落とし穴番外：孤島の屋敷 (Part2)
With that, my other younger sister came running over and threw herself at me with all her momentum.
Naturally, I caught her firmly in my arms.
"Stasia-onee! You finally managed to come out."
"Yes. Yuki-sama and Arge helped me. I apologize for keeping you waiting."
"No worries! Let's play together!"
"Yes, of course."
I replied as I took Hiiro’s hand and stepped into the mansion.
"Onee-sama, I have a complaint I would very much like to lodge regarding the difference in how you treated me versus how you treated Hiiro."
"That complaint will not be accepted. The matter was resolved by the fact that you were embarrassed by your swimsuit. And above all, Hiiro is younger than Arge. It is not something an elder should be jealous about."
"Nngghhh... Onii-sama! Did you hear that? That brazen attitude!"
"Haha. Well, as a consolation, I’ll escort Arge. Come, your hand, please."
"Oh, yes. Thank you... Bleh! Onee-sama, Onii-sama is head over heels for me."
"Yes, yes. Then, please take care of my selfish little sister."
"Moo!"
"Arge, Onee-sama, you're noisy."
And so, leaving Arge, who was still picking a fight, to Yuki-sama, I looked around the mansion's lobby.
It had a layout that somewhat reminded me of a castle lobby. No, rather, it was like the residence of a local lord.
Though the scale was small and it felt strangely old-fashioned, it was furnished with dignified pieces, and the carpet was of decent quality.
It was a mansion more than sufficient to host royalty.
Well, I questioned the necessity of such a mansion on a deserted island, but since it was built on the premise that we would be staying here, I suppose it was fine.
"It's a magnificent mansion. Yuki-sama, is the treasure here?"
"No, the hint for the next step is hidden here. Did you find it, Hiiro?"
"Yup. Hiiro and the others found it. It’s this, right?"
Hiiro said this and handed me a tattered piece of paper similar to the one Yuki-sama had shown me earlier.
It seemed to describe the location of the treasure.
...It appeared the treasure was located on the beach on the other side of the large rock, right next to the pier where we had landed on the island.
"Oh, correct. And since you found this, does that mean Aslin and the others have already gone there?"
"Nope. They're still resting in the dining hall right now. Hiiro was planning to go to the dining hall, but when I passed through the lobby, I heard voices from outside, so when I peeked, I saw you guys."
"I see. Then, shall we join up and look for the treasure together?"
"Yeah. It's this way."
Led by Hiiro’s hand, we entered a room at the end of the hallway, where Aslin and the others were relaxing around a table.
"Phew. I'm exhausted. Honestly, it was such a struggle just to find one map."
"I agree. I think they could have given us a few more hints."
"Now, now, according to Yuki-san's schedule, the treasure hunt wasn't supposed to be until later. Originally, there were supposed to be more hints... Oh, Yuki-san. Ah, Stasia-san and Arge-san too."
"Yo. We're here."
"Yes, excuse us."
"Yahoo, everyone."
We greeted them as we entered the room.
The air conditioning was running, making it very cool and comfortable.
It seemed the mansion was fully equipped with climate control.
At this rate, there wouldn't be any issues with us spending time here.
"Ah, Onii-chan and the others."
"Yahoo, it is. Stasia-onee-sama, you finally came out?"
"Yes. I apologize for the wait. I shall assist with the treasure hunt."
"I'll help out too."
""Yay! We're all together!""
Both of them were happy to have us join.
"I'm glad. I'm already worn out from solving the riddles up to this point. The rest is just digging, so I'll leave that to you."
"My, Dressa. You're giving up the glory of the find; are you sure about that?"
"It's fine. I made it to the answer, and it's impossible for Aslin and the others to hog the treasure all to themselves. Besides, there would be no point in Stasia and the others coming all this way otherwise."
"That's true. Let's let them experience the thrill of the treasure hunt properly."
"Yes. Please leave it to me. I have confidence in my physical labor."
"...Uh, I might be a bit iffy on that?"
As Arge said this and tried to slink away, I grabbed her by the scruff of her neck, and we headed to the beach where the treasure was, shovels in hand.
"Yuki-sama. So, what exactly is inside the treasure?"
"Ah, that's a surprise for when we open it."
"Onee-sama. It's incredibly boorish to ask what's inside the treasure beforehand. Come on, let's dig it up ourselves!"
"""""Ooh!!"""""
It’s the classic setup, isn't it?
A mansion on a deserted island! A murder case!
A convenient location where all summer events can be executed.
Now, I wonder if such an event will actually happen!
There is always only one truth!