Yandere? Menhera? Bring It On, If You're Confident That I'll love You For Who You Are - Chapter 27

Elegant Confinement

With a sound as light as feathers, I awoke.

Opening my eyes amidst a hazy consciousness, light from above assaulted my vision.

Due to the brightness, I instinctively tried to shield my eyes with my hand, but at the same time, a clinking sound echoed.

Turning towards the sound, my awareness sharpened, and I was starkly reminded of my current predicament. It was only then that I realized not only my hands but also my feet were in the same state.

My body was spread out in a ‘big X’, with my limbs restrained by thick chains, lying on a bed.

“Ah, that’s right…”

Finally, everything came back to me. I had been prepared for this, but it was the first time it had actually happened.

After grasping the situation, I surveyed the room once more. Fortunately, the chains were long enough to allow some movement.

An elegantly laid carpet covered the floor, an electric kettle and a microwave were on the desk in front, and there was even a TV that looked to be about 60 inches wide.

Beside the bed, opposite the desk, there was a small chest of drawers with what seemed to be remote controls for the air conditioner and the TV.

Furthermore, inside the drawers were DVDs and manga of my preferred genres, along with several game software.

“(Eh? What’s this? confinement… right?)”

It’s like a room in a luxury hotel… But no, no. I was slightly pleased by the thorough preparation.

It appeared there was no internet connection installed.

As expected, the smartphone that had been in my pocket had already been taken.

How much time had passed since then?

The most pressing concern for me now was undoubtedly Rio’s safety.

I had made Kanade promise, but that was just a verbal agreement. Considering the past, the possibility that she might decide to eliminate Rio once and for all was not out of the question.

It’s a pitiful thing to admit, but I had no choice but to gamble on this.

Thinking too much about my situation would get me nowhere, so I thought about turning on the TV for a change of pace when—

“Minato, are you awake?”

A familiar voice accompanied the entrance of a known face. It was needless to say who it was.

“Good, you seem to be doing just fine.”

“Thanks to you. But this room is quite luxurious, isn’t it? When you say ‘confinement,’ I was worried I’d be thrown into some stinking dungeon.”

“It seems that was Akutsu-san’s intention, but I refused. Plus, I want Minato to be happy. Oh, feel free to use anything here. If there’s anything else you want, just let me know, and I’ll grant it if possible, so don’t worry.”

“Oh, that’s generous of you. It would’ve been even better if it weren’t for the circumstances.”

I replied with a hint of sarcasm, to which Kanade just smiled gently.

To an outsider, our conversation would hardly seem like one between captor and captive.

Of course, I was at a clear disadvantage in this situation. The aim was not to provoke Kanade, but for now, I couldn’t help it.

“Let me ask you one thing, what happened to Rio?”

With those words, Kanade’s previously smiling face shifted to expressionlessness.

The atmosphere, which had been calm just moments ago, turned into something else entirely.

“Don’t worry, I released her after I had you restrained. Like I said earlier, her life isn’t in any danger. Considering the time, she’s probably back home by now.”

“I hope that’s true.”

“Don’t trust me? Do you want to check again?”

Kanade took out her smartphone.

She swiped the screen, showing me the call history.

“I’ll let you use Minato’s phone for now. If you talk to her directly, you’ll have no choice but to believe it, right?”

“Is that okay?”

“Yes, but there are conditions. Your purpose is solely to confirm Rio’s safety. Keep the call to a minimum. Never tell her about your current situation. And tell her that Minato will be away from home for a while. If you break any of these rules— you know what will happen, right?”

“…Yeah.”

I nodded slightly. Her sharp gaze indicated that if I uttered any unnecessary words, Rio would be in danger.

Once she confirmed my agreement, Kanade quietly placed the phone to my ear and swiped to call.

The ringtone echoed, and it seemed the call connected quickly.

“Hello? Nii-san?”

The voice undoubtedly belonged to my sister.

“Ah, you’re safe. I heard you collapsed on your way back. Did something happen?”

“…I can’t quite remember. I was walking in the schoolyard after class and suddenly lost consciousness. When I came to, I was lying in the infirmary bed. It was past eight o’clock? I was lucky the school staff took care of me.”

“Is that so? Well, as long as you’re safe.”

I put on a casual front.

I was fairly good at this kind of acting, so it was frustrating not to probe further for now.

“Nii-san, where are you now? It’s already past ten at night. I don’t think you’re with another woman or anything, right?”

“No, well, that’s what I wanted to talk about… I have some urgent business and won’t be able to come home for a while.”

“Eh? What do you mean?”

“It’s nothing serious, but… actually—”

Just as I was about to rattle off some desperate excuse, my voice was drowned out.

Suddenly, Kanade pulled the phone away from me and held it to her own ear.

“That’s the situation. Consider it a token of my apology; I’ve ensured you have enough money to live on for the rest of your life. So, could you please give Minato—your onii-san—to me?”

“Wha—!?”

“(Hey, hey…)”

With just that one sentence, Kanade pressed the end call button.

She put the phone away and turned back to me with a smile.

“Are your doubts cleared?”

“…More than enough.”

I couldn’t voice that my remaining doubts lay in her true intentions.

“Good. Minato, you must be hungry, right? I’ll bring you something. Like I said earlier, you’re free to use anything in the room.”

“I’ll do that without being told…”

“Okay, good!”

With those parting words, Kanade left the room, humming cheerfully as if she were in high spirits.

With a deep sigh, I flopped back onto the bed.

There was still so much I wanted to ask both Kanade and Rio, but I had lost the energy to do so.

“Damn it. She really did a number on me at the end, that girl…”

For now, Rio’s safety seemed assured, but depending on our future actions, that could change at any moment.

It was already risky enough that I wouldn’t be going home, and she had to go and add fuel to the fire.

I guess there’s no choice but to escape.

My resolve was already firm. The chains restraining my arms and legs were a nuisance, but I could still move to some extent.

All I had to do was not miss a single opportunity.

Given the circumstances, it would be difficult to handle things like baths or the toilet, so there would be chances.

“Well, that aside…”

I reached out to the chest of drawers beside the bed and opened it. As expected of a former lover, she understood my tastes well.

I tilted my body in the opposite direction and turned on the computer’s power button inside the TV stand. I grabbed the remote from atop the chest of drawers and positioned myself in front of the TV.

I was ready with the controller in hand.

Since I had nothing to do until my chance came, it was necessary to immerse myself in entertainment to avoid negative thoughts.

This was all to defeat Rio and Kanade. It was certainly not just because I wanted to play games.

I’ll say it again, definitely not.

“Ah, it’s starting. The quality is amazing on this modern machine! No telling when I’ll get to do this again, so I’m going all-in. It’s a shame there’s no internet connection, though.”

And so, my confinement life, filled with anxiety and uncertainty, began.