As the student council's discipline committee member, Reiko was quite responsible. After safely escorting more than a dozen little kids home, she finally took Hayashi Shuichi's hand and headed back.
"Onii-chan, come eat dinner with us tonight, okay?" The little cousin pouted, looking like an abandoned puppy. "Ever since you moved out, I've been eating alone every night, all lonely."
"Well…" Hayashi Shuichi said apologetically, "The izakaya still has to open tonight. I have to head back soon."
"…I was just kidding earlier," Reiko forced a smile. "Mom and Dad will be home tonight. I—I'm not lonely at all."
Hayashi Shuichi's aunt and uncle were both prosecutors; their jobs kept them incredibly busy.
In his memory, the number of times they came home before ten at night could be counted on one hand.
His little cousin was obviously saying that so he wouldn't worry.
"Reiko, just one more year," Hayashi Shuichi said tenderly, patting her head. "Next year when you start middle school, come live with me."
"Really?" Reiko's face was full of disbelief. "You're not lying to me, Onii-chan?"
"Of course it's true," Hayashi Shuichi smiled. "My place is closer to the middle school anyway. You won't have to work so hard getting to and from school."
"That's great!"
Overcome with joy, the little cousin threw herself straight into Hayashi Shuichi's arms.
"You're already such a big girl, and you're still not embarrassed?" Hayashi Shuichi laughed, spinning her around once before setting her down.
"Hehe~" Reiko beamed and held out her pinky. "Onii-chan, it's a promise! No backing out next year—pinky swear!"
Hayashi Shuichi hooked his right pinky with hers.
"If I break my word and go back on the promise, I'll swallow a thousand—"
Before he could finish, Reiko quickly covered his mouth with her hand.
"That one's too scary. Let's change it," Reiko thought for a moment. "If Onii-chan goes back on his word, then Sister Eri and Sister Fujimine will never speak to you again!"
"Fine, whatever you say," Hayashi Shuichi said indulgently, shaking their hooked pinkies.
The siblings continued toward the Kujou house. Suddenly, Reiko spoke with a hint of regret, "Onii-chan… maybe you should break the promise next year after all."
"Hehe, sorry, you'll be disappointed."
How could Hayashi Shuichi not see through his little cousin's thoughts? He flicked her forehead lightly. "From the time you were little until now, when have I ever broken a promise to you?"
By the time they finished talking, they had reached the Kujou family gate.
It was a two-story detached house with a garden. After his parents passed away, Hayashi Shuichi had grown up here—until just a week ago, when he moved out.
"Onii-chan, aren't you coming in?" Reiko asked as she unlocked the door.
"No, I really have to get back to the izakaya." Hayashi Shuichi waved. "Be safe at home by yourself, okay?"
"Don't worry, Onii-chan!" Reiko clenched her fist and swung it cheerfully. "You taught me self-defense, remember? If a thief breaks in, I can beat him all by myself!"
After a few more reminders, Hayashi Shuichi turned and left.
Reiko stood at the door until his figure disappeared before stepping inside and closing it behind her.
"Next year I'll finally live with Onii-chan…"
Humming happily, the little cousin bounded upstairs—only to freeze the moment she reached the landing.
"You…"
On the second-floor stairs stood a scruffy, bearded man, filthy from head to toe.
Seeing Reiko, the man clapped his hands in satisfaction. "Lucky me—the little one delivered herself right to the door!"
With that, he charged down the stairs toward the girl.
After a split second of shock, Reiko spun around and bolted for the front door, screaming in terror, "Onii-chan!"
…
By then Hayashi Shuichi was already far away, and with the house's soundproofing, he naturally didn't hear his little cousin's cry.
Yet as he walked, he suddenly stopped.
Something's wrong. I was already at the gate earlier—why didn't that dumb dog come running out from the garden?
As a mixed-breed, Wangcai's nose was extremely sharp.
Hayashi Shuichi remembered that whenever he used to come home from school, Wangcai would circle out from the garden forty or fifty meters away and squat by the gate waiting.
But just now, that stupid dog hadn't shown up—not even a single bark.
Was Wangcai sick… or had someone drugged him?
At that thought, Hayashi Shuichi immediately turned and hurried back.
Instead of going through the front door—since he didn't know the situation inside and barging in might alert the intruder—he circled to the back of the house, vaulted over the low wall, and landed in the small garden beside Wangcai's doghouse.
Crouching down, he saw Wangcai lying unconscious on the ground, half a meat bun still in his mouth.
You idiot dog, one day someone really will poison you!
Hayashi Shuichi smacked the dog's head in frustration, then turned worried eyes toward the house.
The situation was now clear: someone had broken into the Kujou home, and Reiko had gone inside just moments ago…
He couldn't waste another second. Moving silently, he approached the residence.
Peering through the first-floor glass door and seeing no one, Hayashi Shuichi pulled out his wallet, used a card to unlock the sliding door beside it, and slipped quietly inside.
The moment he entered, a man's voice drifted down from upstairs.
"Little sister, don't be scared. Come on out."
"I'm a friend of your mom and dad. I came today because I need their help with something."
From the man's words, it was clear he hadn't caught Reiko yet. Realizing this, Hayashi Shuichi let out a quiet breath of relief and raced toward the stairs.
…
Second floor of the Kujou house.
The scruffy man's face was dark as he carried Reiko's schoolbag, searching room by room for the girl.
Downstairs earlier, when he'd lunged, he had managed to grab the bag on her back.
He'd thought that would be enough to capture her and use her as leverage against her parents, but the little kid had pulled a turtle-shell escape, slipping right out of the bag.
Fortunately, he'd blocked the front door first, forcing her to flee upstairs.
"Little sister, Uncle really isn't a bad guy. See, I even know your parents' names—your dad is Kujou Yoshiyuki, your mom is Kujou Kotona…"
While coaxing her like a child, he checked each room one by one.
At the very end of the second-floor hallway were two doors facing each other: Reiko's bedroom on the left, and the room Hayashi Shuichi used to live in on the right.
Though he had moved out, the room remained almost unchanged—decorations and all—and was kept spotlessly clean.
Reiko was currently hiding inside the wardrobe of that room. Despite her strong personality, she was still just a girl in her early teens. Facing a home invasion, she was terrified.
"Onii-chan…" Curled up with her knees hugged to her chest, she prayed desperately for her big brother to come save her.
Just then, the sound of the doorknob turning came from outside the wardrobe, followed by footsteps entering the room…
(End of chapter)
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T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 2 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
patreon.com/TripleCrown07
If you guys wanna check it out.