Before Jahy could break free from the first girl's clutches, a second pair of "demonic hands" was already reaching out.
At this point, it was already too late for Jahy to resist.
"I want to touch her too, I want to!"
"Me too! Wow, she's so soft, the feel is amazing. I really want to take her home."
Surrounded by countless evil hands, Jahy had completely lost the ability to fight back.
As innumerable hands pinched her cheeks, Jahy struggled in vain, and images she had once seen on Tanaka Masao's computer involuntarily surfaced in her mind.
[So that's how it is… no wonder this scene feels so familiar.
Isn't this exactly what those girls imprisoned by Masao went through?
I've fallen to this point as well…
As expected, this so-called "school" is no good either. Everyone inside is this kind of trash.
I have to escape quickly. If I don't… if I don't, I'll become like that.]
"Waaah~ st–stop~ I-I want to leave~"
Just as Jahy was struggling with all her might, a stern voice rang out.
"Hey! What do you think you're doing? Stop that right now."
The moment the voice sounded, the girls surrounding Jahy froze.
Seeing who it was, they obediently greeted her.
"Hiratsuka-sensei."
The person who had arrived was Hiratsuka Shizuka. She had been passing by, noticed the noise, and came over to check.
What she found was several girls crowding around and touching a small child, so she immediately spoke up to stop them.
"What kind of behavior is this, ganging up on a little kid like that? What if you scare her? Hurry up and leave."
"Yes, Hiratsuka-sensei."
The girls lowered their heads and left with apologetic looks.
Only after scolding them did Hiratsuka Shizuka turn to Jahy, asking with concern.
"Daijōbu? Are you okay? I'm sorry on their behalf for what just happened. Don't take it to heart—they didn't mean any harm."
Finally free from the demonic hands, Jahy rubbed her cheeks, feeling both shaken and wronged.
Hearing Hiratsuka Shizuka's concerned words, she was deeply moved and replied,
"I'm fine. Thanks to your help, those terrifying people were driven away."
Having just been bullied, the arrogant and domineering air around Jahy had vanished for the moment, replaced by a fragile, vulnerable demeanor.
That sight made Hiratsuka Shizuka's heart skip hard.
[So cute.]
Now she understood why those girls had gone so crazy just now.
Honestly, who wouldn't lose control? Even Hiratsuka Shizuka felt the urge to step forward and pinch Jahy's adorable little cheeks.
To avoid frightening Jahy again, she restrained herself and asked,
"Little girl, are you here looking for someone? My name is Hiratsuka Shizuka. I'm a teacher at this school. You can call me Hiratsuka-sensei, or if you like, Hiratsuka-onee-san. If you need any help, just say the word."
"Oh, so you're Shizuka."
There was no way Jahy was going to call a human "big sister."
As for calling her "sensei," that was even more impossible—not just anyone could be her teacher.
"S-Shizuka…"
Hearing that form of address, Hiratsuka Shizuka's mouth twitched violently.
The last person who'd called her that was Yukinoshita Haruno.
She couldn't say she hated the nickname, but it definitely felt embarrassing.
[This little girl… she's not Haruno's daughter, is she? The way she gets under my skin is exactly the same.
Well, whatever. She's just a kid—I won't argue with her.]
Jahy didn't notice Hiratsuka Shizuka's odd reaction and continued,
"I'm here to find Tanaka Masao. Do you know where he is?"
After what had just happened, Jahy felt that this school was a bit dangerous.
For the sake of her own safety, she didn't plan on wandering around anymore and wanted to go straight to Tanaka Masao.
Although Tanaka Masao himself was also dangerous, at least for now, he didn't seem to have any intention of laying a hand on her.
"Tanaka Masao…"
Hiratsuka Shizuka pinched her chin. A few days ago, she wouldn't have recognized the name at all.
But now, a chubby figure appeared in her mind.
She'd only met him once, but someone who could withstand her punch left a fairly deep impression.
She looked Jahy over and asked uncertainly,
"The Tanaka Masao you're looking for… is he a chubby guy with short black hair and glasses?"
"Yes, that's him. You know him?"
Jahy was a little happy—she hadn't expected a random person to know Tanaka Masao.
No wonder Tanaka Masao was so famous.
"It really is him."
Hiratsuka Shizuka exclaimed in surprise, because she truly couldn't imagine what kind of connection this little girl could have with Tanaka Masao.
"If you don't mind me asking… your relationship with him is…?"
Unable to suppress her curiosity, Hiratsuka Shizuka asked.
"My relationship with Masao…"
For that question, Jahy genuinely didn't know how to answer right away.
In her ideal scenario, Tanaka Masao was supposed to be her slave and servant.
But that hadn't been realized yet.
After hesitating for a moment, she said,
"We're family."
She was currently living in the Tanaka household, and the name she'd registered yesterday was Tanaka Jahy.
Calling them family wasn't exactly wrong.
"Family…"
Those two words were utterly baffling to Hiratsuka Shizuka.
She hesitated, and worried about hurting Jahy's young heart, chose not to voice the speculation in her mind.
"Come with me. I know where he is right now."
"Oh. Then thank you very much."
...
A few minutes later, led by Hiratsuka Shizuka, Jahy arrived in front of the Service Club room.
Hiratsuka Shizuka pushed the door open and called out,
"Tanaka, are you in there?"
The two people inside the Service Club who were eating lunch both looked up at her.
Yukinoshita Yukino sighed and reminded her once again,
"Hiratsuka-sensei, I believe I've said many times that you should knock before entering."
Hiratsuka Shizuka waved it off as usual.
"Next time, next time. Definitely next time."
She turned to Tanaka Masao and said,
"Tanaka, someone's here to see you. Says she's your… family."
Hiratsuka Shizuka said those last two words with great difficulty.
By now, Tanaka Masao had already noticed Jahy standing behind Hiratsuka Shizuka and looked puzzled.
"Why are you here? Did you come looking for me?"
Seeing Tanaka Masao, Jahy finally let out a breath of relief.
In this unfamiliar world, Tanaka Masao was the first person she'd met—and the one she was closest to.
That gave Jahy a sense of safety and belonging.
The fear born from being attacked by those girls vanished completely, and her usual arrogance and haughtiness returned.
She put her hands on her hips and said,
"Yeah. I was bored staying at home by myself, so I came here to find you."