Prologue
"Halloween is coming soon..."
As October was nearing its end, I was walking down the street to buy some necessary items for my Halloween costume.
I often see on the news how some people's costumes get overhyped and criticized for lack of etiquette, but I don't plan on making a big fuss about it. I just want to quietly enjoy it with the group of friends I've gotten close to in high school.
"...Honestly, now that we're in high school, I still don't know what we're doing."
Inside my shopping bag were a pumpkin hat and a glowing toy sword, commonly known as a lightsaber. I glanced at the items and then gave a wry smile.
At first, I thought it was going to be a hassle, but now, thinking back, I've actually put some thought into what costume I should wear... Even though I chose such simple items, it would make me happy to just mess around with my friends.
"Speaking of which, I wonder what he's going to wear. I know he's a bit of a nerd, but he said he'd prepare something really formal..."
There are three of us planning to spend Halloween together, including me. One of my friends is an incredibly hardcore Otaku, and it seems like he's not going to slack off when it comes to costumes. He's really excited about it.
"This will be the first time we've gathered like this for Halloween. Since it's such a rare chance to hang out with friends, we should just enjoy it to the fullest."
Although I wasn't particularly enthusiastic at first, as the event got closer, I started to feel excited. I guess I'm still a kid after all. Though that's only natural.
"Alright, time to head home."
Now that I had bought everything I needed, it was about time to go back.
"Hey, Dad! I want to go on a picnic!"
"Hehe, sounds nice. Honey, what do you think?"
"Sure! I'll take some time off and take you guys out!"
I walked past a family that seemed to be getting along quite well, strolling along the path home.
After walking a little further, I turned back and noticed that the three parents and children were no longer in sight. I sighed and wondered what exactly I was doing, then took another step forward.
"...Huh?"
While holding my shopping bag with one hand, my eyes accidentally fell on a house.
"This looks like the Shinjo sisters' house, doesn't it?"
The Shinjo sisters—are twin beauties attending the same high school as me.
Both of them possess unparalleled beauty and figure, to the point that no lesser-known idols could even compare to them. Because of their breathtaking looks, they've been confessed to countless times... but they've rejected all of their suitors, and their strong defenses are well-known.
Their house is just a bit further ahead, and since it's in the neighborhood, I often greet them.
"Good morning."
"Good morning~"
Since we live close by, we often greet each other when we meet. But having even the slightest conversation with such beautiful sisters makes me feel like I've done my best that day, and I'm quite simple-minded in that regard.
"They're both incredibly beautiful, and their mother is also quite charming... Truly an impressive family."
As I thought about them, it wasn't just because of that that I was concerned about their house.
"Why is the door wide open?"
That's right, the front door of the Shinjo house was wide open, which seemed very unnatural.
I took out my smartphone to check the time and saw that it was already past six in the evening. With the cold season approaching, the sun had already set early.
In this situation, not only was the door unnaturally wide open, but the house was also unlit. It felt incredibly strange... Even though I didn't think anything out of the ordinary would happen, a bad premonition began to stir inside me.
"...Could it be that they're being robbed or something? No, no, that's impossible..."
I let out a bitter laugh, thinking it was highly unlikely, and was about to turn away. But despite myself, I couldn't shake my curiosity, so I slowly approached the front door.
"……………"
Even if nothing was happening, and I just happened to run into one of the sisters, I could at least apologize. With this in mind, I cautiously moved closer—only to hear a man's voice from inside.
"Heh heh, forget about whether they have anything valuable, but there sure are a lot of nice women here. Hey, kids, if you don't want to see your mother die right in front of you, hurry up and strip!"
The sound of that voice was enough to shake me to the core, and I instinctively put my hand to my forehead.
(...No way.)
What I thought was impossible seemed to be happening in the worst possible way.
To avoid being detected, I carefully watched for any movement inside and slowly made my way closer. Eventually, I was able to peek into the house from the courtyard. What I saw was a tall man holding onto the Shinjo mother, groping her chest, and urging the Shinjo sisters to hurry up and strip.
