Labyrinth of the Blue Witch Read Online Free PDF

hill.
    Their room number was 704. It was arranged in a standard three-bedroom, kitchen, dining room, living room arrangement. The spectacular view from the window contrasted the evening sky with the Itogami City skyline spread below them and dyed red by the rays of the setting sun.
    The large plates on the glass dining table were piled high with food.
    Kanon was standing in her school uniform, looking down at the cooking and feeling very out of place. As an expression tinged with tension came over her face, the sound of fireworks erupted, as if meant to make her cower.
    Nagisa Akatsuki called out as the firecrackers filled the air with noise. “Kanon, congrats on getting out of the hospital!”
    She was a third-year middle school student, just like Yukina and Kanon, and also Kojou’s biological little sister. She looked a bit more childish than other girls her age, but as a whole, she was a very capable little sister. Her looks were on the cute side; her grades were so-so. She was skilled at every kind of housework. Her biggest flaw was her propensity to talk too much, but rather mysteriously, she never seemed to irritate anyone with it.
    Most of the food on the table was her home cooking.
    Kanon looked around with an embarrassed but grateful expression as confetti fell all over her body.
    “Um, ah… I’m sorry to have made you go through all this trouble just for me…”
    Nagisa spoke in an even brighter voice, as if seeing Kanon like that only encouraged her further.
    “What are you saying? You’re today’s guest of honor. Here, sit, sit! Eat, eat! I’m really proud of this salad. It’s got homemade dressing with walnut, peanut, and sesame in it. This here’s Tanaya’s Itogami Croquette Deluxe. This here’s the Nagisa Special Red-Hot Chili Beans Grand Finale. The Neapolitan carbonara pasta’s almost finished boiling, too.”
    Kanon smiled pleasantly but awkwardly, perhaps cowed a bit by Nagisa’s vigor. “Th-thank you.”
    Yaze, brazenly sitting right next to Kanon, immediately reached out with his chopsticks.
    “Whoa, this is delicious. That’s Nagisa for you. Have you gotten even better?”
    Asagi happily put a hand to her cheek as she brought some soup served cold to her lips.
    “It really is. Her being Kojou’s little sister is kind of a waste.”
    Kojou, chased off to the corner of the living room, glared at the girls with a dumbfounded look.
    “Why are you all here at Kanon’s recovery party, too?”
    “Hey, don’t say that. It’s something good to celebrate, the more the merrier, right?”
    “Just so you know, Kojou, I paid for the meat you’re eating.”
    “Ughh.”
    Kojou made an exasperated sigh at Yaze and Asagi’s thoroughly shameless behavior. Actually, Kojou still had no idea why they’d suddenly proclaimed they were coming to his place.
    The fact was, their having come was making it a bit easier for him anyway.
    Even if it was a recovery party for an acquaintance, he naturally felt a fair bit of awkwardness at the prospect of eating a meal surrounded by girls the same age as his little sister.
    Asagi suddenly posed a question while taking a break from her food.
    “…So, what
is
your relationship to Kanase, anyway?”
    Whatever impression her looks gave, she was a voracious eater. Nagisa plopped new food onto Asagi’s empty plate time and time again.
    “I explained yesterday. Kanase was getting treatment for her illness at Magus Craft, and Himeragi and I gave blood to help out. Right, Himeragi?”
    “Yes. Th-that’s right. I’m sorry to have worried you all because we were in such a hurry.”
    Kojou and Yukina smoothly gave their explanations. They’d made sure their stories matched for just such an occasion. But detecting that such a smooth excuse was unnatural in and of itself, an obvious look of doubt came over Asagi. “So, what’s the business with the princess?”
    “Well, like I said, Kanase’s dad was the royal sorcerous engineer of Aldegia when he was younger,