"He's so irresponsible! Doesn't he have any sense of duty as Yun-shoku's representative!?"
He probably was the group leader. She understood his courage, but at the same time, she was exasperated. As a representative of Yun-shoku, he was not someone to recklessly wield brute force and be at the forefront of danger. He should...
"Really, he lacks self-awareness. I'll have to scold him later..."
Smirking, Murasaki tried to rush over to him, ordering her youkai sword to protect him. She acknowledged that she was different from the time when she caused trouble in the underground tunnel. She wouldn't let her youkai sword go berserk anymore. She would prove it with a triumphant smile.
...Then her youkai sword's head exploded.
"Huh?"
"You're in the way."
"Aaahhhh!!?"
She stood there in shock at the sudden turn of events. Immediately afterward, she heard a familiar voice from behind, but before she could turn around, she was lifted by the collar and thrown into the air with great force. Her vision spun violently. About half a moment later, she was found on top of a tree.
"P-Princess..."
"Oh? What is it? You're making quite a fuss. Were you that eager to see me?"
The servant who passed by, looking quite perplexed as he passed the collapsed youkai sword, contorted his face when he saw the princess with pink hair. The princess herself, with a composed expression, walked towards him. The vines that came from the side were reduced to dust with a single swing of her fan.
Despite her composed demeanor, inside, Onitsuki Aoi was overflowing with joy. Not only did he return, but his achievement was also impressive. Escaping from the formidable Mayoiga, a feat that even first-class exorcists found difficult, in less than a day, and bringing several other survivors with him... it was truly commendable. It was an outstanding feat for a servant.
"Hehehe. The ones who came out first... you've gathered quite a lot of things inside, haven't you?"
"Princess, that is..."
"Don't worry. I'll give you proper recognition for your achievements. It's also convenient for me."
"Well, that's..."
Arrogantly pretending, Aoi made her declaration. He was probably sighing under his mask, frustrated by being used as a tool for political purposes. In reality, it was quite the opposite, but she didn't need to reveal that truth now.
(There's no need to waste my breath here.)
Yes, it would be better to reveal everything once everything was accomplished. If punishment awaited her, she would accept it at that time. After all, she belonged to him... Aoi spread her fan with a smug smile, nonchalantly dispersing the vines that tried to cling to her.
"Come with me to a safe place. Don't make such an unpleasant face. I know how you're feeling physically. You don't need to run. Just follow me."
The servant nodded and agreed, trying to run out of the range affected by Mayoiga.
This is the perfect ending. The story has come to a close. Onitsuki Aoi breathed a sigh of relief. She was already making mental calculations for the aftermath.
"Young lady!? Where is the young lady!? Servant, is she not out yet!?"
The cry of the running maid shattered Aoi's calculation.
"Young lady? Miss Tamaki is still inside!?"
Upon hearing the maid's words, he was taken aback. Tears welled up in his eyes as he nodded repeatedly in agreement. His beloved person, whom he cherished, left him speechless.
"That's absurd..."
He held onto the maid's shoulder as she clung to him and ran toward the half-youkai wolf. It seemed like they were exchanging a message with just a glance. Then he turned around and looked at the mansion's gate.
Oh no, this is bad. Aoi understood what he was trying to do, and she hurriedly tried to silence the maid next to her, ready to give him an order. But before she could do so, he spoke first.
"I'm sorry, Princess. It seems I have to go back in."
"!!?"
She couldn't refuse the words of denial. The look in his eyes peeking through the mask robbed her of any refusal. It was futile.
(Of course, it's impossible.)
She couldn't deny him when he looked at her like that. She just couldn't. If he looked at her with those same eyes as on that day... it would be denying that day, denying herself, and insulting him. It would demean her feelings from that day.
So...
"...Take this."
With determined steps, Aoi walked up to him and pressed something against his chest. Perplexed, he took it, trying to understand what it was. His expression grew even more confused as he realized what it was.
"Princess...?"
