Side Story:
And Then the Commotion Breaks Out
Translator : PolterGlast
One day, early in the
morning, Nozomu was visiting Irisdina and her family's mansion at the request
of a maid from the Francilt family who suddenly visited his room in the
dormitory.
He was forced to watch
the unusual scene unfolding in the hall of the Francilt mansion with a
mysterious expression on his face.
"Somia!
Somia----! Where are you----?!"
"Mena, we must
move out! Somia..., Somia is ......!"
Thunderous screams and
angry shouts echoed throughout the spacious mansion.
Nozomu, while holding
his ears due to the sheer volume of what he heard, focused his attention on the
source of these noises.
The screams were
coming from Irisdina and Victor. Irisdina kept shouting Somia's name in
frustration, and Victor was being held back by several servants as he was about
to run out.
"Please wait,
milord, as I said earlier, it is highly unlikely that Young Lady Somiriana has
been kidnapped. Now I need you to be calm and tell me where the young lady went
to..."
Mena asked Viktor, who
was being held down, to somehow calm him down. However, Victor did not seem to
be calm at all, and was struggling to break free of Mena's restraints,
shouting, "There is always the possibility of something happening! "
"U-, umm...
Excuse me, what's going on?"
Nozomu, who did not
understand the situation at all, approached Mena to at least find out what had
happened.
"Oh, Nozomu-sama,
you came. Actually, we haven't seen Somiriana-ojōsama since this
morning..."
"...Ha?"
"Nozomu! Somia,
Somia has suddenly disappeared from the mansion! Do you know where she
is!?"
Somia is missing.
Hearing these words, Nozomu's cheeks tightened.
For a moment, Nozomu
couldn't understand what Mena was saying, but he opened his mouth to ask her
about the current situation in order to get a grasp of it.
"Let go of me!
I'm going to go search for Somia----!"
However, before Nozomu
could ask his question, he was interrupted by the paranoid Victor. He began to
shake off the servants who were restraining him by force.
Victor threw the
servants off with such force that one would wonder where he had the strength to
do so, even though he was a civilian.
After eliminating all
the servants who were holding him back, he rushed toward the front door of the
mansion.
"I have no other
choice. I beg your pardon, sir."
"Hau!?"
However, just as
Victor's feet advanced a few meters, Mena came up behind him and flashed a hand
sword. She knocked him unconscious.
In an instant,
Victor's body, having been knocked unconscious, followed the law of inertia and
gravity and crashed face-first into the floor. He then did two and a half
forward somersaults with great momentum, and was slammed to the floor again on
his back.
"U-, umm. Will he
be all right?"
"Yes.No
problem"
While standing in
front of Victor, who has completely lost consciousness, the head chamberlain,
who was the culprit, nonchalantly replied to Nozomu with a brief answer.
"Umm, is there
really no problem...?"
"No problem at
all."
Nozomu couldn't help
but ask again, but Mena only gave the same answer with a nonchalant expression
on her face.
Perhaps at a loss for
words due to her deftness and unchanged attitude, Nozomu did not question her
any further.
At the same time, she
averted her gaze as much as possible from Victor, who had collapsed.
"Um, about
Somia-chan being missing ... No-, no way is it really a kidnapping?..."
"No, it's very
unlikely. The room was unlocked from the inside, there were no signs of any
fight, and there were no traces of drugs or magic. Perhaps the young lady
herself left of her own volition."
But just in case, Mena
added, she had sent a liaison servant to Jihad and the Military Police.
Furthermore, she said
that for now they will look for Somia by themselves, and if they were unable to
find her, they would seek the help of the Military Police and Jihad.
"Nozomu-sama, do
you have any idea where the young lady might have gone?"
"N-, no. Nothing
comes to mi-... ah."
What came to Nozomu's
mind was the vacant lot at the end of the alley in the commercial district.
Somia had recently been there to meet the cats.
For the time being,
Nozomu told Irisdina and the others about Somia's recent visit to the vacant
lot.
"Would Somia be
there!?"
"I-, I don't
know. I can't be sure, but..."
"Then... Wilkers!
Francois!"
""Woof!""
With energetic barks,
two dogs came running up to Irisdina's side.
The dogs were well
trained, and when Iris raised her hand, they sat down side by side and waited
patiently for their owner's command.
"Iris, are these
dogs..."
"Now, it's the
turn of the hounds we took in at the last request. The male, Wilkers, and the
female, Francois. Both are formerly hounds. They should be able to follow
Somia's scent!"
These dogs, who used
to be hounds, would certainly be suitable for the job. If these hounds could
remember Somia's scent, they should be able to track her.
"I see. Well
then, let's wake up Master and have those dogs lead the way and see if they go
to the vacant lot that Nozomu-sama mentioned."
As Mena approached the
unconscious Victor, she again flashed her hand sword at Victor's forehead.
"Hau!"
The impact of the
strike woke Victor up instantly.
