Koushirou Kujou the Detective Butler

Chapter 2

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Part 1

“Hey! You!!”

The moment right after hearing the voice of the girl, the scarlet carpet under his feet crumpled up.

After stumbling for two or three steps, he finally lost his balance.

The tea cup from Wedgwood was wavering in the air with the oval tray that was polished to a mirror shine.

The tragedy happened after several moments emerged in Akira’s mind…

“That’s why I told you that you aren’t able to do it. Go away!”

The man who said that had the tea set which was supposed to fall onto the floor placed in his left hand. On the other side, he kept holding the cake stand in his right hand.

“This butler…is talented.”

Because the extraordinarily gorgeous rescue drama happened right in front of his eyes, Akira sighed with admiration while rolling on the floor.

The butler in black suits glanced at Akira rolling on the floor, but acted like nothing happened. He then stepped over Akira and walked towards the girl.

“Kujou, is he okay?”

The girl mentioned concerned for him.

“Miss Yui, I will clean up the trash later, so please don’t worry.”

“Who is trash! You s.a.d.i.s.tic and horrible butler!!”

“Was that a howl from a m.a.s.o.c.h.i.s.t? Really… That’s because you were trying to do something that you weren’t able to. Understand it.”

While speaking, the butler called Kujou was quickly preparing for the afternoon tea.

Koushirou Kujou was the butler who worked at Hakoniwa Detective Agency. He was a tall man with long and silver hair. His age appeared to be around twenty. Even though he was a butler who was perfect for any work, he was sometimes invective towards a specific person.

According to himself, that seemed to be his individuality.

The girl whose eyes were shining while looking at the cakes by her hand was the master,Yui Mikami, of this agency.

She was a pet.i.te girl with chestnut brown hair who was very adorable with the black and white gothic lolita outfit on her. According to the general opinion, her age appeared to be close to a high school student’s; however, opposite to her appearance, she speaks like she has understood life.

And the guy who replaced the tea set which should be leaking the floor1 was a current high school student, Akira Satou. He was an ordinary man with nothing special that was worth talking about. The only thing he had that might earn praises from others was probably his superior positive way of thinking.

According to Kujou, “that guy is a m.a.s.o.c.h.i.s.t who has beyond a positive way of thinking.”

Part 2

Shinjuku District, Tokyo. In the gap of this street crowded by soigne high-rise buildings, there was the Hakoniwa Detective Agency.

The western-styled house with outer walls covered by bricks grabbed the attentions of spectators; trees in the garden covered the appearances of themselves, appearing to refuse any impolite visitors.

Walking into the gigantic double doored entrance, you might have the illusion of coming into Medieval Europe. Surely, the n.o.bles held dinner parties within this kind of house every night. The rabbit dolls with some dirt decorated on the sides of the entrance were adorable.

That was the dining room of such a detective agency.

“I think the stalker incidents have become a serious problem in j.a.pan.”

At this moment which was suitable for afternoon tea, news commenters on the TV started their discussion.

“I can’t imagine him chasing her even after they broke up!”

“People in the world don’t think as positively as you do.”

Kujou has already finished preparing tea, and after he fixed the blanket that Akira fell on , he started being invective.

“ I am sorry about my bird brain1.”

“Oh, you have self-consciousness. That’s great.”

Although Akira’s fists trembled with anger, he seemed to care more about Yui , and turned his eye to her.

She now cared about nothing that happened in the world, focusing only on fighting with a piece of Napoleon pie that was made with many strawberries.

Akira smiled.

At approximately the same time, the oval tray made of silver fell onto his head.

“Don’t look at Miss Yui with l.u.s.t, you gross kid! Anyways, you’re thinking the motions of desperately eating desserts are adorable, aren’t you??”

“You… It really hurts… By the way, how can you read my mind!”

Akira held his head and sat onto the sofa with a bitter face.

“Although Kujou works as a butler, he is also a famous detective who supports the Hakoniwa Detective Agency. It is easy for him to read your and other ordinary people’s mind.”

Yui won the mortal fight with a piece of Napoleon pie, and answered while choosing another piece.

“Eh? But I thought Yui is the one who solves all the cases.”

“I only solve the spirit-related occult events. Kujou solves all other cases. He carries out the so-called general detective businesses.”

Yui’s hands stopped choosing cakes.

“I don’t think there are cases that he isn’t able to solve.”

Hearing Yui’s words filled with trust toward Kujou, Akira showed an envious expression with a little bit of admiration. He reseated while sighing lightly.

“By the way, since when have you been able to perceive the spirits by your eyes?”

“Since I was born.”

“Oh~ That sounds great. I want that kind of special powers as well.”

“Do you think being able to perceive the spirits is special? Being unable to perceive them is common sense?”

“… Eh?…”

Akira’s words clogged in front of Kujou’s sudden question.

“… I’ve never thought about it that way… ”

“Hum. Apparently, you didn’t recognize a question as a question.”

“Oh, no… That’s right… By the way, since there are more people being unable to perceive the spirits in the world, doesn’t it mean that being unable to perceive them is natural? According to common sense, isn’t it natural being unable to perceive them?”

Using Earl Grey to slightly moisten his lips, Kujou slowly opened his mouth.

“Common sense? What do you mean by common sense?”

“What? Common sense is common sense, isn’t it?”

“… Common sense… What’s common sense is what the majority believes as natural when they view matters objectively. It includes values, knowledge, evaluation criteria, and so on. According to the majority rule, when more people believe something as natural, it’ll become common sense. So far, do you understand?”

“O… Oh…”

“Then, the foundation named common sense is actually unstable. What if common sense is a group of a.s.sumptions?”

“What? What do you mean?”

Kujou began his explanation step-by-step, just like an elementary teacher.

“I’ll give you a simple example. There are traffic lights at the crosswalks, right? Which color represents stop?”

“Isn’t it red?”

“Right. It’s red. Then which one represents go?”

“It’s green. Kujou, aren’t you fooling me?”

“No, that’s enough.”

Quickly, Kujou squinted his eyes.

“Then, what if they’re mistaken?”

