Mob Yandere

[Part 1/4]

"Alright, let's go."

With the girl's life on the line, the written message turned into a homing pigeon, spreading its wings and taking flight. Its destination was the capital, headed towards the Ako household's residence.

Murasaki, having sent instructions to the branch family and laborers, headed towards the orphanage's stable. The carriage was already prepared. By the time she arrived at her own residence, everything would be ready on the other side as well.

"Young lady...!!"

"Yona, I'll leave this place in your care for now. I'll be back by tomorrow at the latest, maybe even within half a day."

Ako gave instructions to the female attendants who would be sending her off. There were many orphans, and it was also a matter of surveillance and restraint, so she planned to leave one attendant and one servant from the house behind.

"Isn't this impolite? You're going to such great lengths, and yet there's no one to send young lady off..."

"It's fine, they're all busy. I won't bother them with a big sendoff."

Murasaki, who was setting off, was being considerate, but Yona thought that at least a small sendoff was necessary. However, Murasaki was nonchalant about it, as if she was used to the Onitsuki household's coordinator's strict behavior. There was no need to worry about what others thought. It couldn't be helped.

(Besides, it wasn't like he had the leisure to do so either.)

Although she would be staying for several days, Murasaki knew that the man at this orphanage wasn't just idle. If she didn't have Yona to help him, she wondered how he would manage the household chores. There were also sick people to take care of, and it was better not to cause trouble.

"Young lady, isn't that a bit too indulgent?"

"It's important to be respectful, but being too obsessed with it is also a bit pathetic. And to think that you're seeking it yourself... If you have virtue, you'll naturally receive respect."

The noble lady still treats her maid with kindness. This is especially a kind of ritual. It also means respecting the servant's position.

"You're the one who should be left behind, it can't be helped."

"No, it's not like that..."

Yona bowed her head in apology, showing her respect. There was a clear sense of reverence towards her lord in her attitude. Violet was satisfied with this.

(...That servant, he won't even lift a finger, right?)

Men are beasts, and if it's ladies-in-waiting, he might do something reckless with a carefree attitude.

(No way, it can't be...)

Considering their relationship so far, he wouldn't think that... But, after seeing that scene on the bed, she can't have any confidence. What is that guy? He's flirting with that woman, isn't he? Does he think any hole is fine? Is he crazy? Is he shameless?!?"

"Young lady...?"

"Huh? ...Cough! Well, I'll be off then."

She came back to her senses, coughed, and turned around to get into the carriage. As she got in, she faced Miyataka's young lady, nose to nose.

"Eh?"

"Peek-a-boo!"

"Ukyaaah!!?"

"Young lady?!"

She was shocked by the sudden encounter, and tumbled over. She was caught by the lady-in-waiting from behind, who supported her. No one knew that if the lady-in-waiting hadn't supported her, she would have hit her head on the ground and broken her neck.

"W-what are you doing?!"

"What do you mean? I'm 'hiding'?"

Shinobu laughed while answering, as she shouted at her, her heart racing like it was going to burst.

"W-what's with the 'hiding'?"

"Ahh, I found the hiding big sister!!"

Murasaki let out a loud, crazy voice, and immediately, the voices of children came from behind. When she turned around, many young children were running towards her, chattering excitedly.

"Ahaha, you found me, didn't you?"

"Murasaki-oneechan, where are you going? Want to play with us?"

"Don't you want to eat watermelon? We'll give you some as a snack!"

Shinobu seems to be pretending to be disappointed, but not really. The kids look away from Shinobu, and turn their attention to Murasaki, who is being supported by the maid. They look at each other and then back at Murasaki, asking her something

"Cough, I need to find a doctor soon. I don't have time to play with you!"

"A doctor? For Shiro-oneechan?"

The children, who looked puzzled by Murasaki's words, suddenly smiled and surrounded her, asking her all sorts of questions.

"Thank you so much!"

"Can we play with Shiro-oneechan too later?"

"Will Murasaki-oneechan give us watermelon seeds?"

"Will you come back for dinner?"

"Eh, eh, eh, eh, wait!!?"

Their sparkling eyes and storm of praise made Murasaki, who was usually distant, feel flustered. She couldn't push them away or leave, and could only stand there, bewildered. The maid, who was still supporting Murasaki, couldn't do anything about it either.

...The two of them didn't know, but the children from the orphanage were not naive or inexperienced.

They understood their own situation, and although there were some differences, they all knew how they were treated. Some had experienced tragic events, and some had scars that made them want to avert their eyes. They knew how the outside world, the majority of adults, and ordinary people saw and treated them. That's why they were genuinely surprised by Murasaki's actions, and her somewhat crazy behavior over the past few days, combined with her sincere attitude, had brought them closer to her, leading to this situation.

"Hey! You're gonna get the young lady's clothes dirty!"

The little brats, get away from the young lady... What the ox cart coachman said wasn't necessarily discriminatory or unfair in the common sense of this world. In reality, the kids' dirty hands could easily stain the high-quality Murasaki attire. Anyway, the coachman's shout wasn't going to be the last.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah! Let's not bother Murasaki-oneechan! She's about to depart, so let's see her off together, okay?"

With a round of applause, Miyataka's young lady skillfully led the kids and showed them off. Amidst the sudden commotion, Murasaki was left stunned, but still managed to express her gratitude late.

"...Thank you. I'm grateful."

Finally, a remark from the female lady-in-waiting's supporting role. Shinobu responded to Murasaki with a smile.

"It's okay, it's okay. We should hurry up and go, shouldn't we? The white one must be suffering, right? We gotta take action soon!"

"That's...true."

"My workload as a caretaker is piling up, and it's tough to keep comforting them, you know?"

"Same here――Wait, what are you saying in a place like this?!"

A bombshell statement earned a frantic retort. It was not something to be said in front of the kids.

"Huh? Did I say something funny? Come on, listen to Oni-san's tired whining and just humor him, okay? It's not like it's going to hurt to pat him on the head and make him feel better."

"Nuuuuuuu...!!?"

Murasaki's face turned bright red and becomes furious. It was as if she had imagined something indecent! Or was it the petting and comforting that was the issue? That guy was really something!

...Of course, it was just a rumor.

"Yona, be careful, okay? This young lady has a bad reputation, so don't mind your status, it's my order!!"

"Y-yes..."

What she wanted to say was understood, agreed with, and appreciated, but more than that, the maid couldn't help but respond with a pitiful expression, as if she was about to cry, to the embarrassing sight of her master. Why was she so angry, anyway?

"Coachman, let's go!!!!"

"Y-yes, young lady!"

The usually calm and collected young lady was now flustered, giving orders to the ox cart coachman. The coachman, holding the reins and whip, began to urge the oxen forward.

"Off we go, hee-ho~♪ La-la-la, tra-la-la, la-la-la~♪"

"Are you guys selling a fight or something!?"

The young lady from Miyataka's family, waving her hand, was leading the chorus of the younger group, while the voice of the one peeking out from the window of the ox cart, Murasaki, was loudly chanting along. The noisy, boisterous voices echoed as the ox cart drove away along the rural road...

"..."

"Okay, maid-chan. It's almost 8 o'clock, so please get ready, okay?"

The shameless young lady made a disgusting demand to Yona, giving her a dirty look that was full of criticism.