3 bar menu

Nanana’s Buried Treasure Volume 5 Chapter 3.8

「There’s no heart! Your facial expression is like a dead person! Even the lines you are reciting are annoying! 」

After the excitement calmed down, Nishi-san turned her attention back to the loot she had grabbed in her hand.

「So this nanana collection is weird. It’s an old car in a clear case. It looks like a toy. 」

「Well yeah. Because it’s not the nanana collection, it’s just a model of an antique car. 」

My comment made them stop moving. Not only Nishi-san, but also Ibara-senpai and the others turned to look at me with surprise on their face. Of course, because I was the only person who knew about it.

「What do you mean Juugo-kun? 」

「I mean just what I said. It’s not a nanana collection. 」

Kishitani yells, 「Don’t be ridiculous! This is what we took from you! There’s no way this isn’t a nanana collection! 」

As I was being pressed, Tensai who had heard the details of the attack and defense in the 《ruin》 from Ibara-senpai and the others commented. 「Hmm, is that so? In other words, what Ibara-dono and the others were fighting over was just a toy car from the beginning. 」

While everyone was surprised by the great detective’s words, there was one person who was leaking out a funny sounding laugh. 「Kukukuku」

「I see, so that’s what happened. 」

Nishi-san’s vice-chairman was grinning.

「What are you talking about Vice-Chairman?! 」

「What this guy is alluding to is that he swapped the real nanana collection for a fake one when he opened the chest. He threw the fake one and so the game began. We didn’t notice. The ninja guy was a feint and both Masaki and I fell for the feint. None of us saw the moment he opened the treasure chest and took out the contents. 」

Yes, that’s correct.

「Juugo, didn’t you consider that we had already checked the contents of the treasure chest in advance? 」

「I had considered it, but the treasure chest was still covered with dust. If the vice-chairman had opened it, he would have left traces right? 」

「So what would you have done if we did see what was inside? 」

「Then I wouldn’t have done it. 」

After giving that answer the vice-chairman bursts into laughter again.

「I’ll be damned. 」

「Hey, what are you laughing for Vice-Chairman?! They can’t fool us like that! You should protest! Protest this trick! 」

Kishitani-san let’s out his anger. Imawano chimes in too, 「That’s right! 」

「…nah, stop. 」

The one who muttered this was not the vice-chairman, but Nishi-san.

「Why Nishi-san? 」

「It’s hard to make that complaint because of me. 」

「? What do you mean? 」

「I wound up with the nanana collection even though I hadn’t participated in the battle at all and Juugo-kun and the others all agreed it was fair. 」

「But that’s because it wasn’t against the rules…」

「It was still very misleading. Anyways though he accepted it earlier, because it wasn’t against the rules. 」

The expression on Kishitani’s face changed.

「Then did he anticipate this happening and that’s why he accepted your intervention? 」

Nishi-san nodded regretfully.

「At least that’s the case for him. I don’t like what Yama-kun did, but he didn’t break any rules. And we have no basis to accuse him of that. After all they accepted my participation. As long as you don’t break the rules you can do whatever you want. That’s how we wanted it. 」

Kishitani-san and Imawano-san looked at her with tears in their eyes. Nishi-san bowed deeply to those two and the vice-chairman.

「Sorry everyone. It’s because I did something unnecessary at the end. If I hadn’t interfered then we could have protested… I’m so sorry everyone. 」

Nishi-san lowered her head. Maybe it’s just my imagination but it sounded like her voice was trembling. Nishi-san’s tearful apology left her audience in a gloomy mood. Even the members of my own team, who had been watching the spectacle, were giving me accusatory looks. I must say that I too was guilty of a few tricks. I almost feel nauseous with guilt.

I don’t know what to think, I know it would turn out to be so serious… I’m really sorry. I’m sorry, but I don’t think it’ll help to bow and apologize now, so I’ll just apologize in my heart.

