"Teacher Mio," Yukinoshita Yukino tapped her right index finger rhythmically against the table, frowning with a puzzled look. "I seem to remember that St. Eden Academy's rules clearly state that a teacher can only advise one club, right?"
Since Teacher Mio had asked the Lamb Society to help figure out which club this money belonged to, that implied she wasn't just advising one club. Clearly, that conflicted with St. Eden's regulations.
"Oh, yes, there is such a rule," Teacher Mio nodded. "But to be precise… I can say I advise one club: the Classical Music Club."
"Ah!" Chika Fujiwara, who had been quietly listening, exclaimed. She was the only one among the three who had entered St. Eden directly, so she knew quite a bit about its history and inner workings. "I know that club! It used to be one of St. Eden's pride clubs. I think they even won awards at international competitions. But… I seem to recall the Classical Music Club was—" Her voice trailed off as she noticed the pained expression on Mio's face.
"That's right," Mio said hoarsely. "The Classical Music Club disbanded two years ago. Due to the leader's personal disputes, it split into three: the String Club, the Wind Instrument Club, and the Choir Club. Those are the three clubs I now advise."
After a brief silence, Yukinoshita said, "So… your request is for us to confirm whether this money belongs to the String Club, Wind Instrument Club, or Choir Club?"
Mio nodded.
"Then may I ask… where did you find the money?"
"In the music materials room," Mio answered. "After the split, each club got its own activity room, but the music materials room remained shared among the three clubs."
"The Classical Music Club might have been the longest-standing club at St. Eden, and over the years, it amassed an incredible collection of music materials. Original manuscripts from famous musicians, their practice notes from when they were students… the value is incalculable. Splitting it evenly into three parts was impossible."
"So, even though the club was split, the materials room remained open to all three."
"Meaning any of the three clubs could have taken the money?" Yukinoshita rubbed her brow, clearly conflicted. "Based on your observation, has any club president been acting strangely lately, as if they'd lost a large sum?"
"I can't tell," Mio said with a bitter smile, shaking her head. "The three presidents have all been acting like 'Where did my money go?' for as long as I can remember."
"Playing music is expensive, especially classical music. Renting concert halls costs money, repairing damaged instruments costs money, hiring someone to arrange sheet music costs money, inviting famous conductors costs even more money."
"I don't mean to boast, but these three clubs' members are practically math-illiterate. They know music theory inside and out, but give them a ledger and they practically fall apart. Even with generous student council funds, it's still not enough."
Is being bad at math something to be proud of? Yukinoshita thought, silently rolling her eyes.
"That's why I didn't ask them directly. If they knew about this money, each would claim it for their own club. I know those three well enough."
Yukinoshita groaned inwardly. "Then… the ledgers?"
"Those exist, but honestly… they're not much help," Mio admitted, blushing slightly. "I handle the bookkeeping, but they often spend money arbitrarily, and my accounting skills are limited. If I tried to reconcile the ledgers… the discrepancies would probably be more than this 300,000 yen."
"…K."
All paths seemed blocked. Mio had said a lot, yet somehow said nothing. According to her, this 300,000 yen was a complete mess; any of the three clubs could be the owner.
She seemed aware that she was imposing a difficult task, but it was clear she had run out of options. "I know this is hard, but I really can't find anyone else to help me. Still… even if you can't figure it out, it's not your problem."
"All of this is my fault," she added, bowing slightly to the three, a silent apology.
She then put the envelope with the 300,000 yen back into her bag and left the room.
Only the three students remained, deep in thought.
Well, only two were actually thinking.
After Mio left, Hara Kei naturally returned to his seat. Even while still under the weather, he couldn't neglect proper nutrition.
Unlike the relaxed Kei, Yukinoshita and Chika both frowned, their expressions nearly identical, as though twin sisters burdened by the puzzle of the 300,000 yen's ownership.
"Ladies, how about at least eating first?" Kei began opening his bento. "Lunch break is limited, and if you don't eat now, you might not get the chance later."
"…Hara Kei, do you already have a guess?" Yukinoshita asked, surprised at his calm demeanor.
"Impossible," Kei said naturally, shaking his head. "I just don't care as much about the world as you do."
He picked up a meatball and dropped it into his mouth, mumbling, "But… I can give you a hint."
Both girls turned to him instantly.
"First, eliminate the String Club."
"Why?"
"The votes for them have already been secured, right? That makes them useless to you, Yukino. Even if you gave them the 300,000 yen, all you'd get in return would be a 'thank you.' The other two clubs, however… might help you get more votes."
"…," Yukinoshita stared at him blankly and sighed, assuming he was joking.
What a shame, Kei shrugged nonchalantly. This is clearly the best approach.
Because the 300,000 yen didn't originally belong to any of these three clubs.
It had fallen from the sky.
..
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