New Case (3)

As we stepped out into the hallway and closed the door to the room, I looked around to make sure no one was here. The hallway was empty and the guy had already left.

I went to the window and leaned my back against the sill, immediately feeling the soft warmth of the sun on my neck.

Rina walked over to me, still with her arms crossed, and stood in front of me, one leg slightly bent at the knee and her weight shifted to the other side.

She just looked at me and waited.

"I'll get right to the point so as not to waste your time. Who do you think stole the costume?" I asked.

"Ah..." she paused, "I don't know... Maybe it was Sato," she said nonchalantly, as if she didn't care.

Despite my respectful and soft tone, her tone still seemed harsh and a bit rude. But I didn't think it was anything personal.

"And Sato is...?"

"The guy who left the room earlier."

I couldn't tell if she was serious or not.

Does she really think he was the one who stole the costume?

No...

Looking at her, it didn't look like she really suspected him of stealing the costume. Her expression and tone were completely non-serious and disinterested.

"Why?" I asked anyway.

"I was joking," she clarified, giving me an incredulous look, clearly surprised that I took her seriously.

She definitely thinks I'm an idiot. And she really doesn't take me seriously.

I paused for a moment before asking, "You don't like him?"

"Uh-huh," she replied dryly.

Her tone may have come across as rude again, but I took no offense.

"You really don't know who stole it?" I decided to confirm once more.

"Nope."

"What about that former club member?"

As soon as I mentioned the former club member, a look of disgust immediately appeared on Rina's face.

This sudden change in her face surprised me.

However, despite that, she still answered me with an indifferent tone, "Oh, yeah, right, it could be him."

Again, it seemed to me that she was completely uninterested in this conversation and did not take it seriously in the least.

Maybe it's because she thought our club was stupid. Well, I could understand that.

I didn't think I could get any more answers out of her. At least that was the impression I got from her tone of voice and the look in her eyes. And I didn't want her to feel like she was being interrogated.

"Okay... Thank you, Senpai. The information was helpful," I said.

Realizing that the conversation was over, she immediately turned toward the door.

Before she could disappear out the door, I asked, "Also, can you call your sister, Senpai?"

She didn't answer, just grabbed the doorknob to open it.

Did she not hear me?

"Have you ever wanted to join the drama club?" she asked suddenly.

"Hmmm? Why?"

"...Nah… It's nothing." She opened the door and disappeared behind it, leaving me wondering why she suddenly asked that.

I had already decided to go and get Miyu on my own, but as soon as I stepped away from the windowsill, the door opened again, and Miyu emerged.

"Hi…"

"Hi…," I replied, putting my hands back on the windowsill.

She walked over to me and looked at me silently with a distant look.

"Did I come at a bad time?" I asked.

My words seemed to snap her out of her reverie. "Ah, no, no. The costume is more important than anything else right now... We're grateful to you. It's just that we wanted to rehearse there, but I guess we can't today."

I guess she really wanted to rehearse, but the other two weren't in the mood. I wasn't sure what was causing the awkward atmosphere in the room. Maybe the missing costume made them a little nervous, which was understandable.

"It's nothing to worry about," I reassured calmly. "I'll get right to the point," I looked at her and, seeing no objection, continued, "Who do you think stole the costume?"

She paused for a moment in thought, "Well..."

To be honest, I doubted that any of them really knew the answer, or they wouldn't have come to us for help. Still, I was curious what they knew. Unless, of course, the culprit was one of them, which was quite possible. As far as I could remember, this girl was the only one who had a key to the storage room. Her information could be helpful.

Her answer surprised me. "Actually, I have an idea."

"You do?"

She fell silent, as if considering whether to share her thoughts with me. I waited patiently, trying not to interrupt her.

Who did she suspect? Sato? Her sister? The club president? A member who was absent today? Or maybe a former member?

I was curious.

Finally she spoke, "My answer may seem strange. And you may think I'm crazy..." she paused, "Don't tell anyone what I say, okay?"

"Of course. Don't worry about it. It'll stay between us."