「So what is the nanana collection Juugo? 」

Amidst the gloom the vice-chairman calmly asks this. He didn’t even look at Nishi-san who was looking down and wiping away tears, but at me. I felt strangely uncomfortable looking in his eyes, as if there was no emotion in them. Not the emotions that should be there like anger, regret, or resentment. He didn’t seem to have that kind of negative emotions at all.

「Eh, uhh, so it is…」

That’s when I put my hand in my pocket. And I feel something. A momentary chill stops my hand. What the hell was that? Thinking I was imagining things, I reach deep into the pocket and notice something strange.

「Huh? 」

The feel of the contents of my pocket was different from what I had expected. The shape I saw in the treasure chest in the 《ruin》, and more than that the feeling I felt when I touched it to put it in my pocket.

I picked up a coin and brought it out of my pocket. But that wasn’t all.

「What!? 」

Something was hanging on the coin I brought out of my pocket. It was a humanoid creature, no larger than the palm of my hand. When its eyes met mine it lifted the corners of its mouth into a grin that revealed a row of mismatched fangs.

I quickly let go of the coin because I was startled. Both the coin and the eerie creature hanging from it, which I dropped, disappeared as if they had dissolved into thin air.

「Hey, what’s wrong? 」

I looked around and everyone was just giving me a strange look. Didn’t you see that just now? No, that’s not important, wait a minute! I quickly feel in my pocket one more time, but there is nothing there. The nanana collection is not in my pocket where it should be.

「What the heck? 」

「You can’t find it because I have it」

The gazes that were focused on me suddenly turned to the vice-chairman. I was just staring blankly with a dumbfounded look on my face. A pocket watch is held by the vice-chairman. That is the nanana collection that I should have taken out of the treasure chest in the 《ruin》.

Why? Was it stolen while inside the 《ruin》? No, I felt through my cloths after I escaped from the 《ruins》 a bit ago. I was sure I felt it there. When was it stolen?

「Here you go Asumi. 」

The vice-chairman presents it to Nishi-san. However, Nishi-san refuses to accept what was being offered to her.

「Vice-chairman, how did you get that? 」

「Who knows. 」

「You used a nanana collection didn’t you? 」

I was taken aback by Nishi-san’s words as she glared at the vice president. Yeah, what happened can’t be explained unless a nanana collection was used. In other words the coin and the mysterious small creature I just saw now are the vice-chairman’s nanana collection.

「Hey now, where’s the proof of what you are saying chairman? 」

「The rules for this battle prohibited the use of any nanana collection. Using it to steal is a clear violation of the rules. 」

The vice-chairman sneers at Nishi-san who was trying to admonish him using a sound argument.

「Well if I use the nanana collection in the middle of the battle it would be against the rules. 」

What he’s saying is that since he used it now after the battle is over it’s not a problem. Even without him saying it out loud I could guess was the vice-chairman was getting at.

The vice-chairman looks to me with a grin and says, 「Well, in the end I have the nanana collection in my hands and I’m an attacker. In other words I consider us the winners of this battle. 」

There’s no way that’s right. After all, I couldn’t present the nanana collection I had hidden.  During the battle, use of any nanana collection is forbidden. We won. However, after the battle, after we escaped from the 《ruin》 and before we declared victory we were robbed using a nanana collection. Now he is declaring victory.

Not a single rule was violated. Of course that’s going a bit too far. If we want to protest we should be able to. Then why don’t we? Don’t even joke about that. There’s no reason for me, who was using such a strategy, to say anything. I’d rather die than be that lame.

「Nishi-san, the vice-chairman didn’t break any rules. It’s a complete defeat for us… no, it’s my loss. 」

It was a complete failure.

I can understand now why Tensai often laughs at strange times. Even though I lost, I can’t help but laugh when it was done so well. Even though I was beaten, for some reason I think it was really fun.

Nishi-san is perplexed by our decision.

「But…」

「You’re too noisy Asumi. We don’t need to hear it, so keep it to yourself.」