“… What!?… What are you saying? No matter who you ask in the world, everyone will answer that red is stop and green is go. Isn’t that common sense!?”

“You have a red-letter brain. You are captivated by common sense too much. Listen to me… In fact, when humans look, they appear to look with eyes but they don’t. The electrical signals recognized by eyes are transported to the brain via optic nerves. Then at a place within the brain named visual cortex, the signals are projected as images. By doing so, humans are able to look. In a nutsh.e.l.l, humans don’t look with eyes; instead, they recognize things with their brains.”

“… Y… Yup…”

Unable to understand Kujou’s explanation, Akira nodded his head with confusion.

Noticing the turmoil within Akira’s brain, Kujou sighed once.

“Return to our topic. You said red was stop and green was go. That’s the outcome of recognizing the colors by brain.”

Kujou stopped for one breath2.

“Then does everyone in this word recognize the same red and the same green?”

“… What’s that… Are you saying that people view red as something besides red? Is that possible? Red is red, right?”

Discovering Akira’s turmoil, Yui hinted at the answer.

“That’s what’s called color-blindness.”

Kujou nodded with satisfaction.

“Yes, Miss Yui, just as you said.”

Akira show an enlightened expression while making a “Oh yes!” sound after he finally understood.

“I say it in advance: color-blindness is not an illness but a way to represent that condition. Within all j.a.panese people, it is said that there is one color-blind out of every twenty or thirty males and one out of every five hundred females. In a word, the color you think is red is a slightly different red in those people’s opinions.”

“Eh? But that’s because the color-blinds are mistaken… ”

“Who decided so?”

Kujou catechized in no time.

“The process of recognizing colors is entrusted to everyone’s brain. Then the majority of those personal sensations becomes common sense unreasonably. But… What if…”

“The brains of the majority are mistaken?”

After the tone of his voice settled down for a while, he influenced the atmosphere around him.

“The minority said the red traffic light was yellow while looking at it. How can you say they were actually mistaken? If the color believed to be red by the majority was actually yellow, believing by the minority, what the majority with color-blindness believed would become the common sense. Majority and minority. Can you prove which recognition between these two is correct?”

The silent time pa.s.sed.

After a while, Yui gave a helping hand to Akira again.

“Since the recognition of colors is entrusted to everyone’s brain, under the condition of being unable to recognize the true color of red, it is unprovable in fact. I can probably say both the majority and the minority are correct. But that will bring inconvenience to this world, thus, everything is based on the majority.”

“Wonderful, Miss Yui. That’s very perceptive of you.”

While smiling, Kujou poured black tea into Yui’s tea cup.

“W, wait. Since matters are decided through the majority rule, is it okay for the common sense in this world to be so iffy?”

“It’s not something about okay or not. This is the reality”

“Eh, no. Umm… I feel like I have something in my mind, but… I don’t think I can express it well enough… ”

Akira soliloquized with his two arms crossed and head tilted.

“Then, let’s make it as a foundation and return to the root of our discussion. You said that being able to perceive the spirits was special and not ordinary. How can you perceive the spirits?”

“Even if you ask me, I can’t perceive them… Wait? I got it !! Yui, how can you perceive the spirits with your eyes?”

“By normally using my eyes to perceive them.”

While blissfully confirming the elasticity of blueberry bavarois with a fork, fidgety Yui answered.

“… By using eyes to perceive the spirits… ”

Akira muttered, finally understanding the purpose of Kujou’s prolix prelude. He clapped his hands once with the sound of “Bon.”

“Oh! The visual cortex is the part that perceive spirits!!”

“You finally understand it, dumb-a.s.s boy.”

Kujou showed the most gorgeous smile of the day.

“The ability to view is completely determined by the optic cortex. Spirits and color are all the same. It is possible for the majority to be mistaken, and the minority called psychics to be correct. It may be better if people recognize the possibility that psychics are ordinary. Oh, I need to tell you that the common sense is not completely incorrect; however, if you only focus on common sense, you may lose the basic of matters.”

Kujou closed the discussion like that, and finished the black tea as if he was moistening his throat.

While Akira and Kujou were seriously discussing about the uncommon topic, Yui was trying to attack the montblanc made of astringent skinned chestnut silently.

“Excuse me.”

What marked a period to this kind of average day of the detective agency was the bell at the entrance and the voice that seemed to belong to a middle-aged male.

Part 3

He was really tall, with moderately tousled hair and a slender facial feature. The indistinct dark circles beneath his eyes probably due to anxiety.

His age was around 40. This attractive middle-aged man who naturally wore a navy blue suit without a single crease introduced himself as Kentarou Nishino.

The clock within the reception office pointed to fifteen o’clock. Kujou sat onto the sofa and immediately went straight into the topic.

“As you have said over the phone, you want us to find out the offender who murdered your daughter, Azusa Nishino, this time, correct? ”

The word “murder” took Akira’s breath away.

“… Yes… ”

“Then please tell me what what you know about the case.”

Nishino opened his mouth with his face slightly facing down ponderously.

“I work as the princ.i.p.al of Private Jouji Girl’s High School. Azusa was a student from there.”

“My daughter was a member of the Track Club, and she jogged around the neighborhood for about an hour every night. … However, that night, Azusa did not come back even after two hours… I was worried, so I walked around to find her. I went from major roads to minor streets. Although there weren’t many people, I asked them if they have seen a girl looked like a high school student. … But my daughter wasn’t anywhere…. ”

At that moment, words such as kidnapping and abduction came to Nishino’s mind.

“And then my wife called me. I thought my daughter was home, so my heart relieved.”

The sorrow on Nishino’s face deepened when he stopped for one breath.

“… But when I answered the phone…The reality was a completely different story… ‘She was stabbed and now she’s in the hospital! We have to go there now!!’ I can never forgot my wife’s sorrowful voice even now.”

Nishino pressed onto his lacrimal caruncles1 and sniffled.

