"YOU CRY..." Natsuki Koshi stood at the entrance to Yokohama Marine University, studied the sign bearing the school's name for a moment, then walked straight inside.
Though it was not obvious from her appearance, and she was not actually much older than the other high school detectives invited today, she was indeed the oldest among them. She was a college student now.
She remained perfectly composed even as she entered someone else's university, and quickly found the place she was looking for on the relevant noticeboards.
"Criminal Research Club... Hmm, that name alone is pretty strange." Adjusting the sunglasses on her face, Natsuki Koshi examined the promotional poster with a peculiar look. "Can a name like that really attract new students? Or was it specifically chosen to make an abbreviation for a wordplay?"
"Neither. It's because every president of the club has been fairly wealthy. The benefits of joining are excellent, with regular picnics and mixers. Their activities and social-practice programs are also quite good, and can earn students extra credit."
Natsuki Koshi looked up and turned toward the person behind her. Seeing Saguru Hakuba's face, she could not help lowering her brows in confusion. "...Hakuba? What are you doing here?"
Saguru Hakuba was indeed part of this investigation, so it was not strange for him to know she was at the university. But the four of them had divided up the work and each had their own assignment.
Following the nighttime café lead he had received, Heiji Hattori had gone to the site of the armored-car robbery. Akechi had said he had more experience with shootings, so he had gone to the Far East Investment Consulting Company where Shoji Nishio had died. In theory, Saguru Hakuba should have returned to use his own database and police connections to investigate