The chief chamberlain
struck her own Master once again. Upon seeing this, Nozomu was once again
rendered speechless.
Victor got up and
looked around with a dumbfounded expression on his face.
"Why am I
sleeping here?"
"Milord, we have
information about the whereabouts of Somiriana-ojōsama, and we would like to go
to that place now. May we?"
"U-, umu.
Alright. Do as you wish?"
"Then I will make
a few preparations. I will be back in five minutes, so please wait a
moment."
After she briefly
explained the situation, Mena quickly disappeared into the mansion with the
hounds, leaving the still-confused Viktor behind. She probably took the hounds
to Somia's room so that they would remember her scent.
Meanwhile, Nozomu was
asking Irisdina about Mena's outrageous behavior earlier.
"Hey, Iris. About
what Mena-san did, are you sure everything's okay?"
"Oh, it's all
right. Actually, they are both normally like that. Mena was a schoolmate of my
father's, and they were classmates at an aristocratic school in Foskia. I heard
that they had been quite close since back then."
Apparently, Victor and
Mena have known each other for quite a long time.
Given that they have
been friends for so many years, Mena's earlier behavior would be
understandable. Probably, when Somia ran away from home a few years ago, it was
Mena who stopped Victor, who was about to go out of control and call for the
Knights.
(But judging from the
name "aristocratic school", the students are aristocrats, right? Is
Mena-san an aristocrat?)
Aside from Nozomu's
question, Mena, Irisdina, and the others, having returned a few minutes later
with the hounds, went out into the city in search of Somia.
=====================================
Nozomu and the others
went out on the town to search for Somia.
The rather eccentric
combination of a nobleman, his daughter, a maid, a student, and two dogs
naturally attracted a lot of attention from people passing by.
Nozomu's shoulders
shook with discomfort at the strange attention.
On the other hand, the
three others, were simply chasing the hounds that were tracking Somia's scent,
seemingly oblivious to the stares of those around them.
Irisdina and Victor,
in particular, were staring at the two hounds in front of them as if they could
make a hole with their stares, and the slightest gesture made them move to the
right or left.
When the dogs stopped,
they fixed their eyes on the ground where the dogs were sniffing, with their
hands clasped, and when the dogs looked up, they both followed the dogs' line
of sight in unison.
Their strangely
synchronized gestures made Nozomu involuntarily say to himself, "They're
father and daughter after all...".
"It appears that
the young lady is definitely headed for the commercial district."
The dogs had passed
the central park from the administrative district and were heading into the
commercial district.
"Is she going to
that place after all?"
"I'm not sure.
But considering that Somia-chan has something to do in the commercial district,
the only place I can think of would be Ushitotei or that vacant lot with many
cats."
The dogs walked for a
while on the main street of the commercial district and then abruptly turned
into an alley. It was the alley where Nozomu had entered when he had seen Somia
before.
"It seems that
there is no doubt about it."
Nozomu said so with
conviction as he continued down the alleyway.
The path taken by the
hounds was exactly the same as the path that Somia had taken previously in
pursuit of Kuro. If Somia had followed this path, she would have ended up in
that vacant lot.
As Nozomu and the
others continued down the dark, narrow alleyway for a while, suddenly an open
space came into view.
"Woof-woof!"
The dogs barked as if
to say, "We are here!".
In front of their
eyes, there was a vacant lot nestled in the middle of densely-packed buildings.
There were about a
dozen cats gathered there as well.
"This is the
vacant lot."
The cats were a bit
intimidated by the sudden arrival of so many visitors, and they looked at them
warily.
The hounds that had
been brought along, perhaps caught by the tension of the cats, did not avert
their gaze and kept looking at the cats.
In a section of the
commercial district, a strange tension filled the air between two different
species of animals.
""Soo-mii-aaa!""
However, the Francilt
father and daughter didn't care about the tension between the animals.
In order to find their
beloved Somia, they charged into the vacant lot where the cats were, as if they
were cavalrymen overrunning a battlefield.
The cats, on the other
hand, were startled by the father and daughter who charged at them with a
fierce look on their faces and yelped, "Meow!" while trying to escape
from the vacant lot.
However, the vacant
lot is surrounded on three sides by other houses, and Nozomu and the others
with the hounds are on the other side, which is the exit.
Naturally, the hounds
were wary of the cats, and as a result, the cats were blocked from escaping.
"Where are
you!?"
"Somia, Daddy
isn't mad that you suddenly disappeared from the mansion, so come on
out~~!"
Meanwhile, the
Francilt father and daughter run around from one end of the vacant lot to the
other, shouting and knocking over all kinds of things, showing no sign of
caring about disturbing the neighbors.
Meow, meow, woof,
woof, thump, thump, thump.
The screams of the
fleeing cats and the shouts of Irisdina and Victor echoed.
"White cat over
there! Don't you know where Somia is!? Speak up! Hiding it won't do you any
good!"
The desperate-looking
Irisdina bombarded a lone white cat with questions. Yes, it was that leader of
the Kuro's bodyguards.