“When I rushed into the hospital, the doctors and policies were waiting for us… And… Azusa’s face was covered by a white cloth. I shook her and yelled ‘Azusa! Azusa!’ many and many times. When I touched her glamorous face, it was still warm — I could feel her warmth… But the doctor… He said… ‘I am sorry for your daughter…’”

The feeling of a father whose daughter was plundered from him was so sorrowful that it affected the atmosphere even as he attempted to restrain it.

“I heard from the police that a pedestrian saw Azusa when Azusa was about to fall down in a park within the neighborhood in Numabukuro2. It is said that the place around was a sea of blood that time. The cause of death was the hemorrhagic shock due to cutleries. The wound probably extended through the left side of her waist to her heart. Plus, the police said the ferociousness of the offender could be seen because the wound was sideways.”

Nishino used his handkerchief to wipe his endless tears when he talked about it.

“Do you have any threads or clues regarding the offender?”

“The police said they couldn’t find a single weapon, and my daughter was killed around twenty-two and twenty-three o’clock when there weren’t many pedestrians or witnesses. And both my wife and I think Azusa was modest, so we don’t think she could possibly incur the wrath of anyone… However… One time… Azusa said she was possibly tailed after by a strange man. I don’t know if that might be the reason…”

Kujou narrowed his eyes for a moment.

“Thank you very much. I understand the situation. Since it has been two weeks the case happened, is there any progress on the searching？”

“… No… I haven’t heard anything from the police after that.”

Nishino lifted up his downcast face..

“Please… I can not led her go like this. Please accept my request…”

Nishino’s eyes staring at Yui and Kujou pleadingly, scarlet and wet.

“Miss Yui, what do you think about it?”

Yui had not spoken anything but only listened to them until now. She slowly opened her mouth.

“… From earlier, I… can see a girl with black hair in a short bob hairstyle. Her height is pet.i.te. The mole near the left side of her mouth is impressive.”

Nishino was so surprised that his eyes popped out.

“That wasn’t a rumor… You can… really….”

“Of course. So, is this girl Azusa? She is standing behind you. Standing, but… ”

“What happened, Miss Yui?”

“She frequently murmures ‘… Why… Why… I don’t understand… Who…’ This represents… probably Azusa herself doesn’t know the reasons of suddenly being attacked. Even she becomes a phantom now, she is still pretty confused. I thought we could obtain useful information regarding the offender from Azusa… Then… Plus… Perhaps, this case is not so simple.”

“Why….”

After perceiving the spirit, Yui’s facial expression was clouded. Nishino was in a choked voice. The atmosphere of that place became so heavy that no one moved his body.

“… However..No matter what happened, as long as now we know what our clients and spirits want, I have the duty to respond to it. ”

“Then, Miss Yui…”

Yui spoke with dignity.

“This case, Hakoniwa Detective Agency will receive. ”

“Yes, my lady.”

Kujou hung his head, and relieved Nishino held Yui’s hands. At this point, the atmosphere in the reception room became more relaxed.

“Yui, Kujou, both of you are so awesome! You are just like real detectives!!”

After finished talking about the investigation plan from now on, Akira turned his eyes filled with curiosity toKujou after Kujou saw Nishino off at the entrance and came back.

“We are real detectives. You fool.”

“Kujou was so calm and asked about the situation, and Yui was perceiving spirits and found Azusa. You were very cool! And when Mr. Nishino vented his grievances with tears, I was also kind of feeling to cry. Like, I want to help too! I was thinking about this.”

“This is not a game for a kid. Go back home, idiot.”

“I will definitely be helpful in some ways!”

“Didn’t you hear me? You’re helpless!”

“Eh, no..but…”

“Get crushed quickly!”

“E..even though, you don’t have to…”

“You are annoying, be bald!”

“Wait you! There’s nothing to do with being bald!! ”

“Kujou, don’t say that. Aren’t we going to investigate a high school? I’m sure that Akira will be helpful. ”

Yui spoke on Akira’s behalf softly.

“But, Miss Yui…”

Yui kept speaking as she didn’t hear Kujou’s input.

“Azusa was a student from Jouji High School, so I think we can start investigating the school first. Aren’t you a high school student? As a student, you have the possibility to find out the detailed information from other students. Let’s start searching about Azusa mainly focus on students.”

“OK! I got it!!”

With the momentum that his aspiration is accepted, Akira showed a thumb-up.

Although Kujou sighed and overlooked them, he reluctantly started explaining the investigation plan from now on because this was his master’s decision.

“Mr. Nishino is the princ.i.p.al of Jouji High School. There won’t be any problems with sneaking into the school. I will sneak in as a subst.i.tute, you will be a student teacher, and Miss Yui will be a transfer student to investigate inside the school.”

“Yes! I got it !”

“Speaking of this, Akira, is your school okay with this?”

Yui asked an obvious question.

“Yes, that’s fine. There will be a test tomorrow, so I will be dismissed before noon. I can meet you as soon as noon.”

“Is that okay? That doesn’t affect studying for your test?”

“I am totally comfortable♪ To me, those test are super easy!!”

Immediately, their voices overlapped.

“What, so basically, you want to leave me behind?”

And then, obviously, Akira had the second time of floor leaking3 today.

Part 4

Kichijouji, Musashino1. This street, which took twenty minutes for Chuuou Line2 to get to from Shinjuku3, became a lively place for people ages from students to elders to gather around.

Turning left from the Sun Road Market Street, which was next to the north exit of Kichijoushi Station, and a ten minute walk, there was the Jouji Girl’s High School.

In the afternoon, the three arrived at the front gate of Jouji School. Noises traveled out of the school. It seemed like the school was having an afternoon break now.

“Wow~ This school is actually really big. I’m so excited~”

“Hey! Don’t enjoy other’s misfortune. We are working.”

Kujou saw through Akira’s thoughts and urged him.

“Oh, it’s okay. I understand~ Hey, don’t just stand there in front of the gate. Let’s go!!”

Akira said triumphantly and was ready to enter the front gate.

Suddenly, Akira b.u.mped into a person in a blue hoodie.

He stumbled for approximately two steps.

But the momentum of the person in a hoodie wasn’t cut down, and that person briskly headed in the direction opposite of the school. Staring at that person’s back, Akira didn’t move.