(...You filthy bastard.)
I cursed silently in my mind.
Their mother was crying, seemingly unable to make a sound due to her overwhelming fear. Meanwhile, the Shinjo sisters, although not caught, were still frozen in place, not moving.
I knew that the Shinjo sisters' father had passed away early due to an accident. After that, the sisters had supported each other in order to lessen the burden on their mother. So right now, they were likely thinking about how to save their mother, no matter what.
"First things first, I should call the police... But then what can I do?"
I checked the items in my hand—only the lightsaber and pumpkin hat I had just bought.
I glanced back at the house, and the Shinjo sisters were now following the man's instructions, having stripped down to their underwear. There was no more time to waste.
Though I couldn't see their faces from here, they were likely terrified... No, it was definitely like that.
"...I can't let women cry."
I whispered to myself as I put on the pumpkin hat.
Ever since I was young, whenever I needed to do something, I would cover my face like this, and it helped me perform better... Although it felt somewhat strange, the theory was somewhat proven back when I participated in a national kendo competition in middle school.
My classmates back then also said that when I covered my face, both my personality and the impression I gave changed, but I'm not too sure about that part.
"Alright, let's go!"
Since the man who looked like a robber was armed with a knife, there was a high chance I could get hurt if I got involved in this situation.
But even if I ran away to protect myself, no one would blame me. No one would criticize me—yet, I couldn't just stand by and watch them suffer.
"Mama, Papa... please give me strength."
I silently spoke to my parents, who were in heaven, and after calling the police, I took a step forward.
Akagi High School, first-year student, Domoto Hayato... here I come!
▼▽
"...Ugh!"
"Sis..."
I really didn't expect this... I never imagined we would end up in such a situation.
It was just before Halloween, at the end of October. My little sister and I were returning home, where our mother was waiting for us, just like usual.
Although I noticed the front door was unnaturally wide open, neither my sister nor I thought much of it and simply entered the house.
"...Mom?"
"Why is it so dark? What's going on?"
There were shoes by the entrance, so Mom should have been home, but the lights were off. This struck both my sister and me as odd.
"...Huh?"
In the eerie silence, we saw our mother being restrained by a large man's arm.
"What's this? Are you the daughters?"
"You... you two, get out of here!"
Seeing the knife pressed against our mother's body, and hearing her urging us to run, we immediately understood that this man was a robber.
To stop us from escaping, he pointed the knife toward us and threatened to kill our mother if we made a move.
I was scared. Not only did I want to run, but I also wanted to scream for help... But I was more afraid that if I left, Mom would really be killed, and my feet wouldn't move.
Seeing that we had stopped, the man ordered us to strip. In order to save our mother, I decided to comply with his demands.
"Will you really let Mom go afterward?"
"Of course. As long as you do as I say."
If taking off our clothes meant saving Mom, then it wasn't a big deal.
With that thought in mind, I undressed, and my sister followed suit. Both of us were left in just our underwear... The man, seeing us, grinned with a disgusting smile.
"...So this is what men are like."
It's always been like this.
Men are inferior and barbaric creatures. The only man I ever wanted by my side was my father, who had passed away.
Until the moment he died, Dad always loved Mom, and he cherished us as his precious daughters.
"Heh heh, I didn't expect to find such beautiful women in the house I've chosen. Oh, but before that, let's tie you up."
The man threw a rope toward my sister, ordering her to bind my hands and feet.
It was only now that I realized that our mother's hands and feet had also been tied. It seemed like he was planning to do the same to us, taking away our freedom.
Apologizing quietly, Aina used the rope to bind my hands and feet, then she too was tied up by the man and rendered immobile—it seemed that he had originally intended to target my sister.
"Stop! Don't touch my sister!"
If you're going to harm my sister or mom, come at me instead. Even though I was terrified, I shouted loudly like this.
"Shut up! I'll deal with you later, just stay quiet for now!"
