Investigation

"...That's so disgusting! I can't believe there are people like that!" Secretary Tachibana had picked up a letter from the desk and started reading it, but she couldn't take it for even a minute.

"sigh—Well, there are all kinds of people," Hoshino said, sighing as he put the letter he'd been reading back where it belonged. "What do we do now?"

"Do you have any leads, Sakura?" Secretary Tachibana turned to the girl huddled in the corner.

"Well... um..." Sakura stammered.

So Sakura really did have some kind of lead!

"That... the electronics store... No, I... I didn't mean anything!" She seemed to want to say something, but then suddenly gave up.

She probably didn't have any proof and was afraid of making a false accusation, so she'd decided not to say anything. Hoshino more or less understood how Sakura felt, but he didn't agree with that approach.

Wasn't there a saying, "Better to kill ten thousand by mistake than let one get away"? If you suspected someone, you should investigate them to the end!

But the electronics store? The clerk from the camera department, the one he'd seen when he bought his camera, suddenly came to mind... Could it be him?

"sigh, you don't know anyone suspicious? That's a bit of a problem," Secretary Tachibana said, looking troubled. "...Anyway, I'll go ask the teacher who manages the security cameras. We should get to the bottom of this as soon as possible!"

"Okay..." Sakura sat by the desk, trembling with fear.

"...Be careful from now on! Do you have any friends? Make sure you go around with someone!" Secretary Tachibana had seemed about to leave the meeting room, but she turned back, apparently remembering something, and urged Sakura to be careful.

"...Okay!"

Secretary Tachibana nodded and left the meeting room.

"...Should I call one of your friends to come get you?" After watching Secretary Tachibana leave, Hoshino stood up.

"..." Sakura stood too, head bowed and looking uneasy, her hands fidgeting restlessly.

Hoshino turned around. Seeing Sakura's reaction, he more or less understood.

"...Are you going somewhere now? Shall I walk you back?" After organizing the notes he'd taken of their conversation, Hoshino led Sakura out of the meeting room.

"No... I'm not... Thank you!" Sakura looked conflicted, but in the end she accepted Hoshino's offer.

After leaving the Student Council Room, they headed toward the dormitory. Hoshino kept a wary eye on their surroundings.

It was still club activity time, so there weren't many people on the way—just a few here and there!

The Student Council Room wasn't far from the dormitory, only about a five- or six-minute walk. The school's landscaping was really impressive! No wonder the "stalker" had had a chance to take pictures without being noticed. Even more helpful to him was that there weren't many security cameras along this route.

"...Th-that... I think I know... who it is..." The girl walking beside him suddenly stopped, head lowered uneasily, as if she'd gathered all her courage to speak.

"...It's the clerk in charge of the camera section at the electronics store, right?" Slightly surprised, Hoshino stopped too and looked at Sakura, his expression calm.

"Huh? How... how did you know?" The girl looked up in surprise.

"I've bought a few things there myself, and I've seen him before. I guess... I had a hunch?" Hoshino looked away, keeping watch on their surroundings.

"..."

"Don't worry. After I walk you back, I'll go check out the store." Hoshino set off first. Sakura froze for a moment, then hurried after him.

"Okay... Thank you!" The girl's soft voice came from beside him.

This had to be the place.

Standing outside the store, Hoshino looked through the glass and observed what was happening inside.

The same clerk was on duty in the camera section today. He wasn't sure whether that was good luck or bad.

Not many people bought cameras or related products, and there didn't seem to be anyone around now. The man was sitting in front of the counter, holding his phone and grinning excitedly. Hoshino had no idea what he was doing.

How was he supposed to investigate something like this?

After joining the Student Council, it felt like he'd suddenly had a lot of firsts. Leaning against the wall outside, Hoshino almost laughed.

"Welcome!" Unable to come up with a plan, Hoshino decided to go in and test the waters. As soon as he pushed open the door, the sound of his footsteps made the clerk snap out of whatever he was doing on his phone. He put it down and came over with a servile smile.

"Can I help you with anything, sir?"

"I'm just looking around."

"Sure! Please follow me!" The clerk led him to the camera section.

"What kind are you looking for—"

"..."

Hoshino gave vague, noncommittal answers. His thoughts were already elsewhere as he considered what to do next.

Half an hour passed in the blink of an eye. Hoshino had already used every excuse he could think of in his life!

"This one has great resolution." "Sorry, I'm looking for something compact!"

"This one is lightweight." "I'm afraid the color's awful!"

The clerk seemed to realize Hoshino wasn't serious. After showing him around for a while, he returned to the rest area by the counter, claiming he was taking a "break."

That worked out well, since Hoshino was tired too. Not from standing, though—it had been ages since he'd had to come up with so many excuses!

"Hey, mister! There's no one around anyway. Why don't we sit and have a chat?" Hoshino called out at once when the clerk turned to leave.

"...All right, sir. What would you like to talk about?" The clerk seemed surprised that Hoshino had called him back. He paused, then slowly turned around, but didn't look inclined to sit down.

"Mister, did you know this school has quite a lot of security cameras?" Hoshino leaned back in his chair with a knowing smile.

"Huh? What are you talking about?... Isn't that normal?" The clerk looked surprised.

"Haha... Would you call that taking pictures of people without their permission?" Hoshino looked "delighted."

"...They're there to keep you students safe, so of course that doesn't count!" The clerk's face stiffened for a moment before he forced himself to relax.

But Hoshino had a pretty good idea now. There was an eighty percent chance this was the guy.

"You're right. I was mistaken."

"President Horikita, I request permission to immediately launch an in-depth investigation into the clerk in charge of the camera section at the electronics store!"