“Are you okay?”

Yui asked, concerned.

“…Eh!? Oh, yeah. Being b.u.mped was fine…”

“Fine but… What happened?”

“By his voice, the one that just b.u.mped me was definitely a guy… He murmured ‘that rascal’ while walking past…”

“That rascal?”

Kujou knitted his brows.

The three turn their attention to the direction the man headed to, but the crowds covered his figure up.

“Oh? I guess you three are… The subst.i.tute and transfer students were mentioned on the announcements this morning?”

Because of the unexpected voice, three people turned their heads back.

There stood a girl with translucent white sink and black hair with radiant cuticles all the way down to her waist.

The bangs cut around her brows and the trace of a smile appeared at the corner of her mouth exuded the aura of a flawless lady.

“And you?”

“I apologize. I am the president of the student council of this school, and my name is Mari Kitamikado.”

“I see. I am Kujou, the subst.i.tute teacher; she is Mikami, the transfer student, and so on.”

“Hey! Who is ‘so on!!’”

Mari giggled at their conversation.

“By the way, do you want to go to the princ.i.p.al’s office?”

“Yes. If you go into the front of the school building and turn right at the hallway, the princ.i.p.al’s office will be at the end. I’m supposed to guide you through school, but I have some other issues to handle… “

“That’s fine, that’s fine! Kujou, her explanation was detailed enough, right? Let’s go~~~”

Akira’s mood became better after meeting an adorable girl, and his gait started to become light. After appreciating Mari for her detailed explanation, Kujou and Yui chased after Akira.

“That girl was extremely adorable!”

“Mari Kitamikado… She is the eldest daughter of the commander of Kitamikado Plutocrat, which is composed of eight groups including finance, real estate, insurance, and so on. She is an elite within elites.”

“What is that, the winner group in real life!? So she’s a plutocratic and an extremely~ adorable lady!! I seem to have many rivals4~”

“Relax. There is no chance for an insignificant one like you. ”

Speaking of Mari, she started heading to the school building on the left, but some of the students who saw her called her “Kitamikado-senpai5!”, some invited “Let’s have lunch together,” some asked “Can I consult you next time?” and various voices became louder. She answered affably and disappeared at the school building.

“Now we are going to start our investigation of this school.”

The interior was calm and brown-based. You can tell the antiques and many small furnishings placed within the princ.i.p.al’s office are expensive by only one glance.

Kujou stood up after greeting Nishino, who was sitting in a soft leather chair.

“Thank you very much. Please tell me if you have any inconveniences, and I will handle it.”

“I appreciate your solicitude. Then we will leave and start investigating now.”

Kujou opened the door in order to start the investigation within the school.

“Wow! He appeared!”

“May I take a picture with you!!”

“Teacher, please smile, please smile~”

“Eh… What’s this…!?”

Akira murmured at the numerous squeal and camera lens with a face looked like a pigeon that ate a peashooter6.

The girls crowded in front of the princ.i.p.al’s office.

They kept saying words like ‘graceful,’ ‘cool,’ and ‘adorable,’ just like they’ve found a star with scandals and chased after as paparazzis with their smartphones to take pictures.

One of the girls stared at Yui.

“You are a high schooler, right? What’s your name?”

“Yes. I’m Yui Mikami.”

“Adorable~!!”

“Hi, Yui-chan. We’ve made some cookies before noon during Skills for Living cla.s.s. Do you want to discuss the clothes that you’re wearing? ”

Yui’s eyes twinkled softly.

Probably her eyes reflected the brilliant afternoon tea parties that were waiting for her from now on. With the sparkling drool at the corner of her mouth and the immediate up-down nods, Yui walked towards the Skills for Living cla.s.sroom with some female students.

She was so venerable that she fulfilled her desires immediately and got along with the female students at the same time.

“Kujou. Is Yui okay like that?”

“That is Miss Yui. There’s no need to worry about her. Let her do it.”

Girls heard their conversation and started to make noises.

“Hey, I heard that! He said ‘Miss Yui!!’”

“I wanna be called with ‘miss,’ too.”

“So he’s name is Mr. Kujou, right!”

“What about the name of the guy with black hair?”

A cough interrupted the endless questions attacking Kujou.

“You guys, stop. You are confusing the teacher. That’s enough. Please return to the cla.s.srooms.”

Following Nishino’s words, they answered with ‘Yes~’ and slowly went back to the cla.s.srooms.

So far, they investigated just as they’ve discussed at the meeting yesterday… However, Yui has started to investigate by herself already…

Akira decided to go to Grade 11 Cla.s.s 3 to try to find something about Azusa Nishino when she was still alive.

The linoleum floor swept gorgeously extended to the cla.s.srooms. Akira felt a sense of humor when the female students bowed at him and pa.s.sed by him.

Grade 11 Cla.s.s 3.

It was an ordinary cla.s.sroom that appeared in every school in j.a.pan.

Akira asked the girl who stood near the entrance door.

“Hey, can I borrow a little bit of your time?”

“Yes? What happened, Mr. Akira？”

“Two weeks ago, wasn’t there a case about the princ.i.p.al’s daughter getting killed? I thought the girl named Azusa Nishino who pa.s.sed away was a part of this cla.s.s. What kind of girl was she?”

“Azusa? Umm, she was, if anything, kind of ordinary. She didn’t stand out in our cla.s.s.”

“Did she have a lot of friends?”

“She was lively, so I guess she had many friends. I played after school, too. ”

The other tomboyish student leaning on the wall continued.

“She worked hard in a club. She said that running cannot be missed. I think she was pretty serious about it.”

“Working hard in a club and did not stand out that much. She wouldn’t have incurred the wrath of anyone…”

“Oh, wait a minute. I remember… It wasn’t wrath but she has said something like a person was chasing after her.”

“Oh, I remember that! ‘Wasn’t that the stalker from before!!’ Although everyone said that with laughter.”

“Stalker！？”

What Nishino said in the Hakoniwa Agency floated into his mind.

