Prototype of Caged Birds' Academy

"The next thing we'll have to figure out is how to communicate," I thought, when the girl half-turned and, with her left hand tied behind her back, grabbed my right hand, also tied behind me. (Is this... her hand? It's cold, but so soft...) Girls... are truly strange creatures... She grunted through her nose as she took my right hand, which I kept flexing to prevent it from going numb, and seemed to be asking me to keep it open. As I wondered why she was doing this, a tickling sensation suddenly spread across my palm. (Wait, wait, don't just start tickling me out of nowhere... Huh? This is...) My hands were already suffering from poor circulation due to the tight ropes, and after my recent struggles, they were slick with sweat, making them even more sensitive than usual. The girl's smooth fingertips traced patterns on my palm, as if trying to write something. I was tickled so intensely that I couldn't concentrate enough to figure out what she was trying to write... (I'm going to cry... Is communication impossible after all? Huh? Now she's touching my leg?) Seeing my lack of response, the girl didn't give up. She twisted her body further, assuming an almost squatting position, and began writing on my leg. The carriage jolted slightly, making her writing intermittent. At first, she tried to write in kana, then gave up and switched to English letters. Squatting to write was exhausting, and she was panting for breath. Eventually, she simply sat down on the floor of the carriage, moving her writing from my thigh to my calf. It took all my effort to decipher what she was trying to convey. All she wanted to write were three letters: "L," "E," and "G." (LEG! That's English... It means... leg?) After understanding that she wanted to tell me "LEG," I formed my right hand into a fist with my thumb up, indicating that I understood. She then obediently sat back down to my left, grunting softly as she pressed her thigh against mine. I thought, "LEG" probably means I should check her leg for something. Fortunately, I had been moving my fingers periodically, so they hadn't gone completely numb. Now was the time to put them to use. Since the girl hadn't asked to switch places, I started by examining her right leg, the closest one to me. I twisted my body just as she had approached me, reaching my left hand towards her thigh. So soft. It was cool and so soft. A very pleasant sensation. Come to think of it, I'd never touched a girl my age's thigh before... "Mmm!" Ouch. I got kicked again. Sorry, sorry, I got carried away with the sensation... I tried to process the meaning conveyed by the touch on my hand. Damn it, this would be so much easier if my eyes weren't covered. First, the feel of the rope. It was the same material as the one binding me, which was only natural. Next... fabric? Silk, perhaps... A stocking? Though it's not something I'm used to wearing... "Mmm!" The girl's reaction intensified. Her breathing grew rapid, and she even started to struggle. (Huh? Does this mean I'm touching the wrong spot? Or...) If I had touched the wrong spot, the girl would have found a more direct way to let me know. So, what was the girl trying to tell me now... (The thing she wants me to find is around here?) Rope... stocking... and then... bare skin not covered by the stocking? It's cool... Wait? (I see, it's a thigh-high stocking! Ah, this is...) At the hem of the thigh-high stocking, I felt something hard. I carefully confirmed its shape with my fingers, thinking it was some kind of metal object... (What is this, something so small... What use could it possibly have?) A wave of disappointment washed over me—but the girl let out a satisfied grunt and stopped struggling. It seemed this was the item she wanted me to find... I inserted two fingers into the stocking's opening, firmly grasped the metal object secured inside, and pulled it out. The girl's body began to writhe again, as if demanding I hand the metal object over to her. While my hand was still functional, I placed the item into her open palm. The girl gently touched my body in thanks. After all that effort, all I got was a small piece of metal? Was she planning to cut the ropes with it? Even if it was sharp enough, could she cut through them with just one hand? What if she dropped it during a carriage jolt... As if to comfort me, the girl leaned closer and rubbed her arm against me. "Leave it to me—" she seemed to say. Then, she fell silent. For a moment, the only sounds in the carriage were the rustling of ropes and the girl's faint moans... (G-go on...)

