落とし穴番外：宝物捜索 (Part2)
"The ground around here is soil, not sand. It shouldn't be a problem to bury something. Besides, if it were sand, there's a chance it could be washed away by the waves."
"I see. That is certainly true."
"Also, if you're trying to hide something, moisture can cause items to rot. So, wouldn't you have chosen this spot to avoid decay? Yuki-sama?"
"Oh. You're right. Well then, do your best to find it."
With my older brother's seal of approval, the treasure was confirmed to be somewhere here!
*Dig, dig...*
Aslin and the others were already following their instincts, digging up spots that looked suspicious. Just as I was about to start digging with the same fervor, I was stopped.
"Wait, Arge."
"What is it, Sister? The treasure is right in front of us, you know?"
"That's why you need to calm down a little. We've put a lot of thought into this so far. It would be better to pinpoint the location Yuki-sama buried it in first."
"The place my brother buried it? I don't think there would be such an obvious marker."
Since my brother was the one who concealed it, it must have been hidden quite cleverly. There’s no way we could find it just by looking.
"This is, after all, a game prepared by Yuki-sama. Therefore, there are definitely hints."
"You can tell, Sister?"
"Yes. Now, Yuki-sama, when did you prepare this treasure hunt?"
"Recently. And like Stasia said, I didn't put that much effort into hiding it."
He hid it recently. And he didn't hide it with the intent to truly stump us. That means there must be an obvious hint.
I calmed down and took another look at the green area of the beach, and I noticed that there was only one spot where the greenery was missing. Moreover, there were blatant signs of the ground having been dug up.
I see. That really was a blind spot.
"When did you notice, Sister?"
"I noticed the moment we arrived. You were able to prepare that old western-style mansion so easily, so that spot looked unnatural by comparison."
"Indeed. Then, I'll go dig it up right away!"
I declared this and ran off with my shovel toward the target. Behind me, I heard them talking.
"You really are soft on your younger sister."
"I think you are quite soft as well, Yuki-sama. You gave us hints immediately—me, Vilia, and Arge."
"Well, there's no reason to be mean to my cute wives."
"Thank you."
*Tch.* My sister and brother are just so sickeningly close! That should be a cause for celebration, but for some reason, it just makes me angry! I’ll send this photo I secretly took to Father, Mother, and my brother... no, my brother can't stand up to my sister, so that's pointless. I'll send it to them just to tease them.
Thinking such things, I arrived at the target location.
A sign was posted that read, "Keep the beach clean. Take your trash home with you," and at its base, there were clear marks indicating that the ground had been dug up and filled back in.
As my sister said, if he really wanted to set the mood, he could have made it look like it had been buried there for ages. That is precisely why this spot was the most suspicious.
I didn't hesitate; I plunged my shovel into the ground and began to dig. It didn't take long.
*Clang.*
The shovel hit something hard, different from the earth. I cleared the soil around the area.
"I found it!"
" " "Ohhh!!" " "
Yes, a beautiful treasure chest was buried there. We had successfully found the treasure.
From there, we all worked together to carefully clear the dirt and haul the chest out onto the surface.
"It's huge!"
"Is it filled with lots of treasure?"
"Let's open it right away!"
"No, we shouldn't. Let's take it back to the mansion and open it with Dressa and the others."
"That's right. Labyris and the others are waiting, so let's go back and see it together."
I wonder what's inside? Filled with that excitement, we headed back to the mansion.
"It's good to see everyone having fun."
"Yes. So, what is inside that chest?"
"Come now, that's a surprise for later. You shouldn't spoil the answer, should you?"
"That's true. I see, so this is what they call 'anticipation'?"
"That's right. You should take your time learning these things, Stasia."
"Yes. Thank you."
...Ugh, seriously! Why is this so annoying!
Treasure hunting is something everyone wants to try at least once. Figuring out the location from old maps or documents and discovering treasure. It's so romantic.
Well, in Japan, the legends of the Tokugawa buried gold have all but vanished, haven't they... I wonder if there's any romance left in the world.