Well, I'll tell Iwasaki, of course, but that doesn't count.

"Well... At first I thought it was Nakazawa..." she paused again.

Nakazawa is the former club member, if I remember correctly.

"...But I think it was a ghost."

Um, what?

At that moment, all my interest vanished.

Is she serious? Or is she just messing with me?

My eyebrow twitched slightly. At first I thought she was messing with me, just like her sister. However, when I looked at her, I saw that she was waiting for my reaction with a completely sincere expression.

So she was serious. Then I shouldn't show any disappointment lest I push her away.

I didn't give away the slightest doubt in my gaze or expression. Instead, I chose to show genuine curiosity on my face, hoping that she would open up to me. "A ghost?" I asked thoughtfully, "How did you come to that conclusion?"

When she realized that I wasn't going to laugh at her, she happily continued, "You know, in our story that we're filming, the princess dies and her ghost haunts the knight."

That's it? Was that the reason she thought it was a ghost? Surely not, right? Maybe there was more to it.

I decided to find out more. "Well, what is the plot of the story?" I asked.

I noticed a slight satisfaction in her eyes. "Do you want the shorter version of the story?" she asked.

"If possible."

"Well... This story revolves around two knights vying for the heart of a princess. However, she remains silent, leaving them confused. Since they are childhood friends, they promise to keep their bond regardless of her choice," she paused, "Then, one day at a party, one of the knights hears a rumor that infuriates him. He learns that his friend and the princess have been secret lovers for some time. Without thinking, seized by hatred, he kills them both."

Quite dark. A love triangle with such a twist?

"Is it a love story?"

"Yes, indeed!" she exclaimed, "Isn't it really dark?"

It's an intriguing story, but it still doesn't explain why she thinks the costume could have been stolen by a ghost. Did this girl really believe in the supernatural that much?

"But that's not all!" she said, sensing my doubt, "You know I'm in charge of the storage room, right?"

"Well, yeah..."

"I always close it myself... And sometimes I notice things like boxes and chairs changing places, as if someone is moving them around when no one's watching. And it happens right where the princess costume used to be. That can't be a coincidence, can it?"

Now that's interesting.

"Really? Are you sure things moved?"

"Yes! I even took a picture once!" she exclaimed.

She pulled out her phone and started looking through it.

When she showed me the screen of her phone, I saw a picture of a rack with some clothes on it, and next to it were two chairs and some boxes. She swiped her finger across the screen and showed me the next picture, which was the same, except the chairs were not in the same place.

"See? The first picture was taken in the evening just before I closed the door to the storage room, the second picture was taken the next day when I opened the storage room. I'm not crazy. I still can't believe I even noticed that!"

"Maybe someone else was there?" I suggested.

"I mean... I'm the last one to close the door and the first one to open it. And I'm the only one with a key."

"But the guard and some of the teachers might also have keys, right?"

"I don't think they have any reason to go there. This storage room belongs to our club. There's nothing in there but our stuff."

"What about the other club members?"

"I doubt it could have been any of them, and I didn't give the key to anyone that day."

"Have you ever given the key to any of the club members?"

"Of course I've given it to each of them at least once, after all, it's the club's storage room, I'm just responsible for keeping the key safe, that's all."

She sounds very confident.

"Did you notice anything else suspicious? Especially before you closed the storage room that day?"

"No... Everything was normal that day. I closed the storage room and went home. I did want to ask Sato to hang out with me, but he was busy. Rina went somewhere with her friends as usual, and the club president lives in the other direction, so I walked home with Kitamura."

"Kitamura?"

"Yeah, he's a club member who's absent today. I think he is sick or something... He often asks me to walk home with him since we live in the same direction."

Miyu is quite talkative compared to her sister. Or maybe she's just happy that I'm taking her story seriously. Her mood changes quickly. She reminds me of Hagiwara.

I could have continued questioning her, but decided that was enough.

I paused for a moment, processing the information I had just received. "Thanks… That was actually quite helpful."

"Wait, is that all?" she asked, surprised.

"Oh. Yeah... Why?"

