rubestie

Season: Winter

Writer: Akira

Characters: Ibara, Madara, Kohaku, Tsukasa

Ibara: Yes. Putting J-san aside, Oukawa-shi is currently a member of one of the top earners for us at CosPro, Crazy:B.

It would be convenient for us if you, who are affiliated with a different agency, could take on all of the responsibility.

Anzu-san might get angry with you again, if you keep up this self-sacrificing habit of yours.

I prefer to consider the situation from a business-like perspective, however, and I insist on respecting your wishes.

Returning to the problem at hand, I’ll repeat my previous questions. What do you want to do? Do you want to cancel the show? Or would you like to continue?

Madara: …I’m not qualified to make that decision. Or rather, this isn’t something we should decide on our own.

J should decide. The most important thing is what he wants to do.

I’ve kept making mistakes because I never took that into consideration, or even thought about it.

At this point I’ve reflected on my own behavior, and want to do what’s right, this time for sure.

Ibara: …All villains are destined to be defeated by the allies of justice.

Villains can’t reflect on themselves, reform their ideology, and be reborn as an ally of justice.

You see it happen sometimes in Buddhist stories and old shounen manga, but reality is not that kind.

In “my” eyes, you look almost laughably much like you’re suffocating right now now*.

Madara: …

Madara: -J, how are you feeling?

Hahaha. I bet you’re surprised. I was kicked out of the hospital room earlier because the staff didn’t want me catching your cold, but there are many convenient ways to sneak into places.

Though I guess that also means any villains targeting you would have an equally easy time sneaking in here, so it’s not very good.

It might be better if we moved you to a hospital with a little more security if you’re gonna stay hospitalized. Like the hospital where my sister is receiving treatment, that place is specifically made to treat members of the police force.

…J? What’s wrong, you’re not saying anything.

Are you sleeping? Did they give you the kind of cold medicine that makes you sleepy?

(-No, that’s not it. There’s clearly someone under the futon, but even if J was to pull the futon all the way over his head, this still doesn’t look like J’s body.)

(J is too small and thin for his age, but even considering that this futon looks overly large on him.)

-J!

…!? Eh, why are you here? What’s going on?

Kohaku: Madara-ha~n!

Where’s J? Is he okay? Argh, I don’t even know what ta say, how could somethin’ happen ta J when y’all were together?

Madara: …Kohaku-san.

Kohaku: Wh, what’s wrong? Ya look so pale, is J’s condition really that bad?

Wait, what’s goin’ on in here? That’s yer sister, Maguro-han, ain’t it? Why’s she bound up in the bed like that?

What are the two of ya doin’, really?

Madara: You know, I don’t have the slightest clue myself-

J was supposed to be asleep in that bed, but when I moved the futon my sister was bound up there in his place.

J has disappeared somewhere.

Kohaku: …

Ibara: -It seems like someone took advantage of the disturbance caused by J-san collapsing.

I was busy contacting everyone involved in the program, and even Mikejima-shi was uncharacteristically obedient and left the hospital when asked to by the doctors.

To rebel against the doctor’s instructions when at the hospital would not only be pointless, but could even be harmful, after all. There was nothing else he could have done.

There was nothing Mikejima-shi could do for J-san while he was sick, so even though he was worried for J-san he had no choice but to leave the hospital room.

However, some scoundrel took advantage of that momentary gap in our security. He colluded with a fake doctor to get inside the hospital room, after which he swiftly kidnapped J and escaped through a back entrance.

In this way, J-san ended up stolen from us.

Tsukasa: Are we pursuing the kidnapper?

Ibara: Of course, I quickly mobilized my private forces and sent them in pursuit.

The kidnapper is a professional. There were almost no traces left in the room after the kidnapping, and the surveillance cameras both inside the hospital and in the nearby areas had been disabled aforehand. Honestly speaking, tracking him will be extremely difficult.

They’ve completely defeated us. The whole case was almost suspiciously well executed.

J-san’s sudden collapse should have been a completely unexpected occurrence for everyone.

And yet. J-san collapsed, was taken to the hospital in an ambulance, was examined and admitted to the hospital, after which he was taken to his room-

All this took place in less than an hour. During this time, the kidnapper managed to prepare and commit a seemingly perfect crime.

Perfectly utilizing the split second during which we were unable to react.

Tsukasa: Does that mean this person noticed J-san’s physical condition worsening beforehand and spent time preparing for the crime?

Ibara: There was no way to foresee this incident, which is exactly what makes me think this case is unnatural.

Though we can’t exclude the possibility that the culprit had prepared countless potential plans and one of them coincidentally happened to work out.

I just cannot help but feel suspicious.

Tsukasa: Suspicious in what way?

Ibara: What I am about to say could be interpreted as defamation, but I can’t help but wonder if the perpetrator behind this crime is-

ibara+tsukasa

TL-notes:
* - Ibara usually uses the "jibun" pronoun for himself in Japanese, but here he uses the "ore" pronoun.

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