Upon hearing my words, the man shouted angrily and drove the knife into the floor.
Hearing the dull thud of the knife sinking deep into the floor, both Mom and my sister let out weak screams, and I too was frozen in fear, unable to move.
(Why... why is this happening to us?)
With this unreasonable treatment, I couldn't help but feel like I was about to cry... No, tears were already flowing.
In the end, we were always treated unfairly by fate like this, and so I gave up... After all, the accident that led to my father's death also happened because of some inexplicable reason.
"Damn... damn, damn, damn!"
I cursed myself for being powerless, for not being able to do anything, for just having to quietly accept this misfortune.
I clenched my fists, my nails digging into my skin, and the pain immediately shot through me. Because of my helplessness, my sister was about to be defiled right in front of me by this filthy man's desires.
Facing such an unfair fate, I cried huge tears.
"Please... help us..."
It was a faint, barely audible whisper. Anyone, please, just save us... As I prayed like this—
"Huh?"
Suddenly, something made a noise and rolled into the center of the living room. It was the tennis ball that had originally been by the entrance.
"What? A tennis ball?"
The man reached out for the tennis ball, intending to pick it up.
At that very moment, as the man's attention completely shifted away from my sister, something shot into the room with incredible speed, as if seizing the opportunity.
"W-What—"
Before the man could react, a glowing red stick struck his shoulder with a heavy thud.
The man seemed to be in great pain, and the knife fell to the ground. Then, as if to follow up on the attack, another strike hit him in the stomach.
"Ugh... who are you...!"
"…Ugh!"
"…A pumpkin head?"
Seeing the unexpected intruder, all three of us—Mom, my sister, and I—gasped in surprise.
The man wearing the pumpkin head looked down at the struggling man curled up on the floor, and for a moment, we forgot the fear we had originally felt. We were left dumbfounded by such an unusual sight.
From his build, it was clear that the person was a man, but why was he wearing a pumpkin head?
"I don't care whether you're a thief or a rapist, but you're finished now!"
The man with the pumpkin head said these words just as we heard the sound of police sirens approaching.
"Ah..."
"Did... we get saved?"
The sound of the sirens brought us a sense of relief.
To prevent the man, who was crouched on the floor, from escaping, the man in the pumpkin head firmly tied up his hands and feet. After ensuring the criminal was secured, he then untied the ropes around us.
"You bastard... let me go!"
"How could I let you go? A criminal should be handed over to the law."
The sharp gaze coming from the gaps in the pumpkin head was so piercing that the man lost his earlier momentum and froze, unable to move.
"Now, put your clothes back on. It's safe now."
"Ah..."
Upon hearing "It's safe now,"we finally realized that we had truly been saved.
I even forgot to put my clothes back on as I cried out loud. Seeing this, my sister also began to cry, and our mother, overcome with emotion, tightly embraced both of us.
"...This is such a headache. Ah, here's a blanket."
He picked up a blanket from the sofa, walked over to us, and draped it over us before stepping back. He likely did this to avoid scaring us further.
(...This is unbelievable. I don't feel repulsed at all.)
I've been through many things before, and I'm not good at dealing with men... no, I should say I dislike them.
However, the man in front of me didn't make me feel disgusted in the slightest. In fact, his presence near me made me feel at ease.
From the gaps in the pumpkin head, his eyes were cold and sharp, as if they could pierce through anything. Despite this, I could still clearly feel the tenderness and concern he had for us.
"I'm so glad. Really... I'm so glad."
His voice reminded me of my father's voice—gentle and full of care.
I could feel my cheeks rapidly heating up, and it seemed my sister felt the same way. She stood frozen, staring at the man in the pumpkin head.
The incident ended with the male robber being arrested, and our family, who had nearly been attacked, was unharmed.
Though it was only for a fleeting moment, in that instant of desperation, when we were ready to give up, we were saved by a man wearing a pumpkin head.
I... we could feel the destiny in that moment, unlike anything we'd ever experienced.
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