Hina wasn’t a bad person at heart either.

“And besides, Hakari-chan’s phone is missing too, right?” 

“Oh… you’re right.” 

“Just so you know, I don’t have it. That scumbag probably took it, alright?” 

The scumbag Reiya is talking about must be Arai. 

If the kidnapper had a smartphone, they could be tracked by GPS or something. 

It makes sense to take it while turning it off.

“Without a smartphone, it must be tough to gather information, right? I think it would be good to stay with Reiya-san until we understand the situation.”

“…Isn’t it better to just go to the police instead of Reiya-san’s place?”

Hakari thought she was giving a fair opinion.

However, Kirika and Reiya looked puzzled and confused.

“No, in this situation, the police――oh, is Hakari the type who just moved here recently?” 

“Yes, but?” 

Hakari came to the Exploration City when she entered high school. 

How did she know that? 

Reiya shrugged her shoulders with a sigh.

“You should remember this. Don’t rely too much on the police in Exploration City. They’re useless.”