[Narzia]

Originally Posted by YayPepsi

More from the novel! Thanks to Good Haro

Spoiler:

"So, was the Penguin Drum the diary after all?" Kanba asked like he
just wanted to check.

The penguin hat had a meek expression on her face and was silent for a
moment.

"That's confidential."

"We haven't seen you in such long time and you just tell us 'that's
confidential'?" Kanba and I couldn't help but be amazed. Further, even
though Himari's adorable mouth was saying those words, it wasn't cute
at all.

"But, I will give you one big hint as a bonus. If you ignore the
Penguin Drum like this, someone in your family will probably be
severely punished."

I straightened up unconsciously at the word "punish." I couldn't just
ignore it. And I didn't know what it'd be either. I still couldn't
relax. Because "punishment" is unfair. We didn't know when we would be
punished. I'd forgotten that.

"What do you mean?" Kanba stood up.

"Harm will befall what you two treasure most."

"Most? What are you going on about?" When Himari collapsed, I thought
she was being taken from us as punishment. But, we'd avoided it. What
we treasure -most-.

It's too abstract.

"What we treasure most." Kanba folded his arms, deep in thought.

The penguin hat hmph'd and glared at us in turn.

"What's wrong with you! We were just having fun, eating takoyaki with
our family and you come out of the blue and say this stuff and expect a
'oh yes, of course.'?!" After I'd said It I realized waht was coming.
I'm sure it'll happen next."Wait, wait, I'm not done!"

As I expected, the floor opened beneath my feet and I was plunged into
darkness. As I fell through the darkness, I felt completely anxious. I
guess we can't go back to normal so easily after all.
I guess just wanting to live a quiet life, the three of us together,
was asking for too much.

Our punishment wasn't over yet.

"Let's initiate the Survival Strategy!" I could hear a strong, low
voice say from far above me.

Maybe punishment is something that follows you around for your entire
life. Maybe we would never know peace again. In which case, why did we
have to do all this hurting and crying and shouting? Above all else, I
was tired of trying to sort my thoughts and feelings according to that
one little word: "fate."



"I guess it can't be me, right?" Kanba said to the penguin hat queen,
hanging his head. "Is it already too late for me to save Himari?"

The penguin hat softly took a breath, and walked in front of Kanba.

"You can do it. I know that." Himari narrowed her red eyes and leaned
over to touch Kanba's messy hair. "That is because, the Penguin Drum
is. It's your–"

"It's impossible for me!" Kanba cried out in a heartbreaking tone and
Himari hugged his head to her chest.

The penguin hat sweetly brushed his hair and, in a voice so quiet it
was barely a voice she whispered, "It's not impossible."

The aroma of the penguin hat's world became so strong it was
suffocating and a wave of soft frills enveloped Kanba. The force of it
made him close his eyes and he could feel Himari's pleasantly cool
fingers gently touching his eyelids.

"Don't be mislead."

Spoiler for huh:

This part is interesting. When asked about whether Penguindrum is the diary the Princess first tells them it's confidential, yet once Shouma is gone she was about to spill the beans, implying Shouma, for whatever reason, mustn't know.

"It's your-"
His what? Brother? Might it be Shouma? If it is, or indeed if it's anything but the diary we land at another question altogether: If it's not the diary, why send them (or rather Shouma, since Kanba hasn't really done anything to chase it in a long time) on a wild goose chase?