"Nothing, I just thought you might have more questions..."

Did she want to talk more about the ghost? Earlier, when she told the story, she seemed quite excited.

"Well, I didn't want to take up too much of your time. Also, could you lend me the key to the storage room?" I asked.

"Oh, you want to take a look?" she asked enthusiastically.

She seemed to think that I was interested in her idea. Indeed, I found these moving objects interesting, but I couldn't say that I believed the ghost story. But of course, I wasn't going to tell her that.

And anyway, why are there so many ghost stories lately?

"Yeah... How long will you be at the school?" I asked.

"I'm not sure. We're definitely going to be here for a while."

"I'll return the key to you later today."

"Will you wait for Sato first?"

"Yeah, I'll wait for him here."

"Well, he should be back soon."

She took the key card out of her pocket and held it out to me. There was hesitation in her hands, but I sensed that it was not because she did not trust me; rather, she felt responsible for the safety of the key card.

"Thanks," I said as I took it.

"Uh, just don't forget to bring it back, okay?"

"Don't worry... And even if your club ends early, you can just come to the storage room and find me there."

She smiled slightly. "Do you wanna wait inside?"

"Nah… It's kinda awkward there."

"I understand..."

We looked at each other for a second, and then she asked, "So, am I free to go?"

"Oh yeah, of course," I said, "And don't worry about the key."

"Okay."

She turned to head back to the club room, but then stopped abruptly, apparently remembering something, and turned her head in my direction. "Oh! By the way, don't tell him what you heard earlier. He doesn't know that I like him. And don't tell anyone about the ghost. They'll think I'm crazy, okay?"

"Sure, don't worry."

"Ah, I hope we find the costume soon!" With that she returned to the room.

It was as if Iwasaki had been waiting, because right after she entered the room, he exited. When he approached me, he asked, "Did you find any information?"

"Yeah... I'll fill you in later," I glanced at him. "What about you? Did the club president mention anything else?"

"Nothing new."

"Then we'll wait for Sato seeeenpai," I stretched, feeling a bit tired.

"Senpai?"

He walked over to the window and leaned against the sill next to me.

"Yeah, that's the guy who was in the room earlier."

"I see..."

Somehow I sensed a hint of displeasure in his voice.

I didn't have to wait long; almost a few minutes later I heard footsteps and turned to see Sato returning. He was holding an unopened can of soda. When he saw us, he walked straight towards us, seeming to realize that we had been waiting for him.

"I take it you guys are from the Mystery Club? Are you waiting for me?" he asked.

"Yeah..."

"Geez, why did she call you? You probably don't want to do this nonsense yourself, do you?"

"Well, actually, it's a pretty interesting case," I replied.

"Really? Well, you must be having fun. Anyway, what did you want to ask me? I'll try to answer everything if it helps," he said, opening his soda with a soft clink and then taking a sip.

"Who do you think stole the costume?" I asked.

Unlike Rina, he didn't joke and answered calmly, "I don't know."

"Not even a guess?"

"Not really, it just disappeared."

"Does your club have a bad relationship with anyone?"

"Hmm. Well, I guess just with Nakazawa?"

"Do you think it might be him?"

He fell silent and then, after thinking for a moment, replied, "I don't know."

"You don't think he did it?"

"Well... He's the kind of guy who would start a fight or confront us openly. And he left the club a while ago, so... Why would he wait if he wanted revenge?" he paused, then added, "Well... I can't be sure, I guess."

"Were you two close?"

For the first time I noticed an emotion on his face, it was an emotion of genuine disgust, "What? Hell, no. Of course not. He was useless and only tried to flirt with girls."

Oh, he really seems to hate him.

"I see... Is he a bully or something?"

He didn't give me a straight answer and just said, "Well, I could say he's a bad fighter."

"Bad fighter, huh?... I see..." I fell silent, thinking.

Seeing that I was silent, he just asked, "Well... Anyway, is that it?"

Realizing that he wasn't going to tell me anything new, I decided to end it. "Yes. Thank you."

"All right then. Good luck," he said and went into the club room.