"It's an offering. It's convenient for you if you achieve the desired result, isn't it? Just do your best to meet expectations."
Putting on a show of bravado, Aoi grinned. She suppressed her true desire to cry and hold him back. She saw him off like he wanted.
"...Something similar happened before, didn't it? My apologies."
"...No words are needed. Show your sincerity through your results."
He seemed momentarily confused by her words, but Aoi quickly deduced it from his reaction. From the information he had about her clones... it wouldn't be strange for him to have had a similar conversation. Perhaps he felt a similar way when she divided herself? The situation now seemed somewhat comical.
"Ah, then, excuse me..."
"...Servant? W-what are you...?"
"Iruka, I'm counting on you."
The servant made a bow towards his peach-colored master, unaware of her feelings. Meanwhile, the crying maid finally realized the exchange between the servant and the princess. She tried to call out to them, but the servant simply entrusted his sister to the half-youkai woman and, in the next moment, turned around and ran away.
"Servant!? Tomobe-san!? No way, right!? I-I didn't mean it like that!"
The maid was shocked by the consequences of her emotional outburst and tried to chase after him, but the half-youkai wolf interfered, restraining and preventing her from following.
Without turning towards the maid's scream, his sister, he rushed towards the ostentatious grand gate with little regard for decorum. A hummingbird that had been hiding suddenly swooped down over his shoulder. A bizarre sight indeed, and for no apparent reason, Aoi couldn't help but think so.
...Much better than the woman who just stands by and screams.
"...Hey, wait!!?"
"You idiot!! Why are you going there!?"
"Stop! Do you intend to get yourself killed!?"
Not only by Aoi's side but also from behind, shouts could be heard. It seemed that the servants, as well as the escapees he had led here, had grasped the situation and were desperately trying to stop him. However, their voices wouldn't reach him. There was no way they would. Aoi was well aware of that.
If he were the type of person who would listen to those cries, he wouldn't be here in the first place.
"...Please. Return safely, I beg of you."
That was precisely why Aoi silently prayed, hoping for the safe return of his beloved person.
...
...
And just then, as Aoi's back retreated, a lady with purple-blue hair and a princess with black hair were watching.
The former raised the corners of her mouth with a cold gaze, while the latter looked shocked as if she had just awakened, gazing through the window of an ox-cart.
* * *
It was a strange sensation, as if floating in midair. However, the moment was fleeting. In an instant, the dark vision spun and turned into colors. Then... I found myself sitting on the ground, having fallen on my rear.
"Ouch!!"
Having passed through the grand gate and returned to the labyrinth, I rubbed my sore behind with tearful eyes. Damn it... It's going to hurt my back even more.
'Ho, ho. So, this is how one enters the wild Mayoiga, huh? As they say, seeing is believing. Quite an intriguing experience.'
As I groaned, the hummingbird landed on my head, casually sharing its impressions. Fair enough.
"It hurts... D*mn it, my wounds were already painful enough."
I retried the escape just after returning from the escape. I was constrained by time, the possibility of being held back, and simply the lack of consideration in the heat of the moment. Regretting it now wouldn't change anything. Let's focus on what's ahead.
"Alright then, Master. I'm going..."
'Ahahaha!! We meet again, the annoying Onitsuki with the Hannya mask!!'
"..."
Just as I was about to explore the labyrinth with the old man of Matsushige, I turned around with a bad premonition at the sound of his voice.
...And there it was, the doll I had trapped in the chest, holding a knife, with an evil grin on its face. And flanking it, as if set in formation, were the big white masked man and the Nanban clown. No, there were even more additions now: the clawed man with a broken hat and the grim reaper with their reaper. The five of them looked like some kind of sentai team or a villainous army. More like a dark hero squad or a villainous legion.
...Oh right, I remember now. These guys can track me across rooms, except for some special ones.
"Wait, of all the times to run into them!!?"
With a curse at being forced to start from the worst possible point, I began to run...