　　"Who, who? It's so, so painful! Help, help! Help!" 　　"That, that, that ......" 　　Something soft and warm lunged out of the cupboard door and fell into my arms. 　　When I opened my eyes again, I was embracing a nearly naked teenage girl wearing only her underwear - panties - in my arms. 　　The young girl's arms were being held flat behind her back, as Suzuna and I had done in the carriage, and were securely bound by a cylinder made of leather. The length of the leather cylinder was about the same as the girl's small arms, and the girl's arms were tightened together, and the girl's hands and wrists were stuck at the ends of the leather cylinder, and could not be withdrawn. 　　Adding to the girl's situation, a "$" shaped straitjacket made up of leather straps was tightly attached to her body. Two straps half the width of her hand were tightly wrapped around her breasts, and another strap ran vertically across her cleavage, making her breasts stand out like peaches hanging from the top of a tree. 　　A shoulder strap of the same thickness wrapped around the girl's neck and attached to a leather cylinder on the girl's back, forcing the girl's arms to hang in an extremely uncomfortable position. And the straps that wickedly tightened around the young girl's breasts greatly restricted her breathing. 　　I know the pain of this type of restraint, all the movement of the joints of the arms are locked, the slightest struggle will be crushed by the pain of the heart, and ultimately can only sit and wait for death. No wonder the girl kept crying "it hurts", no matter who it was, being tied up like this would quickly become unbearable. 　　Unfortunately, the girl's lower limbs were not ravaged by the leather restraints like her arms. But there was still no way for the girl to get out of the closet under her own power. This was not only because the door had been taped shut, but also because of the ingenious design of her captor. 　　Although the girl's lower limbs were not restrained, the murderer folded her legs, fixed them with tape, and then shoved them into an upright bucket of the right size. The space in the bucket was extremely small, and the girl was forced to keep her legs firmly together, her upper and lower legs firmly pressed together, but this still didn't stop the edge of the bucket from deeply embedding itself into the soft flesh of the girl's legs, bringing unbearable pain. 　　Moreover, this way, the girl can only maintain the legs together, almost kneeling position. This made it difficult for the young girl to maintain her balance in the tin cabinet, and she could only lean her torso against the inner wall of the cabinet in the hope of relieving the pressure on her legs, however, this pathetic effort could only be said to be a drop in the bucket, and the young girl maintained her unsteady center of gravity until the very end. This is why the maiden jumped straight into my arms just as I pulled open the door of the tin cabinet. 　　The young girl's eyes wore black leather blindfolds, under which a blockade of silver tape could still be seen, and her eyes were afraid that she didn't even have the most basic ability to perceive light sources. She still had tape stuck to her face that had recently been torn off, and a knotted cloth towel around her neck, both of which were covered in the young girl's saliva. And in the corner of the cabinet, a large ball of soggy fabric could be seen. I'm afraid that the young girl had to use all her strength to loosen the cloth towel and tape and spit out what was stuffed in her mouth. 　　This kind of sophisticated and mischief-filled bondage technique, is it really a good thing that the academy is doing ...... 　　I looked around the room, there were seven or eight other cabinets similar to the one in front of me. Assuming that a young girl is imprisoned in each cabinet like this ...... 　　"Help, help, it hurts ...... it hurts ......" 　　"Yes, I'm sorry ...... I'll help you untie it right away ......" 　　Sure enough it's better to find a way to remove that iron bucket that's covering the maiden's legs first. 　　I let the young girl in my arms lie on the ground, grabbed the iron barrel with both hands, and pulled it out with force. 　　"It hurts ...... it hurts ...... help ...... ah ...... ah! Ah! It hurts so much ah! It hurts so much ah! Help! Help!" 　　The young girl let out a mournful scream. As if disturbed by the girl's screams, cries and moans began to emanate from the other lockers in the room. 　　Some of the teenage girls began to start punching the locker doors from inside the lockers, and one of them directly broke through the tape sealing the locker doors and lunged out of the locker. Like the teenage girl I was rescuing, the lower half of her body was ensnared in a steel bucket and she was rolling around on the floor, unable to move. 　　These bastards from the academy - ...... 　　I can pretty much guess why the iron barrel was so hard to remove. The Burrows had injected Suzuna with some sort of drug when they took her away, putting her to sleep. I'm afraid it was some kind of muscle relaxant. These young girls should have been injected with a similar drug when they were imprisoned in the locker, so that the restraints could be tightened as much as possible, and once the effect of the drug wore off, the muscles that had regained their tightness would no longer be able to break free from the restraints. 　　As you can imagine, Suzuna is being abused in a similar way at the academy. 　　With my current physical strength, I'm afraid it will be difficult to remove the iron barrel from the young girl. 　　Then it's best to ...... 　　I checked the structure of the leather restraints that tied up the upper half of the young girl's body, and I didn't find any locks. Fortunately so, this is much better ...... 　　"Hey hey, can you hear me?" I said as I leaned in close to the young girl's ear. 　　"Who? What? It hurts so much. Help! Help!" 　　The young girl turned her head in bewilderment, as if searching for the person who had made the noise.

