"No, perhaps even earlier," Lord El-Melloi II said.
"Earlier? When?"
"—At the very beginning. From the moment the disappearances at the Clock Tower first began."
Author's Note:
First update, desu~
Pat pat, rub rub.
"Wait, what does this have to do with the disappearances?"
Irena interrupted Lord El-Melloi II.
There were some things Irena understood perfectly well, but the audience did not.
The focus of the performance was not whether Irena herself knew, but whether the audience understood.
—After all, the audience was an idol's food and clothing!
"You should all know about the Clock Tower students going missing, right?" Lord El-Melloi II said.
Both Irena and Gray nodded.
"Those people did not die. They simply vanished, and even their signs of life remained."
They had merely gone missing.
But they had not died.
They had merely vanished.
But they had left no trace.
"If this had happened somewhere else, it would have been manageable, since there are many ways to conceal a method of committing a crime. But if it happened at the Clock Tower..."
—If something like this happened at the Clock Tower, then the problem was enormous.
"Honestly. I never expected you to have investigated this far."
Hishiri Adashino came chasing out of the room, covering her nose.
"...Are you all right?" Lord El-Melloi II asked.
"Ah, I'm fine," Hishiri Adashino said. "Although I probably can't perceive what's happening around me, the current problem must be serious, right? If there weren't a problem, I wouldn't have ended up like this. In any case, tell me what you think first."
"...Go back to your room first."
Lord El-Melloi II hurriedly said. Hishiri Adashino had a nosebleed, and even her chest was stained red. Anyone unaware of the situation might have thought he had stabbed her!
After entering