Making Contact with Karashia

“............”

The woman walking through the hallways of the mansion with a broom in her hand was a maid who had only recently been hired by the Luclees family.

Having just finished cleaning the dining hall as instructed, she was now heading toward her superior to receive her next set of orders, her long hair tied back in a single tail swaying behind her.

“............?”

Suddenly, she sensed some kind of presence and looked back.

There was no one there.

Flooring made of yellow wood.

And walls painted in a similar yellow.

It was the usual, unremarkable hallway.

And yet, she felt a certain, indescribable sense of something off.

She had a hunter father and had grown up running through the fields and mountains as a child.

Perhaps because of that, her intuition was strangely sharp.

“Maybe, it's just me......?”

But still, even when she strained her eyes to look, all that was there was the hallway.

There was nothing strange about it.

(Maybe I'm just tired.)

That was what she thought.

After all, the atmosphere in this mansion was the worst.

The spoiled younger sister.

The older sister who shrieks at her.

The madam who always takes the younger sister's side.

The timid master with no opinions of his own.

The butler Doj, who does as he likes as if he owns the place.

In this mansion, just breathing the air was exhausting.

She had started working here, lured by the wages, but after only a few days, she was already beginning to regret it.

“Yeah, it's just me, just me.”

In the end, she simply looked back to confirm, concluded that the presence she had felt was just her imagination, and started walking again.

But that sense of something off she had felt.

That was by no means just her imagination.

If, at that moment, she had not only looked back but also looked up at the ceiling.

......She would have seen it clinging there: the being whose presence she had sensed...... a mysterious being draped in blood-stained fur!!

What on earth is this furball-shaped creature!?

A gigantic bug!?

A new species of monster!?

No, wrong!

This furball!

This very furball!!

Is our protagonist, Emi!!!

◇ ◇ ◇

<......Emi, your 【Presence Concealment】 has gotten worse, hasn't it?>

Gikuri.

What are you suddenly saying!? Omake-sama!

<I mean, just now, you were almost noticed by a mere maid, weren't you? Even during your usual hunts, you muscle through with your physical abilities, but lately, your presence has been totally obvious to your prey, hasn't it?>

U, uu~~~!

It can't be helped!

【Presence Concealment】 is really difficult!

Especially lately, my magic power has been increasing like crazy, so just hiding it so that none of it leaks out is already quite a struggle, you know!?

Besides, when I see a living thing, I can't help but get hungry...... and, well...... my killing intent leaks out!

<Haah...... It was a stroke of luck that you were caught in the loop in a relatively satisfied state, after finishing off the Ranrananga White Lizards.>

Okay, so.

Currently, I have infiltrated this strange mansion and am moving across the ceiling with a kasakoso using 【Silverfish】.

All of this is for the purpose of resolving the loop phenomenon that this mansion is trapped in.

To be more precise, I'm trying to find the cause, the trigger, of that loop phenomenon and somehow avoid it.

That said.

Find the trigger of the loop phenomenon.

It sounds easy when put into words, but when I actually try to think about what to do, it's a hopelessly vague task.

How am I supposed to do that.

As I worried, Omake-sama threw me a lifeline.

<Emi, there is no need to worry...... Actually, there is a surefire standard setup for the triggers of time loops in loop stories.>

A surefire standard setup?

<Yes. That is, namely, ‘the protagonist's death’!>

In other words...... if I make sure the protagonist designated by the god doesn't die, time won't loop?

<In this case, Karashia, who has the protagonist attributes of an ‘Abused Older Sister’, is our prime suspect. If we make sure she doesn't die, the loop might not occur...... I believe it is worth trying.>

That's Omake-sama's guess.

I see, so the point is Karashia.

That's why I'm currently searching for Karashia, moving kasakoso across the ceilings of the mansion's hallways.

By the way, as for why it's “kasakoso,” it's because when I stick to the ceiling and move in a commando crawl style, my fur rubs and makes that sound.

Master taught me to move on two legs when using 【Silverfish】 (or so I feel. Master never says much, so it's not like he actually told me anything, but I feel like that was his attitude), but I think the commando crawl sticks better, and it's faster.

Master probably hated situations where both hands couldn't be used.

But I don't think there are any enemies in this mansion who would attack me while I'm on the ceiling.

There's no need to keep both hands free for attack or defense.

A commando crawl should be fine.

Now, now. Right now, Karashia has just had her ring taken by Keranko and the others, and she's sobbing.

Along the ceiling of the needlessly long hallway, letting the occasional passing servant go by without noticing me, I head toward the sound of crying.

After all, no one would ever imagine that someone is sticking to the ceiling.

If I hide behind the jutting parts of the pillars and beams, nobody notices me at all.

<Ah, there she is, Emi! It's Karashia!>

Whoa there.

Successfully encountered the target person.

