Dyna McLane's Investigation Log (2)
“So you’re saying a bunch of weird girls are latching onto my little brother?”
“Yes, exactly!”
May was practically screaming, jabbing her finger at the other girls in a desperate bid to redirect the arrowheads currently aimed at her own forehead.
“Do you have any idea how much Daniel’s stressing over them right now? The only reason he’s got any breathing room at all is because I chased Elise off for him.”
May Flove.
She had beaten the delinquent students into submission with her fists, but raw strength alone was never going to bring the stiff-necked thugs of Aeos Academy fully under her thumb. What she had truly grown in—alongside her fists and her guts—was her sense of reading the room. The second she heard Dyna’s voice rising at the end of every sentence while looking straight at her, May knew.
This big sister hates me.
She could understand it, more or less. She was still a delinquent right now, and she had been the one who once tried to get Daniel expelled. But the past was the past. Daniel himself had already forgiven her; she had no desire to trip over her future sister-in-law for no good reason.
If it had been Eve, she would have carefully explained her entire situation until the other girl understood. Rin would have smiled with gentle consideration and smoothed everything over by saying there must be some misunderstanding. But May Flove was different. She treated this as the perfect chance to shove the other girls clean out of her sister-in-law’s good graces and was already hard at work.
“Especially Elise and that Sen girl—they’re the worst.”
“The worst?”
“Yes! They even barge into Daniel’s dorm room whenever they feel like it.”
“……”
Sensing how serious the situation might be, Dyna’s expression hardened as she ordered May to explain everything in detail.
CASE NO:04
SUBJECT:Elise (Elyse de Frisia)
Finding Elise herself was not difficult. Blonde students were as common as grass on the lawn, but none of them possessed hair quite so radiant and glossy as hers. Looking at that golden cascade made every other girl seem like a cheap imitation trying to hide the real thing.
A girl like that is chasing after our Daniel?
Honestly, Dyna had been half-skeptical at first. She had seen them together in the cafeteria, sure, but standing in front of Elise now still made her doubt it.
Then again, he’s apparently planning to date an elf too…
Wondering how these girls kept managing to spot Daniel’s hidden charms so accurately, Dyna approached—only for Elise to speak first.
“Hello, unnie. My name is Elise.”
“Hmm?”
Dyna blinked in surprise as the girl bowed politely. She had never expected to be recognized.
As if understanding her reaction perfectly, Elise covered her mouth with one hand and smiled with her eyes.
“You’re Daniel’s one and only older sister, after all. I’ve heard so much about you.”
“O-oh, really?”
What is this?
The conversation was flowing in a completely different direction from what Dyna had expected, leaving her a little flustered. When May Flove had described her, she had made a huge fuss about a masochistic lunatic who called Daniel “Master” and begged to be abused. Yet the girl standing here was polite, elegant, and possessed a poise far beyond her years.
“If I made you uncomfortable, I’m truly sorry. But since you’re Daniel’s sister, that means you and I aren’t completely unrelated either… I suppose I got a little excited.”
Watching Elise wear a sincerely apologetic expression, Dyna felt a strange sense of satisfaction welling up. This girl was better than expected.
“No, it’s fine. More importantly—could you tell me a little about your relationship with Daniel?”
“We’re simply friends… for now.”
“For now?”
When Dyna tilted her head and pressed, Elise’s cheeks flushed a soft pink. She glanced sideways, looking bashful.
“The truth is… I am rather fond of Daniel.”
“……!”
It was real. The more they talked, the more Dyna had wondered why a girl like this would like Daniel, half-convinced there must be some misunderstanding. Hearing it straight from the girl’s own mouth felt like years of grime washing clean from her chest.
“W-why do you like him, if you don’t mind me asking?”
“That’s… a little embarrassing to say.”
“R-right, of course.”
Admitting she had been too rude, Dyna decided to take a step back.
Did May lie to me?