“Yeah. She loved something like anime and bought many goods, so she had a part-time job. At her workplace, she seemed to receive letters7. She said she rejected him softly at first, but he eventually ambushed in order to give her letters.”

“And then?”

“And, I think she received letters every day. From one day on, she received them but started not to read them. She said both the contents and his love were disgusting. But Azusa had the habit of saying whatever she wanted to say when she acc.u.mulated a lot of stress, and probably got mad at him once. Then the man never came again. ”

“Did she go to the police?”

“Yes. She did go, but the police said they couldn’t do anything until Azusa got hurt. They were so mean, right?”

“So there was an actual stalker… Oh, is there anything else? Was there any weird things in school or something that strange happened?”

Murmuring “Umm~,” two girls had their necks slanted and looked like they realized something.

“… It wasn’t a case, but… Approximately a month ago, a teacher named Carter suddenly disappeared.”

“Mr. Carter? Why ‘suddenly?”

“Umm, I don’t really know. The principle said he was suddenly transferred to a school in k.u.mamoto.”

“I was surprised! Personally, I was disappointed because his face fit my preferences.”

“What’s that!? Did you aim for him?”

“A little bit~ Just kidding. But Mr. Akira is handsome, too~”

“You’re probably my type, too~”

While saying so, the distance between the female students decreased.

Blushing at the love stories and the momentum of female high schoolers, Akira immediately left after appreciating them.

Several hours after that…

The sun had slanted, it was a time that most students wouldn’t be at school. Akira wanted to go to the princ.i.p.al’s office so he went downstairs.

After that, even after Akira repeatedly found students from other cla.s.ses and club members from Track Club to inquire about Azusa, there weren’t any rumors like that. There weren’t any conflicts regarding male-female relationships related to Azusa. Akira had to a.s.sume that Azusa enjoyed her school life perfectly.

“If that’s the case… Then there must have been something related to the stalker…”

While murmuring, he was about to reach the turning point of the hallway. A human-like figure appeared in his eyes. After hearing a high-pitched scream, Akira fell down on the ground due to the force.

“Ouch… What happened…”

When he tried to stand up from the floor, he used his arms to support himself while his was still dizzy.

“Ah!!”

“Um? Someone screamed? Wait, what is this… The tenderness and warmth that comes from my hand. What’s under me…”

Suddenly, Akira’s dizzy feeling cleared away.

“Oh! A girl?”

When Akira turned in the hallway, he and a female student had fallen onto the floor at the moment he b.u.mped into her. He couldn’t conceal his internal disturbance when their bodies intertwined infamously.

“Wait, eh！ What!? Wwwwhat is going on!? Why is there a girl under me? Oh, I pushed her down!? That’s impossible!! Wait, we are not dating, and this is the girl I just b.u.mped into!? That kind of girl….”

The reality kept attacking Akira.

“My G.o.d’s Right Hand9 is rubbing a breasttttt!!”

Akira’s miserable expression gave a feeling like his life was over. Edvard Munch would be able to paint another The Scream by looking at it.

“My lady, are you ok?”

His panicked consciousness turned back to normal.

“Ah, Kujou.”

“Not the time for ‘Ah, Kujou.’ Stupid idiot. ”

While speaking, Kujou pulled Akira up, and help the girl that fell on the ground.

“I suddenly heard a scream so I rushed here. What were you attempting to do?”

Akira started hurrying to collect the papers that scattered onto the floor. The budget of each club. The schedule of student council’s meeting. Some topics discussed by student council.

“What? These are… Probably… ”

“I apologized for b.u.mping into you, Mr. Akira. Did you get hurt？”

The girl that stood there was the one that they had met near the school front door in the morning. She was the president of student council, Mari Kitamikado.

“S, sorry! I was thinking so I did not see you. How about Kitamikado? Did you get hurt anywhere? Are you ok!?”

Mari was tidying up her body, swaying her long, black hair left and right. After fixing the folds on her uniform, she smiled like nothing had happened and said, “I’m alright.”

“Oh, you’re alright. Wait? What? Where’s Yui?”

Since Akira was relieved, he started to look around and asked Kujou.

“Miss Yui said she’s going to a dessert buffet with her cla.s.smates. If I don’t pick her up early, she’ll be full before having dinner… ”

Surprisingly, Kujou was a worldly-wise man.

“Then, what were you thinking, Mr. Akira?”

“Oh, right. Kujou, Azusa actually had a stalker!”

“… Umm… ”

Kujou reacted slowly.

Then, Kujou replied at the arm-crossed Akira with scornful expressions, “Of course.” His gaze stabbed Akira painfully, so painfully.

“Azusa… Is she the princ.i.p.al’s daughter, Azusa Nishino?”

Mari tilted her head.

“Yeah, that girl. Oh! Kitamikado, do you know Azusa well? Have you heard something like she was being targeted by a stalker?”

“No. I was from a different grade than Azusa, so I don’t think I’ve met her face to face; however, since I have the t.i.tle of the president of student council, I’ve heard some rumors like that… ”

While speaking about it, Mari lowered her chin.

“Anyways, if there was an actual stalker, he should receive punishment, since Azusa hasn’t done anything bad. People who threatens other should be punished.”

Mari felt little uncertainty at Akira’s instantaneous question; however, she spoke with dignity like a student princ.i.p.al.

“Kitamikado is not only a gorgeous girl, but also a popular person in this school, you may be targeted by a stalker. Please be careful.”

Kujou smiled gently.

“Thank you for your concern. But please don’t worry… Pitifully, there hasn’t been a single man who’s that interested in me so far. ”

She replied with a gentle smile.

The cries of the ravens faded out.

“Kitamikado, I apologize for stopping you. It’s becoming darker outside, so please go home as soon as possible.”

“Thank you very much. After I place this doc.u.ments into the student princ.i.p.al room, I will go home. And you too, please be careful.”

After a deep nod, Mari trotted upstairs.

After watching her going back, Kujou and Akira went back to the Agency. Of course, they picked Yui up on their way.

“Seriously… You talked too much to an outsider. Don’t do something that exposes our investigation. Do you understand?”

