Crime Scene

An entrance ceremony was an event students everywhere, past and present, dreaded—unless it was followed immediately by an exam.

"Want to come see my club's Activity Room? The school gave us a huge one~"

After the ceremony, I walked to the front of the group, put a hand on Ryuen's shoulder, and began trying to talk him into helping me.

"I don't need you right now. I can deal with the last holdout in our class on my own. If you came to me because you need muscle, then—Ishizaki!"

Ryuen saw right through why I'd come to him. With a look of disdain, he pulled my hand off his shoulder and called Ishizaki over.

"Boss! What can I do for you?"

I had to admit, Ishizaki seemed born to be a lackey. Though, being Ryuen's lackey did mean he got to eat well.

"Take a few of the guys and help Sima. Do whatever he tells you. That's all."

"Got it! Sima, I'm in your hands!"

"Thanks for your help, Ishizaki."

I hadn't expected Class C to be so efficient once everyone had been organized. It didn't take long for them to clear out a section of the room for me.

My earlier guess had been right. Another club had been using the Activity Room as a storage closet. While clearing out the clutter, the guys helping me had uncovered a perfectly intact cooking station, still wrapped in its protective film.

"Hiyori, keep an eye on things here. I'm going to the cafeteria and the supermarket. Ishizaki, focus on clearing the areas around this cooking station and the windows. I'll get drinks and lunch for everyone. Any requests, or anything you can't eat? I'll make lunch myself, so we can save some points."

After checking that the cooking station was safe and confirming that it worked, I asked everyone there what they liked.

"Just don't get anything too expensive. More than the drinks, I'm curious about Sima's cooking!"

"Same here."

Tokito Yuya and Suzuki Hidetoshi, whom Ishizaki had recruited to help, said they weren't interested in the drinks. They were more curious about my cooking.

"Then I'll have to show you what I can do. See you later~"

"Well, fancy meeting you here. If I used this encounter as material for a book, I doubt your character would have a happy ending~"

I'd gone to the supermarket closest to the club building to buy large bottles of drinks and some ingredients. There, I spotted the obedient little dog Sakayanagi would soon take under her wing, standing in front of a shelf with her hands clasped as if in prayer.

I had no idea who she was praying to. Could it be Ram, the patron saint and founding sage of the thieves' guild?

"Most students don't pray before buying coffee. Is your faith as strange as the Flying Spaghetti Monster's? Are you a devotee of the great Coffee God?"

I walked over to Kamuro and saw that the products on the shelf were coffee.

According to the culprit's own confession in the future, she'd stolen four things after enrolling: coffee, candy, a pencil, and beer. Sakayanagi had caught her on the fourth occasion. This must have been her first theft at school.

"You don't have to answer. I'm not trying to criticize your faith, after all. But your behavior is awfully strange.

"Or have I misunderstood? Maybe you don't have a strange faith, but a thing for being caught? Is that why you chose to do something so odd in an area covered by security cameras?

"Or maybe you're into something even more unusual, and this is an order from your master—Hey! Don't run! I haven't finished analyzing you yet!"

After I kept teasing her, Kamuro finally cracked and turned to run.

She was quick. In the blink of an eye, she'd fled the supermarket. What a slacker.

Stealing from a shop at this school was practically asking to be caught. The whole school, from top to bottom, belonged to the Sakayanagi Family.

Someone like Kamuro, with a strange little stealing habit, might get away with it once or twice by relying on a shop clerk's carelessness. But if she kept going instead of stopping, the moment inventory turned up a discrepancy, Sakayanagi would find out—and immediately realize that there was a new toy for her to play with.

But you can't talk sense into someone determined to get themselves in trouble. It was like gambling: if you could stop in time, then the addiction was nothing to worry about.

I'd wait until Sakayanagi made Kamuro do something for her again, then I'd tease her.

"Well, well~ I didn't expect Sima to have such a high moral standard."

With a large bag in each hand, I turned away from the supermarket's checkout and found Sakayanagi blocking my way.

"I miscalculated. I didn't think Classmate Sakayanagi would be so interested in a penniless writer like me. Do you need me to remind you? The 'genius' you want to compete with is currently flirting with the Student Council president's sister at another supermarket~"

I'd actually spotted Sakayanagi standing in the shadow outside the supermarket when Kamuro ran out.

At first, I'd thought she'd noticed Kamuro's theft so soon. I hadn't expected her to be after me.

I wanted to make her back off, so I led her around the supermarket in circles. I didn't look back; I just judged the distance between us by the sound of her cane tapping on the floor.

It didn't take long for that sound to grow fainter, then disappear. I thought she'd left, but she'd actually gone to block the exit.

"Classmate Sima really isn't an ordinary person. At first, I was merely curious about a student my father had pulled strings to admit. I never expected such an unexpected discovery as well. This trip was certainly worthwhile."

Sakayanagi pretended not to hear what I'd just said, but the stiffness in her body betrayed her.

"Classmate Sakayanagi, you must have forgotten what I said over at the club building. Aren't you worried I might really take your cane?"

"A penniless writer snatching a sick girl's cane—where do you think that scene would end up, Sima? Besides, both your hands are occupied right now."

The verbal sparring had begun.

"Hmm, that scene could certainly be used in a story. Thanks for the suggestion, Classmate Sakayanagi. But there's one thing you've overlooked."

"Oh?"

I set the plastic bags down and swiftly took Sakayanagi's cane.

After catching the girl when she suddenly lost her support, I held the cane by its end and raised it. I gently tapped Sakayanagi on the head three times, then put it back in her hand.

"I can put down the burden in my hands, but you can't put down what you're holding on to in your heart. That's what you overlooked."