When she had listened to the story, May had sounded far too serious for it to be a lie. Yet meeting Elise in person revealed a girl who was the complete opposite of everything May had described.
Yeah, delinquents are all the same in the end.
Dyna said she understood, offered a light farewell, and turned away.
Tsk. That one seems good, though.
Rin had given off a faintly broken vibe, so Elise instantly claimed the number-one spot in Dyna’s mental ranking of “Daniel’s potential brides.”
Watching Dyna McLane’s retreating back with an innocent smile, Elise then turned a cold sneer on the approaching Bertia and offered praise.
“You did very well. One wrong move and we would have been in serious trouble.”
“……It was nothing.”
Bertia wore a faintly uncomfortable expression, but as a servant she decided to content herself with having pleased her mistress.
“May Flove. How dare she try to drive a wedge between Master and me. That simply will not do. Oh no, it will not.”
“……”
Already beginning to regret having gathered and reported the information in advance, Bertia felt a headache coming on as she watched the princess of this kingdom cackle with laughter.
CASE NO:05
SUBJECT:Sen
Aeos Academy boasted quite a number of flower beds and one large central garden that sat proudly in the middle of the grounds. It was not merely for show; the space had been designed so students could experience various practical lessons. That was where the eye-catching white hair could be found.
“Hm?”
Sen.
According to May Flove, she had once been a cheerful, lively girl. Now she had discarded that mask and behaved as if all emotion had died. She was, May claimed, a bad girl who frequently climbed through Daniel’s window and stole even his private time.
Yet what Sen was doing right now was squatting among the flower beds of the central garden, pulling weeds.
“What are you doing?”
“……Pulling weeds.”
Exactly as described—a lukewarm voice that was neither hot nor cold. Watching Sen continue working without pause, Dyna felt a question form. This was not some gardener’s part-time job. Why was the girl doing this?
“Why are you pulling weeds?”
“It’s a mission. One Daniel gave me.”
“A mission? From Daniel?”
Dyna’s words quickened as she wondered how weeding could possibly be connected to her brother, but Sen never even glanced up. She simply kept pulling weeds as she answered.
“I finished the mission of picking up trash around the academy, so now I’m on the weeding mission.”
“Why… why are you doing it?”
For the first time Sen’s hands stopped. She slowly turned her head and looked at Dyna. She already knew the woman was Daniel’s older sister, yet she made no mention of it and spoke flatly.
“I used to be with some really bad people.”
“……”
“I got away from them, and I needed something to do.”
Sen returned to pulling weeds. She had spoken so simply that it took Dyna a moment to piece it together, but she began fitting the puzzle one piece at a time.
She was with bad people, so she’s receiving help from Daniel as a way to atone!
The sight of Sen earnestly doing even these small tasks to wash her dirty hands clean—and of Daniel properly guiding her—filled Dyna with a sense of pride. Of course, the reality was a little different. With commissions from the Execution Squad gone, Sen had come to rely on the missions Daniel handed out; Daniel, annoyed by how constantly she clung to him, had simply given her the longest-lasting tasks he could think of. Whatever their true intentions, from the outside it looked like a good thing all around.
“Keep it up.”
Dyna gave a gentle pat to the head of the girl who was working so hard at even these small things in order to atone for her past.
CASE NO:06
SUBJECT:Hayun
All lectures for third-year Class E had ended. Inside the classroom painted by the setting sun, a young man and woman were speaking openly with each other. More precisely, the young man was receiving counseling from the young woman.
“So I told Sen to go pull weeds for now, right? But her hands are so fast I’m pretty sure she’ll be back before long.”
“Sen’s a bit ambiguous. It’s not like Elise or May, who just charge straight in. It feels more like dependence than actual romantic feelings.”
“Haa… how did I even end up in this situation?”
Daniel let out a long sigh and sprawled across the desk. The person counseling him was Hayun. Ever since she had given him relationship advice back at Yggdrasil, Daniel had been coming to her for this sort of romantic consultation from time to time.
