"...Spontaneous combustion?!" Yan Huan was even more shocked.
"Holy shit, something that big happened? How did I not know?"
Asta explained:
"Arlan was investigating it in secret so he wouldn't cause a panic."
"You were hosting Ms. Ruan Mei at the time, so we didn't disturb you."
"But Arlan's investigation kept turning up nothing... so Mr. Ratio set his sights on you."
Dr. Ratio nodded, gazed into Yan Huan's eyes, and said gravely:
"If you were the culprit, that would explain why it was so hard to investigate. Everything else would fall into place, too."
"That makes even less sense!" Yan Huan shouted.
"You say I play Genshin Impact and wanted a Herta Automaton to satisfy some perverted fetish. Fine, I can at least follow that."
"But why the hell would I abduct Space Station staff? To hook up with them?!"
"Quite possibly," Dr. Ratio said flatly.
"..."
"A staff member once saw you enter a room arm in arm with another man from the Space Station, correct?"
"And... some of the missing staff are women."
"Didn't you just say I was gay? What, now I'm straight?" Yan Huan scoffed.
"And you're supposed to be one of The Academy of Scholarly Pursuits' brightest? That's a pretty low bar!"
Dr. Ratio folded his arms and said gravely:
"Perhaps you're attracted to both. After all, there are even rumors aboard the Space Station about you and Miss Asta's pet, Peipei."
"...? Are you specifically out to get me?!"
Yan Huan slumped in his chair, speechless.
"Forget it. I'm tired. Let it all burn."
"Do whatever you want... I didn't do it, and no amount of suspicion will change that."
"If you can't solve the case, that just means you're incompetent. How can you suspect an upstanding young man like me?"
Seeing Yan