While the other cats
were running to the right and left, the white cat was the only one who did not
run away, and faced Irisdina head-on.
The white cat's only
response to Irisdina's question was a threatening "Shah!".
When Nozomu looked
closely, she saw that Kuro's bed had been overturned and was covered with dirt
and dust. It seems that it was angry that its beloved cat's bed was overturned.
Irisdina, on the other
hand, was also quite agitated. "You're trying to hide Somia from
me!?" she says angrily. She had completely forgotten that the other party
could not speak human language, and was reaching for the rapier at her waist.
"Stop, cats can
only say "meow," so calm down a little."
Nozomu, perhaps
thinking that it was indeed a bad idea to pull out a sword against a cat, held
Irisdina down from behind.
At that moment, the
hounds waiting at the entrance to the vacant lot suddenly began barking.
"Woof woof!"
The hounds barked as
if they had noticed something. They followed their gaze and saw a shadow moving
in the grass of the vacant lot.
It was about the size
of a human child. The face that peeked out at them was the one that Nozomu and
the others had been looking for.
"Ah, there she
is."
""Somia----!""
Irisdina and Victor
reacted to Nozomu's words.
Irisdina shook off
Nozomu's restraints in a flash and jumped toward Somia along with Victor.
The speed was so fast
that even Nozomu could not react. The two of them dive toward Somia in a
straight line, just beyond the gaze of Nozomu, who looked dumbfounded.
"Meow!"
""Fugya!!""
However, with a
reaction time even faster than Irisdina's, Somia jumped back from that spot.
Losing sight of their target, the Francilt father and daughter dive headfirst
into the empty grasses.
"Eh? That 'Meow'
just now... And also, those cat ears and tail..."
Meanwhile, Nozomu's
eyes were glued to Somia, who had just jumped out of the grasses.
Her outward appearance
was, to put it bluntly, eye-catching.
She was wearing
well-tailored silk pajamas with glossy jet-black cat ears and tail. They were
so-called pajama nekomimi (cat ears). Although they were slightly stained with
dirt, they were as adorable as kittens.
But what caught his
attention more than anything else was the way she behaved. Rather than a human
being, it was just like a cat, its four limbs touching the ground in a
threatening manner.
"Fushaa----!"
"She has become
completely like a cat. Why?"
Somia dived into the
grass while threatening her own family.
She then turned on her
heel and rushed toward Nozomu.
"Ah…"
And then she jumps.
She ran by Nozomu's side and leaped over Mena and the hounds' heads to escape.
Nozomu, Mena, and the
hounds could do nothing but stare in amazement at the speed and leaping ability
of this eleven-year-old girl.
""Soo---mii---aa-----!""
On the other hand,
when Somia escaped, the Francilt father and daughter chased after the catgirl,
yelling loudly all the while raising a cloud of dust and smoke.
The two of them
quickly disappeared into the back of the alley.
Only Nozomu, Mena, and
the two hounds were left behind. By the way, the cats in the vacant lot had
fled quickly while Nozomu and the others were distracted by Somia.
"Umm, Mena-san.
What shall we do?"
"I was
careless... I had forgotten to restrain milord and milady in front of the young
lady who had changed so much."
"Restrain, you
say..."
Nozomu's cheeks
twitched at the disturbing remark directed toward her own Master. Nozomu's
eyes, which were fixed on Mena, began to take on a suspicious look.
"Nozomu-sama, do
you have any idea about the cat ears and tail that Somiriana-sama was
wearing?"
"Umm, what are
you going to do after knowing that?"
"Something is
wrong with the young lady. The first thing I can think of as the cause is those
cat ears and tail. Therefore, I would like to contact the creator in order to
thank him for this good product... No, I thought we should go and inquire about
the cause of what is going on..."
Nozomu felt that Mena
had uttered a word that did not seem to fit the situation.
She mentioned
something like "good product" or "thank him".
However, if he pursued
the matter here, he might end up in a heap of trouble. Nozomu did his best to
ignore Mena's words.
"But when
Somia-chan wore those cat ears before, there was nothing unusual about it, you
know?"
"... Nozomu-sama,
have you ever seen the young lady in that appearance before?"
"Y-,
yeah..."
Nozomu involuntarily
took a half step away from Mena's sharp gaze.
She usually has a
resolute air about her, but for some reason, at this moment, Nozomu felt a
chill crawl up his spine.
"... However, I
can't think of any other possible cause for the young lady to be in such a
state except for those cat ears. First of all, I think it would be best to
investigate the most likely cause."
"What about Iris
and the others?"
"We can't catch
up with them now. We must first investigate the cause of the problem."
Behind her polite
words, Mena mentioned that she would like to meet the creator, while carrying a
sense of intimidation that even Nozomu felt intimidated by.
"This way…"
Nozomu began to trudge
down the road to the civic district, sighing at the commotion he was once again
involved in, and the disaster he was about to become involved in.
