ADMIRE ME |Brothers Conflict

24

According to the schedule, Fuuto had another date with Ema today. He might have decided to go on a date with her without my presence.

It was the only explanation I could find for what had happened in the classroom.

However, this explanation had certain conditions. First of all, Fuuto would have had to regain his interest in seducing his stepsister overnight. Secondly; Ema would have had to agree on going on a date with Fuuto.

Unless he had lied to her, but then she would have returned to the classroom, right?

Uncertainty and fear reared their ugly heads inside me.

Why had Yuusuke ran after them?

Something critical had happened in the classroom, and I dreaded the consequences.

"Have you had a break yet?" Mahoko asked me.

"Not yet," I said, glancing at the clock. It was already 3 PM, which meant that it was well beyond the time to have lunch.

"I thought that we had made a schedule," Mahoko mused, "but I'll take over for you for a bit. Go grab a bite and enjoy the festival."

"Thank you," I thanked her, relieved that I could leave my post.

We switched seats, after which Mahoko gave the customer a dazzling smile. Feeling that it was safe to leave Mahoko behind, I limped down the hallway in the same direction as Ema and her stepbrothers.

Maybe, I shouldn't meddle in a family problem. I definitely shouldn't. But there were extenuating circumstances: I was in love. Besides, I would stay a witness in this situation. After figuring out that people were going to get hurt, I had decided to limit my involvement to a position in which I wouldn't actively cause the people around me grieve.

While the others had run through the hallways, I wasn't making as much progress. Often, someone would nudge me in the back carelessly, unaware of my situation.

Most of these bumps and pushes were accidental since the hallways were overcrowded. Stalls lined the walls, which decreased the width of the corridors considerably too. Add to that small groups of people who were waiting or just standing still, and you had the current situation.

My ankle was getting more banged up than I had hoped it would. Gritting my teeth against the pain, I pushed through another group of people.

My chase led me through the entire school building and the sports halls, enjoying brief flashes of a play, several bands, the food market, and a garage sale using carpets.

The correct term was a jumble sale according to one of the organisers who could also tell me that he hadn't seen any stray vampires.

Several sports teams were giving demonstrations on the fields behind the school, which was quickly developing into one big brawl. Culture fairs often tended to end with big competitions between the rowdy sports teams. The manga and anime club never caused any such problems, although the noise level did gradually rise in the small room as the day progressed. For now, they were oddly silent, intently watching a screening of an anime movie.

When I returned to the maid and butler, I still hadn't found any of the trio. Most likely, they had entered one of the classrooms which required waiting in line or paying beforehand.

My bet was on the haunted house, but I couldn't afford to wait in line to confirm my suspicions.

"You're back," Mahoko cheered, jumping to her feet immediately. "We're shorthanded, so I'm going back inside."

"Thank you for helping out," I said to her quickly retreating form.

"Of course," she said, giving me a thumbs-up over her shoulder.