"Where's the proof?" I wanted to ask. But... "Didn't you already consider me an ally, Tsubame?" Nightingale said. "D-did I?" "You... you asked me to cooperate with your plan before." "Ah, y-yes..." "After you left, I started counting down. When I thought enough time had passed, I used the scissors you gave me to escape from under the bed. When I got out, the hallway was full of Shrikes, and you were being attacked by them... so I saved you from the Shrikes." "Wait, Shrikes... so the ones who attacked me were Shrikes? What are you saying... you saved me from them? How did you do it?" A bizarre image of Nightingale wielding her cane against armed Shrikes flashed through my mind. "It's a long story... Tsubame, I think I should focus on getting these restraints off you first..." "Um, don't be so formal, just call me Sakuya." "Oh, Sakuya... without further ado, let me free your limbs..." "Th-thank you..." (She's so enthusiastic... just as expected from the head of medical care...) Nightingale took the scissors I had given her from her nurse's uniform pocket and turned me over. "This single gauntlet binding your hand uses both straps and belts for fixation... the straps can be cut directly with scissors, but the belts require manual effort." Her fingers deftly located the fasteners and dismantled them one by one. Before long, the gauntlet was removed, her movements as skilled as someone with full vision. Her sense of touch must be quite acute... The sense of liberation after the gauntlet was removed was unparalleled. I moved my shoulders, feeling for the first time since being kidnapped by the academy that I was truly being rescued. "Next are the restraints on your legs..." Nightingale said eagerly. "Ah, I'd like to try the ones on my feet myself. I'd like to try it if I have the chance," I said. "Ah... alright. It is quite a rare opportunity, after all..." "Speaking of which, did you pull me out of the lake too?" I seized the opportunity to ask. "Y-yes. I'm sorry, but to dry your underwear, I took a peek while you were unconscious..." "Ah, no, no, that's fine... why were you by the lake?" "Because the academy said a carriage had sunk and asked me to rescue the Shrikes..." "And then you found me?" "I saw you floating on the surface of the lake, so I had the Shrikes pull you ashore..." "You saved me twice..." "N-no, it's nothing! Medical personnel are supposed to save lives..." Nightingale smiled a little shyly. Although a bit introverted, it was clear she had received a good upbringing. "Alright... with this, your legs should be... ah... ouch, ouch, ouch..." I had forgotten about the restraints on my toes. "These are zip ties," Nightingale explained. "They're quite rare supplies at the academy, usually only the Shrikes can get them..." "Can they be cut with scissors?" "Yes, but it might hurt a little..." "P-please, let me do it myself." *Snip.* "Nightingale." "Y-yes? What is it?" "Regarding the matter of me tying you under the bed before, I sincerely apologize."