“…Oh…”

Kujou finally finished his one-hour-long sermon. After Kujou’s wrath faded away, he started to a.n.a.lyze the information they got from the investigation today.

“Firstly, regarding the victim, Azusa Nishino, she was a tender person with a nice impression to others according to what this kid and I have heard. It wouldn’t be possible for her to receive the malice of anyone, Plus, there weren’t any obvious quarrels or disputes related to her happened in this six months. We haven’t found her criminal history or misconduct. We’ve heard these from both students and teachers.”

“She was a girl who worked very hard on studying and clubs. She enjoyed her school life but unexpectedly got killed one day, that’s what happened.”

Yui drank Lady Grey in one breath.

“Yes. I guess the suspect is not from the school but from somewhere else.”

“So, the stalker was suspicious for sure, right!? ”

“Right. I inquired about the inside stories after that as well.”

“Inside stories?”

“Those police should have already gotten this information. But it hasn’t been published yet. So there should be some reasons.”

“So you asked the police? Normally, will they tell you something like that?”

“There is one police I know in the Shinjuku10 Police Department. It is easy to get one or two pieces of information. The friendship between Mr.G and me isn’t fake.”

“What? Who? Grandpa11? Is it okay for such an aged person to work as a police?”

“Is your brain variation all trash? It’s not Grandpa. It’s the alphabet G.”

Yui couldn’t hide her bitter smile at Kujou’s outrageous att.i.tude when she heard this conversation.

“So, what did Mr.G say?”

“It seems like Azusa did not resist against the stalker. There are records in her house that shows she went to talk to the police department in Nakano12. The suspect is a man who lives at Kurame, Taitou District. His name is Yukitoshi Tamura. He is twenty-two years old. No occupation. He seems to claim himself as an innate NEET. ”

“… ‘An innate NEET…’ Isn’t that too acerbic?”

Hearing Akira’s complaints, Yui opened her mouth.

“Since the police has information like that, isn’t the suspect the stalker for sure? Arresting him is only a matter of time.”

Kujou wrinkled between his eyebrows.

“That… That sounds like he’s telling us ‘Go find the answer yourself.’”

Yui and Kujou both crossed their arms and look downwards.

“That’s what Mr. G would probably do. Then, let’s do it. Let’s go to the suspect’s house tomorrow.”

“Yes, my lady.”

As Kujou replying dignifiedly, he started preparing immediately. Figuring out that he was left behind, Akira asked Kujou politely.

“Umm~, so~. Oh, Kujou. Can I go with you tomorrow?”

Trying to contact Nishino, the s.a.d.i.s.tic butler a.s.serted with an acrid gaze looking at Akira.

“Didn’t you give up the test? Then come with us”

“I didn’t give up!!”

Part 5

Kuramae, Taitou District1. The place crowded by houses from the past was the so-called old town. A famous tourist place, Seisou Temple, was nearby, and the Tokyo Sky Tree could be viewed from there as well.

This old town had already been built for over twenty years, and now Tamura is living in a c.r.a.ppy apartment.

After the bell rung for a few seconds, the old wooden door was slowly opened with squeaky sounds.

The facial features of the man who murmured “What do you want?” were… Unkempt hair tousled due to bad sleeping positions. A stubbly beard extended as lines around his mouth and on his chin. He probably had an unbalanced diet; he was skinny overall, but his stomach protruded from his body. You couldn’t tell he was twenty-one with a single glance.

The man in a creased jersey was Yukitoshi Tamura.

He was the suspect for murdering Azusa Nishino.

Kujou started the conversation with a smile.

“We are the police. We came to ask you some questions regarding the case of Azusa Nishino. Can we have your cooperation?”

He seemed like has already been questioned for several times. He did not hide his disconcerted face.

Kujou continued interrogating.

“Where did you meet Azusa Nishino?”

“By chance, I saw her at a convenience store in Akiba2 when she was working as a cash register..”

“Then you accosted her?”

“I didn’t accost her. Accosting a woman I meet for the first time is a little… I don’t even know what to talk about.”

“I see. This is why you gave her letters?”

“… Police, do you believe in falling in love at first sight? When I first met Azusa… I was convinced of its existence.”

“However, after you have handed her the letters, you were refused by Azusa euphemistically, right?”

“My letters were received. Receiving my letters was her reply, right? She continued receiving my love. That’s why I wrote letters and handed them to her everyday from that point on.”

The man who did not read the refuse literally but believed in the action of receiving the letters written with his love instead made them felt a little bit cold.

“I once wrote that ‘I like you. Please be my girlfriend. If you like me as well, please receive my letter tomorrow.’”

Recalling what the female students had said, Akira opened his eyes.

… Although she received the letters, she stopped reading them from the middle…

This was the crucial moment when misunderstandings started to exist.

Kujou and Yui realized it as well, and their faces became clouded.

“So after that, she continued receiving your letters. Is that’s true?”

“Right. I had never thought that resonance between two people was that exhilarating.”

Tamura hadn’t shown any changes in facial expressions until now, but he smiled.

“I see, I see. Azusa probably cherished the letters filled with your love.”

Pretending to agree with Tamura’s thoughts with words, Kujou’s eyes looked through Tamura’s innermost heart.

As Kujou had expected, Tamura’s expressions became incensed immediately.

“… But… ”

“What? ‘But.’ What are you talking about?”

“… But… She… Azusa… She tore up all the letters she had received from me and all of my love right in front of my eyes! One by one!! And she said! ‘Stop bothering me! You’re gross so don’t ever come again!!’”

Tamura knocked on the door with all his strength and crazy wrath.

“….So….What was that… Why did she receive my letters… What was the resonance between us two… Who was gross… Why was she treating my love like this…. Wasn’t her heart the grossest thing… Don’t kid with me…. Why do I have to be heart-broken…. This doesn’t make any sense…. The one who should be heart-broken… The one who should be heart-broken is Azusa!! Let her disappear from this world!! ”

The murderous intent exuded from the inside of his inordinate breathing.

“What you have just said are confirming your murderous intent.”

