The mont Shiina Hiyori's voice fell, her gaze instinctively locked onto Shimizu Akira, like a detective capturing a suspect's most minute reaction.
To her surprise, the composure on his face instantly vanished, replaced by a clear look of confusion.
Her own brow furrowed slightly. Shimizu's reaction was more straightforward than she had anticipated—it wasn't the embarrassnt of being exposed, but rather complete surprise, as if he had never expected those words to co out of her mouth.
Was he surprised she could see through it? Or... was her deduction off the mark?
A sudden gust of wind passed through the half-open screen window, rustling a sticky note on the desk that brushed against the cover of The Murder of Roger Ackroyd. The faint sound acted like a punctuation mark on the montary silence.
"I see." Shimizu's voice broke the stillness. He raised a hand to press his forehead, his tone carrying a recovered calmness.
"You believe that I rented the surveillance from the school specifically to save up twenty million points for a class transfer?"
He paused, his eyes clear as he looked up.
"Then, may I hear your deduction, Miss Detective?"
This question was like a pebble tossed into still water, causing the tension in Hiyori's shoulders to relax by half. She suddenly realized she had been holding her breath; the thin layer of sweat on her palms had left faint damp marks on the bedsheets.
Thankfully, he engaged. She breathed a private sigh of relief, though she couldn't help but feel a flicker of subtle annoyance.
She was supposed to be the one leading this "investigation," yet right now it felt as though the "suspect" had gently steadied her so she wouldn't fall too clumsily after the rhythm had suddenly derailed.
It was a complex feeling.
"My deduction?" Shiina Hiyori cleared her throat. Her fingertips tapped a rhythmic beat against her knee, as if calibrating the tempo for the logical chain she was about to unfold. "Actually, during this ti, I summarized several inevitable characteristics that 'that person' must possess."
"Go on," Shimizu replied concisely, his gaze following the movent of her fingertips as he waited for the next key point.
"First, before renting the surveillance, the person must have held a considerable amount of private points." She held up her index finger, her tone steady.
"The surveillance was rented from the school; it definitely wasn't free. Based on the minimum configuration, they must have had at least one million points—possibly even over two million."
Shimizu nodded instinctively. "That makes sense."
"Second, the Student Council must know his identity." Hiyori raised her middle finger.
"There's no reason the Student Council would hide the identity of soone they collaborated with. After all, surveillance authority isn't sothing handed out lightly."
"True." A hint of subtle seriousness entered Shimizu's agreent; he recalled the computer the President had handed him in the Student Council office.
"The third point is actually borrowed from your own logic, Shimizu-kun." She smiled suddenly. "The person has at least one laptop. Since 'that person' was able to use the surveillance ahead of everyone else, they must have had the equipnt; otherwise, they wouldn't have been able to view the footage from other classes."
"Is there more?" This ti, as Shimizu nodded, his eyes t hers directly.
"Fourth, the person bought an alt account from the school. I checked the registration records for that account, and it shows it was created last month, in April. Normal students' accounts are registered collectively upon enrollnt. This timing is too abrupt; it's almost certainly an alt account requested specifically for this purpose."
Shimizu's brow twitched imperceptibly. He didn't interrupt, his gaze lingering on her interlaced fingers.
"The fifth point follows the fourth." She added another finger.
"Since the alt was registered last month, it's unlikely a senpai would bother with a new account for this. It most likely belongs to a first-year freshman—not to ntion, this person clearly understood the personnel configurations of all four first-year classes.
Sixth, as of 6:00 PM this evening, no one in any class besides Class D has purchased an alt account." She said this quickly, like reciting a definitive piece of evidence.
"Oh?" Shimizu finally raised an eyebrow, tapping his fingers against his side.
"What is the basis for that claim?"
"I asked the horoom teachers." Hiyori leaned back, her lower back resting against the bookshelf behind the bed.
"I didn't ask who specifically; I just said I wanted to confirm if anyone in the class had bought an alt. Their answer was 'zero'."
She paused, brushing a stray hair behind her ear. "I also asked Ichinose-san from Class B and a certain student from Class A to help look into it. The answers were the sa—no one in their classes has bought an alt."
At this point, she straightened her back, pressing her six fingers together and cutting a sharp arc through the air as if ending the deduction.
"Therefore, the conclusion is obvious: the person who bought the surveillance is a student from Class 1-D. Soone who possessed a large amount of points last month, knows soone in the Student Council, has a laptop in their dorm, and specifically bought an alt account from the school.
And finally, the seventh point—the final evidence for why I believe you are that person." Hiyori paused. "Shimizu-kun, do you rember that spreadsheet I sent you?"
"...I rember." Shimizu's voice was half a beat slow.
"You specifically sent a sample of your own beforehand."
"Then tell , what tool did you use to fill out that table?" Hiyori snapped her head up, her gaze winding around him like a tightened thread.
Shimizu froze, montarily unable to respond. He suddenly rembered the crisp sound of the keyboard clicking in his empty dorm room while he filled out the form.
Naturally, he had used a computer; it was a professional habit left over from his past life as a planner.
He was long accustod to using a computer for efficient, detailed spreadsheet work—the rhythm of the typing and the logic of the layout were etched into his bones. Using any other device felt clumsy.
He hadn't expected her to find a loophole there.
"By the way, I used a computer to complete mine," her voice took on a bit of a pressing edge, like a detective finally revealing a long-hidden piece of evidence.
"I borrowed Ryuen-kun's laptop and it took over an hour. Yet your table was so detailed—with yellow highlights, red lines, and even clearly written example questions..."
She leaned forward.
