Karuizawa Kei's Thoughts (1)

"Do you know the story of the crow and the pitcher?"

Oreki asked Sakayanagi with a meaningful look.

"Mm, the classic tale from Aesop's Fables... are you implying?"

Sakayanagi seemed to understand what Oreki was planning.

Crows are a highly intelligent species of bird.

To achieve their goals, they will utilize tools.

The crow in the story used pebbles.

So, what would a crow in reality use?

A tennis ball.

But what would it use the tennis ball for?

That relates to what Oreki said next.

"A reward mechanism."

"I see."

Sakayanagi already grasped the truth Oreki was fabricating.

Which is to say...

A crow accidentally picks up a tennis ball and drops it onto the steel rafters of the gymnasium.

The theory is sound; the practice begins.

Oreki used a few breadcrumbs to catch a crow.

After ten minutes of training.

The crow learned to drop the tennis ball into a box.

The principle is simple.

Every time the crow completed the objective, Oreki gave it breadcrumbs.

"Finally finished."

Oreki let out a long sigh of relief.

Repeating the same thing over and over is too boring.

"Tomorrow, we just need to film it carrying the tennis ball and flying through the window into the gymnasium."

"Mm, I'll go tell my father."

"Don't forget to delete the surveillance footage."

"I won't."

Sakayanagi placed the crow into a birdcage and took it away.

What needs to be done tomorrow is simple.

Just place the training box on the steel rafters, then let the crow fly into the gymnasium with the tennis ball.

The date on the video taken by the phone can be altered.

It can be done whenever.

As long as it is before today.

--It's already 12:43...

Checking the time, Oreki felt a bit helpless.

If he rushed to the dormitory now, he would have less than twenty minutes to sleep.

Might as well not go.

He would finish the afternoon classes and then sleep.

School ends at three anyway.

Thus, Oreki decided to head to the convenience store.

They sell many things here.

Although there is a rule against bringing phones with internet access...

They do sell game consoles here.

However, Oreki had no interest in such things.

With that kind of time, he would rather rest a while longer.

"Let go! That's my stuff!"

Just as he intended to go inside, he heard a familiar voice.

That is...

The girl he had encountered earlier?

He seemed to still be holding her teddy bear keychain...

I might as well return it on the way, Oreki thought.

It was a bit of a hassle.

But it was better than holding onto it indefinitely.

Following the sound, Oreki arrived at a secluded spot.

"Your item? Don't make me laugh!"

An upperclassman grabbed the girl by her hair.

"Hey, you Class D trash. Hand over what's in your hand before I lose my temper."

Oreki watched from a distance.

Should he go, or shouldn't he?

That was the question.

He hadn't recognized her when they first met.

But this time...

Karuizawa Kei?

He had seen her file while looking up information.

A student from Class D.

What left an impression was...

That feigned tough attitude.

It was as if she were telling everyone that she wasn't someone to be trifled with.

But that only served to have the opposite effect.

Once others pierced through that facade...

Only endless bullying awaited her.

"This really is mine..."

Karuizawa Kei leaned against the wall.

Surrounded by three upperclassmen, she felt at a loss.

If only someone would come to protect me.

She kept thinking that over and over.

But Karuizawa Kei hadn't even had the chance to find anyone.

Hirata had been surrounded by girls the moment class ended.

She had intended to send a text asking him to meet and talk when he was free.

But who would have thought she'd be cornered right after leaving the convenience store.

"Why are you suddenly crying? Hey, hey... don't tell me you're—"

"Cut it out."

Oreki interrupted the upperclassman.

He showed her his phone screen.

It displayed...

A screen recording in progress.

"This is the item that belongs to you."

"Who are you? I suggest you stop meddling in things that don't concern you."

One of the girls glared at Oreki with annoyance.

"...You went to the restroom earlier. But you didn't go to take care of your business; you went to do something where no one could see. Uneven lipstick, a slightly disheveled collar. Oh, so that's what you—"

"Shut up!"

She looked at her companions in a panic.

She saw meaningful expressions on their faces.

"Damn it!"

"Wait! Let me see that thing first."

"Hmph!"

The person who had been grabbing Karuizawa Kei's hair stopped her.

"Show me what you're holding."

Oreki nodded.

He tossed the bear keychain over.

The other party caught it quickly.

"Where did you pick this up?"

"At the sink outside the cafeteria."

"You're lying."

"Whether I'm lying or not, you know best."

"...Very well, let's go."

The three upperclassmen quickly walked away.

Leaving only Karuizawa Kei behind, still crying.

In a situation like this, she won't even offer an apology...

Oreki couldn't help but shake his head.

But that was normal.

After all, academic performance and character don't always go hand in hand.

Besides, what he said wasn't true either.

He guessed that after Karuizawa Kei lost her own bear keychain, she had unintentionally taken the upperclassman's.

Both were equally new.

It was no surprise she had mistaken them.

"Goodbye."

He glanced at Karuizawa Kei, then turned to walk away.

"Wait..."

Karuizawa Kei called out to Oreki.

She said, sounding somewhat hesitant:

"Um, thank you."

"Yeah."

"Do you... have time this afternoon?"

"Probably."

"Can I come find you after class?"

"Why?"

"...They definitely won't let me go. Absolutely..."

Oreki weighed the pros and cons.

Although he wasn't particularly afraid of those upperclassmen...

Being constantly hassled wasn't ideal either.

On the other hand.

He would soon gain an informant in Class D.

There was someone Oreki was very interested in.

As it happened, that person was also in Class D.

Scoring exactly half marks on every entrance exam.

It was hard to say that wasn't intentional.

"See you later, then."

After telling her his class, Oreki walked away without looking back.

He had just wasted another ten minutes or so.

If he didn't get to the convenience store to buy his things now, he would likely be late.

"That will be twenty thousand yen."

"Mm."

Oreki used his terminal to pay the corresponding points.

Which meant twenty thousand points.

These Bluetooth headphones were certainly not cheap.

But then again, that made sense.

After all, this is a recently released model.

Wireless charging, plus extended battery life.

It is also comfortable to wear.

It can be considered worth the price.

Besides, it was only twenty thousand points.

Tomorrow, Oreki will be able to obtain five million points.

Returning to the classroom.

The time had already reached 13:06.

Sakayanagi entered through the back door and then sat down beside Oreki.

Oreki always had a bad premonition.

And as it turned out, his premonition was correct.

"Do you have time this afternoon?"

--To be continue