"I'm going to buy a suitcase and get this child out of here first. Then it'll be your turn, high school girl. You'd better be prepared." Kondo said fiercely. "Be careful on your way~" Michi replied sweetly. "...Shut that foul mouth of yours." Kondo stomped his foot on the ground in anger. He picked up a handkerchief from the ground, crumpled it slightly, and forcefully grabbed Michi's cheeks, forcing her mouth open. He then shoved the handkerchief fiercely into Michi's mouth. The handkerchief was probably meant for a small girl's mouth and was a bit small for Michi's oral cavity, so Kondo stuffed one in, then another. The second handkerchief pushed the

Students expelled from the academy, like Nightingale, wouldn't be allowed into the main facilities without restraints. Furthermore, during the journey through the forest, to prevent escape or memorization of the safe route, her mouth would likely be gagged and her eyes blindfolded. "That's how it usually is," Raven said. "But that would mean you'd be bound like a horse being pulled in four directions. Your physique is already weaker than that of ordinary students, and you're cooperating with us. I don't think you need to endure that kind of pain." "Thank you for your consideration. I really wouldn't be able to bear that." "These are boots convenient for walking in the woods. Change into them when you have a chance later." "Understood." As they chatted, the two arrived at an open space outside the birdcage. Shrikes were already waiting there with restraints. Nightingale changed into the boots, handed her cane and the shoes she'd taken off to a Shrike, then stood with her legs slightly apart, hands behind her back, signaling Raven to begin "packaging" her. Despite being mentally prepared, Nightingale couldn't help but gasp when Raven's fingers touched her arm. "You mentioned your sense of touch is more sensitive than most people's." "Yes. My hearing and sense of smell are the same." "I won't gag you for now. If you feel uncomfortable, tell me immediately, alright?" "Understood." Raven took a restraint made of leather straps and metal rings from a Shrike and approached Nightingale. The restraint was shaped like a "¥," but likely for Nightingale's ease of movement, the strap that would normally pass between the legs had been removed. Nightingale immediately saw that this restraint was primarily designed to secure her chest. Raven draped the restraint over Nightingale's shoulders. The middle strap passed over the center of Nightingale's chest, and the two straps extending from the metal rings on either side landed precisely above and below Nightingale's breasts. Raven wrapped the two straps around Nightingale's body, bringing them back to the front, and gradually tightened them, all while listening intently for Nightingale's reaction. When Nightingale's breathing became slightly more rapid, Raven secured the straps and fastened the small lock. Nightingale's chest was constricted, making it appear larger, and her arms were fixed to her sides, completely immobilized. Next, Raven pulled the restraint draped over Nightingale's shoulders to her back and took a small leather cylinder from a Shrike. This cylinder was just wide enough to encase Nightingale's arms, with several straps for securing it and a triangular metal ring at the top. Nightingale's arms, held behind her back, were gently lifted and folded, her fists resting against her elbows, forming a "コ" shape. Raven secured the small cylinder between her folded arms, tightened the straps, and fastened the lock. Then, the restraint that crossed Nightingale's shoulders was threaded through the metal ring and also locked. In this way, Nightingale's arms were suspended at a certain height, rendering them useless. This restraint, which bound Nightingale's upper body, was a single unit. If Nightingale struggled to free her wrists, it would inevitably pull on the straps above and below her chest, causing her considerable discomfort. "How is it? Is it too tight?" "It's a bit tight, but not unbearable. By the way, is it really necessary to lock it?" "I apologize, but the regulation for using this restraint requires it to be locked. However, all the locks can be opened with the same key, and there are multiple backup keys, so you don't have to worry about not being able to take it off later." "That's good then." Raven took out a pair of less heavy shackles and put them on Nightingale. This time, Nightingale clearly showed a look of resistance. "My legs are already not good. Without my cane, I can't run fast. Why do you have to bind my legs too?" "I'm sorry to trouble you. These shackles are quite loose and won't hurt your ankles, so please don't worry." Nightingale wanted to complain a bit more, but seeing Raven's sincere apology, she didn't say anything further. Raven took a ball gag from his jacket and then pulled out her own handkerchief from the pocket of Nightingale's vest. "I don't want a gag with a hole," Nightingale said. "This ball gag is solid." "I'm sorry, but I really don't want my drool to go everywhere," Nightingale said.

