Chapter 5
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Chapter 5: The Approaching Hand of Evil
“I can’t believe you’ve helped me twice now. Thank you!”
After pulling her out of the trash can and rescuing her, she stood in front of me and expressed her gratitude.
But, um, there are fish bones and vegetable scraps stuck in her hair… What is with this person?
Even I was at a loss for words. Why was her head in a trash can in the first place?
As I stared at her, somewhat taken aback, I heard a “meow” from below.
When I looked toward the sound, I saw a black kitten cradled in Charlotte’s arms.
“A cat…?”
I voiced my confusion, and she furrowed her brow, looking somewhat sad.
“As I was walking down the street, I heard this little one meowing from inside the trash can. When I looked in, I found it in a cardboard box inside the trash. It’s awful, isn’t it, how some people can be so cruel?”
“You went into the trash can to rescue the kitten?”
“Yes, I did. But, well… I hate to admit it… but I’m kind of on the short side, right? So, when I stuck my head in, I couldn’t get it out. Haha, yeah…”
Charlotte narrowed her eyes and gave a mischievous smile.
I responded with a gentle smile of my own.
“You’re very kind, Miss Charlotte.”
“No, I’m not. It’s just… something about this kitten reminded me of myself. Wait—how do you know my name…?”
“I apologize for the late introduction. My name is Rei Sakimori, and as of today, I am your bodyguard. From now on, I will be responsible for your personal security. Please, take care of me.”
After saying that, I bowed deeply to her.
When I raised my head after a few seconds, Charlotte was standing there with wide eyes.
“Eh? Eeeeeh!? Y-You’re my new bodyguard!? I thought someone big and muscular, like a gorilla, would show up! And instead, a slender, cool beauty like you… Are you really a bodyguard!?”
A b-beauty… Should I be happy she doesn’t realize I’m a guy, or should I cry as a man…?
Well, now’s not the time to dwell on that.
I cleared my throat and spoke again.
“Miss Charlotte.”
“W-What?”
“Shall we head to your room? You should wash your hair since it’s still full of trash.”
“Oh.”
And so, this was how I met her—Charlotte L. Jay Wilford, the daughter of the president and my new charge.
She seems a bit odd, but she doesn’t seem like a bad person.
Grandmother called her a difficult girl, but is she really?
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――Several minutes later, I had been shown to Charlotte’s room.
Currently, I’m relaxing on the sofa in the living room of her apartment, listening to the sound of the shower in the distance.
After showing me into her room, she quickly went to wash her hair, leaving me to wait here idly.
“This place is…”
As expected of a luxury apartment in Shirokane, it’s a very beautiful home.
From what I can see, it’s probably a 4LDK. There’s a ceiling fan spinning above, and the walls are pure white.
Behind the sofa, there’s a floor-to-ceiling glass window offering a view of Shirokane’s skyline, all the way to the distant Tokyo Skytree.
This is the epitome of a rich person’s home.
But considering she’s the president’s daughter, this might actually be modest by her standards.
As an ordinary citizen, I have no idea how that kind of money works.
“… It doesn’t seem like there are any buildings around here that are as tall as this one. So, we shouldn’t have to worry about snipers.”
My mentor always drilled this into me: when you’re on high ground, the first thing you should do is secure the sniper points.
If you get ambushed by a sniper, your only option is to flee the line of fire.
Therefore, the greatest threat isn’t close-range combatants, but long-distance snipers.
“Meow.”
While I was looking out the window, the black kitten came up and rubbed against my legs.
Its fur is still slightly damp. It must have gone to the bathroom with Charlotte earlier.
“Sorry for the wait.”
I looked up, and there she was, now dressed in a coral pink dress.
Charlotte sat down on the sofa across from me and crossed her legs with a smile.
“Once again, nice to meet you. I’m Charlotte L. Jay Wilford. Thank you for your help earlier.”
She greeted me politely, so I decided to follow her lead and introduce myself again.
“Thank you for your courtesy. I’m Rei Sakimori. By the way, Miss Charlotte, you speak Japanese very fluently. While I do speak English, is it okay to continue in Japanese?”
“This is Japan, so it’s fine for you to speak Japanese. I’ve actually lived here longer than in America. Don’t worry about it.”
“Understood.”
“So, your name is Rei, right? The Sakimori family is famous in Japan for being bodyguards, isn’t it?”
“Yes. The Sakimori family has protected important people since the Edo period. Some even call us descendants of ninjas.”
“Really? In any case, it must be tough for you. Having to guard someone like me, who’s not even a legitimate child, just someone born from a mistress. I’m sure this assignment came from that man… from my father, right? It’s such a waste of taxpayer money. No one’s going to try to kill me.”
Hmm… I’m not sure how to respond to that.
I don’t want to get involved in her family issues, but the fact is, there may be an assassin targeting her at the school.
I should at least inform her of that much.
“Anyway, Rei, you really don’t need to stick around as my bodyguard. I’m not the type who can live with someone else anyway. So, how about we cancel this whole thing—”
“Miss Charlotte. Actually, according to a certain source, there might be… hm? Excuse me for a moment.”
I stood up from the sofa and walked toward the power strip that had caught my eye earlier.
“Huh? What are you doing, Rei?”
It was a USB power strip plugged into an extension cord.
Unplugging it, I examined the socket closely.
“This is… Miss Charlotte, do you have a screwdriver?”
“A s-screwdriver?”
“This power strip might be bugged.”