It looked like Karashia had just stopped sobbing; with her eyes red and swollen, she stood up weakly and began to move slowly down the hallway.

She's probably heading toward where her father is.

<Now, what shall we do? Emi.>

Hmm.

Well, I just have to make sure the presumed protagonist, Karashia, doesn't die, right?

In other words, I just have to make sure she doesn't touch that demon sword.

Since Karashia died from that thing draining her magic power dry.

For now, shall I try making contact?

Hup.

I deactivated 【Silverfish】, let go of the ceiling, dropped down spinning round and round, and landed on the floor without a sound.

◇ ◇ ◇

Karashia was cornered.

Keranko's tyranny, which had been terrible to begin with, had increased in intensity recently.

Her mother and the butler Doj, who ought to have been the ones to reprimand her, had the gall to take the younger sister's side.

It made no sense.

Here in the Saryunas Kingdom, inheritance by the firstborn is the standard regardless of gender, so Karashia should be the rightful heir of the Luclees family now.

Her father had said so before.

And yet, why do I have to feel like this?

Until now, she had somehow managed to forgive her sister's selfishness with a generous heart, but this situation was abnormal.

She had already reached the limit of her patience.

On top of that, the “Ring of the Ranrananga White Lizard,” the proof of the family head, had just been stolen by Keranko.

When she noticed that ring lying in front of her room, to tell the truth, Karashia had been happy.

If I use this well, I'll be formally recognized as the next family head.

I'll be able to push back against the tyranny of Keranko and the others, she had thought.

But in the end, the ring was stolen by Keranko and the others, who happened to pass by.

They were fools.

They surely didn't even understand the true meaning of that ring.

Her precious ring had been stolen by such people.

She was so frustrated she couldn't stand it.

No, Doj alone, who had served this house since the time of the previous family head, would surely understand that ring's true worth.

It was the worst.

That meant, in essence, that Keranko, whom he supported, had obtained the backing to become the next family head.

It had already exceeded the scope of what she could handle on her own.

She had no choice but to borrow the power of her father, the current head, even if he was a spineless incompetent.

If I don't, there is no bright future for me.

All that would be left was a future of being bled dry by Keranko and thrown away like trash.

Rousing her mind, on the verge of collapse, with what little reason she had left, Karashia made herself start walking toward her father's room.

......It was then.

“Wait.”

An unfamiliar, beautiful girl's voice echoed from behind her, calling Karashia to a stop.

In spite of herself, she looked back.

Standing there was.

A furball.

“Have talk, with you.”

The furball spoke to Karashia in a beautiful voice.

“Hih!?”

In spite of herself, Karashia stepped back.

......Why, you may wonder?

Just think about it.

What if a blood-stained furball creature suddenly appeared behind you, where no one should have been, and spoke to you......!?

It'd probably be super scary!

At the very least, Karashia got scared!

What on earth is this furball-shaped creature in front of her!?

A ghastly appearance, drenched in blood!

And yet, a beautiful, clear voice!

But, the terrifyingly ominous presence leaking from its entire body......!

It was certainly no ordinary being!

Almost certainly, it was a being that should be classified as a monster!!

“Bl, Blood-Stained Furball Man......!?”

Facing this nonsensical existence before her, Karashia gave it a simple-minded name based on its appearance!

But, that one phrase, which had slipped from her lips in a whisper in spite of herself, apparently didn't please the creature in front of her.

“Who're you, calling a Blood-Stained Furball Man!!!”

In the next instant!

From the Blood-Stained Furball Man, along with those words of protest, a ferocious, extraordinary aura of fury, like nothing less than a blast wave! Killing intent! Came crashing down on Karashia!!

“Hih...... ah......”

The frail Karashia could not withstand such killing intent.

Taking the killing intent head-on, she rolled her eyes back, foamed at the mouth, and collapsed on the spot.

“............”

The Blood-Stained Furball Man, who had caused this, looked down expressionlessly at the fainted Karashia.

It had been stunned in spite of itself by her fragility.

Guuu......

And, terrifyingly, its stomach growled.

Swallowing hard, the Blood-Stained Furball Man stared intently at the fallen human woman......!

And yet.

To carelessly rip off Karashia's limbs here and bring them to its mouth......

The Blood-Stained Furball Man possessed enough reason not to commit such atrocities against humans.

Because, despite its appearance, the Blood-Stained Furball Man was a human.

It felt as though its abilities had already gone beyond the bounds of a human, but at the very least, it recognized itself as human and strove to behave as such.

The Blood-Stained Furball Man...... Emi, gave a small shake of her head, slapped her cheeks, pan pan, and then hoisted the unconscious Karashia up with ease and walked off in search of somewhere out of sight.

A blood-stained, ghastly furball creature leaking an ominous aura (the protagonist).