"What's this all about? Explain it clearly, so I can understand."

I was stared down intensely, and Karen grabbed the sleeve of my shirt.

It wasn't the kind of intimidating presence one would use on an innocent middle school girl, but I suppose this is just her natural demeanor.

I explained the situation.

Even my grandfather knew about the interdimensional transfer, of course. But people of this generation didn't seem particularly interested in worlds of swords and magic, unlike our generation, which was far more passionate. Those who weren't interested were truly uninterested, often showing more concern for changes in global affairs caused by the appearance of gods.

There were no signs of a struggle at the scene, and I think my older brother was attacked unexpectedly. Being chosen for the interdimensional transfer was truly random. If it hadn’t been for that, he probably would’ve died right away.

This is nothing but speculation based on the circumstances.

But for my grandfather, having his grandson attacked is no distant matter.

He might be willing to help.

After I’d explained the situation at length, my grandfather stroked his chin, paused, and then said,

“...So you’re asking me to take that guy’s balls, huh? Selica, this is your request?”

“No, not quite. I’d like you to hold onto him for a while. Before the police do.”

I said, zooming in on the man’s image captured by the security camera.

Killing him wouldn’t serve any purpose.

“His reputation?”

"Yeah, if we do nothing, the culprit will remain unknown, and my brother will be treated as the suspect, so I figured we should just let it blow up like this."

"Blow up? Serika... what kind of image are you drawing...?"

It wasn't really much of a drawing.

The truth is, if we do nothing as things stand, my brother will definitely die.

To reduce that possibility even slightly, we have no choice but to increase viewership and earn points.

And the most efficient way to do that is to make my brother famous.

Right now, he's just a sudden, mysterious transferee.

For someone who appeared out of nowhere to secure a limited resource like the "viewing slot" among a thousand transferees, that won't be easy.

If no one pays attention, there's probably no way to obtain points or crystals. In that case, my brother would die without ever making it through the forest.

　

...But.

If there were a story about someone who killed their childhood friend out of longing to enter another world, then fled to a realm where no one could interfere—

and if my sister and I spread that story across the internet worldwide—

then perhaps we could gain global attention.

"See, the viewer count is right here. The more viewers, the greater the blessings from the gods. Even the boots my brother is wearing were exchanged using points."

"And what does that have to do with Hikaru being treated as a criminal?"

If it turns out that your older brother is the culprit, everyone around the world would hate him, wouldn't they? A murderer who escaped to another world without facing justice, killing his childhood friend. They’d hate him, hate him, wish he’d die quickly… That’s exactly why he’d become even more intriguing than any other transmigrator, drawing everyone’s attention. He’d probably even be featured on television. But really, your brother was just caught in the middle—he’s not a murderer or anything like that. It’s cruel… But we have no choice—we must attract viewers just to escape this forest. So… the real culprit is just in the way.

"Serika… you…"

Grandfather doesn’t know me well, so my suggestion… no, even my expression remaining unchanged while calmly speaking like this must seem strange to him.

When I came here with my brother, I was known as an innocent little sister, and I made all sorts of requests—but it was always my brother who actually made them on my behalf.

But now that my brother has been taken to another world, I—just like Karen—have no reason to hold back anymore. I was certain that if I didn’t give it my all, I’d never make up for this loss.

I will definitely bring my brother back.

To do that, I first have to make sure he survives and gets out of the forest.

"…………If I do that, will Hikaru be saved? Is there any way for him to come back here?"

"I can't guarantee he'll be saved. Crossing a 370-kilometer dangerous zone isn't easy. As for a way to return from the other world, there's none at present. Grandfather."

"I see… Why was Hikaru the one chosen?"

"I don't even understand that... We're shocked too. But... that's just how things are now."

God swore it was random, but that was probably a lie.

We haven't examined the detailed circumstances of all 1,000 people, but some common patterns have already been identified—though that's only at the level of urban legend.

"Of course, I'm not thinking of asking family members to do this for free. I've already deposited money into the account, so take whatever you need from there."

"What if I refuse?"

"Then I guess I'd have to hire a hitman through the internet. I'd actually like to clear my brother's name too, so I don't really want to kill him, but I don't have any connections to a kidnapper... If I can't get help anywhere else, then worst case... I'll do it myself."

Perhaps it was because I used the word "killing" so casually, or maybe because I said I'd do it myself—anyway, a faint look of surprise flickered across my seasoned grandfather's face.

I, too, have no connections to assassins or underworld contacts.

But since I can understand various languages, finding places that accept such requests isn't difficult either.

If it's just a matter of abducting someone whose identity is known and burying them anonymously, it wouldn't be particularly hard.

The tricky part, though, is getting there before the police—something that would be extremely difficult without my grandfather taking the job.

In that case, I might actually have to carry it out myself... or perhaps that would be better anyway, clearing my grudge while achieving two goals at once. Even if I end up behind bars, I’ll be out again soon enough, and I can’t trade my brother’s life for my own anyway.