"And yet, you sent it back in less than two hours." Her voice trailed off softly, but it felt like a heavy hamr hitting a mark.
"You must have used a computer, right? So, may I ask, where did your computer co from?"
"Did you borrow soone else's? Unlikely." Hiyori continued her barrage of questions.
"I sent the table to you at 9:00 PM. At that hour, who would be willing to lend their computer to soone else to work on until late at night? Not to ntion, only one person in Class D has purchased a computer.
Besides, just now when I deliberately said I wanted to see your dorm, you refused imdiately." She stroked her chin, drawing out her words. "If my deduction is correct—"
The mont her voice stopped, her eyes locked onto Shimizu's face like searchlights.
"Your computer is probably sitting on your desk in your room right now, isn't it?"
She said those last words very softly, yet it was like a key sliding into a lock—click—opening the door to the entire truth.
However, after finishing her deduction, the detective lady suddenly shook her head. The aggressive aura she had just projected vanished instantly, like smoke caught in the evening breeze.
"Shimizu-kun, I'm not saying this because I want to bla you." Her voice softened significantly.
"I have no intention of telling Ryuen Kakeru your identity. As I said before, I understand your position. Being assigned to Class D and wanting to save twenty million points to leave is only natural. Logically, no one likes being in the worst class—myself included."
She looked down at the pattern on the bedsheets, her tone becoming more earnest.
"Renting surveillance isn't so kind of fraud. Class C lost far fewer points last month thanks to you, didn't they? I just... wanted to fulfill my duty as a detective and follow the investigation to the end. I hope you don't resent my aggressive attitude just now."
She looked up and spoke seriously: "Shimizu-kun, you have always been very good to . You are a qualified assistant. You helped out at the electronics store, and you worked for nearly two hours late at night after receiving my table. Speaking of which, it was only because you replied so fast that I caught the flaw." She smiled suddenly. "Even eting Ichinose-san was thanks to you. You've done a lot for ..."
She stood up and turned over the copy of The Murder of Roger Ackroyd so it lay face down on the desk.
"Like Hols, I don't consider myself so perfectly good person. Using 'Watson's' kindness to push toward clues—discovering the truth only to turn around and betray my assistant—that is sothing I could never do.
So! I will keep this matter buried in my heart. I will absolutely not tell anyone!" She looked at Shimizu with determined eyes, emphasizing every word.
"Shiina-san, you really have exceeded my expectations."
Looking at her serious face, a faint smile instinctively played across Shimizu Akira's lips. Just two hours ago, he was certain that this month's plan would stay hidden. He hadn't even had ti to settle in before Shiina Hiyori ca knocking on his door. With seven interlocking deductions, she had firmly pinned the label of "the person who rented surveillance" onto him. Every piece of logic held up; it was almost identical to the truth.
He had expected her to pick up a few clues, but so of her deductions were unforeseen—like contacting students in every class to confirm the status of alt accounts with their horoom teachers.
What surprised him more was that this seemingly quiet, bookish girl could act so decisively, even enlisting Ichinose from Class B. As for the person she asked in Class A... he couldn't guess who that was yet. Strictly speaking, it was a simultaneous push from three classes that pinpointed the target to Class D.
But what moved him most was her deduction regarding the spreadsheet.
He paused, his gaze landing on the laptop on her desk.
"The table... you sent it to on Saturday night. Did you suspect from that mont?"
Hiyori's tapping stopped, as if she were pulled back to that specific mont. Her voice was lower than before.
"Actually, I didn't think too deeply at first. When I sent the table on Saturday, I just thought your reply was unusually fast. I chalked it up to efficiency until yesterday, when I was organizing clues about the surveillance and suddenly rembered it.
So, following that line of thought, many things connected." Hiyori's tone returned to a steady pace, but her eyes held a bit more insight.
"Shimizu-kun, you clearly have a computer, and it's likely not newly bought—otherwise, you wouldn't have gone out of your way to lead to the electronics store, deliberately trying to guide my deduction toward the idea of 'buying a computer.' That way, your na naturally wouldn't be on the list, and I wouldn't suspect you."
She stroked her chin again.
"But I thought about it carefully later. The 'buying a computer' clue was just one part of it. The truly fastest way to solve the problem would have been to ask the Student Council President directly who he gave the authority to. Or to solve it via the alt account angle. I don't believe soone as sharp as you would fail to think of that.
It's just that I still have several things I can't figure out." Hiyori's brow furrowed, confusion tangling her expression like a fine net.
"First, I never breathed a word about it; how did you realize I was investigating you? To the point where you purposefully approached ?
Second, how did you have so many points just a few days after school started?
Third, where exactly did your computer co from?"
Shimizu paused, his gaze resting on Hiyori's tightly pressed lips. A wave of indescribable emotion surged in his heart. He had to admit, this girl was very kind at heart.
Despite uncovering the final truth, her first reaction wasn't to run to Ryuen Kakeru to expose him; instead, she sat him down to explain her reasoning—she even empathized with his hustle for points.
The empathy hidden in that "After all, it's Class D" was warr than any defense.
And that phrase, "I will bury it in my heart forever," said so earnestly, was like swearing an oath over a secret.
The girl before him was truly extraordinary. She possessed a detective's stubbornness for digging out the truth, yet also had a rare delicacy and consideration, knowing how to leave the other person with dignity even when solving the mystery.
In fact, he had originally intended to co clean with her—if it hadn't been for that mysterious person's ssage this afternoon, which had thrown off his entire rhythm.
"I'm sorry, Shiina-san, but your deduction is incorrect." Shimizu t her inquiring gaze, his tone as calm as deep, still water.
"Because I am not 'that person'."
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