“I’m in no position to criticize Ares.”
He muttered the words as if confessing his true feelings while hugging his arms inside a cave. Beside him, Hayun laughed softly and offered comfort.
“It’s not the same. Ares kept giving people just enough distance to make them think they still had a chance. You give clear answers.”
“That’s true, but…”
“This isn’t your problem anymore. You already answered their feelings, and they’re the ones still clinging.”
At Hayun’s words soothing his fraying heart, Daniel gave a tiny nod. Normally he would have shared these worries with Eve or Tana, but ever since the confession last time, Eve’s momentum had become rather intense. She did not charge in head-on like the others; instead she teased him playfully in ways he could not react to. For example, during lectures she would tap his calf with her toes until he looked over, then shoot him a sidelong glance and smile. She never said it outright, but because she read so many books she was more than capable of conveying her feelings indirectly.
“My little Eve has…”
“Sheesh. You’re really going through it.”
He offered thanks as Hayun patted his shoulder.
“I honestly don’t know what I would have done without you.”
“It’s not that big a deal. You helped me confess to Ares, too.”
Two people who were both hopeless when it came to romance sat together and borrowed strength from each other. Some might have found it ridiculous, but to Daniel it was a great help. At least she could look at things from another girl’s perspective.
Just then the classroom door opened and Dyna McLane walked in. She wore a complicated expression at the sight of Daniel sitting with Hayun, but she still approached her little brother with a smile after so long apart.
“Danieeeel!”
She threw her arms around him and rubbed her cheek against him this way and that. Daniel could have dodged if he wanted to, but he knew how much complaining that would cause, so he simply stayed still.
Once he escaped his sister’s embrace, he steadied his breathing and asked,
“What’s going on?”
“Do I need a reason to come see you? You’ve been so cold to me lately.”
“……I figure it’s about time I graduated from needing my big sister.”
In truth he had graduated a long time ago, but still.
“Fine, fine. Having independence is a good thing. More importantly, what were you two doing here?”
“Huh? Just…”
“I was giving him counseling.”
Hayun slipped in smoothly. Dyna gave her a quick once-over from head to toe before asking again.
“Counseling?”
“Daniel’s been having a lot of worries lately—on many fronts.”
“Want your big sister to help?”
Having already finished her investigation, Dyna spoke with bold confidence, but Daniel simply smiled lightly and answered,
“Nah. I can’t dump everything on you, unnie.”
“……”
A mixture of regret and fulfillment rose in Dyna’s chest. She had spent the entire day confirming the bad rumors about Daniel, yet most of the academy students she had met today held deep affection for him. And the Daniel standing before her now was different from before—not light and frivolous like Ares, but steady and reliable. The fact that so many people said they liked him and followed him around might look like a player stringing people along to some eyes. To others, however, it meant he was someone they could trust that much. Of course there were trash who played with people’s hearts, but the Daniel in front of her was living by sincerely colliding with other people’s feelings more than anyone else.
“When did you get so big?”
Dyna smiled softly and ruffled Daniel’s hair.
“U-unnie!”
“Aww, what? I was just thinking about how my little cutie turned into such a sturdy young man.”
She laughed playfully and linked her arm through his.
“Want to go eat? Your big sister will cook for you for the first time in ages.”
“……Let’s just eat out. Hayun, you coming too?”
Hayun, who had been watching this side of Daniel for the first time with mild amusement, shook her head.
“No, you two go enjoy a family meal.”
Family.
Something Hayun no longer had. Knowing that, Daniel’s words caught in his throat for a moment—until Dyna forcibly linked arms with Hayun as well.
“What are you talking about? If you listened to my little brother’s counseling, then I’m treating. Come on, this unnie will buy you whatever you like today!”
Under Dyna’s hearty insistence, the two of them eventually laughed helplessly and followed her.
After that warm dinner, two days later—
Dyna McLane was admitted to the hospital in a coma.