I left it to Karen—though I'm quite uneasy, I think it'll be fine. Probably.

I kept that thought to myself, looking straight into my grandfather's eyes.

"……Don't go saying stuff like killing a middle school kid so casually. What kind of upbringing do they even have?"

"Hehe, neither of our parents could possibly educate anyone, you know? Both Karen and I were raised by our older brother."

"Then what about Hikaru's upbringing?"

"……That's not quite right either... I guess it's just their innate nature, or maybe it's just blood!"

"Blood, huh. Then there's nothing we can do about it..."

I once even tested my DNA, betting on my mother's reckless nature, but unfortunately, Karen and I are both biological children of our father and mother. Our brother is definitely our father's son too.

I had been expecting a fantasy about siblings who share no blood at all, but

"Besides... I don't usually say things like that. My plans were almost completely shattered by this incident. You might not see it, but my insides are boiling."

"I suppose I could do it... but how much can you actually pay? Even if we're family, I can't just take on a dangerous job like this without proper compensation."

My grandfather said, lighting a cigarette.

Maybe he's just looking for an excuse to refuse. He probably doesn't think a middle schooler could afford the going rate—assuming such a thing even exists.

But I'm not here joking or making idle requests.

I'm prepared to pay a sum worthy of the risk involved.

Moreover, these days even yakuza groups are facing tight finances. My grandfather's company (・・) is no exception, and its financial situation isn't good either. To him, this must be a golden opportunity.

"Take this. Use it all if you need to. I can earn something like this anytime soon anyway."

I took out my passbook and seal from my bag and placed them in front of my grandfather.

This account is one even my parents don't know about.

Though it's only a portion of the cryptocurrency I've held onto for a long time, it should be more than enough.

While it's a kind of risk to let others know I can earn money, unlike my parents—who squander money despite having no real power—I value my connection with my grandfather far more than any amount of money. Being able to rely on a trustworthy adult in tough times isn't something easily obtained. …At least not for me or Karen.

Grandfather flipped through the passbook I handed him, stared in disbelief at the latest balance, and gasped.

"Huh...? Wait... What's this? Is this real? Seriously?"

"You wouldn't bring a forged passbook, would you?"

"But you've got over two hundred million yen here..."

"Well, I did ask you to commit a criminal act, so this much was expected."

"...How did you get your hands on this money?"

"I bought some cryptocurrency when I was little, and it just took off. I just cashed it out recently—so it's not dirty money. I'd been holding onto it due to tax issues, but now that we're dealing with things from another world, both me and Karen are going to be earning more, making it hard to avoid taxes. So I figured, since having real cash would be useful, I sold it. Looks like it's already come in handy."

Back then, I used money earned from programming and translation to buy 400,000 yen worth of

cryptocurrency. Five years later, it's grown to about 500 times its original value. I sold it after the price surged dramatically due to the appearance of a god. It probably hadn’t peaked yet,

but in the end, it was just lucky money—easy come, easy go. "Sera… just what kind of person are you? I’ve heard you’re a genius, so I thought I knew, but two hundred million yen? There are tons of people who’ll never earn that much in their whole

lives. And yet you, a middle school kid…?" "I know that, but it was just luck and a bit of timing. Intelligence didn’t really matter much." "But

still…" Perhaps

, in truth, the grandfather really wanted to refuse.

My middle-school-aged daughter asking me to kidnap and imprison a high school student, even though the person in question is a criminal. No matter how close we are, or that the person is from a reactionary group, I couldn't possibly agree to something like that.

But if it were someone who killed my brother, that would be different. My brother is alive, though—he's in another world. Nanami-senpai is important to us, but to Grandfather, she's just a stranger.

"Only Grandfather would ask me to do something like this! The truth is, while we're talking, my brother might already be dead. The criminal might turn himself in. If we don't act before that happens, it'll be too late to fix things. Please… please…!"

I got off the sofa and bowed my head to the floor.

Quickly, Kuren also followed suit.

Whether or not my grandfather will take the lead makes the critical difference. We can't ignite the public outrage unless we first secure the suspect here.

It's possible they might launch a campaign saying, "The suspect was arrested, but isn't the real culprit actually Hikaru?" But that would just be baseless conspiracy theory.

It would be difficult to rally global support.

"So this is serious... huh."

"Yes. I'm doing this to save my older brother."

Staring at me with unwavering intensity, my grandfather didn't look away. I met his gaze without flinching.

I can't afford to stumble here.

"……phew, I get it. If it's my granddaughter asking, I can't say no. Besides, if three people are already dead, this one's gonna get the death penalty anyway. So it's just a matter of getting him locked up a little sooner."

"Thank you, Grandpa."

"Oh, thank you so much."

After remaining silent for so long, Karen finally spoke, bowing deeply, and her grandfather let out a wide grin.

It's all about speed now. It's still only 11 o'clock.

Gather the crew, head to the criminal's house by car, summon them via smartphone or LINE, abduct them, and then guide them to the captivity room.

Of course, if the police show up before then, we're finished—but that's the gamble.