After that, the two of us celebrated together, had a late dinner, took a bath, and went to sleep. We fell into a deep sleep without even dreaming, and just woke up a little while ago. When I checked the clock, it was already 9 o’clock in the morning.

Although it was still early enough to go back to sleep, I decided to get out of bed.

I  went downstairs and moved to the living room. Of course, nobody was there.

My brother and the others were on their way, but it would take some time given the distance.

I wondered if Diya-chan was still asleep, as she had said she would come over once she woke up.

 Since I wasn’t good at cooking, I just poured milk over cornflakes and placed it on the table to eat alone. Usually, my brother would be sitting in front of me, making for a lively and enjoyable meal, but now it just felt empty.

After finishing the meal and cleaning up the dishes, there was nothing else to do.

When I checked my phone, there were no missed calls from my brother.

I assumed he was either tired and sleeping or driving, so I didn’t want to disturb him and refrained from contacting him.

“Since the weather is nice, should I do some work in the field?”

As I stepped onto the rooftop, the wind blew directly in my face.

 I savored the fresh scent of plants and trees, something that couldn’t be experienced in the city.

Well, I only lived in the city for a few years though.

My hometown was in the countryside, and after my parents passed away in an accident soon after moving, I moved back here.

Yeah, I’ve been surrounded by nature for a while now.

Regaining my focus, I picked up the watering can that was placed in the corner of the rooftop.

It had become a daily routine for me to water the plants.

Some of the planters only had a few sprouts, while some vegetables had grown enough to have swollen buds.

However, there still wasn’t anything ready to be eaten yet.

“I hope they grow big and satisfy our hunger,” I say, rallying the vegetables to grow healthy and strong.

Until recently, I led an unhealthy lifestyle of just playing games all day, but this healthy way of living isn’t bad either. I’ve even gained a bit of physical strength.

The sunlight shines mercilessly on my feeble body, so I shield my eyes with my right hand.

“It’ll be okay, right, Jin-chan?”

My brother had a prophetic dream about April 1st, so he won’t die until April 1st.

He’ll definitely come back. I know that. I know, but…

After finishing watering the plants, I pondered what to do next when I heard the sound of a car approaching.

I hurriedly ran to the railing on the rooftop and looked down. There was only one road that connected to our house, and a small truck was approaching from far away.

“He’s back!”

I threw away the watering can and ran down the stairs. I hesitated at the front door, but I shook off my doubts, opened the door with force, and rushed outside.

My lack of exercise caught up with me, and I was out of breath by the time I reached the gate.

“Are you here to pick up your parcel too?”

Before I knew it, Diya-chan was standing next to me with a bright smile on her face.

“Oh, good morning.”

“Yes, good morning!” replied Diya-chan with a bright smile.

She replied energetically with a good morning greeting.

However, when I looked closely, I noticed dark circles under her eyes.

She must have been worried about Iwaro-san and couldn’t sleep.

As we spent time together yesterday and the day before, we became quite close. However, it was thanks to Diya-chan who didn’t give up and kept talking to me.

I wonder if I should comfort her about her tiredness with the dark circles under her eyes, or should I change the subject and not touch upon it. As someone who has become socially awkward, I can’t decide which is the right thing to do.

Just as I was about to say something, Diya-chan’s face suddenly lit up.

“Jin! Everyone!”

She jumps up and down, waving her arms vigorously towards the approaching light truck.

Her chest jiggles with each bounce, but she ignores it.

I looked down at my own chest, but I decided to ignore it.

As the truck pulls up near the gate, Jin and Hinoyama-san step out, along with a slightly shabby-looking middle-aged man who lacks cleanliness and looks a little tired.

That person must be Diya-chan’s uncle, Jinguichi Genjiro-san.

“Yae-nee, are you okay!?”

My brother runs over and grabs my shoulder.

He probably didn’t expect me to be waiting outside. I can’t help but smile at his surprised face.

“That’s my line, isn’t it? Are you okay? Any injuries?”

“I’m fine,” my brother responds.

I place both hands on my brother’s cheeks, as if to cradle them. It seems like he’s not lying about being alright.

“Jin-san, you’re so lovey-dovey with your big sister!”

“Come on, don’t tease us, Diya-chan.”

