Since I've started chasing the leads with Minami Shouko in mind, everything seed to start falling into place. It didn't matter if Arisa found her in their clubroom.
I had a solid reason to link her to this one.
After investigating the trace behind the Theater House, I had Misaki return to the Drama Club after pampering her for a while. I also let Shimura return to the Photography Club since it would be better for us to move in smaller numbers now.
Left with Komoe and Watanabe, I told them that I'd separate from them.
While I spend ti inspecting the Kendo Club to finally finish our inspection for today, I want them to be on the lookout for the possible appearance of our culprit near their cri scene.
As I walked toward the Kendo Club's dojo, the gut feeling that this was all Minami Shouko just continued to intensify.
The tiline, the missing items, and her perfect alibi of being in their clubroom right when we were inside the Theater House aligned perfectly.
I just needed one more piece of evidence to solidify the connection.
And I believe I'd find it here.
In the Kendo Club itself.
Before heading inside, I took a mont to send a quick ssage to Arisa.
"Arisa, you can leave that club now. Make sure you tell her about how you're helping investigate sothing. Once you leave, go to this place. I need your help."
I sent another ssage with the na of the place.
Once that was done, I pocketed my phone and stepped into the Kendo Club's dojo.
The familiar clashing of wooden shinai echoed in the space as the mbers practiced their drills.
I rembered my ti with Otoha when I kept on coming back to her Kendo Club only to get beaten by her.
That was a sweet ti and I truly benefited from all the beatings I received from her. Not to ntion, all the tis she treated after putting her shinai down.
Sohow, I couldn't help but wish I could spend my ti sitting on the side, watching her practice again. Alas, we're in a different school.
Alright. Enough reminiscing.
From the corner of my eye, I spotted the Kendo Club president, standing by with his arms crossed, watching the sparring closely.
He noticed almost imdiately and walked over, his usual stern expression softened slightly with curiosity. "Onoda-kun. I thought you'd be coming by earlier. And is that...?"
His eyes imdiately caught the sack behind and hurriedly called for one mber to take it from . They all exclaid at how dusty it beca.
"Well, do you know where I recovered that?" I asked the Kendo Club President.
He gulped down as if he already knew what was coming.
"Don't tell ..."
"It's among other things in the Theater House's old storage room. Tell , has any of your mbers visited that place once or knows soone there?"
I lowered my voice, not letting anyone hear it but him.
At that, the Kendo Club President's face grew taut as he contemplated seriously. "Onoda-kun, are you hinting to that soone from my club is an accomplice?"
"I am." I didn't beat around the bush, "Every club related to this incident should have soone connected to the mastermind. I also secretly ntioned this to the other Club Presidents. Of course, you were also not out of my suspicion so I did a small test and you all passed."
That last part was bullshit from . I just wanted to see if he would react. I had no way of knowing if any of the Club Presidents were in on it.
In any case, that begs the question of... How did I co to this conclusion?
Simple. I recalled Ryouko-san's words.
'She had caused more than a few incidents in the past year, and there was a growing concern she could influence others negatively. Like turning them to be like her.'
That girl must have a following already. I recall a foreign TV show that I watched sparingly in my free ti before about a cult following of serial killers. In that show, there's this one serial killer who got caught and wrote a book. People with a tendency to be psychopathic fanatical killers who read his book got inspired by his writing and reached out to him even though he was in prison. Through letters and a few visits, he gained their loyalty and eventually, they helped him escape - so of those followers even ended up going undercover. Like a prison guard. A neighbor of that serial killer's wife and child who doesn't want anything to do with him anymore so on and so forth.
It was a pretty decent show that I ended up finishing its first season. It showed the intricacy that soone's influence could be that huge even to soone who you'd thought was an innocent person.
Of course, I could also be said to have the sa tendency, just that it was in a different area, like accepting my complexity.
So anyway, Minami Shouko was most likely the sa. She resembled so of that character's ntality and surrounded herself with a following who'd do her bidding.
One more thing.
The third letter with a key slipped in. The one who was pretending to be my admirer.
Yep. I was fairly certain by now that if soone was going to do that, it could only be Minami
Shouko.
As for whether she was targeting or not, I'd believe yes. Because if I could notice this character of hers, she was probably the sa so... she's trying to make contact.
However, I was too cautious or too busy to care about her.
With my rise as a Disciplinary Officer... she found a better ruse to lure out.
Ah. Of course, there remains a possibility that I'm wrong all along but at this particular instance, I'm fine being wrong.
No. I want her to prove wrong.
The Kendo Club president's brows furrowed, his usual composed deanor shaken by the possibility that one of his own could be involved.
"I don't want to believe that any of my mbers would be caught up in sothing like this," He said quietly. His eyes darted toward his mbers who had already returned to sparring or practicing their swings, "But I can't ignore what you're saying. Let get back to you."
Upon saying that, the Kendo Club President turned around to gather his mbers. On the other hand, I told him I'd pretend I would be inspecting his clubroom and he accepted, pointing to the spots where their equipnt disappeared.
A few minutes later, Arisa sent another ssage, "Ruki, I saw Minami Shouko leaving their clubroom and overheard her talking to soone on her phone. I'm going to your location. Wait for ."
After that, Komoe and Watanabe also sent a ssage, reporting from where they were stationed as a lookout, ntioning the appearance of a slender girl sneaking out of the Club
Building and going sowhere.
Yep. They also separated so their reports were sent at a different ti.
At this point, I straightened my back, turned around, and found the Kendo Club President
standing there.
Behind him, a girl also wearing a kendo uniform, who looked like another second-year since I couldn't recognize her from the 1st year girls, lowered her head in sha, not daring to look
at or her president.
Ah. Looks like the stage is set. Minami Shouko, are you not going to prove wrong?
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