Gray Life (II)

--What you're saying actually makes me a little uneasy...

Oreki thought to himself.

It wasn't that he doubted Karuizawa Kei's ability.

He just felt that things weren't so simple.

"Sorry for asking you to come out."

"N-no, it's fine..."

"Is Sakura Tanaka your uncle?"

"Yeah..."

"Does he work at the art museum?"

"Yeah..."

"Does he often withhold employees' wages?"

"I don't know..."

"Can you get in touch with him right now?"

Sakura Airi rubbed her hands together, at a loss.

She looked down at the ground.

"I'm sorry."

"...It's fine. I was being too hasty."

Oreki nodded.

He took Karuizawa Kei by the right hand.

"Eh? Wh-what is it?"

Karuizawa Kei looked flustered.

"Shh."

Oreki put his index finger to his lips.

He couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong.

But just now...

By observing Sakura Airi's little gestures, Oreki had already figured out what the problem was.

Karuizawa Kei, however, knew nothing.

When she saw them leave, Sakura Airi let out a sigh of relief.

She took the elevator back to her room.

Meanwhile...

In the Astronomy Club room opposite the dormitory.

"Why did we have to come all the way here?"

Karuizawa Kei didn't understand.

Not long ago, Oreki had said he wanted to find Sakura Airi.

Why had they suddenly left?

They'd barely talked.

Oreki didn't answer.

Maybe it would be easier to understand by seeing it for herself than by having him explain.

"Found it."

He rummaged through a wooden crate and pulled out a telescope.

From here, they could see the dormitory windows.

But it was still too far away.

They couldn't make out anything with the naked eye.

However...

It was different with a telescope.

"Kiyoko?"

Oreki hadn't expected that.

It was a little surprising.

He'd thought it was the art museum's former curator—Sakura Tanaka.

In other words, Sakura Airi's uncle.

--Judging by her lips...

--Stay... away from... that... boy

--His observation and analytical skills are really good. He might even figure out your measurements...

"Hey, I haven't been checking anyone out."

Oreki instinctively protested.

Most people wouldn't think about that sort of thing.

"Oreki... It's not right to do something like this..."

"...Come take a look yourself."

"Huh?"

"Once you've seen it, you'll know what I'm doing."

"Oh..."

Karuizawa Kei stepped forward.

She closed her left eye.

"Kiyoko? Why is she with Airi?"

"Don't ask me. I don't know the answer."

"True... Wait!"

Karuizawa Kei covered her mouth in shock.

She'd heard that some girls had that kind of relationship.

Could it be...

"I don't know what you're thinking, but it's definitely not what you think."

Oreki waved his hand.

He could more or less guess what Kiyoko was thinking.

He'd seen her when he bought the newspaper, too.

So Kiyoko must have known about the bus incident.

Maybe she'd known all along.

"Did she want to find out the truth herself... or are there two participants in this game?"

"Kiyoko and me?"

"Interesting."

Oreki didn't mind.

He even thought the more participants, the better.

"Wait a second..."

Karuizawa Kei hurriedly called out.

She pressed her right hand to her forehead.

"I haven't understood a word you've been saying this whole time."

"I forgot about that."

"Eh—"

"Should I start from the beginning?"

"Please make it easy to understand..."

So Oreki explained the situation to Karuizawa Kei.

The gist was as follows:

It started with the bus incident.

The driver who transported Class D students had been jealous of the driver who transported Class A students, leading to the incident.

Nothing too serious had happened.

But it had still been an attempted crime.

When people were consumed by jealousy, their intelligence often took a nosedive.

For instance, they might try something with a hand that had just touched something.

If they'd been even a little careful, they would've known to wear gloves.

But that wasn't all.

What came next was even more dramatic.

It looked like he'd become a private driver for a wealthy woman.

It looked like he'd be living a comfortable, worry-free life.

It looked that way...

But in reality, he'd only become her plaything.

Once she was done with him, she'd throw him away.

After all, no matter what, if there were no feelings involved, she'd soon grow bored.

With feelings...

And without them...

There was a huge difference.

In the end, after being manipulated for so long, he might have truly believed he was the problem, and then chosen to jump...

The only family he had left was his mother.

She was the cleaner at the art museum.

"So that's what happened..."

Karuizawa Kei understood now.

She'd thought Oreki was just peeping.

But that wasn't the case.

Oreki wasn't interested.

He wouldn't do something like that.

"Now that I think about it, only two people are suspects. And that despicable woman is the most suspicious."

"Is she?"

"Am I wrong, Oreki?"

"Maybe."

Setting aside the cleaner, he hadn't completely trusted the security guard, either.

Using the replay of the game as evidence was...

A little far-fetched.

Karuizawa Kei said with certainty:

"It's definitely that woman."

"Maybe."

"Definitely."

Oreki shook his head.

He knew that girls tended to be more emotional.

"It's getting late. Let's go back."

"Already?"

"Yeah."

It was already past five.

Oreki remembered that the Astronomy Club's activities didn't start until after five thirty.

If they didn't leave soon...

It would be a problem if members of the Astronomy Club found them.

Since it was right beside the dormitory, Oreki didn't walk Karuizawa Kei back.

He soon returned to his own room.

It was only the third day.

A lot had already happened.

But first, he still had to deal with Sakayanagi's task.

If it even counted as a task.

"I'd planned to use Sakura Airi as a lead, then investigate the former curator..."

"Too bad Kiyoko got there first."

"I wonder what that girl is thinking..."

Oreki drew the curtains.

He was a little tired. He'd take a nap first.

Dinner could wait until I woke up.

Meanwhile.

Second floor of the library.

"Is this really necessary?"

Kamuro Masumi asked Sakayanagi, puzzled.

She really couldn't understand how geniuses thought.

Why not just face off directly?

Why go to all the trouble of using such complicated methods?

"Don't you think it's interesting? Seeing who can solve this case first."

Sakayanagi turned around.

Compared to the boring school life, this sort of thing was far more enjoyable.

"But there's no need to involve that girl from Class D..."

"You'll understand."

Kamuro Masumi fell silent.

She already knew Sakayanagi's personality well.

Once things had reached this point, Sakayanagi wouldn't listen to anyone.

Anyone at all.

Even Sakayanagi's Father was powerless against her.

Let alone Kamuro Masumi.

You're on your own, Oreki.

Kamuro Masumi thought to herself.

--To be continued