Chapter Three:
The café was dark, lit only by the faint flicker of candlelight. Two silhouettes clung to the curtain—neither moved, but with the breeze, they danced in shadow. The atmosphere was heavy, and combined with the scent of perfume and velvet seats, the place looked more like a brothel than a coffee shop.
Cold sweat poured steadily down my forehead under Shiina's fierce glare. She was clearly pissed off by my sudden call this late at night. I could understand why she was in a bad mood, but business was business. It's not like we could talk about this matter in public.
The silence stretched past two minutes. Realizing we weren't getting anywhere like this, I decided to take the lead.
"Ahem..."
"I apologize for the sudden call, Miss Shiina. To avoid wasting your time, I'll get straight to the point." I placed a printed document on the table—names of her classmates and other possible suspects.
She glanced at the paper without even looking directly at it, which eased my nerves a little.
"At least she's willing to listen," I thought.
"This is the result of my investigation... And yes, it led nowhere. At first, the suspects were obvious. But the deeper I looked, the more inconvenient it became. Narrowing them down could take months. So I'm proposing a more practical method—though it requires your consent."
Hearing that there was no progress, her expression soured, but she held back and waited for me to explain.
"So, what do you want to do? "
We stared each other down with serious expressions. This wasn't an easy decision.
"I'm going to plant a hidden camera. And you'll need to leave behind another pair of underwear. In other words, I'm going to use you as bait."
Her lips twitched. A vein bulged on her forehead. But before she could explode, I kept talking.
"I checked the locker room. Among all the girls in your class, you're the only one who leaves without your underwear. Most of the others carry things in their bags. Also—when I opened your locker, it wasn't hard at all. You get what I'm trying to say, right? "
She didn't respond—just stared at me, serious and quiet.
"It's probably being opened every day. No signs of forced entry. Maybe the guy's confident he won't get caught. So—what do you think of my proposal? " I asked flatly.
Embarrassed, her face turned red. She looked down and mumbled, "I-Is there no other way? "
"Well, there are several methods, but like I said before, we're limited since this is a secret investigation. On top of that, any misstep could backfire. So instead, I propose this. While it is risky, as long as we play our cards right and catch the perpetrator in the act, we'll have what we need to deal with him."
I shrugged my shoulder. I could tell she wouldn't agree easily, so I decided to make things more convenient. "Are you worried about the other girls? " I asked. Without waiting for her response, I kept on talking.
"You don't have to worry; I'm planning on putting the camera inside your locker. The footage will be uploaded to the cloud automatically. Even if he notices the camera, it won't change anything," I explained further.
"But what if it doesn't work? " she asked.
I'd been observing her for a while and noticed her strange behavior whenever I brought this up. There was hesitation, even opposition. At first, I was puzzled, but eventually, doubt crept in. The possibility of a reversal trap inside my double trap just increased twofold. If she's really planning to set me up, I need to take precautions.
"If it doesn't work, I'll come up with another method. But for now, this is the most practical," I said.
"I-I see..." she replied, avoiding direct eye contact.
"I'm going to set up the camera later; it's getting late. I should walk you home. After all, it's dangerous to go alone."
"Ah... Sure. Huh? " She was about to stand up but froze. Her eyes locked on me, but I didn't say anything else. After all, it's normal to walk a girl home at night. Gentleman? Not really—just taking safety precautions. If something happens to my client, I won't be able to get those precious stats.
"Uhm... It's all right... I can walk home, I think..." she said while glancing between me and the floor.
"I insist. For your safety. Besides, what if the perpetrator is stalking you instead? If something happens to you, it'll leave a bad taste in my mouth."
"I-I che—" (I see)
"...Did she just bite her tongue and stutter? " I asked myself. I couldn't really tell since her back was to me, but for a moment, there was a smirk on her face before she covered it.
"Suspicious… How suspicious! "
[Shiina POV]
I don't know what to do anymore. How did it lead to this? At first, I just wanted to talk to him, and I was so happy I could. But things took a wild turn, and now it's so complicated.
I sighed to myself while stealing glances at him from time to time. He won't think I'm a weird girl, right? I'm really hopeless...
[A few hours earlier]
Behind a pillar of the school building, a girl in a white sports bra and black baggy pants was kneeling. Her smooth, pale legs were covered by thin stripes of orange and red knee socks. Gauntlets on her hands gripped the edge tightly as her eyes gleamed, locked on someone—she was clearly savoring every moment.
"I finally found him," I whispered excitedly. "They said he always sits on this bench from time to time. I've been walking here every day, and I finally succeeded."
I immediately looked away and hid behind the pillar, clutching both fists to my chest, feeling butterflies fluttering in my stomach. "Oh, I almost forgot about this," I murmured, sliding my hands from my chest to my waist. Then, gently, I slipped them inside the slit of my pants, feeling a hard object poking me from within.
"Hngh! It's so deep! "
My finger swirled around, trying to reach a specific spot. My knees bent as waves of strength drained from my body with every motion.
"Uuhh... Ahh... Hah. Finally. It's coming—"
After a few more tries, I succeeded in pulling out the object hidden inside—an ordinary butterfly knife (prop). It slipped free from my crotch, coated in a strange, mucky liquid.
"I sweat a lot, huh? " I muttered, sniffing my armpit. "Should I use cologne first? No, that would be a bad idea."
"Kyahhh!"
A distant scream snapped me back to reality. When I peeked behind the pillar, he was already walking away.
"Oh no, not good! If I don't talk to him now, who knows when I'll get another chance? "
I stood up immediately and chased after him. But then something clicked. "Wait... It's not like I won't see him again, but it's just rare to catch a glimpse of him."
I shook my head and followed him quietly. He didn't seem to notice. I couldn't help but smile softly. "He's always lost in his little world. It's kind of cute."
The distance between us had narrowed considerably.
"Oh no..." I realized I rushed in without thinking. At first, I just wanted to greet him. But I'd been walking so long, admiring him from behind...
"What do I do now? I should say something, right? After all, I followed him all the way here."
"Ahem..." I let out a dry cough, clearing my throat.
"Are you the one they call 'Detective'? "
He stopped and turned slowly. His shoulder-length brown hair swayed in sync like it was part of a shampoo commercial. The sunlight reflected off his light blue eyes, making him look majestic.
My heart pounded. Every movement he made slowed time.
"Oh god! His eyes are so beautiful. I think I'm in love. I've already thought"—
Why are you so beautiful? Can't you just be mine? I wish you could be mine...
I felt a pang of heartache. Wishing wasn't enough to get what you wanted—you had to work for it.
I clenched my fists, full of determination, and met his eyes. "Today, I'm going to confess... Even the gods above can't stop me! "
"Yes, I'm Shin 'Ecchi' Kudo," he said.
I know that's just a pseudonym. Your real name is Ameguri Hayama, right? Hayama-chan... Kawaii desu ne...
"I heard you can solve any mystery. I'd like to hire you." (In his language, this should count as a confession, right? Like, I admire you. I want to go on a date with you.)
"Solve mysteries, huh? " He frowned. "That's just gossip. I solve cases thanks to sheer luck. I'm not Holmes."
He's not just cute—he's humble. I love you even more, Hayama-chan.
"Regardless, I'd like to commission you." (Even though you're modest, I still love you from the bottom of my heart.)
He nodded and asked me to follow him.
"Is this a yes to my confession? Are we dating now? I honestly don't know..."