"All possibility of your escape from the dungeon must be completely eliminated. We will now begin restricting your fingers. Please make fists." Without waiting for the three to react, the owls had already forced Raven and Swan into fists and tightly wrapped them with tape. "It hurts, it hurts so much... You're not going to put gloves on someone else, are you? Can't I put them on myself..." Suzuna was forcibly fitted with gloves, and then her hands were made into fists. Her thumbs were forced inside her other four fingers, and the outside was wrapped layer by layer with taut tape. This was not the end; the owls then brought each captive a pair of special leather finger-binding gloves, slid their hands, already wrapped into tape cocoons, into the gloves, and tightened the straps to the maximum. The pressure from all directions rendered the three women's fingers completely useless, with the thumbs experiencing particularly intense compression. Before long, the three women's fingers would lose all sensation, at which point, not only would it be impossible to figure out how to untie the ropes, but even the slightest movement would be a luxury. "Didn't you check my fingernails thoroughly just now? Why are you doing this..." Suzuna began to complain again. "Kazabane-san, these are the rules of this school," Swan said. "I admire your and Raven-san's will to resist... but you must never break the rules..." "That's right, Kazabane. There's no room for negotiation on this; you just have to accept it," Raven agreed helplessly. The three women's fingers were completely immobilized, and then their hands were tied behind their backs. The owls took out several bundles of freshly unwrapped hemp ropes and surrounded the three women in groups of several. "Based on the measurements taken during the previous physical examination, restrain the three of them meticulously. Please carry out each restraint step in an orderly manner, do not miss anything, and show no mercy." The leading owl left the dungeon after uttering these words. She seemed indifferent as to whether the three had been meticulously bound as she had instructed... After several tens of minutes of complex restraint, the three women, bound in a five-flower knot, sat dejectedly on the ground. Swan, Raven, and Suzuna were subjected to a literal five-flower knot—ropes wrapped around their necks, then five loops around each of their arms to their wrists, after which their wrists were crossed and tied with a cross knot. Finally, their wrists were lifted upwards and suspended behind their backs. After finally escaping the tight binding of the reverse-Baidu-GuanYin, they had fallen under the control of the expert's reverse-hand-binding, leaving the three young women truly in despair. The reason the three could only sit was, of course, that their legs and feet were also bound so tightly that they could not move. The root of their thighs, the middle of their thighs, above and below their knees, the middle of their calves, the lower part of their calves, and their ankles—a total of seven loops of rope bound their legs together so tightly that they were inseparable. In addition to the restraint of their limbs, their bodies were also meticulously bound. Their bodies were tied into a standard rhombic rope binding, the beautiful rhombus outlining their full, soft breasts like a turtle shell; the crotch rope was also precisely calculated, with the knot perfectly embedded in their secret gardens and linked to the ropes at their wrists, making every futile struggle a peculiar form of torture. Having been manipulated by the owls for a long time, the three young women lost their strength due to the tension in their muscles and the intense feeling of restraint, and stopped resisting. However, the owls were still unwilling to let them go. "Open your mouths." Under this command, the girls, who had lost the ability to resist, could only obediently open their small mouths. The cotton cloth stuffed into their mouths was quickly secured by a knotted strip of cloth, making it impossible to spit out. This was followed by tape and another cloth towel tied horizontally across, a solid four-layer gag that filtered their painful moans into unintelligible, mosquito-like hums. Collars were hung on the necks of the three women, and then securely locked to iron hooks above their heads. The length of the chains was also precisely calculated. The owls warned them that even if they were tired, they could not lie down to rest, because the limit of the chain length only allowed the three of them to lean against the wall for a short rest. Among the three, Suzuna had the most experience being bound. Even so, the