I had a lot to think about, but I couldn't waste any time. "Let's go," I said to Iwasaki, who had been silent the whole time.

"Where to?"

I pulled out the key card and showed it to him. "We can't leave the crime scene unexplored," I explained as I headed down the hallway to the storage room, with him following behind me.

"Did one of the girls give it to you?" he inquired.

"Yeah, Miyu… The first-year student."

"And what did she tell you?"

As we walked toward the storage room, I decided to quickly tell him what I had learned. Just as I finished, we reached the door and stopped in front of it.

"And you decided to investigate this ghost theory?" he inquired.

"Not exactly. I don't think it was a ghost..."

"You don't think it was a ghost?"

There was a hint of disbelief in his tone, though I couldn't tell if it was sarcasm or not.

I looked at him with a cold stare. "Why are you asking in that tone? If it's because of that incident, I'll kill you."

"No, no, that's not why I asked..."

Turning away from him, I leaned the key card against the special scanner next to the door. There was a click, indicating that the door was unlocked. Then I grabbed the handle and swung it open.

It turned out to be a small room, the walls lined with cabinets and the floor cluttered with boxes. Additionally, there were a few decorative chairs, a rack, and a large curtain or plaid lying on top of one of the boxes.

"Nothing suspicious?" I asked.

"I don't think so..."

The rack next to the closet looked just like the one in the picture. And, just like in the picture, there were two decorative chairs next to it.

I moved closer and examined the chairs.

They were in roughly the same positions as in the picture, but unlike in the picture, they were now facing each other. Apart from this difference, there was nothing else unusual about them.

Then I turned my attention to the rack. There were several costumes hanging on it, and a few empty hangers.

"Do you think it was the culprit who moved these things?" Iwasaki asked.

"Maybe… I can't say... Let's just look around for now..."

As we both looked around the room, I decided to share some of the thoughts that were swirling around in my head.

But first, there was something else I needed to know.

"Iwasaki?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you remember the name of the drama club president?"

"Oh, yes, of course. Her name is Sumida-san…"

"Thank you…," I replied.

I can't believe it took me until now to realize that I could ask Iwasaki about it.

I continued, "Anyway… you know, it seems like they really hate this former club member. But I don't understand why they didn't accuse him directly."

"What do you mean?"

"If they disliked him so much and didn't get along with him, shouldn't they have jumped at him with accusations right away? Normally you would expect that kind of reaction."

"Hmmm... Could it be that all the members were just being rational and didn't want to accuse someone without any reason?"

"Well... Maybe... Sumida didn't want to accuse him directly. The question is, did she think she wouldn't get any answers from him if she questioned him herself? Or did she just want to stay neutral?"

"Neutral?"

"Maybe she didn't want to confront him directly and preferred to have someone else question him. Maybe that's why she sought help from the Mystery Club, where she didn't really know anyone well.

"Do you think that's the only reason she came to us for help?"

"No, of course not, but I think it might be part of the reason."

"What about the others?"

"Well, Miyu, even though she suspected that guy, still leaned towards the idea of a ghost. I think she's always been intrigued by paranormal stuff, which is why the 'mysterious' movement of things in the storage room immediately gave her that idea," I stopped and moved some boxes around, but found nothing under them. While I was doing this, Iwasaki decided to lean on the floor and look under the cabinets.

"Well, you might be right... What about Rina and Sato?"

Continuing, I said, "Rina and Sato openly expressed their disgust for that guy, but for some reason, neither of them openly accused him. And that's the most surprising thing."

As I finished speaking, he remained silent, continuing to search the space under the cabinets.

Suddenly he snapped me out of my reverie. "Hey," he said.

"Hmm? Did you find something?"

He reached under the cabinet and pulled something out.

"Oh... Just a chocolate wrapper, nothing special."

When I took it from his hands and examined it closely, I realized that it was one of those chocolates sold in the vending machines at school. And judging by the expiration date, it wasn't old.

As I crumpled the chocolate wrapper in my hands and put it in my pocket to throw away later, I had no idea it would become an important clue to solving this mystery.