With a faint smile, Tamura took in a huge breath. Kujou turned his unfocused and vacuous eyes to him.

“Everyone has wanted to kill somebody at one point.”

“I see, that’s true. So let’s go back to our conversation. Where were you 22 o’clock at the day of the murder？”

“… At a game center in Akiba.”

“Do you often go to game centers?”

“Eh… Sometimes… ”

“Even a social withdrawal felt it’s not enough to stay at home to play game?”

“I, I just wanted to change my mood！”

“Oh, I see. Do you have any… friends? Or any witnesses?”

“That’s impossible. If… If… If you don’t believe me, just go check the security camera at the game center.”

“Yeah, you’re right.”

Kujou’s heels were ready to leave, but he recalled something and went back to Tamura.

“Mr. Tamura… Have you ever been to the Private Jouji Girl’s High School? ”

Tamura opened his eyes widely.

“Thank you very much. I appreciate your cooperation.”

Kujou smiled affably.

After leaving Tamura’s house, the three went to Akihabara on their way and started to investigate the alibi provided by him.

Because there were instructions came from the police, videos from the day of Azusa being murdered were kept. Just by looking at them, Tamura was at that single game center the whole day. Although he had left for several times, the longest one was only for twenty minutes. It would be fair to think that he went to restroom or restaurant. At least only a single way from Shinjuku to the crime scene in Numabukuro takes twenty minutes for electric train.

Furthermore, during the time of Azusa being murdered, from twenty-two o’clock to twenty-three o’clock, the figure of Tamura immersed in games stayed in the videos.

Also, according to the employees, they said that they saw a rarely seen customer wearing the same jersey and staying at the game center for a whole day three days in a row..

The videos from the security camera and the testimony provided by the employees.

Yukitoshi Tamura’s alibi was flawless.

The sky became darker, and in the dining room of Hakoniwa Detective Agency, the three including Akira were perplexed.

“Although it was unnatural that he stayed at the game center for a long time even though he rarely went; however, as a matter of fact, it was impossible for him to kill Azusa.”

“Right, what Miss Yui has just said. After that, I contacted Mr. G, and he asked, ‘Right?’ Then we ended the conversation.”

“I see. So the police had the same information as what we have obtained and are stuck now…”

“Since he still had the stalking case, he will not be acquitted…. Something like that….”

“Why… I thought the offender was surely him… ”

“Although he has alibi, we cannot remove Tamura from the suspect list easily. We have to closely examine his alibi and find possibilities besides this from now on.”

The first flush of darjeeling tea had already become cold.

Opposite to the brilliant yellowish water, the three were surrounded by a dark and heavy atmosphere.

After that, no one had opened his mouth that day.

The investigation had almost gone back to the starting point. Three days after Hakoniwa Detective Agency and the police were deadlocked,

… That case had happened…

Part 6

“The man who was investigated by the police as the suspect of the case of a female high school student being murdered was discovered lying in a park along the Sumida River1
with blood bleeding from his head. His death was confirmed later. The deceased was Yukitoshi Tamura, with an age of twenty-one. The scene contained a large amount of liquor bottles, so the police stated that it was possibly an accident. They’re trying to continue the investigation… ”

All the afternoon variety shows were discussing about this topic. Akira murmured with astonishment after watching the news at the detective agency.

“Hey, Kujou… So a case was solved… Right?”

No reply.

Akira turned his head back, and saw Kujou glaring at the TV screen with a deeper frown in between his brows than usual.

“… Inconceivable…”

“What? What are you talking about?”

“Tamura had the motive to murder Azusa, but he had alibi at the same time. However… I can’t help thinking that his alibi was too perfect.”

“Perfect?”

“Yeah. Although persistently visiting a game center only before and after the case had happened works as an alibi, it’s inexplicable as an action.”

“Umm~ But even if we a.s.sume Tamura as the offender, he didn’t have time to murder Azusa, right?”

Kujou sighed once and started to contemplate after Akira asked the rhetorical question. But, he realized something in the next moment and clapped his hands.

All the attention focused on Kujou.

“The very last thing I did was asking Tamura if he had been into Private Jouji Girl’s High School. It contain the meaning of ‘have you invaded the school illegally in order to meet Azusa directly?’ Although I was actually trying to trick him into revealing the truth… His reaction seemed like nothing like that had happened.”

“Umm… I see… Then both Tamura’s death and his alibi are convincing.”

Placing the tea cup down, Yui became determined.

“Then let’s investigate the school again.”

“Yes, my lady.”

Kujou was determined as well, and bowed down his head.

“Wwwwait a moment! No, no, no, no, it’s impossible for me to understand your conversation!! What are you guys talking about!! There’s a limit to jumping topics!!”

Distraught, Akira yelled with nonsense as if it was the end of the world. However, Kujou was extremely calm.

“What? You’re the one who understand the most.”

“Eh!? Wwwhat do you mean?”

Kujou let out a long sigh.

“When we first went to Jouji School, there was guy who b.u.mped into you at the front gate, right? That was Tamura.”

“… What? Wwwwwwwwwwhat!?”

Akira yelled with even a louder voice.

“The one with a hoodie? The one who murmured ‘That rascal?’ … But… But… Why was Tamura in the school?”

“You really make my head hurt. You’re not suitable to be a detective. Quit being a human,”

“There’s no relationship between a detective and a human!!”

“Listen to me. Tamura was meeting with someone in the school at that time, so I wondered if a quarrel had just happened. Then when he spoke of irritation unconsciously, he b.u.mped into you. Tamura’s illegal invasion of the school and the murder suspect of Azusa, plus the excessively unnatural alibi. Consider these points as a whole, and the answer will come out.”

“Then… I’m thinking… ”

He had probably somehow realized something. Akira stopped for a breath.

“So the people regarding this series of cases are most likely within Private Jouji Girl’s High School.”

Part 7

Akira went to Jouji High School. He hadn’t been there for several days.

When the female students saw the student teacher, they went to talk to him immediately; however, there wasn’t anything that could be a clue for this case.