Diya-chan puts her hand over her mouth and teases me and my brother. I mimic pushing her away and she giggles and runs away, saying “Kyaa!”

“When did you two become friends?”

“Secret.”

Both of them answered at the same time, tilting their heads in confusion.

Turning to Hinoyama and Jinguichi who were perplexed and unable to join the conversation, they bowed their heads.

“Everyone, please come inside the house for now. If you’d like, please use the bath that I’ve prepared.”

I spoke without hesitation, looking ahead. My voice may have trembled a little.

My younger brother looked at me and smiled happily.

“That was tough.”

Jinguichi, who had just finished bathing and was feeling refreshed, roughly explained what had happened since they arrived in the village.

“Senpai, you must have had a hard time.”

Hinoyama-san nodded vigorously next to me, while my brother and Diya-chan stared at him intently.

Although the two of them took turns using the bath, they didn’t have a change of clothes, so my father and brother lent them theirs.

My father was a little taller than my brother, but Hinoyama-san’s shirt was still tight on him, with the long sleeves clinging to his body.

“…He has a chest.”

“…Yes, he does.”

“…Indeed, he does.”

We murmured quietly to ourselves.

Hinoyama-san’s chest was bulging, and he had let down his hair that he had tied up after taking a bath. If you just saw him like this, he would look like a woman.

Although his voice was neutral, we wondered why we hadn’t noticed until now.

Perhaps it was because he was so tall that we had automatically assumed he was male, but we realized we needed to reflect on this assumption.

None of us dared to ask the rude question, “Are you a woman?” and instead kept our words to ourselves.

“…That’s the gist of it.”

I was too shaken by Hino-yama-san’s transformation and only caught about half of what he said.

I understood that he(Jinguichi) got separated from Iwaro-san while being chased by the villagers and continued to run alone until he met up with my brother and Hinoyama-san.

“Excuse me, could you please tell us more about your conversation with the former mayor?”

My brother’s question was accurate and helpful.

That was exactly what I wanted to know as well.

“If you want details, then listen to this.”

On the desk was a small machine that fit perfectly in the palm of my hand.

The top half had a small LCD screen and the bottom was covered in countless small holes. Wait, was this…

“Senior, you were recording with a voice recorder, weren’t you?”

“As a detective, it’s common sense, you know.”

That’s very helpful. Information passed down through word of mouth can often be distorted. But with this, there’s no room for error.

We listened to the recorded audio in silence.

Someone let out a big sigh, saying, “Aah.”

“Do the two of you happen to recognize the voice of the former mayor since you both are from that village?”

“Unfortunately, I don’t. I hardly had any interaction with anyone other than my family.”

“I don’t recognize it either.”

It was an unpleasant memory from the past, and I had tried hard to forget about it, so there might be some doubts, but the voice of the former mayor was distinctive, so there was no mistaking it.

“I see.”

Jinguichi-san was groaning with his arms crossed, looking disappointed, but my state of mind was not in the mood for that. The former mayor’s statement was too shocking.

I already had some information that my father had kept a secret.

That he was the head of the family. I had heard this from both my father and mother. However, I had deliberately kept it a secret from my younger brother.

My parents believed that it was not good for moral education to tell a child that their father was a powerful figure.

The problem was that my father was the famous magician Tooru King.

… Wasn’t he just an ordinary salaryman?

He wore a suit every day and went to work. Although he often worked overtime and went on business trips, my mother always said, “He has an important position and is very busy. So let’s support him.”

It’s unbelievable that he was secretly a magician.

 While the fact that the village was involved in the zombie phenomenon and that the former mayor was a survivor of the village were surprising, it seemed like my father’s secret was overshadowing everything. Despite the fact that they couldn’t be compared in importance.

…Let’s set aside my father’s secret for now. There is something even more important at the moment.

While the statement suggesting that Mikishima Heito, a person involved in that accident, may be involved in this matter was also concerning, there is something that we should convey first.

I gave a small nod to my younger brother, who understood me without me having to say a word. It was just as I expected from my beloved little brother.

“Jinguichi-san, Hinoyama-san. I have something to say to both of you.”

My younger brother straightened his posture and slowly explained the contents of his prophetic dream.