Mob Yandere

Chapter 192-4

[part 4/4]

that's really clownish behavior....

"...kaya"

"what?"

"thanks."

"what?!"

hana felt a little grateful that her comrades were still spouting nonsense at this point.

a brethrens who have been lost for various purposes.

hana secretly thinks it was a good thing that she was the one who joined the rest.

if she had been alone, if it had been someone else, she might have been heartbroken and not been here.

and that's why....

"let's do our best"

because that's her job.

because she was waiting for it.

because that's the promise.

the time when she and her people should fulfill their purpose in existence was steadily approaching....

* * *

"why?!"

the voice was familiar, yet it felt strangely unfamiliar.

to be precise, it was the first time she had ever heard that voice echo with such intensity.

"what's wrong, mari-san? is something funny?"

on the night that a group from the onitsuki family arrived at the inn set up in takemika family's territory.

suzune, the caretaker, immediately sensed something was off when she visited mari.

suzune had come to practice the koto as promised the day before, but she was trembling with anxiety and worry, seeing mari scream in distress.

"y-yes. it's been strange for a little while now. she keeps saying things that don't make any sense... i'm not sure if she's just half asleep, but what's going on?"

answering suzune's doubts was her older brother, magoroku.

he tilted his head in confusion, looking perplexed.

"brother, no way...!!"

shocked by her brother's words, mari showed a pained expression.

clinging to suzune, she began to plead.

"suzune-sama, everyone is acting strange!! i don't know what's going on... it's like they've completely forgotten about tomobe-sama!"

mari didn't understand what was happening.

when did things start getting so strange?

she had been talking normally with him until the morning.

after he had left during the day, now that it was after sunset, she realized everyone had forgot about him.

it was as if his existence had been erased, like it had been rewritten.

as if he had become invisible, they had forgotten.

"tomobe...sama?"

"yes! both i and my brother have been taking care of tomobe-sama... no, i've been taken care of by others... but suddenly, everyone is calling me tamaki-sama's caretaker!! on the contrary, everyone is shaking their heads when they even mention tomobe-sama's name...!"

it was terrifying.

it felt as though he had suddenly changed, as if his very existence had vanished.

"mari!? are you hurt!? hey, are you okay!!?"

for an ordinary person, it might be okay, but for the frail and sickly mari, this action was a matter of life and death.

suzune and magoroku rushed to mari, their faces pale.

mari herself was gasping for breath, but she pushed through to keep pleading.

"no... it's not that... please, listen to me. believe me..."

"mari-san, why...?"

desperation, pleading, begging—her actions were full of panic, but instead of helping, they only confused the two of them more.

what on earth is going on?

what could drive this girl to such lengths?

no matter how much they thought about it, they couldn't make sense of it, leaving them only bewildered.

"anyway! mari, we need to get you to bed! we have to check if you're hurt!"

"i'll help too!"

for a moment, there was confusion.

but magoroku quickly snapped into action, doing what any brother would do, and suzune followed right behind him.

this was truly love, compassion, and friendship.

unfortunately, that makes mari's heart ache even more.

"oh no!!"

with tears and a runny nose, flushed cheeks and swollen eyes, mari looks ugly, but she still tries to resist.

if words didn't work, the only thing left to do was to prove her feelings with actions.

she was prepared to give up her reputation, her trust, and even her own peace of mind for that person.

and....

"what are you guys doing?"

everyone in the room stopped moving when the wolf girl appeared, roughly pulling open the shouji paper door.

"sister..."

"iruka?"

magoroku and suzune mutter the name of a familiar face who has broken in.

mari looks up at iruka with a miserable expression.

iruka scratched her head in annoyance.

"iruka, sama..."

"huh... this is getting pretty tricky, isn't it?"

mari calls out to her with a deep sigh.

and the wolf girl continues speaking.

"everyone, just stay there for a bit. ...is it convenient in a way? we can use it to convince tamaki."

"iruka? what are you talking about...?"

suzune's question to her friend, who was turning to leave the room.

not understanding what was going on, iruka turned her head and grinned mischievously.

"oh, it's nothing much. ...just asking for a raise that matches the work i'm doing, that's all?"

the usual carefree expression of the wolf girl.

however, suzune sensed a fierce passion hidden deep in her eyes.

it was a wild, beast-like anger at having loved ones harmed...