Quiet, eerily quiet.
No... rather, it was that she couldn't reach a lively environment at all.
Every day she had to follow her father's instructions, constantly studying, staying in a closed environment.
She simply had no opportunity to experience liveliness.
However, today's quiet was somewhat unusual, as if her family had suddenly become hermits.
A strange, indescribable feeling surged in her heart.
Was this feeling... fear?
She was simply too young at the moment.
She couldn't accurately distinguish this emotion.
...What exactly happened?
Tohno Akiba looked up at the window; perhaps because children's instincts are sharper, she noticed a change in the atmosphere within the family.
Then... she left her room.
And she, who should have been caught and brought back to study very quickly, actually managed to reach the family's main gate this time.
"Hmm... interesting~"
At the main gate, a long-haired girl with orange hair was tilting her head, observing her with a playful smile.
Beside her were unconscious guards.
"Little sister, why are you wandering around so late at night? You know, there are big bad wolves at night."
The woman asked this, and Tohno Akiba wanted to answer with polite phrases she had learned, but her body couldn't move, as if an invisible force had locked her entire being.
How to explain the current feeling?
It was probably the feeling of being too scared to move when her father showed anger.
However, it wasn't such a simple fear.
It was a deeper sense of dread.
It was a fear born of her own life and death; this gently smiling big sister would kill her.
Such a subtle feeling arose.
After a period of silence, Tohno Akiba pursed her lips, then suppressed her fear and timidly said:
"Big bad wolf... are you, big sister?"
"...Well~"
Seeing that the young girl still had the courage to ask, Aozaki Touko smiled, then sat on the steps of the entrance and waved at Tohno Akiba, signaling her to sit beside her.
"..."
Seeing this, Tohno Akiba's small hand clutched the corner of her clothes, then she carefully observed this big sister.
This was a big sister who looked gentle and dashing, wearing a white shirt and black trousers, perfectly blending masculine heroism with feminine softness.
After seeing clearly, she felt a slight sigh of relief in her heart; this big sister seemed easy to talk to, so she shouldn't be a bad person, right?
So, she took small steps to Aozaki Touko's side, maintaining a small distance, and sat down gracefully.
Then, that big sister said with a somewhat meaningful smile:
"I'm not a big bad wolf, oh, I'm a hunter who comes to hunt big bad wolves. If I find big bad wolves harming everyone, I must act as a brave hunter and eliminate these big bad wolves to protect everyone..."
"Then why did you knock everyone down? Is it because we are bad people?"
Tohno Akiba's cute little face showed an indignant expression; she had a strong sense of belonging to her family and felt genuine dissatisfaction at being called a big bad wolf.
"Hmm... because I want to leave, oh. They were blocking me, so of course I had to knock them down, oh."
Aozaki Touko said as a matter of course: "Don't you think it's very excessive to prevent someone from going home? So, being knocked down is a very natural thing, right?"
She spoke such sophistry.
However, as a young girl, Tohno Akiba temporarily lacked the ability to refute.
So, her face flushed red as she argued.
"But, it's still wrong to hit people! That's not right!"
If conflicts arise in this world, then people should communicate well with each other; resorting to force is absolutely incorrect.
This was her teacher's instruction to her, and it was also her current worldview, and she had never discovered that this rule was not universally applicable in this world.
She, in her cage, had a slightly skewed understanding of the true world.
So, she brought out the rule she believed to be universal.
Then.
"But, being forced by others is a very uncomfortable thing, oh. Forcing others to do things they don't like, isn't it natural to fight back?"
Aozaki Touko said with a smile: "You must have been forced to do things you don't like too, right? You should understand that feeling, right?"
"..."
Tohno Akiba blinked, recalled her study experiences, and then suddenly found herself speechless.
Indeed, when she was constantly studying, her heart did feel very suppressed and uncomfortable.
Moreover, there was no reason in this world to be bullied and not be allowed to fight back, right?
"...Have you been forced to do things you don't like?"
Aozaki Touko asked with a sly smile, and Tohno Akiba opened her mouth, finally saying truthfully:
"The study time is too long; it's not that I hate it, I just want more free time."
"Hmm... how pitiful, oh."
Aozaki Touko said with a smile: "How about this, you can come play with me in the future; your father should agree, oh."
Saying this, she turned her head to look at a dark corner.
"Lord Tohno Makihisa, what do you think?"
As her words fell, Tohno Makihisa walked out from the dark corner, nodding with a warm smile: "Of course, it would be an honor if my little girl could serve Miss Touko."
"See, your father agreed."
Aozaki Touko turned her head, looked at Tohno Akiba, and said with a smile: "Now I'll take you to play."
Then, without further ado, she picked up the young girl and headed towards Kuenji Mansion.
And Tohno Akiba, being carried away, blinked, opened her mouth, looked at her father's expression, and finally fell silent, burying her head in Aozaki Touko's embrace... Was she being abducted?