After school that day, Hara Kei did what he always did: the moment the dismissal bell rang, he started packing up to go home.
But unlike usual, there were two stealthy "tails" trailing behind him this time.
"Kei Hara… are we really doing the right thing?" the first tail said, a hint of helplessness in her voice. "He hasn't done anything wrong. Isn't following him like this… a little invasive?"
"No, you're wrong, Watson," said the second tail—though you could just as easily call her the 'Romantic Detective Chika Fujiwara'—stroking her chin with a knowing look.
"Watson?" the first tail—Yukinoshita Yukino, unable to decide whether to laugh or cry—pointed at herself, as if protesting this sudden promotion to assistant.
The great detective, however, clearly didn't care. Chika rubbed her chin thoughtfully and spoke with exaggerated gravity: "This is hardly the time to worry about 'personal privacy laws.' If my deductions are correct, Kei Hara is currently in great peril—and he may very well be silently begging for our assistance."
"…" Yukinoshita didn't speak, but her expression betrayed an unmistakable disbelief. From her limited knowledge of Kei Hara, the idea that he could be in any kind of 'danger' seemed laughable. And as for 'silently begging for help'… Kei was, by far, the last person she could imagine asking anyone for assistance.
Yukinoshita couldn't even picture what he would look like while doing so.
"Watson, let's review the known facts," Detective Chika continued, undisturbed by Yukinoshita's skepticism. "First, the suspect, Kei Hara, possesses far more money than his family could reasonably provide."
"'Suspect'…" Yukinoshita muttered, quietly pointing out Chika's misstep, which Chika ignored entirely.
"Second, Kei claims he hasn't done any part-time work. Given the suspect's personal character, I believe he's telling the truth."
Trust in his personal character…? Can that even be considered deductive evidence? And if you trust him, why are you calling him a suspect?
Yukinoshita had a thousand things she wanted to say, but for some reason, the words wouldn't come out. Perhaps it was because the other girl's hand, which she was holding, was trembling slightly.
"Now, here's the question, Watson," Chika said, turning to her assistant. "How does a high school student, who isn't working part-time, get enough money to buy not one, but two high-end electronics?"
Yukinoshita fell silent. She had thought about this question herself during lunch, but a strange, inexplicable feeling had stopped her from pursuing it. She knew what that feeling was called: fear.
"Let me be clear: I don't think Kei Hara is the type to do questionable things for money," Chika admitted candidly, "but with my limited knowledge, I can't come up with any solid explanation." Her usually confident detective façade seemed to waver, the mask nearly cracking.
"So this is what I must do. No—" she corrected herself with firm determination, "I will do this." She turned her gaze to Yukinoshita.
"…Fine, just this once." After a moment of hesitation, Yukinoshita reluctantly agreed—but quickly added, "Just this once."
"Yes!" Chika's first genuine smile appeared. She placed the disguise hats onto herself and Yukinoshita, her energy radiant. "Watson, let's move!"
I already told you not to call me Watson.
Yukinoshita carefully tucked her long hair into the hat and followed Chika, quietly exhaling in relief.
"First, he went to the bookstore, browsed the new arrivals, picked a book, then went to the café next door and has been reading while sipping coffee ever since," Chika narrated, jotting notes in her notebook with a ballpoint pen. She tapped the pen to her chin thoughtfully. "It seems Kei Hara really enjoys reading."
Yukinoshita nodded. During lunch in the lounge, she had noticed that Kei's most common activity—apart from occasional catnaps and brief eating—was reading.
She had even tried to observe the books he chose to figure out his interests, only to find that his reading selection was incredibly eclectic. From music to art, science magazines to history, he seemed to read everything.
Oh, except one category: high school textbooks.
Even at an elite school like Saint Eden Academy, the academic requirements were strict. Yukinoshita herself had to put in tremendous effort to maintain her class rank.
Does Kei not need to study at all? Wait… isn't the midterm coming up soon?
While she pondered these chaotic thoughts, Chika suddenly shook her arm.
They were sitting near the café window, pretending to wait for someone while keeping an eye on Kei Hara. Chika reacted because a sleek luxury car had just pulled into the parking spot outside. Yukinoshita instantly recognized the winged "B" emblem on the front.
"Bentley?" She wasn't a car expert, but she remembered her father—an old politician—admiring this exact model in a car magazine back home and asking which car Yukino thought was the coolest. She remembered his words exactly: "I'd get this one if our finances allowed it."
The Bentley slowly came to a stop. A woman stepped out, large sunglasses shielding most of her face. From her partial face and refined attire, she looked to be around thirty—elegant, poised, mature, but far from old.
As the two girls wondered who this person could be, they noticed that Kei, who had been quietly reading, was now standing—and waving at the woman.
Could it be…?
Yukinoshita glanced at Chika, about to consult her, but found the pink-haired girl was already gone.
Looking back, she saw Chika had reached the woman's side.
Couldn't you have waited a moment to assess the situation?
Yukinoshita pressed a hand to her forehead but hurried to follow.