“What are your hobbies?” “Do you like desserts?” “Let’s have lunch together!” “Do you have a girlfriend?” “You kind of look like a dog.”

“The last one was unnecessary!!” Akira was about to yell, but he had no energy left because of the storm of questioning. He decided to go to the rooftop because he also wanted to change his mood.

Since there were railings on the rooftop of the school, it was always open to the students.

Akira went upstairs and through the wide open door. The weather was nice, and his sight was whited out because of the sunshine.

After a few seconds, he saw the blue sky and a girl. She looked like she was reading a book about something.

“What are you reading?”

Leaning on the fence, she raise her head.

“U~h… Are you Mr. Satou?”

“Yeah, that’s right.”

“This is an English novel.”

“Ah… My weakest subject!”

The girl grinned after hearing this and introduced herself as Kyouko Akihara.

“Kyouko, do you like English?”

“Yes!! I want to be a translator and create subt.i.tles for foreign movies. ”

Her light brown hair was tied in a ponytail and she smiled. She was an adorable girl with impressive and noticeable canines.

“Aren’t English novels more complicated than what you learn at school? You can read that?”

“It was extremely complicated at first, but I started to understand them during the process of looking up words by myself.”

While saying this, an English-j.a.panese dictionary was placed beside her. Her steady endeavor would probably bear fruit.

“Then, aren’t English cla.s.ses boring?”

“No, that never happens. Studying grammar and some basic things are very useful… But…”

Different then the light tone until now, she turned slightly clouded and continued the conversation.

“Since we currently have a j.a.panese teacher, I’m not satisfied.”

“Oh? What does that mean?”

“The teacher p.r.o.nounces words in a j.a.panese way. Should I say that it’s not authentic?”

“Eh? So the teacher before was authentic, which means the teacher was a foreigner!?”

“That’s right. He’s a man named Robert Carter and was born in America.”

“Wow, an American teacher. Then, of course, comparing this teacher to Mr.Carter… ”

Akira stopped when he spoke to that.

Within the abrupt silence, Kyouko looked into Akira’s face, questioning.

“Mr. Sadou?”

“Kyouko. Was Mr. Carter the teacher who was transferred to k.u.mamoto1?”

“Ehh, yes. You’ve heard about it.”

“… Oh, no… I forgot about him completely…”

Akira recalled the name Carter from the investigation on the first day.

Kujou said the man who b.u.mped into Akira at the front gate was Tamura Yukitoshi. He’s the one who murmured ‘That rascal.’

The person he was meeting with until that.

“Then… That man was… ”

Hearing Akira’s whisper, Kyouko arched her neck.

“Kyouko, please tell me whatever you know. What do you know about Mr. Carter? Why was he transferred suddenly?”

“I don’t really know the reason why he was transferred, but I remember it was actually suddenly. He was a thoughtful, tender, and intelligent teacher. His language skills were also impressive. He said he knew English, j.a.panese, French, and German. I think… He’s worked here since two or three years ago. His lessons were easy to understand and he answered my questions politely when I went to ask him during the break. He was not only tall but also handsome… To my knowledge, I don’t think I’ve heard any negative rumors about him from either students or teachers… ”

“I see.”

“And… He never mix official business with… Private affairs… He was a wonderful teacher.”

The last sentence Kyouko had said revealed some sorrow..

But, Akira would never notice that slight change and kept talking with optimism.

“Back to our conversation. Kyouko, you really look deeply into people.”

“I am the moral monitor, so normally I’ll hear or see some things..”

Kyouko returned joyful, like the sadness had been blown away.

“You’re the moral monitor!? I’m scared!”

“Ha, ha, ha, I am very serious ~ No one can violate the school rules as long as my eyes are still black2!”

“Oh no~ Kyouko is very serious, so I feel bad for everyone else~”

“What do you mean by you feel bad, stop!”

Kyouko became angry very adorably, and she started to leave, “I’m going to return to the cla.s.sroom..”

Akira chased after her from behind quickly.

“Is it easy for outsiders to sneak into the school?”

“Outsiders? Umm~ I don’t know about that. But there are security guards outside, so I don’t think people can come in easily.”

“Then, are there many authorized people entering and exiting the school? Such as student teachers like me and subst.i.tute teachers.”

“Sometimes, I think. Probably once for every half year. Oh, but the merchants are often seen.”

“Merchants?”

“Right. They sometimes carry goods to the school’s store and sometimes deliver textbooks to the Chemistry stockroom. They are people wearing blue hoodies.”

“… Blue hoodies… ”

Because she cared that Akira stopped unexpectedly, Kyouko turn back and stopped.

“… It can’t be wrong… Carter was the one who met with Tamura when Tamura wore that merchants’ hoodie… Which indicates that Carter prepared the hoodies… But, then, what did they talk about when they met at school…”

Mumbling, Akira organized his thoughts in a low volume. Hearing his voice, Kyouko became astonished.

“Mr.Carter was there!?”

Kyouko asked while shaking Akira’s hand strongly.

“Eh? Oh, no. I just thought that perhaps he was there.”

Akira was surprised a little and he smiled bitterly, Kyouko showed her sad face.

“Kyouko, you really yearn to meet Mr. Carter that much?”

“Eh… No… That was… Because his transfer was so sudden that I didn’t get to say goodbye to him… It’s not like… I like him or something like that… ”

Hearing that, Akira smiled and said,

“Kyouko? I’ve never asked you, ‘Who do you like?’ Right?”

Realizing that she jumped to the conclusion too hastily, Kyouko became flushed all the way to her ears and looked down hesitantly.

When they was ready to start walking again, there came a familiar voice from the stairs.

“Oh, is it Mr.Akira and Kyouko?”

When they looked, they saw Mari Kitamikado, the president of the student council.

Kyouko hid her face back.

“What’s going on, Kitamikado？”

She answered Akira’s question with her gentle Mari smile.

“Since I heard talking voices from the rooftop, I wanted to remind them that the break was about to end.”

“Teacher, I am going to be late to cla.s.s, so I’ll leave right now.”

Then Kyouko bowed to Akira and went downstairs without so much as a glanc

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