"Do you know the story about the crow and the water?"
Oreki asked Sakayanagi meaningfully.
"Of course. It's a classic from Aesop's Fables... What are you getting at?"
Sakayanagi seemed to understand what Oreki was planning.
Crows were highly intelligent birds.
They used tools to achieve their goals.
In the story, the crow used stones.
So what would a real crow use?
A tennis ball.
But what would it use a tennis ball for?
That had to do with what Oreki said next.
"A reward system."
"I see."
Sakayanagi already knew the truth Oreki had made up.
In other words...
A crow had accidentally grabbed a tennis ball in its beak and tossed it onto the steel frame in the gym.
The theory was sound. Now it was time to test it.
Oreki used a few bread crumbs to catch a crow.
After training it for over ten minutes...
The crow learned to drop a tennis ball into a box.
The principle was simple.
Every time the crow completed its task, Oreki gave it some bread crumbs.
"Finally, it's done."
Oreki let out a long sigh.
Repeating the same thing over and over was boring.
"Tomorrow, we just have to film it carrying a tennis ball through the window and into the gym."
"Right. I'll talk to my father when I get back."
"Don't forget to delete the security footage."
"I won't."
Sakayanagi put the crow in a cage and took it with her.
What they had to do tomorrow was simple.
All they had to do was put the box they'd used for training on the steel frame, then have the crow carry the tennis ball into the gym.
They could change the date on the video recorded on a phone.
It could be any time at all.
As long as it was before today.
--It's already 12:43...
Oreki checked the time and sighed.
Even if he hurried back to the dorm, he'd have less than twenty minutes to sleep.
He might as well not bother.
He could take a nap after afternoon classes.
School let out at three, anyway.
So Oreki decided to go to the convenience store.
They sold all sorts of things here.
Although phones that could connect to the internet weren't allowed...
They did sell game consoles.
But Oreki wasn't interested in those.
He'd rather use the time to get some rest.
"Let go! That's mine!"
Just as he was about to go in, he heard a familiar voice.
That was...
The girl he'd run into earlier?
He thought he still had her teddy bear charm...
--I'll return it while I'm here.
Oreki thought.
It was a bit of a hassle.
But it was better than holding on to it and never giving it back.
Following the sound of the voice, Oreki came to a secluded spot.
"Your stuff? What a joke!"
An older female student grabbed the girl by the hair.
"Hey, you Class D trash. Hand over what you're holding before I lose my temper."
Oreki watched from a distance.
Should he go over or not?
That was the question.
When they'd first met, he hadn't recognized her.
But this time...
--Karuizawa Kei?
Oreki had looked through her profile while doing research.
She was in Class D.
What stood out about her was...
That attitude of pretending to be tough.
As if she were telling everyone she wasn't someone to mess with.
But that only had the opposite effect.
Once someone saw through the act...
She'd be left to endure endless bullying.
"This really is mine..."
Karuizawa Kei leaned against the wall.
Surrounded by three older female students, she didn't know what to do.
If only someone would come and protect her.
She kept thinking that.
But Karuizawa Kei hadn't had time to find anyone.
The moment class ended, Hirata was surrounded by girls.
She'd planned to send him a text and ask him to meet her when he had time so they could talk.
But who would've thought she'd be surrounded the moment she left the convenience store?
"Why are you suddenly crying? Hey, hey... You're not—"
"Stop."
Oreki interrupted the older girl.
He showed her his phone screen.
It displayed...
Recording.
"This is yours."
"Who are you? I suggest you mind your own business."
One of the girls glared at Oreki, displeased.
"...You went to the restroom just now. But it wasn't because you needed to use it. You wanted to do something where no one could see you. Your lipstick is uneven, and your collar's a mess. Oh, so that's what you—"
"Shut up!"
She glanced nervously at her companions.
Their faces showed knowing smiles.
"Damn it!"
"Wait! Let me see that first."
"Hmph!"
The girl who'd grabbed Karuizawa Kei's hair stopped her.
"Let me see what you're holding."
Oreki nodded.
He tossed the teddy bear charm to her.
She caught it quickly.
"Where'd you find it?"
"By the sink outside the cafeteria."
"You're lying."
"Whether I am or not, you know the truth."
"...Fine. Let's go."
The three older female students quickly left.
Only Karuizawa Kei remained, still crying.
--In a situation like this, they can't even bring themselves to apologize...
Oreki couldn't help shaking his head.
But it was only natural.
After all, grades and character had nothing to do with each other.
And what he'd said wasn't true, either.
Karuizawa Kei had probably lost her own teddy bear charm and accidentally taken the older girl's instead.
They both looked equally new.
It was understandable that she'd mistaken them.
"Goodbye."
He glanced at Karuizawa Kei, then turned to leave.
"Wait..."
Karuizawa Kei called after Oreki.
She hesitated, then said:
"Um, thank you."
"Yeah."
"Do you... have time this afternoon?"
"Probably."
"Can I come find you after class?"
"Why?"
"...They definitely won't let this go. I know it..."
Oreki weighed the pros and cons.
He wasn't particularly afraid of those older female students...
But having them constantly make trouble for him wasn't ideal.
On the other hand...
He'd soon have an informant in Class D.
There was someone he was concerned about.
As it happened, that person was also in Class D.
They'd scored exactly half marks on every entrance exam.
It was hard to believe that was a coincidence.
"See you later, then."
After telling her which class he was in, Oreki left without looking back.
He'd just wasted another ten minutes or so.
If he didn't hurry and buy what he needed at the convenience store, he'd be late.
"That'll be twenty thousand points."
"Okay."
Oreki paid the corresponding number of points through his terminal.
Twenty thousand points.
These Bluetooth earbuds really weren't cheap.
But that made sense.
After all, it was a newly released model.
It had wireless charging and a longer battery life.
It was comfortable to wear, too.
It was worth the price.
Besides, it only cost twenty thousand points.
Oreki would get five million points tomorrow.
By the time he returned to the classroom,
it was already 13:06.
Sakayanagi came in through the back door and sat beside Oreki.
Oreki had a bad feeling about this.
As it turned out, his feeling was right.
"Are you free this afternoon?"
To be continued
Before you continue